Originally Posted by
Kamiel-GL
Hi All,
I would like to introduce myself. I am Kamiel, and I am the Affiliate Program Manager for Golden Associate, the affiliate program for Golden Lounge casino.
I know that the casino has received some bad press of late, due to a number of factors, and hence my presence here. I will be acting as the point of contact for all issues related to Golden Lounge for now. Should you be wondering why an Affiliate Manager is handling player issues, the answer is pretty simple.
I have been a part of the industry for 9 years now, and in that time, I have managed to gain a vast array of experience. In addition, many affiliates are players too, and it stands to reason that any complaints against the casino will affect the impressions and views that affiliates would have towards the affiliate program servicing that casino.
I will do my best to not only resolve all player disputes with Golden Lounge quickly and fairly, but also work with casino management in making adjustments to policies and service levels, which would make for a much improved and enjoyable player experience.
As a start, we have removed AutoPlay limitations in wagering of bonuses from ALL our terms and conditions. We realize that this has caused a number of problems, and in the end it does tend to be unfair to players when this feature is clearly part of the software and there to use. I hope you would agree that this is a step in the right direction.
Every new casino has its set of teething problems, and Golden Lounge is not exempt from this. It is how we handle these problems that determines our calibre and how players regard us in the end. One area that we have identified is poor customer service levels. You have our commitment in that this is high on the agenda of planned improvements, and you can rest assured that all steps are being taken to improve.
Should you have any outstanding issues with Golden Lounge, or should you encounter any problems in future that you feel are not being handled correctly, please do not hesitate to contact me. I will do my best to handle any and all issues as best I can.
Kind regards,
Kamiel Mahomed
Affiliate Program Manager / Forum Representative
Golden Lounge Casino
Welcome, and thanks for answering a couple of questions in the introduction.
One gripe has been the complete secrecy, ie, judge, jury & executioner approach to determining "fraud", with no intent previously on the part of management to permit any appeal to an independent dispute resolution body. This is pretty serious, since bodies such as eCogra that handle such disputes find 50/50 between player and casino, so it is likely that quite a few innocent players "got stuffed" as well as you seeing off the fraudsters.
Casinos MUST accept that data is not 100% perfect, which is why many countries have data protection laws that enable this data to be challenged and corrected. This is lacking in the online casino industry, don't forget, it is NOT somehow acceptable to rip off a completely innocent player simply because you are suffering an influx of fraudsters, and can't be bothered to take more time and money to conduct a deeper investigation on appeal. This kind of thing has shattered quite a bit of trust in the industry, and it seems we have moved back to the 1990's in terms of the industry being percieved as "lawless and unaccountable". This is a view that I am forming too, and it seems to me that UIGEA has been used as an excuse for this regression in standards. It is NOT an excuse, it is a shortcoming in the business expertise of those involved, and shows an inability to adapt to changes in the marketplace.
The danger is that other governments will see this, and decide to try their own forms of UIGEA (some already have), using the same flawed reasoning that the US did, but they will have some evidence of bad casino behaviour to back it up with, and if they have this evidence on what should be the cream of the business, for example, not an RTG casino, nor one based in Costa Rica, they will be better placed to sell it to "the people" as being in their own interests.
The specific point about Autoplay has caused quite a bit of damage, and the best time to have realised this policy (above) was unfair was at launch. Where we had cases of players being banned for autoplay on SLOTS, Golden Lounge looked like they had the proverbial "death wish", since MGS Autoplay on SLOTS is not actually "autoplay" at all, it just spins away, and produces the exact same results. Many players use the slots autoplay to reach a bonus round, which they then trigger and enjoy. THis is the whole point of bonus slots, much of the play is on the boring side, and it is the bonus round that gets the juices going. Autoplay on Blackjack is a different matter, as for years this has been the heralded method for "bonus hunters" to utilize, and much of the blame for this is YOUR (the industry in general) AFFILIATES!!!
The defaults for autoplay are not set in stone, and so it is doubly damaging that the casino did not simply REMOVE autoplay, to prevent "abuse" through software enforcement, but seemed to prefer to confiscate winnings after the fact. The MGS interface DOES allow the removal of Autoplay, I have personally seen this at Casino Splendido (removed it on all Blackjack and VP games), and a number of Casino Rewards casinos (for example Phoenician) where there was no autoplay. Autoplay is not offered by default on the MGS games of Classic Blackjack and All Aces VP.
Affiliates pretty much INVENTED "bonus abuse", using methods to hunt and clear bonuses as the means to attract players to use THEIR sites and links over others. This, by the way, is EXACTLY how I began playing online. I was introduced to a "bonus hunting" affiliate portal (casinovincent) through my long interest in UK "Fruit Machines" - land based non-random slots. This portal recommended casinos based on how good the bonuses were, and it trumpeted the desirability of taking the SUB, clearing it with strategy, usually Blackjack, and moving on to the next. At the time I had no idea the site was generating referral commission from me, and I expect the same applied to most new players. Interestingly, an affiliate can make MORE money through a "bonus hunting" model than from a portal that encourages regular play. Having been introduced, the newbie now believes that "bonus hunting" is what "everybody does", and so you have over 50% of new players never returning, even without seeming to screw over those that win.
SPAM has now taken the place of these "bonus hunting" websites, and the spam ALWAYS highlights the welcome bonus, and tells nothing about the casino itself, what loyalty rewards there are, and in nearly all cases new players learn quickly that a loyal player will NEVER AGAIN receive an offer that comes close to the generosity of the welcome bonus, unless, of course, they go to a competitor.
For myself, I was materially deterred from playing at Golden Lounge because of what I read here. In the past, I have by default trusted ALL Microgaming casinos UNLESS I have had a bad experience with them, but now I take a more cautious view, waiting to see how things go before considering trying for myself. Now, if EVERYBODY took this precaution (highly unlikely though), NO new casino would EVER be able to launch. The reality is that if more people that before take the cautious route, it will be much harder for new casinos to break into the market, and they may overstretch themselves with unsustainable welcome offers that land them in even MORE trouble should they end up with too many winners through poor calculation of expected hold over the sum of players attracted - and with a good bonus, there will be a higher proportion of knowledgeable players who DO know their maths when it comes to a poorly designed promotion.
Empty Fruities Astern Capt'n
Back to port for unloading.
Full Sails - before we get raided ourselves.
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hello and welcome to the forum kamiel
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