Production Reportedly Halted on The Poker Lounge

While the “Black Friday” indictments were primarily a problem for USA poker players (not to mention the 11 defendants in the case), it seems as though the case may be causing concern even outside of the United States. On Wednesday, a television production company reportedly walked off the set of The Poker Lounge in the middle of one of the show’s televised events, after a wire transfer from Ireland did not arrive as expected.

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According to a report at Pokerati, the UK-based television program features $20,000 sit-and-go events, with each heat featuring seven players. Apparently, Presentable Productions – the producer of the show – was expecting a second payment from Poker Kings, a subsidiary of Full Tilt Poker. When the payment didn’t arrive after the 3^rd heat had been recorded this afternoon, the players and camera crew were told to go home, and no immediate plans to resume shooting were made.

In most cases, this would be assumed to be a minor bump in the road for a major poker site looking to sponsor an event, and probably wouldn’t be enough to cut off production of a long-running television show. However, the recent indictments have seemingly eroded confidence in the major poker sites, leaving doubts as to their ability to transfer money and make payments. While it’s likely that this late payment was merely an error or an oversight, the swift reaction from Presentable Productions may signal a change in the mood other companies have towards FTP and PokerStars.

A recent press release from the US Department of Justice has made it clear that both PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker are free to continue operations outside of the United States, regardless of the outcome of the recent charges levied against them. This should mean that plenty of funds are (or will be) available for projects such as The Poker Lounge.

The Poker Lounge first premiered in June 2010. The show airs on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom.