One Year Since Black Friday: The Complete Timeline

Since April 15th, 2011, or "Black Friday," a massive number of events have made an impact on the poker world as a whole. With the one year anniversary of Black Friday upon us, let's take a look back at those events.

One Year Timeline of Significant Events Since Black Friday
Date	Event	Description
April 15th, 2011	Black Friday	PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and UB/Absolute Poker's domains were seized, and 11 individuals associated with those sites were federally indicted in the United States.
April 20th, 2011	Two Domains Returned	PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker reached agreements with the US to regain access to their domain names, but with extremely limited use within the US.
April 28th, 2011	PokerStars Pays	PokerStars began to issue cashouts to their US customers, and continued to operate in the rest of the world.
May 4th, 2011	UB/AP Leave US	UB and Absolute Poker finally ceased their US-facing operations.
May 6th, 2011	UB/AP Lower Cashouts	UB and Absolute Poker lowered their withdrawal limits for the non-US customers they continued to service.
May 11th, 2011	UB/AP Reach Deal and Axe Team UB	UB/AP signed a deal with the US regarding how they can proceed, and UB fired all Team UB pros.
May 13th, 2011	PokerStars: "$100M Paid"	PokerStars announced in a public statement that $100 million had been paid to US customers.
May 24th, 2011	Doyle's Room Down	DoylesRoom.com and 9 other online gambling site domains were seized by the United States.
June 1st, 2011	Ivey Sues FTP, Won't Play WSOP	Phil Ivey filed a lawsuit against Tiltware, LLC. for damages related to FTP's handling of player funds. On top of that, Ivey vowed not to play any WSOP events until players were paid.
June 2nd, 2011	Tiltware Responds	Tiltware issued a statement saying that the purpose of Phil Ivey's lawsuit was not to help players as he claimed, but rather that it was purely for personal gain.
June 16th, 2011	$60M Shortfall	Subject: Poker revealed that Full Tilt was at least $60M short of the total cash they needed to repay player funds.
June 27th, 2011	FTP Takeover Rumors	Several rumors of potential FTP purchasers, including Jack Binion, surfaced.
June 29th, 2011	AGCC Suspends FTP	The AGCC suspended the operating licenses of Full Tilt, and all games and cashouts on the site stopped.
July 1st, 2011	LA Times: FTP to be Sold	The LA Times reported that a group of European investors was ready to purchase FTP.
July 2nd, 2011	Ivey Suit Dropped	Phil Ivey's lawsuit against FTP was dropped because he felt that the company was making strides towards refinancing.
July 2nd, 2011	Class Action Suit Filed	A class action lawsuit was filed by several poker players against many individuals associated with Full Tilt in an attempt to recover American player funds.
July 4th, 2011	AGCC Statement	The AGCC confirmed that FTP was in serious talks with a potential purchaser.
July 4th, 2011	ARJEL Suspends FTP	Full Tilt's French license was suspended by French gaming authority ARJEL.
July 13th, 2011	Full Tilt Hearing Scheduled	A public hearing with the AGCC was scheduled for July 26th.
July 22nd, 2011	Investors Not Interested?	A rumor surfaced suggesting that the potential Full Tilt investors were only interested in UK and Irish assets of the company.
July 22nd, 2011	Phil Gordon Dismissed	Team Full Tilt Pro Phil Gordon was dismissed from the class action lawsuit filed on July 2nd, 2011.
July 26th, 2011	Nothing Heard at Hearing	The "public" AGCC hearing quickly became private, and onlookers heard almost nothing.
July 30th, 2011	Ivey & Benyamine Owe Big Cash	Subject: Poker revealed that Phil Ivey owed Full Tilt over $6 million, and David Benyamine owed a 7-figure sum as well.
August 2nd, 2011	AGCC: FTP Licenses "Valid"	The AGCC confirmed to the KGC that Full Tilt's suspended licenses were technically "valid," and thus the KGC chose to extend Full Tilt's secondary license.
