Issue #194
weekly
Dear Reader,
I'm back.
Succinctly yours,
Bryan
In this issue:
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Tuscany is where I spent my time - chillin' at the beach eating pizza and pasta and drinking Lambruso. Went to Pisa and saw the leaning tower and all of the other leaning buildings (yes, they all lean). Drove to Florence which was a totally insane thing to do. Italians CANNOT drive - period. I'm used to driving in Germany where most everyone follows the rules (Germans just love rules - really). And driving amongst a bunch of Italians (who try to get away with anything) was just a bit too much. Now don't get me wrong, there are rules for the road in Italy, it's just that they really don't matter. Amazingly enough I never saw anyone have an accident.
Checked out a number of nearby Etruscan ruins and tombs; really some amazing stuff. Tuscany has a very rich history, and I would recommend this sort of road trip to anyone; even Italians.
Now work-like thoughts would slip into my mind at times, and I would dwell upon an industry issue or two. One thing my mind kept returning to was "why are there so many hateful people in this industry?" There are some individuals that act like total lunatics on some of these message boards - and they are so full of hate. These gutless individuals seem to enjoy being verbally vicious - fighting on message boards - giggling like little school children; they think it's funny or cute. I wonder, why the hate? Where does this come from? And don't they have better things to do with their time?
But anyway, I did a lot of reading. I read a number of well written English fairy tales to my six year old daughter, and reading out loud can be such an entertaining thing. It brought back memories when I was a US paratrooper deep in some Central American jungle. We'd chill in the basecamp during breaks from jungle patrols. And for entertainment purposes - we'd read books out loud to one another. Besides the entertainment factor, we did this because we didn't have enough books to go around. And if a slow reader had a book you were dying to read, it became a bit frustrating. GI's will fight over the stupidest things. I remember my squad had a copy of Stephen King's "Thinner". We'd sit there in the jungle heat and take turns reading each chapter - the amount of drama was up to each soldier, and we had some pretty good times. With this in mind, there are a number of US and UK troops still stuck in Iraq. Please check out http://booksforsoldiers.com/. You can get rid of some of your old paperbacks that are collecting dust. They even accept Paypal donations (in case you still have that old Paypal account and don't know what to do with is besides buying crap at Ebay). Your donation can make a big difference to someone's life out there. I know this for a fact.
Anyway, I'm back. It was a ten hour drive back home, through the Italian Alps, Austria, and Southern Germany; long - but it was do-able.
The hardest part (obviously) is trying to get back into the swing of things. I know I have a number of "pitch-a-bitches" to get to. Hang tight if you're waiting for me to respond. I will be banging these out shortly. Thanks for your patience.
This week there was a complaint lodged against Destination Poker from a player owed $10,200. It seems that he was on some "negative player" database that is shared by 12 or so RTG casinos. Apparently, this database is not of evil players who make chargebacks and play fraudulently, these are players who use bonuses and win. The manager went on to say "What he did with us was pretty classic bonus abuse. He made a big deposit and got the maximum possible bonus we offer and lost it fast. Then deposited, took no bonus and won and cashed out immediately."
The casino allowed this player to play - and since this player was allowed to play, the casino should have paid him his winnings and THEN banned him. What if this player had lost? Would the casino refund his deposits? I think not.
These sort of flaky vague rules are enforced by managers bent on either tricking or abusing players out of their winnings. Tactics like these are completely unacceptable in this industry.
This is a relatively new casino, but I have reason to believe that they are directly associated with Connect-to-casino, Portifino, and Hamptons Casino. There are also indicators that the management has worked with the Virtual Casino group in the past as well. I have reliable sources that have confirmed this. And in my opinion, this information is correct.
You can read more about it here: http://www.casinomeister.com/rogue/destinationpoker.html
So what's the problem?
