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2010 Newsletter

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

29 October 2010

Casinomeister’s Halloween Special – THREE TALES OF TERROR.
Beast of BetUS
Malta – Island of Doom
Rival – Land of the Lost

all this and more…
NEVER BE LEFT OUT IN THE COLD!! Subscribe to our videos here!! You’ll be automatically emailed whenever a video is uploaded!! I guarantee that these videos will make you a smarter, better person.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-gRLnF73W0

ROGUE ANNOUNCEMENT

Rival White Label casinos have found themselves back in the Not Recommended section of Casinomeister’s Rogue Pit. Read why here.ThisisVegas Casino has been tossed into the pit – but in the coveted Rogue Section. Read why here./rogue/not_recommended/rival_casinos.php /rogue/thisisvegas.php

Baptism By Fire

The following casinos have thrown themselves into the Baptism by Fire section. Do they have what it takes to be a Casinomeister Accredited Casino? You decide!Totesports has thrown itself into the Baptism by Firesection!Claim a 100% bonus on your first deposit at totesport casino! (up to £100)Check out their 50% Monthly BonusUpon making your first deposit or transfer to gaming chips you will become an ‘Emerald Club Member’ and be entitled to a 50% Monthly Bonus (up to £50 per month).This bonus will be added to your account immediately upon making your first deposit each and every month!You can also start to accumulate Comp Points as a reward for your play; every �10 you stake will earn you 1 point and every 100 points earned can be converted to £1 in cash.Terms and conditions apply – please read them.No US – Sorry Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located here/cgi-bin/adcycle/adclick.cgi?gid=5&cid=249&mid=967&id=732Finally – a relatively new WAGERLOGIC powered casino!! Let’s welcome 1Casino into the Baptism by Firesection!Play the CASINOMEISTER SLOTS!!EXCLUSIVE PROMOTIONS150% Match on �20 Deposit – Bonus Code CMEISTERClick here to download this offer!!Terms and conditions apply – please read them.No US – Sorry Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located here/cgi-bin/adcycle/adclick.cgi?gid=5&cid=248&mid=964&id=863

And Now For The Humor…..

There was a man who had worked all his life, had saved all of his money, and was a real miser when it came to his money.Just before he died, he said to his wife…’When I die, I want you to take all my money and put it in the casket with me. I want to take my money to the afterlife with me.’And so he got his wife to promise him, with all of her heart, that when he died, she would put all of the money into the casket with him.Well, he died He was stretched out in the casket, his wi fe was sitting there – dressed in black, and her friend was sitting next to her. When they finished the ceremony, and just! before the undertakers got ready to close the casket, the wife said,‘Wait just a moment!’She had a small metal box with her; she came over with the box and put it in the casket. Then the undertakers locked the casket down and they rolled it away. So her friend said,‘Girl, I know you were not foolish enough to put all that money in there with your husband.’The loyal wife replied, ‘Listen, I’m ! a Christian; I cannot go back on my word. I promised him that I was going to put that money into the casket with him.’You mean to tell me you put that money in the casket with him!?!?!?’‘I sure did,’ said the wife. ‘I got it all together, put it into my account, and wrote him a check…. If he can cash it, then he can spend it.’Complaints? Kudos? Please let me know.

5 October 2010

At one time, I thought that Malta – a full-fledged member of the EU – was the answer to the dreams of troubled players; a solid infrastructure based on an island that had representatives at each and every gaming conference who seemed clearly interested in serving player needs. Well, I must have been the one dreaming. Since they have been spooning out their licenses, they have been nothing less of a nightmare when it comes to responding to player issues.There is a player who claims he is owed �168,000 from Casino Club’s progressive jackpot. The casino has denied his winnings stating that he won fraudulently, that he has multiple accounts, and he has used bots. The issue was finally submitted to the LGA, and according to the player he hasn’t heard anything from them. The player contacted the casino to which they responded “Due to a legal loophole they are not obliged to pay out winnings, the matter is resolved…”.A legal loophole? The LGA has a legal loophole that allows casinos not to pay out winnings? If this is true, then a “license” from Malta is worthless. I’ve sent an email to the Maltese licensing authorities hoping for an explanation.The thing is – the licensor should be the one who decides what a licensee can or can’t do. Drivers’ licenses, fishing and hunting licenses – these are licenses given to people who meet a certain standard or pass a test, and it’s the licensor who declares what is allowed and what is forbidden – explicitly. The same should be expected of an gaming licensor – and they should be answering not only to their clients, but especially to the players (who keep their clients in business).In my opinion, players are owed several explanations from this licensing jurisdiction: why is having more than one account fraudulent and detrimental to the casino? What is the damage caused by bot play and why casinos prohibit its use? Explicitly – why did this player have his funds confiscated, and why should we trust anything that is published by an LGA spokesperson?If the LGA can formulate some reasonable answers to these questions – that would be a step in the right direction. As for now, the LGA is just another worthless licensing jurisdiction on the same level as one from Belize or Venezuela, where casinos are allowed to do as they please.The ball’s in your court LGA, please get it together.More on this here./forums/online-casinos/30072-q-casino-club-real-player-concerning-confiscations-winnings-14.html#post386054

NEWEST VIDEO AT YOUTUBE

Casinomeister’s Webcast – 4 October 2010.My buddy Ted LohA short tribute to one of my closest friends…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__TgRISFT5A

BAPTISM BY FIRE

The following casino has thrown itself into the Baptism by Fire section. Does it have what it takes to be a Casinomeister Accredited Casino? You decide!Finally – a relatively new WAGERLOGIC powered casino!! Let’s welcome 1Casino into the Baptism by Firesection!Play the CASINOMEISTER SLOTS!!EXCLUSIVE PROMOTIONS150% Match on �20 Deposit – Bonus Code CMEISTERClick here to download this offer!!Terms and conditions apply – please read them.No US – Sorry Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located here/cgi-bin/adcycle/adclick.cgi?gid=5&cid=248&mid=964&id=863

And Now For The Humor…..

A mangy looking guy goes into a bar and orders a drink.The bartender says: “No way. I don’t think you can pay for it.”The guy says, “You’re right. I don’t have any money, but if I show you something you haven’t seen before, will you give me a drink?”The bartender says, “Only if what you show me doesn’t offend the other customers.”“Deal!” says the guy and reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a hamster. He puts the hamster on the bar and it runs to the piano, jumps on the key board and starts playing Gershwin songs. And the hamster is really good.The bartender says, “You’re right. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”The guy downs the drink and asks the bartender for another.“Money or another miracle else no drink”, says the bartender.The guy reaches into his coat again and pulls out a frog. He puts the frog on the bar, and the frog starts to sing. He has a marvelous voice and great pitch. A fine singer. A stranger from the other end of the bar runs over to the guy and offers him $300 for the frog. The guy says “It’s a deal.” He takes the three hundred and gives the stranger the frog. The stranger runs out of the bar.The bartender says to the guy “Are you some kind of nut? You sold a singing frog for $300? It must have been worth millions. You must be crazy.”“Not really”, says the guy. “The hamster is also a ventriloquist.”ha ha ha!

28 September 2010

This was supposed to be an entertaining – cheery sort of newsletter – with stupid jokes and all. In fact, I began it last Tuesday on the train from my hometown to Münich for the Oktoberfest. It was to be a two-parter; the first part – train to the beerfest; second part – the painful trip back.I made the trip there, met up with some friends and people from Betway, and had a great night partying – practicing for the Oktoberfest (which was to commence the following day). But early Wednesday morning, my phone rang me out of bed. It was Greedygirl – and she had some dreadful news. Ted Loh – some of you knew him as Spearmaster, had died. I was gutted – I really didn’t expect this at all.Ted’s circle of friends knew he was diagnosed with liver cancer last January. He kept us updated on his progress, and he was optimistic that things were going okay. He didn’t really let on how bad it was; he was determined to beat it – and if anyone was going to beat it, it was Ted.Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. We lost Ted last Tuesday night. To make matters worse, he has a family. Two teenage daughters and a young boy. His wife, who does not speak much English, is shattered. Ted had no health insurance and his medical bills have sucked up his family’s savings.Ted Loh was a pioneer in the online gaming industry. He was in it early and was extremely influential in many ways. He was a mentor of Casinomeister in the early days, and over the years we became dear friends. I hope you can take a few minutes and read the tribute page that I’ve created at Casinomeister. Reading this, I hope you’ll understand the great void Ted has left. He will remain forever in our hearts and minds.Ted Loh – in Memoriam /ted_loh.php

13 September 2010

MYSTERY CASINO BONUS CODE EXPIRING!!

This is the second announcement of the Mystery Casino – which is no mystery anymore – High Noon Casino was launched nearly two weeks ago. I just wanted to remind you that the exclusive Casinomeister Bonus code will expire September 15th (Wednesday), so if you haven’t signed up yet, DON’T DELAY!!Open a REAL ACCOUNThere and use the code MYSTERYMEISTER and you will receive The Casinomeister offer: 220% up to $2200 + a $60 Free Chip!!Bonus terms and conditions apply – please read them.If you have any problems or questions please contact Martyn here.

31 August 2010

MYSTERY CASINO IS REVEALED!!

High Noon Casino The newest edition of the award winning Club World Casino group.And this is your notification that the casino has been launched!! Since you opted in to this promotion, you are eligible to receive your extra bonus ONLY AVAILABLE VIA THESE LINKS!! You’ll get your bonus hereOpen a REAL ACCOUNT and use the code MYSTERYMEISTER and you will receive The Casinomeister offer: 220% up to $2200 + a $60 Free Chip!!THE BONUS CODE WILL EXPIRE IN 14 DAYS FROM THIS ANNOUNCEMENT – SO DON’T DELAY!! (expires September 15th 2010)Bonus terms and conditions apply – please read them.If you have any problems or questions please contact Martyn here.9 August 2010

9 August 2010

Last week was pretty busy, so busy in fact that the newsletter got pushed back a couple of days – thus a newsletter for your Monday reading pleasure. So while I have your attention, let me indulge you with a few thoughts of mine.One thing about our forum – it’s a bona fide diverse community; there is no definition of a typical member. There are the advantage players, the bonus beaters, affiliates, operators, novice players, slot freaks, poker addicts, rogue advocates, losers, winners, just about anyone whose common interest is gaming.Unfortunately gaming can take its toll. In fact for some people it’s a demon of sorts. For the past several years, we’ve had a policy in our forum that anyone who wanted to quit the forum for gambling related reasons was given an opt out. We’d ban the person’s account never to let him back in. Sure, a lot of the information is still there for reading, but the person was unable to interact with the board, and we considered this person an ex-member.The thing is, many of these people are having issues and need the interaction of their gaming peers. This past week we modified our policies that deal with members who have gaming issues and created a new user group “Quit Gambling” which allows members to retain their membership yet participate in non-gambling sections. I feel this serves the gaming community in a more positive way especially it doesn’t alienate our members with a “banned” account.If you feel that you’d benefit from being a member of the non-Gamblers user group, please check the Group Memberships section of your User CP.

Please help the Leonard Family Allan Leonard tragically passed away last week. Allan was a popular affiliate who was a member of the webmaster community for many years. He was loved by many and will be missed by all.To add to this terrible event, his wife is wheelchair bound and desperately needs a lung transplant. We are asking you to please spare some cash for the Allan & Patty Leonard fund via this Paypal account. It would be a really cool thing to do to help this family out.Thanks!/forums/profile.php?do=editusergroupshttp://www.chipin.com/contribute/id/fa59a41e3b674eeb

Newest Video At YouTube

Stammtisch with the Meister – 6 August 2010.Quit Gambling (or just cut down a bit)Please help the Leonard familyAll this here.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kL87cHerAo

Mystery Casino

Baptism By Fire

The following casino has thrown itself into the Baptism by Fire section. Does it have what it takes to be a Casinomeister Accredited Casino? You decide!Let’s welcome legendary SEGA Games casino counterpart SEGA Casino into the Baptism by Firesection!CURRENT PROMOTIONS:Welcome bonus!With your First Deposit you are eligible to get the incredible 200% Welcome bonus!You’ll earn a 200% Bonus up to ?/?1,010 for CASINO GAMES or 200% Bonus up to ?/?410 for POKER GAMES in just one deposit and you’ll be eligible for a monthly 100% Bonus up to ?/?100 for 10 months!Terms and conditions apply

Persons located in certain countries including, but not limited to the United States of America, Israel, Japan, Philippines, Bulgaria, China, Hong Kong, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Portugal and Turkey are neither eligible to open an account with the Company, make any deposits nor use the Services. Sorry

Check them out now here!!Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located here/cgi-bin/adcycle/adclick.cgi?gid=5&cid=246&mid=959&id=13

And Now For The Humor…..

A blonde heard that baths in milk would make her beautiful. She left a note for her milkman to leave 25 gallons of milk. When the milkman read the note, he felt there must be a mistake. He thought she probably meant 2.5 gallons. So he knocked on the door to clarify the point. The blonde came to the door and the milkman said, “I found your note asking me to leave 25 gallons of milk. Did you mean 2.5 gallons?”The blonde said, “No, I want 25 gallons. I’m going to fill my bathtub up with milk and take a milk bath so I can look young and beautiful again.”The milkman asked, “Do you want it pasteurized?”The blonde said, “No, just up to my boobs. I can splash it on my eyes.”ha ha ha!

