My guide for newbies

[Communic8]

This is my experience with online casinos, and it is just ONE person's experience, but unlike many posts, I have no vested interest at all in promoting any particular casino. This is my experience alone, but it may help new players and some existing ones.

Firstly, this is what I have learnt, in short, over 2 years of playing at over 30 casinos:

1) ABSOLUTELY read the reviews by both webmasters AND players. Look for casinos with multiple complaints and avoid them, even if the complaint has been 'resolved',

2) If the casino will not tell you which company owns it, don't play there... if something goes wrong and your money goes missing, you need legal recourse,

3) Find out where they are located and the process for complaints. If they are located in, say, Antigua, there is a Directorate of Offshore Gaming that you can contact to resolve many issues,

4) Under no circumstances play at casinos on the rogues list. They are there for a reason, and sites like this do not list them just for fun or for a hidden agenda.

5) Play with play money first. Get a feel for the games and the wins you can expect. If the game play doesn't feel right for you, go elsewhere.

6) Some casinos are 'highly recommended' by websites. Sometimes the webmaster is an affiliate and receives money for promoting them. Do your due diligence and read the forums as well.

7) Be respectful to staff but remember, you are paying them money, not the other way around. Often a squeaky wheel gets the grease, but don't be too squeaky unless there is no other option.

8) Read their terms and conditions very very carefully. If it mentions the wording 'bonus hunter' or 'bonus abuser' play elsewhere. This is just an excuse not to pay you if you win. If they won't want you to have bonuses then they should not give them to you.

9) Never cashout everything... this WILL cause you some problems. I recommend only ever cashing out half of your winnings. They want you to play, and if the think they are going to lose out, then they CAN get nasty.

10) Never threaten to do a chargeback... if you feel you have grounds for a chargeback, contact your bank or Visa/Mastercard and discuss with them.

11) There is a blacklist. I have been put on it once, for telling the casino I was playing at that I want a bonus because they have taken all of my money without any wins. If you DO end up on a blacklist... so? It's not the end of the world. Play somewhere else.

12) Set a daily or weekly limit, and don't modify it. Don't allow them to increase your limit without your permission.

13) If you make a mistake by betting too high or something, don't complain. It never works. If YOU pressed the button, it is YOUR responsibility.

14) The only deposit confirmation documents you should send any casino is a signed authorisation for the transactions you have made (NEVER sign a blanket authorisation) and you should provide a copy of the card and your driver's licence/ If they ask for more, be a little wary.

Now for the good stuff... my hotlist and blacklist:

Sun Palace - avoid. uses RTG. questionable odds. nasty staff (Brian). will argue all the time about rubbish. will argue over every bonus. horrible software. takes ages to download and install games. problem with the way security handles your docs. just avoid.

32Vegas - avoid. they blacklisted me with another casino because i told them they took my money, so they had me listed as a problem gambler. these people will give you stacks of bonuses, but they WILL call you a bonus hunter if you take them. they will do anything to get you to deposit. these are nasty people, who seem really nice and helpful at first. don't fall for it.

Bodog - my experiences were not good. lots of people like them. i don't. no particular reason. i just found them a bit too arrogant for my liking. no respect for the customer

Casino Tropez - i personally love them. good bonuses. friendly staff (except for Sabrina). my vip host is fantastic. really looks after me. i had a $4k cashout after only about 500 in deposits. good games but they need more. if you like playtech, these are the people to play at. only downside is that when you are on a losing streak, it's a long long streak.

Any site driven by microgaming - my experiences with microgaming have been bad, but lots of people prefer this over playtech. so, me personally, i don't like the software and find it very intrusive and hard to get rid of. there was very little in the way of support at the casinos i played at, but maybe that was just those casinos

Kiwi Casino - this is one i thought would be good, but i would avoid it as i have had a few problems here. they are no longer owned by a land based casino, and since then are sliding downhill.

Carnival Casino - they spam me incessantly. i will never play there, as i receive maybe 20 emails per day from them. these guys were good, years ago. rubbish now.

Golden Palace - do they even still exist? Same as Carnival. Used to be good but that was a long time ago now.

Allslots - they are rude and arrogant, for no good reason. i wouldn't play there for all the tea in china.

Well, there are lots of others, but these are the ones i feel most passionate about, one way or another.

Most happy with - Tropez
Most disappointed with - probably 32vegas

[Pinababy69]

The first half of your post is great, and sound advice. The second half re: particular casinos is a poorly hidden attempt at airing your beef with Sun Palace/Mainstreet Vegas group (already posted in complaints). BTW, have you contacted the rep on board here for Mainstreet Vegas and voiced your concerns to them? That is one nifty function of this forum. Maybe not as much fun as venting publicly, but quite effective really.

You know what? Just cause I'm such a nice person, I'll even get you the link so you don't have to go searching. Wouldn't want you getting lost.

http://www.casinomeister.com/forums/...affiliate.html

And here's one to the customer service rep on board here. Mind you, she hasn't been here in a while, but the other rep was here two days ago.

http://www.casinomeister.com/forums/...s/vsummer.html

Oh, and I know you're going to thank me, so you're welcome in advance.

[Communic8]

What makes you think I HAVEN'T contacted the rep before I posted this?

I notice you only focused on one casino out of the list I produced... and based on your other reply to my other post, I think it is becomming clear that YOU may have a bit of a vested interest in Main Street.

I said at the very top that this was MY experience, so who the hell are you to say otherwise?