The problem is that Playtech executives remain aloof and unmoved concerning a number of issues that ought to be addressed. Each one of these issues are directly related to player assurance and protection. I have presented the following questions on several occassions to the CEO and other well positioned people at Playtech since early last month. So far, nothing. Nada. I'm presenting these questions here to that you, my dear reader will understand why I am no longer endorsing Playtech casinos. These are the questions posed:
2. Are casinos allowed to operate before their licenses are fully processed? This question is in response to the Antiguan Gaming Commission telling me that laislabonitacasino.com was not licensed and that they were requesting that the casino remove their "Antigua" logo.
3. What is the relationship between Playtech and the OPA? Is the OPA certification taken at face value or is there an agreed to process? The reason why I ask this question is that many of your operators rely on this "OPA logo" to give credence to their sites. But I know first-hand that the OPA is run by a couple of Welshmen who don't even have a college education. Most seasoned players are aware of this as well. Is the data that is reviewed by the OPA done by someone with some form of credentials? If so, what are they?
4. The Chance Group has a notorious reputation for delaying payments to their players - is this something that Playtech can rectify?
5. Why do Playtech casinos let player cashins sit for 3-5 days before being processed? Is there a way to expedite these cashins? The reason I ask this is that many players are suspicious that these payouts are delayed to tempt the player in playing back their winnings to the casino.
NEW QUESTION: 6. It has been brought to my attention that Indio Casino has resurfaced using Playtech software. Are you aware of that they left a number of players unpaid last winter before they left Futurebet? Will the owners now be required to pay what they owed to stiffed players?
In my honest opinion, I feel that players are not in safe hands in case things go wrong at Playtech casinos. And things do go seriously wrong, just take a look at the Chance Group. As long as Playtech blows these questions off, I will not endorse their operations. Simple as that.
If there are any Playtech operators out there that would like to respond to these questions, go for it.
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A popular bar had a new robotic bartender installed.
A fellow came in for a drink and the robot asked him,
'What's your IQ?'
The man replied, '150.'
So the robot proceeded to make conversation about
Quantum physics, string theory, atomic chemistry, and so on.
The man listened intently and thought, 'This is really cool.'
The man decided to test the robot. He walked out the bar, turned
around, and came back in for another drink. Again, the robot asked
him, 'What's your IQ?'
The man responded, '100.' So the robot started talking about
football, baseball, and so on.
The man thought to himself, 'Wow, this is amazing.'
The man went out and came back in a third time. As before,
the robot asked him, 'What's your IQ?' The man replied, '50.'
The robot then said, 'So, you gonna vote for Bush again?'
ha ha ha
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Is it still ok to play online in the U.S.?
Just a question for everyone, with the crackdown on internet gaming in the United States, does anyone know if our play/payout, deposits etc...are being tracked? I understand the tax issues on withdraws over $10,000 a day, but I think that is only @ land based casinos. I am concerned enough to have slowed down a lot with my online play, but hell it's FUN. I wonder if the smart move might be to stick to land based casinos. FYI I am a staunch Bush supporter so lets try not to spiral into a Michael Moore type Bush bashing (the moron who hit us with Farenheit 9/11). Just wondering if there are any "insiders" who might work for a bank or casino that has info on how, if at all, the U.S. clients are being tracked.
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Gambling generates the best buzz because it's risky!
Researchers in Montreal, Canada reckon that players get a buzz out of gambling because of the uncertainty of getting a reward.
After extensive research, Canadian scientists believe they are closer to understanding why players gamble according to press reports last week. They have apparently discovered that the levels of dopamine in the human brain rises and falls most in situations such as gambling, where there is uncertainty as to whether there will be a reward....or not.
“Using a combination of techniques, we were actually able to measure release of the dopamine neurotransmitter under natural conditions using monetary reward,” said David Zald, an assistant professor of psychology.
Dopamine has long been known to play a role in the way humans react to food and sex, but pinning down the precise conditions that cause its release have proved difficult. Zald says the research will lay the foundations for a clearer understanding of exactly what takes place in the brain during these ‘unpredictable reward situations’ and could help in discovering whether there is a chemical cause for problems such as gambling addiction.
Complaints? Kudos? Please let me know.
Peace
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Bryan Bailey Webmeister Casinomeister |  |