Controversial AP/UB Online Poker Scandal Featured on CBS “60 Minutes.”

This past Sunday, the popular CBS program “60 Minutes” aired their investigation into the online poker scandals which involved online poker rooms Ultimate Bet and their sister site Absolute Poker, both of which are owned by Tokwiro Enterprises.

Steve Kroft, a correspondent for “60 Minutes,” traveled to several destinations to uncover parts of the scandal. When the program began it discussed the poker boom, which took place the moment when Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event, as well as other facets of the industry that have been thriving ever since that historic day. Moneymaker’s $2.5 million win showed everyday Joes that they too could play poker and win tons of cash in the process - and that he truly cashed in on the best poker bonus possible by parlaying an online satellite into some very life-changing money at the WSOP.

The program then shifted its focus quite intimately on online poker. Steve Kroft stated:

“We should tell you that this $18 billion industry is illegal in the United States, but the ban is almost impossible to enforce since the internet sites and the computers that randomly deal the cards and keep track of the bets are located offshore, beyond the jurisdiction of U.S. law enforcement.”

Former WSOP bracelet winner Todd Witteles was on the interview block next. Todd is known for his online name “Dan Druff” on most popular poker sites, and he’s one of the owners of the notorious poker forum over at NWP. Todd commented on the “Graycat” superuser account as well, claiming that:

“This ‘Graycat’ person was new and at first he seemed like a live one. He seemed terrible. He was raising just really, really bad hands against very good hands. He seemed to play crazy. He seemed like he was giving his money away, except the only thing was, he wasn’t losing. He was playing in a style that was sure to lose, but he was killing the game day after day.”

There were several other interviews conducted during the course of the piece, 2 of which were affected by the cheating from such superusers like the aforementioned “Graycat,” as well as the notorious “POTRIPPER” account, which also stole countless millions from high-limit cash game players in UB ring tables.

Russ Hamilton, a former WSOP champion, was found implicated directly by investigators of masterminding the $20 million cheating scandal at Ultimate Bet and was named in a report distributed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, who was looking into the claims. Michael Delisle, who is the current head of the KGC, was grilled intensely during the show, asking why there wasn’t more being done to stop what was going on, and why so much was swept under the rug.

Delisle was also asked why Russ Hamilton and the five other accomplices involved in the KGC findings had not been charged with any crime. Delisle stated:

“We’re willing to work with anyone who wants to bring these people to justice. I believe that anyone else, named or not, will be brought to justice if they can be found.”

Steve Kroft had tried contacting Hamilton by calling his home directly, but unfortunately his has since gone unanswered - as have many questions still being asked about this superuser controversy.

Check out the full segment by clicking the Play button below: