Monthly Archives: September 2010

“Unlucky” Jackpot unclaimed by player

We’ve heard many things in our day, but a player not wanting to collect a supposedly “unlucky” jackpot has to be a first! 

Chinese player “Mr C” as he is known, won the WowPot Slot Jackpot of £4,444 at Jackpot City Casino earlier this month.  Although the player was initially ecstatic at his win, he later refused to claim it, apparently concerned that the amount won was “unlucky” and an ominous signifier of death.

According to Chinese culture, the number 4 is pronounced like the word for death and is therefore a very unlucky number, so put four 4’s in a row in a jackpot and the superstitious in the culture are sure to be concerned.

Terry Maverick, the spokes person for Jackpot City stated that the player had contacted the casinos customer service department regarding the amount and while he doesn’t want to lose the money, he fears it will bring bad luck upon himself or his family if he accepts it.  Casino personell are currently talking to the player in order to ascertain how the situation would be best handled to ensure a happy outcome for him.

While many gamblers are notoriously superstitious and stories abound of lottery winners who subsequently suffer from bad luck, this is believed to be the first real life instance of a player refusing to accept their winnings from an online casino.

PayPal selectively re-enters the industry

It was recently reported that the ever popular online payment method, PayPal will be renewing its full service offering to selected online casinos.  This means that players frequenting its casino partners properties will be able to pay and play using PayPal.

The decision comes nearly a year after the processor withdrew from the world of online casinos, reportedly due to the instability of the industry at the time.  However it was also reported that its parent company Ebay had been accused of violating United States law whilst transferring funds to offshore gambling websites which was probably the major cause for the company’s hasty departure, although the company did still maintain industry ties with 888.com by using payment processor Neovia’s Netbank system.

According to reports, Ladbrokes and 32Red were the first groups to establish new partnership agreements with PayPal, however it is also apparent that Virgin Casino has recently reached an agreement with the payment provider and it seems more will follow.

PayPal offers players safety and convenience when affecting financial transactions online and their re-entry into the online gambling arena is one that will be welcomed by many of their loyal customer base which generates over $2 billion in revenue annually.