Jackpot Factory's Inspirational Stories

[Pinababy69]

I've been pointed this thread today by someone who visited one of my websites. Maybe it was a member of the forum.

I'd bet it was the wonderful lady who offered to help me yesterday in getting the word out. She knows who she is.....thanks!!!

And Maxfalcon, thanks for the feedback. Glad to see another person who finds this as disgusting as alot of us do.

 

[vinylweatherman]

Still Going strong

Where do you keep finding this stuff? Bigflashcasino.com, casino--gambling.us, online--keno.com are either offline or give a MySQL server error.

Still going strong. seems they hid this so damn well they can't get rid of it!
Even when they do, it will hang around in caches and archives for ages, if not for ever. Searches on Google are now reflecting the BAD articles as well as the SEO they put up, depends on the search terms. The main damage has been done because of the official press release from eCogra, it ranks highly because it is on news sites and is propagating beyond the narrow confines of veteran online gamblers.
I think they are now "easy prey" for a well run casino company to make a bid, especially as they have a toehold in the mobile phone gaming market. This is big business, the motto is "kick 'em while they are down" - one they seem quite happy with themselves!

 

[rowmare]

Too Little, Too Late.

I noticed the lame seo on their casino pages a long time ago - but back then it consisted of lame little benign articles with a lot of key phrases and interlinking. I figured that, hey, If they want to make their sites look unprofessional - like spammy google adsense sites - then that's their problem. However, the nature of the articles are no longer benign. They are disgusting, tasteless and possibly harmful to a select group of individuals.

It's unfortunate that a reputable group of casinos has ruined their image by resorting to moronic and immoral SEO campaigns.

Whether or not the offending articles reflect the morals and ethics of the casino management, it is the casino management's responsibility to know what is published on the website at all times. The fact that the SEO work was alegedly outsourced does not diminish the Casino's responsibility for the content on their sites.

If the management was not aware of the slimey content of these pages, the fact that all the offending material was not taken down immediately once they were aware of it is very disturbing.


---

I've been following this thread, desperately trying to find some redeeming scrap of information in the Jackpot Group's favour. An honest confession combined with the immediate removal of the material would have been a nice start. The reason I wanted this group to somehow solve this problem: I like Lloyd and Brightshare (the Affiliate Program associated with the Jackpot Group), and I really didn't like to see them suffer due to the actions of individuals they have no control over. Lloyd took the high road at the CAP forum, meeting the problem head on by taking all the blame (even though Brightshare is not to blame), and not making any excuses for the error the casino committed. For that I deeply respect him.

Unfortunately, although the Casino Group has feigned attempts to step up to the plate, you could say they forgot the bat. Strike 3 and you're out. It's simply not acceptable that it's taken so long to remove the material and it's not acceptable that it was there in the first place.

---

I will be watching to see what eCOGRA's resolution in regards to this issue will be.

 

[greedygirl]

The reason I wanted this group to somehow solve this problem: I like Lloyd and Brightshare (the Affiliate Program associated with the Jackpot Group), and I really didn't like to see them suffer due to the actions of individuals they have no control over. Lloyd took the high road at the CAP forum, meeting the problem head on by taking all the blame (even though Brightshare is not to blame), and not making any excuses for the error the casino committed. For that I deeply respect him.

Are you kidding??? I can think of 100 reasons why I want this resolved, none of which involve Lloyd. Reasons such as this is absolutely unethical and reprehensible...it preys upon the weakest and most vulnerable...it is incredibly damaging to the industry (for so many reasons).

Don't get me wrong--Lloyd is one of the good guys and I consider him to be a friend. I can't think of anyone who knows him who doesn't feel similarly. While I absolutely empathize with his situation, you need to remember, dealing with this sort of crap is part and parcel of his position. Being an aff manager is part P.R. and part relationship building, and it takes the personality and brains to manage things effectively. Lloyd does this incredibly well, and he has more than proven his value in dealing with affiliates in this particular matter.

Sadly, it is not Lloyd who ultimately has control over this situation--it's Spiral. It is beyond comprehension why they are dragging their feet on this. There is a certain arrogance displayed by JF, by their seeming refusal to actively remove this content. I don't like to see Lloyd "suffer" as a result of all this, either, but if I am coming up with a list of reasons why this needs to be resolved, Lloyd does not even come up on my radar.

 

[rowmare]

Are you kidding??? I can think of 100 reasons why I want this resolved, none of which involve Lloyd. Reasons such as this is absolutely unethical and reprehensible...it preys upon the weakest and most vulnerable...it is incredibly damaging to the industry (for so many reasons).

No, I'm not kidding you.....greedygirl....no need to be unecessarily abrasive.

The other reasons this issue is deplorable has been said over and over again in this thread. By not repeating those '100' reasons, I was certainly not saying that the ONLY thing wrong was how it affected an affiliate manager and his company negatively.

 

[Pinababy69]

I really don't get it either. After reading CAP, the only feedback seems to be everyone praising Lloyd. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve it, he does. He's the ONLY one I've seen with enough balls to come and actually admit wrongdoing and accept responsibility, even though he had nothing to do with this. But what role does Lloyd play beyond that? This is not his mess, and the whole situation relates to Jackpot Factory, NOT Brightshare. If people want to continue to promote the casinos, that's their choice. But don't say it's because of Lloyd, the casinos are scummy with or without Lloyd.

