WHAT HAPPENED TO BETTER CASINO.COM?

Better Casino.com and its poker site have closed their virtual doors, leaving only the intriguing website notification: "Due to contractual circumstances which are beyond our control, the online casino has been closed. To ensure your real money balance is repaid to you please email refunds@insidegaming.co.uk with your current postal address, full name and username and a cheque will be posted to you."

The reference to Inside Gaming (from whom a response is currently awaited) is presumably in light of that company's management contract with the owners of the Playtech-powered Better Casino and Better Poker enterprises. Launched in early 2006, and at that time owned by a new UK High Street bookie firm of the same name, Better Casino was one of four 'fully managed' gaming sites launched by Inside Gaming. The others were ADVFN Poker, Heaven Poker and Bonnevista Limited's Lukto site.

The lack of detail was also apparent in communications with players this week, reported as simply advising them: "We have closed down this site due to a number of reasons. To ensure we can repay your player balance, please email us at refund@insidegaming.co.uk with your full name, and username, and we will ensure that this will be done. Apologies for the inconveniences caused."

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Back in 2006, Inside Gaming characterised its approach as an "holistic approach to managed service gaming."

Then CEO Chris North said: “We appear to have found a niche in the market for fully managed gaming sites where our clients are able to concentrate on their core business whilst we work in partnership to ensure that they are able to maximise the returns from their gaming products.”

Other executives listed as part of the group at that time were COO Richard Hogg and chairman Brian Mattingley.

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