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15 October 2007
Special Edition
European Interactive Gaming conference and CAP Euro 2007 - Barcelona
Dear ${token1},
And here we go with Casinomeister's annual EIG special report, and for the first time CAP Euro (Casino Affiliate Programs) conference. If reading about the tripiness of Barcelona, freaky people, go-go dancers, bitchin' restaurants, 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.
EIG 2007 Barcelona |
I forgot my freaking aspirin...
I arrived the day before the conference was to begin - a non-eventful flight and easy cab ride to my hotel the Olivia Plaza. Situated on Las Ramblas, it's a relatively modern looking hotel - very arty - overlooking the Placa Catalunya. And what an excellent view from the tenth floor, and I had free wireless Internet connectivity. That was a big plus since getting "connected" and the fees involved are always a hassle.
Barcelona is one of my favorite cities - especially the Gothic district - the streets are always flowing with people from all walks of life: students, tourists, musicians, immigrants, beggars, and loud drunken football fans. It doesn't matter what the time is - 3pm or 3am, there are always people wandering about. It reminds me of London except for the lingo, and Barcelona is much sunnier.
The first evening began with meeting up with Brian Cullingworth from Infopowa News and GreedyGirl in front of the old Cathedral steps, the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia. We meandered to Taller de Tapas, a place where I had a really fine dining experience last year. What joy - this time it was uncrowded - a table for three was easy to get. I reminisced about how last year we waited for a couple of hours to get a table, and after the waiter took our order, I was miffed that he journeyed to the next table to take their order without sending ours to the kitchen. Little did I know, he had a bluetooth gizmo that sent our order to the chefs while we thought he was collecting them from each table. Technology in a Tapas restaurant. Life is fascinating.
Well, after an evening of fried squid, artichoke hearts, baked fish, sauteed mushrooms, and free flowing Sangria, I awoke the next morning and dwelled upon a tough lesson learned. Do not - never ever leave one's pain relievers at home when vivting Barcelona. There is something about those Sangrias that cause extreme pain to the brain.
But I was ready for the EIG.
The European Interactive Gaming was geared to be a big show. Last year, people were ready to slit their wrists over the passage of the UIGEA. It was a downer of a gathering. But this industry has had a full year to weather the storm, and it was apparent that many companies have weathered it well.
Before the conference kicked off in full gear, I met with the fellows from Grand Mondial Casino a Casinomeister "Accredited" casino which came under fire this past summer for not monitoring some of its White Label casinos. Admittingly, they learned something - that they should have been much more watchful over how the white label was managed. Quality control is much tighter now - and this is a good thing. I had discussed the policy of white label casinos with a few operators this trip. A general consensus was that these WL casinos would only be given to "super" companies (Yahoo, Dell, etc.,), any others would be closely monitored. Operators need to remember that players seek trustworthy sites; the key to trust is transparency.
Day One:
It kicked off with the venerable Sue Schneider giving us a run-down on where this industry has been and shared with us a letter from ex-CEO BetonSports David Carruthers. He is still under house arrest (over 15 months with no trial in sight), but he is upbeat concerning the allegations of "illegal gambling". He is hanging tough and confided that although he is under house arrest, he's in the best physical shape he's ever been. Goes to show what good home cooked meals can do for you. He stated "I may be one year older, but I am ten years wiser." He described the industry stuck in a "round-about" not knowing which direction to take. "At no time in the past has this industry needed strong leadership as it needs strong leadership today." It needs a focused approach from all facets of the industry to make a positive difference. People need to come together and share resources to put this into action. He also stated that the industry needs to be focused on operating with integrity with customer service and customer protection in mind. David Carruthers is a good man. It's a shame to see him still waiting for his day in court which may not be until this upcoming Spring.
Martin Owens, a leading gaming attorney from California, gave a very insightful presentation on the "state of the Union." One interesting point he made (amongst many) was that even though an election year is coming up, for a politician to openly support online gaming it would be political suicide. So for those of you who are waiting for the laws to change there, you may have a while to wait. Nevertheless, the UIGEA has opened the door for the possibilities of Intrastate online gambling/poker. The next couple of years will be interesting.
I was looking forward to the opening of the exhibition hall. There were a number of booths I was looking forward to checking out, and this is always a good spot to catch up with people you need to catch up with. One of the more dominating (and impressive) stands was the Neteller booth. A tongue-in-cheek "Shaken, not Stirred" James Bond theme encased their open bar of Martinis. A spanish bartender was at hand, shaking up Martinis one after the other. The message: looks like Neteller wasn't hit as badly as everyone thought.
