Meister Awards 2019

Best and Worst in Online Gambling for 2019

Jeeze Louise – is it 2019 already? Nope – wait – 2020? What the hell? And we’re already a month into the year? Wow – freaking – wow.

2019 brought us more of the same from the previous year – more massive fines by the UKGC against its own licensed casinos, more US states legalizing weed – but can’t get it together to legalize online gaming, a-hole affiliates targeting problem gamblers, rogues – rogues and more rogues. It was a pretty tumultuous year – that’s for sure. Who is covering all of this? We are. There is no sugar-coated self-praising crap here. The Casinomeister Awards are the only awards that matter to the online gaming industry. This, my dear reader, is the Best and Worst of Online Gambling 2019

So don your Kevlars, button your chinstraps, zip up your flak vests, and jump into the trenches with me.

Here are the awards:

Drum roll please…

And the winners are…


Best Casino 2019

All British Casino

Congratulations go to the folks at All British Casino. They cut the mustard as making the shortlist for the Best Casino of 2019, and they were voted by our senior members and Meister Minions as the winner for this year’s award.

Scores of players have filled our forum with kudos about their operations, and their man with the plan – Ryan – has done an outstanding job by either assisting players with whatever issue is at hand, or setting up special promotions for our members.

But where they exceed their peers and competitors is their ability to properly manage their casino. We receive hundreds of PABs a year (official online casino complaints) and not a single one for All British Casino. This underscores their ability to properly handle their players, keeping them satisfied with the excellent service and support All British Casino provides.

All British Casino is a member of the award-winning L&L Europe group of casinos. Job well done – high fives all around.

2018 shortlist:
Casumo
Guts
Royal Panda
Twin Casino
Videoslots

How the Best Casino is determined: In December of each year, we create a shortlist from suggestions by our members. Once the shortlist is established, there is a secret vote by the moderators, our most senior members (Ueber Meister and Paleo Meister members) Casinomeister Advisory Group members, and the Meister Minions – a total of about 187 people. These member groups constitute the most experienced players anywhere in the online gaming community. This is why the Best Casino award is truly for the best casino in the online casino industry.

Historical Best Casino Awards:

Best Casino 2018 –  Trada / Videoslots
Best Casino 2017 – Videoslots
Best Casino 2016 – Videoslots
Best Casino 2015 – Videoslots
Best Casino 2014 – Club World/Guts
Best Casino 2013 – 3Dice/32Red
Best Casino 2012 – 3Dice/32Red
Best Casino 2011 – 3Dice/32Red
Best Casino 2010 – 3Dice/32Red
Best Casino 2009- Club USA/32Red
Best Casino 2008 – Club USA/32Red
Best Casino 2007- 32Red
Best Casino 2006 – 32Red
Best Casino 2005 – 32Red
Best Casino 2004 – 32Red
Best Casino 2003 – 32Red
Best Casino 2002 – Intercasino
Best Casino 2001 – Kiwi Casino

Best Casino Group 2019

L&L Europe Group – “These guys really have it together”

L&L Europe Group: Once again, the L&L Europe Group remained the most praised casino group in our forum. These guys really know what they are doing – this is two years in a row that they have won this award, and there are not many casino groups who are even contenders for this coveted award. One of their most popular casinos, All British Casino, took the accolades of Best Casino 2019, Hyper Casino took the trophy for Best New Casino 2019, and Fun Casino – Best New Casino 2018 (let’s not discuss Casino Casino at the moment). These guys and gals are doing a bang-up job.

For two years, we have barely had any formally submitted complaints via our complaint services concerning any of their casinos – this is an absolutely amazing feat considering the number of players who are patronizing their casinos, how demanding players can be at times, and how many things can go wrong.

They have a very high presence in our forum with top administration folk who are actively involved with the player community as well as affiliates. You really couldn’t ask for more from these people. Keep up the good work L&L Europe!

Their awesome brands:
All British Casino
CasinoCasino
Fun Casino
Karl Casino
No Bonus Casino
Yako Casino
Yeti Casino
Hyper Casino Best New Casino 2019!

Historical Best Group Awards:

Best Group 2018 -L&L Europe
Best Group 2017 – Gaming Innovation Group
Best Group 2016 – Gaming Innovation Group
Best Group 2015 – 32Red Plc
Best Group 2014 – 32Red Plc
Best Group 2013 – 32Red Plc/Club World Group
Best Group 2012 – Rank Interactive/Club World Group
Best Group 2011 – 32Red Plc/Club World Group
Best Group 2010 – 32Red Plc
Best Group 2009 – Club World Group
Best Group 2008 – Jackpot Factory
Best Group 2007 – Jackpot Factory
Best Group 2006 – Trident Entertainment Group
Best Group 2005 – Trident Entertainment Group
Best Group 2004 – Vegas Partner Group
Best Group 2003 – Fortune Lounge Group
Best Group 2002 – Trident Entertainment Group
Best Group 2001 – Sunny Group

Best New Casino 2019

Hyper Casino, the newest casino from the L&L Europe group of casinos takes the honor this year. Superbly run, its Baptism by Fire ran nearly without a hitch. But if and when something was amiss, it was quickly sorted by the casino staff.

These people are certainly on the ball. Fun Casino – their new addition in 2018 won this accolade, now Hyper Casino is following in its footsteps. Great going folks! Keep up the great work!

Best New Casino Historical Awards

Best New Casino 2018 – Fun Casino
Best New Casino 2017 – PlayOjo Casino
Best New Casino 2016 – Rizk Casino
Best New Casino 2015 – Slotsmillion Casino
Best New Casino 2014 – VideoSlots Casino
Best New Casino 2013 – Guts Casino
Best New Casino 2012 – Redbet Casino
Best New Casino 2011 – Jackpot Party
Best New Casino 2010 – High Noon Casino
Best New Casino 2009 – All Star Slots
Best New Casino 2008 – Red Flush Casino
Best New Casino 2007 – 3Dice Casino
Best New Casino 2006 – Club USA Casino
Best New Casino 2005 – Vegas Splendido
Best New Casino 2004 – Maple Casino
Best New Casino 2003 – No Candidate – they all sucked
Best New Casino 2002 – Spin Palace

Best Customer Service Award 2019

LVBet takes the award this year for outstanding customer service. The forum is chock full of amazingly good comments, and their casino rep is right on top of things.

LVBet is one of the finest run casinos that’s Accredited at Casinomeister – their review averages at about 9.6 Meister points and 8 points from the Meister Minions, which is not too shabby. This past year, no valid PABs were submitted against lvBet which is remarkable since they have a large following and loads of customers. You’d think at least one player would have had an issue – but no.

So pats on the back all around – awesome job guys and gals.

Best Customer Service Historical Awards

Best Customer Service Award 2018 – Trada
Best Customer Service Award 2017 – Trada
Best Customer Service Award 2016 – Trada
Best Customer Service Award 2015 – Betat
Best Customer Service Award 2014 – 32Red
Best Customer Service Award 2013 – 32Red
Best Customer Service Award 2012 – 32Red
Best Customer Service Award 2011 – 3Dice
Best Customer Service Award 2010 – 3Dice
Best Customer Service Award 2009 – 3Dice
Best Customer Service Award 2008 – 3Dice
Best Customer Service Award 2007 – Club World

Best Casino Manager 2019

Best Casino Manager – Lifetime Achievement Award

“Casino Manager” is one of the most challenging jobs in the gaming industry. Loads of players are totally cool. But then they can also be exhausting to deal with – unforgiving, confrontational – and always expecting freebies. Sometimes they’re total newbies who have not a clue about what they are doing – and they need to be hand carried every step of the way. And there are the rude and abusive players (see our fan mail to get an idea about what these folks are all about). One slip-up and your chat sessions or emails are going to be posted in the public fora.

Many managers toss in the towel – they don’t get paid enough for this stuff.

This award goes to Ben who has been with iNetbet, Kudos Casino, and iNetbetEU since the very beginning – 2003. iNetBet was the first RTG casino brought on to the site in 2004 – and the primary reason behind this was how smoothly this casino operation had been going. Now for the past fifteen years, Ben has been in smack-down mode when it comes to casino complaints. All of them were taken care of swiftly and professionally.

