In news reported by Subject: Poker, but not independently confirmed by PocketFives, Groupe Bernard Tapie (GBT) and Full Tilt Poker have reportedly agreed to an asset transfer. According to Subject: Poker, it’s the latest step in a long chain of events needed to get Full Tilt players paid back.

“This was the next step in the complicated process of transferring Full Tilt assets (by way of the U.S. Department of Justice) to Groupe Bernard Tapie,” an article posted on Subject: Poker on Thursday explained. “It follows the November 17th agreement between DOJ and GBT that allows GBT to purchase forfeited FTP assets from the DOJ… for an agreed-upon price of $80 million. In return, GBT also agrees to repay or otherwise make whole non-U.S. players, who are owed over $150 million.”

Subject: Poker continued, “When the forfeiture of the assets is complete, the DOJ has agreed to dismiss the civil complaints for forfeiture against the FTP companies. The DOJ would also be responsible for Full Tilt’s liability to U.S. players, which is also estimated to be about $150 million.” The agreement struck in November essentially made the U.S. Department of Justice the middleman between Full Tilt and GBT, which could result in some severe tax consequences.

When asked to verify Subject: Poker’s story, attorneys for Full Tilt Poker and GBT declined to comment to PocketFives and other outlets like PokerNews. One attorney responded to PocketFives by saying, “Apologies. I can’t comment.” An attorney for Full Tilt told us via e-mail, “I cannot comment at this time.”

Per the terms of the agreement, the DOJ will be responsible for paying back U.S. players, while GBT will be charged with refunding Full Tilt customers from the rest of the world. When the cashouts will begin remains to be seen, as the actual asset transfer must take place first and the DOJ must drop its civil charges against Full Tilt Poker. Remember, the DOJ labeled Full Tilt a “global Ponzi scheme” in mid-September.

According to Subject: Poker, the latter two steps in the process “will take place shortly,” although PocketFives could not independently confirm that time line. The same site indicated that Full Tilt’s shareholders have already approved the deal, purportedly by at least a two-thirds margin. Current shareholders outside of Full Tilt’s embattled Board of Directors can receive a passive stake in the new company, meaning they would not have any voting rights.

According to eGamingReview(EGR), GBT filed at the 11th hour for a license to operate an internet gambling site in Spain. EGR noted, “The company… presented a preliminary general license application to the Spanish regulator at the last minute yesterday just hours before the midnight deadline.” GBT and other companies that applied for a Spanish gaming license could know as early as next week whether their bids were successful.

In a PocketFives thread, members of the community reacted to the news that they may be reunited with their bankrolls in the near future. One poster called for refunds to take place by Christmas: “This is def the best news so far. Getting paid by Christmas would be sick run good.”

On December 7th, the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC), the organization that licensed and regulated Full Tilt Poker, announced that it would undergo an “independent, external review of its actions and processes leading up to the suspension, and eventual revocation, of licenses belonging to Vantage Limited, Filco Limited, and Oxalic Limited, together trading as Full Tilt Poker.”

Former British Gambling Commission Chairman Peter Dean will head the review of the AGCC and is expected to conclude his investigation by March. The review will focus on the “appropriateness, timeliness, and fairness of the actions undertaken” by the AGCC, which suspended Full Tilt’s gaming licenses in June before revoking them in September.

The AGCC asserted that Full Tilt, once the world’s second largest online poker room, had “fundamentally misled the AGCC about their operational integrity by continuously reporting as liquid funds balances that had been covertly seized or restrained by U.S. authorities.” The AGCC revealed that it relied on cash balances reported by Full Tilt. You can read the AGCC’s recap of the Full Tilt Poker debacle by clicking here.

Stay tuned to PocketFives for the latest Full Tilt news.