Joe Sebok, Prahlad Friedman, Eric Baldwin, Maria Ho, Brandon Cantu, Tiffany Michelle, Scott Ian, Dave Stann, Adam Levy, Bryan Devonshire, and Trishelle Cannatella all had their contracts terminated. Many were notified simply by an email.
“This was a difficult task for Blanca’s management, and we are very disappointed that we have been compelled to sever ties with our sponsored pros. Over the years, the Company has been successful in gathering a group of young, extraordinarily talented and brand-appropriate poker professionals who have proudly sported its logos. We are truly saddened that circumstances have dictated this course of action, and we regret that we are no longer in a position to partner with our sponsored pros, or to provide them with a source of income for playing the game that they love. We appreciate their significant time and dedication shared with us, and we thank them for the loyalty and patience they have continued to show us even during the unsettling events of the past few weeks. We respect and admire them for their many accomplishments, both at the poker tables and away from them, and we will always be grateful for their valuable contributions to building the UB and Absolute Poker brands and to creating a rock-solid community at the pair of online poker rooms.”
The news comes a week after an announcement from Blanca that the entire staff of the site was being let go and possibly 20% would be rehired to run a restructured version of the company focused on the non-American market.Additionally, Costa Rica's OIJ officers raided Innovative Data Solutions who had been the long time support firm that handled customer service and other aspects of UB and Absolute business for the site. The officials apparently were checking severance payments to laid off works while checking on former AP owner Scott Tom, Innovative Data Solutions (IDS) owner Olamn Rimola, and a third party, Oldemar Vargas.
Joe Sebok, the most visible sponsored pro spokesman from UB issued an apology on his personal blog regarding his involvement at UB. He indicated that he was too naive to think he could have contributed serious change at the site in the wake of superuser scandals from the past. He insisted he wasn't aware of the payment issues, nor of the true inner workings and ownership issues at the site.
In closing, I want to apologize to the poker community for where I may have failed you all. I worked hard to try and accomplish a bunch of goals, more than perhaps I ever had any chance of doing. Sometimes we bite off more than we can chew, and I may have done exactly that in this situation. I'm not sorry for trying though. I honestly don't regret it. I just regret not being able to do more.
Sebok and other laid off pros apparently also have their funds tied up on the site.
