Blog entry published on 23 August 2010
Second Time Lucky for PlayNow BC Online Casino
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The initial launch of PlayNow.com, Canada's first legalized online casino on July 15, could have been taken off the pages of a Hollywood comedy script, because what should have been a PR dream soon turned into a PR nightmare. For those of you who missed the debacle, here's a quick review of what happened:
Just over a month ago, fans of online gambling in Canada - particularly those (like myself) living in the province of British Columbia - were filled with anticipation in the launch of PlayNow.com, the first ever government-sanctioned online casino not only in the province, but in Canada and even North America. So with history about to be made, as soon as the techies switched on PlayNow.com, real money players started signing up by the truckload, almost 140,000 of them in fact.
However, before any back-slapping and talk of kudos could prevail, it soon became apparent that PlayNow.com's security measures had been 'hacked' and that the details of certain player accounts (134 of them to be precise) somehow became accessible by other players. The website was shut down immediately, and all involved with PlayNow.com were left with egg on their face.
After PlayNow.com was closed down, every registered player was given the opportunity for a full refund and to have they accounts closed. But most decided to hang onto their accounts, such is the demand for legalized online gambling. The BC government reportedly paid an outside firm to ensure that PlayNow.com is safe, secure and, most importantly, 'hack proof' going forward.
So on Thursday last week, with slightly less fanfare, PlayNow.com was launched for a second time - albeit after overcoming another, but shortly fixable glitch - and is now reportedly firing on all cylinders. And despite being closed for 35 days, and costing the online casino over $5 million in lost revenues, PlayNow.com is expected to get back on track as more and more players sign up to play, including yours truly. When all is said and done, it's not a bad online casino at all.
 | Posted by Anton Johan at 09:42 on 23 August 2010 |
 | This post has been tagged in the following categories: Casinos |
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