From the Desk of Max Drayman – Casinomeister Complaints Manager:

Nobody has handled complaints so professionally for as many years as Ben. He’s a machine, never fails me no matter what shit has hit the fan. Year after year after year. “He’s a good man, and thorough.”

That sums it up. I definitely feel the same way – each and every player issue that Ben has received from us was taken care of in a concise, logical, fair and expedient manner.

Best Casino Manager Historical Awards:

Best Manager of 2018 – Rachel – Trada
Best Manager of 2017 – Daniel – Videoslots
Best Manager of 2016 – Daniel – Videoslots
Best Manager of 2015 – Karolina – Club World Casinos
Best Manager of 2014 – Karolina – Club World Casinos
Best Manager of 2013 – Ben Clems – Guts Casino
Best Manager of 2012 – Redbet Andy – RedBet
Best Manager of 2011 – Pat Harrison – 32Red
Best Manager of 2010 – Pat Harrison – 32Red
Best Manager of 2009 – Enzo – 3Dice
Best Manager of 2008 – Pat Harrison – 32Red
Best Manager of 2007 – Pat Harrison – 32Red
Best Manager of 2006 – Emily Hanson – iNetBet
Best Manager of 2005 – Emily Hanson – iNetBet

Best Gaming Experience 2019

Four years in a row – the gaming experience at Videoslots is still amazing.

Videoslots won this award in 2015, 2016, 2017 and here they are again – big surprise? Not!

Videoslots by their nature are dedicated to the experience of their players. They were pioneers in player safety – they were one of the first casinos, years ago, to implement safety protocols setting deposit limits, loss limits, wagering limits, and self-exclusion. In fact, when they first launched in 2011, they were intent on listing all of the RTPs for each game. No one else was doing that back then – now for many casinos, this is standard SOP.

Check out their website – it exudes “a great experience”. Finding games by software provider, type, or even popularity. They have over 3400 games (an increase from 2220 games from last year) from 109 providers. I remember it was only about a decade ago that most casinos had only one provider to choose from. Man, how times have changed.

Their site may be intuitive, and your player account may have a number of features that enable you to control your bankroll, but where they excel is with their custom created slot tournaments like Battle of the Slots. These tourneys are absolutely amazing. If you are a player and haven’t tried these, you are definitely missing out.

To top it all off, they have a team of casino reps in our forum who are dedicated to our community to ensure that every one of our members is having the best gaming experience possible.

All in all, it was the best gaming experience of 2018. Keep it up!! You guys are doing a bang-up job!

Best Gaming Experience Historical Awards

Best Gaming Experience 2018 – Videoslots
Best Gaming Experience 2017 – Videoslots
Best Gaming Experience 2016 – Videoslots
Best Gaming Experience 2015 – Videoslots
Best Gaming Experience 2014 – WMS
Best Gaming Experience 2013 – WMS
Best Gaming Experience 2012 – NetEnt
Best Games Award 2011 – Leander Games
Best Software Supplier Award 2011 – NetEnt
Best Games Award 2010 – 3Dice
Best Software Award 2010 – Microgaming
Best Software Award 2009 – Wagerworks
Best Software Award 2008 – Cryptologic
Best Software Award 2007 – Wagerworks
Best Software Award 2006 – Microgaming
Best Software Award 2005 – Microgaming

Best Player Experience 2019

UK Players

Yes, you heard me right. UK players have probably experienced the safest and fairest gaming playing field up to this moment in time, i.e., there are thorough background checks on UK licensed operators, player protection enforcement, mandatory Gamstop applications, fair terms and conditions, no predatory advertising, etc. You’d think things are pretty hunky dory in the land of Brexit mayhem. Well, they are – but one caveat…

…don’t change anything. In fact – lighten up a bit, UKGC. At the moment (according to some polling in the forum), about 15% of UK players are straying away from the UK licensed casinos due to draconian rules and regulations. That saying, we could possibly see this turn into the worst gaming experience if anything is screwed on too tight in 2020.

So be cool, UKGC.

Best Player Experience Historical Awards

Best Player Experience 2018 – Rizk Casino Experience
Best Player Experience 2017 – Ask Me Anything About Slots
Best Player Experience 2016 – Rizk Casino Experience
Best Player Experience 2014 – Pat Royal Flush with $100 bet
Best Player Experience 2013 – Legalized online gambling in the US
Best Player Experience 2012 – 32Red

Best & Worst Slots of 2019

The forum members are the ones who tasked to decide on the best games of 2019, some of our members have been actively playing casino games online for over a decade – hell – some for nearly two decades (old timer over here).

From Dunover – Slotmeister:

Yes, it’s been a busy 2019 with hundreds of new slots being released across tens of developers which most players will be familiar with by playing at multi-platform casinos.  Quantity doesn’t always mean quality, though, and sadly, most of the major developers have been pretty anonymous again, judging by the response of the Casinomesister membership in the Slot of The Year 2019 poll , in fact, even more so than in 2018.

The winner this year was Netent’s Dead or Alive 2 by a massive margin.  As with all the three previous winners, Bonanza, Book of Dead, and Napoloeon, this slot is a high-volatility game.  There is also a twist to this result in that a couple of slot streamers assisted in the development of the game, such as LetsGiveItASpin.  I’ve always said that the users of the end product could well be the best people to consult when designing slots and indeed the GAG was set up by Casinomeister as a consequence. 

Dead or Alive 2

Kim and co. really did Netent proud here by retaining the original bonus round on the classic DoA and balancing it with a low-volatility choice of free spins with an increasing multiplier and an insanely high-volatile High Noon bonus which is the original type but with wild 2x or 3x multipliers added for landing more than one sticky wild on any reel. It was claimed to be capable of awarding wins of over 110,000x bet and very quickly some huge bonus results were witnessed, including this  one on video for over 70,000x bet!   

https://www.youtube.com/embed/3qHl-FYUF7A?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1

So that’s our 2019 winner but it’s only fair to point out that had it not been for this slot, then as one of the Big 5 developers they would not have had a single entry into the Top 20 in the poll along with Playtech, IGT, WMS and Microgaming.  Now this can be partly attributed to the fact that the large bookmaker sites tend to supply IGT and Playtech games to their customers and haven’t got a significant presence amongst the diverse Casinomeister membership but the other three have. IGT’s Ghostbusters 2 is a decent game as are some of the Playtech Age of The Gods series.

It would seem Microgaming have given up on even trying to reproduce slots of the same standard as their classics such as Immortal Romance and instead rely on smaller studios such as Just for The Win or Stormcraft to provide content via their Quickfire platform.  None of those have been particularly inspiring, namely BDBA Respins and Book of Oz which are rehashes of older titles. Netent have churned out numerous games and while always polished productions, the mechanics and maths are pretty forgetable in the main. WMS, like many developers such as Bally, Barcrest and Shufflemaster now fall under the Scientific Gaming umbrella and seem to think what works in a land-based casino will be good enough for the more discerning European online players and more often than not, it doesn’t.

So on a more positive note, Push Gaming maintained their appearance in last year’s top 10 with two notable games including the runner-up Razor Shark, while Relax Gaming (who are the only real success here of the Scientific Gaming releases) also had two to

p-10 games, with Temple Tumble Megaways proving quite successful.  Which brings us on to Megaways. There are now 50 Megaways games and it seems the shine has worn off the idea now, with the aforementioned game the only one in the top 10 and several of them appearing in the TOSSER nominations for the voters’ worst slot of 2019. 

Thunderkick consistently produce popular and attractive slots and although only getting 5th. place with Carnival Queen had 5 of the top 20 which is a creditable result!  Our favourite ‘Marmite’ provider Big Time Gaming had 3 of their 6 releases there too with the superb Lil’ Devil by far the most popular in third place, a game that has banged in a several wins of over 20,000x bet including one of 35,005x recorded on YouTube by The Bandit.  4ThePlayer seem to be making inroads as a relatively recent small developer with 9k Yeti gaining some recognition and we saw a rather unexpected 9th. place by niche provider NoLimitCity and Tombstone. 

