Full Tilt Poker has another lawsuit on their hands, this time by virtue of Canada’s Consumer Law Group. This lawsuit, of the class action variety, was filed in the Superior Court of Quebec on September 8. It bases its case upon the claims of “all residents in Canada who have money being held in their Full Tilt Poker Player Accounts since approximately June 30th 2011, or any other group to be determined by the Court,” according to the official release.
Contrary to expectations, the primary victims in this lawsuit are not the highrollers who boasted massive online bankrolls. Instead, says the Montreal Gazette, “The lead plaintiff in the class action is a Montreal man, Mitchell Schnurbach, who had between $1 and $5 in his player account.” Indeed, a great deal of the players involved in the class action lawsuit have “much smaller accounts,” according to Consumer Law Group lawyer Jeff Orenstein.
While the majority may be small, the total estimated loss for Canadian players is estimated to be between $5-$10 million.
Since the events of Black Friday, Full Tilt has faced major problems on several fronts. Things came to a head in late June, when the British gaming commission of Alderney revoked the company’s online license. Since then, players across the globe have been locked out of their accounts. Several lawsuits have been filed against the former online gaming giant, of which this Canadian effort is the latest.
While a hearing before the Alderney commission is scheduled to take place in the near future, delays and a possible purchase by outside investors continue to cast a cloud over Full Tilt and its former players.