30 July 2010

Yes, summer vacation has finally kicked off in Bavaria. Kids are out of school – which means that I’ll be sleeping in everyday until sometime in late September. That’s a good thing. Early wake-ups (any time before 7am) me no like. Especially when I’m up until midnight most nights watching Soprano DVDs, or just messing around on the Internet.But so much for that rambling – lots going on. A few changes in the Accredited Casino section. Some of you may be aware that Casino Titan has been sold to another casino group being run by Regalbar Ltd.; the marketing arm is Affactive.com. The casinos: WinPalace (RTG), Mayflower Casino (Topgame and Stupidest Named Casino of 2009, Slots Fever, have been getting beat up a bit in the fora – which recently seems par for the course for US friendly casinos. But one rumor that has been floating around is that this casino group is connected to GoldVIP casino, recipient of the Evil Marketing award 2009 and 2008. Ted_Regalbar, the casino rep in our forum, has denied any connection – which is great, but really – only time will tell. There are enough savvy players and affiliates who know what’s up and what’s not. I just hope that the casino rep is correct when he states “Let me start by saying we are not related to any other casino…” you can read the rest hereNeedless to say, the procurement of Casino Titan negated its Accredited Status. They were listed in the Accredited Casino section since around February – and had done pretty good. This was one of the few casinos listed on the site where numerous players requested that I consider them for the spot. Well, it’s back to square one. I hope all goes well for Casino Titan.

Lock Casino found themselves in the Not Recommended section due to more delayed payments. In order to protect unsuspecting players, we have to consider this casino not recommendable until this cloud passes. This was an excellent casino, unfortunately they have been hammered by financial stress. Such is life with US facing operations. We hope a quick recovery for everyone’s sake./forums/online-casinos/39134-winpalace-secretly-related-goldvip.html /rogue/not_recommended/lock_casino.php

WORD FROM THE FORUM

Busy week!Like every week – it’s been busy. Here are a few threads that either been quite lively, or are just plain interesting. Feel free to jump in at any time:Casino Standards: Can we do more to raise standards and do we really care? This is a provocative discussion on raising the bar on Accredited Standards – and/or categorizing the list. We’d like your input! Check it out here.Bonus ban lifted at all Bonne Chance Rivals – anyone else? Oh really? Who is still bonus banned and who isn’t? Are you? Check it out here.H.R. 2267: Internet Gambling Reg., Consumer Protect., and Enforcement Act Passes: Yep, it passed the Committee vote! Good going! Read about it here.Not a member yet? What are you waiting for? Join us here!https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/login/

CASINOMEISTER’S BIERFEST IS IN FULL EFFECT!!!

What could be better than winning some bonus from some online casino? BEER I tells ya!!This week’s contest: Identify the film and the scene from the following: Click here to download the MP3 file. Tell us what is happening. Post your answer here.The first person to get it right wins BEER delivered to your doorstep (must be legal drinking age and not live in a beer unfriendly environment) – or $50 – your choice.Get ready…get set…go!/forums/bierfest/39305-bierfest-30-july-win-50-beer.html

MYSTERY CASINO

Soon to be announced!If you sign up via Casinomeister now, you will be eligible for an additional 20% on top of the initial new player bonus.This is how it works:Sign up now and when the casino goes live, you will be notified via email. The players who respond to the email and open a REAL ACCOUNT via Casinomeister links will receive 20% on top of the initial bonus!!The basic offer is 200% up to $2000 + a $60 Free ChipThe Casinomeister offer is 220% up to $2200 + a $60 Free Chip!!What are you waiting for? This special bonus WILL NOT be offered to those who sign up AFTER the casino goes live!! Terms and conditions apply.SIGN UP HERE!!/mystery_casino.phpAnd now for the humor……During class, a teacher was trying to teach good manners.The teacher asks the students: “Michael, if you were on a date, having supper with a nice young lady, how would you tell her that you have to go to the bathroom?”“Just a minute, I have to go piss.”“That would be rude and impolite!!! What about you John, how would you say it?”“I am sorry, but I really need to go to the bathroom, I’ll be right back.”“That’s better, but it’s still not very nice to say the word bathroom at the table. And you Peter, are you able to use your intelligence for once and show us your good manners?”“I would say: Darling, may I please be excused for a moment, I have to shake hands with a very dear friend of mine, whom I hope you’ll get to meet after supper.”ha ha ha!

AMERICANS WANT LEGALISED ONLINE POKER

PPA chairman reminds US lawmakers that millions of players have made their wishes knownWriting in an op-ed article in the Washington DC publication Politico this week, the chairman of the Poker Players Alliance, former Senator Alphonse D’Amato reminded US lawmakers that large numbers of American poker fans have repeatedly demanded that internet poker be legalised and regulated.D’Amato points out that in addition to ongoing demands, there have been two highly publicised internet petitions in which players have made their views known.Under the liberty and freedom section of the new GOP website America Speaking Out, more Americans voted to legalise Internet poker than weighed in on any other issue, D’Amato notes, adding that in an earlier initiative when then president-elect Barack Obama solicited ideas on his new website, www.change.gov, legalising Internet poker was one of the two top issues (see previous InfoPowa report).“It would be easy to dismiss this as a coincidence or as a manufactured grass-roots campaign, but there is more to this story,” D’Amato writes. “There are plenty of issues that face the American people and plenty of big trade groups to push those issues.“But it takes real passion to get people to take valuable time out of their day to log on to these websites, give up a portion of their privacy and cast their vote for an issue. So it is extraordinary that making Internet poker legal consistently ranks as a top issue for the American people.”The former Senator goes on to comment that it is fashionable these days for politicians to ask for voters input about what they want from their government, but he asks: “When will it become fashionable for these politicians to actually listen to the voters?”He describes the current position, where the government has tried to prohibit online poker by deputising U.S. banks to play the morality police [via the UIGEA] as “bizarre.”“Proponents of the law say that it helps deter kids from playing poker in their bedrooms. But there is little evidence to suggest that this law has deterred kids from playing poker,” D’Amato opines. “In fact, playing Internet poker is still easy to do for just about everybody. Instead of playing in a more regulated industry, the law has created an environment where there is no federal oversight because there are no U.S. companies to regulate.“By refusing to regulate this industry, the federal government has also decided to refuse to tax it. That means that billions of dollars in potential tax revenue go uncollected. This is just about the only industry I know of that has basically begged to be taxed only to be ignored by politicians who refuse to listen to the desires of the American people,” he adds.D’Amato describes the latest [HR2267] federal attempt to legalise online poker, describing the initiative in supportive terms.“These are positive signs that somebody, somewhere, in Congress is starting to listen to the desires of the American people,” he writes.“The freedom to play poker is not one of the rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights. But when the Founding Fathers conceived of a new nation, they never dreamed that someday Congress would dream up a law to ban that particular freedom especially when such a ban was so clearly against the wishes of the American people.“What the Founders did envision was a government that would necessarily listen to the wishes and demands of those who sent them to Washington in the first place.“The American people are saying loudly and clearly: ‘Repeal this silly law.’ The question today is: Are the politicians listening?”Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowaMore news here.23 July 2010The forum experienced some down-time over the past couple of days due to a major malfunction of some nodules in the Apache server which was recently updated. Well, it’s now up and running and everything seems to be good to go. Unfortunately, a few issues slipped into the background while we diddled away, trying to figure out what was wrong.So to get back up to speed, here are a few of the hot threads that you (and me) ought to catch up on.LOCK (casino) redeemed themselves: Oh really? Well perhaps, but payments are still coming out slowly. Check it out here.How to calculate the EV of a sequence of bonuses: Hey math heads! Prove your math wizardry and debate the EV of bonus play – plus much more. Check it out here.Is Winpalace secretly related to GoldVip?: See an i-Gaming rep deny this and post a chat session of a player having a melt-down. Are they related? Does it matter? Find out here.All Bonuses Gone: A story of woe from a player who can’t get no mo’ bonuses from Rival. Read his tale here.

Forum Policy Updates and Announcements:Bannings and Spankings: Casinomeister Forum’s policy on account suspension and banishments. Read about it here.NEW! Webmasters and Affiliates: If you are a webmaster and are or wish to be a member of our forum, please read about our forum policies here./forums/faq.php?faq=policy#faq_web

MYSTERY CASINO

And Now For The Humor…..

Oldie but goodie…One day a guy dies and finds himself in hell. As he is wallowing in despair he has his first meeting with the devil.Devil: Why so glum, chum?Guy: What do you think? I’m in hell.Devil: Hell’s not so bad. We actually have a lot of fun down here. You a drinkin’ man?Guy: Sure, I love to drink.Devil: Well you’re gonna love Mondays then. On Mondays That’s all we do is drink. Whiskey, tequila, Guinness, wine coolers, diet Tab, and Fresca. We drink till we throw up and then we drink some more.Guy: Gee, that sounds great.Devil: You a smoker?Guy: You better believe it.Devil: Alright! You’re gonna love Tuesdays. We get the finest cigars from all over the world and smoke our lungs out. If you get cancer, no biggie – you’re already dead, remember?Guy: Wow. That’s awesome.Devil: I bet you like to gamble.Guy: Why yes, as a matter of fact I do.Devil: Cause Wednesday you can gamble all you want. Craps, Blackjack, Roulette, Poker, Slots, whatever. If you go bankrupt, well, you’re dead anyhow.Devil: You into drugs?Guy: Are you kidding? I love drugs. You don’t mean….Devil: That’s right Thursday is drug day. Help yourself to a great big bowl of crack or smack. Smoke a doobie the size of a submarine. You can do all the drugs you want and if ya overdose – that’s alright – you’re dead, who cares? O.D.!!Guy: Yowza!! I never realized Hell was such a swingin’ place.Devil: You gay?Guy: No….Devil: Ooooh (grimaces), You’re gonna hate Fridays . .ha ha ha!

ROYAL JOKER ONLINE CASINO CLOSING

Players have a choice between All Slots and IntertopsA Microgaming-powered online gambling operation in the the Jackpot Factory Group, Royal Joker Casino.com has informed its players that effective July 21st 2010 its services will no longer be available.The management has given players a choice of transferring to either All Slots Casino in the same parent group, or Intertops, an online casino firm that was once powered by Microgaming and launched Royal Joker in February 2009. It is understood that when Intertops left the Microgaming fold, Royal Joker was taken over by Jackpot Factory.Both choices offer special incentive ‘transfer offers’, details of which are available on the Royal Joker website.Licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission and operated by a company branded Beresford Ltd, Royal Joker boasts that it is accredited by the independent player protection and standards body eCOGRA.Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowaMore news here.

2 July 2010

Why are the Rival white label casinos in the Not Recommended section…and Lock Casino is not?Recently, my announcement of Rival Casinos (white labels) being placed in the Not Recommended section of the rogue pit has drawn criticism from the affiliate community. I’ve been accused of having double standards when it comes to determining what casino property deserves to be placed in that section. Let me explain a little bit on how the determination is made.Lock Casino – as you can read in this thread – had a crisis with a payment processor that vanished with their funds. As they have explained several times, this is being addressed and they are slowly but surely paying their players as reported here and here. During this period, they have been removed from the accredited list where they remain in limbo until this situation is eradicated. Lest we forget, this casino is in full operation with dedicated staff doing whatever they can to get back to normal.All casinos that are US facing have these risks. And if I remember correctly, I have stated numerous times in the past that if US based players expect a playing field that is error free, then they ought to find something else to do until the US gets its act together. US players may experience slow payouts from time to time – this should be expected and anticipated. As a US based player, these are the risks you take.Is this (Lock Casino issue) fodder for the NR list? No. Is it a reason to be removed from the “Accredited Section”? Unfortunately, yes.Rival Casino white labels: Rival has at least 35 Rival powered casinos. All but four of these casinos are white labels (Slot ‘o Cash, Box24, BetUS, and Black Diamond Casino are not white labels and should not be included with the rest). With white labels, the software provider provides the software, the ecash processing, and the player support. The casino owner/operator provides the funding and the marketing. So in other words, if you have the funds and the marketing know-how to promote a casino, you’re in business. Unfortunately it takes more than knowing how to market a casino to run a casino – but that’s another story. The problem with Rival is that the white label operators are operating in the red, and they’re dropping like flies as discussed here.iGaming Pro, First Gaming Partner, 23 Partners, and Royal Apollo affiliate programs have all gone out of business, and I am predicting that there are more closures on the horizon. Let’s see what happens in the next week or two.These closures are not stemming from operator level issues; they are generated by the way Rival is set up. There is a domino effect and we haven’t seen or heard the last of it.Is this criteria for the not recommended list? Yes, I feel that players and affiliates should avoid these casinos – and they are listed here.So comparing the recent Lock Casino issue with what is happening at Rival is like comparing an apple with a suitcase: you can carry it in one hand, and that is about how far it goes.https://www.casinomeister.com/rogue/not_recommended/rival_casinos.php

WORD CUP FEVER!

