JPJ to withdraw Vera&John and InterCasino from UK
Online bingo and casino operator JPJ Group has confirmed that it is to withdraw both its Vera&John and InterCasino brands from the UK market.
The UK-facing websites for Vera&John and InterCasino will cease operations on September 3, while both of the brands stopped accepting new customers from yesterday (August 5).
Current customers can continue to make deposits and place bets until August 27, and will be permitted to withdraw any remaining funds until a week later when the sites close.
As part of the process, Vera&John and InterCasino will have ceased promotional activity with immediate effect, including on-site promotions and email offers. However, customers who have active promotions and bonuses will still be able to use these before the cut-off date later this month.
“We’ve had some good times, haven’t we? Unfortunately, even good things must come to an end, and the time has come for us to say goodbye,” a statement on the Vera&John UK website said.
“It’s been wonderful, but we’ve reached the end of our journey together. We’d like to thank you for your loyalty and wish you all the best for the future.”
A statement on the InterCasino UK site made for similar reading: “As one of the oldest online casinos, InterCasino has a rich history of bringing premium content to its players. So, it is with a heavy heart that we must announce that as of Tuesday 3rd September, InterCasino will no longer be operating in the UK market, and access to your account will be blocked.
“We’d like to thank you all for your loyalty and wish you all the best for the future.”
In May, JPJ Group cited the performance of its Vera&John business as the main driver behind a 13% year-on-year increase in revenue during the first quarter.
Gaming revenue amounted to £83.3m (€90.7m/$101.5m) in the three months to March 31, 2019, up from £74.0m in the same period last year. The Vera&John business generated revenue of £34.2m, up by 62% on £21.2m in Q1 of last year.
Since posting the results, JPJ has entered into a conditional agreement to acquire the majority of its technology partner Gamesys’ assets for a total consideration of £490m.
JPJ will acquire the Gamesys platform and bingo content studio, as well as its B2C real-money gaming sites Virgin Games, Heart Bingo and Monopoly Casino. The deal will also see JPJ take charge of Gamesys’ New Jersey-licensed Virgin Casino site, operated in partnership with Tropicana.