2009 World Ten Ball Champ still unpaid!

jay helfert said:

I hesitated to post this thread but it needs to come out, whether from me or someone else. Mika won 60K and hasn't been paid a dime yet! Worse yet, he is getting no communication from the people who owe him the money. There is no response to his e-mails or phone calls. I suspect the same about Lee Van Corteza, and his 30K for second. I will find out for sure tomorrow at Hard Times. This event ended five months ago!

It was sanctioned by the WPA and hopefully they are doing something to help the players who are owed prize money. That I don't know. This event was given wide billing and television coverage all over the Philippines and Asia. If this story of unpaid prize monies comes out in the filipino media it would be a huge embarrassment to the Philippine government, who make such a big deal of events like this being held on their soil. Plus the runner-up Lee Van Corteza is one of their own!

In posting this now, I am hopeful that a ground swell of support for Mika will begin, and he will get all the prize money due to him. I was there and he played his heart out to win. To be the bearer of news like this absolutely sickens me. Let's see what we can do to straighten it out for Mika and the others who remain unpaid. Sometimes I think this forum carries more collective weight than any of pool's governing bodies. We reach everywhere pool is played.

It's time to sweep all the deadbeats out of the game. I'd rather see fewer events than any more non paying events. The same goes for deadbeats in other aspects of the pool industry. If someone works for you, whether it be a TD, referee, reporter, photographer or whatever, then by all means PAY THEM! You know who you are and you're next!

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jay helfert said:

I think this question should be directed at the people/organization who have sanctioned these events. About all I can do is what I am doing. Alert the pool community at large to what's going on. I have also sent e-mails with no response, and phone text messages on my last trip to the PI that were not returned. This particular promoter has staged several major tournaments in the Philippines, all with major fanfare. To the best of my knowledge all monies from previous events have been paid, although not in a timely manner. This has to do solely with last years World Ten Ball Championship.

It seems professional players are willing to take their chances, knowing that the prize money may be doled out slowly over a period of time. In recent years this has been a problem with the various "World Championship" events held in the Philippines. Although I might add that is not the case with the tournaments staged by Dragon Promotions, also in Manila. What I endeavor to do on a personal basis is not be associated as a TD with a promoter that may not pay the prize money in a timely manner. But I have been burned as well.

The precedence for this was established by the IPT when they took nearly three years to pay the prize money from their final tournament. Some of it which still may not be paid in full. It sent a message to other prospective promoters that they could get away with this. There appeared to be no governing body or jurisdiction that would hold such promoters accountable. Pressures were brought to bear on the IPT (and Trudeau) from the private sector that ultimately led to a payment plan being agreed upon, which has been mostly (but not entirely) adhered to.

Fortunately for the pool professionals, such instances are still in the minority. Individual promoters like Mark Griffin, Greg Sullivan and Allen Hopkins have always paid prize money without fail. Promotional entities and tours such as Matchroom, the Eurotour, the Seminole Tribe, Dragon Promotions, Billiards International, the WPBA and various regional tours also have a clean record insofar as paying all prize monies. Unfortunately a few bad promoters have spoiled it for everyone else. It is the old maxim that applies here, "One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel."

This is one reason I was so outraged years ago by the actions of Trudeau and the IPT. I knew that his behavior would affect legitimate pool promoters as well. We would all be painted with the same brush in the eyes of the media and prospective sponsors. Such failings affect an entire industry, more so than any perceived bad image or negative stigma which many believe (incorrectly I might add) is attached to pool. The image of pool is not bad, but the perception of pool promoters due to the actions of a few, has made the task that much more difficult for the honest ones.

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DogsPlayingPool said:

What exactly does the WPA do again?

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Mark Griffin said:

Mark Griffin and CSI (CueSports International) -

I do believe the WPA put pressure on Makabenta to make payment, but evidently it only caused the postponement of another WPA event. But the players are still unpaid. That is unacceptable.

Mark Griffin, CEO
CSI

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