Check out our World Cup Promotion section which lists some of the active World Cup promos being offered by our Accredited Casinos. Check it out here.https://www.casinomeister.com/world_cup_promotions.phpNEW FORUM!! World Cup Talk: Here you can blab about the happenings at the World Cup!!Check it out!/forums/world-cup-talk/

And now for the humor……

Ellen and her husband Bob went for counseling after 25 years of marriage.When asked what the problem was, Ellen went into a passionate, painful tirade listing every problem they had ever had in the 25 years they had been married.She went on and on and on: neglect, lack of intimacy, emptiness, loneliness, feeling unloved and unlovable, an entire laundry list of unmet needs she had endured over the course of their marriage.Finally, after allowing this to go on for a sufficient length of time, the therapist got up, walked around the desk and after asking Ellen to stand, embraced her, unbuttoned her blouse and bra, put his hands on her breasts and massaged them thoroughly, while kissing her passionately as her husband Bob watched with a raised eyebrow!Ellen shut up, buttoned up her blouse, and quietly sat down while basking in the glow of being highly aroused.The therapist turned to Bob and said, ‘This is what your wife needs at least three times a week.. Can you do this?Bob thought for a moment and replied, ‘Well, I can drop her off here on Mondays and Fridays, but on Wednesday, I play golf.ha ha ha!

21 June 2010

It’s the summer solstice – and what’s more fitting than to kick off this year’s Bierfest!! Yes, we are celebrating being online for twelve solid years – and you have a chance of winning ten liters of delicious Bavarian beer (or $50 – your choice). All you have to do is be the first to answer the Bierfest question.This week’s question is…well, you have to watch this week’s webcast since I ask it there <grin>. The first person to post the answer here wins!! It’s as simple as that!! So come on! Join the party!!Casinomeister’s Webcast – 21 June 2010.Bierfest begins!!Two casino groups get the boot!All this and more! here.NEVER BE LEFT OUT IN THE COLD!! Subscribe to our videos here!! You’ll be automatically emailed whenever a video is uploaded!! I guarantee that these videos will make you a smarter, better person.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYfpwXJEHJ0

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Now For The Humor

A woman walked into the kitchen to find her husband stalking around with a fly swatter.“What are you doing?” She asked.“Hunting Flies.” He responded.“Oh! Are you killing any?” She asked.“Yep, 3 males, 2 females,” he replied.Intrigued, she asked ….. “How can you tell them apart?”He responded, “3 were on a beer can, 2 were on the phone.”ha ha ha!

15 July 2010

Since our last newsletter, the “rogue pit” has been somewhat active. The first bit of activity was removing the list of Rival white labels from our “not recommended” section. These casinos were listed there because I do not recommend players or affiliates to patronize casinos that are having payment issues. I was contacted by Rival’s CEO who assured me that all players and affiliates would be paid if any casino went defunct. Well, that’s a good thing – so I removed the list of white labels from the Not Recommended section. Now it’s a wait ‘n see situation.Yesterday, Rival powered OrangeGamez Casino was “pitified” (tossed into the rogue pit) – you can read about this here. Two players – non US players by the way – have been getting jerked around for $11k worth of winnings. So – wham! they’re in the pit; rogued for being a no-pay, no-response casino.Rival’s CEO has been in contact with me and has stated that Bonne Chance will take over the auditing responsibilities for this casino. We’re awaiting word from these players on their payment status.

More Rogues: Top Gaming powered Aztecasino, Casinostates, and Rich Casino were “pitified” this week for claiming to be licensed in Gibraltar, when in fact they are not. The Gibraltar Regulatory Authority has had a warning on their site for over a month indicating that Aztecasino is making this false claim here. Once busted out in our forum, two of the casinos removed the licensing claim from their pages. Good thing for Google cache – the screenshots were made showing the offending pages and posted here.The Top Game representative thought I was being unfair to these casinos since it was probably an honest mistake – he blamed it on the copy editor. Sorry, I don’t buy this. What operator doesn’t have his legal team thoroughly check the entire site with a fine toothed comb ensuring that all of their information is 110% correct? These bogus claims have been there for months. Operators that try to pull stunts like this ought to be drummed out of the business. It’s pathetic, and it’s another example of a stupid stunt pulled by a Top Game powered casino. More stupidity here./rogue/orangegamez.php /rogue/aztecasino.php /rogue/blunders/topgame.php

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And Now For The Humor…..

A pair of American siamese twins walk into their local bar and order two drinks.The barman asks if they have booked a summer holiday yet.One of them replies, “Sure thing, we’re going to the UK like we do every year.”The barman replies, “Why the UK? Why don’t you go somewhere else besides the UK?”To which the twin replies, “We can’t do that. It’s the only time my brother gets to drive.”ha ha ha!

BRITISH COLUMBIA EXPANDS ONLINE GAMBLING OFFERING

Minister to announce 75 new online casino games ThursdayThe Canadian provincial government for British Columbia will announce a significant expansion of its online offering this week, regulating and legalising online casino games in a first for North America, the Vancouver Sun reports.The newspaper says that Minister of Housing and Social Development Rich Coleman, who oversees the B.C. Lottery Corp., is expected this morning to announce 75 new online games for the corporation?s website, Playnow.com.The games will be broken into separate categories, including bingo, lottery, sports betting and casino games. The casino-style games are expected to include blackjack, roulette and poker, among others.The B.C. Lottery Corp.?s website was taken down Wednesday, and a message on the site said both BCLC.com and PlayNow.com would relaunch as of noon North West Canadian time Thursday.The online expansion follows a move by the B.C. Lottery Corp. last August to dramatically increase the weekly limit for players on Playnow.com, bringing the cap to $9,999 a week, up from the previous limit of $120 a week.At the time of that increase, the corporation raised the possibility of casino-style games going online, adding they may be designed so players could access them not only from computers, but also from portable devices, such as an iPhone, BlackBerry or iPad.The corporation has previously said only registered members whose ages and addresses have been verified will be able to open an online account.One of the benefits of expanding online gambling cited by government is to provide a provincially regulated alternative to private websites.The new PlayNow.com website is expected to include visible links to support programs for people who may be seeking help with a gambling addiction or related problem. There will also be safeguards in place to ensure proper online security and reminders about responsible gambling.According to the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch, gambling in B.C. generated revenues of about Cdn$2.52 billion dollars in 2009-10. After expenses, including prize payouts and other costs, government revenues from gambling for that year were about Cdn$1.07 billion.The announcement also comes on the heels of news that the B.C. Lottery Corp. is working with other Canadian provinces to create what could become a nationwide online gambling network (see previous InfoPowa reports).In May this year, a gambling consultant working with Atlantic Lottery said that organisation and Loto-Quebec would be launching a common online platform this fall, and that he expected other provinces to follow suit within about 18 months.Loto Qu?bec has since confirmed it is partnering with GTechG2 and Openbet in opening up online gambling operations later this year.Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowaMore news here.

21 May 2010

GIGSE 2010 – MontrealSaturday – Arrival:Old haunts…In the beginning, there was the GIGSE. These were annual gatherings that evolved over the years that focused on i-Gaming and were traditionally held in either Montreal or Toronto. From 2002 to 2007, I covered these conferences in this newsletter – but to consider these merely conferences and exhibitions would do them an injustice. The surrounding parties and conference events bordered on the surreal. It was i-gaming decadence at its finest – which says a lot considering the money spent on some of the functions. But nevertheless, times are different now. It’s a more serious – down to basics. The t-dyed t-shirts and tennis shoes have been replaced by suits and black leather loafers. The surrealism has been relaced by…well, i-gaming is always surreal isn’t it?My entrance to Montreal was uneventful. In previous years, I was always harassed by the passport control since there was another B. Bailey on the loose – wanted for a DUI – but he spelled his name with an “i” – mine is with a “y”. They must have caught the guy since I was able to breeze on through this time.I had a couple extra days to kill due to my travel arrangements, so it was time to catch some films. Saw Gunless, it was okay. Saw Ironman2 which was pretty good, but I topped it off with the new Polanski film Ghost Writer which was actually quite enjoyable…if you like political thrillers. Most of it takes place on the coast of Massachusetts – and when the credits were rolling, I noticed a lot of German names and companies. And then it dawned on me – Polanski doesn’t travel to the States, so he couldn’t have been in Massachusetts. It was filmed in Sylt – the Northern-most German island in the North Sea. Well, how about that?Leaving the theater, I reminisced on GIGSE’s past. Walking down Rue St. Catherine, it was easy to remember some of the restaurants and clubs I had patronized in the days of yore – the old days of online gaming.It’s different now, thinking as I plodded by the winos and other comfy looking street people. Montreal hasn’t changed, but this industry has.I was to be moderating a discussion panel the following day – my audience would be the attendees of course, but the make up of this audience has changed. I was expecting a crowd that is new to the online gaming scene, and thus my discussion questions were geared towards them. I still had time to think of some as I drifted off to my hotel. It was late, and tomorrow was fast approaching.Voice from the past – GIGSE 2003 And I guess I should mention at this point that Montreal is a French speaking city. It’s the second largest city (Paris is the first) where French is the primary language. I don’t speak more than a few words of French, my French sucks. And what I found out is that most of the cab drivers don’t speak English, or not much of it anyway. I also found out that most of the cab drivers don’t know the city, they rely on your instructions on where to go most of the time. The cab driver that drove us back to the hotel was embarrassingly lost. He even stopped at a gas station to ask for instructions.Tuesday GIGSE – pre-conference workshop:Affiliate marketing for land based casinos…Knowing that the delegates had land based interests, I imagined that there would be only a handful of people interested, but I was wrong. The room was full – around seventy persons sat there – note pads in hand – head and eyes forward towards the podium. A show of hands indicated that about a third were directly connected to land based casinos. My panel discussion, “Online Marketing and the Role of Affiliates and Portal Operators” was better attended than I expected.The panel: Nicky Senyard – founder and CEO of Ecomaccess, Vin Narayanan – senior editor of Casino City, Jason “Wolf” Rosenburg founder of Global Gaming Events were the scheduled panelists. We had an additional panel “crasher” by the name Jason, who was an affiliate – and as it turned out, the only affiliate in the room. And for the first time in my collective memory, this was the first panel discussion about affiliate marketing that had not a single affiliate manager in the room.The Role of the Affiliate: affiliates and their portals are the virtual handshake between players and casino – they introduce the players to the casino operation, bearing this in mind I posed “What do affiliates or portal operators have to offer land based casino operators?”Looking at my notes – this is what came from our discussion: For the most part, affiliates and portal operators host communities. They specialize in communities or niche markets, or both. Like a journalist – portals act as a distribution channel and since most affiliates are players, they speak the language of the player. They can build brand presence. Land based casinos generally do not have these niche markets, unless of course they have targeted their player base (which I doubt) – and they do not have direct contact with global communities. Webmasters specialize in this.My question: What challenges do you see for land based operators coming on line? We discussed what we have here are uncharted waters – the land based casinos really need to focus on creating a playing experience providing players what they want. Going further – land based casinos cannot just rely on a brand to carry them along. There are online casino brands that are well established and could probably easily “smoke” the land based casinos when and if they come on line. Look at Amazon.com, eBay, and Expedia. They are branded and well positioned – they are light years ahead of the off-line competitors (Barnes and Nobles, Christie’s, etc.). We can also look back and recall how MGM Grand came on line years ago (with the US based WagerWorks) and did a cyber faceplant. Realizing that their brand is not as powerful as they envision will be a major challenge for the land based casinos to overcome.We also discussed what they may be overlooking when it comes to affiliate marketing. Non-US affiliates will probably be apprehensive on dealing with marketing for American firms since they will be obliged to file US taxes. I’m thinking that most affiliates are overlooking this matter. Joe Blow affiliate in Yankmeshire UK will be required to submit tax forms to the IRS. I’m sure that’ll go over like a lead balloon on this side of the pond. These earnings will be reported to Uncle Sam.Affiliates may be also be overlooking the fact that the land based casinos will probably turn to their already established big media partners and just throw a ton of money at them to get things going. Regardless of what may or may not happen, these will be interesting times.I want to publicly thank my panel members for relaying their advice and experiences to the GIGSE audience. The feedback I got was excellent. And hell, I learned a lot as well too. Thanks!Voice from the past – GIGSE 2005 Highlight of the day was Debbee Silverman’s panel discussion on “Bonus Programs”. Debbee, aka “Greedygirl” on most message boards, moderated a very informative discussion on the double-edged topic. Brad Romano from Bodog.com, Amrit Bhatta representing Slickstreet marketing, Brian Cullingsworth – InfoPowa News, Adsdotcom’s Peter Marcus, and Marty Jensen from Main Street Group were a great mix; operators, marketers, and a consumer/player advocate. There was a bit of debate on how bonuses are used, and a consensus that bonuses are here to stay. Most casinos operators don’t like being forced to market their casinos with bonuses, but as long as one casino does it, they all need to do it to remain competitive. It’s a neccessary evil of the business. As for the criticisms that many casinos come under-fire for confusing bonus terms, Adsdotcom’s Peter Marcus (Intercasino properties and VIPcasino) stated, “If you can’t explain it [the bonus terms] in three lines, don’t do it.” Casino operators should heed this worthy advice.That evening, I had a very pleasant dinner at Gibbys with Bodog Becky and Troy from Bodog. It’s a great steak-house in case you’re into that sort of thing. I had the lamb chops.casinomeister.com/cgi-bin/adcycle1.15/adclick.cgi?gid=5&cid=217&mid=844&id=577(opens in a new tab)FOUR casinos in the Baptism by Fire section!!Stargames – powered by Greentube! Up to €100 sign up bonus!