 

[rowmare]

I guess my post wasn't clear at all!

My point was that the casino management is responsible for all that is published on the casino websites. That was the focus - whether or not the SEO content was outsourced, I hold the casino responsible for the content.

Whether or not the offending articles reflect the morals and ethics of the casino management, it is the casino management's responsibility to know what is published on the website at all times. The fact that the SEO work was alegedly outsourced does not diminish the Casino's responsibility for the content on their sites.

If the management was not aware of the slimey content of these pages, the fact that all the offending material was not taken down immediately once they were aware of it is very disturbing.

My secondary point was that, although Lloyd and Brightshare are a fine group to do business with and this whole fiasco is not their fault, and I am sorry to see them taking a fall for this, the casino has not stepped up to the plate appropriately over this issue, and deserve to be rogued.

...Lloyd took the high road at the CAP forum, meeting the problem head on by taking all the blame (even though Brightshare is not to blame), and not making any excuses for the error the casino committed. For that I deeply respect him.

Unfortunately, although the Casino Group has feigned attempts to step up to the plate, you could say they forgot the bat. Strike 3 and you're out...

Retrack your claws!

Emotions are running so high on this thread that any positive mention about anything or anyone who has any dealings with this casino group are going to be attacked?

 

[greedygirl]

No, I'm not kidding you.....greedygirl....no need to be unecessarily abrasive.

The other reasons this issue is deplorable has been said over and over again in this thread. By not repeating those '100' reasons, I was certainly not saying that the ONLY thing wrong was how it affected an affiliate manager and his company negatively.

The reason I wanted this group to somehow solve this problem: I like Lloyd and Brightshare (the Affiliate Program associated with the Jackpot Group), and I really didn't like to see them suffer due to the actions of individuals they have no control over.

I've read and re-read what you wrote about a dozen times, now. I wanted to make certain I'd been fair in what I'd written. The more I re-read that quote, the more convinced I am that I was probably understated in my reply.

On the one hand, I certainly understand that Lloyd is caught up in one hell of a mess. He has no fault in this.

You're statement, however, includes Brightshare, the aff program which is absolutely in the grips of Spiral/JF. It runs all within the same company and is all part of the Spiral/JF marketing machine. The fact that you like Brightshare, IMO, only serves to mean this program has been profitable for you. Were this program not profitable for you, I'm guessing you never would have made the above statement.

If you find my comments or point of view "unnecessarily abrasive," we clearly won't see eye to eye on this. I'm not however, about to apologize for what I've said.

And let's be clear about one thing...

Were it not for the Spiral/JF marketing machine, there would be no claws to "retrack." Don't expect anyone angered by this mess to stop sharpening them.

 

[rowmare]

I've read and re-read what you wrote about a dozen times, now. I wanted to make certain I'd been fair in what I'd written. The more I re-read that quote, the more convinced I am that I was probably understated in my reply.

On the one hand, I certainly understand that Lloyd is caught up in one hell of a mess. He has no fault in this.

You're statement, however, includes Brightshare, the aff program which is absolutely in the grips of Spiral/JF. It runs all within the same company and is all part of the Spiral/JF marketing machine. The fact that you like Brightshare, IMO, only serves to mean this program has been profitable for you. Were this program not profitable for you, I'm guessing you never would have made the above statement.

If you find my comments or point of view "unnecessarily abrasive," we clearly won't see eye to eye on this. I'm not however, about to apologize for what I've said.

And let's be clear about one thing...

Were it not for the Spiral/JF marketing machine, there would be no claws to "retrack." Don't expect anyone angered by this mess to stop sharpening them.

So the one thing I said that you took issue with was giving both Lloyd and Brightshare kudos, because Brightshare is "in the grips of" Spiral Solutions?

I'm not buying that crap.

If Brightshare is in the grips of Spiral Solutions and therefore owns some of the blame in this, then we should take it one logical step further and blame Lloyd, as he represents Brightshare. Why stop at Brightshare - Is it an attempt defend your baseless, abrasive comments?

 

[casinocrush]

You gotta be kidding

Hi all,

Not sure if this is my first public post here but either way, Hi and thanks to PNWgirl who emailed me about this topic. Having been offline a bit lately I was really shocked to read all of this (took me about 3 hours to read too!).

This is a real shame as I've always found JF group casinos to be well respected by players and affiliates alike - their customer support has been good for the most part, Lloyd @ Brightshare has (and I hope still will be) great on the affiliate side of things.

I don't want to get into any arguments or long and drawn out battles on here as it's not what I'm about, but I will keep an eye out on here. I'm sure a lot of this maybe repeating by my feelings on this are:-

The type of advertising/SEO activity that went on here was wrong - no doubt about it. However, I do side with those that they casino management maybe weren't aware (the way it often is in big companies) , however there is also no doubt that they SHOULD HAVE KNOWN AND STOPPED IT.

Now they are aware (and have been for 2 weeks now?) - I see that many of the pages have been removed (showing 404/not found), OR re-directed but this is not happening quickly enough.

I can understand that perhaps it's not as simple as 'pages of HTML' (maybe there is something a bit more 'technical' about how these pages are generated which perhaps is adding to their problems of taking it down). Perhaps database driven/apache mod re-writes etc? If "someone else" implemented all this with free reign and didn't pass on that information (which those employing them should have of course demanded) then I imagine it will take longer to 'unpick'.

