What has been your biggest disappointment in the industry?

[Valhalla]

Given that you've been doing this for a long time Bryan, I'm sure you've seen plenty of ups and downs. But what has been the single biggest disappointment (provided you're allowed to talk about it)?
Maybe a person or a business entity royally screwed up and let you (and the industry) down big time? Maybe there's been so many low points on this rollercoaster you couldn't pick just one

Hopefully I'm not seen as being extremely nosy. The headline does say "ask anything"

 

[Casinomeister]

LOL - I'm going to take the weekend to dwell on this one. Believe me, I've been disappointed way more than encouraged with this industry - which is still screwed up after all these years IMO.

 

[dionysus]

Shuffling Canada off to the side because of 'proximity' to our neighbours to the south.

 

[Valhalla]

LOL - I'm going to take the weekend to dwell on this one. Believe me, I've been disappointed way more than encouraged with this industry - which is still screwed up after all these years IMO.

I'm looking forward to it

 

[KasinoKing]

Are other people allowed to answer?

If so, the biggest one:
The USA gambling ban in 2006 which forced all the most reputable casinos with the best software to leave America.

Other major disapointments, roughly in order:
Getting stabbed in the back by Sky Vegas
Getting stabbed in the back by Ladbrokes
Getting stabbed in the back by Bet Victor
Getting ripped-off big time by Lucky Spins Affilaites
Refilliates selling out to rogues and stealling ALL my players
Fast Track selling out to rogues
Affiliate Edge turning into to rogues

KK

 

[jetset]

Are other people allowed to answer?

If so, the biggest one:
The USA gambling ban in 2006 which forced all the most reputable casinos with the best software to leave America.

Other major disapointments, roughly in order:
Getting stabbed in the back by Sky Vegas
Getting stabbed in the back by Ladbrokes
Getting stabbed in the back by Bet Victor
Getting ripped-off big time by Lucky Spins Affilaites
Refilliates selling out to rogues and stealling ALL my players
Fast Track selling out to rogues
Affiliate Edge turning into to rogues

KK

My word, makes one realise how risky the affiliate sector can be

 

[jetset]

Playtech operators holding on to progressive jackpot winnings and eking them out to players instead of paying out in one tranche...and those occasions where players have been persuaded into taking a lesser amount in order to get the cash payment they were entitled to.

The spectacular descent into roguedom of the formerly respected CWC-Affiliate Edge.

The total disinterest in numerous player issues exhibited by the Curacao jurisdiction and the apparent lack of will to make an effort to improve.

Those huge online poker scams that mostly left players screwed - Absolute, Purple Lounge, Lock and others.

Endless player anecdotes of relentless spamming without any opt-in, and the related mystery of where spammers manage to buy lists of casino player email addresses.

There are many more....too many.

 

[dunover]

I can't speak for Bryan, I'm sure he will answer in due course, but his look of disappointment when us Meister members bust his bar limit at Waxy O'Connors last month will surely be up there......

Seriously, my thoughts lie with players who've lost money when supposedly solid casinos with a supposedly top jurisdiction like Purple Lounge can deliberately seep cash out of the business at the expense of those players. Even now the UKGC 'Level 1' (lowest) of funds protection gives the player about the same protection as the director hiding cash under his mattress.

The rise and rise of mainly Israeli-based casino and affiliate malpractice and fraud, out of reach of the EU and seemingly everybody else.

The existence of the fat lecherous unshaven sweaty bastard with the stained tropical suit covered in cigar ash, swigging scotch under a creaky ceiling fan in a jungle hut while rubber-stamping operator licenses for 20 bucks and a bottle of spirits, that then morph into something we know as a 'Curacao Gaming License'.

And of course the latest episode of Israeli theft, fraud and dishonesty.

But we will survive it, learn from it and be more careful hence.

 

[Valhalla]

Bryan, I await with baited breath

 

[Casinomeister]

Bryan, I await with baited breath

You have bait in your breath?



Funny how Jetset stole my thunder. My biggest disappointment covers a few things all equally disappointing.

Playtech's scandalous behavior when the operator of Joyland casino confiscated half of a multi-million dollar progressive win from a player who didn't know any better. Why so disappointing? Well, not because of the rogueness - but because everyone involved turned away from it. No one gave a flying rat's ass. Not one Playtech operator had the courage to call the owner of Joyland casino out on this (Tedy Sagi). Not one regulator (they all know), not one media reporter. (the Guardian was notified - not newsworthy, Rolling Stone mag - ditto). Even MPs in the UK were notified - not a care. It's not like it was a secret. No one gives a shit.

There is great apathy in this industry.

There is an equal amount of stupidity as well. Look at the US market for instance. There are three States where one can legally place a bet at a NetEnt or WMS, IGT etc. casino. No one else has gotten the brains to figure it out yet, even though Europe has been the leader in proper and effective regulation. So what happens? duh - the US punters are stuck with having figure out who is rogue and who is not. They are going to gamble whether the Bible thumping politicians want them to or not. Prohibition has never worked; proper compliance and regulation does.

Affiliates who support rogue operators. The main reasons why rogue casinos can whether the storm is because there are enough affiliates who want the piece of the pie so badly that they toss their own morals and ethics to the wind. I've heard the mantra: they pay me so they have to be good. Suckers, greedy bastards, or they are not committed to a healthy playing field. How is anyone supposed to trust these guys?

And I wanted to add: The assholes who think that you need to cheat in order to make a profitable business in this industry. The list is long - very long. We've seen the likes of the Rushmore Group, Winpalace Group, Affpower, and now we possibly have the new Affiliate Edge group. Sad, really sad.