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Rich Reels Casino up to $1000 welcome bonus!More info here!Wednesday GIGSE Day One:Land based casinos…they be a comin’…It was a captive audience. At previous GIGSEs, there were usually several tracks going on at a time (speakers discussing differing topics in separate rooms), this GIGSE had one conference room which was focused on one speaker. There was nowhere else to go. The exhibition area had only five booths, no free bars, no masseuses, no bikini girls wandering the exhibition hall inviting you to some sponsored party. It was standing room only – and it was a rather large room. The audience seemed to be attentive, and he topics were fresh and insightful. I think the mood was definitely more up-beat. In 2007, the delegates seemed more zombiefied ready to slit their wrists.There is no speculation on whether or not land based casinos are targeting the Internet as their next platform – it’s going to happen. The question is “when?”. The list of speakers that day alone was impressive, Frank Catania, State Senator Roderic Wright from California, Joe Brennan Jr, Chairman iMEGA, Leslie Lohse, Chairwoman California Tribal Business Alliance, Mitch Garber, amongst many others. The topics seem to revolve around California, New Jersey, and Florida, and what the UIGEA means today.Notes on Frank Catania – President of Catania Gaming Consultants He gave an excellent presentation on eCOGRA, which I felt directed the audience’s attention to the fact that the gaming industry’s primary concern should be the player. He discussed eCOGRA’s role and mentioned the eGAP (eCOGRA’s Generally Accepted Practices) which I feel sets the standard when it comes to running an online gaming entity. You should read this.Notes on Mitch Garber – CEO of Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment The future of gaming will run through the Internet one way or another. Coming online will be a challenge…5 year plan – one form or another, the US will be online. Harrahs will be ready for it. And its vision is to help sheppard in regulation.Lunch…the food was okay. But the company was much better. I had the opportunity to meet Kevin Roberts from Gambling Therapy – an organization that assists problem and compulsive gamblers from around the globe. Gambling therapy is available in most languages and they even have a forum here where you can share your experiences on trying to quit gambling or curtailing the compulsive urge. It’s open for family members as well.Voice from the past – GIGSE 2007 The keynote speaker, internationally renowned scholar and online gambling expert Professor I. Nelson Rose took the podium, and gave a very insightful presentation…he covered the general attitudes concerning gambling. A couple of hundred years ago, gambling was considered (by most) a sin, it was totally outlawed and if you were a compulsive gambler, you were going to hell. Attitudes changed and then it was considered a vice. As a vice, gambling could be set up in deserts, on islands, or riverboats surrounded by holy water. If you were a compulsive gambler, it was your own damn fault. Then the general attitude changed – gambling is now a form of entertainment, and the entertainment factor is what is promoted. Now, if you are a compulsive gambler, it’s treated like a disease, and you don’t fault someone for being ill. These attitudes have produced the laws that US citizens must deal with. It was really a very interesting presentation.One thing he touched on at the end, was that he predicted in two years, California will legalize online poker. It would be limited to licensed card clubs and Indian casinos located in California, and taxed at 25%. I emailed him later about this (there wasn’t much time for Q&A afterwards) and he said that the poker clubs have wanted this for years. “Now it seems clear under federal law that Internet gambling is legal, so long as it is legal under state law and kept 100% in-state.” The UIGEA does allow “intrastate” betting. The biggest problem will be working out the details on how this will come about.That evening was chill time – eating burgers in the VIP lounge of the Intercontinental Hotel with Sue Schneider, Steve Lipscomb, Keith Furlong, and a number of others watching the Montreal Canadiens beat the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Montrealans…Montrealers, whatever, went totally ballistic when they won. They were even showered with tear gas in the streets when they began to riot. Glad I chilled out with my burger and fries. Thanks go to Joe Brennan (chairman of iMEGA) our host.

Thursday Day Two:What’s it going to be? CA, NJ, FL?…Breakfast was free in my hotel, but it consisted merely of a toasted bagel and a few other offerings: yogurt, cereal, jams and fruit. I needed something more solid, something to sustain me for a few hours, so I strolled around outside until I found a small diner on Rue Magill. It looks like a hole in the wall – but I tell ya, it was probably the best breakfast I had during the entire trip. For only $7 Canadian: two eggs to order, sausage, potatoes, beans, toast, coffee – and a friendly waitress. What a deal.Reading Bill Bryson’s “Shakespeare” – a fascinating look into 16th/17th century England and what we can assume was the Bard’s life kept me company during my lonesome meals. A nice mental break from the online gaming scene.Back to the conference: to cut to the chase, there are three US states with online gaming on the legislative agenda.California: looks like we may see something in about two years. Poker will be offered to California residents – residing in California. There are some issues at the moment with the Indian Casinos, but it looks like this will be resolved in the next year or so.Florida: this is virtually in the same situation as California. Poker is the offering, and there are issues with some of the Indian casinos but it looks as these are resolved. Florida HB 1441 died last month, but even so, the Florida delegates were resolute that the resubmission of this bill would be passed this upcoming fall. Online poker for Florida residents only.The best saved for last: New Jersey. The delegates from New Jersey are confident that Bill S490 will be passed by the end of the year. The only opposition has been Harrah’s but it’s the Atlantic City casinos that want to see this passed. If this bill passes, all casino games that Atlantic City can offer in their casinos will be offered online. And instead of limiting this to the AC casinos, any company – whether it’s a US based company or not – will be able to offer their casino to NJ residents. They just need to have their servers located in NJ state – simple as that. The company has to go through New Jersey’s accreditation process – but like I said, it’s open for anyone. The only drawback for some players is that hands will be capped at $5.Lunchtime – well it was downstairs this time at some Chinese Noodle bar, and joining me was John Pappas from the Poker Players Alliance. We discussed poker and how people perceive poker as a game of chance (gambling) as opposed to a game of skill. My observation is that people who don’t play or understand the game (my mother-in-law, parents of my kids friends, etc.) think it’s a game of chance. And it’s not – it is a skill game, and a damn good one. I learned it as a kid, like many people, and there are numerous skills involved e.g. observational, mathematics, analyzing opponents, etc. If you are not familiar with the PPA – please check out the PPA’s website and especially John’s most recent video where he discusses the latest development of the UIGEA. Good stuff. And thanks for the noodles, John!At the close of the conference, I felt encouraged that we are seeing some healthy dialogue and that there are positive changes looming on the horizon. It’s only a matter of time. Thanks to the Clarion Gaming Group for a well organized conference. The speakers were top notch – no infomercials – and I’m really glad to see the GIGSE back on the conference calendar

7 May 2010

GIGSE is coming up…The Global i-Gaming Summit and Expo is right around the corner – actually it’s next week and I fly tomorrow. This is the first time in quite a while that the GIGSE is happening – and it’s about time. Major gaming entities in North America, specifically in the US, are prepping themselves for regulated online gaming. The GIGSE in Montreal is the focal point for meeting the right people and gathering information. California state senators, California Department of Justice representatives, Indian and Vegas gaming reps, lawyers, troublemakers, and people like me will be wandering around the conference grounds from the 11th to the 13th.The plan for the exhibition hall looks rather sparse, but the list of speakers and topics looks pretty interesting. While I’m meandering about, I’ll hopefully be able to gather up some interesting information to share with you here. So stay tuned to this newsletter – the GIGSE special report should be coming soon after my return home.

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And Now For A Little Humor……

A Polish man moved to the USA and married an American girl.Although his English was far from perfect, they got along very well.One day he rushed into a lawyer’s office and asked him if he could arrange a divorce for him.The lawyer said that getting a divorce would depend on the circumstances, and asked him the following questions:Have you any grounds?Yes, an acre and half and nice little home.No, I mean what is the foundation of this case?It made of concrete.I don’t think you understand.Does either of you have a real grudge?No, we have carport, and not need one.I mean what are your relations like?All my relations still in Poland .Is there any infidelity in your marriage?We have hi-fidelity stereo and good DVD player.Does your wife beat you up?No, I always up before her.Why do you want this divorce?She going to kill me.What makes you think that?I got proof.What kind of proof?She going to poison me.She buys a bottle at drugstore and put on shelf in bathroom.I can read, and it say:~~~Polish Remover~~~ha ha ha!

23 April 2010

CAC 2010 – Amsterdam

No train this time…I love Amsterdam. It’s one of the few European cities that can truly be deemed “multi-cultural”. Parts of Africa, America, Asia, India, and the rest of Europe peek from around every corner. Several hundred years of being a port o’ call, and a city of artists and visionaries have worn well on Amsterdam.And every year, it’s a pilgrimage for me. The Casino Affiliate Convention has been held there every Spring since 2003. I’ve been attending every year since 2004.This year was predicted to be a bit quieter than the previous years. Not all that many people were planning to show up, but a number of my webmaster buddies were planing to be there – and of course, I wouldn’t miss the CAC Amsterdam. It’s traditionally been the most informative affiliate/webmaster conference in Europe.I arrived Wednesday afternoon. It was sunny, but a bit brisk. I checked into my hotel, and had my obligatory dose of decadent KFC. I was prepared for several days of “who knows what?”I mosied down to the conference locale, the Krasnapolsky Hotel. Normally by this time, a day before the conference, the hotel lobby would be populated by affiliates and affiliate managers. This day…I didn’t spot a soul until Bonustreak came meandering up, telling me that Greedygirl was on her way. We hung out the Euro bar, which was empty as well and reminisced on CACs past.Here was the deal. Normally there were scheduled a number of parties and social events. This time…nothin’. Not that I’m complaining, it’s just that there is something occuring at these gatherings worth writing home about – or to you, my dear reader. Tonight we were on our own – which was cool.Webzcas finally found us – he had been totally lost in Amsterdam. On foot, without a map, his guidance system limited to his cell-phone. He found himself in sight of some Windmills. Yep, he was way off course, and he wasn’t even drinking yet.Everyone had dinner plans except for Webzcas and I, and I knew of an excellent Thai place – which was hidden somewhere in Amsterdam’s Chinatown. I had been there twice…but it had been a while. We wandered up and around a few dodgy looking spots; you know you’re on the right track if you see naked chickens and ducks hanging in the storefront windows. We found it – The Bird – and there was a line – and this was Wednesday night! Anyway – highly recommended. You can get some great chow there.Later that night, we mosied back down to the Euro-Bar – which turned out to be the “Moon-base Alpha” meeting point for the entire week. At least by this time there were a few more people hanging out. Staying until it closed, we found our way down the street where a couple of pool tables were calling our names. The evening turned into a blur as only a night in Amsterdam is able to do.Voice from the past – CAC 2006That first evening was fantastic. I was invited to the Comedy Club Boom Chicago thanks to Partnerlogic. The place was packed, but it was a very nice dinner and improv. Improvisational comedy always blows me away. And even though we were in Amsterdam, the comedy team was American – great choice! From there we headed to some packed bar that was the main opening drinking party for the CAC. The place was wall-to-wall affiliates, affiliate managers, and other weirdos. Waiting in line for drinks sucked, but it was good seeing many old friends and acquaintances again. But as soon as the Tequila shots came out, I knew it was time to catch a cab back to my hotel room. That was a smart thing to do.Monday – Day One:It was by far the smallest event. The showroom floor had maybe 12-15 booths, and there were only a score of people making their rounds. To be fair, it was lunch time, and it was being served upstairs – so at that moment, it was my calling. They even had smoothies.After chow, I sat in one of GarythescubaGuy‘s SEO talks. It was really quite informative – the discussion dealt with the development and selling of domains. What to do with them when you purchase them, how to get some decent content, and then getting them established enough to sell at a good price. These are the presentations that webmasters really need, and it made up for the lack of attendees and sponsors. In fact, Gary has some videos at YouTube that you (if you’re a webmaster) might find useful here.I gave a presentation that afternoon as well, “Gaining and Maintaining Player Trust.” Starting with transparency and what players are looking for information-wise on a website. How to deal with promotions, how to deal with advantage players, and how to handle “making mistakes.” There were around ten people present – which was good since nearly everyone there had something to say. It’s more intimate and can be just as productive as a larger gathering. I’ve given presentations to 200+ people with only a handful of follow up questions or comments. Smaller groups tend to be not so intimidating for the audience to pose questions.And the smallness of the CAC was pretty much a topic on people’s lips. No blowout parties or boat cruises – no crowded venues where you have to wait in line for a drink. No sponsored boat cruises where you’re trapped amongst the masses. And in fact, it wasn’t so bad after all.When these events are super crowded, there is no place to sit if you want to chat with someone. There are just too many people to meet up with – and that’s the objective, right? To have effective and productive discussions with one another. I’m happy to say that is was productive for me. For several years I’ve been wanting to bring Villento and Rich Reels Casino on board. We just haven’t had a chance to get it together. We were finally able to sit down and get things going. This is one of the few Microgaming casinos that a number of players have requested to be “Accredited”. And that’s a good thing – they have a good rep with players already. Both casinos are in the Baptism by Fire section – so check them out.We spent the remainder of the afternoon chillin’ in the Euro Bar, and waiting for my wife who was flying in. She wanted to drive, but I said “No, it’s too much of a hassle. Plus you have to park someplace and that’s a rip-off.” She finally showed up after checking in, and we hung out for a while.That evening was spent with my good friends eating Curry at the Balti House – one of the best Curry Houses I’ve been to. It’s a tradition – thanks to Simmo! who found this several years ago, and invites us back every year. What a treat! Thanks bud!

