Casino Affiliate Convention Amsterdam Special Edition
Dear Reader,
And here we go with Casinomeister's annual Amsterdam special report. If reading about the grooviness of Amsterdam, mellow people, chillin' restaurants, bitchin' parties, the red light district, and online gaming is your thing, then read on...
Reportingly yours,
Bryan
Can't read this newsletter in HTML? Click here (or copy and paste this link into your browser): http://www.casinomeister.com/newsletter.php#skip for the bitchin' online version.
CAC 2007 Amsterdam
More decadent chicken pieces please...
The seven hour train ride to Amsterdam was chillin'. Last year, I was hooked up with my iPod listening to Kraftwerk, but this year, I put my laptop's DVD player to good use - watching "Sideways", one of the best films ever, and occasionally laughing out loud to myself, putting my fellow travelers on edge since they had no idea what I was laughing at. I had my headphones on. The train ride was very nice.
My Hotel was just as nice, the Victoria Hotel which is located right across the street from the main train station. It's conveniently close enough to the CAC, but far enough away to separate oneself from "work". I was attending the CAC (Casino Affiliate Convention) for the fourth time in Amsterdam.
The CAC is one of the main events of the year for online gaming. This is where webmasters meet up with their marketing counter-parts, casino operators, e-cash providers, software providers, most everyone who make this industry move. Since this conference is very "European" centered, it's well attended and promising. This year was surprising. At least I was surprised. It was huge - which indicates that this industry is strong - its resiliency was apparent with a large turnout for both webmaster and casino entity. My mission: to meet up with fellow webmasters, to speak with certain casino representatives and owners, and to give my own sprinkling of advice to anyone who was willing to listen.
The first evening was a dinner with the Bellerock people, several well-known webmasters, and Rebecca from CasinoCity.com who had travelled all the way from Boston with a bag of groceries from Trader Joes's for me. I can't get Cheerios where I live, so she had brought a couple of boxes of "Trader O's" (same thing), some salsa and dried mangos. There are just some things you miss from the states that you have to have. Thanks Rebecca! The dinner was held in d'Vijff Vlieghen which is housed in several seventeenth century buildings. Very cool.
Later:EuroPartners hosted the pre-event party at the Onassis, and this time it was a very good choice. The bar was huge, so there was not the typical "waiting in line for a drink" plight that seem to mar these parties. It was a good show. Many friends and casino reps were there, but I had to call it an early night since I had a show of my own to put on "bright and early" the next morning. I was scheduled to give a presentation "Concerns of Portal Operators in a Tumultuous Business Environment - How to CYA in an unregulated, dog-eat-dog, ever-changing industry." I was to be presenting at 9:15 the following morning, and by the looks of things at that moment, I didn't think too many people were going to make it.
Voice from the past - CAC 2005
...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...
But before crawling into bed, I needed my KFC fix. As a number of you know, I eat mostly healthy organic local farm grown foods at home. On the road...I delve into a bit of decadence at times. Those little chopped up deep-fried unrecognizable chicken pieces are too tempting to pass up. Yep, I lost myself to greasy temptation in Amsterdam. Oh shame...
NEW CASINOMEISTER CASINO!
As most of you are aware, I do not bring on any casino property into Casinomeister's Accredited Casino section until I actually sit down with their representatives and have a pow wow of sorts; this is one of the ways casinos are validated. The newest member of our Accredited section is Prime Casino: a fairly new Microgaming casino run by the folks at Prime Gaming. They are undergoing an eCOGRA review at the moment, which is very promising. These guys have damn good attitudes about this industry. Please support them by joining them today (sorry - no US). http://casinomeister.com/cgi-bin/adcycle1.15/adclick.cgi?gid=5&cid=174&mid=709&id=380
Day one began with a very informative key-note presentation on the state of the industry in Europe. "Gaming Laws and Advertising Laws in Europe - Latest Developments" by Thibault Verbiest, an attorney from the ULYS Law Firm in Belgium and France. It looks as though some markets are beginning to open up; Germany is beginning to look encouraging, so is Italy. But stay away from France. A new law was passed in March 2007 against private gaming operators. Fines against "illegal" online gaming operators have been doubled from €30,000 to €60,000 for sports betting, €100,000 for lottery operators, €200,000 for horse betting operators. Fines against "advertisers": €30,000 with the possibility for courts to multiply this fine by four times the amount invested in advertising expenses.
Zut alors!
I took the stage immediately after this - actually it was a seat. I discussed a few things that I feel are important to any webmaster in this business.
Legal stuff Many people at the conference (well, any conference for that matter) talk legal issues - mainly because this is an international business that is plagued with archaic or protectionist laws and these affect webmasters. What I stress is to get legal advice from qualified lawyers - not fellow webmasters. Period.
Ethics? Pretty much self-explanatory; don't promote the bad guys. There are a number of casinos who are not paying their players - webmasters need to disassociate themselves from these enterprises immediately.
Know who you are dealing with. And this goes for players and webmasters alike. Don't accept offers from people emailing you from yahoo or gmail email addresses. If you don't personally know them, hit the delete button. They should be contacting you from work, not from some freebie email account.
How to detect scammy scammers. Well just read this and you are on the right track: Spot the Rogue
It was relatively a nice show, and I don't think I had any unsubscribes (people walking out). Post performance: it was time to check out the booths where the amount of exhibitors was impressive; there has never been a bigger show. And I found it interesting that most exhibitors had many freebies; stuff to bring home to the kids - little flashlights, neck pillows for airplane, other odds and ends. One of the more creative from CanAffco.com: the Amsterdam Survival Kit - a small plastic case containing rolling papers, a lighter, roach clip, and a stick of Bubble Yum bubble gum. Good one guys!
Voice from the past - CAC 2004
Hemp, weed, marijuana, whatever you want to call it is sold in most coffee shops. Since the actual soliciting of weed is illegal, (like-wise is selling sex), you have to ask for a menu (or so I heard). Some of the coffee shops are called "smoking coffee shops" and you can always tell by the contact-high you get as you walk in. How long have the Dutch been doing this? Since 1554. Yes, that's right. Amsterdam has always been a world city and this caught on from visiting Hemp smokers from Asia.
That evening, I had a wonderful dinner with the folks from Incomeaccess and other friends. This of course segwayed into an amazing party at the Odeon. The decor was truly tripped out with arty images projected onto the walls and huge rotating globes suspended from the ceilings. Two highly motivated go-go dancers topped the scene. And as it started to get even more crowded, the old folks wandered on back to their respective hotels. Tripping through the streets of Amsterdam at midnight can be surreal. Just imagine.
Day two coming up...
Day Two - CAC
Reject the "soup de jour"!
The second day of the CAC was packed with more interesting and colorful people to deal with. I sat in on two presentations: J. Todd's from the APWC, and Michael Corfman of Casino City.
J. Todd, from the Association of Players, Casinos, and Webmasters is leading a grass roots movement against the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act via his videos (which can be viewed here). He gave a presentation that was more or less an invitation for webmasters, aff managers, software providers, or anyone else for that matter, to get involved and getting your voice heard. US members should check this out and sign up.
We all have a role in this industry. Casinomeister's role has been primarily to provide information - information that you my dear reader can use to make wise decisions. This goes for everyone; it's not limited to players or webmasters. I have stressed consistently for US members to make your voices heard.
If you are a casino operator or affiliate manager, have you emailed your US player base and prompted them to write their representatives? I know of some who have - do it if you haven't done so already. And you don't have to be living in the States or be a US voter to get involved. If you feel that your business is being treated unfairly, let someone know about this. Just don't sit there and accept the "soup de jour."
Michael Corfman, CEO and President of the GPWA and Casino City presented stats on how the face of gaming has changed over the past year. Absolute Poker, Bodog, and Full Tilt Poker have seen a rise in players - minus a lull after Neteller pulled out of the US market - since October last year. In fact, their traffic surpasses where they were eight months ago. This is probably due to less competition - obviously.
A few points made by Michael - the initial effect of the UIGEA was voluntary; the long term effect of the UIGEA will be based on enforcement. Enforcement actions will be taken - plan on it.
I also had a chance to have a pow-wow of sorts with a rep from Fortune Lounge. We went over the events of last month's advantage player crisis, and how in my opinion it was totally mishandled. Fortune Lounge is a good group, but they have made some bad decisions. One of which was the "knee jerk" response to thousands of players playing in a way that "abused" their hospitalty. Another problem was bad communication.
At the moment, all but one of the 17 player issues submitted through me has been resolved. Nearly half of these complaints were fraudulent.
That afternoon came the Beer Panel which included Webzcas, Dominique, Simmo!, Sting, Peralis and moi. The discussion wasn't too heated. It started with which countries to target and why. But after a few minutes, Dominique mentioned that there were a few affiliate programs not paying their affiliates - someone called her to "name and shame" and she mentioned they were listed at AffiliateGuardDog.com. Marc Lesnick quickly pulled this up on the overhead viewing screen and voila - oops...there were a few sponsors of the event that were listed as having "predatory" terms and conditions. Yes a nervous laugh - a faux pas - a slight social blunder.
