Unravelling the UB scandal

Lots has been written about the UltimateBlecch scandal in terms of how it got discovered, the company's foot-dragging response, the technical details of how the cheating occurred, etc. But I have been just as interested in the claims that the new ownership of the company have clean hands. Some stuff I read early on in the history of the news strongly suggested that the "sale" was really just a shell game, with many of the same people/entities at the bottom of both sides of it.

Recently, Haley Hintze has been dissecting this stuff in more detail than I have seen anywhere else, based on various legal documents. I'm sure many would find it dull, but I think it's fascinating. She's a good writer, and has obviously spent an enormous amount of time sifting through the clues. Furthermore, she's not afraid to make logical inferences to bridge gaps in the record (hence the repeated word "conjecturin'" in the posts' titles). She is also entirely willing to call "bullshit" when she sees it--and there's a lot of it to be found in this mess. This is, in my opinion, just as impressive a piece of detective work as that done by the online whizzes who crunched the numbers and proved that cheating was, in fact, occurring, while the UB security department was sleeping (or, perhaps, deliberately looking the other way).

If you're interested in this stuff (and it is important, even if much of the documentation and trail-following is necessarily kind of tedious to slog through), go read the still-incomplete series of posts. And then, if you're so inclined, drop Haley an email or a comment expressing your appreciation for her dogged digging.


Just Conjecturin', Part 1

KGC Releases Final Report on UltimateBet Cheating Scandal

Just Conjecturin', Part 2: Sebok Signing (Update)

Just Conjecturin', Part 2.5: Oh, Those UB Hand Histories

Just Conjecturin', Part 3: The 56% Solution

Just Conjecturin', Part 4: Inside the Excapsa Ownership Bloc