BAPTISM BY FIRE

Pending Accredited Casinos: before a casino earns its full Accreditation, it enters the “Baptism by Fire” section. They remain there for 60 days as newbies – and it’s during this time that members are encouraged to discuss their experiences in our forum, and after two months and all is well, these casinos become fully “Accredited”.THREE NEW CASINOS RECENTLY ADDED – CHECK ‘EM OUT!!VILLENTO CASINO Baptism by FireLet’s welcome Villento Casino into the Baptism by Fire section.CURRENT PROMOTIONS:Check out their $1000 WELCOME BONUS. Receive up to $150 bonus on your first purchase, plus THREE exciting offers including a Terrific Tuesday Special.Check them out now here!!Sorry – No US/cgi-bin/adcycle/adclick.cgi?gid=5&cid=242&mid=936&id=74RICH REELS CASINO Baptism by FireLet’s welcome Rich Reels Casino into the Baptism by Fire section.CURRENT PROMOTIONS:Besides their $1000 WELCOME BONUS, they have a slots promo for this weekend only:Play Monsters Meteors between Thursday 22nd April 2010 and Sunday 25th April 2010, and stand a chance to claim your share of the phenomenal 1,000 USD/EUR April Fools? prize pool! .Check them out now here!!Sorry – No US/cgi-bin/adcycle/adclick.cgi?gid=5&cid=241&mid=935&id=164

CAC PART II

No perverts here…Friday was the second and final day of the conference. People were talking about the airports being shut down. I figured, well they should be opened back up by Sunday, the day we were panning to head back, so there wasn’t much to worry about.There seemed to be a few more people hanging around – I can understand from an operators perspective, it probably sucked. But for me, I found it rather refreshing not being cornered by some agressive aff manager every ten minutes of so. I was free to walk around feeling at ease.That afternoon was quite relaxing, and I was looking forward to the Beer Session – a panel discussion that concludes each CAC with free beer. There were 10 panelists which seemed a bit much. I was one of them. And when I was sitting there looking around, I came to realize I was the only webmaster up there. Normally it comprises or four so webmasters with an affiliate manager or two for good measure. That’s enough – and we talk about webmaster issues.But this discussion seemed to revolve around selling commodities online, and about some changes in European gaming law. I’d rather watch paint peel off of a fence then listen to this. I really didn’t have much to say – and it lasted about 90 minutes. But there was beer.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, we had a fantastic dinner hosted by Club World at the Pasta e Basta – an Italian restaurant mixing pasta and singing waiters and waitresses. This excellent combination was topped off by the company – about twelve of us hanging out together. Most of us have known each other for years.We talked about how we just might be getting stuck in Amsterdam. The airports were closed and it didn’t seem as though they’d be opened back up soon.Oi vey – why didn’t I take the train like I’ve taken every single year.And it was “red light” night. After dinner it was the obligatory stroll through the red light district. Business seems to be doing quite well there now. In fact, there were some sections I hadn’t seen before. One of our accredited affiliate managers (who will go unnamed for now), was searching for a wedding gift for a “friend”. He was searching for a “Fleshlight”. It’s this tubular object that a man inserts his member into and pleasures himself.We entered a “gift’ shop that had all sorts of contraptions and equipment. Actually some of the merchandise looked rather interesting, but we were on a quest – no time to dilly dally around. They had “pecker mugs” and suckers to hand out to your employees in the office, but no “Fleshlight”. So we mosied on over to a “gay” gift shop – and voila, the “Fleshlight” was there – for about €90. Wow – quite a gift. What a friend. I bet these newlyweds will appreciate this. Perhaps in a couple of weeks I’ll have a follow up story on how well the Fleshlight was received.Some of the photographic evidence can be found here.Saturday – Day three:Well, I figured it was a good time to check out getting a train ticket. We asked the Hotel concierge about train tickets, he looked up online and said there really shouldn’t be a prob. Just go across the street and purchase a couple.So we went outside and there was Webzcas and Alex Pratt moaning how they had just waited in line at the train station to get a “number” – and this number would allow you to the ticket counter to buy an International ticket. The wait was about three to four hours. “Eh?” I thought. Don’t they have ticketing machines like any train station does in Europe?We went across the street to the train station, stood in line for five minutes to get our number, and it turned out that we could actually get in another line and purchase a train ticket to the Frankfurt Airport (where our car was parked). Great! That took about ten minutes. The problem was that the ticket had no guaranteed seats. The snooty counter clerk stated if we wanted seats, we’d have to get a number and wait in line with everyone else – three to four hours.What nonsense, but what were we supposed to do? So we went out for coffee and shopping while the hours whiled away. By the time a few hours had passed, we headed back over. By this time the line was insane. It was at least 100 meters long winding through the station, three to four people thick, with luggage, strollers, squawking children, and disgruntled faces.We still had to wait about an hour, but we finally got our tickets for a train the next day. What a pain in the ass.Several times my wife turned towards me, narrowed her eyes at me and said, “I need to tell you again…I said I wanted to drive, and you said ‘oh no, it’s too much of a hassle. We’d have to park.’”Hell hath no fury than a woman who knows she’s right.We spent what we had left of the day in the Van Gogh museum – and a very nice dinner with friends at the Buddah Bar. That was a nice surprise.Sunday – Day four:We made it back home actually in about the same time as if we had flown. The Frankfurt airport was eerie – like one of the “end of the world” films. It was empty except for a few clusters of people making the best of a bad situation; some sleeping, some being interviewed by the German camera crews.Reflecting back – it was a good trip. I know there are a number of people who aren’t home yet. But it could have been worse. The conference could have been in Manila.Voice from the past – CAC 2005The 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.

13 April 2010

Movin’ on…Lots happening at the moment, and I still need to pack for my trip to Amsterdam – the annual Casino Affiliate Convention which is held every year there. I’m really looking forward to meeting up with a lot of my webmaster buddies, and of course meeting with casino reps good and bad.I want to invite anyone who is interested to sit in on my session at 3:30 om Thursday entitled “Gaining and Maintaining Player Trust.” It’s geared toward both affiliates and operators – be there or be square. If you’re square, I’ll put together a YouTube presentation on it when I get back.

Microgaming List of Casinos, status at Casinomeister, and points of contact has finally been uploaded here. Who’s on the rogue list and who is not. Am I missing anyone? If so, please post in our forum here./microgaming.php/forums/forum-suggestions-announcements-feedback/37320-list-mgs-microgaming-casinos-2.html

NEW VIDEO AT YOUTUBE

Casinomeister’s Webcast – 13 April 2010.Casino Affiliate Convention AmsterdamThe Role of Casino AffiliatesCasino Warnings – WagerUnit, Bethedealer, Grand Prive (again)All this and more! here.https://www.youtube.com/user/casinomeister?feature=mhw5

And Now For The Humor…

A tourist wanders into a back-alley antique shop somewhere in Washington DC. Picking through the objects on display he discovers a detailed, life-sized bronze sculpture of a rat. The sculpture is so interesting and unique that he picks it up and asks the shop owner what it costs. “Twelve dollars for the rat, sir,” says the shop owner, “and a thousand dollars more for the story behind it.” “You can keep the story, old man,” he replies, “but I’ll take the rat.”The transaction complete, the tourist leaves the store with the bronze rat under his arm. As he crosses the street in front of the store,two live rats emerge from a sewer drain and fall into step behind him. Nervously looking over his shoulder, he begins to walk faster, but every time he passes another sewer drain, more rats come out and follow him. By the time he’s walked two blocks, at least a hundred rats are at his heels, and people begin to point and shout. He walks even faster, and soon breaks into a trot as multitudes of rats swarm from sewers, basements, vacant lots, and abandoned cars.Rats by the thousands are at his heels, and as he sees the waterfront at the bottom of the hill, he panics and starts to run full tilt. No matter how fast he runs, the rats keep up, squealing hideously, now not just thousands but millions, so that by the time he comes rushing up to the water’s edge a trail of rats twelve city blocks long is behind him.Making a mighty leap, he jumps up onto a light post, grasping it with one arm while he hurls the bronze rat into the Potomac Tidal Basin with the other, as far as he can heave it. Pulling his legs up and clinging to the light post, he watches in amazement as the seething tide of rats surges over the breakwater into the Basin, where they drown.Shaken and mumbling, he makes his way back to the antique shop.”So, you’ve come back for the rest of the story,” says the owner. “No,” says the tourist, “I was wondering if you have a bronze congressman. “ha ha ha!

1 April, 2010

CASINOMEISTER’S PRESS RELEASE:

1 April 2010For immediate releaseCASINOMEISTER PURCHASED BY CALIFORNIA GAMBLING CONTROL COMMISSIONAfter several months of private negotiations, Bryan Bailey, the operator of the renowned online casino information portal, has agreed to sell Casinomeister to the California Gambling Control Commission for an undisclosed amount. “This has been a difficult decision to make, but I feel that it was a logical move since the US is gearing up for a major move into the market after the UIGEA takes effect. Selling the site to my home state made sense. The Gambling Commission has agreed to carry on with the Meister Mission, and it makes me proud to be a Native Californian.”The California Gambling Control Commission is the regulatory body that governs the Californian Indian Casinos and beginning 30 April 2010, Casinomeister.com will be handed over to the Tribal Leaders of the Kumeyaay Indians. Jerry Lightfoot, Tribal Leader and fellow San Diegan stated, “There will be a few changes after the hand over, especially the Accredited Casino Section. These casinos will need to be licensed by the State of California, but I’m sure we can cut a deal to ensure there is a smooth transition.” Lightfoot is adamant that it will be business as usual for the rest of the Casinomeister services. He continued, “The only change I foresee is that we don’t hire robots – so the robot known as Vortran has got to go.”Max Drayman, Casinomeister casino complaints manager, is happy with the upcoming transition: “The Commission has offered to relocate my office to the Salton Sea in Southern California – I’ve heard it’s a lot like Lake Tahoe and I can’t wait.” The members of the forum and Casinomeister newsletter will also be catered to by the Commission with new and improved California-centric promotions. “Spot the Fake Ad” will be replaced by “Spot the Walmart Shopper” and the annual “Bierfest” will be replaced by “Wine Cooler Party”. There will also be free trips to Viejas Casino awarded to winners of the California Mellow-speak contest which will held during the Autumnal equinox harvest.Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, overseer of the Gambling Commission, commented on the role of Casinomeister and that it would be filled by a candidate he has yet to select stating “Let me tell you this, it won’t be one of those girlie men.”

19 March 2010

Here we be…This past Sunday, the hosting company that hosted Casinomeister came under such a severe DDoS attack that it shut down their entire network of servers. The attack was directed solely at Casinomeister.com. Their chief engineer told me that in ten years of service, they had never seen an attack as severe as this. So needless to say, we packed our bags and did a cyber move to a more secure system.It’s still ongoing – the DDoS attack. We’re getting up to 1 gig per second of traffic, too bad these aren’t real players but bots. Anyway, we’re good to go. At the moment, Casinomeister is probably the most secure portal online, and we should be. Since we provide players, webmasters, and operators with vital information and services concerning this industry – we owe it to you to do whatever it takes to keep things going as normal as normal can be. Unfortunately, there will always be those who don’t want you to have access to this information; those who are threatened by the truth, or those who lack the intellect to debate an issue – they would rather resort to a criminal offense. This is not an attack on Casinomeister, but on the entire online gaming community.But here we are – it’s business as usual. Sure there will be a glitch or two over the next few days, but that is par for the course in cyber-land.

And Now For The Humor….

