I'm sure that Bryan already has these done....and is just organizing it all, but wanted to throw my two cents worth in anyway.
Best Overall Casino - 32Red. What can I say? Day in, day out.....year in, year out....they just keep getting it right. Payments in under 24 hrs, 7 days a week. Email support response in under half an hour, ALWAYS. Other than a few issues with MG themselves ie. software....another pretty much complaint free year. There were a couple of issues (more software related), that were dealt with quickly and efficiently.
And the staff? My beloved Susan is gone....but we still have Jonathan, Dominic, STEVE F (LOL Steve...how's that?), the Lauras, Jayne, David, Kerry, Mark (promotional manager) and probably others that I've missed. Each and every one top notch and extremely capable at their jobs.
Not much more anyone can say really.
Best Manager - Pat Harrison. Always on top of any issues that arise, no matter how big or small. Perfect example...there was an issue with CC deposits this past weekend, and of course neither Dale nor Pat are around so I brought it to the attention of regular support...who assured me it would be looked after on Monday. Sure enough, first thing this morning, I had an email from Pat, asking for more details....and we went through a few things, and test runs. They have now pinpointed the problem, and I believe it's fixed. Point is....how many times have you heard casino support tell you that they will "escalate" your issue to management, payments, whoever..only to never hear another word? Happens all the time at lesser casinos, with lesser managers. Not here, and not with him. He absolutely deserves this again.
Well done again Ed and Pat, for assembling such a fine cast of characters. Any casino will only be as good as the people who operate it and the people who work there. Kudos to all!!
Best US Facing Casino - Gotta be 3Dice for the originality of games, the super
fast payouts (especially to US players), the top notch customer support staff, the ongoing tournaments...and Enzo himself (who again, goes above and beyond). A unique playing experience and yet another casino with very few, if any, legit complaints posted against it. They are doing it all right....and other casinos who continue to accept US customers should take a look at how they do things. The other thing I really like about 3Dice is the no affiliate program. It stands to reason without having to pay affiliates that 25% to 35% commission.....that money gets kicked back to players, in one form or another. Overall, a really good business model.
Worst Software - It's a tossup for me between Rival and TopGame...but I'd have to with TopGame just for all the major software issues they had this past year. Not the least of them being, the missing 192k from the Dougie's Delights game....that to my knowledge, never was returned. Rival for that stupid Irish Luck fiasco, and the worst white label business model I've ever seen. Players who don't even take bonuses get bonus banned, because they happened to get lucky and win. Complete and utter joke these guys are...with the exception of Slotocash....who should actually win an award for managing to rise above the antics of Rival themselves.
Best New Game This Year - Toss up for me between the Stickshifter slot at 3Dice and Hellboy. Love em both. Stickshifter is completely original and Hellboy is just a really cool game IMO. Potential big wins, but low enough variance to keep it interesting.
That's all I can think of for now....really looking forward to Bryan's choices. It's always a great read.
What I mean is, the best/most innovative feature/contribution from an online casino outside of new slots/games etc...
Just have to add a strap that explains it doesn't include slots lol.
