IGC's Statement:
JULIE SIDWELL WILL BE MISSED BY THE ONLINE GAMING INDUSTRY
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, December 18, 2003 The Interactive Gaming Council joins the worldwide online gaming community in mourning the death of Julie Sidwell, who passed away Wednesday night at her home in College Station, Texas.
Julie had recently begun working for eCOGRA (e-Commerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance) as the Fair Gaming Advocate for the London-based organization.
Julie was best known for her work with Gambling.com, one of the earliest portals for the online gaming industry. Until September, she was the Administrator of the Gambling Grumbles section of Gambling.com, mediating disputes between players and online casinos for nearly four years.
Players emailed Julie with their complaints and she worked tirelessly at tracking down the casino managers, trying to get both sides of the story. In Gambling Grumbles, she summarized the results of her investigations. In many instances, grateful players received the money that they had previously been denied. Julie pursued scores of cases, whether the disputes involved $100 or $10,000.
In this largely unregulated industry, there are numerous sites and individuals who act as watchdogs. Unlike many, however, Julie did her work with style and grace. She laid out the facts as she understood them, and her tone never reflected anger.
The many players who received assistance from Julie, of course, never met her. They could not have known that the last years of her life were filled with pain. Complications from a horseback riding accident left her immobile most of the time. She worked from her bedroom, which she often could not leave for days on end.
Those of us in the industry were blessed to know her personally, said Rick Smith, Executive Director of the IGC. She made tremendous effort to attend most of the industrys major conventions. She was usually in a wheelchair, and she tired easily from all of the activity. But her spirit was wonderful. She always seemed cheerful, and was a pleasure to be around.
Julie also wrote articles for Gambling Online magazine, and she worked with several casino operators to train staff in dispute resolution.
Julie cared deeply about our industry, said Sue Schneider, chair of the IGC, but she never lost her primary focus, which was looking out for the players. She had a special talent, allowing her to be respected by not only the CEOs who run online gaming companies but also their players.
Julie was my friend, said Micki Oster, a longtime colleague. We shared many fun and happy times together. Professionally, Julie always conducted herself with integrity, and the respect she earned from both the industry insiders as well as the players was well-deserved. I am so proud to have known her.
Our thoughts and prayers go to Julies husband, Herb, who patiently helped her cope with the demands of travel to industry gatherings, and to her daughters and other family members. Julies funeral will be held next week.