This guy goes into a doctor’s office. The doctor says, “Oh, Mr. Jones! We have the results of your test. Do you want the bad news first or the very bad news?”The guy shrugs and says, “Well I guess I’ll have the bad news first.”“Well the bad news is, you have 24 hours to live,” the doctor replies.The man is distraught, “24 hours to live? That’s horrible! What could be worse than that? What’s the VERY bad news?”The doctor folds his hands and sighs, “The very bad news is…I’ve been trying to contact you since yesterday.”ha ha ha

SURPRISE RULING IN KENTUCKY

Industry representatives found not to have standingThe appeal over an appeal by the state of Kentucky to the state Supreme Court has had an unexpected result – on the legal technicality of whether iMEGA and the IGC had standing to pursue the state after it tried to seize and confiscate 141 international Internet gambling domain names, the bench ruled that they did not.Most observers felt that the case would be a slam-dunk for the industry due to the powerful arguments put forward by iMEGA and IGC regarding the definition of “gambling device” and the question of the limits of Kentucky jurisdiction, but these factors appeared to take second place to the whole question of legal standing.Instead, the bench only briefly discussed these salient points before ruling: Although all such arguments may have merit, none can even be considered unless presented by a party with standing. No such party has appeared at the original proceedings in Franklin Circuit Court, the writ petition at the Court of Appeals, or on the appeal here to this Court.The full ruling can be read here: http://www.imega.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/2009-sc-000043-mr.pdfCommenting on the court’s finding, which overturned an earlier court of appeals ruling in favour of iMEGA and the IGC, Joe Brennan, chairman of iMEGA said: In the written decision, the Court clearly indicates they agree with our arguments and are inviting us to re-file so that the technicality of the standing issue can be resolved.“Its unfortunate, but I cant imagine that Kentuckys lawyers will celebrate a ruling that says, Bring us an owner so we can rule in your favor,Brennan said.The Supreme Court noted that the IGC and iMEGA lacked standing, because neither trade organisation had disclosed its membership details.In fact, nothing is known about their members, other than their attorneys’ vague assertions they represented some of the registrants, the learned judges found. Through their unwillingness to identify any of their members, iMEGA and IGC failed to meet this burden. As such, iMEGA and IGC lack standing and, therefore, their writ petition should have been denied.Five of the 141 domain names – PlayersOnly.com, Sportsbook.com, SportsInteraction.com, MySportsbook.com, and Linesmaker.com were represented by legal counsel in Kentucky. However, the state Supreme Court pointed out: Just as with real property, a domain name cannot own itself; it must be owned by a person or legally recognized entity. That, apparently, places at risk the writ of prohibition and once again could open domain owners to the possibility of seizure and confiscation.In this regard the Supreme Court returned the matter to the lower court of appeals where the prohibition issue may again be addressed.iMEGA notes that it now has 20 days to re-file with the Kentucky Court of Appeals and the case may immediately make its way back to the state Supreme Court. iMEGA has already asserted that it will “quickly file a motion to satisfy the Court. Brennan said that his organisation would probably only need to specify one of its members as a party at risk in order to meet the requirement for organisational standing.We can make a motion at the Court of Appeals to move the case back to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court indicated that theyd hear it. No further oral arguments or briefings would be required if standing is met.Chief Justice John Minton, Justice Lisabeth Hughes Abramson, Justice Wil Schroder, and Justice Daniel J. Venters all concurred with the ruling, while Chief Justice Will T. Scott concurred in result only.Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowaMore news here.

5 March 2010

What a week…Still busy as hell, and plenty of distractions – especially the Grand Privé issue which has sucked up an incredible amount of time I wish I had applied elsewhere. As the smoke clears from this episode, it’s appearing to be a storm in a tea cup. I really don’t think I need to rehash the entire episode, but the end remains the same – it doesn’t seem like the affiliates have been placated.Well at least a handful aren’t. After eCOGRA performed their audit, they determined that $63k should be distributed to the affiliates who filed claims. So far, there have been a handful of affiliates who have complained about the outcome – they weren’t satisfied with the amount owed I guess.The thing is, we’re talking about Grand Privé casinos. It’s not that big of a casino group. It’s also been in and out of our rogue section for the past several years. So for those webmasters not satisfied with the results of the final payment – maybe there just weren’t as many players left as you thought.It was reported that the larger GP affiliates had been taken care of – there have been questions about who these affiliate were, and why don’t they speak up. But perhaps they had to sign an agreement to remain silent about their specific deal. Sure this is speculating, but this should be taken into consideration.Unfortunately, quite a number of affiliates are grandstanding this issue with knee-jerk responses. Well, that’s their prerogative. Personally, I would advise to move on and get on with life. There isn’t much else to do with this issue.Besides the disgruntled affiliates, what has suffered in this case is public relations between the firms involved with this matter. In a number of instances, proper communication would have avoided a lot of grief. There have been WAY too many rumors and accusations floating around – and many of the complaints were based on these.

CASINOMEISTER PICKS!!!

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And Now For The Humor…..

Three natural blondes died and found themselves standing before St. Peter. He told them that before they could enter the Kingdom, they had to tell him what Easter was.The first blonde said, “Easter is a holiday where they have a big feast and we give thanks and eat turkey.” St. Peter said, “Noooooo,” and he banished her to hell. The second blonde said,”Easter is when we celebrate Jesus’ birth and exchange gifts.” St. Peter said, “Nooo,” and he banished her to hell. The third blonde said, she knew what Easter is, and St. Peter said, “So, tell me.”She said, “Easter is a Christian holiday that coincides with the Jewish festival of Passover. Jesus was having Passover feast with His disciples when he was betrayed by Judas, and the Romans arrested him. The Romans hung Him on the cross and eventually He died. Then they buried Him in a tomb behind a very large boulder…” St. Peter said, “Verrry good.”Then the blonde continued, “Now every year the Jews roll away the boulder and Jesus comes out. If he sees his shadow, we have 6 more weeks of basketball.”ha ha ha

MORE HYPOCRISY IN KENTUCKY

Now Beshear wants to tax Kentucky residents who gamble onlineThe US state that achieved international notoriety by attempting to seize international online gambling domains on protectionist and moral grounds – Kentucky – has just passed a law designed to tax….online gamblers!The new law, which enjoyed an easy passage through the Kentucky House on Friday, capitalises on federal legislative carve-outs that permit online wagering….as long as it is on horse racing, fantasy sports and state lotteries. The exception has seen America embarrassed internationally in the World Trade Organisation for its disciminatory treatment of other forms of online gambling.House Bill 368 now goes to the state Senate and was sponsored by a Democrat, Larry Clark, who is the House’s temporary Speaker. The bill proposes a tax of half a percentage point on ADW (advance deposit wagers) made by any resident in Kentucky using Internet or telephone services, and was approved in the House by a vote of 85 to 8.The current proposal is getting more support than a similar effort last year by Clark which proposed a 3.5 percent tax and was thrown out by the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee.If passed, it could ultimately impact online punters using sites such as Churchill Downs’ Twin Spires.com, although the proposal is that the tax would be extracted from account wagering companies as is done in Virginia and Illinois.It has been estimated that the new tax could raise some $400 000. However, the Legislative Research Commission is less sure, pointing out that the dearth of information on how much money Kentuckians bet through the Internet and telephone makes an accurate calculation impossible.The income from the tax will be distributed equally between the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, whichever Kentucky track is running at the time and to that track’s purses.Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowaMore news here.

26 February 2010

What a week…Yep, I’m paying hell for being gone last week – away with the family on our annual ski trip. This week has been nothing but busy. But what the hell? I enjoy hanging out in the forum, updating the site, and weeding through the emails – whoa what a stack.But whatever the case, no matter how busy I am, online gaming keeps treading on. Newbies are always popping up asking questions. We can never take newbie players for granted, by the way. They still need a lot of guidance from us oldtimers. Here is an email I received just today. It pertained to City Club Casino:…is this an accredited casino or have you had complaints about this one? Also how can I tell a good casino from a bad one. I am not sure how to use your forum properly and if it is the best way to receive this kind of information.Hoping to hear from you soon…Well, I’m glad this guy found Casinomeister before he ventured too far. To answer his question, I would have to say “No, the casino is not an accredited casino. It was at one time, but they lost track of being with the program. CCC did not want Casinomeister members as players saying that they were “bonus abusers”. It’s all documented right here.And if this player searches the forum for “City Club Casino” (or for any casino for that matter) many eye-opening threads appear.Knowledge is power.And then of course there are the non-forum sections – the static pages that contain a lot of our most invaluable information:Gambling Guide Tips on how to get started and what to look for in an online casino.Spot the Rogue Exactly that – what to look out for.Rogue Casinos The infamous pit…Meister’s Mission To get an idea where I’m coming from.Essential FAQ as the title implies, a must read.Best and Worst of Online Gaming Learn form others’ achievements and mistakes.Online Gambling Resources – exactly that: resources.These are sections that not only newbies should be reading up on, but you as well. Refreshing one’s memory on past rogue events, or boning up on your own research is not only vital for your success rate as a player, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun too. The Internet is a wondrous thing. Use it wisely.

NEW ACCREDITED CASINO STANDARD

There has been an alarming amount of casino support issues deriving from Rival’s Centralized Support. From this point in time, any Rival powered casino that wishes to be listed in Casinomeister’s accredited section must run its own in-house support.Unfortunately Vanguard and Slotspower casinos do not meet this requirement and had to be removed. I hope they are making plans to form their own service and support. As soon as this is implemented, then they will be reconsidered to come back on board./accredited-casinos/

ROGUE ANNOUNCEMENT

I’ve been doing a bit of work updating the “Rogue Pit” this week. You need to take a few minutes and browse through it since there are a number of new entries that just haven’t been announced. Some of the newer entries were brought over from the Warning Section of the forum. So there. Check it out.

NEW ACCREDITED CASINO FROM THE CLUB WORLD GROUP!!

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And Now For The Humor….

An oldie but a goodieA captain in the foreign legion was transferred to a desert outpost. On his orientation tour he noticed a very old, seedy looking camel tied out back of the enlisted men’s barracks. He asked the sergeant leading the tour, “What’s the camel for?” The sergeant replied, “Well sir, it’s a long way from anywhere, and the men have natural sexual urges, so when they do, we have the camel.” The captain said, “Well, if it’s good for morale, then I guess it’s all right with me.”After he had been at the fort for about 6 months, the captain could not stand it anymore, so he told his sergeant, “BRING IN THE CAMEL!!!” The Sarge shrugged his shoulders and led the camel into the captain’s quarters. The captain got a foot stool and proceeded to have vigorous sex with the camel. As he stepped, satisfied, down from the stool and was buttoning his pants he asked the sergeant, “Is that how the enlisted men do it?”The sergeant replied, “Well sir, they usually just use it to ride into town.”ha ha ha

ECOGRA PREVENTED FROM COMPLETING GRAND PRIVE AFFILIATE PROGRAM INVESTIGATION

Just when it appeared that a final resolution was in sight, it appears that affiliates are back to square oneThe running fight between online gambling affiliates and the Grand Prive group over alleged non-payment of commissions following the group’s affiliate program closure in December 2008 (see previous InfoPowa reports) is almost certain to enter a new and more volatile phase following developments this week.InfoPowa readers will recall that late last (2009) year the independent standards and player protection non-profit eCOGRA became involved in the dispute when it offered to deploy its experienced professional accountants in an impartial investigation into the defunct Grand Prive Affiliate Program as a gratis “service to the industry”.eCOGRA chief executive Andrew Beveridge said at the time that, subject to the full cooperation of Grand Prive management, the objective would be to once and for all carry out a full on-site investigation of the available data in order to arrive at a fair and reasonable resolution of the dispute between GP and its erstwhile affiliates.Grand Prive management subsequently gave its assurances of full cooperation, the investigation was widely communicated, and some 58 claims were submitted by affiliates.By early February eCOGRA had made public its report on the issue, detailing its methodology and findings, which included compensatory recommendations for some 26 claimants that included an “average life of player” adjustment.Almost immediately, Grand Prive began making the recommended payouts, but a growing clamour from affiliates indicated that there was widespread discontent and serious reservations regarding the accuracy of the payments.Valid questions were raised regarding the information made available to eCOGRA, and after dialogue with affiliates, Beveridge undertook to further investigate with Grand Prive to clarify the situation.This week, eCOGRA issued a brief statement indicating that its hands were now tied by a puzzling refusal to cooperate further by Grand Prive. The carefully worded eCOGRA statement was as follows:Quote:We have noted your concern raised as to the adequacy of the settlement amount recommended by the eCOGRA investigators.We would like to emphasise that our mandate from Grand Prive was to review all records provided by the company in respect of the Grand Prive Affiliate Program software and related database. We were not requested to review any other affiliate program system or information, nor were we made aware of any other system or pertinent information.We are confident that the settlement amounts have been correctly calculated based on our mandate and the affiliate and player data provided to us by Grand Prive at the time of the review. Regrettably we cannot legally perform any further investigation work into this matter unless mandated by Grand Prive management. Such a mandate has not to date been forthcoming.UnquoteWhilst the statement is open to speculation, there is a clear implication that eCOGRA is prepared to carry the investigation to a conclusion but has been prevented from doing so by Grand Prive refusing to cooperate further. Why GP would take this ill-advised line is not known.Grand Prive had not issued any statements on the issue by the time InfoPowa went to press, and it is intriguing to say the least that the much maligned online casino group has put the emergency brakes on at such a late stage of the enquiry, when it appeared that a fair and reasonable resolution was a real possibility.Speculation has centred on the possibility that either by ommission or commission GP failed to present all relevant data to the eCOGRA investigators, leaving them working unknowingly with incomplete data after an historic change in affiliate programs in previous years…thus generating a skewed result.If that were engineered knowingly by GP, it would be a cynical and dishonest act of serious proportions that, it could be argued, endangered the professional reputation of eCOGRA, which now has to withdraw with the frustration of an inconclusive investigation.It appears likely that this latest disappointment will rekindle the furore over the Grand Prive Affiliate Program closure, along with further affiliate black listings and decisions by affiliates to avoid referring players to GP.How, or even if, this industry scandal can be resolved remains a complex puzzle for now.Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowaMore news here.

