Sure Win Cup CANCELLED less than 1 hour before it was due to be completed. WTF?

[mcgameboy]

The title says it all.....and yeah I am SUPER PISSED about it.....

I had three entries sitting in 8th, 16th and 64th place as at 11pm Sunday, less than one hour before the tournament was due to finish. I was on course for a payday of 500 euro (about £400). MORE than what the winner of the tournament himself/herself was due to win.

Not to mention that there are probably QUITE A LOT of players who paid for rebuys and continues.

Surely MG cannot seriously be allowed to pull a stunt like that? With the amount of money they make?

Not on.....seriously not f**king on!!

 

[rshkrn]

Did you speak to CS or send an email? Whats their explanation for doing that?

 

[mcgameboy]

I spoke to CS at Golden Lounge (that was the entry I had in 64th place). They were already aware of the cancellation of the tournament and are awaiting a response from MG on the matter. I'm really looking forward to reading the BS excuse that MG come up with here to avoid having to pay out the prizes.

Of course, they will happily pocket the proceeds they acquired from players who paid for rebuys and continues. And we just have to suck it up and take it up the arse.

If I pay to play and lose, I have to accept it. And I do.

Now I am being told that if I pay to play and WIN, I actually STILL LOSE.

Can someone tell me where exactly is the fairness in that?

It's bad enough that we have to do our due diligence in order to avoid rogue casinos, but now we can't even depend on a software provider
to play fair.

It bloody stinks.

 

[vinylweatherman]

I spoke to CS at Golden Lounge (that was the entry I had in 64th place). They were already aware of the cancellation of the tournament and are awaiting a response from MG on the matter. I'm really looking forward to reading the BS excuse that MG come up with here to avoid having to pay out the prizes.

Of course, they will happily pocket the proceeds they acquired from players who paid for rebuys and continues. And we just have to suck it up and take it up the arse.

If I pay to play and lose, I have to accept it. And I do.

Now I am being told that if I pay to play and WIN, I actually STILL LOSE.

Can someone tell me where exactly is the fairness in that?

It's bad enough that we have to do our due diligence in order to avoid rogue casinos, but now we can't even depend on a software provider
to play fair.

It bloody stinks.

Maybe this is worthy of a complaint under the new UK regulations. It's one thing to cancel a tournament before it starts, but it shouldn't be cancelled when it is almost over. MGS have been doing this more than once, and the excuse IS about not wanting to pay the prizes when they have not made enough money from the rebuys and continues, yet when a tournament is more popular that forecast, they are quite happy to keep the entire surplus as a windfall profit rather than feed some of the excess into the prize pool. Players would have a good case for being paid on the positions they held when the tournament was ended early. They would probably have to make the complaint against the operator, as it is they who have the contract with the player, and it will be up to the operator to deal with Microgaming.

 

[rshkrn]

Don't think you'd get the amount you'd have won if it's cancelled anyways but quite positive that everyone would get back their money used for rebuys.....it would be outright roguish not do that...

 

[vinylweatherman]

Don't think you'd get the amount you'd have won if it's cancelled anyways but quite positive that everyone would get back their money used for rebuys.....it would be outright roguish not do that...

They do refund the money spent, but that isn't the point. Players have played. It's no different from having your winnings confiscated and deposit returned purely on the whim of the casino. The tournament was allowed to run right up to the last hour, so it should have been allowed to complete. If the operators lose money on it, TOUGH!, that's gambling - they are sure to make money on the next tournament they set up as they can alter the prizes and costs based on how the previous events performed. MGS are pulling this stunt far too often, it's not just on rare occasions. It just gets noticed more when they cancel a major tournament.

 

[nikantw]

The tournament started, ran and ended perfectly right. I was in there playing to the last min. But rather than “finished” its status changed to “canceled”. There was absolutely nothing wrong with that tournament in all the past 4 weeks.

 

[nikantw]

CS , after pressure, said they don’t have the results from MG. If they lost the winner list I will be more than happy to provide my screenshot of my position. Always take a screenshot of your winning position!