I'm not impressed with JF's casino management responses on this subject. Of course I don't expect them to spend their life here (hopefully they are spending their time trying to resolve this!). However, they must admit they have either been misinformed, or they lied, (or are just very ignorant) - I would hope it was 'misinformed' because the group seemed to be very well liked by players and for 'one bad egg' (possibly managed by a couple of other bad eggs lol) to ruin the great work that many of their staff have achieved with providing a great player environment, it would just be in the very least a big shame.

I have written to Lloyd today pleading with him to 'do something' (if of course her can) because we can't let this group ruin it for the many good people and good places, just for the sake of not being able to admit their mistakes, apologise and get on with taking the crap down.

I see a few other 'webmasters' sites shown here are still showing banners for the group at the moment, but my 'warning' is with Lloyd (poor guy!) - if something is not done VERY soon (by the end of this week) then there will be no alternative but to remove them from all sites.

Come on JF Management - pull your finger out and tell us what you are doing, that you are aware of all the scummy ads out there remaining AND that you ARE getting rid of it (albeit slowly).. I was going to say 'before it's too late' but from what I can see here for many it seems that time may have passed.

Thanks everyone for all your informative posts - I have enjoyed reading many of them (and been shocked at many too - mainly all the stories they have).

Sorry for my babble and/or repeating of stuff already said.

Best regards to you all and I look forward to seeing what happens next!

Cheers,
Geno, CC

 

[jetset]

xxhttp://mb.winneronline.com/showthread.html?p=122613#post122613

It seems that at least one poster over at WOL does not think this issue merits further attention....how many others share this view?

 

[Pinababy69]

Yes Jetset, I read that post yesterday. There are a few others who feel that way as well. Go and read the thread at CAP. I think it's all of three pages, with the general consensus being that Lloyd is such a great guy, the material has all been removed, our players have never had any problems, etc. Very little, if any, outrage over the depravity of the whole thing. Now mention 888 condoning theft, and that's a different story. Both are unacceptable, don't get me wrong. But one causes an uproar because it affects income, the other is swept under the rug because to take a stand would affect income.

To answer your question, it definitely merits further attention. This issue is going to have my attention for quite a while yet. I may not post everyday on it, but I'm still sending emails, and I'm still searching, and I haven't forgotten, nor will I. I intend to be a thorn in JF's side for as long as I can.

 

[elscrabinda]

At the risk of turning this players vs affiliates (credit goes to those affiliates on here who have removed JF from their sites) reading the CAP forum makes my blood boil. As long as they get their healthy commissions most of them couldn't care less where it came from. Two posters even said this whole episode had encouraged them to promote JF!

I guess cancer sufferers and depressed people contemplating suicide make profitable customers

 

[jetset]

....Lloyd is such a great guy, the material has all been removed, our players have never had any problems, etc.QUOTE]

But it has clearly not been removed. My own feeling is that this junk is still appearing, and that the issue should not be allowed to 'just move on' until it stops doing so. To act otherwise may encourage others to pull this sort of stunt.

And the eCOGRA investigation has yet to run its course in determining how this occurred and how to stop it occurring again...at least at any operation bearing the Play It Safe seal. I for one await eCOGRA's further report on that aspect.

 

[Pinababy69]

Two posters even said this whole episode had encouraged them to promote JF!

Doesn't that just make you wanna hurl?

 

[Pinababy69]

My own feeling is that this junk is still appearing, and that the issue should not be allowed to 'just move on' until it stops doing so. To act otherwise may encourage others to pull this sort of stunt.

I absolutely agree Jetset. A message needs to be sent IMO. And you've all seen Boaz's attitude on here. What's to stop him or someone just as despicable as him from doing the same thing with another group? If there are no repercussions, then essentially JF got away with it. All the apologies in the world don't make up for what they did. And let's not forget that either. They tried to placate everyone by saying that this had been "outsourced" to a third party. Bullshit. This was from within their own company, but they didn't "come clean" about that aspect of it, did they? If some on here hadn't done some digging, we'd all still be thinking that some other company was responsible for it. And I have this sickening feeling in my gut that the upper echelons at JF have the exact same attitude as that toad Boaz, and that in fact are probably sitting back laughing at those of us who are disgusted. So what if they lost a few players? They have a substantial number of affiliates who don't give a shit to bring in ten more for each one lost.

I still want to see a large donation, and I mean large, made to one or more charities directly targeted by this slime.

 

[Chatmaster]

Well I just made a post there to pressent my opinion about the issue. I will probably get flamed. But it is clear they haven't read the latest few posts here.

 

[Pinababy69]

Well I just made a post there to pressent my opinion about the issue. I will probably get flamed. But it is clear they haven't read the latest few posts here.

Chatmaster, you are a brave soul indeed. I'd say you'll probably be burned alive at the stake, nevermind flamed, lol.

One point I would like clarified, and that I did post about in the Affiliates thread here...is why so many websites are still advertising all the JF casinos as eCOGRA certified? If they want to continue promoting them, that's their business, but surely it couldn't be that hard to go in and edit one or two lines of text to properly reflect JF's standing with eCOGRA? Their seals have been suspended for a week and a half now, more than sufficient time to revise their "reviews" of these gems.

 

[derelict]

It seems that at least one poster over at WOL does not think this issue merits further attention....how many others share this view?

I don't have a problem with additional review, but I do have a problem with the ongoing misrepresentation of the issue. Here are some quite valid criticisms:

- Problem gamblers were targeted with search engine manipulation.

