For many months, the online poker community has been anxiously awaiting the finalization of the deal between Full Tilt Poker and Groupe Bernard Tapie. However, it is beginning to appear that the sale may never come to fruition.
With each passing day, the prospects of a deal become dimmer. With this in mind, it appears that Full Tilt has come up with a backup plan.
Multiple sources have reported that Full Tilt is considering an offer from another company. That being said, the new offer is in the range of $30 to $35 million. Obviously this is not the best deal on the table, as Groupe Bernard Tapie is reportedly set to spend $80 million.
Although it appears for now that the secondary solution is nothing more than a backup plan, there are many in the industry that feel that this could be the way that things go down.
Daniel Negreanu, one of the most well known professional poker players, is convinced that the deal with Groupe Bernard Tapie is doomed. Even worse for past Full Tilt players is his prediction that they will never see the money due to them from their account.
In a recent interview, Negreanu had this to say:
“The players are not getting paid, It’s over. It’s gone. Forget it. I’m telling you now. Tapie ain’t paying nobody. The deal is falling through. You lost your money. It’s just not gonna happen.”
From the perspective of a former player, the best possible outcome would be a deal between Full Tilt Poker and Groupe Bernard Tapie. In short, the more money they receive from the sale the better chance there is of players finally being paid.
It is difficult to say what is going to happen next. On one side of things, attorneys for Groupe Bernard Tapie are confident that the deal is almost complete. On the other side, there are rumors of a secondary offer.
What are your thoughts? Is this acquisition going to take place soon or not at all? Share your thoughts in our forum.