I spoke with the CEO and several others - it was insightful, and I understand how difficult it was to be dealing with the massive problems they had this past year. They admit that not everything went as smoothly as it could have, but this was unprecedented - the freezing of accounts and subsequent payout. Players were paid - that's what counts. And they seem to be well entrenched in their field. Apparently, they are still a solid viable company.
Fantastic news from WagerWorks - well we know that the Elvis slots are right around the corner. If you haven't seen this game yet, and you like slots, it will blow you away. You can play them for free here at Ledgaming - this is the developer's website - US and non-US are welcome to play until you can't play no more.
Well, guess what - Texas Tea is being launched in the very near future as well as Texas Tina which will be coming out as well at a later date. I LOVE THESE GAMES!! And I am really excited that these are on the horizon. You can sign up at Virgin Casino and Get Minted in anticipation of these games (sorry, no US).
Voice from the past - EIG 2004
The cocktail party in the main conference hall soon commenced, and it was like a who's who in online gaming: Neteller people were there, Boss Media, Net Entertainment, Partnerlogic, Click2Pay, and then there were many new faces - new enterprises - people with new ideas. What a great place to network and gather information! But then I was kidnapped by an odd consortium of industry folk, and we traveled via taxis to the waterfront where we dined on yummy Spanish food. But one thing I am unaccustomed to is waiting so friggin' long for the food. I am one to sit down, order a beer - take five minutes to figure out what I want - order that, eat, converse in jocularities, then leave. This is usually done within an hour or so (depends how jocular we are). But in Spain, (and France for that matter as well), you end up in some weirdo time warp where restaurant meals take four hours to consume. I can't complain though - the food was good, and the company was even better.
And a midnight, our group left the restaurant to the now empty street, and I figured I we were going to catch some cabs back to the hotel (I had no idea where we were). But no, we walked a block or so along the waterfront, and lo and behold up a deserted alley-way was a small little bar with disco lights reflecting off of the pavement. "Where were the cabs?" I thought, but alas like sheep we followed the lights and thumping techno-pop and entered a dark place.
That evening, Lyceum Publishing sponsored an awesome get together down at a small club by the harbor: Lekasbah. Free flowing Sangria and all the Paella you could eat. I don't think I have ever had better - it was indescribably delicious. I was happy that I had skipped dinner. Subconsciously, I had saved myself for this.
Continuation as you scroll down...
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Day TWO EIG |
Suits Galore!
Day two began with an early wake-up call, a pleasant answering of a number of emails on my FREE wireless connection, skipped breakfast (should have ordered room service), and a taxi ride to the conference center. I was scheduled to moderate a session: two speakers were there to discuss "How can you best adapt your affiliate marketing to changing market conditions" Brandon Berndt, Chan Poker, and Ebbe Groes, CEO of BetBrain shared their ideas, and it's interesting to note how the web has developed over the past couple of years.
There is talk of Web 2.0 - the evolution of the web into a more interactive entity (Blogs, Youtube, Myspace, etc.). How is the industry utilizing these interactive capabilities. Both speakers had interesting ideas. Ebbe spoke about how his company has been using Google Widgets.
The technology is there; it's a matter of being innovative and creative with a bit of foresight. Fascinating stuff.
Afterward, I was mobbed by Fortune Lounge and we journeyed downtown had a wonderful lunch of tapas - and we talked about a number of things (besides their Fall from Grace II this past Spring), and it seems that they are on the right track. In fact they have always been on the right track. They just screw up badly now and then.
When I returned to the conference, I noticed a few things. For one, the conference was touted as being at 1400 persons strong. There seemed to be quite a few people, but it just didn't seem 1400 - I had a feeling that many of these people were networking. The conference hall was filled with suits and it was another indicator that this industry has really changed over the past couple of years. The "Golden Palace" days are gone. It is much more serious now, much more than it ever has been. I didn't see too many familiar faces around the conference area; the familiar faces that I saw were in the exhibition hall.
Voice from the past - EIG 2003
But I think the most interesting encounter was with the folks from Malta. Malta offers licenses for all types of online gaming. Their regulator is the Lotteries and Gaming Authority which monitors and establishes their licensing conditions (personnel background checks, auditing, certification of the gaming system, etc.). What makes this so interesting is that Malta becomes part of the EU in May 2004. The casinos that are just signing up now have five year contracts from the government of Malta. So this means that next Spring the European Union will be licensing and have licensed online casinos. So far only territories and principalities within Europe are licensing casinos (Alderney, Isle of Man, Gibraltar, Andorra). I believe the incorporation of Malta into the European Union will be a milestone in regulatory standards.
Funny thing, I met a guy who used to work at the rogued Virtual casino group. He said he has never seen a more miserable group of people in his entire life. He went on to say that the head honcho was a "real screamer", that he would abuse his employees with name-calling screaming at the top of his lungs. Interestingly enough, I've been contacted by a number of ex-Virtual employees who have stated the same thing. And I've met "the screamer" a couple of times. And his General Manager is usually around - but I didn't see hide or hair of either one of these guys this year. What a shame.
