TrueMoneygames: A Real-Money Room and Its Fall
TrueMoneygames (TMG) was one of the prominent real-money backgammon rooms of the 2000s boom — a Malta-licensed operation that sponsored top-level live tournaments before being pulled under by the collapse of its platform provider in 2011. This page records its history factually; GamesGrid does not offer or promote real-money play, and the present-day GamesGrid site (relaunched 2026) is unaffiliated with the original 1996–2008 server.
| Platform | Active years | Founder/Owner | Model | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TrueMoneygames | Launch year not reliably documented; demonstrably active by 2006 – May 2011 | True Money Games Ltd (TMG Ltd), Malta | Real-money (rake-based), with play-money option | Defunct; licence suspended 12 May 2011 |
1. Origins and operator
TrueMoneygames' launch year is not reliably documented. Its client's version history — running from v5.3 to v6.7 — suggests years of iterative operation, and the room was demonstrably active by 2006. The operator was True Money Games Ltd (TMG Ltd), a Malta Lotteries and Gaming Authority Class 3/4 licensee, running on the Melita Gaming Network platform. That platform was shared with PlayWSOB, the online arm of the World Series of Backgammon — a detail that would matter greatly at the end.
2. The client and the games
TMG offered a downloadable Windows client localised in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian, with vector graphics that scaled cleanly. Backgammon was the flagship, alongside poker. Formats included cash play, Sit & Go tournaments and scheduled events, supported by 24/7 live chat. A distinctive touch: the client showed opponents' thinking time, an early nod to pace-of-play transparency.
3. The real-money model
Real-money play was the room's core, with stakes from 200 per point and revenue taken as rake. A play-money option existed for those who wanted the tables without the stakes. Promotions of the era included 20% rakeback and deposit bonuses; these are recorded here as historical fact, without detail, in line with this site's policy of documenting rather than promoting real-money mechanics. The broader real-money era — Play65, GammonEmpire, PartyGammon — is surveyed in our history section.
4. Tournaments and Monte Carlo
TMG invested visibly in the competitive game. It broadcast live coverage of top tournaments, including World Championship coverage, and sponsored the "TrueMoneyGames Tournament" at the 31st Backgammon World Championship in Monte Carlo, an event won by John O'Hagan. For a real-money room, association with the Monte Carlo championship was the strongest legitimacy signal available, and TMG pursued it deliberately.
5. The 2006 cheating accusation
In 2006, the respected player Paul Weaver publicly accused a player of bot-assisted money play on TMG, in threads on rec.games.backgammon. It is recorded here as what it was: a public accusation by a named accuser, not an adjudicated finding. The episode illustrates the anxiety that shadowed every real-money room of the period — that a hidden neural-net engine could quietly farm human opponents for cash.
6. Collapse: May 2011
The end came not from scandal but from finance. Amid the financial collapse of the Melita Gaming Network, Malta's LGA suspended True Money Games Ltd's licence effective 12 May 2011. Players were directed to the LGA to recover their balances — the standard, sobering coda of the real-money era, in which a platform's failure became a creditors' process. PlayWSOB, sharing the same platform, was caught in the same collapse. TrueMoneygames never returned.
See Also
Footnotes
- casinolistings.com, May 2011 report of the Malta LGA suspension notice.
- onlinebackgammon.org, contemporary review of TrueMoneygames.
- hardyhuebener.de backgammon server guide.
- bkgm.com Masters biographies (John O'Hagan; Monte Carlo results).
- rec.games.backgammon threads, 2006, containing Paul Weaver's public accusation.
Frequently asked questions about TrueMoneygames
When did TrueMoneygames operate?
Its launch year is not reliably documented, though its client version history suggests years of operation and it was demonstrably active by 2006. It closed when its Malta licence was suspended effective 12 May 2011.
Why did TrueMoneygames shut down?
Malta's Lotteries and Gaming Authority suspended the licence of True Money Games Ltd amid the financial collapse of the Melita Gaming Network platform. Players were directed to the LGA to recover balances.
Was cheating ever proven on TrueMoneygames?
No formal finding is documented. In 2006 Paul Weaver publicly accused a player of bot-assisted money play on rec.games.backgammon; it remains a public accusation, not an adjudicated result.