15% of Online Casino Owners Have a Criminal Record According to New Study

[oncaga]

June 12, 2008 -- According to a new study financed by Link Removed (invalid URL) 15% of online casino owners have a criminal record. In an industry plagued by bad propaganda and a less then clean track record, this news comes as yet another hard blow....

Old / Expired Link

 

[jetset]

This is a gambling information portal. The Press Release states:

QUOTE:
This is according to a new study financed by Link Removed (invalid URL) and carried out by Professor Juan Manuel, expert in business development from the "Facultad de Ciencias Econmicas y Empresariales" of the Universidad del Itsmo in Guatemala. After an extensive research of industry owner backgrounds, Professor Juan Manuel found that 15% of online casino owners had a criminal record. The conclusion came from a random sample of 119 online casino owners. UNQUOTE

I would prefer to see a little more detail on how this survey was conducted and the information accessed, and that does not appear to be available on the portal concerned.

 

[Casinomeister]

It's a badly written study if that's all they're going to publish. This begs the question on which casinos, which jurisdictions, and which software providers are involved. And 15%? C'mon - you could turn this stat around and claim that 85% of the online casinos are run by operators with unblemished records. That sounds a lot better.

Looks like someone is just trying to get some attention

 

[BigJock]

It's a badly written study if that's all they're going to publish. This begs the question on which casinos, which jurisdictions, and which software providers are involved. And 15%? C'mon - you could turn this stat around and claim that 85% of the online casinos are run by operators with unblemished records. That sounds a lot better.

Looks like someone is just trying to get some attention

Ok this NEIGHBORHOOD is 85% Burglary free

 

[Mousey]

In additon to points already considered, it also depends on what sort of 'criminal records' he considered. The NETeller 2, owners of ESI in Canada, etc. also now have 'criminal records' according to the DoJ for simply carrying out business related to online gambling.

I also think that 119 is too small a sample.

 

[Simmo!]

Although the detail does seem thin, and assuming a criminal record is more than just a driving fine, I'd be interested in knowing which software the casinos with these owners are on. Wouldn't mind betting there aren't any Microgaming or Wagerworks casinos on that list

At the end of the day though, if there are casinos being run by people with significant criminal records, it highlights why regulating the industry is more important than simply sweeping it under the carpet.

 

[Roar]

Wouldn't mind betting there aren't any Microgaming or Wagerworks casinos on that list

How much have you got in mind, or rather, how much you got in your wallet?

/

 

[lots0]

Badly written study obviously with an agenda.

What I am curious about is how this guy found the info on the casino owners in the first place. That is info that is usually held very close to the vest by most of these outfits.

 

[pacers31]

Yes, and 100% of US players are now considered criminals! And most of us probably have traffic ticket convictions. Oh the shame!!! Guatamala?? Sounds like some kind of melon to me!LOL

 

[james01]

I've heard from more than one person that has worked with online casinos that the owners are often the type to go for get-rich-quick deals. I wouldn't be surprised to find that some of them have stepped over the line into things like embezzling and tax evasion.

 

[debbiek]

I would tend to believe that a certain percentage of "criminals' operate RTG casinos. Not only that, hardly any of these casinos will publish payout percentage which implies they are hiding something. I think they are more or less given a license to steal because of the unregulation and can change or alter the software to whatever they like.

I recently asked a casino that behaved reputably about payout percentages for 3 of their slot games. I haven't heard back. Even if they did respond, I'm not sure I'd believe it. With all the lowered payouts this year, I think all of these casinos see just how easy it is to make money by setting payout at unacceptable levels but won't let you know (even though you do know).

 

[jetset]

In additon to points already considered, it also depends on what sort of 'criminal records' he considered. The NETeller 2, owners of ESI in Canada, etc. also now have 'criminal records' according to the DoJ for simply carrying out business related to online gambling.

I also think that 119 is too small a sample.

Good points, Mousey

 

[james01]

119 is a small sample.
Plus, remember. There are lies, damned lies, and statistics!

 

[niklas]

Badly written study obviously with an agenda.

What I am curious about is how this guy found the info on the casino owners in the first place. That is info that is usually held very close to the vest by most of these outfits.

If they're that interested in hiding their identity I'll just assume that they're crooks!

 

[lots0]

If they're that interested in hiding their identity I'll just assume that they're crooks!

A lot of privately owned companies don't publicly release who the owners are, no matter what type of business they run.