Issue #283
weekly
Dear Reader,
We're still looking at the first week of September as Casinomeister's relaunch. It's keeping me pretty busy, but it'll be worth it. What else is going on? Scroll down, and find out.
Anticipatingly yours,
Bryan
In this issue:
Can't read this newsletter in HTML? Click here (or copy and paste this link into your browser): http://www.casinomeister.com/newsletter.html#skip for the bitchin' online version.
I believe that each and every incident of player fraud concerned a bonus of some sort. It's really a shame that it's gotten to a point of "can't turn back". No casino in it's right mind would cease offering bonuses - they can't afford not to offer these. As long as a casino's competitors can give their new players bonuses - they've got to do it too. But this is stemming on the ridiculous. Like lemmings flinging themselves off the edge of a cliff, the casinos all are taking the bonus route. Casino operators are limited only by their imagination (or lack of) to get through this.
Some players will never play without a bonus. What a shame. These players will never know what it's like to play unfettered - no burden of meeting wagering requirements or needing to follow convoluted terms and conditions. To some players, it's all about how to pick apart the terms and conditions in their favor. Take for instance the following example that's been bouncing between the casino, Playtech, and me for the past year.
A player signs up at Giant Vegas and is given a bonus. The terms and conditions on the website clearly state "Bets placed on Black Jack, Baccarat, Craps, Roulette and Sic Bo do not count towards the wagering requirement for the bonus." The player fully admits this.
As soon as the player signs up at the casino, an auto-generated email is sent to the player stating: If you wish to play any of these excluded games, please contact support@royaldice.com to have your bonus removed before playing these games (please include your Username in the email).
The Casino reserves the right to withhold any amount in excess of the player’s original deposit from a player's withdrawal if the bonus is wagered on the above games, before the wagering on allowed games is completed fully.
The player either ignores this email or doesn't receive it, and commences to place one bet on Roulette - wins $3600 and then starts playing out these funds on an allowed VP games. She did the exact same thing at Royal Dice Casino - a sister site of Giant Vegas.
The casino locked her account and refused to pay her her winnings, claiming she had broken the terms and conditions. They were also exercising their right to void her play. She wanted me to look into this, and so I did.
Now when I look at issues like this, I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and I don't rush to making judgments - especially when not everyone's cards are on the table so to speak. What puzzles me - it still does - is why this player played Roulette when it clearly states that Roulette doesn't count.
If it were me - and I saw the BJ/Roulette/Craps etc. warning, I would have avoided these games and everything related to them. If it were a related game, I would have contacted customer support to see if it were okay to play. And I feel safe to assume that most players would have acted in the same way - avoid these games. Never give a casino the opportunity to void your winnings. This player did neither - she played Roulette figuring it was merely disallowed - not forbidden. The casino felt that she was trying to pull a scam on them, and they referred to point #5 of their terms and conditions:
The casino reserves the right to review transaction records and logs from time to time, for any reason whatsoever. If, upon such review, it appears that player/s are participating in strategies that the casino in its sole discretion deems to be abusive, the casino reserves the right to revoke the entitlement of such player to the promotion.
If this player made the mistake of playing the wrong game, thinking that it was ok to play roulette and it simply wouldn't count towards the wagering requirements, I would argue for the player. But this was no mistake. The player made one single bet, won, and moved on. And she did the same at number two casino. If this was player error, it would have been relatively easy to have the casino deal with this in a manner that would have made this player happy.Coincedently, there is another player half-way round the globe that had the identical problem. They signed up at the same time, had both stated that they made screenshots of the terms and conditions when they signed up (because they claim to have had problems in the past). That's a serious red flag for the casino.
The "escape clause" (term number 5) was there when they signed up. If it was NOT there, it would have been easier to argue for the player. But when these players signed up, they agreed to this term. Term #5.
And this sort of term is posted on nearly every online casino out there. Check it out for yourself. And when you sign up, you agree to abide by their terms and conditions. This is something we all have to live with whether we like it or not.
So, what am I supposed to do with this? Am I supposed to chastise the casino and send them into the rogue-pit for not stating "Bets placed on Black Jack, Baccarat, Craps, Roulette and Sic Bo do not count towards the wagering requirement for the bonus. If you play these games your winnings will be voided"? Well that's like putting a warning on your bicycle "Warning - goes faster when traveling downhill." But I guess some players need to be told this.
Or am I supposed to say to the player, "Sorry, but the casino thinks you're a scammer. Instead of playing at Giant Vegas, go play on a busy freeway"? Nope, I'm not going to do that either?
Am I supposed to tell a company they don't have the right to exercise their "escape clause"? Then why even have them - or any other term for that matter. Would you want me to tell you how to run your company?
It's tough, but what I will do is try to explain to the player, and to the gaming community what happened and why - that's what I'm here for. And it's simply amazing that my explanation of the situation is taken as advocating the "catch all phrase" or condoning the casino's actions, by a handful of players. I'm not making any "judgements" for or against the player/casino - that's my prerogative. For those few misguided ones, just because I can look at both sides of an issue clearly doesn't mean that I've crossed over to the darkside - the player has claimed that I sold my soul to the devil. Get a grip on yourself, it's a simple fact: if you give a casino an opportunity not to pay you, they won't pay you. Get over it - accept it. If you don't like this, then you should be spending your time at brick and mortar casinos. Please defenestrate your computer.
And all this over a bonus. See? You should have played bonus-free. Imagine what would have happened then?
http://www.casinomeister.com/mp3/earth.mp3
I ended up posting this in our forum here - it took awhile but finally "aka23" got it. "Earth vs. Flying Saucers". A Ray Harryhausen flick from 1954. You can hear the entire clip here:
http://www.casinomeister.com/mp3/timestop.wav
So, are you ready for this week's stumper? Who said this and what did he say? Identify the film and character:
http://www.casinomeister.com/mp3/worm.wav
Submit your answers to: bierfest@casinomeister.com
Incomplete answers don't count! Good luck and stay tuned for further beer offerings!!
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The guy with the Chihuahua says, 'We can't go in there. We've got dogs with us.'
The guy with the Doberman Pinscher says, 'Just follow my lead.'
They walk over to the restaurant, the guy with the Doberman Pinscher puts on a pair of dark glasses, and he starts to walk in. A guy at the door says, 'Sorry, mac, no pets allowed.'
The guy with the Doberman Pinscher says, 'You don't understand. This is my seeing-eye dog.'
The guy at the door says, 'A Doberman Pinscher?' He says, 'Yes, they're using them now, they're very good.'
The guy at the door says, 'Come on in.'
The guy with the Chihuahua figures, 'What the hell,' so he puts on a pair of dark glasses and starts to walk in.
The guy at the door says, 'Sorry, pal, no pets allowed.'
The guy with the Chihuahua says, 'You don't understand. This is my seeing-eye dog.'
The guy at the door says, 'A Chihuahua?'
The guy with the Chihuahua says, 'You mean they gave me a Chihuahua?'
ha ha ha
MAJOR WIN FOR KING NEPTUNE'S ONLINE CASINO PLAYER
Casinomeister player wins over 362K!!!
August 15 was a red letter day for online player JoanneS, an historial and ancient books archivist from Georgia; on her first and only bet on the Major Millions progressive slot at King Neptunes Casino she hit a life-changing $362 745.20 jackpot on a total wager of only $18!
Joanne, who has been a King Neptune's player for the past two years sat stunned as the on-screen notification of her big win appeared on a quiet Tuesday evening that started out as a little online gambling entertainment and ended in big money truimph.
Describing her first impression of the win Joanne said: “A notification came up on the screen as I hit the jackpot, and my immediate reaction was "oh, I've lost my internet connection".... then, when I looked a little closer, put my glasses on and saw what it really was I just couldn't believe it!”
King Neptune's spokesman Scott Gaines said that hitting such a big win on a single bet was extraordinary but illustrated the random nature of the Major Millions, one of the most established Internet progressive games which has paid out tens of millions of dollars since its introduction.
"Joanne will be paid out in one single cash payment, and independent expert financial advice on how to handle such a large sum will be available as part of our free service should she ask for it," he said.
King Neptune's staff are no strangers to big-winning players. The top tier online casino has paid out literally millions of dollars to fortunate players since it went live 4 years ago. Gaines said that on the Major Millions progressive alone, Trident group players have won $1 711 985, all paid out quickly and without hassles.
King Neptune's is in the process of merging into Carmen Media group, which has wide international online gambling interests and operates 10 tier one online casinos, 4 online poker rooms and 1 sportsbook. All operations are powered by Microgaming and have achieved the eCOGRA “Play It Safe” seal. Online gaming licences from the Kahnawake Gaming Commission are held and operations are conducted strictly in compliance with the Commission's regulations. The online gambling venues within the group have built a strong reputation for ethical and responsible business conduct and are respected by the gaming industry and players alike.
News courtesy of Infopowa news service.
More news here.
Complaints? Kudos? Please let me know.
Peace
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Bryan Bailey Webmeister Casinomeister |  |