When the panel discussion was over, it was time to move on. Most everyone was staying for the following day - these events are always too short since there are many conversations to continue concerning industry issues and industry gossip. Did we talk about you my dear reader? Maybe - maybe not.
Voice from the past - CAC 2005
...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...
That evening was amazing. A few of us webmasters were planning to try a seemingly fantastic Indian Restaurant - the Balti House on Albert Cuypstraat 41. But before we ventured off, we all met in the bar of the Victorian Hotel. It was Remembrance Day, and in Dam Square there was a wreath laying ceremony - remembering the dead from the Second World War, and all wars that the Dutch have lost their people to since. The event was televised live, and it was right down the street from us. The camera focused on a lone bugler. He played I believe the Dutch version of taps which then transitioned into two minutes of silence. The entire city stopped, no one moved, time slowly ticked away and everyone was silent. After two minutes had passed, the church bells began to toll, and the Dutch Army band played a stirring piece. It was very poignant; my eyes water just thinking of it. We had another beer and then left.
The restaurant: the Balti House What incredible food! Out of all the meals I had had during this trip, this one "hit the spot." I was warned beforehand that the curries might be a little strong, but it was just what the doctor ordered. I highly recommend the Balti House - a big meister's thumbs up.
From here we went on to go pub crawling in the heart of the city - mostly around the "red light" district. In one sports bar we met a crazed dude who was talking to himself in the most animated way - no idea what he was saying, but it didn't matter. We had a good laugh and wandered around for a while. I was given lessons on how to talk like a Brit (I was the only Yank in the bunch), but it'll never work. I can only get a few words out before slipping back into my California-ese. One of our entourage (who will remain nameless), walked by one of the "red windows" and made kissy faces to the girl inside. She beckoned him to come to the door with her finger. She opened it, and as he gleefully greeted her, she kneed him in the nuts. I guess he'll never do that again. Lesson learned: respect the ladies no matter where they are.
The next day was creeping up, and it was time to go. But there was still one final day that lay ahead. Scroll on down for the finale....
The final day was "Wander Tag" through the city. What an intriguing place. Everywhere you go languages fill the air: Dutch, English, French, Japanese, Swahili...name your nationality and you'll spot a citizen sooner or later. It's a marvelous city with all sorts of treats for the senses. It's one of my favorite places to be.
That afternoon, it was the Casinomeister sponsored event at the Grasshopper - a tavern and coffee Shop. It had a kind of old world feel with its dark wooden decor; a very comfortable place - and a good spot to chill and gather.
That evening, it was Thai food with the operator of Club World Casino (recipient of Casinomeister's Best New Casino of 2006). I had just been in Thailand last month, and I could honestly say that this was the best Thai food I've had since then. Great stuff.
We talked about the conference and compared notes. We were both impressed with the turnout. This industry is resilient and can weather most blows over time. We talked about the people who made it to the show, and about the people who missed it. It was great catching up.
And leaving the restaurant, we joined Simmo! once again and headed to the Playboy Party being held at the Xtra Cold Ice Bar. This was hosted by Partnerlogic (recipient of Casinomeister's Best Affiliate Program of 2006), and they had real live Playboy Bunnies from London. They were amazing - very friendly, intelligent, and could strike a cool pose in a flash. I'm still waiting for Partnerlogic to upload their photos since my camera was back in the hotel room. Perhaps we'll have some luck by next week.
The Ice Bar was out of this world. It was separate from the main bar, and before entering they have a large selection of snow parkas to choose from - thick gloves too. I donned a fur-lined parka and gloves and entered the bar. I was greeted by a few friends without jackets who ragged on me for being such a wimp - ex-paratrooper and all, but they lasted about five minutes before leaving in a chill. The smart ones endure.
Had a nice chat with the brothers behind Vegas Kings - one of the industry's top web designers. If you're looking to have your site redesigned, check them out and tell them Casinomeister sent ya.
Alas the evening was cut short due to a 5:30 wake up call planned for the next day. I had a train to catch. We three - Simmo!, Club World, and I - walked back to the hotel carrying dainty looking Playboy shopping bags. Yes, we received gifts - pink coffee mugs and a Playboy magazine. And thus the trip was over.
Sitting here in front of my computer, again I'm amazed at the number of really good people in this line of work. The sleaze factor has gone down a bit. And I didn't detect too much BS this trip. I'm glad to see this industry taking shape, especially in Europe and Asia, but there is still a lot of work to be done in order to meet the players' needs.
In closing, I hope to be caught up with all outstanding PABs by early next week. Also, there are a number of new casinos being added to the "Accredited Casino" section, a new webcast is in the making, and our Chinese site is almost ready for launching, so stay tuned for that.
Casino Affiliate Convention Amsterdam Special Edition
