2006/10/05

Celeb, Kiwi Poker Pulling out of US Market

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Celeb Poker - US Players advised to withdraw ASAP

Dear US Player,

We regret to inform you that as a result of legislation regarding internet gambling in the US; from the 12th October 23:00 GMT we will not be allowed to process US transactions. In light of this we urge all our US players to withdrawal all funds from their accounts as soon as possible.
This decision has been made by the network, Boss Media’s general counsel. Please find attached the official notification.

We are sincerely sorry for the inconvenience this causes, and would like to wish all our US players the very best.

Kind regards,

CelebPoker

Official Notification from Celeb Poker/Boss Media

To all CelebPoker (Boss Media) players 2006-10-05

We regret to inform you that Celebpoker.com will no longer be allowed to let US players access its products and services due to the forthcoming ban on Internet gambling payment processing in the United States.

This means that US players resident in the United States will not be allowed to play on any of the casino, poker or lottery products licensed from Boss Media, or use any payment service provided by Webdollar.

Boss Media will implement this policy by blocking all US registrations on Boss Media licensed products by Friday October 6, 23.00 (GMT). The second step in the implementation of the policy will be taken Thursday October 12, 23.00 (GMT), by blocking all US players from playing on any Boss Media licensed products.

In addition to this, deposits by US players will be blocked on Friday October 6, 23.00 GMT, and on Thursday October 12, 23.00 (GMT), Boss Media will block all withdrawals from Webdollar accounts by US players.
In the light of the above we urge all US CelebPoker customers to withdraw any funds held in their Webdollar account as soon as possible.

The formal ground for Boss Media’s actions can be found on this link:

http://investors.bossmedia.com/index.php?p=press&id=1050800&lang=en.

General Counsel

Boss Media AB

BeerGuy Note: This gives us time to act... feelings aside.





Here's a letter I received from the marketing end of Kiwi Poker regarding how I'm compensated on US Play going forward:

Kiwi Poker

Hi Michael

We would just like to reassure you that you will still receive a
percentage share of revenue from your US traffic until the Federal Unlawful
Gambling Enforcement Act is signed into law, however we will no longer
accept NEW US players on a CPA basis from midday today (October 5, 2006
12:00 EST).

Kiwi Gaming has been making inroads into new markets in anticipation
that this move was on the cards, and we are now in a unique position to
move forward, with your help, and capitalize on this in a number of
different ways.

Over the last six years Kiwi Gaming has built one of the largest and
most successful online bingo communities in the world. On the back of
this success we have moved into the lucrative UK bingo market, where the
Blackpool Bingo and Kiwi Bingo brands are instantly recognizable. In
fact Blackpool Bingo is the only independent UK Bingo Network running on
Playtech’s sophisticated software.

We have also taken the same successful formula that saw Kiwi Casino
named Online Casino of the Year in 2001 and expanded into the rapidly
growing Japanese, European and UK online casino markets, which has also
proved very receptive to our other brands including FastWin Casino, Tiki
Bingo and Kiwi Poker.

As you know Kiwi Gaming forms part of the land based Christchurch
Casino in New Zealand, and this affiliation brings with it over a decade of
experience in the gaming industry while Kiwi Gaming’s six years online
make it one of the industry’s pioneers.

We will work closely with you and provide all the tools needed to
operate successfully in these new markets. You will still receive a
percentage share of revenue from your US traffic until the Federal Unlawful
Gambling Enforcement Act is signed into law.

If you have any questions about this or how we move forward together
from here then please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Kind Regards

Gaming Partners and Kiwi Gaming

BeerGuy Note: They're pulling out and I'll be surprised to hold 1 tourney there this month.

More as it comes... On the agenda today, rearranging the promotions page, sending a mailing out regarding our status and poker rooms, and finding potential replacements for our tourneys...

More as it develops,

Mike