Overall we have a similar situation to 2018 with the major developers underperforming and seemingly all the innovation coming from smaller studios like Push Gaming and of course the old stalwarts Big Time Gaming and their bi-monthly releases, which to be fair aren’t all using the Megaways formula.  Blueprint Gaming, who did well in 2018, seem to be directing all their resources to endless Megaways slots or variations of their equally tired old 20-line formula. Novomatic appear to have abandoned their usual volatility and the Redline-developed titles have been pretty awful in the main, culminating in the pointless Book of Ra Deluxe 10 game.

We have seen evidence of developers feeling it necessary to try and invent the ‘New Megaways’ with ReelPlay’s Infinite Reels, Yggdrasil’s Reel Splitz and Play’n Go’s Perfect Gems which randomly creates extra rows on the centre reels.  Alas, none of them come close to the original formula and are getting close to being frankly ridiculous. Maybe 2020 can see us return to being presented with games based on ideas their developers do best? We can only hope.

Happy Slotting for 2020 everyone!

For a complete list of the results, click here: SLOT OF THE YEAR 2019! RESULTS!

Thank you Dunover and to the folks who took part in our survey.


iGaming Software Experience Historical Awards

Best iGaming Software Experience 2018 – Blueprint
Best iGaming Software Experience 2017 – Big Time Gaming
Best iGaming Software Experience 2016 – Play N Go
Best iGaming Experience 2015 – NetEnt
Best Gaming Experience 2014 – WMS
Best Gaming Experience 2013 – WMS
Best Gaming Experience 2012 – NetEnt
Best Games Award 2011 – Leander Games
Best Software Supplier Award 2011 – NetEnt
Best Games Award 2010 – 3Dice
Best Software Award 2010 – Microgaming
Best Software Award 2009 – Wagerworks
Best Software Award 2008 – Cryptologic
Best Software Award 2007 – Wagerworks
Best Software Award 2006 – Microgaming
Best Software Award 2005 – Microgaming

Best Affiliate Program 2019

What makes an award winning affiliate program? Several things are taken into account: the reputation of their brand(s), the trustworthiness of their operators, the activities of their affiliate managers, and their dedication to the industry and player community as a whole.

Trada Affiliates takes this award this year. They have done a bang up job this year providing affiliates with top notch professional service. Trada Affiliates amicable and highly skilled team is extremely responsive and helpful in all matters concerning affiliate marketing.

They utilize the award winning Income Access back end. They do not transfer their fees onto the affiliate – such as admin fees, bonus costs or payment processing fees. Trada Affiliates pay within three days of the end of the monthly cycle, and no negative carry over.

But most important of all, it’s their product: Trada Casino. Trada Casino has won numerous awards like Casino of the Year, Best New Casino of the Year, Best Casino Customer service, and a myriad of others. Affiliates can sleep well at night knowing that what they are promoting is player focused and player friendly in a really good way. Congrats to the folks at Trada Affiliates.

Best Affililiate Program Historical Awards

Best Affiliate Program of 2018 – Legend Affiliates
Best Affiliate Program of 2017 – Alea Affiliates
Best Affiliate Program of 2016 – TTRPartners
Best Affiliate Program of 2015 – AffiliateEdge
Best Affiliate Program of 2014 – Affiliate Edge
Best Affiliate Program of 2013 – AffiliateRepublik
Best Affiliate Program of 2012 – Referback
Best Affiliate Program of 2011 – Affiliate Edge
Best Affiliate Program of 2010 – Affiliate Edge
Best Affiliate Program of 2009 – Referback
Best Affiliate Program of 2008 – Brightshare
Best Affiliate Program of 2007 – Brightshare
Best Affiliate Program of 2006 – Partnerlogic
Best Affiliate Program of 2005 – 32Red Affiliates
Best Affiliate Program of 2004 – Wagershare
Best Affiliate Program of 2003 – Wagershare

Phoenix Award 2019

Rising out of the Ashes of Dodginess

This awesome award (that you really only want to win once) goes to the Direx NV group of casinos.

A few years ago this license holder had a swarm of rogue and roguish casinos in its realm, yet slowly this began to change. It had a lot to do with a new casino rep, who already had years in our forum as a player, stepped up to the plate and began to oversee cleaning up their act. Homerbert is his name, squaring up casinos is his game.

Lady HammerN1 Casino, and Oshi Casino are three examples – N1 Casino is in the Accredited section and is doing quite well with satisfying its customers. Both Lady Hammer and Oshi Casinos are in the Grey Zone with a pending BBF in the foreseeable future.

So anything is possible in this industry – to include watching a bird rise up out of the ashes.

The Phoenix Historical Awards

Phoenix Award 2018 bwin
Phoenix Award 2017 Casino Extreme
Phoenix Award 2016 BGO Gaming
Phoenix Award 2015 Malta Gaming Authority
Phoenix Award 2012 – CAP – Casino Affiliate Programs
Phoenix Award 2011 – Kahnawake Gaming Commission

Best Casino Of The Decade 2010-19

The two thousand-teen years were probably the most volatile, and spastic years in the online gaming industry. Jurisdictional regulations wrecked havoc on what was a self regulated environment, technology accelerated beyond most predictions of even the most savvy tech heads, and the demands and expectations of players rose to a level never seen before. Most online casinos either threw in the towel, merged with competitors, or rolled with the punches – the decade of the 2010s is littered with the cyber skeletons of casinos that can only now be found archived at the Way Back Machine, or mentioned in some forum thread of yore.

But one casino that seemed to be ahead of the game is VideoSlots. Launched in 2011 by some dudes who were online poker players, Video Slots was already boned up on what makes a successful casino. They started off with listing the RTPs of each game – a first for any casino at that time. Many casino operators were reluctant to even entertain that thought. And this was just the beginning. Each year, VideoSlots introduced new player friendly functions which their peers and competitors began to replicate – and adage goes: imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Many of the functions that they introduced in the early part of the decade (deposit limits, loss limits, time out periods, etc.) are commonly found now, and in many cases mandated by licensing jurisdictions.

In 2014, they were awarded the coveted Casinomeister Best New Casino Award, and that was their springboard to dive into a pool of player focused awards: Best Casino four years in a row, Best Casino Manager, Best Gaming Experience for four years. And besides all of that, there are heaps of praises from countless players in our forum.

And like any casino faced with the challenge to stay viable in an era of draconian licensing regulations, Video Slots has received its share of bumps and bruises. Even so, this casino has earned the accolades: Online Casino of the Decade.

Historical Best Casino Of the Decade Awards:Best Casino Of the Decade 2000-2009 – 32Red

Best Casino Representative of the Decade 2010-19

“Problem solvers and amicable ladies and gents”

Mark Quayle from 32Red is an amazing representative, and he has been unflinching in his representative tasks for the past eleven and a half years. He has chocked up hours and hours of participation – over a decade’s worth – assisting players with problems, advising affiliates, and just being a helpful and amicable chap.

But the best part is that he engages in the forum in a non-marketing mode. Mark understands that the Casinomeister community is not just a sea of players and affiliate webmasters, it’s a home away from home and just a cool place to hang out. More often than not, you’ll find Mark chit chatting away in non-32Red casino threads, and if there is an issue with his casino property – he’s there – he’s on it – and it’s sorted. Mark is a forum member who brings value to our community by just being himself. So hats off to Mark Quayle – Best Casino Representative of the Decade!

Casino Representative Historical Awards

Casino Representative of 2018 Conor from Trada
Casino Representative of 2017 Daniel from Videoslots
Casino Representative of 2016 Mark 32Red Plc
Casino Representative of 2015 Mark 32Red Plc
Casino Representative of 2014 – BETAT

Worst Casino 2019

BonanzaGame is its name – effin’ up players is its game

There are craphole casinos, and there are Shithole Casinos. The crappiest of the crap make it to this page where we have divvied out the awards to the most deserving shitholes of a casino. This year was no different – most of the oozing of crap was from the sunkissed island of Curacao.

From the desk of Max Drayman, Casinomeister complaints manager:

Over the course of 2019 we received a lot of complaints regarding BonanzaGame.com, typically regarding account balances that are confiscated for feeble reasons, usually after the player had won a cash prize or scored a significant casino win. 