August 5th, 2011	FTP Pays Fees to AGCC	Full Tilt Poker paid $410,000 in outstanding licensing fees owed to the Alderney Gambling Control Commission.
August 22nd, 2011	FTP to Change Management if Takeover Occurs	Jeff Ifrah stated that if a takeover of Full Tilt were to take place, it would also mean a change in company management.
August 23rd, 2011	FTP Exploring New Investors	Full Tilt issued a statement that a period of exclusive negotiations with a potential purchaser had ended, and that negotiations would take place with new investors.
August 26th, 2011	Demetriou: $350M Needed for FTP	Poker pro Harry Demetrious revealed information on Full Tilt's recent dealings, including that ~$350 million would be needed to save the company.
August 31st, 2011	FTP Statement	Full Tilt issued a statement to PokerStrategy.com regarding what the company had been doing over the previous several months.
September 2nd, 2011	Ifrah Wants Out of Class Action Suit	Attorney Jeff Ifrah asked a US Court for permission to step down from his position representing Full Tilt in the class action case against the company.
September 5th, 2011	DOJ Releases Some PokerStars Funds	The US Department of Justice agreed to release a majority of funds from a frozen PokerStars bank account.
September 8th, 2011	Merge Network Next?	Subject: Poker reported that the Merge Network was likely to be a target of DOJ actions at some point during September.
September 10th, 2011	Canadian Class Action vs. Full Tilt	A new class action lawsuit, representing Canadian Full Tilt Poker account holders, was initiated by the Consumer Law Group.
September 11th, 2011	Merge Responds	The Merge Network responded to rumors that it would be targeted by the US, stating that the rumors had no legitimate basis and business would continue as usual.
September 14th, 2011	FTP Statement: Cost Cutting	Full Tilt issued a statement to PokerStrategy.com regarding cost-cutting procedures including possible future redundancies.
September 19th, 2011	Preet Bharara: "FTP Was a Ponzi Scheme"	While a private FTP hearing with the AGCC took place, US prosecutor Preet Bharara called FTP a "massive Ponzi Scheme." Mainstream media heavily reported on this.
September 20th, 2011	Amended Complaint Names Lederer, Ferguson, & Furst	An amended civil complaint was issued by the US with Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, and Rafe Furst listed as defendants. Information regarding Full Tilt's financial troubles and management compensation was revealed in the complaint.
September 20th, 2011	Rafe Furst Responds	In response to being added to the civil complaint, Rafe Furst blogged that he had "nothing to hide."
September 21st, 2011	Full Tilt Responds to Ponzi Scheme Comments	Full Tilt attorney Jeff Ifrah argued that while Full Tilt made bad decisions and mismanaged player accounts, the situation was similar to a failed bank and was not a Ponzi Scheme.
September 21st, 2011	French Investors Serious About FTP?	Subject: Poker revealed that French investors were interested in purchasing Full Tilt Poker, and that a letter of intent had been signed.
September 23rd, 2011	Laurent Tapie Identified as Investor	A rumor surfaced that Laurent Tapie was a member of the investment group interested in the purchase of Full Tilt.
September 23rd, 2011	DOJ Issues Warrants for FTP Accounts	The DOJ issued warrants for the seizure of several bank accounts belonging to Ray Bitar, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, and Rafe Furst.
September 26th, 2011	FTP Nearing Deal	Jeff Ifrah told PokerStrategy.com that the French investment group interested in Full Tilt was nearing a deal based on the contingency that the AGCC did not revoke Full Tilt's license.
September 29th, 2011	AGCC Revokes Full Tilt Licenses & DOJ Comments	The AGCC revoked all but 1 license belonging to Full Tilt (the remaining 1 was suspended). They also issued a determination notice explaining the decision and stating that $331 million was seized by the DOJ, which in turn released a statement of its own.
September 29th, 2011	Full Tilt Responds to AGCC	In a statement on PokerStrategy.com, Full Tilt stated that the AGCC's decision to revoke FTP's licenses significantly harmed the potential purchase of the company and hurt player chances of getting repaid.
