Kanhawake Gaming Commission Reads Bill’s Poker Blog

Either that or I have good timing. 🙂

No sooner had I fired off my post expressing disappointment regarding KGC, UB, and Absolute’s failure to offer something of substance in regards to the cheating scandals KGC issued the following press release.

KAHNAWA:KE GAMING COMMISSION APPOINTS INDEPENDENT MONITORING-INVESTIGATION TEAM

Effective immediately, the Kahnawa:ke Gaming Commission (KGC) has appointed an independent monitor to investigate the KGC Licensee, Tokwiro Ent., parent company of both Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet, led by former New Jersey State Gaming Regulator, Frank Catania.

Mr. Catania is a former Director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE), the regulatory and enforcement agency responsible for maintaining integrity and trust in all Atlantic City gaming operations. As division director, he was a driving force in updating the New Jersey Casino Control Act by fine tuning the balance between regulatory necessity and economic stewardship. After leaving the DGE, he served as the vice president in charge of compliance for Players International, Inc. where he was instrumental in resolving compliance issues the company had encountered in the State of Louisiana, prior to his appointment. He is a principal in Catania Gaming Consultants and the Law Offices of Catania & Associates LLC

The Independent Monitoring Team will be given the task of completing a full forensic audit/investigation of the online gaming business of both licensed entities. The main purpose of the investigation is to ensure that the games offered to the public are fair and honest and that all player protections as required by the Kahnawa:ke Gaming Regulations are being complied with, without exception. The monitoring team will also be charged with verification that all those involved in the fraudulent activities in any manner, no matter how slight, have been or are removed from the licensee company and verify that Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker have submitted to full compliance with the directives issued by the KGC and recommended by the independent monitor.

Furthermore, Mr. Catania’s team will be empowered by the KGC to have full access to interview all employees, past or present, review all records, contact and interview all sub contractors and individuals whom the monitoring team believes necessary. Any failure by the licensees could result in immediate revocation of their license privileges with the KGC. In the event that any criminal activity is found to have occurred, such activity will be reported to the appropriate authorities for possible prosecution.

KGC License Holder, Tokwiro Enterprises has agreed to comply fully and submit to this independent monitor.

KGC Chairman, Dean Montour adds, “While the ongoing investigative process has dominated the attention of the KGC in recent months, we are fully confident in the ability of the Independent Monitoring Team to deliver results and assist the Commission in bringing this matter to a decisive conclusion.”

As per the terms of the monitoring agreement, and at the conclusion of the process, the KGC will review the report of the monitoring team and enter the results into their final considerations at the time of ruling in the Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker investigations.

Murray Marshall
Senior Advisor
Kahnawa:ke Gaming Commission

It’s good to see that they’re bringing in someone from the outside to clear this matter up. It’s becoming obvious that the industry has not been happy with KGC’s response.
This is much bigger than a soft penalty being doled out by a gaming commission. KGC was denied white-listing by the UK which means that their licensees have extra hurdles to clear in order to advertise on UK television. Rumor has it that many operators are applying in places like Malta and Alderney which are included in the white-list. KGC is seriously damaging their prospects of getting a thumbs up from the UK and as a result they’ll find it increasingly more difficult to sign up operators who want to do business in the UK.