 

[Valhalla]

You have bait in your breath?

Bated

Thanks for the reply! Whilst they were probably obvious answers it is easy to see why you'd choose them. I really don't think online gaming could possibly get any lower than Joyland's disgraceful act.
I don't understand why Playtech act so irresponsibly with progressive jackpots, when the company are ENORMOUS - revenue of €630m in 2015. Simply paying out a progressive direct to the player should be a no-brainer, but they allow casinos to steal off them and all others who add to the pot (having said that, the casinos they are stealing off would probably do the same if they had the opportunity, but even so). It's farcical and bizarre.

I agree with the other points but just want to sum it up by saying - it is incredibly frustrating. So many rogues, so many stupid people spoiling the fun and in many cases ruining lives. Oh what a land it would be if they would all just play fair.
There's always gonna be bad apples, and in this industry they are rotten to the core.

 

[RichyJ75]

Playtech's scandalous behavior when the operator of Joyland casino confiscated half of a multi-million dollar progressive win from a player who didn't know any better. Why so disappointing? Well, not because of the rogueness - but because everyone involved turned away from it. No one gave a flying rat's ass. Not one Playtech operator had the courage to call the owner of Joyland casino out on this (Tedy Sagi). Not one regulator (they all know), not one media reporter. (the Guardian was notified - not newsworthy, Rolling Stone mag - ditto). Even MPs in the UK were notified - not a care. It's not like it was a secret. No one gives a shit.

Yes, truly shitty this kind of behaviour and the fact that no-one has properly backed up the player to get their winnings, save for people like ourselves cursing the ungentlemanly conduct of these rogue operators and sat here as keyboard warriors venting anger on these threads. However, I have a thought. I am fan of late night TV and every night I see numerous adverts for online casinos - some of which bore the tits off me and I tend to find reading the small print more interesting than the ad itself. Why can't these big boys of the business name and shame the crap operators? Duracell rubbish the opposition, Fairy washing up liquid trash the competition, etc. Come on 32 Red/Betfair/Slot Boss/Paddy Power/etc, publicly say you will pay the progressive jackpot in one hit (unlike Brand X casino who kept half the winnings for themselves), state how you are properly licensed and regulated with certified games, how safe you are, etc. Shock and scare your audience as to what can and has happened and guide them to a safe place to play! We all know you have slot and table games, now tell us something new as to why we should play with you.

Surely the decent operators would love to pick a fight and state facts about the shit in the industry and that they are honest and trustworthy? The general public would then be properly informed and the penny might drop in searching for facts about less honourable establishments and to avoid them, therefore more business for the good ones.

Just my thought.

 

[RichyJ75]

My biggest disappointment?

T&C's (to name one clause) which state we are not allowed to wager more than 30% of our deposit amount due to 'Irregular Play' and therefore grants the casino a privilege to forfeit and keep the players money.

Why? I seriously can't get my head round it. If I deposit £10, I am then limited to a max bet of £3. What if I win £200 within the rules? Why can't I then wager £5 a spin and what is so wrong with it? Why should I have to deposit a much larger amount to make a £5 bet when I only wanted to deposit £10? And why does making one bet of £5 then allow them to forfeit ALL winnings - including that won on the lesser amount?

Yes, I am still pissed off with Cosmik Casino for forfeiting £300+ from my account citing this rule, although they then changed the wording of their T&C's as I found their original version open to misinterpretation - they couldn't agree with this, but still felt it necessary to make the change following our 'discussion'! It's shit like this that can seriously affect with someones head - leading a player to believe they have won, then to remove their winnings with a pathetic loophole.

If the casino takes your money, accepts the bet and allows you to play it, then it should be legally binding. End of.

 

[Valhalla]

Yes, truly shitty this kind of behaviour and the fact that no-one has properly backed up the player to get their winnings, save for people like ourselves cursing the ungentlemanly conduct of these rogue operators and sat here as keyboard warriors venting anger on these threads. However, I have a thought. I am fan of late night TV and every night I see numerous adverts for online casinos - some of which bore the tits off me and I tend to find reading the small print more interesting than the ad itself. Why can't these big boys of the business name and shame the crap operators? Duracell rubbish the opposition, Fairy washing up liquid trash the competition, etc. Come on 32 Red/Betfair/Slot Boss/Paddy Power/etc, publicly say you will pay the progressive jackpot in one hit (unlike Brand X casino who kept half the winnings for themselves), state how you are properly licensed and regulated with certified games, how safe you are, etc. Shock and scare your audience as to what can and has happened and guide them to a safe place to play! We all know you have slot and table games, now tell us something new as to why we should play with you.

Surely the decent operators would love to pick a fight and state facts about the shit in the industry and that they are honest and trustworthy? The general public would then be properly informed and the penny might drop in searching for facts about less honourable establishments and to avoid them, therefore more business for the good ones.

Just my thought.

This is one of the best ideas I've ever heard. And I mean that very sincerely.

 

[RichyJ75]

This is one of the best ideas I've ever heard. And I mean that very sincerely.

Cheers!

End of the day, we are all adults and the thought of getting £5 free to play with simply doesn't cut it. The ads seem to treat us like kids offering us pocket money to play with! Take the concept a bit more seriously, give us the simple facts - progressive payouts, wagering requirements, licencing, withdrawal time frames, etc. If they mentioned a factual horror story like the one mentioned earlier, I am sure sites like CM, the Pogg, etc would get more traffic instead of someone Google searching 'online casino' and simply picking out a funnily named one to play at thinking all casinos are the same.

Dog eat dog world, let the big casinos name and shame the rogue outfits which taint the industry.