- Middle to upper management likely was aware of or turned a blind eye to unethical seo practices.

- Problem gamblers may have believed the textual fodder.

- Jackpot Factory properties ranked artificially high in searches where they didn't belong.

- The group was slow to take action when the problems were presented.

Here are some invalid ones:

- There was a campaign to mislead players into thinking that gambling would improve their lives.

- Management knows everything going on in the organization, and therefore they must have approved of the content.

There are no absolutes in this industry. Problem gamblers are the life blood of even the most responsible of casinos. And likewise, even the rogues are not without some redeeming factors. (and eCOGRA is not entirely useless ) Everyone needs to form their own opinion. Mine is that this issue is serious, but less serious than what some others are walking away from with not much more than a slap on the wrist. Clearly in these parts, my view is in the minority.

If that hasn't made me unpopular enough, I might add that I believe the culture on this forum of self congratulation is leading to some irrational judgement. One of the strengths of a forum is that while everyone doesn't agree, at least one can hammer out a sort of consensus from reading the thread. In my opinion, far too much emphasis is being placed on personalities and not enough on facts -- this actually applies to some other threads more than this one, but I see some of that here too.

 

[dominique]

Well I just made a post there to pressent my opinion about the issue. I will probably get flamed. But it is clear they haven't read the latest few posts here.

Chatmaster, I moderate over there.

There will be no flaming, we don't even allow flaming.

Any flames are put into the freeforall section, and if they still don't go out, they are removed to the attic.

You are most welcome to speak your mind, and, personally, I welcome it.

 

[Chatmaster]

Hi dominique

Thanks for the kind words. My last intention was to create a internal forum debate. I love CAP and it is most definately the market leader in affiliate forums for our industry. The amount of support I saw for JF though made me think there is a high probability of me getting flamed.

 

[rowmare]

Off Topic, but I have to say this:

Cool Avatar, Dominique!

 

[greedygirl]

Im posting this at both Casinomeister and CAP, just to set the record straight.

I want to be perfectly clear: What has occurred with JF has NOTHING to do with Lloyd and I think we all agree, Lloyd has done an exemplary job in how hes handled this situation. Further, I think its fair to say that Lloyd has moved mountains in turning things around for Brightshare and without question, JF/Spiral should thank their lucky stars that they hired Lloyd.

But this situation is not about Lloyd. Its about Spiral and Jackpot Factory, which just so happens to have Lloyd and Brightshare under its umbrella.

To be honest, Im saddened by whats happened. JF has always been great when it comes to looking after the players. But this isnt about support or payments. This is about being caught out using some truly deplorable and offensive marketing tactics.

While some may think that some of us are out for blood, I can only speak for myself in saying this is simply not the case. My feeling is that the pages should have been removed IMMEDIATELY, followed by a statement via JF vowing to use solely ethical marketing practices. A sizeable donation to GamCare and/or Gamblers Anonymous would speak volumes, as well. I think most of us who feel strongly on this issue would have a completely different attitude about JF, were they to take these basic, simple measures.

Unfortunately, this has not happened and as such, the frustration is only growing stronger.

It was promised that these pages would be removed in a timely fashion and this has not been the case. There has been word scuttled about that this is not necessarily simply page removals. What does this mean, exactly?

Companies such as Spiral and JF are not start-ups. These are companies with deep pockets and nearly limitless resources. Its difficult to comprehend why, with all the resources available to Spiral/JF that the fix to this situation would be so slow in action.

Wrapping things up, lets be realistic

Go back to the days B.L. (before Lloyd). Had this come to light then, Id imagine many affiliates would be looking at this issue differently. It is a testament to Lloyds effectiveness that so many are willing to allow for as much slack as they are. For that, Spiral and JF should worship the ground Lloyd walks on.

 

[dominique]

Off Topic, but I have to say this:

Cool Avatar, Dominique!

Feel free to copy it and use it for anything you like.

I am making it public domain, freeware.

 

[jetset]

QUOTE: But this situation is not about Lloyd. Its about Spiral and Jackpot Factory, which just so happens to have Lloyd and Brightshare under its umbrella.

To be honest, Im saddened by whats happened. JF has always been great when it comes to looking after the players. But this isnt about support or payments. This is about being caught out using some truly deplorable and offensive marketing tactics.UNQUOTE

Right on, GG!

 

[Jackpot Factory]

Hi everyone,

This is David Brickman, Jackpot Factory Spokesperson.

I would like to set the record straight regarding the JF search engine fiasco. Before I begin, I want to make it clear that we are in the wrong. I know that many people have been waiting for us to comment on this issue, and Id like to thank you all for your patience.

This issue tarnishes our longstanding good reputation. There was a blatant mess up, for which we take full responsibility, and we have done and will continue to do everything in our power to rectify this extremely serious situation.

Those of you who have had contact with the JF Group, know our reputation and know that we take our casino operation seriously and that we have always taken a proactive stance towards responsible gaming issues. That said, this incident leaves an indisputable blemish on our record and we apologize to the entire gaming community.

In the past, we have ALWAYS held true to our word whether dealing with players or with affiliate issues via Lloyd Apter, our Affiliate Manager at BrightShare. To this end, I give you my word that we are conducting a thorough investigation as to how these marketing practices slipped under our radar, why no managers were aware of them, and finally and perhaps most importantly if they were aware of these practices, why no action was taken to stop them.