I do believe that refunding rebuys and continues of 15.000 players will cost them more. Maybe they are waiting when the slots are dead, and then pay

 

[incrediblestuff]

Almost made this thread myself yesterday, but i had been waiting up, stoked to play my 9th placement... just like nikant stated, it ran fine, just until it ended and then instead of finished said cancelled, only to disappear completely from the list a few minutes later..

Like stated, it ran fine but there was already a bug, at least in my lobby, several days ago at the start of round 4 i noticed that the list of players reflected in the lobby was quite different then the active leaderboard inside the machine.

I notified someone, who said they would look into it but it would take time, and didn't hear back yet, but assuming i will soon, still, i felt a little uneasy, as for one thing my position wasn't reflected in the lobby. and i got a bad feeling about it.

Just in case, i took a screenie of both the main lobby and the tourney lobby a few seconds apart. If need be i will supply those, as the timestamp is undeniable (date created/ time is 1 minute apart, tourney ID is visible in both.)

I will wait till support get back to me but simply stated, i won't be depositing a penny in any Casino that has an MG game until i have my prize money, it's a matter of principle here, i would feel royally screwed if they somehow don't pay~!


We'll see...

 

[incrediblestuff]

FYI just logged in to play the daily freeroll, and see that it's back on the board, this time with correct leaderboard, and i assume the prizes have been awarded too, will check asap.


Edit:
Yes, prize paid, seems all is well again!
Still wondering what the heck happened!
If any MG Casino rep here read this, and knows what happened i would appreciate any comment.

 

[nikantw]

Yes! Paid!
Straight to withdrawal, just in case my theory for dead slots is right!

 

[Mark_32Red (retired acct)]

Update

Hi Guys,

Apologies for any issues with the tournaments over the weekend, I have just heard that there were some delays on the network which are being investigated. We're advised that all winnings have been paid, would you let me know if that isn't the case?

Thanks
Mark

 

[vinylweatherman]

Hi Guys,

Apologies for any issues with the tournaments over the weekend, I have just heard that there were some delays on the network which are being investigated. We're advised that all winnings have been paid, would you let me know if that isn't the case?

Thanks
Mark

Could you please send Microgaming HQ a dictionary so that they can look up the word "cancelled" and use it more appropriately in future.

Now, if Microgaming didn't have a habit of cancelling tournaments, something when they are part way through, and I mean REALLY cancelled as confirmed after aggrieved players contact casino CS, then such things would not stir up so much anger among participants.

I think "results pending" would be a better description to add to a tournament that has completed, but where the verification and awarding of prizes is taking longer than usual. In the past, I have seen a tournament simply disappear as though it never existed, and this was because there was a delay in verifying the results and the crediting of prizes. It reappeared later the next afternoon with the prizes being credited then, rather than almost straight away as is usual.

 

[funnymunny]

Could you please send Microgaming HQ a dictionary so that they can look up the word "cancelled" and use it more appropriately in future.

Now, if Microgaming didn't have a habit of cancelling tournaments, something when they are part way through, and I mean REALLY cancelled as confirmed after aggrieved players contact casino CS, then such things would not stir up so much anger among participants.

I think "results pending" would be a better description to add to a tournament that has completed, but where the verification and awarding of prizes is taking longer than usual. In the past, I have seen a tournament simply disappear as though it never existed, and this was because there was a delay in verifying the results and the crediting of prizes. It reappeared later the next afternoon with the prizes being credited then, rather than almost straight away as is usual.

I think you shouldn't make so many assumptions...

We do not know anything happened as a result of manual intervention / wasn't the result of a software issue. Do we know for sure that the tournaments have the software settings to allow for a "results pending" status? (As opposed to 'scheduled', 'in play', 'cancelled', and/or 'completed'. (Yes, I appreciate that if the software should have been written to accommodate any and all possible outcomes & if it had, we may not be in this situation. Unfortunately no one is perfect, and mistakes can be made)).

