Ok, you asked for my thoughts on this so here they are:
As I understand it the original issue was "what's with the unstable RJ counters?" Fair enough, perfectly reasonable question. And perfectly appropriate question too I might add.
Indeed that's what the forums
are for, that's the spirit of inquiry that Bryan has always encouraged here, and after a decade plus of doing so that hasn't changed and there's no reason that I'm aware of to say it has.
That said I personally find it a little puzzling how we go from "what's with the unstable RJ counters?" to "if this is a fair game and fair play then I will eat my hat".
I'm not pointing fingers here, not trying to admonish anyone, but I do need to make this point. The bottom line is that the honesty of the game and Inetbet (and us) is now being challenged because of the unstable RJ counter. And this is even
before we've had a response from Inetbet! So a reasonable question has now escalated into calling the game and the casino dishonest.
I don't think I'm the only one who found that a little uncalled for. And from my point of view it's doubly damaging because this is a casino that is and has been Accred for some time.
That means something you know. Real work goes into that Accred relationship. I know because I've seen it. At least once a year Bryan sits down in person with the senior people at Inetbet, for instance, and we discuss issues past and present. Sometimes they don't like it, sometimes we learn a thing or two as well, but the point is that it's an ongoing relationship that among other things is Bryan's due diligence on an Accred casino to ensure that everything is still kosher.
So given that background we have senior and experienced people on our forums basically calling their game and the casino crooked
in a heartbeat. No time taken to find out what's behind the thing that's causing the concern, just straight to "unfair game, I'm being cheated!".
Now, as it happens, there was a pretty reasonable explanation for the thing that caused the original upset: a bit of eye candy on the screen was being flashed a little too vigorously. Possibly a glitch, possibly a little over-enthusiasm in tempting the player with a promising RJ, possibly both. But no way, no how does that translate into "cheat", "unfair", or any other malicious intent.
Furthermore it would probably be a good thing to look at the magnitude of the problem. Based on what I've seen here the RJ counter fluctuated from 7931 to 7975 which is a range of $44, or slightly more than
one half of one percent of the total RJ. And this is the grounds for calling the game fixed, the casino crooked and dragging the Accredited casino system
and CM through the mud? Really?!?
My point is that there's something of a failure of perspective here. Discomfort at a wonky looking feature on the screen is perfectly understandable. Turning that into what it quickly became is, in my humble opinion, unreasonable and uncalled for.
And back to the original issue, does a 1/2% bounce in the RJ counter mean that the player is being cheated and should get their money back? I don't think so: (A) because the RJ counter has nothing to do with the game being played and (B) because that's a minuscule, albeit distracting, fluctuation.
So, to other issues here. As I've said I don't think it reasonable that the reputation of the casino and Casinomeister be abused so readily without
A LOT more justification than has been offered here. That, I believe, is why some readers stepped forward to say that a little more reason and rationale were overdue here. And somehow that get's turned around and becomes things like:
If the true spirit of this board really is to simply serve the ACCREDITED CASINO's list, then I don't see much point in the PLAYERS being here.‡
"I don't see much point in the PLAYERS being here". See where this has degenerated to? Not only is the casino supposedly crooked and the Accreditation process seemingly meaningless but now the Casinomeister forums themselves are apparently worthless, or in danger of becoming so.
WTF!?!
Whether it is obvious to you folks or not things like that are a real kick in the nuts for those of us who work day in and day out to deliver a decent site and, yes, make a living off it too. For absolutely no reasonable justification that I can see supposedly interested forum readers are digging our grave.
And make no mistake, real damage is done by such statements. Newbies or whomever come in and read that stuff and say "oh, could be serious problems here, maybe I'll just move along."
The point is that if you treat this place like a garbage dump and a cesspit then that's what you are turning it into.
That's why some folks get upset and defensive about when you jump from "weird wiggly counter" to "unfair and dishonest" and yes, inevitably, "why be here?"
You're burning down the very house you came to to ask your question in the first place. How is that a good thing? How is anyone better served by going there? Why do that?
So yes, we started in a perfectly reasonable and worthy place with this thread but IMHO it went downhill fast and has now turned into something very caustic and nasty indeed. And for what? Because one or two folks asked for a little calm and reason?
Is it really that bad out there that you guys can't wait to jump at each other's throats, and put the boots to what's been built and nurtured here at Casinomeister for the past decade in the process? Really? It's just time to attack and destroy and who the F cares? It's a sad day if what's been demonstrated here and in other recent threads is any indication.
Well, there you go, answered your question and a few besides I expect. I hope you understand where I'm coming from and see the bigger picture I'm pointing at.
‡ In it's original context this statement was a hypothetical view of what might happen, not as a statement of where things are today.
