Nearly four years after the scandal shook the poker world, the Players Poker Championship (PPC) Poker Tour saga has finally come to a close. The resolution comes after a long legal battle following the 2016 PPC Aruba Championship, where multiple winners were promised significant payouts — only to receive a fraction of their winnings and a slew of broken promises.
The Missing Payouts
The 2016 PPC Main Event ended with a prize pool of nearly $300,000 distributed among the top five players. However, only $10,000 was handed to each winner at the conclusion of the event. The remainder was promised via post-event payouts, but those funds never arrived.
The top finishers and their owed winnings included:
-
Stephen Deutsch – 1st place, $128,987
-
James Beadnell – 2nd place, $85,906
-
Michael Lerner – 3rd place, $43,426
-
John Ott – 4th place, $22,085
-
Joan Sandoval – 5th place, $11,390
When the payments didn’t materialize, and the PPC’s website began removing event content, players knew something was wrong. What followed was a series of evasive responses from the tour’s organizers and a growing suspicion of misused funds.
Lawsuit and Allegations
A group of affected players filed a lawsuit against Sandy Swartzbaugh and Bryan Oulton, the PPC tour operators. The claims included fraud, corruption, racketeering, and operating a Ponzi scheme—alleging that funds from later tournaments were used to pay debts and personal expenses.
Also named in the lawsuit were Maryland Live! Casino, which hosted qualifying satellites for the PPC events, and Tampa Bay Downs, one of the tour’s official host venues.
Final Settlement Reached
After years of legal wrangling, the case has now reached a resolution. Swartzbaugh and Oulton agreed to a $120,000 combined settlement, to be repaid in $400 monthly installments over 50 months. While the figure doesn’t fully cover what’s owed, it marks the end of a long wait for justice.
Tampa Bay Downs also agreed to a separate $80,000 settlement, despite denying any direct involvement or wrongdoing in the scheme. The payment will be distributed between the plaintiffs and their legal representatives.
