GGPoker has launched the Poker Integrity Council (PIC), which will be responsible for upholding the integrity of poker in a thorough effort. Its duties include investigating allegations of cheating, conducting fair reviews and enforcing sanctions for the most deplorable cheaters.
The council is made up of esteemed community members who will independently investigate any suspicious behavior that is flagged at online GGPoker tables. The PIC will follow a process when they are warned of such behavior, which comes in three stages.
The first stage is detection, when suspect actions such as collusion, botting, use of real-time assistance or ghosting are flagged. The next stage is review, where the PIC will analyze the hand histories of the suspect players. The final stage is the ruling – here council members will vote on whether disciplinary measures should be implemented.
These disciplinary measures range depending on the offense committed. The player may be warned about their behavior or have their account suspended or indefinitely banned by GGPoker. In more serious cases the player will be permanently banned and meted out with a permanent confiscation of their funds.
In the most severe cases of misconduct, a player could be blacklisted by the PIC, preventing them from ever attending the industry’s biggest live tours and venues, including the World Series of Poker and more. Blacklisted players will be given the opportunity to appeal to the PIC and have this penalty repealed.
The PIC members are: Jason Koon, Andrew Lichtenberger, Fedor Holz, Seth Davies and Nick Petrangelo. Koon is the GGPoker Integrity Ambassador and he says: “It’s an honor to launch the Poker Integrity Council and take another massive step in ensuring online poker is safe for all players.
“Our long list of allies means that the wider community will be better protected via the industry-wide blacklist; we’re sending a united message that there’s no place in this game for cheaters.”
A press conference regarding the PIC will be held at Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel & Casino on 5 July. Here, the organization plans to announce its presence and purpose to the global poker community.
