Absolute Poker has finalized a deal with the US Department of Justice that brings closure to another thread of the complicated Black Friday indictments.
The deal was put together by US Attorney Preet Baharara and frees the company from any further prosecution in the two-year-old case. Of course immunity from prosecution comes with a heavy price. Under the terms of the agreement, Absolute is forfeiting all of their assets including its other gaming arms Absolute Entertainment SA; Blanca Games Incorporated; and Ultimate Bet.
In a statement to iGamingBusiness.com, Absolute’s attorney Jerry Berstein said that the deal included:
…all assets including property of all kinds, real and personal, tangible and intangible, goodwill, right or non-physical resource that is presumed to represent an advantage in the marketplace, and anything having commercial or exchange value’ to the government for ‘disposition according to law’ under Title 18 of the United States Code, Section 981…
(There’s no word on whether the kitchen sink is included in the deal, but it seems safe to say that it is.)
As is typical of this kind of settlement, Absolute Poker is not admitting any wrongdoing in the case and is not acknowledging the validity of the DOJ’s case against them.
Do you think Absolute Poker is getting off too easy? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.