Issue #226
Special Edition
Dear Reader,
I'm back. If you didn't notice, I was happily attending the Casino Affiliate Convention in Amsterdam - and lovin' it. But enough of this trivial banter, time to roll up the sleeves and get into the nitty gritty.
Mostly yours,
Bryan
In this issue:
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Bummer! I forgot my aspirin!
So, where should I begin? Well, I could begin where this ends - on the train heading back to my adopted homeland - northern Bavaria - since that is where I'm composing this memoir of this year's Amsterdam escapade. At this very moment I'm writing this report speeding at 300 kph in a southernly direction towards home - and I'm writing this as quickly as I can since every memory is a fleeting one...and I know it will be several days before this newsletter hits cyberland and get's pulled up on your computer screen. These first few paragraphs are being created on a Saturday morning, and you my dear reader won't be reading this until sometime Wednesday - which is actually several days in the future my time - but now - right now in your time. And I can predict that the last paragraph you'll be reading (scroll down real fast - and you'll see it) will be written Wednesday evening my time - like just a little while ago. Days will literally pass before your eyes in the minutes it takes for you to read this newsletter. Amazing, ain't it?And why begin in the train? Well - I'll tell you why. The train was my mode of transport to the CAC - and a pleasurable mode indeed. It took about seven-and-a-half hours to get from my front door to the hotel entrance. No long drives to the airport, no "hurry up and wait" situations, no post 911 stress-outs, no BS taxi rides from the airport. It was a pleasant stressless ride. The nicest thing was being able to plug in my laptop to the AC power and watch DVDs. And what did I watch? The Hendon Mob giving expert poker tips which you can find here. If you've never watched poker played for real (only the online version) this is a must have. There is nothing like having the game explained in detail by professional players - it's like you're there. And these DVDs burned away the time magnificently. Before I knew it, I was in Amsterdam.
The first thing I noticed was that I seriously misjudged the weather. It was supposed to be SPRING - sunny skies, birds chirping, all that crap, but nope - it was windy and rainy and I had forgotten my umbrella, and my jacket was a thin jeans jacket. "What a doofus," I thought as I speed marched down the street towards the hotel.
The Hotel Krasnapolsky is nestled directly opposite the Royal Palace on the Dam right in the heart of Amsterdam. Around the corner via a few alley ways is the infamous "red light" district and enough weed shops to shake a thai-stick at. Plenty of action and colorful characters make people watching a must.
The hotel is the host of the annual Casino Affiliate Convention where I was invited to give a presentation and to participate in a panel discussion. The hotel is a marvelous five star, unfortunately the beer they serve is definitely absolutely without a doubt "two-star". Perhaps I'm spoiled, but all this beer will do is give you a headache.
I checked in, found my room, and unpacked my bag. Damn! In the rush to catch my train, I had forgotten my aspirin. Reflecting on how these conferences usually go, I winced at the thought of early morning meetings. Oh well, this is the price you pay for an unorganized life in the fast lane.
I moseyed down to the lobby, and just about everyone I expected to meet was there. And pleasantly so, there were a few extras - a few people I really needed to talk to.
To find out who these people were and what we discussed, just scroll on down. But first...
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I'm listening...
The first couple of people I ran into were people I know who were the marketing arm of Caption Cooks Casino and co. - ISPYE. Most of you readers are aware of the fiasco that the ICL group went through this past month concerning a large group of "bonus abusers" and the audit the casino group performed. I'm really glad these people were there since I have been really bummed by this whole affair (an American English term to mean "saddened" - not to be confused with British English slang "bum" meaning butt). Captain Cooks was one of my favorite brands, and the people running these casinos had a very good relationship with me. When you've been in this industry as long as I have, you develop many types of relationships with many types of people - it can seem like a very small community at times. When you see people you know doing things that you feel is not quite right, and you become vocal about it - it hurts. I'm glad ISPYE had their reps there.We talked and cleared up a few misunderstandings - some of these misunderstandings were personal ones that had blown my mind a bit. But once I got some of the information that I needed, I understood much more of what happened behind the scenes. There was a lot of talk on the fora that alluded to conspiracies and scandalous activities. I am satisfied that this was not the case. I still stand by my thoughts that this whole situation was handled in a disastrous sort of way. But the smoke is clearing and it seems that most of the players affected are being paid.
Another person I met - for the second time now - was the operator for Giant Vegas who gave me the scoop on why they moved from RTG to Playtech, and the problems that developed because of this move. Pretty interesting stuff. Crazy things happening out there, and I was all ears. I also ran into Jason from Bonus Whores who didn't look like a whore at all. He looked like a mild-mannered goat-teed dude from the midwest. The rest of the afternoon blended into the night - grabbed some Chinese (food) with some fellow webmasters, then sauntered over to "The Mansion" an underground club that hosted our reception party courtesy of Casino Partners.
The evening wore on, and things became a bit fuzzier - but I was cool. There were definitely some toasted people and a menagerie of who's who in the webmaster/casino operator world. Until the wee hours, I had an amazingly interesting time. I knew it was time to leave when an inebriated affiliate manager spilled his drink on my leg. And thank you Casino Partners for reminding me never to forget packing my aspirin again.