That evening I had the pleasure of dining with the folks from Club World Casino - people who I know well, and who are running one of the best casinos out there period. We dined at Comerç 24 - which was an experience in itself. It was like eating art - eating combinations of food that before then, I didn't believe were possible. I had a tapas dish of fish, some crushed ice, topped with strawberry sorbet. Truly bizarre, but it was really good. I would recommend this place to anyone who is adventurous, and who has a lot of time. Dinner can last hours - and this one did.
Later, most of us ended up at the River City Group's networking event at the Opium Cinema - Restaurant & Lounge Club. . It is a huge place, an old cinema converted into a club, and there were plenty of new faces there, and many old.
I finally ran into the RTG guys, and I was glad I did. There seems to be a number of RTG casinos that are pretty much doing whatever they want however they want to do it. I promised their bossman to forward any serious complaints that I receive, he also introduced me to the person who is heading the third party operation that will be resolving these complaints. Yes, it's a slow process - it's taken over a year to get things in motion. But that's just the way it is. At least there is a means of communication, and I still am looking forward to when they get it together and give players what they deserve - a safe playing field.
I was also told that there were a total of seven players who were pending payouts from the recently rogued Atlantic Lounge casino. Two of these players were sent their funds - these should be in route. The other five are pending.
The operator of this casino had given his CSRs instructions not to make any payments without his okay...and then he had some personal crisis to deal with, nothing as dramatic as lying dead in some ditch in South Africa (like his support center implied). I have no idea why the customer support center would say something like that.
Day three coming up...
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Day Three - EIG |
Gyrating go-go girls...
Day three was rather non-eventful. The closing session was good with Mitch Garber, the CEO of party Gaming, making some rather interesting comments - he's confident about the future. He feels that the developments in the States are paving the way for a legal solution within the next five years. More about his discussion here.
As the conference came to a close, it seemed to only be starting. CAP Euro was scheduled to begin the next day, and many people were staying over for that, including me.
My final observations of the conference was that the industry has evolved from a hearty party throw yer money around (pre 2006), to a bleak "slash your wrists" expect the worst (post UIGEA), to a more serious and dedicated group. I remember thinking how corporate this industry had become a couple of years back. It's even more so now.
Voice from the past - EIG 2005
Party Poker's CEO Richard Segal gave the keynote address, and he discussed the topic of going public. Pits and pratfalls that others may need to be aware of - he stated that early life as a public company was more exciting than expected. He went further to talk about the downside of public listing, and one thing is the transparency. Competitors will know information you may not want them to know, it will give them an edge they didn't have beforehand. Also, public scrutiny is not always a welcome thing. He then showed some examples of how the UK press had goofed on him with a full page photo layout depicting him with a cowboy hat and munching on a fat stogie while playing poker. Ha ha, I chuckled to myself - thinking of the some of the colorful people I know who are going public and what they might have to put up with.
Richard Segal went on further talking about marketing and the importance of affiliate marketing. 30% of Party Poker's players come through affiliates and he stressed their importance. There has been a bit of paranoia in the affiliate world. With mainstream media opening their advertising venues to online casinos, sportsbooks, and online poker rooms - many affiliates feel threatened as they would be turned into a cyber dinosaur. At the moment, affiliate marketing is still a crucial form of marketing.
That evening I had pork chops at a quaint restaurant by the harbour; by this time I had enough tapas. The wine flowed freely, and the company was most enjoyable (more RTG people). 7 Portes was the venue, and I highly recommend getting there as soon as they open. We were lucky to get a table, and I don't believe they take reservations.
We paid the bill and migrated to Joker Bar - CAPs opening event. The place was packed and the DJs were quite good. For anyone who has never been in Barcelona's port, there is a string of nightclubs all with outrageously expensive drinks. It's anywhere from 6 - 9 Euros for a bottle of ordinary beer. Compared to most civilized places where it is anywhere from 2 - 4 Euros for a half liter. Ridiculous prices, but this one was on CanAffco CAP's sponsor for the Joker Bar party.
I ran into a number of acquaintances and good friends. It was a great party and kudos to the two go-go dancers who were really motivated by the vibe. They put on a lively show.
As soon as the bar tab ran out, and the 8 Euro beers commenced, I took this as a sign to call it a night.
CAP Day one right ahead...scroll on down...
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CAP Day One |
Tila is a short chick...
