Stryyke was a full service online gaming company. It spread poker, casino games and sports betting. It seemed that its business across all three forms of wagering was about equal.
Stryyke was licensed by the Malta Lotteries and Gaming Authority. This EU member country has been known to license sketchy sites, especially sports books. Stryyke was no different.
The trouble started in October 2008. Stryyke stopped paying its affiliates on time. Since affiliates are typically the last to get paid, this is normally a first sign of trouble.
The site started to slow pay players within just a few months of affiliate payment complaints. The situation got to be so bad that the Ongame Network, its poker provider, kicked them off the network in June 2009. The Cake Network, now known as Revolution Gaming, accepted Stryyke. This did not help the site pay players though. The situation continued to deteriorate.
The slow paying continued into 2010. Sports Book Review began documenting player complaints. These involved sports bets that were not getting paid, as well as poker and casino players. Casino players were getting accused of bonus abusing, sports bettors of correlated betting, while poker players were not paid due to chip dumping allegations. These are all excuses that unethical or bankrupt gaming companies use to stiff legitimate players.
Affected customers started complaining to the Lotteries and Gaming Authority in Malta. This licensing body typically does nothing. That was basically the case here as those players were not getting paid, even after these complaints.
In September 2010, Stryyke lost its Maltese interactive gaming license. It went offline shortly after that time. It never returned and all players were stiffed. The site is now used by an unrelated company to market a transportation app.
Stryyke attempted to repair its reputation during its downward spiral. It reached out to players in forums and to Casinomeister in an attempt to give the appearance that it was interested in paying players. It voiced publicly that complaining players and affiliates were not being honest. In the end, it was obvious that players were right all along.
Players that complained to Sports Book Review report over €35,000 owed. This was yet another lesson that sites licensed in Malta by the Lotteries and Gaming Authority can fail without notice and that the licensing body does little to vet its iGaming companies.
