Formal Complaints Issued With Curacao Licensing Authority re: Ugly Revolution Split
Today, Gambling911.com is learning that Lock Poker has officially submitted a series of complaints to the Curacao Licensing Authority related to its breakup with the Revolution Poker Network, operating under the license of IAA Services, Ltd. Lock Poker has since developed its own online poker site, based on software used by the former Partouche Poker Network out of France and incorporates the one time Partouche skin Mypok.FR.
In its first of three formal complaints, Lock Poker addresses the issue of whether another website operator on the Revolution Network, for which Lock claims attempted to “hijack” its customers during the transition process, indeed holds a license issued by the Curacao Government.
“There is no record that indicates the site in question is licensed and regulated (in Curacao) at all,” noted Shane Bridges, Spokesperson for Lock Poker.
The second formal complaint relates to an apparent provision of the poker software by the Revolution Network operator whereby Lock claims a violation of the terms of a License and Settlement Agreement that was entered into with 1st Technology Ltd. in relation to certain patents held by 1st Technology.
If the name 1st Technology rings a bell to Gambling911.com readers, it should. Some years ago there was a series of contentious disputes between 1st Technology and a number of other online gambling operators that resulted in several patent lawsuits being filed.
Lock’s assertion, based on its interpretation of the cited provision, is that “the entire network model may be invalid” based on 1st Technology’s claim for “past use of poker software”.
The third formal complaint claims that the Revolution Network operator failed to properly distribute funds received as “Cross Cage”.
Bridges explained: “’Cross Cage’ are funds that Lock Poker collects from their players and holds in trust on their behalf in the player’s account. These are the funds that are paid out when a customer loses playing poker.
“Under the network system, there was a weekly reconciliation and if during that period a Lock player had lost to players from another partner on the network then Lock would take the monies to cover the loss from the player's account and send this money to the network in order that this could be paid over to the winning player(s).
“Recently, Lock attempted to confirm that the Revolution Network operator had in fact used the monies sent to it as “Cross Cage” to pay the winning players from other network partners. Lock was provided with contradictory and conflicting information by the Revolution Network operator.”
Lock asserts in its third formal complaint that said funds were “allocated” by the Revolution Network operator “not for the purpose for which they were intended”.
“Lock is looking forward to the Curacao licensing authority proceeding with the investigations into this matter involving IAA Services Ltd., and has confirmed it is willing to assist in any way possible,” Bridges tells Gambling911.com.
For its part, the Revolution Network addressed Lock’s initial claims resulting in the abrupt departure off of the network, citing “a lack of payment to the network” by Lock and vowed to “pursue Lock to the full extent possible by law to recover all monies owed and damages caused”.
Lock Poker countered by saying it had already paid $8 million to Revolution.
The Revolution Network and IAA Services were expected to respond to these claims over the coming days. It was not immediately known if they were in the process of filing their own set of formal complaints against Lock.
- Ace King, Gambling911.com
