Rival emails on cdn players

[lauram]

Ok so we all know that cdns have been banned from the rival casinos but why such emails as these.
Dear laura

Are you ready for a massive bonus? I have personally attached for you a 600% Match Bonus.
That's right, this bonus is here for a limited time on your first deposit and you won't want to miss it. Take advantage of this massive welcome promotion today!
Deposit $25 and play with $175
Deposit $50 and play with $350
Please note - this offer will expire in 72 hours.
Warm Regards and the best of luck,
Lora
Casino Host
Slots of Fortune - Enjoy Slots!
Bonus eligibility at management's discretion.
and with it was another email sent

Dear laura,

We would like to inform you that Slots of Fortune would not be accepting deposits and registrations from players residing in Canada effective from 1st of February 2009.

After careful consideration and requests from our software provider, we will not be servicing the Canadian market.
The management of the casino apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause and would like to thank you for being good friends of Slots of Fortune.
Please be advised that you have until the 28th of February to complete any pending wagering requirements and withdraw funds from your casino account.
Feel free to contact support with any questions or comments you may have.
Warmest Regards,
Michael Hill
Casino Manager
Slots of Fortune – Enjoy Slots

What a waste of time why even bother sending the bonus email out i do understand they mass feed them to the system. But come on the other rivals never had this problem relating to us the news of cdn closure to players.

[slotheadlizard]

Damn. just kicking you while you are down. No point!

[vinylweatherman]

Originally Posted by lauram

Ok so we all know that cdns have been banned from the rival casinos but why such emails as these.
Dear laura

Are you ready for a massive bonus? I have personally attached for you a 600% Match Bonus.
That's right, this bonus is here for a limited time on your first deposit and you won't want to miss it. Take advantage of this massive welcome promotion today!
Deposit $25 and play with $175
Deposit $50 and play with $350
Please note - this offer will expire in 72 hours.
Warm Regards and the best of luck,
Lora
Casino Host
Slots of Fortune - Enjoy Slots!
Bonus eligibility at management's discretion.
and with it was another email sent

Dear laura,

We would like to inform you that Slots of Fortune would not be accepting deposits and registrations from players residing in Canada effective from 1st of February 2009.

After careful consideration and requests from our software provider, we will not be servicing the Canadian market.
The management of the casino apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause and would like to thank you for being good friends of Slots of Fortune.
Please be advised that you have until the 28th of February to complete any pending wagering requirements and withdraw funds from your casino account.
Feel free to contact support with any questions or comments you may have.
Warmest Regards,
Michael Hill
Casino Manager
Slots of Fortune – Enjoy Slots

What a waste of time why even bother sending the bonus email out i do understand they mass feed them to the system. But come on the other rivals never had this problem relating to us the news of cdn closure to players.

That HAS to be complete bullsh1te - they are a BUSINESS, and they would not take this action unless Rival REQUIRED it, not "advised" it. There is no UIGEA in Canada, and Rival are seemingly happy to fight through MAJOR difficulties within the US market. This simply makes no sense at all, which could mean that other illogical decisions are in the pipeline. Rival are not the first provider to pull out of Canada, but what sets them apart is that they have pulled out of Canada, and in a manner that makes it look like this was a rushed decision (initial 5 days notice before they were made to see sense), yet not yet the US market.
I would suspect that they are likely to pull out of the US some time this year, unless changes make it easier once again for making transactions.

It would help if an explanation could be winkled out of them, as it would help the player community understand what this Canadian pull out nonsense is based on, this in turn would help Canadian players assess the risks of continuing to play at certain providers.

One possibility is that Rival are thinking of becoming a listed company, and this limits them to where they can provide services to. This was the explanation given for Playtech's decision to pull out - they could not be seen breaking the law, even if those laws themselves were vague and disputed, in ANY country. Listed software companies and casino operators pulled out of the US pretty much as soon as UIGEA was passed, most not even waiting for Mr Bush to sign it.

As for that bonus, well, you have until the end of February, or have they already disabled deposits?

[heatherad]

I would love to know the names of the Canadian shareholders as Rival stated they were in full agreement on the pullout.
I know its probably next to impossible to get that information, just as its next to impossible to get a straight answer from Rival for the exact reason for the pullout.

[lauram]

Well my account at least is blocked thats why i posted these 2 emails that came back to back this am. I knew that they pulled from canada but then to send a email with that kind of bonus was just well mean LOL.