Perhaps there also wouldn't be so much anger being stirred-up if people waited until CS got back to them with the official answers, rather than fuel the fire of speculation. (Realistically, that will be some time during normal office hours UK time, Mon-Fri. (Every company I've worked with, that's when the most senior members of staff (inc their software developers) are working, so that's probably when any non-critical issues are going to be investigated and resolved. (This appears to have been an error with a single instance of a tournament, rather than a casino outage, hence my thoughts it being viewed as non-critical. This is in no way meant to devalue any players who were participating in the tournament)). As someone who's been here as long as you have, I think many (or just perhaps just me) would expect you to have a more pragmatic view on events. Yes, tournaments may have had issues historically, and yes, when humans and software is involved, errors and mistakes are likely to happen again. However, why not wait until facts known before grabbing the torches & pitchforks?

I will say that the 3rd paragraph in your post does contain a good suggestion, however it could be missed because of the way you worded the first 2.

I will wait till support get back to me

IMO exactly the right thing to do

 

[davdav5678]

Seems to be a lot of software issues with mircogaming and 32 red of late

 

[vinylweatherman]

There have been issues in the past with MGS cancelling tournaments without explanation, so no wonder they are not really trusted when it comes to a tournament showing up as "cancelled" after players have paid to compete and the tournament is running. The only obvious provision for cancellation is when the minimum number of players has not been reached, and in such cases, the tournament doesn't start.


Microgaming needs to get away from their "no comment" policy towards players, and even towards casino operators, when there is a query about something that is not right with their software or systems.

I have asked a number of questions myself, and it is clear to me that the reason I don't get answers is that Microgaming refuse to supply them to the casino owners/operators. I then find that the answers I get back are vague, and differ between different operators for the same problem or query. Only the passage of time converts these answers from vague, but often the conversion is to bullshit. After all, how long does "routine maintenance" take on a game that has been pulled? At what point can I call bullshit on such an answer?

 

[funnymunny]

There have been issues in the past with MGS cancelling tournaments without explanation, so no wonder they are not really trusted when it comes to a tournament showing up as "cancelled" after players have paid to compete and the tournament is running. The only obvious provision for cancellation is when the minimum number of players has not been reached, and in such cases, the tournament doesn't start.


Microgaming needs to get away from their "no comment" policy towards players...

As I posted in another thread here (and Bryan posted originally)...

"MGS is not allowed to deal directly with players. Not because they don't want to, but because they can't by law. The regulations on the Isle of man state that if you don't have a gaming license - you don't deal with players - simple as that. "

Surprised you're still insisting that it's Microgaming policy not to respond - you clearly saw Bryan's post following the visit as you've posted in that very same original thread.

I appreciate this may not suit player requirements, but laws are there for a reason. I dare say MGS (and other providers licensed in the same jurisdiction) may feel frustrated when they see hearsay & conjecture running rife on the internet & are unable to respond.

I have asked a number of questions myself, and it is clear to me that the reason I don't get answers is that Microgaming refuse to supply them to the casino owners/operators. I then find that the answers I get back are vague, and differ between different operators for the same problem or query. Only the passage of time converts these answers from vague, but often the conversion is to bullshit.

Again you seem to be assuming because you think/say something, then it's correct.

How do you know Microgaming refuse to supply answers? Perhaps they have, and maybe some of those answers are bound by confidentiality clauses(?). Perhaps also the reason you say you've received vague or differing answers is because Owners/Operators have had something from MGS, but that message has become diluted by the time it's reached front-line support. This could very well explain why "the passage of time" these answers then become clearer?

...After all, how long does "routine maintenance" take on a game that has been pulled? At what point can I call bullshit on such an answer?

Perhaps this is the crux of everything you base every comment on...? Yes, we all know you managed to get good win(s) on some 'fruity' type slots (goodness knows you take every opportunity to remind the dear readers of your posts about it). A game you had success on was removed - get over it.