And in response to the comments about the speed in which we worked to resolve the situation, I would like to reiterate that we worked as fast as possible to remove all the content and offensive materials from our sites. While this might not satisfy everyone, it is the truth.

Finally, if anybody has any questions or comments that they would like to address to me personally, please feel free to email them to [email protected]. I promise that I will deal with every single email in an efficient manner. If you have an affiliate issue, I have spoken with Lloyd and he also is available for you. You can reach him at [email protected].

I understand it might take some time for people out there to trust us again and I can only hope that our previous record and our future actions will speak for themselves.

Sincerely,

David Brickman
JF Spokesperson

 

[jetset]

There was a blatant mess up, for which we take full responsibility, and we have done and will continue to do everything in our power to rectify this extremely serious situation.

I give you my word that we are conducting a thorough investigation as to how these marketing practices slipped under our radar, why no managers were aware of them, and finally and perhaps most importantly if they were aware of these practices, why no action was taken to stop them.

And in response to the comments about the speed in which we worked to resolve the situation, I would like to reiterate that we worked as fast as possible to remove all the content and offensive materials from our sites. While this might not satisfy everyone, it is the truth.

I think your recovery will be entirely dependent on the transparency and commitment with which you move in getting rid of the trash that you have inflicted on the Internet here, although your apology and undertaking to find out how this happened in order to prevent a recurrence is appreciated (at least by this poster)

This has become a major public scandal (I suspect, and even hope at a deserved cost to you and Spiral) and if you are smart you will be upfront with the reported ECOGRA investigation into your affairs, and transparent in your eventual conclusions arising from this shocking affair and what you have done about it.

I personally think that a genuine act of contrition, such as a donation to a worthy gambling related cause may also better illustrate your sincere regret at this truly deplorable incident.

 

[WagerWitch]

David -

For one, I am glad that you are taking verbal and written responsibility - at least within Casinomeister Forums.

I'm delighted that you're taking the steps to investigate and remove the items from the search engines.

I'm not satisfied with the length of time it has taken to bury them - or to make them less visible - but I also understand web/seo/issues.

I am disappointed that you have not agreed to make a donation to Gambler's Anon. At least not publicly. This alone would bring your value as a company up in my eyes, as it would be an attempt to help anyone who may have fallen prey to the actions that you have publicly admitted to having responsibility for.

I understand "crap" happens.

I also am one of the most understanding people on the planet.

I am also a gambler.

You as a company want "my" trust - and others like me, who keep on the up and up.

I think that a few of the suggestions here are valid and some, of course, are ludicris.

Giving every player a bonus - ludicris. (Sorry bonus hunters, like me, LOL - but it would be a major disadvantage to this company considering I sincerely believe they just took a sizeable hit in the wallet with the last weeks of boycott by the big players paying attention to this situation.)

Giving a sizeable Donation to a Gambler's Anon program - EXCELLENT and VALID - since the ads may very well have drawn in some of those people - who WERE NOT looking to be drawn in by specifically searching out gambling sites... But instead were using the web to find information or help. It also helps your reputation as a responsible gaming facility.

I do believe a notice on your main websites announcing the SEO debacle - in a professional way such as:

We are sorry to announce that JPF used a very irresponsible Search Engine Optimisation that may have brought you here to this site. If you are suffering from a Gambling Addiction, we request that you please visit Gambler's Anonymous or any addiction website - should our advertisements have brought you here. We apologize profusely and take responsible gaming seriously. To this end we have also donated X amount of dollars to Gambler's Anonymous in hopes that anyone found in the grips of this disease may find a responsible cure.

It might also behoove your company to employ an agency to watch for problem gamers for a little while - and find a strategy to deal with them/it.

I will admit - that I was extremely angry at the SEO 'tricks' used. To me - it doesn't matter who put them there, who was responsible or anything else about that.

I just wanted them removed.

I trust you will try to gain back your image, which will take time and baby steps - but I hope that you do listen to some of your patrons and commenters from this forum in an effort to win us back.


I eagerly await your decisions - and I hope that instead of this wall of silence - you continue to provide information. Leaving people on a forum that is on a Watchdog site in the dark - well - you're only asking for trouble.

Meki
WagerWitch

 

[elscrabinda]

You are STILL potentially gaining traffic from unfortunate situations. If I search for depression or cancer or suicide or any of these things I STILL get links to allslots, alljackpots and wherever else. Sure, the stories are gone but the links still take you to your casinos and endless guff about how great slots are.

How about breaking the links or replacing them with a holding page detailing the incident and explaining the generous donation that is surely forthcoming from you (otherwise any pretence of giving a monkeys about problem gambling is obviously just for show and I'm sure thats not the case).

 

[vinylweatherman]

Openness

This "transparency" must include players who do NOT read casinomeister. For the normal player, is is clearly "business as usual" as though nothing had happened. The only clue is the removal of the eCogra seal.
I believe that David's reply should be reworded and placed on a PROMINENT link of apology on both the home page AND the casino Viper lobby. While this will cause further damage, it will get it all over and done with. Currently, players are finding out about this second hand, and may form the impression that JF were doing their best to do "just enough" to placate the most vociferous critics, rather than address this issue head on.

It might be worth seeing if the company can contact the major search engines and admit to this, and ask that they refresh the cached pages in order to get rid of this content more quickly.