[vinylweatherman]

Originally Posted by heatherad

I would love to know the names of the Canadian shareholders as Rival stated they were in full agreement on the pullout.
I know its probably next to impossible to get that information, just as its next to impossible to get a straight answer from Rival for the exact reason for the pullout.

Are Rival listed on any stockmarket?

Are these Canadian shareholders holding a substantial amount of shares between them?

If Canadian shareholders are holding a substantial amount of stock, then I can speculate that they fear thy may be held PERSONALLY liable if their was any action taken against Rival casinos in the Canadian courts. They would also not be bothered about running the UIGEA gauntlet as they are not on US soil, and would probably agree to pull out of the US immediately should the US DoJ go after them.
This certainly supports my view that this "advice" was of a compulsory nature, rather than a choice for the casino operator to make, and seems to have been put to some kind of shareholder vote.
Depending on Canadian law (or the law where Rival is incorporated), there may still be a requirement for Rival to submit annual results despite not being listed. Here in the UK, ALL "Ltd" and "Plc" companies are required to submit annual reports to companies house, whether listed or not, and these can be obtained by members of the public (and press). These documents are intended for shareholders, potential investors, and others that might want to make a takeover bid for the company. If there is any further clue about the reasoning behind this move, this is where it is likely to be found, probably buried on page 127 in an appendix to an appendix

There has also been discussion about the relationship between Bonne Chance (the operator), and Rival (the software provider) - this being that there is a strong connection between them, and it has already turned out that Bonne Chance run nearly all the Rival casinos out there, with relatively few truly independent ones. As independent ones have also pulled out of Canada, the orders must have come directly from Rival, rather than Bonne Chance. Bonne Chance may well have toed the line, but the independent operators must have been pretty unhappy, since no obvious problems exist in servicing the Canadian market, in contrast to the high risks involved in servicing the US market.
If the US is added to the pull-out, there would surely not be enough of a player base elsewhere to sustain so many Rival casinos.

[lauriejim]

it seems like they are wanting to suck the last little bit of money from the canadian players while they can, down to the last minute and down to the last drop. this is pure pethetic imo on the part of those casinos sending out those last minute bonus emails....................laurie

[KasinoKing]

Originally Posted by vinylweatherman

That HAS to be complete bullsh1te - they are a BUSINESS, and they would not take this action unless Rival REQUIRED it, not "advised" it. There is no UIGEA in Canada, and Rival are seemingly happy to fight through MAJOR difficulties within the US market. This simply makes no sense at all, which could mean that other illogical decisions are in the pipeline. Rival are not the first provider to pull out of Canada, but what sets them apart is that they have pulled out of Canada, and in a manner that makes it look like this was a rushed decision (initial 5 days notice before they were made to see sense), yet not yet the US market.
I would suspect that they are likely to pull out of the US some time this year, unless changes make it easier once again for making transactions.

It would help if an explanation could be winkled out of them, as it would help the player community understand what this Canadian pull out nonsense is based on, this in turn would help Canadian players assess the risks of continuing to play at certain providers.

All that we affiliates were told was this (or words to the same effect):-

As you may have heard already, Rival is closing business on the Canadian Market indefinitely. This change will be effective February 1st, 2009. This is mainly due to relevant business relationships between Rival and Canadian Companies that supply Rival with software and hardware. After discussing the request with its shareholders, the decision was made to block Canadian players effective February 1st, 2009.

Beginning February 1, 2009, Canadian players will not be allowed to register new accounts. On that date, all Canadian players will be notified that they will have 4 weeks to withdraw any credits in their casino accounts (after any pending play-through requirements have been met). Canadian players will not be allowed to deposit and will not be eligible for new bonuses after January 31, 2009. On February 28, 2009 all Canadian player accounts will be suspended indefinitely.

It was not quite such a "rushed decision" as it may have seemed - I heard rumours that it was going to happen about 3 weeks ago, so the casinos probably knew a fair while before that.
I have now spoken in person to two Rival casino owners (at this week's ICE & CAP events) and they both assured me the USA is 100% safe, so I personally think your suspicions are way off the mark. At least, I sincerely hope so!

KK

[jenn1381]

I keep getting the same emails for huge bonuses, usually just AFTER the typical we're pulling out of Canada email. Why in the hell would I want to lock myself into some huge wagering requirements when my account is soon to be locked. Do they not realize that these emails merely feel like a slap in the face and that they need to STOP sending them to Canadians NOW?!

[me_and_ed]

I can assure you this is not rushed, I have known about this for at least a month, I discussed this with KK 3 weeks ago, I am not sure if we will ever get a straight answer.