Please don't think I'm trying to wage any personal things here... This forum is meant to help support and educate players. I just worry when I read things that are posted about issues, the threads are then use it to propagate speculation, incorrect assumptions, or as an opportunity to 'soap-box' their own personal issues. I appreciate that it can be human nature to speculate and gossip, but surely someone as experienced as yourself should know that when trying to provide assistance to others, unless you know all the facts, it's always best to caveat your responses as a guess, assumption, or speculation?


/derail & back on subject...

I'm glad the tournament issue was resolved quickly & everyone got paid as expected.

 

[vinylweatherman]

So, why can't MGS simply admit games are removed. Why the bullshit?

The correct procedure may well be to use the operator as a conduit, but how come this doesn't work?

I am NOT just talking about front line CS either, I am talking of contacts high in the operator's organisation. Unlike front line CS, they should know everything that MGS tells operators. It is bullshit to suggest that the fact that a specific game has been removed for good is bound by a confidentiality clause, even if the business reasons for doing so are.

MGS seem able to deal with the press, the laws don't stop them talking to journalists who are well known for wanting to get their teeth into a good story.

As has been highlighted before, operators and software suppliers who hide behind their lawyers and the Data protection act are making themselves look "shifty".

MGS has until recently refused to reveal the RTP of their games, but under the new UK regulations they now HAVE to. It seems that the law trumps commercial confidentiality, yet the casinos and offshore licencing juristictions were claiming that players were adequately protected and informed under the old regime, and the new UK regime had nothing to do with enhancing player protection.

If MGS don't have a gaming licence, how come they can operate the network tournaments that involve MGS directly dealing with players, albeit through the operators?

 

[funnymunny]

MGS seem able to deal with the press, the laws don't stop them talking to journalists who are well known for wanting to get their teeth into a good story.

So why not speak to a journalist & ask them to investigate anything you believe is untoward?

As has been highlighted before, operators and software suppliers who hide behind their lawyers and the Data protection act are making themselves look "shifty".

Hiding behind lawyers and data protection, or behaving the way you'd expect any law abiding organisation to?

If you believe any company is untrustworthy, vote with your wallet & don't give them another penny of your hard earned cash. Crying 'foul' at every opportunity, but then continuing to play their games is somewhat contradictory, don't you think?

MGS has until recently refused to reveal the RTP of their games, but under the new UK regulations they now HAVE to. It seems that the law trumps commercial confidentiality, yet the casinos and offshore licencing juristictions were claiming that players were adequately protected and informed under the old regime, and the new UK regime had nothing to do with enhancing player protection.

As you're aware, successful slots have been previously copied - remember the Salus version of Thunderstruck? (screenshot here (your reference to it here)). Rather than thinking there's something to hide, take a step back... If you wanted to copy a game, I think you'll agree that knowing it's RTP would give you a fantastic opportunity to reverse-engineer it(? (I'm not suggesting this is the reason, but I am trying to show there's always two sides to everything & it's not always for unscrupulous reasons)).

As you say, the new regulations ensure that the information you seek will be available. Will you feel safer with that?

If MGS don't have a gaming licence, how come they can operate the network tournaments that involve MGS directly dealing with players, albeit through the operators?

Dealing directly is not doing it through someone else.

You cannot go to Microgaming (or NetEnt, Playtech, Bally, Williams Interactive, etc) and register, deposit, or play for real money. By definition, this means you are not their player.



As previously stated, this thread is getting off-topic & I don't want to hijack it (especially seeing as the original issue is resolved). Feel free to PM me if you wish to discuss any points further.

 

[nikantw]

Yes players have been paid for this.
But maybe only because it would cost more to cancel the tournament and pay back add ons.
Tournaments get cancelled when the cost of buy ins and add ons is less than the prize money even though the min number of players has been reached. Take the last 300 Blackjack. Min number of players 21, players listed 21, tournament gets canceled.