When the player complains the casino promises to reinstate the player’s balance, except they don’t. They hold the money somewhere outside the player’s account — the player has no access to the money wherever it is — and promise to pay it out in small installments. Sometimes a few small payments to the player are actually made, often not, but either way they dry up soon enough and the player is getting nothing. 

When the player complains about the broken payment agreement the casino says “be patient”, “wait for the money to arrive”, etc. Whatever they say or promise the balance is never returned and soon enough the casino simply ignores the player, often closing the account so the player can’t access the casino. 

Understandably frustrated players have turned to us and other arbitration services for assistance. The casino never responds in any way, totally ignoring all efforts, and nothing is done to resolve the issues. The player’s money is simply gone and they have nowhere to turn.

BonanzaGame.com is owned and operated by WoT N.V. Limesco Limited payment service provider, is licensed and regulated by a janitor in Curacao, under the useless toerag of a license: No.1668/JAZ. You might as well be licensed by a houseplant.

Historical Worst Casino Awards

Worst Casino 2018 – Osiris Casino
Worst Casino 2017 – Burnbet/Winner.com
Worst Casino 2016 – Euromoon/Pamper Casino
Worst Casino 2015 – Casino4live
Worst Casino 2014 – SlotoBank
Worst Casino 2013 – rey8.com/Planet Kings
Worst Casino 2012 – Casino770
Worst Casino 2011 – Grand Duke Casino/Class1Casino
Worst Casino 2010 – BeTheDealer
Worst Casino 2009 – Golden Lounge (pre-32Red)/Strykke Casino
Worst Casino 2008 – Gold Betting/Golden Casino
Worst Casino 2007 – Cirrus Casino
Worst Casino 2006 – African Palace/Indio Casino
Worst Casino 2005 – Joyland Casino
Worst Casino 2004 – 1x2casino
Worst Casino 2003 – Black Widow

Worst Casino Group 2019

Craphole Casinos Galore!!!

How about a group of casinos that are renowned to have fake pirated games, target problem gamblers, and are a bit temperamental about which players will and who will not be paid their winnings? If a craphole casino like this sounds good to you, well you’re in luck. You should give any one of the Alpha Interactive/GameTech/Tall Mountain (well hell, any casino with the utterly useless Caribbean license of 1668/Jaz) Casinos a spin around the ol’ block.

Winners of last year’s prestigious Worst Casino Group 2018, they are going strong thanks to their gang of unscrupulous and shady affiliate webmasters, these casinos are getting bucket loads of traffic. So why not join in on the excitement? By doing so you’ll get:

  • Pirated software – who knows how this is going to behave?
  • The exhilarating adrenaline rush of “Will they pay me? Will they pay me not?”
  • Special bonuses when admitting that you have a gambling problem!
  • A free dead puppy.

All this and more!

If this is the type of casino you are looking for, go no further!!!

With all these exclamation marks, they’ve got to be good!!!

Check ’em out today!! (this list is NOT exhaustive)
14Red
6Black
Bronze Casino
Cozyno Casino
Gale&Martin
Magik Slots
MrJames
Napoli Casino
Ridyka
Slots Zoo
Split Aces

And many, many more…

Historical Worst Casino group Awards:

Worst Group 2018 – Alpha interactive Group
Worst Group 2017 – Virtual Casino Group
Worst Group 2016 – Affpower
Worst Group 2015 – Curgam Group
Worst Group 2014 – Revenue Jet
Worst Group 2013 – Affactive Group
Worst Group 2012 – Rushmore Group
Worst Group 2011– Affactive Group
Worst Group 2010– Affactive Group
Worst Group 2009 – Mighty Slots Group
Worst Group 2008– The Virtual Casino Group
Worst Group 2007 – The Virtual Casino Group
Worst Group 2006 – Sunny Group
Worst Group 2005 – Windows Casino Group
Worst Group 2004 – Popular Casino Group
Worst Group 2003 – Wager21 Group
Worst Group 2002 – Virtual Casino Group
Worst Group 2001 – Vegas Strip Group

Worst Customer Service Award 2019

The Numpties at CBet.gg.

From the desk of Max Drayman, Casinomeister Complaints Manager:

This year our Worst Customer Service award goes to the numpties at CBet.gg. They confiscated a player’s balance of €24,000 claiming that he was “a fraud” and had cheated the casino by using Martingale betting. But they had no clause in the Terms prohibiting Martingale and the player had the screenshots to prove it. A few days later a clause against Martingale betting suddenly appears in the Terms. 

Player continued to argue with the casino and they now said “players from your country aren’t permitted”. Back to the Terms, screenshot, again no such clause, Support denies it, and again a few days later the exclusion clause suddenly appears. Now they offer to refund his deposit. The player starts looking for arbitration on his case which included us. 

Fast forward a bit: “I got a call today from the casino offering me 5000 euro if I agree to sign an agreement to have all the negative reviews removed from the net. I refused ….” 

Fast forward another couple weeks and the player gets a call from “a mediator” with a new offer: €5k up front, another €5k when the social media stuff is deleted and the balance at some later date. He adds that the casino admits they were at fault. The mediator won’t identify himself, calls only from a blocked number, and claims that his email “doesn’t work”. 

At this point we go to the casino and point out that this is not the way to go about things. They’re basically blackmailing the player into deleting the social media stuff in order to receive money that by their own admission is rightfully his. If they do this every player-facing site on the web, including us, will run with the story of their outrageous treatment of the player. 

The casino now claims we are blackmailing them and start making veiled threats. They said “we will continue the process as it is planned with M. XYZ and we will not change a line.” As expected the player asks us to remove the forum thread discussing his case so he can get his money. We did so, temporarily, and his payments started coming through. 

Our forum thread will be reinstated and a Casinomeister Warning against the casino will be posted to go along with it.

Worst Customer Service Historical Awards

Worst Customer Service Award 2018 – Danguad Limited
Worst Customer Service Award 2017 – 1xBet
Worst Customer Service Award 2016 – CasinoCashPalace.com
Worst Customer Service Award 2015 – Paradisewin
Worst Customer Service Award 2014 – SlotoBank Casino
Worst Customer Service Award 2013 – Dendera Casino
Worst Customer Service Award 2012 – Casino770
Worst Customer Service Award 2011 – SlotMadness
Worst Customer Service Award 2010 – Supreme Play/21Grand Casino
Worst Customer Service Award 2009 – TopGaming customer service
Worst Customer Service Award 2008 – Plumgaming.com
Worst Customer Service Award 2007 – Bingoisus.com

Worst Casino Manager 2019

And the Numpty award goes to…

… the manager of Cbet.gg who I am guessing is leading the team which won the illustrious “Worst Customer service” award this year. This manager has exceeded all expectations of what shitty management is. It’s this: “CBet – Worst Customer Service

Worst Manager Historical Awards

Worst Manager of 2018 – Mainstreet Casinos
Worst Manager of 2017 – MrRingo Casino
Worst Manager of 2016 – BetSocial/TotalESoft
Worst Manager of 2015 – Casino4live
Worst Manager of 2014 – Slotobank
Worst Manager of 2013 – Group Award
Worst Manager of 2012 – Crazy Luck Casino
Worst Manager of 2011 – Offsitebet
Worst Manager of 2010 – Blacklights Casino
Worst Manager of 2009 – Heroes Casino
Worst Manager of 2008 – Jonwood Poker
Worst Manager of 2007 – Virtual Danny
Worst Manager of 2006 – Virtual Casino Group Award
Worst Manager of 2005 – Crown Vegas
Worst Manager of 2004 – Largo Casino
Worst Manager of 2003 – (runner up) Crystal Palace

Worst Player Experience 2019

Blame the Numpties at CBet.gg

The poor guy who was subjected to the worst customer service this year over a €24,000 legitimate win. See Worst Customer Service 2019

Worst Player Experience Historical Awards

Worst Player Experience 2018 – The Intrusive Source of Wealth requests
Worst Player Experience 2017 – EuroVikingCasino/Nektan
Worst Player Experience 2016 – Smartlive/Everymatrix
Worst Player Experience 2015 – Everymatrix
Worst Player Experience 2014 – “irregular playing” accusations
Worst Player Experience 2013 – iovation – support blackhole
Worst Player Experience 2012 – Losing your faith in the gaming industry – Purple Lounge debacle
Worst Player Experience 2011 – US Players (again)
Worst Player Experience 2010 – US Players
Worst Player Experience 2009 – Joyland Casino
Worst Player Experience 2008 – Absolute Poker/Ultimatebet
Worst Player Experience 2007 – HippoJo – Absolute Poker
Worst Player Experience 2006 – Crystal Palace Casino – Club Player Casino
Worst Player Experience 2005 – Royal Dutch Casino
Worst Player Experience 2004 – Hamptons Casino vs the Pirate
Worst Player Experience 2003 – Black Widow Casino
Worst Player Experience 2002 – Fortyplus Casino
Worst Player Experience 2001 – Arcada Casino

Worst Affiliate Experience 2019

VideoSlots Affiliates

Yeah, yeah, I know – they have won Best Casino of the year numerous times, best Casino Experience a load of times – heck, even Casino of the Decade, but unfortunately what happened between them and their affiliates was the Worst Affiliate Experience of the Year 2019.