The .co.uk versions are not as "clean" as the main .com sites, this needs looking into also.

Once this investigation is complete, we want an open and frank publication of the results (if actual names cannot be used FOR VERY GOOD LEGAL REASONS ONLY, position and responsibility within the company must be stated), and whether those responsible were properly dealt with. "sent for retraining" is not the result we are looking for, whoever did this was very clever, training is the last thing they are in need of! Managers who let this slip by need a less responsible position for a while. No one who had anything to do with this should be allowed to carry on as though this was no big deal, this needs to set an example to others that this is too great a business risk to consider taking in the future.

I also would like to see a corporate "tree" detailing how "Spiral Solutions" and others fit into the corporate structure of the company players are being asked to trust with their deposits.

 

[jetset]

QUOTE: You are STILL potentially gaining traffic from unfortunate situations. If I search for depression or cancer or suicide or any of these things I STILL get links to allslots, alljackpots and wherever else. Sure, the stories are gone but the links still take you to your casinos and endless guff about how great slots are. UNQUOTE

Good point from Elscrabinda - one of the priorities here is to ensure that ALL of this nonsense is removed.

 

[dominique]

It might be worth seeing if the company can contact the major search engines and admit to this, and ask that they refresh the cached pages in order to get rid of this content more quickly.

Unfortunately, the engines do not act directly on any complaint or petition.

They do record these, and they take them in consideration when working on their algorhythms. But individual queries are not dealt with as such.

Also, it takes some time for the engines to pick up on this type content, and it takes just as long for them to drop it.

Some sites like Casinomeister and also GoneGambling and mine see reactions that are quite fast beause the engines know the content naturally changes continually and come around very often. Other places wait a lot longer.

There is no way any individual can influence this, or everyone would be trying to do so all the time.

I appreciate JF's coming out to speak, and I appreciate Meki's comments.

To blacklist or not to blacklist - I am still waiting for some more information, but my finger is on the trigger and blacklist content is written and waiting to be published.

That said, I hope I won't have to blacklist these casinos because prior to this disgusting display they have always been forthright.

 

[Scooter7]

To blacklist or not to blacklist - I am still waiting for some more information, but my finger is on the trigger and blacklist content is written and waiting to be published.

The statement made by JF is a good start, but far more information is required before Dominique's decision can be made one way or the other.

I really want to know:

1. Who commissioned the SEO activity?
2. Who checked and approved the content?
3. What checks and balances are being put into place to avoid a repeat performance?
4. Can JF contact the search engine companies and have the listings removed, thus eliminating the 'lingering' effect?
5. Is JF willing to put a full explanation on their main website so everyone, not just forum readers know that a grievous error was made, and then (hopefully) corrected?

When I dealt casino games I once made a $10,000 mistake on a dice table. It's amazing how calm and forgiving the players were when I said, "I screwed up. It might take a few minutes, but they'll check the tapes and make sure we fix it right." Screwing up and fixing it is sometimes better for one's business in the long run than not screwing up in the first place.

This whole situation is deplorable, but fixing the situation properly could be JF's salvation.

 

[justred]

The problem here is that the links could remain in the SE's for a very long time. Even though one can request pages to be removed, the reality is that they may never be...

Requesting page removals with google and yahoo is not as simple as it sounds.

So if you anyone is going to make the presence of these links in the search engines a criteria to ban the JF casinos, you will ban them for something which is not in their control.

(Not defending them - just stating fact).

 

[Chatmaster]

First let me start by congratulating JF for taking RESPONSIBILITY! My hat are of to them for taking such a bold step! You have earned my respect back in that regard.

For putting measures in place to deal with these issues, I would really like to know what those issues are in more detail to know how secure and trusted future relationships with you will be. I also suggest that you make public more details as to what exactly happened here! I smell outsourcing of SEO happened and were completely unaware from a management point of view what happened here? I also smell an individual with way to much freedom taking you for a ride? Surely other casinos must be made aware of the dangers involved when outsourcing SEO or editorials?

888 certainly know what the are doing and also showed that they don't care! There might be other casinos however that will step in the same stinky stuff with open eyes, that can learn from this lesson.

Further more. By taking down your pages. Certainly you know where they are hosted? If not, how can we help you? Surely you must work with spiral in this issue as the domains I found were al registered through them. Then by making a template page to serve as a landing page for all pages in relevant domains and then make them redirect to that page using a 301 or redirect within IIS,... you will get the oppertunity to fix them and put them live with propper content. It is also the safest way of ensuring that there are none risky content left thereafter. Just a suggestion anyway!

Furthermore, just a note as far as Loyd is concerned. He has handled the situation on the CAP forum in a very mature and trusted manner. I feel a congratulations are in order to the Brightshare/Jackpotfactory team as you are truly privilaged to have such a great team member.

I also would like to know one more thing. As far as removing these really damaging content are concerned, is there a timeline involved? I do not mean the rankings, I mean the actual site content!

 

[casinocrush]

The way forward / being realistic

I'm very pleased to see JF come along and accept responsibility - better late than never. Thanks JF, and also thanks for those that have posted replies since understanding the current position of them.

I'm thinking a lot about some of the replies which seem to be 'after blood' (names of people etc etc who arranged for this). Whilst this may (or may not be) important to the public, I thought the big priority for everyone seemed to be getting the bad stuff down and off the internet.

