Last week we reported on the unusual case of poker site Check ‘n Raise.com on the Ongame platform apparently reneging on a promise to 10 winning players to sponsor them to the next World Series Of Poker final.
Several players were fortunate enough to win tickets to WSOP events through a series of promotions run by Check ‘n Raise. But the exhilaration and thrill of winning such a prize was short-lived when Check ‘n Raise reneged on their part of the deal, sending the unfortunate players an email informing them that the operator was unable to meet the cost becuse: “….our cash flow did not allow us to set aside sufficient funds from the time that you won your seat in March.”
Instead, the operator unilaterally offered to deposit into the players’ account 5 percent or more, as cash flow permits, of the value of their entry in monthly installments starting July 31st , 2006 until 110 percent of the cash equivalent is paid in full.
The offer met with immediate criticism as some players had already made bookings and commitments based on the C ‘n R promo promise, and as a consequence C ‘n R has brought forward the first payment, with apologies for the inconvenience caused by their flawed planning.
Still, 20 months is a long time to wait for a promised reward from a gambling achievement, and the admission that Check ‘n Raise was unable to meet its obligations due to cash flow inadequacy will cause many potential poker players to take a cautious approach to this Ongame network operation.
The operator’s closing words will probably also be ringing a few alarm bells at Ongame Network headquarters, too: “We would also like to reassure everyone that their player deposits are safe. We are a member of the Ongame Network and player deposits are held by and fully secured by the Network.”