It was the way that their affiliate earnings were computed, and the way in which they dealt with their affiliates by explaining these things to them. Loads of affiliates sign up at affiliate programs without reading or understanding the affiliate terms and conditions. And most affiliate programs don’t explain how the earnings are calculated. Unfortunately, this is what happened with the affiliates of VideoSlots.

Long story short: there were a load of expenses of running the casino that were passed over to the affiliate without the affiliate understanding this since he or she didn’t know. From the casino’s point of view, this is to ensure that the casino can remain viable. From the affiliate’s point of view, it was deceptive and uncalled for. In my point of view, these costs should have been itemized and made clear to the affiliate when signing up. Proper communication can go a long way when it comes to business partnerships.

There is loads more here: if you’re an affiliate, you should read this. You’ll learn a lot about being an affiliate webmaster: VideoSlots Massively Shaving Affiliates

Worst Affiliate Experience Historical Awards

Worst Affiliate Experience of 2018 – Freaky Vegas
Worst Affiliate Experience of 2017 – Affiliate Edge/AffiliateHub
Worst Affiliate Experience of 2016 – ICO/Quick Think Affiliates
Worst Affiliate Experience of 2015 – Affiliatehub
Worst Affiliate Experience of 2014 – enabling intellectual property theft/copyright infringement
Worst Affiliate Experience of 2013 – Retroactive changes in T&Cs
Worst Affiliate Experience of 2012 – Ladbrokes

Most Annoying Affiliate Program 2019

Seems Kinda Dodgy to Me

This is a group award to all of the affiliate programs who can’t be arsed to providing affiliates with proper backend software to enable timely payments. Instead, affiliates are required to open a player account in order to process payments. This may work for a weekend warrior type of an affiliate whose only employee is his wife or his cat. But for a company, this is incomprehensible. Who is supposed to set up a player account? The CEO? The CFO? The accounts manager? This drips of fly-by-night or poorly funded or of a lackadaisically managed affiliate program.

Additionally, it’s pretty apparent that loads of these casinos do this with the hopes that their affiliates will play their affiliate earnings back into the casino. That’s pretty predatory in my opinion, dodgy, and downright annoying.

Most Annoying Affiliate Program Historical Awards

Most Annoying Affiliate Program of 2018– Aff Spammers
Most Annoying Affiliate Program of 2017 – Activewins
Most Annoying Affiliate Program of 2016 – Activewins
Most Annoying Affiliate Program of 2015 – Affutd et al
Most Annoying Affiliate Program of 2014 – Affutd
Most Annoying Affiliate Program of 2013 – Europartners
Most Annoying Affiliate Program of 2012 – Affiliate Marketing spam
Most Annoying Affiliate Program of 2011 – Mansion Affiliates
Most Annoying Affiliate Program of 2010 – Bewinners
Most Annoying Affiliate Program of 2009 – Group Award – Sloppy stupid spammy affy managers
Most Annoying Affiliate Program of 2008 – Mighty Slots
Most Annoying Affiliate Program of 2007 – Group Award – Spammy aff managers
Most Annoying Affiliate Program of 2006 – CPays
Most Annoying Affiliate Program of 2005 – CPays

Faceplant of The Year 2019

“Whoops – splat!”

Bufoonery at its finest. Hats off to Roshtein, a super-dooper popular streamer who would go into embarrassingly over-the-top dramatic seizures when making a massive win on his mindless streaming show. Sure, he was betting $50 a spin (like we all do), and it was pretty apparent that this was real money being wagered, so yeah – I get the excitement.

The thing is, this is a great way to target weak willed gamblers – or gamblers who are apprehensive on dumping a few hundred quid into a casino. “But look at this guy Roshtein win in a most colossal way. Maybe I can do that.” – these are the thoughts of probably hundreds of his devotees – many of whom are transfixed by his clown performances.

And then it was revealed from by some webmasters that he may have been using fake money to attain these impressively ginormous wins.

Splat against the sidewalk goes Roshtein’s face.

Do I sense a bit of Schadenfreude? To read about this faceplant, try delving into 43 pages of discussion here: Roshtein Outed Himself as Fake. You might learn something about the deceptive and predatory nature of this industry.

Faceplant Historical Awards

Faceplant of 2018 Betat and Slotty Vegas
Faceplant of 2017 Casumo/BetfashionTV
Faceplant of 2016 Big Time Gaming
Faceplant of 2015 Revenue Jet and Winpalace
Faceplant of 2014 – Tropica Casino
Faceplant of 2013 – Topgame/BetonSoft
Worst Blundering Screw up 2012 – Betfred
Worst Blundering Screw up 2011 – Betfair (again)
Worst Blundering Screw up 2010 – Betfair
Worst Blundering Screw up 2009 – Topgame
Worst Blundering Screw up 2008 – Casino Action Group
Worst Blundering Screw up 2007 – Virtual Casino’s 9/11 Promotion
Worst Blundering Screw up 2006 – English Harbour software glitch

Head in the Sand award

“Get yer head outta the sand!”

Even though the UKGC has mostly good intentions, in most cases – they lack any experience understanding players and what players want.

Here is a voice from the trenches that really needs to be heard.

From mcgameboy – Meister member, Meister Minion Awardee member, and Casinomeister Advisory group member.

UK Gambling Commission. They will ban feature buys, but they still won’t ban reversible withdrawals. 

I don’t think they help operators in any way either, due to a lack of absolute clarity of their own rules. Which only forces casinos into making their own interpretation of said rules. Which then results in some very over the top overreactions, including ridiculously unwarranted and intrusive requests for personal information that a casino really has no business asking for. To such a degree that players end up feeling disillusioned and wondering if depositing a bloody tenner to play some 9p spins on DOA is really worth the hassle. 

We already know that Mr.D (dunover) is on the brink of quitting slots for good because of this nonsense. 

Simply put, the UKGC need to be better or they will end up wrecking the industry in the UK.

And from another Meister member, CAG member, Meister Minion awardee: Lotusch

Head in the Sand Award – I have to go with the UKGC on this one. I can understand some of their recent actions but in general they are making it quite unpleasant now for UK players, UK facing casinos and affiliates. I am all for player protection but you can also overdo things.

I agree wholeheartedly. The UKGC needs to think about the repercussions that they are having on players – real online casino players. In fact, they need to recruit senior players for a think tank. This would be a way to go.

Head in the Sand Historical Awards

Head in the Sand Award 2018 – UKGC draconian regulatory methods
Head in the Sand Award 2017 – Affiliates not UKGC compliant
Head in the Sand Award 2016 – Betsoft
Head in the Sand Award 2015 – the “Bonus Beaters”, the “Bonus Whores”
Head in the Sand Award 2014 – Oblivious Players
Head in the Sand Award 2013 – Naive Affiliates
Head in the Sand Award 2012 – Lazy Affiliates
Head in the Sand Award 2011 – Casino Operator Bonus Pimps
Head in the Sand Award 2010 – Lotteries and Gaming Authority
Head in the Sand Award 2009 – Affiliates and Affiliate Managers
Head in the Sand Award 2008 – Hypocritical US Politicians
Head in the Sand Award 2007 – Players who Patronize the Rogues
Head in the Sand Award 2006 – The Entire Online Casino Industry
Head in the Sand Award 2005 – iGlobalMedia
Head in the Sand Award 2005 Runner Up – Chartwell Technologies

Fall From Grace 2019

“Spiraling downward from the graces of Casinomeister’s Accredited Casinos”

These awards are bestowed unto casinos that were once an integral part of Casinomeister, but for one reason or another fell from grace and lost their accredited status.

