In what many believe to be a surprise move, online gaming software provider Rival Gaming has requested all online casinos powered by their software, to stop accepting Canadian players.
As of February 1st, Canadian players will no longer be accepted at all of Rival Gaming’s online casino affiliates. Current Canadian players can continue to play with any left over money in their accounts however after February 28th, access to ANY remaining Canadian accounts/funds will be prohibited.
The surprise move has raised many questions marks as to why. One thing is for certain; this move has nothing to do with the U.S. issues around online gaming. Some speculate that a lawsuit, filed by T2, a Montreal marketing company is the cause. T2 has filed a lawsuit against any company that is allegedly associated with Rival. T2 claims there was a breach of contract between Rival and T2.
This issue seems to date back to 2006 however another lawsuit filed in December 2008 seems to be the kicker. Much of the issues around this case involve fraudulent representation and affiliation of certain shareholders of Canada Inc. with Rival. There are four shareholders who have allegedly been operating covertly and are accused of being alter egos of Rival in order to disguise ownership. Rival Gaming and all of their online casinos have not been incriminated however the final decision on the matter will ultimately decided in later 2009. As a result, Rival has decided to cut its losses in Canada and pull out of the market.
Rival Gaming powers many popular online casinos including AbsoluteOSlots, bet821.com, ClubVegasUSA, Cocoa Casino, Da Vinci’s Gold, Irish Luck Casino, Pantasia Online Casino, Paradise8, SlotoCash Casino, Slots of Fortune, and ThisIsVegas.
