Grand Prive Done on Dec. 1st

[Pinababy69]

It's official for Grand Prive. As of December 1st, they will cease to exist. Anyone remember the email that some of us got quite a few months back for a casino called Villa Fortuna? That's going to be their new casino, and it will be no U.S. players allowed. Here is the email in its entirety.

Dear xxxx,
Let us lead with the chin and get the bad news out of the way. As mentioned in our previous correspondence, GrandPrivé Affiliates will be closing our operation as of 1 December 2008.

Rest assured that all payments due for November will be made as per usual, but that will be the very last payment made by GrandPrivé Affiliates.

Recent developments in the operations of our software provider, Microgaming, as well as general trading conditions in the US has led us to conclude that GrandPrivé Affiliates is no longer a viable business division for the GrandPrive.com group of casinos.

That is the bad news. The good news is that the European-based, Villa Fortuna Affiliates, is up, running and ready to forge a new business relationship with you. Villa Fortuna Affiliates is open to all non-US business (Canadian and European especially) and offers the latest Affiliate Program platform from Microgaming.

Villa Fortuna Casino is available in English, German, Italian and French, with flash casinos currently available in all languages excluding Italian. Our Italian flash and Spanish flash casino software will be added shortly. Massive capital investment is going into building this new casino up to where she rightfully belongs – at the very top of the gaming food chain. Have a look at this glittering Malta-licensed casino by following the provided link: www.villafortuna.com

I thank you for your support at GrandPrivé Affiliates through the years.

I hope to continue doing business with you on the Villa Fortuna Affiliates platform. I think we’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of this exciting new venture and look forward to bringing you the very best service, marketing material and benefits – with the help of our exciting new European partners, of course.

Thank you for your time and effort xxxx, I strongly urge you to signup at Villa Fortuna Affiliates – the future lies there!

Please feel free to email me with any queries about what that future holds.

Regards,
Irwin
Affiliate Manager

Irwin@grandpriveaffiliates.com
US toll free: 1 888 881 7768
CA toll free: 1 888 891 7768
UK toll free: 0800 404 84 56

It doesn't actually say that the casinos (Bella Vegas, Grand Bay, Jupiter Club, Lake Palace, Roadhouse Reels, Jackpot Wheel and Fortune Junction) are closing, but I'm assuming that's what it means. And they will relaunch with just Villa Fortuna as their one casino? And they will focus on the European/UK and Canadian market.

So any of you U.S. Grand Prive players, get your affairs in order in the next few days. Play out or withdraw any balances, etc.

EDITED: Here is the link to the original Villa Fortuna thread from back in June. So that's how long they've been planning this. And oh goody, another Malta licensed casino.

http://www.casinomeister.com/forums/...-ish-spam.html

[KasinoKing]

It doesn't actually say that the casinos (Bella Vegas, Grand Bay, Jupiter Club, Lake Palace, Roadhouse Reels, Jackpot Wheel and Fortune Junction) are closing, but I'm assuming that's what it means.

I got the exact same e-mail - but it just confused me.
It's says GP Affiliates will cease to exist on Dec-1st, but does not say what will happen to the casinos.

I can't imagine the casinos will close as they are a quite big and (apparently) successful group. But these days, who knows?
I sent an e-mail back to Irwin for clarification last night, but so far no answer.

All very odd.

[vinylweatherman]

I got the exact same e-mail - but it just confused me.
It's says GP Affiliates will cease to exist on Dec-1st, but does not say what will happen to the casinos.

I can't imagine the casinos will close as they are a quite big and (apparently) successful group. But these days, who knows?
I sent an e-mail back to Irwin for clarification last night, but so far no answer.

All very odd.

If the old casinos continue in operation, BUT the AFFILIATE scheme closes with no further payments, surely this means a right screwing over for AFFILIATES who have gained NON US players for the group. I received both direct, and aggressive, snail mail marketing for the original set of 5 casinos, so there are a number of NON US players, and it is likely that affiliates will have been promised lifetime payments for "their" referrals.
IF they DO close the well known casinos, and try to replace them with a single NEW casino, they will disrupt the flow of deposits from their EXISTING Non-US player base, and this of course, defies business logic

Clearly, this is PR, and not a full representation of the facts, which will no doubt come to light after the fact when affiliates and players either find the original casinos still running for non-US players, or them all waking up one morning to find them closed.

I have an account with them, and I have received NO information that leads me to believe my casinos will close by the end of next weekend - curious

As for this from Grand Prive,

Recent developments in the operations of our software provider, Microgaming, as well as general trading conditions in the US has led us to conclude that GrandPrivé Affiliates is no longer a viable business division for the GrandPrive.com group of casinos.

Come on now, the CEO of Microgaming has gone on record to say it is NOT their concern who individual casino operators choose to accept, and that decisions to accept US players or not are entirely down to the operator.
Either the chief honcho of Grand Prive is lying, or he is calling the CEO of Microgaming a liar, not wise if they are still going to use MG software.

Here is further evidence that the explanations being given out for this MG farce are just a pack of lies, there is another set of facts and reasonings that they want to keep well hidden, and if these came out, this "farce" would become a logical sequence of events. The "secret" facts may involve plans to wring the last few bucks out of the US players before they are spat out after the Thanksgiving weekend.

[Mousey]

.....



Come on now, the CEO of Microgaming has gone on record to say it is NOT their concern who individual casino operators choose to accept, and that decisions to accept US players or not are entirely down to the operator.
Either the chief honcho of Grand Prive is lying, or he is calling the CEO of Microgaming a liar, not wise if they are still going to use MG software.

Here is further evidence that the explanations being given out for this MG farce are just a pack of lies, there is another set of facts and reasonings that they want to keep well hidden, and if these came out, this "farce" would become a logical sequence of events. The "secret" facts may involve plans to wring the last few bucks out of the US players before they are spat out after the Thanksgiving weekend.