25 February 2010

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12 February 2010

Playing a fair game…One thing that has come to my attention a number of times are casinos that give players bonus offerings if they reverse their withdrawals. The casinos that have done this have justified this on the grounds that they want to give players a chance to increase their winnings – it also saves them processing fees <grin>. Personally I feel that it is predatory in nature – players should be able to cash out promptly, and ideally flushed upon request – no waiting period whatsoever.Bearing this in mind, I’ve added the following clause to the Standards for Accredited Casinos:Will not entice players to reverse cash withdrawals with bonuses or other incentives.I’m sure that most all of you would agree that this is a positive step – that enticing players to reverse withdrawals is unnecessary.

All Apologies…We were getting hit by some bad spam traffic in our forum yesterday, so I fiddled with the backend a little, thought that everything was good to go and went to bed. Oops…shoulda checked a little further. No one could get beyond the forum’s main index page for about nine hours. Sorry ’bout that. C’est la vie – such is the life of a webmeister.

WORD FROM THE FORUM

Thread SpottingRecent threads you may want to check out…32red picks up Golden LoungeYep, it’s true. 32Red has picked up Golden Lounge casino (winner of the coveted worst casino of 2010 award at Casinomeister) – looks like 32red has some work cut out for them. There are a significant amounts of PABs coming their way. If you wish to add yours to the list, please read the thread.Warning BeTheDealer: stalled payments, very poor Customer ServiceNumber of issues – on the way to the rogue pit.

BAPTISM BY FIRE

Pending Accredited Casinos: before a casino earns its full Accreditation, it enters the “Baptism by Fire” section. They remain there for 60 days as newbies – and it’s during this time that members are encouraged to discuss their experiences in our forum, and after two months and all is well, these casinos become fully “Accredited”.THREE NEW CASINOS RECENTLY ADDED – CHECK ‘EM OUT!!CASINO LAVIDA Baptism by FireLet’s welcome Casino LaVida into the Baptism by Fire section.Brand new sister casino of Red Flush!!CURRENT PROMOTIONS:Up to $/£/€519 FREE!!!Check them out now here!! Sorry – No USPending Accredited Casinos: before a casino earns its full Accreditation, it enters the “Baptism by Fire” section. They remain there for 60 days as newbies – and it’s during this time that members are encouraged to discuss their experiences in our forum, and after two months and all is well, these casinos become fully “Accredited”.THREE NEW CASINOS RECENTLY ADDED – CHECK ‘EM OUT!!LOCK CASINO – Baptism by FireCURRENT PROMOTIONS:Get 100% match on up to 5x deposits – up to $2500!Check them out today here!!!!Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located herehttps://www.casinomeister.com/cgi-bin/adcycle1.15/adclick.cgi?gid=5&cid=236&mid=915&id=793CASINO TITAN – Baptism by FireLet’s welcome Casino Titan into the Baptism by Fire section.CURRENT PROMOTIONS:$7 Free No deposit BonusWelcome Package of up to $3000 in bonuses!!$750 High Roller bonus!!Check them out today here!!Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located herehttps://www.casinomeister.com/cgi-bin/adcycle1.15/adclick.cgi?gid=9&cid=237&mid=919&id=316

And Now For The Humor….

A woman decides to have a facelift for her 50th birthday.She spends $15,000 and feels pretty good about the results.On her way home, she stops at a newsstand to buy a newspaper.Before leaving, she says to the clerk, ‘I hope you don’t mind my asking, but how old do you think I am‘About 32,’ is the reply.’‘Nope! I’m exactly 50,’ the woman says happily.A little while later she goes into McDonald’s and asks the counter girl the very same question.The girl replies, ‘I’d guess about 29.’The woman replies with a big smile, ‘Nope, I’m 50.’Now she’s feeling really good about herself. She stops in a drug store on her way down the street.She goes up to the counter to get some mints and asks the clerk this burning question.The clerk responds, ‘Oh, I’d say 30.’Again she proudly responds, ‘I’m 50, but thank you!’While waiting for the bus to go home, she asks an old man waiting next to her the same question.He replies, ‘Lady, I’m 78 and my eyesight is going. Although, when I was young there was a sure-fire way to tell how old a woman was.It sounds very forward, but it requires you to let me put my hands under your bra.Then, and only then can I tell you EXACTLY how old you are.’They wait in silence on the empty street until her curiosity gets the best of her.She finally blurts out, ‘What the hell, go ahead.’He slips both of his hands under her blouse and begins to feel around very slowly and carefully.He bounces and weighs each breast and he gently pinches each nipple.He pushes her breasts together and rubs them against each other.After a couple of minutes of this, she says, ‘Okay, okay….How old am I?’He completes one last squeeze of her breasts, removes his hands, and says, ‘Madam, you are 50.’Stunned and amazed, the woman says, ‘That was incredible, how could you tell?’The old man says, ‘Promise you won’t get mad?’‘I promise I won’t.’, she says.He replies, ‘I was behind you at McDonalds.’ha ha ha12 February 2010

12 February 2010

WORD FROM THE FORUM

BAPTISM BY FIRE

Pending Accredited Casinos: before a casino earns its full Accreditation, it enters the “Baptism by Fire” section. They remain there for 60 days as newbies – and it’s during this time that members are encouraged to discuss their experiences in our forum, and after two months and all is well, these casinos become fully “Accredited”.THREE NEW CASINOS RECENTLY ADDED – CHECK ‘EM OUT!!CASINO LAVIDA Baptism by FireLet’s welcome Casino LaVida into the Baptism by Fire section.Brand new sister casino of Red Flush!!CURRENT PROMOTIONS:Up to $/£/€519 FREE!!!Check them out now here!! Sorry – No USLOCK CASINO – Baptism by FireCURRENT PROMOTIONS:Get 100% match on up to 5x deposits – up to $2500!Check them out today here!!!!Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located herehttps://www.casinomeister.com/cgi-bin/adcycle1.15/adclick.cgi?gid=5&cid=236&mid=915&id=793CASINO TITAN – Baptism by FireLet’s welcome Casino Titan into the Baptism by Fire section.CURRENT PROMOTIONS:$7 Free No deposit BonusWelcome Package of up to $3000 in bonuses!!$750 High Roller bonus!!Check them out today here!!Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located herehttps://www.casinomeister.com/cgi-bin/adcycle1.15/adclick.cgi?gid=9&cid=237&mid=919&id=3

And Now For The Humor….

5 February 2010

ICE 2010 – London

Monday – Arrival:Old haunts…London – I love London. It’s difficult not to feel glimpses of the past in every alleyway, on every crossroad – on every corner. The city’s influence on literature, musicians, and artists of every medium is immeasurable. These are the streets where Dickens walked, where Shakespeare mused, where the Beatles were mobbed – and where the Clash partied. Reminders of the Blitz – of heritage, imperialism, and of wars’ past, blend into a swarm of pedestrians – a montage of England – now. A great place to sit on a street corner and day dream.But no time for that (daydreaming) here. I was in London attending the annual International Casino Exhibition (ICEi), and this is the best place to gather information for you, my dear reader, and disseminate it via this newsletter.The first day in London for me is traditionally my free day; the only day I have on my own uncluttered with meetings, or other dire appointments. Normally, I catch a film or perhaps venture to a museum. This trip I took in no less than two films: “Avatar 3D”, which must be seen on a big screen. Please don’t wait for it to come out on DVD; see it now before it’s too late. Great film – a few holes in the storyline but it’s action driven with a couple of villains you can love to hate. Definitely worth seeing.Film two: “Up in the Air” – a relatively good Clooney film. He’s rather funny; a flawed character on a odd mission. And he runs into a few people that really cause him to stop and think. A character driven story that stays with you, and gives you something to talk about later.Once I got that out of my system – I was ready to roll for the next day. Day one of the ICEi.Tuesday ICEi Day One:Meisterly meeting and more…Max Drayman and I were staying at the same hotel in Trafalgar Square – in fact – roomed right next door to each other. This was convenient, and allowed us to do a lot of chit-chatting along the way via the “tube”.Upon arrival at the ICE, it seemed to be “same ol’ same ol’” Same old faces, same howdydo’s, but it was a little different. People seemed to be a little more energized – or maybe it was that they were just “fresh” since this was the first day of the conference.Max and I toured the floor, and one of the first the persons we ran into was Enzo, from 3Dice Casino. He’s one of the most knowledgeable and upfront casino managers out there. We picked his brain a bit on what’s been going on at 3Dice.Enzo brought up some good points about max cashouts, and why they are bad…for the player. Max eloquently discusses this here in his (new) section “Max’s Corner”…any given player has a certain chance of a big hit. If they take a “max cashout” bonus and hit on it then (a) they only get paid a small fraction of the true win and (b) their chances of hitting again anytime soon are pretty slim. In other words they’ve blown their big chance.Another dark secret of the “max cashout” is that the casino records apparently report that the win was paid in full and thus counts on the payout they advertise on that game. In truth though most of the win was clawed back so the game is actually paying out at a much lower percentage than it would otherwise seem. (I hope I’ve got that right.)…In short, max cashout bonuses are a bad idea. You ought to be avoiding these as much as possible.I spoke with Microgaming’s CEO about the US situation, and it’s just a hard fact to deal with that US players are going to have to get used to no more Microgaming. But in the same breath I can say that Microgaming as made a major coup with “The Lord of the Rings” due to be release hopefully by the end of the year. “Thunderstruck II” is also due out in the next month or so – it has stacked wilds – yeah!!That afternoon we met up with the folks from Lock Casino. I had been looking forward to this since we’ve been in contact for the past few weeks. They have gotten some very good reviews from the players in our forum, and they were keen on coming on board. After meeting with them, it was obvious that they are clued up on what players (and everyone else for that matter) are looking for in an online casino. They are mostly former Bodog people and hail from Canada. They are currently in our “Baptism by Fire” section. Give them a try!Late that afternoon was the Meister Meeting at the Atlas Pub right around the corner from Earls Court. This pub seems to be a pilgrimage for us since a lot of us have meandered over there since the first few ICE sessions years ago.Super thanks to Club World Casinos who sponsored the event. And as always, this is the best party of the conference week (IMO). It’s not too loud, not too crowded, you know most everyone – some aquaintences going back a decade, there is never a line to get a drink, and there is always a surprise guest. Last year Montel dropped by; this year it was the poker guy Phil Laak (Unabomber).In all it was great event – now a tradition. And super special thanks go to Greedygirl who worked out the last minute plans when it turned out Waxy’s didn’t have enough room for us. Rebecca Liggero did a nice write up on it hereThe night turned into a blur as we meandered through Soho, China Town, and back to our respectable places.Voice from the past – ICE 2006 I think it was Webzcas’ first time at Sushi, and it’s always a treat to turn someone onto something a bit exotic – even though for some people, Sushi is quite the norm. Webzcas is the webmaster of Onlinecasinoreviewer.com, an excellent online casino portal and he’s a very sharp and dedicated webmaster. We discussed webmastery things like search engine optimization and how we deal with casino stuff. In fact, one of my missions in London was to meet with various webmasters and talk about what concerns us: webmastering.Anyway, we left Sushi Uno and delved into the heart of London’s Soho district. London is by far my favorite city. There is so much history, so many faces from every nationality and culture, so many people to bump into – it’s always crowded. And we made it to the Detroit Bar, checked my coat and we descended the spiral staircase downward…FOUR new casinos in the Baptism by Fire!!

