1,180 U.S. players and Professionals of the old Full Tilt Poker will be getting refunded soon

More money from the old Full Tilt Poker, the one that fled the United States on Black Friday and was subsequently found to be insolvent, is headed to former United States-based players and pros.

According to FullTiltPokerClaims.com, the website run by Full Tilt claims administrator Garden City Group, 1,180 petitions will be filled as part of a new wave of payments. This group of petitions totals $2.6 million, an average of $2,200 per claim.

At least three groups of players will receive their money: payments to petitioners who have confirmed their Full Tilt account balances, petitioners who have disputed their Full Tilt account balances, and petitioners designated by Full Tilt as “Professionals.” The last group represents any player who was designated as a “pro” by Full Tilt including Red Pros, Friends of Full Tilt, and other players.

The first round of refunds that included Full Tilt Professionals came in the middle of 2015. Initially, sponsored pros of Full Tilt were not scheduled to receive refunds from the U.S. Department of Justice via Garden City Group at all. However, the DOJ changed its tune and allowed Professionals to receive payments related to their online play at Full Tilt only. The same held true for Full Tilt affiliates.

“GCG has completed its initial review of all filed petitions and, with this round of payments, we will have paid approximately 94% of those filed,” Garden City Group said about the latest round of payments. A date for money to be sent to bank accounts was not given.

The first round of payments to former U.S. customers of Full Tilt came in February 2014, over two years ago and almost three years after Black Friday.

The last wave of petitions was filled in October and consisted of 1,900 petitions totaling approximately $5.5 million. With that set of payments, 92% of petitions had been filled.

Those scheduled to receive funds may notice a $0 transaction on their bank account statement.

“[This] relates to the Full Tilt Poker Claims Administration,” a statement on Garden City Group’s website read. “Please be aware that this is a normal part of the bank testing process in preparation for payment of ACHs. However, not all banks post these notices during the testing process, so do not be concerned if you do not receive such a notice and believe you are eligible to receive payment in the upcoming distribution.”

Additionally, Garden City Group posted that it is continually contacting players whose petitions are incomplete. Any recipient must respond within 20 days of the date of the email in order for the petition process to move forward. Players who believe they should have been contacted are encouraged to check their spam folders or call Garden City Group at 866-250-2640 or email them at Info@FullTiltPokerClaims.com.

U.S. players were separated from their Full Tilt funds on Black Friday in April 2011. The U.S. DOJ indicted the founders of, and payment personnel associated with, PokerStars, Absolute Poker, UB, and Full Tilt. All four sites left the American market almost immediately.

Full Tilt closed down later that year after its gaming license was suspended and the U.S. Government subsequently labeled it a “global Ponzi scheme.”

The parent company of PokerStars at the time, the Rational Group, acquired Full Tilt in 2012. At the same time, PokerStars transferred money to the DOJ to repay former Full Tilt customers. PokerStars admitted no wrongdoing in a deal with the DOJ and forfeited $547 million to authorities over a period of three years. Non-U.S. players were able to receive their funds immediately, while U.S. players have patiently waited multiple years.

PokerStars and a re-launched Full Tilt are both now owned and operated by Amaya Gaming.