September 30th, 2011	AGCC Director: "FTP is Wicked"	In an interview with EGaming Review, AGCC director Andre Wilsenach called Full Tilt "wicked" and said there was no way the AGCC could have known of the site's issues.
September 30th, 2011	FTP & GBT Sign Acquisition Agreement	In a statement on PokerStrategy.com, Full Tilt announced that an acquisition agreement had been signed with Groupe Bernard Tapie.
October 2nd, 2011	Campos and Elie File Motions for Dismissal	Indicted payment processors John Campos and Chad Elie filed motions for dismissal from Black Friday charges, claiming poker was exempt from US law.
October 3rd, 2011	AGCC Addresses Full Tilt Players	The AGCC released a statement addressing Full Tilt players and clarifying that they no longer have authority on any issues related to Full Tilt.
October 4th, 2011	WSJ: Players May Receive Equity	The Wall Street Journal reported that players with very large sums of money on Full Tilt may be offered equity stakes in the company rather than a reimbursement.
October 6th, 2011	GBT Attempts to Safeguard Full Tilt Assets	Subject: Poker reported that GBT intended to appoint a chief restructuring officer to take over FTP operations while negotiations and the takeover process continued.
October 11th, 2011	AGCC to Hold Full Review	In response to immense criticism from the public, the AGCC vowed to hold a complete review of their processes.
October 11th, 2011	Ifrah: DOJ Negotiations Continue	Jeff Ifrah confirmed to PokerStrategy.com that rumors of negotiations ending were false.
October 12th, 2011	Tony G to Sue AGCC	Tony G released a statement saying he would take legal action against the AGCC because he believed they knew about Full Tilt's problems.
October 18th, 2011	GBT Hires US Attorney	Groupe Bernard Tapie hired an experienced gaming attorney in the US to work towards a deal with the US Department of Justice.
October 20th, 2011	Subject: Poker: "AGCC Was Wrong"	Subject: Poker reported that the AGCC had falsely reported on DOJ seizures, and that the actual seized amount was $159 million rather than $331 million.
October 22nd, 2011	Pocket Kings Layoffs	Pocket Kings, employer of Full Tilt's support staff, announced approximately 180 redundancies within the company.
October 25th, 2011	Player Survey by French Magazine	French magazine LivePoker conducted a survey of Full Tilt players to determine which one of three potential payout options the players preferred.
October 27th, 2011	FTP Settling with Maryland	Full Tilt Poker began discussions with the District of Maryland to settle an outstanding civil suit related to seized assets in Swiss accounts.
October 28th, 2011	KGC Issues Release on UB/AP	The Kahnawake Gaming Commission issued a statement explaining their attempts to liquidate the assets of Blanca Games Inc. in order to distribute the proceeds to players.
November 1st, 2011	GBT & DOJ Reach Agreement	Subject: Poker reported that the US and GBT had reached an agreement on the terms of purchase of Full Tilt Poker's assets.
November 3rd, 2011	Tapie: "Deal with DOJ Signed in 15 Days"	Laurent Tapie told iGamingFrance that the deal with the DOJ should be signed within 15 days.
November 15th, 2011	FTP Entities File Claims for $98M	Several individuals and companies related to Full Tilt filed claims for $98 million so a vehicle could be set up for them to turn those assets over to the DOJ.
November 17th, 2011	FTP Deal Signed	In a statement to PokerStrategy.com, Full Tilt announced that GBT reached a deal with the DOJ to purchase Full Tilt's assets for $80 million, pending Full Tilt's release of them.
December 3rd, 2011	UB Data Leak Contains Millions of Accounts	Large amounts of personal data belonging to UB account holders was leaked publicly. No credit card or bank information was part of the leak.
December 7th, 2011	AGCC Commissions Independent Review	The AGCC commissioned an independent review to be conducted in order to assess how the regulatory authority dealt with the Full Tilt situation.
