Members of the privately owned and operated online poker room PokerCent may have noticed a temporary cessation to the website. According to the UK operator, they are waiting on the issuance of a “new certificate of the gaming software”, but that description doesn’t match the reported reality of the situation. New information states that the UK Gambling Commission suspended the operator’s license after a player complained of non-payment.
Silverline Interactive Technologies, which operates the online poker room, had its license temporarily revoked by the UK Gambling Commission while an in-depth investigation into the matter is conducted. The PokerCent website assures players that they expect the new certificate to be granted, and the site fully operational, by a tentative date of October 1, 2014. Due to the nature of the investigation, however, it’s hard to predict when PokerCent will be back online.
The complaint received by the commission was said to be from a player who was dissatisfied with the service they received – or more precisely, did not receive – from the online poker site. The player was apparently attempting to make a withdrawal, but was denied the right to do so. Furthermore, the player was disgruntled by the incompetence of the customer support team in relation to their inability to request a withdrawal.
The terms of authorization from the UK Gambling Commission, as set forth in the Gambling Act of 2005, clearly detail the obligations of each online poker operator that is awarded a license to peddle its services to residents of the jurisdiction. It is the commission’s responsibility to “review the manner in which licensees carry on licensed activities, and in particular, arrangements made by licensees to ensure compliance with conditions attached under section 75, 77 or 78,” which refer to the general and individual conditions imposed by the UK Gambling Commission and Secretary of State.
A report of non-compliance with any of those conditions gives the Commission the right to “suspend an operating licence if it thinks that any of the conditions specified in section 120(2) applies.” That certainly doesn’t mean that Silverline Interactive Technologies has violated any of those required regulations, but that the commission must conduct an investigation into the matter to determine if any requisites have been breached before considering reinstatement the company’s online poker license. It was made clear that the revocation of the online poker license is on an interim basis.
For the time being, players will not be able to log into their PokerCent accounts, but they are able to request a withdrawal of deposited funds if they so wish by contacting customer support. A quick visit to the online poker site reveals the following missive:
“Dear Players, the operation of the card room PokerCent has been suspended. The gambling Commission of the UK which is the provider of our gaming license has requested a new certificate of the gaming software. During the time of the testing by an approved Test House, the card room must not operate. The estimated start date is 1/10/2014. If you require a deposit refund, please contact our support via: support@pokercent.com. Our live support will be available every day from 11a.m. until 3p.m. during the time of the software testing. Thank you for your understanding!”