I don't doubt that there will be investigations about who/how/why this happened will occur, but I think the priority surely is to ensure the pages are down (and/or replaced with some sort of explanation).

I'm not sure how fair it is to "make" JF make a public announcement as without understanding the full who/how/why this may unnecessarily make 'bad spin' for something that they have taken responsibility for, and are slowly but surely correcting.

Whilst I'm sure no-one can forgive these 'SEO tactics' - the fact that JF has always had good player feedback from what I've experienced (both as a player and a webmaster dealing with issues), I believe should let us give them a chance to redeem themselves. As I saw someone wrote - it's often how you deal with a situation that matters - the fixing that is important - I agree with that very much. No-one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes sometimes - even big companies.

I think we have to be a little more patient and understanding that everything takes a little time.

I would however agree with many that

- it would be nice, and might help JF's reputation if there is some statement (on those dodgy pages) saying at least the page(s) have been removed due to inappropriate content for which internal investigations of are continuing.

- it would also be a good idea to at least offer some $$$ to one of the gamblers anon places (effectively accepting that irresponsible SEO may have drawn inappropriate visitors, players who may have become problem gamblers).

These are things that I should expect could be done relatively quickly.

Anyway, I'm pleased to see that this is now on it's way to being resolved.

I will not be pulling JF from my sites as I believe they are making progress, have admitted and apologised, and from their past good reputation, I think they've already sufferred financially a lot from this.

I will look forward to seeing the 'who/how/why' at some point but I think if people that have posted are genuinely concerned about the tactics and the effect on vulnerable people (and aren't just for blood), then they'll assist JF by emailing David the links/sites that are still up with the 'scummy ads' and then he can ensure it is dealt with.

Apologies again if I've offended anyone, repeated too much or anything and thank you to all those that have made this topic fair to all, and allow and appreciate everyone's feedback.

Happy Gaming Always!
Geno, Casino Crush

 

[vtlady]

Yes, at this time I feel it would be very bad for the Jackpot factory, if there were any documented cases of vunerable people being taken advantage by them. I have to wonder why, there is no word from ecogra. It would seem they have had ample time to investigate this situation. I would also like to know more information about Spiral and it's connection to the Jackpot Factory. It would appear to me there is more then what mets the eye here so to speak.

 

[Chatmaster]

Yes, at this time I feel it would be very bad for the Jackpot factory, if there were any documented cases of vunerable people being taken advantage by them. I have to wonder why, there is no word from ecogra. It would seem they have had ample time to investigate this situation. I would also like to know more information about Spiral and it's connection to the Jackpot Factory. It would appear to me there is more then what mets the eye here so to speak.

I can assure you that Spiral offers a domain registration service to many microgaming casinos and there is no worry about anything fishy going on with them.

I have to agree. eCOGRA must be quite as it finally dawned on them that they actually can't act on the JF issue if they let 888 of the hook!

 

[Jackpot Factory]

Furthermore, just a note as far as Loyd is concerned. He has handled the situation on the CAP forum in a very mature and trusted manner. I feel a congratulations are in order to the Brightshare/Jackpotfactory team as you are truly privilaged to have such a great team member.

Thanks Chatmaster,

We realize the uphill battle regarding the search engines and are considering all our viable options. Regarding Lloyd, you could not have said it better. We work very closely and he is a very integral part of the BrightShare/Jackpot Factory team.

Best regards,
David

 

[Let_It_Ride]

Those of you who have had contact with the JF Group, know our reputation and know that we take our casino operation seriously...

In the past, we have ALWAYS held true to our word...

And in response to the comments about the speed in which we worked to resolve the situation, I would like to reiterate that we worked as fast as possible...

I understand it might take some time for people out there to trust us again...

yeah right I nearly fell for it, but it's just words, the reality when dealing with these people is very very different, as I found out in the last 4 days when trying to find out why I had not been paid.

(see arrgh - another casino withholding winnings thread)

Let me share my experiences with you all and show what little the staff at this casino think of us the players/customers

Friday, agent S promises me that I will be paid within 48 hours, maybe she said this in good faith or maybe just to get rid of me, we'll see...

Sunday, after the 48 hours are up and no payment, agent x says we'll send an urgent email to finance and pay you asap

Monday, agent y says we'll send an urgent email to finance and pay you asap, must be an echo in the office.

Okay now I'm not too happy, so agent y goes and speaks to supervisor G, he says no worries we'll make an urgent call to finance and pay you asap and we'll even email you within 3 hours to let you know how super we are

tick tock after 3 hours and no email, I give my PC a good shake and a few SPAM fall out but nothing from JF

speak to agent A, sorry supervisor G has gone home, so explain my story yet again, ah I see you were paid xxxx euros, er yes that was back in May and nothing to do with my call today! 20 mins later tap tap tap of keyboard okay I see that you've been paid, I say err sorry but I see on cashcheck everything is still 'work in progress' and also I check NETeller and nothing. So I ask agent A to email me to say I've been paid (not that I don't trust these guys). Yes we will sir as soon we get confirmation you've been paid, what! but! you just said I've BEEN paid!

Ask to speak to supervisor on duty, okay sir please told, tick tock, hello sir I'm sorry but supervisor S will not speak to you. I say why is that, because as far as we're concerned you've been paid. I say I'll call every hour until I get to speak to a supervisor and get something in writting to say I've been paid and it would be a common courtesy to explain to me once I get paid what the problem was.

