Cantor Pulls Plug on Retail I-Gaming (Update 1)

With little notice, Cantor Gaming, the gaming arm of Cantor Fitzgerald, on Friday closed down its online gaming properties.

As published reports indicate, customers logging into Cantor's three online casinos over the weekend, including CantorCasino.com, Pub-Casino.co.uk and RedLoungeCasino.com, were met with the following message:

Cantor Gaming Malta One Limited has taken the decision to cease providing services to retail customers. Effective from 1 p. m. on 28th November 2008, Cantor Casino will cease to accept new customers and will take no further wagers.

As of 4 p.m. today, Greenwich Mean Time, CantorPoker.com was also closed and a similar message appeared on its Web site.

The company explained that it would focus on licensing its proprietary technology, software, content, intellectual property and data to online casino operators.

It will also begin serving resort-based casino operators, following the Nov. 24 approval of the Nevada Gaming Commission to operate its mobile gaming system, eDeck, in approved gaming areas in the state.

In 2005, Cantor was instrumental in passing a piece of legislation in Nevada that paved the way for legal mobile gaming in the state's casinos.

However, the legislation passed more than three years ago placing doubt as to whether Cantor would ever launch its mobile gaming system.

Nonetheless, Cantor's eDeck system has been operational as part of the testing process at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas where testing began this summer and will continue to roll out in spring 2009, according to Adrian Thomas, a spokesperson for Cantor Gaming.

"The technology has been developed in accordance with guidelines from the authorities and subject to extremely extensive laboratory tests and trialing by the relevant authorities, prior to being rolled out as part of the testing process at the Venetian," Mr. Thomas told IGamingNews via e-mail on Wednesday.

Any funds on deposit with the company would remain secure can be redeemed by customers at any time by contacting customer service via e-mail, Cantor assured in its announcement.