[Kaynos72]

I dont know why some peoples seems to place all the RTG casinos in the same boat. I love RTG's i think they they have the best slots.

Like the other posters above me, like half your post, the rest of it however.....

[Pinababy69]

Originally Posted by Communic8

What makes you think I HAVEN'T contacted the rep before I posted this?

I notice you only focused on one casino out of the list I produced... and based on your other reply to my other post, I think it is becomming clear that YOU may have a bit of a vested interest in Main Street.

I said at the very top that this was MY experience, so who the hell are you to say otherwise?

I focused on the one casino because that's the one you already have a thread going about in the Complaints section.

As to vested interest, absolutely none. I did play at one of their sister casinos back when they were Playtech, Twin Aces, about three years ago. I haven't been back since they switched to RTG. Besides that, no interest in them one way or another.

YOUR experience is already posted in another thread, but of course this forum is more visible and gets higher traffic than complaints. The only reason I posted a response to you here is because you rub me the wrong way. You have a shitty attitude for someone who just joined up here. I can already see you're one of those who, if anyone disagrees with your opinion, they're an asshole and affiliated with whatever casino you have a problem with.

Like I said, the first part of your post was excellent, and it is great advice for anyone who is new to online gaming. But it's nothing that Bryan doesn't already have posted on this site in numerous places. AND, he also has an accredited list of casinos that newbies can choose from. Who the hell are you to think that your list should take precedence over his? Personal experience is fine, I have no problem with that. I do have a problem with attitudes like yours. Why don't you try becoming a part of the forum first before you start telling us all what we should do? And before you try telling people here that the casinos that CM works with are rogues? Just a thought.

[Communic8]

where in my post did i say my list took precedence over casinomeister?

that's just silly talk.

I posted my unbiased opinon (in that i haven't been paid or otherwise for my opinions) and YOU came in and tried to shoot me down! Then you pretend it's the other way around!

If you don't like my response to your post, don't post. Simple as that. I am giving my opinion on a topic I am passionate about, and whether you agree or disagree is your prerogative, but this is MY experience, and I don't need you to try and belittle that.

As for my experience being posted in another thread, is there some rule here about NEVER mentioning another casino that appears in a prior thread? No, i don't think so.

Rub you the wrong way? You didn't need to post here, you didn't need to reply, that is all YOUR doing.

And WHERE in my forum did I say 'This is what you should do...'..... are you completely stupid? This is MY OPINION! I SAID THAT FROM THE OUTSET, AT THE VERY TOP OF THE POST. If you failed to read that, and if you fail to understand why this is being posted, then that is YOUR problem.

I think many people will benefit from this thread, and as you have already agreed that the first part is good, then why don't you ignore the second part, as it doesn't concern you anyway, and go flame someone else.

[Pinababy69]

Originally Posted by Communic8

are you completely stupid?

Only when I decide to reply to posts like yours. Besides that, I'm a pretty smart cookie most of the time.

BTW, no there isn't any rule about mentioning a casino that's been previously mentioned. However, there is a rule about cross-posting in multiple forums. And I see the second part of your post as nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to re-air your "beef" with Sun Palace/Mainstreet.

G'nite all. It was a fun night for the most part.

[Communic8]

Actually, you know what? I only just realised I didn't need to even respond to what you wrote... I am not responsible for what other people do, and neither are you. Neither are you responsible for moderating posts, nor mediating or resolving casino issues. You are, like me, just another member. Whether you have the time to post more threads than me is inconsequential and doesn't invalidate my point.

So, people visiting this thread can make up their own minds about which casinos they choose to give money to. I didn't post to control people, just to warn them, and if they choose to heed the warning, then good for them. If they choose to give them money, then that is their prerogative.

I forgot that the post was my experience, my opinion, when it started becomming YOUR post, YOUR opinion. You can surely start another thread, can't you?

Anyway, this toing and froing simply highlights the post, so if your issue is that I chose a post with visibility, not responding will decrease the visibility as other posts get posted to.

It's always the problem with forums.... the members who have been around for years often take on some sense of ownership, like they have some superior right to post than a newb. I had forgotten that that is what tends to happen, so thanks for reminding me.

And just remember, at the end of the day, people will make up their own mind about dealing with one particular casino over another, and as you don't even play at Sun Palace, then I guess I am just a little better qualified to tell my story than you are!

[suzecat]

Originally Posted by Communic8

What makes you think I HAVEN'T contacted the rep before I posted this?

I notice you only focused on one casino out of the list I produced... and based on your other reply to my other post, I think it is becomming clear that YOU may have a bit of a vested interest in Main Street.

I said at the very top that this was MY experience, so who the hell are you to say otherwise?

I'll chalk this up to an overly exuberant newbie who perhaps has not read the rules of this forum.

Pina has been a highly valued member of this forum for.......ever...... and proven to many she does not need anyone to stick up for her.

I have to admit that while reading your above post, I had many of the same thoughts as outlined by Pina.

[Mike031]

Originally Posted by Communic8

You didn't need to post here, you didn't need to reply, that is all YOUR doing.

And WHERE in my forum did I say 'This is what you should do...'..... are you completely stupid? This is MY OPINION! I SAID THAT FROM THE OUTSET, AT THE VERY TOP OF THE POST. If you failed to read that, and if you fail to understand why this is being posted, then that is YOUR problem.

What's the problem with you?


Why did you piss off the users here?

Better YOU don't post here and go in another forum, or maybe do something sinful in YOUR life, like this:



Nobody needs YOUR opinion here, because this is only bullshit, so go away from here, because you really suck!