This year’s fall from grace is handed over to two casinos, which at one time were the crème de la crème when it came to being a highly rated Accredited Casino at Casinomeister. RedBet and Mr. Green.

Both Mr Green and Redbet were removed from the Accredited Casino section pretty much for giving a months’ long run-around with some player issues. It was like pulling teeth – trying to get these casinos to respond even though both had agreed to our standards.

Max and I were extremely patient concerning the amount of man-hours we committed to dealing with these few complaints, but the staff at Mr. Green/Redbet were not as responsive as I would have expected. Clearly not what I would have expected from one of our Accredited Casinos – and not meeting their obligations as accredited casinos.

I was promised several years ago by Redbet’s representative that all of the players coming from Casinomeister would be given VIP treatment Max was there and witnessed this agreement. This was bound by a handshake – and handshake agreements can be binding in a court of law – and definitely withi a business environment. But this is not binding with RedBet – they really could not care less. So the trust factor with these faceless entities have gone to zero – zilch.

Mr. Green is in the same nonchalant boating excursion. Same owners – same aloofness. Pooh pooh – and ta ta.

Sadly, years ago – the rep from Mr. Green has been to my house and we have even hiked in the local forest to a Biergarten in the woods with me. We saw eye-to-eye on a number of things – and most importantly – how players are to be treated and what is expected from an Accredited Casino.

But with this recent staff change, it’s an entirely different story. Now it’s speak-to-the-hand – and a no-can-do attitude towards Casinomeister to communicate about player issues.

They told us that they set up a “special department” to look at player issues, but in my opinion it’s just a big smokescreen – a bunch of “woo”. They still won’t look at player issues and their “special department” really only means they now have someone looking at the forums.

It’s truly sad to see how thankless these folks are – especially how in the early days, it was sites like Casinomeister that got them off the ground.

Fall From Grace Historical Awards

Fall From Grace Award 2018 – Fortune Lounge
Fall From Grace Award 2017 – Affiliate Edge/Vegas Partner Lounge/City Views/Bellerock/Buffalo Partners/Coral
Fall From Grace Award 2016 – Bet365(reinstated)/Betway/Betting Partners(reinstated)
Fall From Grace Award 2015 – Skybet and AffiliateHub – quitters
Fall From Grace Award 2014 – Wagershare casinos/Ladbrokes
Fall From Grace Award 2011 – GoWild Casino
Fall From Grace Award 2010 – Rushmore, Bwin, Betfair
Fall From Grace Award 2006 – Minivegas, Mansion, City Club Casino
Fall From Grace Award 2005 – Fortune Lounge (reinstated)
Fall From Grace Award 2005 Runner Up – Captain Cooks Casino

Stupidest Named Casino of 2019

Boardroom setting somewhere on the Internet:

CEO: “So, Joe – what do you have for us as a new casino name – we really want to get this thing launched!”
Joe: “I’ve got the perfect name, boss. Picture this…a casino that is a casino – but even more of a casino – it is double the casino – twice as much casino as you could even dream of. It’s double the casino in your mind. We can call it…wait for it…’Casino Casino‘!”

Pause for dramatic effect.

CEO: “That’s brilliant, Joe!! Why didn’t I think of this myself? Amazingly thought out, Joe! A casino – double in size in your mind – Casino Casino. Wow! You deserve a raise young man.”

So yes, folks. CasinoCasino.com is the recipient of this coveted award. High fives all around the boardroom at L&L Europe.

Runner up:

Syndicate casino – really? That’s like naming your casino Mafia Casino. Oops, that’s already been done here: Worst Named Casino 2007

Stupidest Name Casino Historical Awards

Stupidest Named Casinos of 2018 Cozyno
Stupidest Named Casinos of 2017 Ramses Gold, Burnbet, Smashing Casino
Stupidest Named Casinos of 2016 Bumbet, Ares Casino, Play7777, MrRingo, Pornhub
Stupidest Named Casinos of 2015 A bunch of ’em
Stupidest Named Casinos of 2014 – ToBwin/Buck and Butler/Llama casino
Stupidest Named Casinos of 2013 – WinTrillionsCasino/TrendCasino/LuckyPantsBingo
Stupidest Named Casino of 2012 – Loco Panda/Loco Jungle
Stupidest Named Casino of 2011 – iButlerCasino
Stupidest Named Casino of 2010 – Majestic Comet Casino/Yes We Can Casino
Stupidest Named Casino of 2009 – Mayflower Casino
Stupidest Named Casino of 2008 – Ministering Angel Casino
Stupidest Named Casino of 2007 – Simon Says Casino
Stupidest Named Casino of 2006 – XXL Club Casino

Tangled Web Award 2019

Oh it's a tangled web we weave

Shilly Shills from Shill-town

“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive…” The “Tangled Web Award” is bestowed upon those persons or entities that have gone to great lengths to either deceive, trick, or fool the public into believing something that is not true – and then they get caught out in a major way.

This year the tangled web is handed over to Stakers.com for relentlessly sending an army of shills who pummeled our forum with tales of gambling glee i.e. how awesome this casino treats its players, how amazing their games are, etc. Sometimes several a day would end up in the same thread praising stakers.com where the ban hammer came down swiftly and effectively.

Eight of these morons signed up within minutes of each other.

Sending waves of shills to a popular gambling forum is not only ethically challenged, it pretty much underscores the fact that this casino does not give a flying rat’s ass about our gambling community. They would rather fling a bunch of BS laden crap our way, create more work for our moderators, and insult the intelligence of our valued members. They should get the asshole of the year award, but I chose them for the Tangled Web award since it’s a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive…

Historical Tangled Web Awards

Tangled Web Award 2018 – Club World Casino
Tangled Web Award 2017 – 1xslot
Tangled Web Award 2016 – Affpower Casino Group
Tangled Web Award 2015 – Playros Shills
Tangled Web Award 2014 – Tobwin/77Jackpots/1Bet2Bet/

Sitting on One’s Hand Award 2019

“Dum dee doo – la dee da”

The UKGC has been sitting firmly on their hands since their inception. Sure, they are implementing some proper regulation to the UK market, but it’s a tool of the UK government that seems to be more concerned about posturing itself and slapping million dollar fines on companies that trade in the billions for bad advertising – advertising that offends those that could be harmed by online gambling.

What they have turned a blind eye to are the companies that are based in Curacao that are targeting players with gambling addiction, or their UK based affiliates who target the same folks, or the operations that own these companies that target addicted gamblers. Is knowingly targeting a player with gambling addiction a moral or criminal offense? Well this government body should get up and actually do something about this instead of sitting on their hands and watching these events unfold.

For further information, please refer to the Bag of Dicks Award 2020.

Sitting on One’s Hands Historical Awards

Sitting on One’s Hands Award 2018 – Curaçao JAZ 1668
Sitting on One’s Hands Award 2017 – USA
Sitting on One’s Hands Award 2016 – USA
Sitting on One’s Hands Award 2015 – USA
Sitting on One’s Hands Award 2014 – Playtech
Sitting on One’s Hands Award 2013 – Playtech
Sitting on One’s Hands Award 2012 – RTG
Sitting on One’s Hands Award 2011 – Malta Lottery and Gaming Authority
Sitting on One’s Hands Award 2010 – Malta Lottery and Gaming Authority
Sitting on One’s Hands Award 2009 – Malta Lottery and Gaming Authority
Sitting on One’s Hands Award 2008 – Malta Lottery and Gaming Authority
Sitting on One’s Hands Award 2007 – Kahnawake Gaming Commission – RTG
Sitting on One’s Hands Award 2006 – Real Time Gaming

Fourth Point of Contact 2019

“Head is where the sun don’t shine…”

Curacao
Curacao
award_beer

The “fourth point of contact” is US paratrooper lingo for the fourth point of your body as it hits the ground during a parachute landing fall. RE: Balls of the feet, calf, thigh, buttocks, push up muscle. In other words, it’s yer ass.

