Absolute Poker Claims Process to Review Disputed Petitions Next

An update was posted on the official Absolute Poker/UltimateBet remission website advising that the deadline for filing petitions (Sept. 7) has come and gone and that the claims administrator will next tackle player petitions with disputed account balances.

The review process for undisputed claims continues and the Garden City Group (GCG) informed players that late petitions - disputed or not - will still be accepted, but that the DoJ will use its discretion on whether or not to approve the tardy submissions.

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

This latest update was not what about 7,400 timely petitioners wanted to hear. That's the number of former AP and UB players who are waiting to receive roughly $33.5 million that has been floating in cyberspace for the last six years.

That $33.5 million was approved by the DoJ per an update posted on the claims website last month. Approved petitioners who successfully provided the GCG with their bank account information were promised reimbursement within 4-6 weeks, and four of those weeks will have passed come this Friday.

Unknown Number of Disputed Claims

The DoJ hasn't yet revealed how many petitioners have filed disputed claims where the last known account balances on record at AP/UB do not jibe with the amounts claimed by players. Those disputed claimants likely include petitioners flagged by the DoJ as affiliates who are not allowed to participate in the remissions process.

Reviews of such petitions will naturally take longer to verify, with the burden of proof placed on the petitioner to provide documentation supporting his or her claim.

In any event, if we use the Full Tilt remission process as an indicator, the next update at the AP/UB claims website should be one that informs the 7,400 undisputed claimants to expect reimbursement shortly. Keep in mind that a zero-dollar transaction will likely be seen on the account statements of approved petitioners prior to receiving payment as a means to test the validity of the bank account.