We may never know the 'real' story, or the reason MG casinos 'suddenly' decided to jump the USA ship. Perhaps it will all come out in the end ....

The posted letter from GP is confusing and raises more questions than it answers...

[RipRidah]

There's no confirmation in that e-mail. Don't be so fast to jump to conclusions.

[RobWin]

We may never know the 'real' story, or the reason MG casinos 'suddenly' decided to jump the USA ship. Perhaps it will all come out in the end ....

The posted letter from GP is confusing and raises more questions than it answers...

Not all MG Casinos have decided to jump the US ship !!

This Grand Prive affiliate situation may be the reason for the recently launched "GoWild Casino"

I could be wrong but I seriously doubt it...

[Pinababy69]

If the old casinos continue in operation, BUT the AFFILIATE scheme closes with no further payments, surely this means a right screwing over for AFFILIATES who have gained NON US players for the group. I received both direct, and aggressive, snail mail marketing for the original set of 5 casinos, so there are a number of NON US players, and it is likely that affiliates will have been promised lifetime payments for "their" referrals.

The "secret" facts may involve plans to wring the last few bucks out of the US players before they are spat out after the Thanksgiving weekend.

I just went and read at CAP VWM, and yes, they are up in arms about this, for just the reasons you stated. And I don't blame them for that. There's talk of major blacklisting of all the GP casinos, if they remain open...or just Villa Fortuna if that will be the only one open. Again, I don't blame them one bit. It sure seems deceitful, underhanded and basically breach of contract.

But what I'd like to know is where is this outrage and indignation when the players get screwed over en masse by a casino or casino group? Why does it take a mass fleecing of affiliates to get their gander up, and prod them into action? This is precisely the point I was trying to make in that post I made in the APCW/GPWA thread. Nothing ever changes. Players get screwed over every day, but so few affiliates give a damn, and just go on promoting those programs doing the screwing.

And VWM, I had the exact same thought as you about Thanksgiving weekend, and getting every last dollar they can first.

There's no confirmation in that e-mail. Don't be so fast to jump to conclusions.

Not sure I get you RipRidah...which conclusions? Not sure if the casinos themselves are going to stay open, but it's a definite that U.S. players will no longer be able to play at them after December 1st, even if they do.

After giving it more thought though....I really doubt they will keep seven casinos open, plus the new one Villa Fortuna. Has anyone actually had a look at the Villa Fortuna affy program? Does it list all of the other GP casinos? Or just the new Villa Fortuna itself? I really think they are streamlining, and the 7 GP casinos will be gone. That's just an opinion.

Not all MG Casinos have decided to jump the US ship !!

This Grand Prive affiliate situation may be the reason for the recently launched "GoWild Casino"

I could be wrong but I seriously doubt it...

Not all Rob...but this group, which is/was fairly large, and BelleRock, another large group. BelleRock are doing it in phases, but it is being done, and they are definitely pulling out completely, if the emails from their affiliate program (Referback) are to be believed.

You lost me with the Go Wild thing...what does Go Wild have to do with Grand Prive? And after having read their thread this morning, and their "updated" t and c's, and claims of bonus abuse....I wouldn't play there for all the money in the world. So far, they seem to have messed up everything they've done, and being licensed in Malta is a negative, not a positive.

People should not be surprised if other casinos/groups follow suit, and start locking accounts, with or without notice. I would imagine they'll keep their "higher value" players as long as possible. From a few things I've read from Referback, player value is the criteria they are using in determinining which accounts stay open (for now) and which get closed immediately.

EDITED TO ADD: I had forgotten I wanted to ask if so much as ONE PLAYER (from the U.S.) has received notice that their accounts will be closed/locked after December 1st? I'm asking because I read a post on another forum that was about ten days old, where a U.S. player had a live chat with a Grand Prive rep, and asked point blank if they would be able to play still (after the November 10th no new acct deadline)...and the rep told them they had no plans to pull out of the U.S. and would continue to serve their U.S. players. Which we now know is a total crock. So I wondered if they've been kind enough to inform anyone besides the affiliates as yet?

[silcnlayc]

I had forgotten I wanted to ask if so much as ONE PLAYER (from the U.S.) has received notice that their accounts will be closed/locked after December 1st?

I have not received anything stating they are closing accounts or for that matter from any of the MG casinos. I have actually had withdrawals processed from a few this week and have been paid in a timely fashion.

Strange we haven't been notified if this is really in the works of shutting down all USA accounts.



.

[Pinababy69]

Thanks Silc...that's what I figured.

I just took a quick glance at the Villa Fortuna Affiliates website, and it sure looks to me like it was set up for Villa Fortuna Casino only. From the About Us page:

Villa Fortuna Affiliates offers you the opportunity to generate substantial income from your European and non-US traffic.

Dedicated to Villa Fortuna casino, a new establishment in online gambling entertainment, and powered by Microgaming, Villa Fortuna Affiliates

So if this program is dedicated to the new casino, and the Grand Prive affy program is closing...it follows that they are not going to keep seven casinos around and not promote them somehow (to new non U.S. players). What I "can" foresee happening is all non U.S. accounts being migrated over to the new Villa Fortuna. Or at least that player database being used to try and sign up those existing GP players that haven't already signed up at Villa. I signed up for them back in June when alot of others did...at the time I didn't even realize they were the new Grand Prive casino. I should have known though as they also used your email addy as your account login, just as Grand Prive did.

[pevangel]

hi all

i have not recd notice either, but all my bellerock casino accounts have already been locked as of the 10th of nov. even my emails to them get sent back undeliverable. i guess the rest will follow just locking out usa players without notice.

pevangel