Those folks who have their heads so far up their asses to win this awesome accolade live in the sun kissed pair-a-dice called Curaçao. Specifically, those who are running the sham master license JAZ 1688. There are loads of casinos using pirated software with this license. And in most cases, as soon as they get spotted, the casinos remove the software and say “whoopsie!” Meanwhile this confidence scam of a licensing jurisdiction just collects the checks from their rogue licensees. There is no compliance. There is no player protection. There are only a group of people sitting around with their heads up their asses who couldn’t give a rat’s ass about their reputation nor this industry.

Fourth Point of Contact Historical Awards

Fourth Point of Contact Award 2018 – Curaçao
Fourth Point of Contact Award 2017 – Curaçao
Fourth Point of Contact Award 2016 – Sheldon Gary Adelson
Fourth Point of Contact Award 2015 – Playtech
Fourth Point of Contact Award 2014 – Sheldon Gary Adelson
Fourth Point of Contact Award 2013 – Playtech
Fourth Point of Contact Award 2012 – Forum Trolls
Fourth Point of Contact Award 2011 – US Department of Justice
Fourth Point of Contact Award 2010 – Hyperactive Affiliates
Fourth Point of Contact Award 2009 – Congressman Spencer Bachus
Fourth Point of Contact Award 2008 – Kentucky State Governor Steve Beshear

Biggest Disappointment 2019

The Biggest Disappointment I

The biggest disappointment I fear this year is the UKGC being seemingly convinced that gambling is bad, and that their primary function is to save those that might be harmed.

When they first began to regulate the UK online gaming industry, they ‘ve been working from an inexperienced point of reference. They really didn’t know what they were doing it seemed, but in a few years they were ok.

But in 2019, they seemed hell-bent on just shutting down the industry with draconian regulations (RE: source of wealth requirements), and handing out fines to their licensees in a whack-a-mole fashion. A number of casinos are bailing from the UK market because of these actions.

The UKGC doesn’t assist these licensees with advice. It’s our way or the highway it seems according to them, but their way is unclear sometimes and the casinos just don’t know what to do.

Now there is talk of a £2 pound limit for game play. This will kill the UK market, and not many casinos will abide by this and just bail for the UK.

But what is truly disappointing is that this regulator doesn’t have the faintest idea how gamblers think, how they behave, their needs and expectations. Enforcing draconian regulations on casinos that directly affect players will drive these players away from the regulated market, and into the deep abyss of unregulated rogue casinos. That is what will happen if this £2 pound limit for each bet goes into play. funny how the land based casinos in the UK don’t subscribe to the same nannyism. How disappointing.

The Biggest Disappointment II

Big Time Gaming. I hope this isn’t a case of resting on one’s laurels, but players aren’t happy:

Voices from the trenches:

Big Time Gaming – they have become stale. They seem to be churning out new releases at a much more rapid rate than in previous years, which makes me think they are more preoccupied with releasing 10 mediocre slots per year instead of 3 great ones. Even the streamers are beginning to become collectively disillusioned with their mediocre efforts.- mcgameboy

This one is easy – BTG, simply because all of their slots are horrible unplayable money gobbling monsters except for Danger High Voltage which is their only slot I can really appreciate. 

In the beginning the Megaways© engine seemed a nice new addition but nowadays it is so over exploited, it is just a blatant joke. … I wonder sometimes do they even still have people working in their game development… – Lotusch

It has to be BTG. They have flogged megaways to death that it no longer appears new and innovative, it has become ‘same old same old’ for me.- greylady

The BTG smoke and mirror show continues – brianmon

Quantity over quality with megaways slots… 90% of them are just absolute bullshit – curremon

So, c’mon BTG. You can do better than that. I hope there is something in 2020 that will turn this trend around.

Biggest Disappointment Historical Awards

Biggest Disappointment Award of 2018 – The Australian Government
Biggest Disappointment Award of 2017 – The Australian Government
Biggest Disappointment Award of 2016 – Curaçao License – White Label Runners
Biggest Disappointment Award of 2015 – Bad Attitudes and White Labels
Biggest Disappointment of 2014 – US Market
Biggest Disappointment of 2013 – US Corporate Arrogance and Naivety
Biggest Disappointment of 2012 – Betfair/888.com
Biggest Disappointment of 2011 – Betfair/GRA
Biggest Disappointment of 2010 – HR 2267, US Market, Rival Gaming, Top Gaming
Biggest Disappointment of 2009 – Microgaming, CAP Spring Break, Rushmore Group
Biggest Disappointment of 2008 – Malta’s LGA, White Label Casino Operators, Microgaming
Biggest Disappointment of 2007 – Watching US players being thrown to the wolves
Biggest Disappointment of 2006 – Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act
Biggest Disappointment of 2005 – “Abused” Casino Operators (again)
Biggest Disappointment of 2004 – “Abused” Casino Operators
Biggest Disappointment of 2003 – Truegambler’s Cheating Software report/Oddson Software

Evil Player 2019

Evil Player Award: Delgotti aka Brandon Walsh, Hyzenburg, MissVero1 …

Early in 2018 a player came to us with a perfectly reasonable complaint: being a player from the US he was one of many that were being free-rolled by Bob Casino (see our Warning, Bob Casino VS US Players, for details). So far so good.

As it happened we weren’t actually able to help him much because the casino didn’t respond to his complaint, hence the Warning, but that wasn’t good enough for this guy. He started telling us who we should be trying to track down in Curacao — the casino’s licensing jurisdiction — and how we should be conducting our complaints processing. When we didn’t do as he asked he claimed that he was an FBI agent and threatened to get us into trouble for aiding and abetting casino crime.

When we confronted him with the obvious issues related to his threats he responded with “give me a break, I’m only 14.” Again we confronted him and that prompted him to send an email pretending to be his mother threatening us with legal action for corrupting minors and letting her “lovely boy” be tempted into gambling.

Needless to say we showed him to the door. Except that wasn’t what he had in mind. Over the next 18 months he signed back on to the forums several times, sometimes to exploit our PAB service with one of his many faked identities, sometimes to openly defend his previous actions (on and off the forums), and sometimes to bring us “sock puppet” moments where he’d speak out in “anonymous” support and with sympathetic understanding for one or more of his alter-ego’s plight. Every time we busted him he’d go away and then, weeks or months later, there he was again like a bad penny that won’t stay gone.

His latest return was earlier this month, a full two years since he first crossed our virtual doorstep, shameless and deceitful as ever.

Evil Player’s Historical Awards:

Evil Player 2018– rotten fraudsters
Evil Player 2017– asshole guy
Evil Player 2016– Chipmunk_936
Evil Player 2015 – HIGHIQ
Evil Player 2014 – HIGHIQ
Evil Player 2013 – Group award to scammers
Evil Player 2012 – Rrao
Evil Player 2011 – Gid88
Evil Player 2010 – Diamondale
Evil Player 2009 – Kildare
Evil Player 2008 – BigRounder72
Evil Player 2007 – Actoreddie
Evil Player 2006 – Group award to all fraudsters
Evil Player 2005 – NY05
Evil Player 2004 – Evil Stephan
Evil Player 2003 – Rainfall
Evil Player 2002 – Evil RhondaX

Bag of Dicks Award 2019

bag of dicks

“For the Dickish move of the year…”

This award is given to those who go beyond the call of duty at being dickish, and since we’re talking about a group of people, it’s a bag of dicks.

This year our Bag of Dicks is handed over to the ethically challenged affiliate webmasters who knowingly and actively engage in targeting problem gamblers.

In the UK, there is a program that allows players to exclude themselves from gambling – it prohibits them from signing up at UK based casinos – it’s called Gamstop. As a player, you can go to the Gamstop website, register, and whammy – you are now blocked from all UKGC casinos for whatever time period you want to choose.

