EcoCard down and out ???

igami · #1 (**permalink**) 19th-July-2007, 07:16 PM

I havent been able to access their site all day ... then I just found the following article on by iGamingBusiness....

UK Payment Firm To Exit Internet Gambling Market
19-07-07

Quote:

The online transaction firm responsible for EcoCard Ltd appears to have announced its intention of withdrawing its services from the online casino market following the guilty plea entered by the co-founders of Canadian firm NETeller last week.

No official statement has yet been made in the public by the British company but many operators have allegedly already been told that payments from online gambling sites will no longer be accepted.

“EcoCard has informed us, and I’m sure other casinos as well, that they will be pulling out of the US gaming market and replacing their EcoCard payment option with a new option,” said David Brickman from online casino site The Jackpot Factory.

“They will transfer their existing US customers over. Only players who have accumulated $500 or more in transactions will be invited to move to the new payment method.”

Despite the admission of guilt on conspiracy charges by its two founders, online transaction firm NETeller is being tried in court as a result of its decision to continue offering services between American gaming sites and US citizens after October’s Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) made this illegal.

EcoCard has never been a widely use payment method for online gaming as only a handful of sites accepted it due to its perceived high fees. The announcement by the firm should see it avoid a situation similar to NETeller and allow it to refund Americans their funds.

http://www.igamingbusiness.com/artic...rticleID=14173

I sure hope this isnt another Neteller deal where funds get locked up for any substantial period of time! Anyone else having trouble accessing their site?

greek39 · #2 (**permalink**) 19th-July-2007, 10:46 PM

I am non U.S resident and can't seem to access their site either. I pinged the domain it returned OFFLINE status.

So what's up with that?

greek39

Fergie · #3 (**permalink**) 19th-July-2007, 11:08 PM

Same here - not coming up in Canada.

kwblue · #4 (**permalink**) 20th-July-2007, 07:55 AM

It seems to be up and running now (albeit a bit slow). I just viewed the site and even logged in. Took about 2-3 minutes, though, and a very high speed connection.

greek39 · #5 (**permalink**) 20th-July-2007, 08:31 AM

Thanks Kwblue, when I logged in Eco promoted me to update my details. Not all that familiar with ECO maybe this is standard procedure? Maybe its the beginning of weeding out U.S citizens.

greek39

bb1web · #6 (**permalink**) 21st-July-2007, 10:23 PM

Hi all,

well one of my partners in Canada made an excellent point. what happnes in the US usually can be expected in Canada soon after.

I'm sorry to say this .. but i fear its true.

I wish our brother country would stand up a bit more against the US policy that doesn't make sense ... but the truth is ... they usually don't.

hope I'm wrong.

mynuw · #7 (**permalink**) 29th-July-2007, 06:12 AM

Last time I logged in I also was prompted to update my profile before I could access my account....

Did n't think anything of it at the time, but now....who knows!!

This is just sickening....

libertybell · #8 (**permalink**) 11th-August-2007, 12:01 AM

From what I got from Ecocard, It is going to quit receiving gambling related money as of 24 Aug 07.

I have ecocard after the netteller trouble, and it has worked until now.

They all are making it hard for us to do business.

I have been trying to convert over to simple advertising for casino affiliates for a flat rate and making Paypal available for this.

Other than that, Everything I do now is by check or that program is not on my sites.

bb1web · #9 (**permalink**) 11th-August-2007, 12:10 AM

I expect to be able to do business with eco at least until the 24th.

hope that isn't wrong.

kenonut · #10 (**permalink**) 11th-August-2007, 01:39 AM

BB, did you open an account with QuickTender (Use My Wallet) yet? They are almost identical to EcoCard. I opened an account and have used it several times already. You can even fund it with a credit card. I really opened it up hoping that the affiliate programs are going to change over to this method when Eco leaves because after they leave, we will not have an online wallet available to US affiliates, and I really don't want to have to resort to getting paid by checks or wire transfers (which usually carry a higher threshhold). If you haven't opened an account already, you really should check it out. My invitation came from Trident Lounge. I believe you have to be invited to open an account, and I am sure that you can get an invitation with no problem from any of the casinos that you play at, if you haven't already received one.