Heroes no more

News on 11 Aug 2009

Savvy online players are unlikely to forget the case of Heroes Casino.com, an online operator that jerked an online gambler around for months with a variety of excuses on a $38 000 blackjack win before its software provider, Gale Winds, stepped in and paid the customer.
By stepping up to the plate, Gale Winds, which had only two licensees at the time, developed a solid reputation for itself in the player community, and shamed the Heroes Casino operator. One of several allegations made by the operator – that the Gale Winds software was flawed – was challenged by the software company’s CEO, Chris Colby, who offered to open up his source code to a reputable independent examination. The offer was not taken up by the operator, in the minds of many players giving the lie to his accusations.
Ultimately, two factors played a role in Colby’s decision to take up the failed obligation of the operator and pay the player. Colby said at the time: “Someone needed to pay him (the player), and we felt that we had an ultimate responsibility that transcended the filters of any legal obligations.”
The other consideration was damage to Gale Winds nascent reputation, and the firm rescued the player and withdrew its licensing from Heroes Casino.com.
For some time it appeared that Heroes was casting about for new software, and there were rumours of a re-branding to JSSports, then the news came this week that the Netherlands Antilles-based CyberLuck had pulled the plug on Heroes’ Casino servers and revoked their eZone licence.
There will be many who say “good riddance”; the industry does not need this kind of operator.

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