When PokerStars purchased Full Tilt Poker, many players lauded the deal because it meant their money would be returned. After all, when FTP lost their gaming license a couple months after Black Friday, it meant players had lost over $334 million in deposits. Taking this into account, many people hail Stars as something of a savior in this matter.
As stories continue to surface about the monumental deal, it appears as if another positive byproduct of the PokerStars/Full Tilt deal is that over 200 jobs have been saved. When Full Tilt Poker first lost their gaming license in June of 2011, they had 450 staff members on hand. However, this number was continually dwindling leading up to the sale. Luckily, the 200+ people still on FTP’s payroll were able to keep their jobs thanks to PokerStars.
What’s more is that Stars plans to run FTP as a separate poker site, which means they’ll be adding more personnel in the future. Eric Hollreiser, who is the Head of Corporate Communications at Stars, discussed this matter by saying, “When we do take over Full Tilt we will continue to operate it out of Dublin. In the near to medium term we expect there to be growth in the Dublin office.”
Hollreiser continued to talk about the deal by stating, “It’s too early to begin disclosing many details about our strategic plans for Full Tilt, but our first order of business is to re-open the site, pay back all of the players and begin rebuilding Full Tilt’s reputation.” He added, “Going forward, we will operate Full Tilt as a separate brand, giving players another leading and trusted platform to enjoy the game.”
The Full Tilt Poker re-launch is expected to happen some time in November of 2012. At this point, international customers will have access to their formerly locked-up funds while American players need to contact the US Department of Justice.
Tags: Black Friday, Eric Hollreiser, Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars