The online poker operator Ultimate Bet was accused of cheating and ripping off its users, after a record of the fraudulent activities was made public.
Cheating in gambling and especially through online platforms has been one of the hot topics in the gambling industry. The scandal with Ultimate Bet has been going on for more than five years, with new evidence coming to light regularly.
Everything began when a tape with the owner of the company was found. In the record he explained how a software enables anyone who uses it to check the hands of the other poker players on a table. The tape was three hours long, and in it Mr. Hamilton explained how the scheme worked.
Recently, Annie Duke, a representative of Ultimate Bet, has reminded the public of the scandal in an article she published through Facebook.
She stated that staff from the company as well as other individuals who had access to the “God Mode” software have managed to get more than $23 million from users of the website. Updates on the case state that the amount is now $50 million. Some of the well-known users who were cheated with considerable sums of money are poker players Prahlad Friedman and Mike Matusow as well as the famous actor Ben Affleck.
The reason Mrs. Duke made her statement, was because the former CEO of the company mentioned that she had also used the software. He said Duke had used the program to set time-delays on the website. He did not accuse her of taking part in the cheating scheme, yet Duke felt obliged to tell the public of what she knows about “God Mode.”
The present executives of the company have stood behind Mrs. Duke. John Vorhaus and Jo Priam have worked together with Mrs. Duke in Ultimate Bet and in Epic Poker League.
In her statement, Duke explained that she had used the program, yet she did not mention whether it was to cheat or for other purposes.
Phil Hellmuth with a Statement of His Own
To answer the claims in Mrs. Duke’s statement, Phil Hellmuth released one of his own. He completely denied having taken part in the scandal, and stated he was repelled by anyone who could have used the program, and had therefore ruined the reputation of the company. Hellmuth was the active owner of the company up until 2010.
Annie further stated that if she was aware of the wrong practices done with “God Mode” in Ultimate Bet, she would have quit immediately. She expressed her surprise of the extent to which people who have used the program are now reaching in order to cover their wrong doings.
She has officially stated that she no longer has any connection with the website, and has given up any ownership rights. This is because she joined the management of the website to do the opposite of what the scandal appear to have done – to provide users of Ultimate Bet with fair game experience.
