Lappin & O’Kearney Leave WPT Global Over Tony Ren Lin Scandal

The poker world was hit with some surprising news this week as two of the game’s most respected voices, David Lappin and Dara O’Kearney, announced they are parting ways with WPT Global.

The duo, famous for their award-winning The Chip Race podcast, decided to end their partnership with the platform effective immediately. The reason? A major disagreement over a new team signing.

The Ren Lin Controversy

The spark that led to the split was WPT Global’s decision to sign Tony Ren Lin as a brand ambassador. While Lin is a well-known high-stakes player, he has recently been in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. In October 2025, Lin was banned from GGPoker and WSOP live events following a “ghosting” scandal (in which a player receives help from someone else while playing online).

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David Lappin had been a vocal critic of the decision to let Teny Ren Lin play in major events shortly after the ban. When WPT Global officially brought Lin onto the team, Lappin and O’Kearney felt they could no longer represent the company in good conscience.

A “Shocking” Move

In a joint statement, the pair explained that the news came as a total surprise.

“The signing of Ren Lin as a Global Ambassador came as a shock to us,” the statement read. “Given our outspoken views on the scandal surrounding him, it was immediately obvious that our continued roles with the company were untenable.”

Lappin and O’Kearney only joined WPT Global in June 2025 after a legendary eight-year run with Unibet. While their time with the WPT brand was short, they made it clear that their principles and the integrity of the game come before any sponsorship deal.

A sad day… pic.twitter.com/trujMiNscd

— Dara O’Kearney (@daraokearney) January 13, 2026

What’s Next for The Chip Race?

For now, The Chip Race podcast and its popular strategy videos are on a short break. However, the duo isn’t going anywhere. They told fans they hope to be back with new episodes and content in the very near future.

The poker community has largely praised the move, seeing it as a rare example of pros standing up for what they believe is right for the game.