People news 4/10/12
A round-up of industry moves from the last week (28 September to 4 October 2012).
Payment processor Elie gets five months in prison
Chad Elie had pleaded guilty in March “ becomes fourth Black Friday indictee to be sentenced.
Former payment processor to Full Tilt, PokerStars and Absolute Poker, Chad Elie, has been sentenced to five months in prison by a judge in a Manhattan federal court.
Elie pleaded guilty to a single count of bank fraud in March having been charged by the government with opening “bank accounts in the United States, including through deceptive means, through which each of the Poker Companies received payments from United States-based gamblers”.
US District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who sentenced Elie yesterday, said the former payment processor defendant “really didn’t care whether what he was doing was legal”.
“He was in a sense playing a game with the government, a catch-me-if-you-can kind of game,” Kaplan went on, according to Bloomberg News. “That just can’t be overlooked.”
After receiving his sentence, Bloomberg reports Elie as saying: “I’d just like to apologise to my family and friends for the pain and disappointment I caused them and ask for their forgiveness.”
Elie was one of the 11 people named in the Black Friday indictments of last year.
Full Tilt names Hansen as face of site
Danish player was previously a Team Full Tilt member and believed to be active in shareholder meetings post Black Friday.
Full Tilt Poker (FTP) has confirmed that former Team Full Tilt member Gus Hansen will be the “face of the site” when it relaunches next month.
The Dane (pictured) was among the several sponsored players who also had a share in the company before it was taken over by PokerStars in July, and is understood to have been among the more vocal in the pursuit of player repayment after the former Alderney licensee was shut down in 2011.
According to an interview given by former FTP board member Howard Lederer to Pokernews last month, Hansen was present at member meetings at the company’s Dublin base and was instrumental in encouraging Lederer to not recoup his player balance when paying back a six-figure loan to the operator.
FTP has also confirmed that Sarne Lightman will serve as its new marketing director. Lightman was previously PokerStars’ marketing director for the Latin America, Asia Pacific and Australia-New Zealand regions at various junctures. and was involved in the creation of the Asia Pacific Poker Tour.
Betway appoints Paul Burton as head of payments, risk and processing
The Betway Group has appointed Paul Burton to the role of head of payments, risk and processing, in which he will manage all existing and new banking relationships and have responsibility for the launch of new banking products, as well as leading on the company’s mobile banking solutions.
Burton qualified as a chartered accountant in South Africa in 1997 before moving to London, where there was an established contract market, gaining experience in various sectors. In 2001 he joined Proc-Cyber Services, the payment solutions company, rising to managing director in 2003. He later joined DataCash Group as financial director, taking on the role of managing director after Mastercard’s £333m acquisition of the business in 2010.
Richard Akitt, managing director of the Betway Group, said: “Paul is one of the most experienced payment professionals with expertise in our industry so we are delighted he has agreed to join The Betway Group. We are constantly striving to lead the industry in the services that we offer our customers, and Paul’s appointment will help us to do this with regards to our banking offering in all the countries where we operate.”
GamCare appoints former Gala Coral CEO
Dominic Harrison will join board of trustees in November.
Problem gambling organisation Gamcare has appointed former Gala Coral chief executive Dominic Harrison to its board of trustees.
Harrison, who left Gala Coral after six years in September 2010, will join the board in November. A qualified chartered accountant, he has also held senior executive roles with Grand Metropolitan, Bass and Ladbrokes, and is currently chairman of Microgaming’s Poker Network Management Board.
GamCare’s chairman Anthony Jennens said of the appointment: “I am delighted that Dominic has agreed to join our Board. His business experience, knowledge and acumen will strengthen our team and in particular our focus on providing a professional service that delivers value for money.