GGPoker today launched the Poker Integrity Council (PIC), which will spearhead an industry-wide effort to protect the integrity of poker by investigating allegations of cheating, conducting fair reviews and enforcing sanctions for the most egregious cheaters. 

The council is composed of well-respected community members, who will independently investigate suspicious behavior flagged at GGPoker tables. 

In each case brought before the council, the following process will be followed:

• DETECTION – suspicious behavior such as collusion, botting, use of real-time assistance (RTA) or ghosting is flagged for review
• REVIEW – the relevant hand histories (with the player detail anonymized) will be reviewed by Jason Koon, GGPoker Integrity Ambassador, and the Poker Integrity Council members
• RULING – the council members will vote on whether or not disciplinary action is required

Should disciplinary action be warranted, this can include the player being warned about their behavior, their account being suspended or permanently banned by GGPoker, and a permanent ban combined with confiscation of funds. 

In addition, in the most serious cases, a decision can be made to add the player to an industry blacklist. GGPoker’s PIC has allied with the industry’s biggest live poker tours and venues, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP), World Poker Tour (WPT), Triton Poker, Poker After Dark, Kings Casino, Asian Poker Tour (APT) and many more.

Blacklisted players will be barred from entry to events hosted by PIC allies, to further protect the wider poker community.

Notably, with the inception of the Poker Integrity Council, GGPoker can review the status of players previously blacklisted from the online poker room upon their request, and in certain circumstances remove or reduce the bans currently enforced.

The Poker Integrity Council members are:

• Jason Koon
• Andrew ‘LuckyChewy’ Lictenberger
• Fedor Holz
• Seth Davies – Run It Once
• Nick Petrangelo – Upswing Poker

“I joined GGPoker with an important objective in mind; to help the GGPoker team make their poker games more secure and fair than ever,” said Jason Koon, GGPoker Integrity Ambassador. “It’s an honor to launch the Poker Integrity Council and take another massive step in ensuring online poker is safe for all players. Our long list of allies also means that the wider community will be better protected via the industry-wide blacklist; we’re sending a united message that there’s no place in this game for cheaters.”

A press conference regarding the Poker Integrity Council will be held at Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel & Casino on Tuesday, July 5. Media will receive an official invitation to attend with further details over the weekend.

To learn more about the Poker Integrity Council, please visit: https://pokerk.com/poker-integrity-council/