World Player Magazine

**brutaldeluxe** · 21st January 2007, 04:34 PM

Apologies if this has been mentioned before elsewhere but I haven't seen it.
This arrived through my door the other day, the December 2006 edition apparently with a picture of Richard Branson on the front. It says on it compliments of fortune lounge but a quick read reveals it basically is one large fortune lounge advert. The thing I thought was a bit dodgy sounding was the letters bit on page 8. There is one "winning story" from Rose Anne D and this is what it says.......

"I have so many reasons to thank Fortune Lounge casinos. A few months ago, I won the LotsALoot progressive for over $16 000. At that time I was going through a dramatic episode. My brother died in a tragic fire and his wife was on life support for three months until she passed away. They left behind a daughter of 10 years old. they had no insurance so their expenses were left on my shoulders. I loved them, so I took on this burden. (Amusingly I mist typed that word there and put burned instead of burden, freudian slip i guess haha)

I have been with Fortune Lounge for over hree years and have played at many other online casinos but believe me Fortune Lounge is the best. I just want to say that the odds with Fortune Lounge are better than going to a land based casino.

I just wanted to share my story with all those players who are `pinching` their pennies to play and have their fair share of day-to-day problems and tragedies as well. This has been therapeutic for me, an escape in a sense. I can play comfortably in my bedroom, and I limit what I deposit. When I least expect it...the bells go off and and I'm sitting there dazed, wondering `Did I just win?` and then I realise I have ! I wish you all good luck. May Fortune Lounge shine on you as it has shined on me!"

What the feck is that about !??! Ohh my family died but thanks to fortune lounge it was ok?!?! The who magazine basically reads of similar sickening thumbs up story for fortune lounge. Like online etiquette 101..."I never win! This game is rigged!" OK, let's toss out that frustration based fallacy right now. There was a time years ago when some in online gaming might have been a bit shady. But that's not the case nowadays, especially if you're dealing with a reputable site such as Fortune Lounge. In short, the games are not rigged - of you lost, it was fair and square.

I noticed there was a cover price on the mag of $4.99 as well, quite why anyone would want to pay that for a fortune lounge advert is beyond me.
I found the whole things very fake and as if players were paid to say it or the stories were just created by fortune lounge themselves.....I am sure someone else on here did something similar did they not ? Of course the stories could be legit....or at least elements of them could be but the whole magazing just made me think that fortune lounge are really annoying and sod ever playing in their casinos cos they have such a crap way of trying to make themselves sound great. Anyway, rant over !

**Pinababy69** · 21st January 2007, 06:25 PM

Well, if that story isn't true, then nothing was learned from the whole Jackpot Factory debacle last year. Would someone who had just suffered a major personal loss be thinking that gambling had been a Godsend? In so many words.

It's obviously not of the same magnitude as JF, but I still don't like it.

**tencardcharlie** · 21st January 2007, 10:10 PM

Originally Posted by brutaldeluxe

I have been with Fortune Lounge for over hree years and have played at many other online casinos but believe me Fortune Lounge is the best. I just want to say that the odds with Fortune Lounge are better than going to a land based casino.

There is no way, that this is the players own words. The winning story is probably true, but I would bet my golden pants that the words come from the casino.

I mean, who the hell talks like that? "I like fortune Lounge because Fortune lounge is the best and Fortune Lounge is so cool, and I have named my cat to Fortune Lounge. Also, did I mention that the casino group is called FORTUNE LOUNGE?"

**vinylweatherman** · 21st January 2007, 10:29 PM

Yup, I got one last year, and two in the same day just this week. Despite their feeble attempt at deception it is obviously an "advertorial" type publication. I think the cover price is a technical dodge, our local FREE newspaper has a cover price marked as "where sold". It is actually possible to buy it at a newsagent, so I rather suspect there is some legal dodge involved that means having a nominal "cover price" allowes them to bypass some kind of law. Likely, they use the cover price as a means of mitigating corporate tax, the cover price would be tax deductable as an operating loss where given away for free. Not sure why FL do this though, as I thought they uses "juristictions of convenience" to minimise taxes.

It could well be this "spammy affilliate that has nothing to do with FL, and is not under our control", however, the content shows that FL execs are controlling this as it contains information that no "affiliate" would, or should, be privvy to in order to promote the brand.