That is BS IMHO. If you want you can always increase the min player requirement to your satisfaction. If there is a technical problem you can always reschedule it, or pay according to latest position. Otherwise it is like refusing to pay winnings. And what is up with all that problems anyway!

 

[vinylweatherman]

Yes players have been paid for this.
But maybe only because it would cost more to cancel the tournament and pay back add ons.
Tournaments get cancelled when the cost of buy ins and add ons is less than the prize money even though the min number of players has been reached. Take the last 300 Blackjack. Min number of players 21, players listed 21, tournament gets canceled.

That is BS IMHO. If you want you can always increase the min player requirement to your satisfaction. If there is a technical problem you can always reschedule it, or pay according to latest position. Otherwise it is like refusing to pay winnings. And what is up with all that problems anyway!

Complete BS, they are having their cake and eating it. If they can cancel a tournament that hasn't made enough to pay the prizes, what about the ones that make too much because it's more popular that expected. This surplus should go to inflate the prize pool, but despite this functionality existing, it is rarely used.

 

[mcgameboy]

Well I've been busy with work and stuff the last couple of days, so I haven't had a chance to comment on this thread since. Now the dust has settled, here are my thoughts...

1. I did get paid. So a big Phew there.

2. I have been fortunate enough to never have been "burned" by a rogue casino in all my time playing slots online. That was one of the reasons I became a member of this great site. To ensure as best as I possibly can that it never does happen. I'm not going to lie, I was genuinely concerned, as my opening post would have clearly suggested, that this was about to be the first time (albeit by a software provider rather than an operator). Naturally, my reaction was one of anger, although I could have perhaps done a better job of not letting my anger "veer towards hysteria". But I am only human after all. And sometimes my emotions and the fact that I wear my heart on my sleeve trump my ability to step back and apply rational thought/common sense and have the patience to let things play out to their conclusion. It doesn't make me a bad person though.

3. If I had been asleep instead of watching Tom Brady powning Peyton Manning for the umpteenth time, as the tournament neared its conclusion, I would not have noticed the sudden "cancellation" of the tournament, and therefore would not have started this thread in the first place. And then I would have woken up blissfully unaware that a "temporary" cancellation had even occurred. Maybe I should do that the next time in January (the next time the Sure Win Cup runs again - if MG chooses to host another one).

4. Even though I have got paid, I still don't like the fact that MG can cancel tournaments that are "not profitable" at the last minute, yet at the same time fail to increase prize pools when tournaments do prove popular. You don't see the likes of PokerStars, for example, doing that when their guaranteed prize pool tournaments fail to generate enough buyins, rebuys and addons to cover the guarantee. They simply make the necessary adjustments for the next time. In my opinion, MG could do worse than to follow PokerStars lead in that regard. For the record, I generally avoid "non-freeroll" tournaments where the prize pool does not update according to rebuy/continue purchases.

5. I'm happy the matter was resolved. Not just for myself, but for everyone who had won prizes. Congrats to those who did btw.

6. Apologies to anyone who felt I was veering towards "torch and pitchfork" behaviour with the nature of my opening post. I can't promise I won't do it again, but I will at least try to be a bit more "rational" and think stuff through before starting a thread that could become "toxic" or get out of hand

 

[thebigs]

Glad you were paid Mcgameboy and maybe next time they will change the name of the tournament to Sure Lose Cup.

 

[mcgameboy]

Glad you were paid Mcgameboy and maybe next time they will change the name of the tournament to Sure Lose Cup.

The strange thing about Sure Win (for me anyway) is that when I play it in real money mode, I can't get anywhere with it. And yes, I have thought that Sure Loss was a more apt name because of it.

But when I play the Sure Win Cup, I do get some success. I had a nice top 25 finish in July, which helped me get a profit of a little over 100 quid. And I had a top 100 finish in January, for a much smaller amount.

If I could just replicate even a small percentage of my Sure Win Cup form, I would play it in real money mode a helluva lot more often.

