GGPoker Releases Statement To Address Vanessa Kade & Dan Bilzerian Issue

GGPoker issued an apology following the recent controversy involving poker player Vanessa Kade, whose affiliate account was terminated by the online poker site over comments she made in December 2020 regarding Dan Bilzerian joining GGPoker as brand ambassador.

But the online operator is standing by its decision to cut its affiliate partnership with the Canadian poker pro.

In an official statement published on Twitter, GGPoker acknowledged that the timing of its decision to end its affiliate relationship with Kade “was poor“, but it was the right thing to do, as she violated the terms and conditions of her affiliate deal with the online poker operator.

GGPoker Statement on Recent Issue: pic.twitter.com/kCR72dvNp3

— GGPoker – HOME OF ONLINE POKER’S LARGEST PRIZEPOOL (@GGPoker) March 12, 2021

Kade was informed about the termination of her affiliate account on March 8, when the world was celebrating International Women’s Day.

The following day, she publicly shared a screenshot of her conversation with a female GGPoker representative. Many were disappointed at the manner by which the GGPoker employee delivered the bad news to the poker pro. In her message to Kade, she suggested that it was Kade’s own fault why her account was closed.

Everything stemmed from the comments Kade made back in December of last year when GGPoker signed Bilzerian as its newest brand ambassador. Kade criticized the site for hiring a “misogynist“, who is not suitable to represent the game of poker. Bilzerian fought back with a short, derogatory reply, describing Kade as a “hoe“. GGPoker initially stayed mum on the matter, but Kade continued attacking the site for a number of days.

We Cannot Control Everything

In its statement, GGPoker admitted that Bilzerian reacted inappropriately to Kade’s comments, and that the derogatory remark shouldn’t have been made. However, the site also said it has no control over everything that its ambassadors say or do on social media.

GGPoker also appealed to the poker media to “understand the logic” behind the recent happenings and avoid publicly mentioning the name its employee who became the subject of cyber-bullying when Kade posted without consent their private conversation.

The online poker operator also expressed its continuing commitment to promote and grow the game for everyone, saying it’s doing its best to “address inclusivity in poker“.

Despite the recent issues, Bilzerian keeps his role as GGPoker ambassador, though he hasn’t done much to promote the site three months after being signed.

Bilzerian has a massive following on Twitter and Instagram, a key factor which could have influenced GGPoker to hire him, despite his tainted reputation.