60 Minutes Proposed Show on Absolute Scandal

The online poker industry is nervous about a proposed 60 Minutes expose.  The CBS show 60 Minutes is going to air a show about the online poker industry and the notorious "insider poker cheat" and this has much of the sector wondering what type of damage may occur as a result of the show. 

Previous reports that aired on 60 Minutes that were related to the industry have been fair for the most part though not altogether flattering.

One investigation by the show demonstrated "how easy it was for a minor to access an online casino with his or her parents credit card" even though the industry has addressed the issue of underage gambling quite well. 

It did take four attempts by the minor that was used to finally be able to access an online casino that has not always been proven to be among the most responsible.  The casino was Golden Palace and they were later indicted as a result.

According to the Nat Arem Blog, 60 Minutes in conjunction with a reporter from the Washington Post contacted Arem in regards to a story about the Absolute Poker scandal that occurred last fall.

If your unsure of what happened in September of 2007 Absolute Poker began defending themselves after accusations were made by members of several internet forums that the online poker room had a "superuser" account which lets one player read the hole cards of another player during a game. 

By October, there were widespread allegations of cheating which led the Kahnawake Gaming Commission to open a investigation.

Kahnawake is the licensing arm of Absolute Poker and many other online gambling establishments including Bodog Life and more.  Although allegations were made about several accounts one of the most remarkable pieces of evidence was a complete history of a tournament that in which a player called "POTRIPPER" played.

This history wad far more complete then normal tournament histories and it included all hidden hole cards for all players.  This information was sent out perhaps by accident when a player made a complaint about the suspicious play.

This would later be called a "internal breach" by Absolute Poker and the Kahnawake Gaming Commission.  Kahnawake issued a report on the issue in January of 2008 and Absolute Poker was fined $500,000 dollars.