Poker Pros Garrett Adelstein and Jeremy Ausmus Face Scrutiny Over PPP Loans

Poker professionals Garrett Adelstein and Jeremy Ausmus have come under scrutiny for receiving substantial Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans during the Covid-19 pandemic. Garrett Adelstein received over $40k in forgivable PPP loans. The PPP fund was set up to protect companies and their workers during the economic woes brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jeremy Ausmus received almost $11k from the PPP program. The loans were intended to help businesses keep their employees on payroll during the pandemic. However, both Adelstein and Ausmus have been criticized for taking out these loans, given their financial success in the poker world. Adelstein is the biggest winner in Hustler Casino Live history, earning over $1.5 million in 53 sessions.

Daniel Negreanu, a prominent figure in the poker community, criticized Garrett Adelstein's handling of cheating accusations against Robbi Jade Lew. Negreanu tweeted, “The root cause of ALL of this is Garret. He handled this terribly. If he just got up and went to production or just STFU then none of this would have happened. Imagine she is innocent – look at what he has caused if so.” The PPP loans system, which ran from April 2020 to May 2021, has been described as “the biggest fraud in a generation” with up to $76 billion exploited.