Bwin CEO Says PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker Are Illegal US Operators
In a recent interview Bwin’s CEO, Norbert Teufelberger expressed his personal opinions and stated that both PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker were “operating illegally” in the US. He also said that Bwin’s pulling out of the US in the year 2006 could turn out to be the “biggest mistake” both he and his co-CEO Manfred Bodner have made, if the US permitted PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker to continue business in the country.
“We pulled out, they didn’t. But we’ll see who was right in the end. We still believe we were correct and it’s pretty clear cut,” Teufelberger stated.
After the US e-gaming laws changed in 2006, companies like Bwin pulled out of the US market in order to avoid lawsuits, while PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker held on to their positions and continued operations. Today, both PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker have become the top two gaming companies in the world, which according to Bwin CEO, Norbert Teufelberger, is in no way a coincidence.
“There are only two companies in the world who are stronger in poker than us, and they are only stronger because they still operate in the US. It’s not because they have premier marketing skills or premier technology, what they have is hundreds of millions of dollars from what we see as an illegal market,” Norbert Teufelberger commented.
Indeed, while many speculate on the legal standing of these two poker companies PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, it must be said that any decision to provide them with US gaming licenses will have to be a carefully considered decision. Should the companies be found to have been operating illegally, it would not do to reward them with US permits to provide gaming services to American players.
Teufelberger believes that the US government will freeze out the two sites, which continued operations in the US despite gaming regulations and the UIGEA. “We would expect that once the US regulates these two companies will not have access to the market, and once that happens we’ll then see who the leader will be. They say they’re not operating illegally but I think they are. Let’s see who is right,” he added.