Day One of the conference started bright and early - and yes, I was there bright eyed and bushy tailed - not. But I should be commended for making the opening remarks by Marc Lesnick - and I'll have to hand it to the guy, with every CAC - they only get better and bigger. I was impressed already at the effort that had been put into this - but more on this later.
The keynote speaker, Ewout Keuleers of ULYS.net, specializes in gaming law - and presented the legal issues and dilemmas of the European market. There are no clear cut issues in Europe since gaming regulation has not caught up with the Internet, (but it's miles ahead of the States' puritanical approach IMO). And there have been interesting developments over the past year here in Germany. One was an issue about the freedom of speech which is protected by the German Constitution, and how this affects the press. It is now permissible for a German company to provide links to casinos as a means of providing information. Before this was not permitted, but now it is. They have to be raw links and not affiliate links though - no commercialized ad copy either.
The next speaker, J. Todd of Association of Professional Casino Webmasters, gave a very informative talk about what he is up to. The APCW is collecting information from affiliates that join and uses this information to perform analysis of the gaming market. They also perform audits of affiliate programs by signing up unannounced at participating casinos to ensure that affiliated webmasters are receiving accurate statistics. Good stuff.
I spent most of the rest of the day floating between the booths set up by the sponsoring casinos - good place to chew the fat and make or renew connections. Casinomeister thumbs up to Casino Profit Share for the free massages! Yes, they had a masseuse giving free back massages! Some dude made an off-color joke about how this masseuse (female) was giving back massages, and on the other end of the exhibit hall the Betcom girls were giving the frontal massages. Shameful!
And it's amazing how many people move from one casino marketing firm to another. Sometimes it's a bit confusing who is working for whom. But it's always interesting on getting the scoop on how or why they moved.
Well, that workday was finally over, and that evening I and about 40 others were invited by Partnerlogic to an exclusive party aboard a Dutch riverboat. The theme: Vegas - which included three energetic showgirls and a gigolo dude who crooned his way around the room with his wireless microphone. Tom Jones' "Sex Bomb" was a sensation as he drug Partnerlogic's Bev Giwelb to the dance floor to shuck and jive. We had a really good laugh with this - but she really had the moves.
The evening wore on with a fantastic dinner, more entertainment, and a Blackjack and Roulette table down below.
And it's nights like these that make me reflect a bit about this industry. Yeah sure, eating good food and being entertained is nice and dandy, but what I really enjoy is meeting and talking with people. It's not just about the money - it's about the people: the players, webmasters, casino operators, managers, affiliate managers, on and on. And this is such a young industry that most everyone coming into this comes from a realm totally unrelated to it - sometimes from rather obscure or mundane places in life. There are jazz DJs, former athletes, ex-marines, housewives, teachers, people of all sorts. And this is something I admire.
The night ended with a taxi ride back to the hotel - quick nightcap, and a promise to myself to get a good nights sleep since I had a presentation the following morning on "Concerns of the Webmaster".
Wondering what these concerns are? Just scroll on down....
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Gambling Federation Apologizes...
Day Two was a day laced with grooviness. Woke up - no headache - and I was able to focus on my morning presentation - no problem. It was a last minute production number since I was only planning to participate on the panel - but Marc asked me to present. Being thrown together at the last minute, it was not included in the CAC handbook.I like presenting because it reminds me of teaching (yeah, I used to teach undergrads creative writing, English 101, and some lit.), and teaching reminds me of training soldiers - and I sometimes really miss my guys.
Stay alert - stay alive. In case you skipped my presentation for whatever reason, or missed it completely because you weren't there, here is the Readers Digest version without the funny jokes. And even though this is directed towards affiliates, I feel that anyone can learn from some of the issues that I bring up in the following:
Concerns of Portal Operators
How to cover yo’ ass and have fun while doing it.
- Why should you care?
- This industry is more or less unregulated – international laws are mostly flaccid
- Dog eat dog – there are many hyper-competitive scummy scammers out there
- It’s your business – your livelihood – and there is no reason not to stick with this for the long run.
- CYA: How It’s Done
- Ethics are Essential
- Know who you are dealing with
- Protect your product against weaselly scammers
- CYA: Ethics are Essential
- Ethics are Essential
- This industry is more or less unregulated
- You are the information provider
- You should strive on building a good relationship between you and the player
Trust is a must
- The Bottom Line
- The bottom line for most people in this industry is to make money = profit.
- BUT when failure or scandal occurs, it’s usually the result of a profit driven philosophy.
- The Bottom Line Revisited
- The “Bottom Line” should be “the player”
- Without the player – there is no industry.
- Focus on the player (not the profits) the profits will come later.
- Players’ Needs
- Safety – they need to know that their private information is private
- Dependability – they need to know that the casino operation will be there tomorrow.
- Honesty – the casino needs to do as they say and not use deception to attract players.
- Fairness – games are fair, promotions are fair, terms and conditions are clear, and when there are problems...the outcome is fair.