So, a self-excluded player who resides in the UK cannot play at any of these UKGC licensed casinos. Sounds great, right? Well it is, except that loads of these players may suffer from serious gambling addiction. So what they might do is search the Internet for “casinos that are not blocked by Gamstop” – and lo and behold, there are a multitude of websites that list the casinos – ones that are not blocked by Gamstop. And guess what? Affiliate webmasters are creating these pages.

These are the dicks – the affiliate webmasters that target gambling addicted players. The casinos listed on these predatory pages (like at nonstopcasino.co.uk, mobilecasinokings.com, choicecasinos.com, pokerplayernewspaper.com, maxfreebets.co.uk, and casinomir.com) list nothing but roguish unregulated clip shot joints. Bronze casino for one – this casino accepts bets from players who admit having gambling problems. We have the screenshots to prove it.

So these webmasters are targeting this phrase, knowing that scores of people who were trying to get around Gamstop would visit their site, and that they – the affiliate webmasters – would earn a profit from the losses of these problem gamblers. Knowingly and purposely targeting these folks – what utter loathsomeness.

Even Shithole Casino.com picked up this story in its own original colorful way: Shithole-affiliates.

So – what a bag of dicks. I hope the UKGC gets off their asses and have these people locked up. But I wouldn’t count on that – see the Sitting on Their Hands Award for 2019.

What a bunch of dicks.

Bag of Dicks Historical Awards

Bag of Dicks 2018 – The mother of all Shaftings
Bag of Dicks 2017 – Affiliate Edge

Forum Highlights of 2019

“The Best Forum on the Planet”

Each year I tout how lucky I am – I have the best online community on the planet at my fingertips. Each year I am at a loss of words on how much I appreciate the members of Casinomeister’s Forum. Sure there is a lot of great content there – but it’s the people who make it what it is.

And yeah, I appreciate everyone – those who encourage thoughtful, informative banter, those who help police the site by reporting spam attacks, and those who lighten up conversations that might be spiraling into a flame war. I especially appreciate the members who remind me of the importance of having a well-balanced approach to any issue that comes our way – even the posters who get under my skin now and then. Those are the ones who keep me in check – making sure that any decisions that I make are not fraught with either bias or emotionalism.

So here’s a cyber “cheers” to our community. Regular members and the moderators – the beers are on me.

award_beer

Here are just a sprinkling of some of 2019’s highlights:


Popular Slots Threads 2019

Popular Exclusive Contests/ Tournaments 2019

User’s Contests:

Controversial :

Off-Topic:

Top Popular Winner Screenshots:


Complaints!
You want to complain? Just look at these shoes! – what would our forum be without complaints! Most of these were either resolved or ended up being processed and placed in our Casino Warning section.


Webmaster Corner
We saw a large spike in affiliates signing up in the forum (and a number of players becoming affiliates). There are plenty of good threads there. Some good threads in the Affiliate Issues section. To include a number of affiliate programs giving guidance for their UK-facing partners.


Screenshots-O-Rama

Screenshots-O-Rama: – is one of the most popular spots in our forum: winner screenshots, worst screenshots, high roller screenshots, low roller, we’ve got them all. And now, with the new forum software, you can search for your friends’ screenshots in their user profile. Yeah!


This was only the tip of the iceberg called Casinomeister’s forum. There are loads of threads I wasn’t able to review before getting these awards out.

And if you are not a member, why not? You are missing out on a lot of interaction with some very cool people – and a few lunatics as well. You can register here.

I am grateful for such a fantastic community. Thank you everyone for making this possible.

Forum Highlights Historical Awards

Forum Highlights of 2018
Forum Highlights of 2017
Forum Highlights of 2016
Forum Highlights of 2015 – Both a crazyman’s and a gambler’s dream
Forum Highlights of 2014 – Both a crazyman’s and a gambler’s dream
Forum Highlights of 2013 – It was a wild year
Forum Highlights of 2012 – A whole bunch of stuff
Forum Highlight of 2011 – De-roguing Grand Privé, Questions on RTP, Casinos and Responsive Gambling
Forum Highlight of 2010 – A Poll that Made a Difference
Forum Highlight of 2009 – Software Provider Intervenes with Rogue Casino
Forum Highlight of 2008 – Cynthial and Swede gettin’ hitched

Best Casino Representative of 2019

“Problem solvers and amicable ladies and gents”

Jan from L&L Europe has been a daily fixture in our forum. He not only oversees the forum to ensure that the forum membership is satisfied with the L&L Europe group of casinos, but he participates in daily banter about industry issues, casino games, player issues, and gambling in general. Jan has become a daily voice and avoids drama, and is able to deal with any player issue that comes his way in an amicable, knowledgeable, professional manner that indicates he is an exceptional casino representative.

Jan truly understands the philosophy of a competitor-friendly environment that this industry needs. Only the most professional and savvy representatives understand the value of this – so his competitors should take a leaf from his book of Tips for Casino Forum Representatives. Impressive.

Casino Representative Historical Awards

Casino Representative of 2018 Conor from Trada
Casino Representative of 2017 Daniel from Videoslots
Casino Representative of 2016 Mark 32Red Plc
Casino Representative of 2015 Mark 32Red Plc
Casino Representative of 2014 – BETAT

Forum Member Achievement Award 2019

“Jasminebed”

Linda, aka Jasminebed, earns this award for her amazingly unfailing participation in our forum. She’s been a member since 13 March 2008 and has posted over 6400 times these past eleven and a half years. Jasminbed is one of the few members who have achieved the level of Paleo-meister (only 17 members including myself). She’s savvy, smart, witty and is a gem of a member. When a newbie is looking for advice, you can count on Jasminebed chiming in and giving some well-thought-out guidance – which is one of the reasons our community is second to none. Members like Jasminebed make this possible.

Her dedication to making this a home away from home for many has not gone unnoticed. Thank you, Linda, for making Casinomeister’s forum a delightful and insightful place to be.

In Case you haven’t read yet, here you can find an interview with her: Jasminebed Interview

Member Achievement Award Historical

Member Achievement 2018 – Trancemonkey
Member Achievement 2017 – Kasino King
Member Achievement 2016 – Jetset

Most Awesome Screenshot 2019

Another year full of incredible screenshots sent by our great community, and as 2018, we made a Poll with a List of 9 TOP Candidate Awesome screenshots taken from our community. 

After several days of voting, it has finally been chosen as the Most Awesome Screenshot of the Year 2019  with a clear difference:

Divine fortune  Mega Jackpot by ssrrlldog 

“Won this progressive in May last year – played today for 40p bets and look what happened! … “
>Read full story and Forum’s Reactions here.

Congrats ssrrlldog!

There were other big wins and Awesome Multipliers to mention here:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/wKK50StIoyw?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1
  • Highest multiplier at CM about DOA2 by @bizzy80 ( x46758) “Today just had biggest win ever on slots … and it happened on my fav slot…DOA2 x46758 result won 42082.9£ on a 0.9£ bet…”

So, Congrats to all the amazing winners, and of course, play with caution, guys.

Historical  Most Awesome Screenshot of the year

Awesome Screenshot of 2018 – 102k win on Chain Reactors Slot on WilliamHill
Awesome Screenshot of 2017 – Queen Of Riches on Casumo
Awesome Screenshot of 2016 – Dead or Alive on CasinoHeroes
Awesome Screenshot of 2015 – Dead or Alive
Awesome Screenshot of 2014 – Pat Royal

In Memoriam 2019

in-memoriam
Brian Cullingworth – Member Achievement Award 2016

We lost Brian Cullingworth this year aka Jetset. This was a real shocker to us. Brian was in integral part of Casinomeister – he’d been a close friend and confidant since the very early days of this website. Brian provided not only our infopowa news but also gave me sage advice when it came to the decisions I would be making about Casinomeister – its direction and its goals.

Brian was instrumental in solving player issues back in the early days – his player philosophy mirrored that of mine and of this site. We implemented many of these ideas into our arbitration service which focused on fairness for the player and operator.

But not only that, he was a close friend, and we enjoyed each other’s company very much. Brian is sorely missed here not only at Casinomeister, but in our lives.
 
There is more about Brian here: Sad news – Jetset has passed away

In Memoriam Historical Awards

In Memoriam  2018 -Gary Beal
In Memorian 2017 – Donna Polen