The well documented issues at Lock Poker appear to be affecting other skins on the Revolution Gaming Network. Several skins have recently folded. Two of these skins have publicly blamed the Revolution Gaming Network for not paying its share of the rake or the winnings earned by players. There are also issues at the former flagship.
Cake Poker and Juicy Stakes Appear to be in Serious Trouble
Cake Poker and Juicy Stakes are two of the biggest skins on the network. They have the same owners and operate under the same license in Curacao. Juicy Stakes is one of just two Revolution Gaming skins that accept new US players, Lock Poker being the other. Juicy Stakes players in the US are now waiting 7-9 months to receive a check, the only cashout option available to Americans. Players outside of the US report consistent cashout times of 6-8 weeks. While some US friendly skins like to blame the lack of payment processors for their withdrawal issues, this excuse cannot explain why players outside of the US are waiting nearly two months for Neteller and Skrill cashouts. A list has been generated that includes over $90,000 in late payments just from players that know about it.
In the latest US Online Poker Payment Processing Report (note: I am also the author of that monthly series), Juicy Stakes received an F grade. This is the first failing grade since Everleaf Gaming stopped paying US players. In my opinion, there is little difference between the two. If there are players waiting since October and November 2012 for their money then that is about as close to not paying as it gets.
This is nothing new for Cake Poker. The company has a history of slow paying players, even well before Black Friday.
AdamEvePoker Closed in March
AdamEvePoker closed their Revolution Gaming skin in March 2013. Management blamed the network, stating that the company had not been paid commission on rake or winnings in five months. AdamEvePoker claimed that it was paying players out of pocket and had to stop doing so to keep their casino and sports betting activity solvent. Poker players at AdamEvePoker have reported receiving 50 cents on the dollar.
ZetPoker Closed Last Week
Pokerfuse reported that ZetPoker was forced to close due to a lack of reconciliation payments by the network, the same excuse used by AdamEvePoker. The skin operates under the BTG Gaming umbrella which includes WagerUp.EU, PurePoker, VIPSports.EU, Sportsbook.CA, Neverfelted.EU, Betting Champs, Daily Dime, DimeLine, Latino Poker and LinesMaker.EU. These other licensees still offer poker through Revolution Gaming, but it seems likely that all of these poker rooms would suffer from this issue, though many of them may have few poker players.
Cyprus Banking Crisis Involved?
There were rumors that Lock Poker was affected by the Cyprus bank bailout. Cake Poker, Juicy Stakes and smaller skins are now the subject of similar rumors. Cake Poker and skins that use their banking system use a credit card processor in Cyprus called Eprifim Capital Ltd. No website for this company could be located in Google, only a number of Revolution Gaming skins disclosing this company as its credit card processor.
There Are Still Strong Revolution Gaming Skins
While there are many Revolution Gaming skins to avoid, there are some that appear to be strong enough to survive the potential fallout if Revolution Gaming were to implode.
Intertops – Intertops was the world’s first online sports book in 1996. The company’s main focus is sports betting. Intertops still has many US players that signed up before the restriction and boasts one of the fastest cashout speeds to these players. Players outside the US enjoy cashout speeds of less than 24 hours.
Poker World – Poker World is the poker room for TheGreek, one of the most respected sports books in the world. Poker World has survived multiple poker room issues over the years. The company got burned by Dobrosoft and later by Futurebet, but still paid players out of pocket, including their contributions to the bad beat jackpot Futurebet stole. Poker World is a great choice for players outside the US that wish to play on Revolution Gaming without the risk associated with weak and unknown skins.
Red Star Poker – Red Star was once a standalone site and became the first skin of the network back in 2006. It has a long history and a main focus on Eastern Europe and Russia, though it accepts players from most countries outside of the US.
There are just examples of large skins that are safe. There are certain to be more. It is very important to do a thorough check on any Revolution Gaming skin before making a deposit. If they share the same processing as Cake Poker and Juicy Stakes then it is a good idea to avoid them. Check the About Us page on a skin to see if Eprifim Capital Ltd is listed to establish common processing.
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Redstar was not the first skin on this network.
PlayersOnly and about 15 more skins owned by Sportsbook.com as well as BetUS.com were already on the network before Redstar.