The owner mentioned that he has financial problems, so in my opinion it is fair that he does not expose users to lose possible winnings and himself to lose credibility. If he can find a financial partner then I think it is possible to come back to running a gambling platform with additional micro earnings. Freebitco.in was starting from faucet and now is doing very well, so this combination could also work.
Good luck to the OP that's is true it might not be fair that he still continue to run the project with having a financial problem which would soon be a problem if a user win a huge amount. That's also a good idea that you would have a micro earnings in your site aside from the gambling part. I wish to see you again in the forum with your gambling site.