Paul Leggett Hiring by Amaya Under Review by Nevada Gaming Commission

Former UB.com COO Paul Leggett has been tagged as the next head of gambling firm Amaya but the Nevada Gaming Commission might not be too happy.

UB.com closed shop following a 2011 indictment by the US Government owing millions of dollars to players. 

The website LegalPokerSites.com begged the question, with so many other folks from the online gambling sector unemployed, why bring on Paul Leggett?

US online poker players have hoped that regulating the game in the States would put an end to people related to scams in the industry.  Instead, Amaya Gaming decided to hire someone that appears to have helped cover up one or two cheating scandals, a massive shortfall in cash, stiffed bondholder claims that dated back two years, and appears to have been caught in discussions to pay an extortion attempt.  All the while, his company was indicted for fraud and illegal gambling, while virtually all of their players were stiffed.

It does not seem clear when Leggett left Cereus, but it was no earlier than two weeks after Black Friday. He was still COO of a company that was indicted by the Department of Justice, while at the same time still allowing US players to have access to real money tables.  Considering the company’s financial situation, it was trading while insolvent in the weeks after Black Friday, presumably under Leggett’s watch if he was still sending internal emails on April 29, 2011.  Trading while insolvent is a financial crime in virtually any first world country.  One could argue the company lacked proper liquidity for at least nine months before Black Friday considering its inability to meet its debt obligations.

Amaya Gaming ignored all of this when hiring Leggett. 

Gambling911.com will continue to monitor this matter closely.

- Aaron Goldstein, Gambling911.com