One thing about Barcelona cab divers, they are relatively pretty good. But for the most part, they need to bone up on where new hotels are located. CAP Euro was being held at The Hesperia Tower Hotel which I guess is relatively new. I handed the cab driver a slip of paper - hotel name and address - and he couldn't find it. In fact, after about twenty minutes he got to the point where he waved his arms in the air "Nada más!" or something like that. Okay, I get it - end of the line. I wandered a bit and then flagged down another cab who found the place, no problem.
It was a well attended event, and it was good to meet up with webmasters and to see what they are up to. Simmo! and I had lunch together, and we talked about webmaster stuff (not about you my dear ${token2}), and it was a very relaxing day.
Some things that the conference brought forth:
Japanese Casinomeister members can look forward to Casinomeister being launched in Japanese in the near future. Casinomeister Japan will be fully translated (minus the forum) and will list only those accredited casinos that are fully localized in Japanese. Hang tight for that.
Intercasino is running some hilarious TV commercials in the UK starring midgets.
Some new Casinomeister casinos should be coming on board soon - stay tuned for those as well.
Had a nice dinner with Calvin Arye from Bodog fame at the Quo Vadis on Las Rambles. Again great food, and we had some good laughs. He is adamant that Bodog's recent legal battle over its domain names will be over soon, in their favor. It was interesting to hear from the "dog's" mouth what went down and how the company responded to the snatching of bodog.com domains.
From there, I headed to the Guru club - Club World Casino's and Rushmore Casino's joint sponsored event - a marvelous evening. I was even introduced to Tila Tequila Nguyen - model and figurehead for Tila Casino . She was much shorter than I expected. She had her entourage of "Tila" girls with her. It seemed like they didn't know what to think of the party going on...
I met up with the operators of Rushmore casino - they are on the radar screen for coming on board. One of the guys showed me a fresh wound on his neck. Apparently some Spaniard didn't like jews and tried to slash his neck. That wasn't very nice.
Lots of cool people at the party. I even met another Californian who is living in Austria. It was a splendid event - except the go-go dancers looked bored. They just weren't feeling the vibe.
Made my way back safely my hotel - hookers were coming out from every nook and cranny in the streets. It was actually a bit frightening. I almost wanted to give them money just to leave me alone...
Voice from the past - EIG 2005
"Breathe" was the name of the band, and they were doing covers of your typical indie rock and a few stray others. Brits I believe, and they had the crowd dancing on the tables. It reminded me of a German Bierfest, except these guys played much better than any German band I've seen.
And people were dancing the freedom dance. Even a few suits were getting into it. A girl I'll name "Miss Boobs" for decency sake was doing her thang in front of the stage, gettin' all wild, grabbing at guys (not me, thank you), pulling off their shirts and tweaking their nipples. And these guys were falling for it.
The band took a quick break and announced that women who would flash their boobs at the bar would get a free drink of Champagne. I thought it was a joke until I checked out the bar's website the next day (you are reading this in HTML, aren't you? for shame if you ain't - you need to check out the online version NOW!) where they post the pictures of the winners of the free drinks. Check it out for any industry people you might know <grin>. I think I spotted one.
The following day came early, and it was time to check out and head home. Before leaving, I had to stop by the Hesperia Towers to pick up my "stuff": a supply of Cheerios, Grapenuts, Tabasco Sauce and other homegrown items brought over from the Homeland by Greedygirl and sweet Rebecca from Casino City - thanks a million!
And here I am reflecting on "what a strange trip it's been." There are a lot of good people in this industry, and it pleases me to see them doing a job well done. Even though there is still a lot of room for improvement, I feel that most everyone is on the right track. It also amazes me how often I meet people who are just getting into the business. I hand them my card, and give them instructions on what to read on this site, and what to look for. Hopefully, they'll become members of Casinomeisterland.
A final note: I made a comment in the last newsletter about what I thought was "stupid". I had included "Bible Thumpers" which caused this reader to respond:
I have been a subscriber to Casinomeister for a few years, & have never written to you before, even when you put down President Bush ( who I do support), but this last email really was over the top when you included Bible thumpers in your" What is stupid "list.
As a Born Again Christian, that really offended me. I just don't get Liberals. They are always supporting everyone's rights, except Christians.
I think you owe us Christians an apology.
Okay, I apologize. But I wasn't throwing all Christians into the "Bible thumping" pit. When I mentioned "Bible thumpers", I meant those who use religion as a way of threatening and manipulating those who aren't of the same faith. It's a form of extremism which I am not particularly fond of. The same goes for any religious extremism that condemns all those who are different. For the born again Christians, I didn't mean you. You are good people, and I don't think that is "stupid".
By the way, to set the record straight, I am not a "liberal" - I am a webmaster.
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Complaints? Kudos? Please let me know.
Peace
Bryan Bailey
Webmeister
Casinomeister
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