Jackpot Factory's Inspirational Stories

[Chatmaster]

Hi dominique

Thanks for the kind words. My last intention was to create a internal forum debate. I love CAP and it is most definately the market leader in affiliate forums for our industry. The amount of support I saw for JF though made me think there is a high probability of me getting flamed.

[rowmare]

Off Topic, but I have to say this:

Cool Avatar, Dominique!

[greedygirl]

I’m posting this at both Casinomeister and CAP, just to set the record straight.

I want to be perfectly clear: What has occurred with JF has NOTHING to do with Lloyd and I think we all agree, Lloyd has done an exemplary job in how he’s handled this situation. Further, I think it’s fair to say that Lloyd has moved mountains in turning things around for Brightshare and without question, JF/Spiral should thank their lucky stars that they hired Lloyd.

But this situation is not about Lloyd. It’s about Spiral and Jackpot Factory, which just so happens to have Lloyd and Brightshare under its umbrella.

To be honest, I’m saddened by what’s happened. JF has always been great when it comes to looking after the players. But this isn’t about support or payments. This is about being caught out using some truly deplorable and offensive marketing tactics.

While some may think that some of us are “out for blood,” I can only speak for myself in saying this is simply not the case. My feeling is that the pages should have been removed IMMEDIATELY, followed by a statement via JF vowing to use solely ethical marketing practices. A sizeable donation to GamCare and/or Gamblers Anonymous would speak volumes, as well. I think most of us who feel strongly on this issue would have a completely different attitude about JF, were they to take these basic, simple measures.

Unfortunately, this has not happened and as such, the frustration is only growing stronger.

It was promised that these pages would be removed in a timely fashion and this has not been the case. There has been word scuttled about that this is not necessarily simply page removals. What does this mean, exactly?

Companies such as Spiral and JF are not start-up’s. These are companies with deep pockets and nearly limitless resources. It’s difficult to comprehend why, with all the resources available to Spiral/JF that the fix to this situation would be so slow in action.

Wrapping things up, let’s be realistic…

Go back to the days B.L. (before Lloyd). Had this come to light then, I’d imagine many affiliates would be looking at this issue differently. It is a testament to Lloyd’s effectiveness that so many are willing to allow for as much slack as they are. For that, Spiral and JF should worship the ground Lloyd walks on.

[dominique]

Originally Posted by rowmare

Off Topic, but I have to say this:

Cool Avatar, Dominique!

Feel free to copy it and use it for anything you like.

I am making it public domain, freeware.

[jetset]

QUOTE: But this situation is not about Lloyd. It’s about Spiral and Jackpot Factory, which just so happens to have Lloyd and Brightshare under its umbrella.

To be honest, I’m saddened by what’s happened. JF has always been great when it comes to looking after the players. But this isn’t about support or payments. This is about being caught out using some truly deplorable and offensive marketing tactics.UNQUOTE

Right on, GG!

[Jackpot Factory]

Hi everyone,

This is David Brickman, Jackpot Factory Spokesperson.

I would like to set the record straight regarding the JF search engine fiasco. Before I begin, I want to make it clear that we are in the wrong. I know that many people have been waiting for us to comment on this issue, and I’d like to thank you all for your patience.

This issue tarnishes our longstanding good reputation. There was a blatant mess up, for which we take full responsibility, and we have done and will continue to do everything in our power to rectify this extremely serious situation.

Those of you who have had contact with the JF Group, know our reputation and know that we take our casino operation seriously and that we have always taken a proactive stance towards responsible gaming issues. That said, this incident leaves an indisputable blemish on our record and we apologize to the entire gaming community.

In the past, we have ALWAYS held true to our word – whether dealing with players or with affiliate issues via Lloyd Apter, our Affiliate Manager at BrightShare. To this end, I give you my word that we are conducting a thorough investigation as to how these marketing practices slipped under our radar, why no managers were aware of them, and finally – and perhaps most importantly – if they were aware of these practices, why no action was taken to stop them.

And in response to the comments about the speed in which we worked to resolve the situation, I would like to reiterate that we worked as fast as possible to remove all the content and offensive materials from our sites. While this might not satisfy everyone, it is the truth.

Finally, if anybody has any questions or comments that they would like to address to me personally, please feel free to email them to press@jackpotfactory.com. I promise that I will deal with every single email in an efficient manner. If you have an affiliate issue, I have spoken with Lloyd and he also is available for you. You can reach him at lloyda@brightshare.com.

I understand it might take some time for people out there to trust us again and I can only hope that our previous record and our future actions will speak for themselves.

Sincerely,

David Brickman
JF Spokesperson

[jetset]

Originally Posted by Jackpot Factory

There was a blatant mess up, for which we take full responsibility, and we have done and will continue to do everything in our power to rectify this extremely serious situation.

I give you my word that we are conducting a thorough investigation as to how these marketing practices slipped under our radar, why no managers were aware of them, and finally – and perhaps most importantly – if they were aware of these practices, why no action was taken to stop them.

