The provincial agency that runs Quebec’s online poker site is now facing a class action lawsuit by a poker player in the Canadian province. The lawsuit alleges that the software employed on EspaceJeux (the provincially run poker site) had a major glitch that gave some poker players an advantage.
The lawsuit, filed in the province of Quebec, makes the allegation that, “until the evening of May 18, 2020, Loto-Quebec’s Texas Hold’em poker platform had a serious defect unknown to the vast majority” of poker players.
In the suit, the complainant alleges that players using an iPad or possibly any other iOS device could see the hole cards of other players after a hand was complete, regardless of whether or not players had chosen to muck their cards.
According to the lawsuit, the glitch put players logged in on non-iPads or other iOS devices at a major disadvantage.
Filed by poker player Elizabeth Bertucci, the suit claims that Loto-Quebec, which runs the provincial poker room, had deceived its community of players by failing to provide “a secure platform that respects the integrity and rules” of the game.
In addition, the suit alleges that Loto-Quebec failed to inform its community of the iOS glitch or change their usernames to stop others from analyzing hand histories. The suit notes that a competing offshore poker site had suffered a similar breach, but the software providers changed the usernames of all players to ensure a level playing field.
This isn’t’ the first time Loto-Quebec has faced controversy over its provincial iGaming monopoly. In 2018, the government of Quebec wanted to force ISPs into blocking offshore poker sites and casinos so that its own site, EspaceJeux, could rake in more revenue. The Super Court of Quebec ruled the bill unconstitutional.
