When Pitbull Poker came onto the scene in 2005, their free $10 and flash poker software were an instant hit among online poker players, particularly those in the US. Pitbull Poker was one of the first online poker rooms to offer no-deposit poker with real cash winnings. Free tournaments, while they only pay out minimal amounts, like $0.10 or $0.25, they still allow players who have never deposited to win real cash.

Eventually, Pitbull Poker opened a casino. Now what seemed to be a thriving online gambling site has been getting some bad press here lately. Allegations have been recently made against Pitbull that programmed bots were among the players at Pitbull tables that were capable of seeing their opponents’ cards. Following accusations, Pitbull refused to release info on hand histories. But that wasn’t all. The parent company of Pitbull, Dimensus Ltd. suddenly disappeared without a trace, leaving the online gambling site without a definitive owner responsible for base operations. Pitbull had misrepresented their base, saying at one time that they operated out of the UK, when in fact, they were a Costa-Rican-based company. Apparently Pitbull owners had closed their doors with no intention of paying off player accounts.

Recently, these owners apparently got scared and sent a phony maintenance crew to send home the night shift and empty out the building. Employees went straight to the police, who then returned to the building and arrested the owners, who are now considered a flight risk.

While the Pitbull Poker website remains up, the state of its future is unknown. This isn’t the first time that these guys have been accused of foul play. Neither is this the first online poker room that has seen this fate. Back in the summer of 2006, BetonSports ex-CEO David Carruthers was arrested after closing its doors and leaving 1500 employees without a job.