- Where Do Affiliates Fit In?
- Since affiliates or portal operators refer players to these operations (good or bad), there is a certain level of responsibility that portal operators must assume.
- CYA: Know who you are dealing with
- Protect yourself by investigating the casino, affiliate program, or software provider.
- information should be upfront and accessible.
- If alarm bells are ringing in your head, they are probably correct. Go by your gut feelings
- What’s at risk?
- Your reputation
- If you end up promoting scammy casinos, your reputation may suffer
- Players are unforgiving and will spread the word via message boards and other devious means
- Your traffic may suffer
- Thus your profit may suffer as well
- Be Wary
- Beware of affiliate “managers” contacting you via hotmail, yahoo, or other free email accounts. They should be emailing you from their workplace – their affiliate website.
- Find out who their clients are. Where are they licensed? Who is their software provider?
- Do some quick Internet searches.
- The Way Back Machine http://www.archive.org/
-
Whois Searches
- Google.com
- Check the popular message boards for unresolved player complaints
- Players Can Be Problematic
- If you receive player complaints, bear in mind that player fraud is rampant.
- Treat any posting in message boards with a grain of salt. Many posters are attempting to blackmail casinos. Be careful who you align yourself with.
- CYA: Protect your product against weaselly scammers
- Tricks of the trade:
- Google is your friend
- Do weekly searches of your content
- Do weekly searches of your product “name”
- If applicable – trademark your name
- CYA: When Problems Occur
- Contact the webmaster
- Identify the affiliated casinos and contact their managers
- Most ISPs have strict copyright policies
- Push comes to shove: contact me
For sites that are ripping off content:
And the end of the presentation, I was hit up with two poignant questions. The first, "Is it true you don't like Playtech?" Hmmm, now I'm wondering why people think that <grin>. I do like Playtech, it's just that Playtech and I didn't see some things with the same perspective. But good news is on its way with a dispute section that should be coming online in the very near future. The implementation of this will clear up a number of issues, and things should be cool after this.
The other question: What is my criteria for choosing a Casinomeister Casino of the Year? Lot's of things come into play here. Besides the operation of the casino itself, I'm looking at creativity, ingenuity, transparency, and what the casino offers the community besides just a place to gamble - what it gives back. It's tough sometimes since there are a number of excellent candidates. 32Red Casino
After I put my laptop back in my room - I ventured back downstairs where I lurked around the booths once again. Lo and behold, there was Gambling Federation with three reps seemingly waiting for me as if they were expecting (or anticipating) my visit. We talked a bit about the whole malware issue. It was only email addresses they insisted that were compromised - not passwords or usernames like some have speculated. Most importantly, they wanted me to convey their apologies to everyone - and apologies accepted. Like I've mentioned before, it's really sad when these sort of negative things happen since so many good people get caught up in other people's mistakes. I feel their pain.
That afternoon included a panel discussion that proved to be (I believe) quite beneficial to everyone. It was the "beer" panel. Marc Lesnick ends each conference with a panel discussion and free beer "all you can drink". This ensures that most everyone attends, and after 90 minutes of scheduled time, the discussion is a freeflowing blabbering of bubbly thoughts. It kicked off with some dude proposing a toast to a) the WTO ruling that seemed to favor Antigua, b)the ruling in the UK that paves way for regulation in the UK (and possibly Europe), and c) the Pope who "was one of the biggest fans of online gambling". This last comment fell flat on its face with an embarrassing silence, a few moans, and rolling of the eyes.
The panel consisted of me, J. Todd of APCW, Annette "Dominique" Hartman of Games and Casino, Brian Cooke of Casino Profit Share, Zane Greene of Referback, Christopher "Sting" Costigan of Gambling911, and Peter Marcus of Partnerlogic. One subject that was discussed at length was what do affiliates want to see from the affiliate programs. Personally I consider myself a webmaster - not an affiliate, and I would like to see more webmaster related subjects in the newsletters, etc. More articles on building your own banners and graphics, tips on SEO, scripting, and this sort of thing. I couldn't care less about the next big super-duper bonus scheme because I don't run a marketing site. I am a webmaster operating a website - single-handedly for that matter, and I always appreciate learning new tricks of the trade.
The conference ended - and I was impressed. I've been to five of the six of them - the CACs, and I see an improvement each time. I was happy to be a part of it. Thanks to M. Lesnick for his dedication and determination to make these conferences a success.
Traditionally the last evening is a big bash of a party. There was one, and I'm sure it was decadent as hell - but alas, I didn't make it. I ended up hanging out with some of the good people of Piggs Peak
The next day - back on the train heading home - and I began banging out this newsletter. In real time that was days ago - in your time, it was the amount of time it took to read this newsletter. Time is an amazing thing sometimes.
Lastly, I want to thank all those who approached me and expressed their appreciation for what I do - about the newsletter, about the forum and webcast (new show in the works - I promise!). In a nutshell - it's really just for you my dear reader, really it is. Undeniably so.
Peace
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Bryan Bailey Webmeister Casinomeister |  |