And in response to the comments about the speed in which we worked to resolve the situation, I would like to reiterate that we worked as fast as possible to remove all the content and offensive materials from our sites. While this might not satisfy everyone, it is the truth.

I think your recovery will be entirely dependent on the transparency and commitment with which you move in getting rid of the trash that you have inflicted on the Internet here, although your apology and undertaking to find out how this happened in order to prevent a recurrence is appreciated (at least by this poster)

This has become a major public scandal (I suspect, and even hope at a deserved cost to you and Spiral) and if you are smart you will be upfront with the reported ECOGRA investigation into your affairs, and transparent in your eventual conclusions arising from this shocking affair and what you have done about it.

I personally think that a genuine act of contrition, such as a donation to a worthy gambling related cause may also better illustrate your sincere regret at this truly deplorable incident.

[luckymeki]

David -

For one, I am glad that you are taking verbal and written responsibility - at least within Casinomeister Forums.

I'm delighted that you're taking the steps to investigate and remove the items from the search engines.

I'm not satisfied with the length of time it has taken to bury them - or to make them less visible - but I also understand web/seo/issues.

I am disappointed that you have not agreed to make a donation to Gambler's Anon. At least not publicly. This alone would bring your value as a company up in my eyes, as it would be an attempt to help anyone who may have fallen prey to the actions that you have publicly admitted to having responsibility for.

I understand "crap" happens.

I also am one of the most understanding people on the planet.

I am also a gambler.

You as a company want "my" trust - and others like me, who keep on the up and up.

I think that a few of the suggestions here are valid and some, of course, are ludicris.

Giving every player a bonus - ludicris. (Sorry bonus hunters, like me, LOL - but it would be a major disadvantage to this company considering I sincerely believe they just took a sizeable hit in the wallet with the last weeks of boycott by the big players paying attention to this situation.)

Giving a sizeable Donation to a Gambler's Anon program - EXCELLENT and VALID - since the ads may very well have drawn in some of those people - who WERE NOT looking to be drawn in by specifically searching out gambling sites... But instead were using the web to find information or help. It also helps your reputation as a responsible gaming facility.

I do believe a notice on your main websites announcing the SEO debacle - in a professional way such as:

We are sorry to announce that JPF used a very irresponsible Search Engine Optimisation that may have brought you here to this site. If you are suffering from a Gambling Addiction, we request that you please visit Gambler's Anonymous or any addiction website - should our advertisements have brought you here. We apologize profusely and take responsible gaming seriously. To this end we have also donated X amount of dollars to Gambler's Anonymous in hopes that anyone found in the grips of this disease may find a responsible cure.

It might also behoove your company to employ an agency to watch for problem gamers for a little while - and find a strategy to deal with them/it.

I will admit - that I was extremely angry at the SEO 'tricks' used. To me - it doesn't matter who put them there, who was responsible or anything else about that.

I just wanted them removed.

I trust you will try to gain back your image, which will take time and baby steps - but I hope that you do listen to some of your patrons and commenters from this forum in an effort to win us back.


I eagerly await your decisions - and I hope that instead of this wall of silence - you continue to provide information. Leaving people on a forum that is on a Watchdog site in the dark - well - you're only asking for trouble.

Meki
WagerWitch

[elscrabinda]

You are STILL potentially gaining traffic from unfortunate situations. If I search for depression or cancer or suicide or any of these things I STILL get links to allslots, alljackpots and wherever else. Sure, the stories are gone but the links still take you to your casinos and endless guff about how great slots are.

How about breaking the links or replacing them with a holding page detailing the incident and explaining the generous donation that is surely forthcoming from you (otherwise any pretence of giving a monkeys about problem gambling is obviously just for show and I'm sure thats not the case).

[vinylweatherman]

This "transparency" must include players who do NOT read casinomeister. For the normal player, is is clearly "business as usual" as though nothing had happened. The only clue is the removal of the eCogra seal.
I believe that David's reply should be reworded and placed on a PROMINENT link of apology on both the home page AND the casino Viper lobby. While this will cause further damage, it will get it all over and done with. Currently, players are finding out about this second hand, and may form the impression that JF were doing their best to do "just enough" to placate the most vociferous critics, rather than address this issue head on.

It might be worth seeing if the company can contact the major search engines and admit to this, and ask that they refresh the cached pages in order to get rid of this content more quickly.

The .co.uk versions are not as "clean" as the main .com sites, this needs looking into also.

Once this investigation is complete, we want an open and frank publication of the results (if actual names cannot be used FOR VERY GOOD LEGAL REASONS ONLY, position and responsibility within the company must be stated), and whether those responsible were properly dealt with. "sent for retraining" is not the result we are looking for, whoever did this was very clever, training is the last thing they are in need of! Managers who let this slip by need a less responsible position for a while. No one who had anything to do with this should be allowed to carry on as though this was no big deal, this needs to set an example to others that this is too great a business risk to consider taking in the future.

I also would like to see a corporate "tree" detailing how "Spiral Solutions" and others fit into the corporate structure of the company players are being asked to trust with their deposits.