Content creator and poker professional Charlie Carrel has publically claimed that Shaun Johnston, director of the British Poker Series, owes him $60,000.
The accusation took place on social media, where Carrel stated that Johnston failed to return winnings he was owed from an online poker game. It is claimed that the British Poker Series director was an agent for an unregulated poker club that dealt with the professional content creator.
Carrel took to X, stating: “I was working with Shaun Johnston of BPS. He was helping supply players to my games. He ended up lying to me and owing me $60,000 that he can’t pay back”.
The post continues: “I also found out that he has a repeated history of stealing people’s money. He claims he will work with me to pay me back, but he won’t come clean about who else he has stolen from and/or owes money to, so I am ethically obliged to say this publicly.”
“I strongly advise not working with Shaun in any capacity if it involves trusting him.”
Agents have a responsibility to players, including overseeing transactions and handling credit. Johnston supposedly has an obligation to Carrel (and any other players who may have lost money in the unlicensed poker tournament).
Previously, Carrel had participated in a British Poker Series event at Aspers Casino, London, and spoke positively of both Johnston and the organization. While there, however, Carrel had heard about previous dealings with the director of BPS, causing him to investigate. This led him to discover posts on the Two Plus Two Forums, making accusations against Johnston.
Carrel does not know whether the player who lost the money exists or if it could be Johnston under another account, a situation he described as “a lot of shady shenanigans.” While he previously trusted Johnston, this has been questioned following a string of alleged excuses and delays before making the situation publicly known.
The situation has called into question the concerns of unregulated online poker tournaments on such a scale, as app-based games require stringent due diligence. It all fundamentally depends on the poker clubs and their respect and integrity towards their players, something which could be open to exploitation.
British Poker Series director Shaun Johnston is yet to respond to the allegations.
In other news, Merkur Slots was fined nearly £100,000 by the UK Gambling Commission.
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