Euro Partners, the primary affiliate program of gambling software provider Playtech, has exited Canada for a second time.
According to a Grizzly Gambling report, Euro Partners’ online casinos will stop accepting players from Canada and also Australia starting May 1, 2016.
The network had already asked its affiliates “to inform people that Canadian players will no longer be accepted in their member casinos,” including Europa Casino, Titan Casino, and Casino Tropez. Euro Partners also warned its players to close their accounts before May 1, “after which time all player accounts will be frozen.”
This isn’t the first time Euro Partners withdrew from the North American country. In November 2013, the flagship Playtech operator sent a ‘Dear John’ letter to the Canadian market, telling players on sites such as Titanbet—Playtech’s sports betting operation—to withdraw their account balances as soon as possible without explaining why they’re leaving, leaving many to speculate that Playtech was concerned Canadian authorities were about to target internationally-licensed operators in Canada.
The company, however, decided to come back after some time—possibly after learning that Canadian authorities were planning to target operators that hosted their operations within Canada—and even introduced a new brand, EuropaPlay, to the Canadian market.
Industry experts linked Euro Partners’ exit to the recent Panama Papers data leak, which involved Playtech founder and largest shareholder Teddy Sagi in at least 16 offshore companies. Sagi was the owner of PT Turnkey Services, the operating company behind Euro Partners, before Playtech bought it in March 2011.
Recently, William Hill announced that it is pulling out of British Columbia “for the foreseeable future” due to “regulatory reasons” beyond the company’s control.
Starting last May 10, players in the Canadian province will no longer be able to use the William Hill Casino Club’s online gambling products, but they can still withdraw their balances “at any time.”
In an interview with eGaming Review, the company said its exit was part of the “licensing conditions” from its £80 million investment in NYX Gaming.
