Tony ‘Ren’ Lin suspended as GGPoker confronts integrity breach scandal

Tony ‘Ren’ Lin suspended as GGPoker confronts integrity breach scandal
Tony ‘Ren’ Lin suspended as GGPoker confronts integrity breach scandal. GGPoker logo displayed over a dark textured background with four black playing cards showing aces of all suits.

GGPoker has publicly addressed the recent integrity breach involving superstar players in the GGMillion$ Tournament, including its ambassador, Tony “Ren” Lin.

The debacle surrounded several players involved in tournaments running at the same time, the GGMillion$ online and the WSOP Super Circuit Cyprus Main Event.

Lin was alleged to have given a player advice in a live hand of poker in the online environment via text chat.

Tony ‘Ren’ Lin’s actions lead to an unfair advantage

As we reported, Lin penned a public apology for his part in the issue involving GGPoker’s integrity and his disqualification from the Cypriot tournament.

Lin involved himself in the online tournament, in his words, mistakenly thinking that the player was asking for post-game opinion on a hand.

The player with the handle RealAO, who asked Lin’s opinion, was currently competing live in the GGMillion$ and would go on to be the eventual winner.

This was much to the chagrin of the other players competing, as real-time advice and screenshots were being published to a corresponding chat by active player Buzzcut.

He was challenging the fact that Lin was giving expert advice in a live game environment, which prompted the apology from the veteran player.

“I am deeply ashamed and remorseful for failing to live up to the standards I advocate. I am prepared to accept all penalties and will make every effort to compensate the players affected in this event,” said Lin on social media.

GGPoker officially confronts integrity confusion

As part of the official statement, GGPoker has been particularly stern in its banning of RealAO, saying he is now permanently “banned from GGPoker, WSOP, and all partner platforms.”

Lin, on the other hand, has been suspended “indefinitely” from any GGPoker, WSOP, and all partner platform events.

In addition to the suspensions, GGPoker recouped the lost monies from RealAO’s account to the amount of “$250,523. While $96,380 short, Lin voluntarily contributed the remaining amount from personal funds to cover the shortfall,” said the publication.

In closing, GGPoker stated that the Lin/RealAO incident “demonstrates three principles,” which were surmised as immediate consequences, including suspensions from related poker events and products, a brief overview of the company’s stringent detection process, and a reaffirmation that any financial losses would be recouped in light of a rules breach.

Featured image: GGPoker

The post Tony ‘Ren’ Lin suspended as GGPoker confronts integrity breach scandal appeared first on ReadWrite.

Category Tech
Published Oct 22, 2025
Last Updated 2 hours ago