On Sunday, WPT Global released news that they had signed Ren Lin as a new ambassador. Lin, a longtime GGPoker representative, had previously been embroiled in a cheating scandal involving an online poker event on the GGPoker platform.
Back in October, at the time of the incident, GGPoker released a statement that stated Lin was suspended indefinitely on GGPoker, WSOP and all partner platforms following an acknowledgement of the incident involving ghosting/real time assistance.
Lin’s “indefinite suspension” lasted less than two months. He traveled to the Bahamas for the World Series of Poker Paradise festival, a brand owned by GGPoker. Lin played multiple events, cashing three times. During his appearances at that series, Lin did not wear GGPoker branding or patches. Less than one month later came the announcement of his new deal.
The news, predictably, faced significant pushback throughout the community. Unexpectedly, that reaction also came from several other entities under the World Poker Tour banner. A post from the official World Poker Tour account on X, since deleted, stated that WPT didn’t officially endorse any of WPT Global’s ambassadors. WPT Global subsequently deleted its own initial post on X promoting the signing of Lin.
The account for ClubWPT Gold, another separate entity with WPT branding, embraced its reputation for pushing the envelope. The account posted an image of Lin with a giant red “banned” at the bottom. That post was also eventually deleted. Thomas Keeling, ClubWPT Gold’s Creative Director and one of the primary minds behind the account, posted an image of accused cheater Mike Postle as he called out WPT Global’s decision.
A Definitive Statement
The interactions and in-fighting between WPT, ClubWPT Gold and WPT Global might seem puzzling from the outside. In reality, they are three separate entities. WPT is the central brand, representing the long-running poker tour and television show. ClubWPT Gold, formerly a U.S. and Canada-facing sweepstakes poker site, now operates on a parallel model involving Upswing Poker subscriptions.
WPT Global is an international licensee of the WPT brand name, for real money online poker outside of the United States.
🚨 NEW AMBASSADOR 🚨
Tony ‘Ren’ Lin joins WPT Global as our newest Ambassador!
One of the most accomplished players on the global live circuit, Tony brings over $16 million in live earnings and years of success on poker’s biggest stages.
Welcome, Tony! 👏 pic.twitter.com/QvD13HDKjL
— WPT Global (@wpt_global) January 12, 2026
All three accounts deleted most of the initial wave of posts. WPT Global put out an official statement on Monday defending the signing of their newest ambassador.
“We are honored to welcome Tony Lin as our newest brand ambassador. Tony has openly addressed past controversies, taken full responsibility for his actions, and accepted the consequences with humility. His willingness to learn, improve, and move forward demonstrates a maturity that aligns with our values. His journey reflects resilience —a quality we admire and wish to highlight. We recognize that people can learn from their experiences and contribute positively to the community.”
The Chip Race Parts Ways With WPT Global
On Tuesday, the fallout continued. David Lappin and Dara O’Kearney, co-hosts of the long-running Chip Race podcast sponsored by WPT Global, put out a statement announcing they were parting ways with WPT Global. Lappin had been one of the most vocal critics of Lin’s behavior at the time of the initial cheating scandal.
“In June 2025, we joined WPT Global as ambassadors, putting the Chip Race content slate under their sponsorship,” read the statement. “We saw WPT Global making waves in the poker space and, in particular, investing in the Irish market. We wanted to be a part of that and believed our brands aligned, both in objectives and values.
“The signing of Ren Lin as a Global Ambassador came as a shock to us. Given our personally held and outspoken views on the scandal surrounding him, it was immediately obvious that our continued roles with the company were untenable. As a result, we are parting ways with WPT Global.”
What Lies Ahead
With WPT Global reiterating its commitment to Lin, it’s only a matter of time before he makes a live appearance representing the brand. At the table, Lin has enjoyed considerable live success in tournaments in recent years, with over $14 million in results since 2023.
Despite the “suspension” from GGPoker events, Lin has remained active since his disqualification in Cyprus. He cashed in the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star championship in late October, played in Korea in November, and attended the latter stages of the WPT World Championship festival at Wynn Las Vegas after leaving WSOP Paradise.
Photo credit: WPT/Drew Amato