Agent A says, sir you can call every hour if you wish, but you will lose your dignity with us and eventually we'll just cut you off! I'm so glad these guys record phone calls, management could use this in the next training session (training session wots that then?)

As I type this I still have no news from these guys (but hey at least I still have my dignity ) The rep here has been made aware, but ffs how long does it take to ring your finance ppl to find out wtf is going on? But I suppose it does help if you know who your finance ppl are, as one agent did not even know that!

So JF I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart in making it easy for me to finally walk away from online gaming and a final word to supervisor S, please check your job description, I'm sure somewhere in there you'll find that your job is to speak to customers!

Let It Ride no more.

 

[Chatmaster]

OK, from my point of view JF is on track to fix this issue that is the issue this thread is actually about! I feel eCOGRA has proven to be effective as far as this issue was concerned. My choice of words in previous post about eCOGRA came out all wrong. Please refer to Statement From eCOGRA Regarding Jackpot Factory

My point however is,... what is eCOGRA going to do about 888's spamming? I know eCOGRA rarely deal with these issues in a public manner, that is part of the reason they are affective, but I feel the 888 issue is ridiculous especially if you compare the efficiency that the JF issue was dealt with, compared to the 888 issue.

 

[The Dude]

eCOGRA PROGRESS REPORT ON JACKPOT FACTORY INCIDENT

eCOGRA PROGRESS REPORT ON JACKPOT FACTORY INCIDENT

20 June 2006


A full investigation is now under way, with an independent external audit team appointed by eCOGRA.

The investigation will take place at the main base for Jackpot Factory operations, and all parties responsible for the JF marketing and approval system, including outsourced activities and management will be interviewed, and the appropriate systems examined in detail.

The intention is to fully and objectively test JF`s explanation of events, examine ongoing measures to remove the offensive material from the Internet and make recommendations to ensure that there is no recurrence.

Jackpot Factory management has been cooperative in this endeavour, giving an undertaking that they will render all assistance necessary to enable the investigative team to complete their work, and reiterating their determination to remove the material in question from the Internet. They have made a financial commitment towards the cost of the inspection.

Once the inspection has been completed an unbiased report prepared by the external audit team will be submitted to the eCOGRA independent directors responsible for operational issues, who will consider this document before making appropriate decisions, at which point a further and hopefully final public report will be issued.

Signed:

Andrew Beveridge, CEO

 

[The Dude]

Moved Posts

Admin note: All further comments pertaining to eCOGRA and other related items should be posted here. Thanks!
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/threads/ecogra-again.12965/

 

[goodie2shoes]

Hi
Ive been following this subject since it started and after reading many boards I was wondering if some of the boards get paid for promoting the factory. The reason I ask this is because there are some boards that have not even mentioned anything about what has gone on at the Factory and in my opinion if the people that were running those boards have not mentioned anything to there members and are advertising that the factory is a great group they aren't really being truthful to there members.

 

[spearmaster]

Hi
Ive been following this subject since it started and after reading many boards I was wondering if some of the boards get paid for promoting the factory. The reason I ask this is because there are some boards that have not even mentioned anything about what has gone on at the Factory and in my opinion if the people that were running those boards have not mentioned anything to there members and are advertising that the factory is a great group they aren't really being truthful to there members.

Many boards are affiliates which make a percentage of player's losses - so in theory they might not be interested in what's going on - but also, many of them may not even be aware of this issue unless someone told them.

I think you can safely assume that this is a more popular board and that you find much more diverse opinions here.

 

[Ellepuss]

Allslots All lost

Hi everyone, I was impressed with Allslots back in Oct last year when I won $11000 jackpot. The payout, by check, was quick and no problems. Since then, nowt. I've played there off and on over the last 6 months or so and each time I've played, the payouts/wins have been getting smaller and smaller no matter what I bet, low or high, no nice surprises here. The sleazy 'testimonials' will lose a lot of 'nice' gamblers, I think, like us at CM, who does a great job, keeping us up to date with what's happening. I've noticed over the past few months, its getting harder and harder to win at quite a few onlines, noticeably Allslots, Spin Palace, Intercasino etc. Lucky Emperor has been a fave too, but it's also not as good as it was. I know you can't win all the time, but we can't lose all the time either! Maybe its a sign of the times and the backlash of US government policy?Roxy has proved to me to be pretty good, bonus-wise and customer support recently, so they will get my $$ unless things change.

 

[WagerWitch]

Has anyone heard yet?

I'd like to know what is going on - and what part of the process it is in.

Like I said - JPF had a brilliant past now all bashed to heck. Giving the benefit of the doubt - I'd like to see them crawl out of this pit of darkness and come out of it clean...

But I'd like to hear about it - instead of being left to wonder if there is a truth of wrong doing involved... if there is not.

LuckyMeki
WagerWitch

 

[The Dude]

Has anyone heard yet?

I'd like to know what is going on - and what part of the process it is in.

The audit is ongoing at the moment.

 

[winbig]

Geeze, finally had time to read this thread....eyes are bleeding now...lol


I'm really surprised they didn't go as far as to say that playing at allslot$ would enlarge your peni$ size


On another note, sorry to say, but all these links are still showing up at google. The pages aren't there, but yet you can still get to google's cached version, as well as to the casino itself and recieve a 404.

 

[dominique]

It takes some time for google to get rid of stuff. There is nothing JF can do about that. Google does what google likes to do.