December 15th, 2011	FTP & GBT Reach Agreement on Asset Transfer	Full Tilt and the Tapie group reached an agreement assuring FTP that if they forfeited their assets to the DOJ, GBT would buy it.
December 21st, 2011	AP Founder Pleads Guilty	Absolute Poker founder Brent Beckley pleaded guilty to Black Friday charges, making him the 2nd individual to do that after Bradley Franzen had in May.
December 23rd, 2011	DOJ: Wire Act Doesn't Apply to Online Poker	The US DOJ released a legal opinion stating that the Interstate Wire Act of 1961 doesn't apply to online poker. This decision has positive implications for future poker legislation.
January 18th, 2012	Rubin Pleads Guilty	Payment processor Ira Rubin pleaded guilty to three Black Friday charges.
February 1st, 2012	Ferguson Not Interfering	Laurent Tapie denied rumors that Chris Ferguson had been holding up a Full Tilt takeover deal, and additionally expressed confidence in a deal happening soon.
February 1st, 2012	Class Action Dropped	The class action suit originally filed against Full Tilt on July 2nd, 2011, was dropped.
February 2nd, 2012	GBT Unable to Collect Debts from Pros	GBT attorney Behnam Dayanim informed PokerStrategy.com that several high-profile players owed substantial sums of money to Full Tilt, and that GBT was unable to collect.
February 3rd, 2012	Barry Greenstein Responds to GBT Statement	Barry Greenstein released a statement admitting that he owed Full Tilt $382K and explaining his reasons for choosing not to pay GBT that money.
February 8th, 2012	Judge Sends Campos and Elie to Trial	Payment processors John Campos and Chad Elie's motions for dismissal from their charges were denied, and a trial was set.
February 27th, 2012	Tapie Lawyer: "Positive Progress"	Behnam Dayanim told PokerStrategy.com that FTP and GBT were very close to reaching a deal, and due to positive progress they extended the deal's previous deadline.
February 28th, 2012	Ryan Lang Pleads Guilty	Payment processor Ryan Lang pleaded guilty to Black Friday conspiracy charges.
March 6th, 2012	Ray Bitar Apologizes to the Poker World	In an exclusive interview with PokerStrategy.com, Full Tilt Poker CEO Ray Bitar publicly spoke to the poker world for the first time since Black Friday to apologize to those he affected.
March 14th, 2012	Full Tilt Deal Imminent?	Rumors surfaced that GBT's takeover of Full Tilt would happen within several days.
March 20th, 2012	Elie/Campos Evidence Considered	Payment processors Chad Elie and John Campos submitted requests to a US Court regarding what evidence they felt should be admissible in their trials.
March 22nd, 2012	Tzvetkoff to Testify	In the Elie/Campos trial scheduled for April 9th, former Intabill head Daniel Tzvetkoff was set to testify.
March 26th, 2012	Chad Elie Pleads Guilty	Payment processor Chad Elie gave up on fighting the DOJ and pleaded guilty to a single conspiracy charge.
March 27th, 2012	AGCC Review Results	The independent review commissioned by the AGCC came back and concluded that the AGCC's actions were "appropriate, timely and fair."
March 27th, 2012	John Campos Pleads Guilty	John Campos pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge, and his highly anticipated "poker trial" would not take place.
March 29th, 2012	Judge Questions Campos Plea Deal	The Judge presiding over the John Campos trial requested that the prosecutors provide him with an explanation of why they allowed Campos to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge rather than a felony.
April 3rd, 2012	FTP Hiring & Applying for License	Pocket Kings placed 14 available job positions at Irish online recruitment agency jobs.ie, and it was discovered that Orinic Ltd., a Full Tilt company, had applied for a Category 2 gaming license.
April 13th, 2012	New Full Tilt Class Action Lawsuit	The same poker pros from the first class action suit against Full Tilt filed a new one against Chris Ferguson and Howard Lederer, claiming their actions are responsible for US players being unable to access their account balances.

by Matt Kaufman