The International Pool Tour founded by millionaire Kevin Trudeau has offered Efren “Bata” Reyes who won the World Open 8-Ball Championship finals with an 8-6 win over American Rodney “The Rocket” Morris, one third of the $500,000 prize he won and extended the same offer to all the other Filipino and international players who competed in Reno, Nevada.
In an overseas telephone call made to Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today from Las Vegas, top executive and television producer Jon Denny said he was requesting this reporter to join the acknowledged godfather of Philippine pool Aristeo “Putch” Puyat “to share with Reyes, Francisco (Bustamante) and the other Filipino players” the offer of the IPT.
Denny admitted that the IPT hit “a bit of a rough bump in the road in large part due to regulations in the US that basically stopped all on-line gaming so the deal with the Stanley Ho interactive group as well as other on money that we were talking about and getting into the IPT really became diminished over the last six to eight weeks just as the world open tournament was going on and completing.” However, Denny said “ we are very committed to mounting tournaments and having a 2007 season and we are getting a tremendous amount of progress with sponsors and broadcasters.”
Denny said that “for the express purpose of keeping the IPT in business and continue to have tournaments we are hoping to revise the prize money pool from the World Open from $3 million to $ 1 million which would still make it one of the biggest prize money tournaments in history.” Denny disclosed that this would “necessitate the players pretty much as our partners, friends and colleagues accepting a third of the prize money that they had basically been promised.”
The IPT official said Reyes would receive $166,000, Dennis Orcollo $22,000 down the line.” Denny stressed that the IPT was “not happy about this, we wish there were some other alternatives.” Denny faulted Trudeau for being “so passionate in believing in the sport which he loves so much and was probably a little over ambitious in his commitments in prize money.” Noting that the IPT had delivered on its promises in the past which ran into millions of dollars they were now “reaching out to the players because they can see the intent and the seriousness and the commitment we made and we just need a little help in order to continue doing what we are doing.”
The IPT executive apologized saying the communication “has not been great over the past couple of weeks because we were figuring out our plan” and was hoping that the players would realize that it was still, in the end, “arguably a damn good payout.” Denny expressed the hope that IPT would get the support of the players who he acknowledged were “our life and blood.”
Detailing how the payments would go which he said was “a one hundred percent commitment.” Denny disclosed the mechanics of the payment plan for all players using Reyes as an example. He said Reyes would be sent a check or a bank transfer for almost $40,000 one week after he agrees. He would get a second payment in December and the third a final installment in January next year.
Denny said while there has been some negative publicity the IPT has done “some remarkable things in less than a year.” He also expressed his appreciation of the statements made by Reyes and Bustamante who have indicated they are confident of getting paid sometime in the future.
