The Greek Exits U.S. Market, Continues To Serve Canadians

Here’s another reason to be glad we’re Canadian.

The Greek, one of the most respected offshore sportsbook companies in the industry, withdrew from the U.S. market last weekend. Bet Jamaica, which is owned by The Greek and featured a clientele that was nearly entirely American, transferred its U.S. customers to Heritage Sports and closed its doors for good. The Greek will remain in operation for Canadians and other non-American players, while Canadians and other non-Americans with accounts at Bet Jamaica had their accounts moved to The Greek.

It’s not entirely surprising to see The Greek take these measures, and it’s certainly not a sign of impending doom for any Canadians with an offshore sportsbook account. Pinnacle Sports voluntarily withdrew itself from the U.S. market a few years ago but still remains arguably the best and safest offshore sportsbook in the world.

The Greek’s decision to pull out of the U.S. is in response to the American crackdown on funding of Internet gambling accounts. Several high-profile poker sites were also recently shut down by the U.S. government in accordance with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which prohibits gambling businesses from receiving money from others for the purposes of gambling online. It still, however, appears to remain legal for Americans to bet on sports using the Internet.

In Canada, we don’t face any of those issues at all. Our government has a very relaxed view on Internet gambling so sportsbooks don’t have any reason to pull out of the Canadian market anytime soon.

– This article was posted in 2011