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Las Vegas Backgammon Magazine Volume IX, No. VII - September 1981 Page 7
Posted By: KenB In Response To: exact text from FABN (via CJC) (Chuck Bower)
Date: Sunday, 31 August 2008, at 2:35 a.m.
Here is an article that I found about the tournament that Dan Harrington won in Washington in 1981. I do not know how this turned out but maybe we should thank our TDs in the next tournament that we play in.
Las Vegas Backgammon Magazine Volume IX, No. VII - September 1981 Page 7
Shame Shame Shame
As a rule, we don't comment on this kind of drivel, nor do we dwell on someone's misery; but, in this case, we feel obligated to jump up in defense of the people who were swindled. After all, they are a hell of a lot more miserable than Orrill Martin, who now has "unauthorized" use of their money. Also we resent that veiled threat of bankruptcy and the "everyone let me down" whimpering.
There are many legal ramifications involved, including possible bunko, bad check, and mail fraud charges - but, that's for lawyers to pursue. It so happens that the winner of the Washington DC tournament, Dan Harrington, is an attorney - no doubt he will have plenty to say in this matter.
Editorially, we want to comment on the morality of the Orrill Martin incident.
There are no legitimate excuses. It wasn’t a matter of not enough money taken in to meet a guarantee. The money was there – it was simply converted to personal use by the promoter with no though or responsibility. Checks collected from the tournament were used to pay off gambling debts, and several were cashed in a Las Vegas casino.
Sincere promises to pay the money back at a future date are not enough. A promoter has no authority to use the winners’ money. The money from the tournament is held by him in trust for the participants. It must be paid out immediately after the winners are declared.
Orrill Martin disgracefully betrayed this trust. It’s hard to determine who is more angry; the winners, who received bad checks, or the non-winning participants who, having spent their money to play, found that they had no chance to win. It is a black eye for backgammon.
Martin, despite his lament to the contrary, was received with open arms by all. His organization amounted to a recorded message on a code-a-phone and printed invitations. It was regional promoters who distributed his invitations and assured others of his character. He deserves no sympathy in spite of his personal charisma.
Specifically, In Washington, the local backgammon enthusiasts helped with hotel location, organization, and tournament operation. Martin was left with the responsibility of collecting and distributing the money – a job which he obviously flubbed.
Don’t rock the boat or I’ll file bankruptcy, he implies. Well, rocking the boat wasn’t exactly what those holding bad checks had in mind.
To prevent similar incidents in the future, the American Association of Backgammon Clubs and the Backgammon magazine will not support or promote tournament directors who cannot show financial guarantees. It is unlikely that any promoter can succeed without our support.
Backgammon has had problems in the past and they have always been resolved amicably. We don’t doubt that this episode will also have a happy ending – but, who wants to bother with all the rigmarole. Tournaments are an important part of backgammon. They should be run by responsible people. Hey should be fun and hassle-free.
Better organization means better protection. Backgammon is in its organizational infancy. Future growth and increased exchange of information will create a safer atmosphere. We are confident that the Washington/Martin fiasco was an isolated incident. Tournaments have been, and will continue to be, exciting and worthwhile affairs. Let’s work together to keep tournaments alive and honest.
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To: Persons holding obligations from the A.B.A. From: Orrill Martin
Due to serious financial problems, bad checks, unfulfilled (sic) obligations, and other mis-deeds, the A.B.A. is currently unable to fulfill its promised obligations.
Therefore I have herewith cancelled the remainder of the 1981 tour and disbanded he A.B.A. on a temporary (sic) basis until all obligations have been fulfilled.
This is being done to avoid a full fledged bankruptcy (sic) proceeding where every body will lose everything.
I have personal holdings that I am going to liquidate to fulfill these A.B.A. obligations. However I need time to obtain purchasers to obtain the highest possible value for this liquidation.
Please bear with me on this. There was never any intension of mine that things wuld get to this level. I just tried to do too much with too little, and the people that told me I could count on them for help, changed their minds when I asked for it.
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