Further investigation may shed further light on this - just have to get the plastic wrappers off, it's not exactly the most important item of mail that I have to read.

**cheekymonkey** · 21st January 2007, 10:53 PM

First the 'punter' says this:

Originally Posted by brutaldeluxe

My brother died in a tragic fire and his wife was on life support for three months until she passed away.

Then this:

Originally Posted by brutaldeluxe

I just want to say that the odds with Fortune Lounge are better than going to a land based casino.

WTF!!!

I would wipe your arse with it and send it back, with no stamp on it.

**vinylweatherman** · 21st January 2007, 11:02 PM

Originally Posted by cheekymonkey

First the 'punter' says this:

Then this:

WTF!!!

I would wipe your arse with it and send it back, with no stamp on it.

No, the paper is too shiny, they must have thought of that

I could donate it to the local school though, our kids are used to that kind of toilet paper (I remember it - Bronco or something, in those cardboard boxes that slotted into ceramic holders).

**GrandMaster** · 21st January 2007, 11:15 PM

Originally Posted by vinylweatherman

I think the cover price is a technical dodge, our local FREE newspaper has a cover price marked as "where sold". It is actually possible to buy it at a newsagent, so I rather suspect there is some legal dodge involved that means having a nominal "cover price" allowes them to bypass some kind of law. L

Once I was told by that if the paper is free, then the author is responsible if somone sues for libel, whereas if the paper is sold, then the publisher is responsible, or something along these lines.

**tencardcharlie** · 22nd January 2007, 12:59 AM

By the way, was the article possibly signed B.S, as in Boaz Saisson?

That would pretty much explain everything...

**prindi** · 22nd January 2007, 06:07 AM

Well in answer to your questions about winning stories being true, I was picked on their first issue for the winning story. I wrote the story, and they didn't change one word. They also featured me inside the magazine on their first issue because I won Wow Pot twice within I think it was a week or two at Vegas Palms, and I had some nice screenshots for them. So! Thats my story! And I'm sticking to it! lol... my story was true, I couldn't tell you about the other ones. I do gamble frequently, and I have been fortunate to win alot of different promotions with them. They have been very good to me, and I would sincerely doubt they went down the road you guys are thinking.

**vinylweatherman** · 22nd January 2007, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by prindi

Well in answer to your questions about winning stories being true, I was picked on their first issue for the winning story. I wrote the story, and they didn't change one word. They also featured me inside the magazine on their first issue because I won Wow Pot twice within I think it was a week or two at Vegas Palms, and I had some nice screenshots for them. So! Thats my story! And I'm sticking to it! lol... my story was true, I couldn't tell you about the other ones. I do gamble frequently, and I have been fortunate to win alot of different promotions with them. They have been very good to me, and I would sincerely doubt they went down the road you guys are thinking.

Thanks,
Fortune Lounge published a story during the JF debacle, but I found that to be true also as the win and date matched info on Jackpot Madness.

Now that I know these are genuine FL player stories, FL are now busted at last over last year's issue, as this magazine is produced by, guess.....

WorldPlayer/FortuneLounge, 1943 Driftwood Bay, Belize City, Belize

And this is the SAME address that all those spam mails were coming from, and at the time FL claimed it was nothing to do with them at all, but an "out of control" affiliate. Now, this "affiliate" has been given the contract to produce and supply world player, and lo and behold, no more spam E-mails from said address.

Fortune Lounge themselves run mailings from "1934" Driftwood Bay, but now have dropped this identification address from their mailers - not that it fooled anyone.

Rather than discipline this spammer, FL have rewarded them with the contract to distribute World Player, which of course now means this affiliate now has all our "snail mail" addresses, and makes me thing it was FL all along behind this, having supplied our E-mails to the affiliate a while back, not realising the huge fuss that it would cause.

All we can be sure of is that these stories are true, but perhaps dramatised. (might have something to do with FL awarding prizes for any published that do not relate to the big progressive wins). Surely players should realise that stories involving death of family and gambling overcoming the resultant difficulties is not what the anti-gambling lobby need to see, it's a sure way to stir up the anti lobby even more. FL should also realise this, and not publish this kind of material, even if true.