A QUESTION OF RESPECT

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A hint for operators - ask players before shunting them to another online gambling venue.

Online casino players at the Breakaway, Connect2 and Sci-Fi venues were critical this week of an email telling them that they were being transferred to another company....and another software platform, without prior consultation.

In an email headed "Important Changes to your Account" players were told that due to "recent legislation in the US", several casinos have stopped taking American players, including the RealTime Gaming powered Breakaway, Connect2Casino, and Sci-Fi-casino operations. These online casinos are owned by the Norwegian group PlaySafe Holding AS working on a Netherlands Antilles license.

"Fortunately, an agreement has been made to transfer your account to Pantasia," the email continues. "Pantasia has arranged for the secure transfer of your account information from the aforementioned casinos. Your data remains completely safe, and you can access your casino account by logging in to Pantasia with your account xxxxxxxx and your existing password."

All of this was apparently done unilaterally and without consulting the players involved, and this is disquieting from a privacy angle. Most online players do not like to be arbitrarily shunted, along with personal details to another casino with which they may not be familiar, or in this case to a different software platform (Pantasia operates on the Rival software platform)

A representative from the Rival software company which licenses Pantasia Casino posted:

"As far as I know, those casinos left the US market and transferred their player database to Pantasia. I understand your unease, but rest assured it is a common enough transaction these days and that your information is secure on the Rival servers. No banking details (credit card, bank account, NETeller, etc.) were transferred. Aside from this transaction, there is no connection/affiliation between those casinos and Pantasia."

Characterising this sort of move as "common practice" does not make it right, as players were quick to point out. To do so without first asking those involved indicates a lack of respect for choice. Not all players will be happy about this sort of arbitrary *transfer* and to just bull ahead with it, presenting the player with a fait accompli, suggests a lack of player sensitivity by the transferer.