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Slotastic 100% deposit bonus up to $100!!Wednesday ICEi Day Two:Renewed faith…A definite highlight of the day was having lunch with the operator of iNetBet. We met at the Bibendum, and had a fine lunch of fish and assorted veggies. Really quite good. The restaurant is stylish, airy and bright – it’s the “Michelin House”; the first British headquarters of the Michelin Tire Company commissioned in 1909. It’s been restored as a French restaurant and oyster bar. It’s worth a look-see if your ever in the South Kensington area.iNetbet is one of the jewels of a casino at Casinomeister. They’ve been listed in our accredited section for years and have remained a reliable and principled casino operation. Great people to work with and to know.From here, we traveled back to the ICE where Max and I were scheduled to meet with the Kahnawake people. This is something I’ve been anticipating since I was given a heads up a few weeks ago that there were some serious changes being made for the better at Kahnawake.And I was thoroughly pleased with the meeting. Max and I met with the Chairman and General Counsel of the Gaming Commission, and with Micki Oster who now oversees complaints. Micki, some of you may remember, was the pivitol reason why the Trident Group of casinos was awarded Best Casino Group for three years – she was one of the best operators – ever. I don’t think anyone would deny that these casinos were entirely player focused, providing outstanding service, and were 110% fair when it came to whatever issues players were dealing with. This is the best move any entity in the i-Gaming industry has made since I took on Max Drayman as my complaints manager a couple of years ago.Further: Kahnawake licensed casinos will have seven days to address player complaints. If they fail to do so, these will be flagged and sent to the chairman. And the Gaming Commission has teeth; the casino servers are located on the reservation and if a casino fails to abide by the commission’s ruling (whatever it may be), there is a plug in the wall they can pull.So the KGC is finally getting it together. Within the next several months, we’ll be seeing other player friendly implementations: new logos that direct players to good-to-know info on the casino (RTP percentages) etc. Actually, the KGC meeting made the entire trip worth it.Later, Max and I met up with the CEO of Stryyke Casino and one of his administrators at the 2010 ICE in London. Stryyke was chosen as the runner-up for “Worst Casino 2009” We discussed their previous issues and came to an agreement that they would be placed in our “probation” section for six months to see how things go. We have a direct line of communication now, and they seem to be genuinely concerned about their business and their players. I don’t toss casinos into the “Rogue” section to punish them – I do this to give them a wake-up call; that their establishment has areas that call for improvement. We are giving them a chance to get it together, and wish them the best.So they’re out of the pit and under observance for six months. If anyone has any issues with them, please contact Max here.That evening was another highlight. Dinner with the guys from 32Red. Always classy – always entertaining. We met at the Blue Post in Piccadilly, a typical London pub where we chit-chatted over a pint or two. From there, we sauntered off to Bentley’s, an outstanding oyster bar and grill, with the renowned chef Richard Corrigan. The food: stupendous; the wine – phenomenal. And we lasted until the wee hours when they politely asked us to leave.Some of us ended up at The Empire Casino in Soho. For those of you who like to drink beer (or anything else for that matter), the pubs in London close at 11 pm. Bummer. The only places that stay open late are the casinos. I couldn’t be bothered with the games there, but it was nice hanging out with a few friends…until it was really late. I looked at my watch and thought, “Oh boy, 3:30 am is not good…” So I bid everyone adieu – it was way past my bedtime.A voice from the past – ICE 2003…London has a lot of magic for me; mainly from it’s history and it’s writers. Dickens was always one of my favorites, and what a delight it was to have a magnificent lunch with PartnerLogic just around the corner from one of Dickens’ homes. It was here that he wrote “A Christmas Carol”, the story of Eberneezer Scrooge’s Christmas ghosts. There is a graveyard across from the restaurant with headstones dating to the 18th century. Dickens probably saw these on his daily walks, and these stones perhaps found themselves intertwined in his stories. The restaurant was on Old Marleybone Road; Scrooge’s partner was Marley. Cool stuff. And I digress once more…..Thursday ICEi Day Three:Petebox is the man…Needless to say – I slept in. But it was fine since Max and I were to meet the Bodog guys for lunch at a Pub around the corner from the hotel. It also gave me a chance to run to the bookstore to get some books for the kids. The morning went fast.Lunch with the Bodog guys was at the nearby Lord Moon on the Mall; a touristy place, packed, but with great atmosphere and decor. Besides being really crowded, the only thing there that sucked was the Fish and Chips. Not good. A small piece of thawed out dry piece of fish. Very disappointing. We had a great chat though, and headed back to the conference. This was the “end show” last chance to meet up with anyone that you missed meeting up with.I was to meet up with the CEO of Royal Apollo casino. I was looking down at my schedule – hoping I had the guy’s cell number (no luck), and when looking up there standing in front of me was the general manager of the Virtual Casino Group.“You must hate me,” he said. I thought – oh, jeese – here we go again. I replied “No I don’t hate you, I just don’t like what you do.” We had a back and forth discussion about him trying to redeem the Virtual Casino Group, and my reluctance to get myself involved anymore.To make a long story short, I have given these guys enough chances to get their act together. But their philosophy towards this industry is starkly different than mine. To fleece a player is not an issue to them. And I have been approached by enough ex-employees of the casino group to know that these guys are just plain bad news. They will lie straight in your face and think nothing of it. Take a look at this ICE blast from the past: ICE 2004…The CEO of the Virtual Casino group has assured me that the Virtual Casino group has turned over a new leaf, they have a new managerial staff that is dedicated to the industry and they have been cleaning up their act…We also cleared up some misunderstandings about Prism Casino and Cirrus casinos. These casinos had many related identifiers when they were either launched, or under operation. I had pointed this out clearly months ago, and stand by my findings. But it was good to finally hear an explanation as to why. One of the reasons was that the Virtual group was acting as a consulting group to get these guys started. They were sharing server space, email accounts, stats, etc. but as the initial weeks went by they separated into their own identities and business entities. I was not wrong what I have said in the past; I’ve said that there were identifiers that connected theses casinos to one another. But now I feel it’s safe to say that they are separate businesses…Bullshit. A total pack of lies. The CEO/owner lied to my face. It’s six years later, and we all know that Cirrus Casino and Prism are under the same ownership – Virtual Casino. And the deal about the new leaf? This was prior the big $1.5 million cheat scandal, so what’s up with the leaf thing? At the moment they can speak to the hand, and this is what I expressed to their general manager. I have no interest in dealing with these people at all.That evening was the iGaming Awards – really a good show. The food wasn’t bad at all, and it was nice seeing a lot of familiar faces. The best thing however, was the entertainment. I thought they would have a comedian like last year’s event (apparently, I was the only one laughing – the rest of the audience sounded like crickets), but this was amazing: Petebox is a musician who makes “beat box” music with his mouth. But he’s also a master of looping. You need to check out some of his videos at Youtube here, and you’ll see what I mean this guy is great.There was also the presentation of a check of £65k from industry folk to Oxfam’s Haiti relief. Casinomeister members had contributed nearly $25k for this charity. This amount was matched by Calvin Ayre which amounts to about $50k. Amazing stuff – and we ran our charity drive for only four days. What an awesome force our members are.And then there were the awards, and the evening wore on and lasted too long…Voice from the past – ICE 2009As Sue Schneider’s farewell party was packed. We were on one of those Thames river party boats – taking a cruise up and down the river, partaking in jovial jocularities, and it was great seeing so many familiar faces of those who have been in the industry as long as Sue has. It was a great way to start a week.The dinner turned out to be a roast – a roast of Sue. Mark Balestra (our MC) began with how he was unsure whether or not the dinner dress code was formal or informal, but seeing that Sue was wearing shoes proclaimed that the dinner was formal. We had a lot of laughs at her expense that night. Even so, it’s going to be a shame seeing this fine lady go off to wherever e-gaming icons go when they retire. She’ll definitely be missed.And the boat food was surprisingly good.Friday: London Affiliate ConferenceListen to the players…It was being held at Old Billings Gate, but the taxi drivers weren’t really sure where to go exactly. It’s a bit non-descript.The LAC was obviously well attended – one level of booths, and another level suited for meeting places and to get a free water. My primary mission was to host a panel discussion featuring players Vinylweatherman, thelawnet, (Sloster couldn’t make it), and PAB manager Maxd. It was the first time that players were taking part in a panel discussion, and it was due time in my opinion.But before the discussion, I had the chance to meet the operators of Casino Titan who have gotten rave reviews in our forum. They are in our Baptism by Fire section now – you can give them a try, or wait until they are fully “Accredited”.From there, I mosied on down to the where the discussion panel was to be hosted. Unfortunately it was in the middle of the exhibition floor and the acoustics weren’t the greatest.We discussed what makes for a good casino – what turns players on – what turns them off. What they look for when signing up and what convinces them to deposit. They also gave their advice to casino operators and affiliates on what to do and what not to do. It went over pretty well, and never enough time to cover everything. Many thanks to Vinylweatherman and thelawnet who made this happen – it’s very much appreciated.That evening was spent with the Intertops guys. 26 Smithfield Restaurant on 26 Smithfield road. For some reason, this was also a problem for the cabbies.The pub/restaurant was nice ‘n cozy – a large party room ustairs. Odd waiters, (one looked a little like Joey Ramone but with shorter hair), but the food was really good. I was rather surprised – and thanks to everone at Intertops!And that was it – I was on the plane the next morning wondering, “Where did the week go?” I didn’t do half of the things I wanted to do – no National Gallery, no Sushi, no book store marathons…but it was a very good trip. And I’m anticipating some good things ahead.Voice from the past – ICE 2005And then it was time to go, so much more to tell, but not enough room nor time to tell it. But believe you me, this industry has so much going for it, and so much to offer – from reaching into our deep pockets and helping victims of the tsunami to being committed to the safety and enjoyment of players of casino games, I’m a really happy camper.Photographic proof of the event.

23 January 2010

WORD FROM THE MEISTER

London Calling…Yep, it’s that time of year again when I head off to London and attend the IGE. And what makes this trip even more special is the Meister Meeting. This time it will be at the Atlas (where we had it in 2008). Right around the corner from Earls Court II – you can’t miss it!If you are a member of our forum – you’re invited!! If you’re not a member, what the hell? Become one now here!!Meet Max, Jetset, Greedygirl, Vinylweatherman, Bonustreak, Kasino King, and all the regular misfits – and of course YOURS TRULY!! And most importantly FREE BEER AND MUNCHIES!!! Thanks to Club World – recipient of this year’s Best Casino and Best Casino Group!So be there or be beerless – you need a password to get by the big-ass bouncers at the door. Forum members have already been PMd the password. So if you sign up before hand and can make it, I’ll make sure you get squared away.When: 26 January – 5pm – 8pm

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!In four short days we raised nearly $25,000 in our forum for the Haiti Relief Fund at Oxfam.org. The Calvin Arye Foundation has pledged to match these funds. Kudos all around for those who contributed – your money is being doubled and will be making a difference, I’m sure.If you haven’t made a donation to a charity of your choice, please take a few minutes of your time to do so. Thanks!

NEW VIDEO AT YOUTUBE

Chillin’ with the Meister – 22 January 2010.Casinomeister’s 2010 Awards. Grab a beer (or a hot cup o’ java) and join us here.NEVER BE LEFT OUT IN THE COLD!! Subscribe to our videos here!! You’ll be automatically emailed whenever a video is uploaded!! I guarantee that these videos will make you a smarter, better person.

And Now For The Humor…..

Two Blondes With Hammers.Lynn and Judy were doing some carpenter work on a Habitat for Humanity House. Lynn, nailing down house siding, would reach into her nail pouch, pull out a nail and either toss it over her shoulder or nail it in.Judy, figuring this was worth looking into, asked, ‘Why are you throwing those nails away?’Lynn explained, ‘When I pull nails out of my pouch, about half of them have the head on the wrong end and I throw them away.’Judy got completely upset and yelled, ‘You moron! Those nails aren’t defective! They’re for the other side of the house!’

Another one A blonde was driving home after a game and got caught in a really bad hailstorm. Her car was covered with dents, so the next day she took it to a repair shop.. The shop owner saw that she was a blonde, so he decided to have some fun. He told her to go home and blow into the tail pipe really hard, and all the dents would pop out.So, the blonde went home, got down on her hands and knees and started blowing into her tailpipe. Nothing happened. So she blew a little harder, and still nothing happened.Her blonde roommate saw her and asked, ‘What are you doing?’ The first blonde told her how the repairman had instructed her to blow into the tail pipe in order to get all the dents to pop out.The roommate rolled her eyes and said, ‘Uh, like hello!You need to roll up the windows first..’ha ha ha

20 January 2010

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

CASINOMEISTER AWARDS 2009

They’re finally here…Casino of the Decade Best Casino of 2009 Worst Casino of 2009 Worst Casino of 2009 (runner up)Best Casino Group Worst Casino Group Best New Casino of 2009 Worst Player Experience 2009 Worst Affiliate Experience of 2009 Evil Marketing Award of 2009 Tangled Web Award 2009 Worst Blundering Screw Up 2009 Best Customer Service 2009 Worst Customer Service 2009 Best Software Supplier Award Sitting on One’s Hands Award Fourth Point of Contact Award Head in the Sand Award Best Named Casino Worst Named Casino Stupidest Named Casino Best Affiliate Program 2009 Most Annoying Affiliate Program 2009 Best Affiliate Tool of 2009 Best Casino Manager of 2009 Worst Casino Manager of 2009 Biggest Disappointment of 2009 Biggest Disappointment of 2009 II Biggest Disappointment of 2009 III The Most Annoying Forum Member Forum Highlight of the Year Best Promotions The Stupidest Casino Trick The Best Warning Robot of 2009 The Evil Player Award Should Have Known Better Award /bestworst2009.php