GGMillion$ Scandal: Ghosting Leads to Bans and Suspensions on GGPoker

The controversy erupted on October 14, following the GGMillion$ final table, when the third-place finisher “Buzzcut” revealed on social media that the champion, “RealOA,” had received real-time coaching from GGPoker ambassador Tony “Ren” Lin.

Leaked chat messages showed Lin providing strategic advice to the player during the final table — a practice known in poker as ghosting, which is strictly prohibited across all online poker rooms.

On October 21, GGPoker issued an official statement confirming that RealOA had been permanently banned and Tony Lin indefinitely suspended for violating the operator’s fair play policies.

Nearly $350,000 in prize money was redistributed to affected players:

• $250,000 came directly from RealOA’s account
• $96,380 was voluntarily paid by Lin to ensure full restitution

Before the statement was even released, Lin was already disqualified from the WSOP Super Circuit Cyprus Main Event. Tournament officials escorted him out of the venue in response to the online rules violation.

Lin acknowledged his mistake on X (formerly Twitter) and publicly apologized:

“I gained no financial benefit and had no stake in any player. It was an instinctive reaction — one I deeply regret.”

The Chinese-born, U.S.-based player has over $16 million in live tournament winnings and regularly competes on the Triton, WSOP, and EPT circuits.

GGPoker ambassador Daniel Negreanu commented on Lin’s apology:

“Ren made a mistake but took responsibility. Knowing his character and passion for poker, I believe his apology was sincere.”

GGPoker reaffirmed that any player violating its fair play policy will face immediate sanctions, and these decisions apply across all partner organizations, including the WSOP.

While the statement did not explicitly mention the termination of Lin’s ambassador contract, his name has been removed from the official GGPoker ambassador roster, and his profile page is no longer accessible on the site.

Community reactions remain divided — many praised GGPoker for its swift, decisive response, while others argued that the sanctions, especially Lin’s WSOPC disqualification, were excessively harsh.

This incident is not isolated. GGPoker has conducted multiple similar investigations in recent years:

• In 2024, the WSOP Online $25,000 event winner was disqualified, with over $1.1 million redistributed to other finalists.
• In early 2025, GGPoker banned 31 player accounts in collaboration with GTO Wizard for using real-time assistance (RTA) tools.