250 jobs at Pocket Kings under threat

Full Tilt, a leading online poker site, could axe up to 250 jobs from its Dublin base as a result of its withdrawal from the US market.

Pocket Kings, the Loughlinstown, Co Dublin operation that provides marketing and technology back up for Full Tilt's operations, said today that its departure from the US market means it has to make savings of €12 million.

Its statement said that if all savings were to be achieved through redundancy, then it could have to cut numbers by up to 250.

However, it added that it would not be able to confirm the exact number of job losses until it has completed a consultation with its workers.

It is set to begin this process, which will take up to 30 days, shortly.

The company employs a total of around 800 people at the Dublin operation.

Earlier this year, a number of Full Tilt executives were indicated in New York State for a range of offences relating to money laundering and banking.

The arrests and indictments were part of a general US crack down on online gambling sites, whose operations are effectively outlawed by federal statutes in the US.

The Alderney Gambling Commission, which licenses and regulates Full Tilt, subsequently withdrew its permit from the company.

A series of hearings in relation to the licence are under way in London.

Following submissions from some of the parties involved, the Alderney commission confirmed today that the remainder of the hearings will be carried out in private.