 

[nikantw]

This time, the turnament zeroed the timer for everybody that reached the 3rd round, forcing more than 1000 people to buy a rebuy in order to play this round!! Nice way to earn money MG

 

[mcgameboy]

This time, the turnament zeroed the timer for everybody that reached the 3rd round, forcing more than 1000 people to buy a rebuy in order to play this round!! Nice way to earn money MG

That's not the case. I have several entries in the 3rd round. And only one of them has been affected in this way. I don't know if it is a coincidence,
but the account that was affected was my top scoring account in Round 2 (559th place). My next highest scoring account was 694th place and was not affected.

I did go to live chat (it was one of my Casino Rewards accounts) to raise the issue yesterday afternoon. They promised to get in touch
with MG about it. Whether the matter gets fixed or not is not certain. Although I would think it is in their interests to get it sorted, given that
the serious money will be spent in Round 4.

And surely a continue could be used instead of a rebuy?

 

[nikantw]

That's not the case. I have several entries in the 3rd round. And only one of them has been affected in this way. I don't know if it is a coincidence,
but the account that was affected was my top scoring account in Round 2 (559th place). My next highest scoring account was 694th place and was not affected.

I did go to live chat (it was one of my Casino Rewards accounts) to raise the issue yesterday afternoon. They promised to get in touch
with MG about it. Whether the matter gets fixed or not is not certain. Although I would think it is in their interests to get it sorted, given that
the serious money will be spent in Round 4.

And surely a continue could be used instead of a rebuy?

You are right, but I am sure more than 1/3 was affected, but it didnt happen the first day so some were fast enough to play. Also right for the continue, but you are probably going ti miss that on the next round 4! One extra continue in the final round can make the difference (if you dont know this, the continues are not reloaded when you get to next round)

 

[mcgameboy]

You are right, but I am sure more than 1/3 was affected, but it didnt happen the first day so some were fast enough to play. Also right for the continue, but you are probably going ti miss that on the next round 4! One extra continue in the final round can make the difference (if you dont know this, the continues are not reloaded when you get to next round)

Well I can only tell you based on my play this week.

I played the first third of my entries on Tuesday. No problems.

Then the second third of my entries on Wednesday. Again, no problems.

Then I went to play the final third of my entries yesterday. The affected account happened to be the first one among that final third.
Played the remaining entries, then went back to my affected account. Raised the query with live chat and asked them to speak
to MG about it in the hope of a fix before Sunday.

All but one of my slot tourny IDs are very similar, in that they begin with the same first two letters.

So I am quite puzzled as to why only one of them was affected.

The only thing I can think of is that the top 600 finishers were affected. Because my only affected entry was my only finisher in the Top 600 in round 2.
My next best was within the Top 700 and my worst finisher in Round 2 was 3504th.

But I'd admit that is quite a stretch. So god knows how this issue occurred.

And yes I was aware that using a continue in an earlier round means you lose it for the final round. Hence why I raised the query.

 

[nikantw]

Thanks to MG, everything is good now. Actually, one casino group wanted to be fair and decided to pay for one continue.


Yeap.... none of the above is true, and with MG I don't mean MicroGamming

 

[nikantw]

from 32red:

"Thank you for your recent contact with us.
Please accept our sincere apologies that you were unable to enter the Sure Win 10K tournament for April. Our software providers have reassured us that you will be able to enter the one in May without any problem.
Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention."


So there will be another one this month! I want to believe..... but I don't see it. Maybe it will be there after this one ends.

 

[mcgameboy]

Thanks to MG, everything is good now. Actually, one casino group wanted to be fair and decided to pay for one continue.


Yeap.... none of the above is true, and with MG I don't mean MicroGamming

In my case, I actually got refunded the cost of a rebuy plus a continue, even though I was 1. only forced to use one extra continue and 2.
the coins I had not used due to the bug were still available for use once I had paid for the extra continue.

I accept that using a continue unnecessarily before Round 4 can impact your final score in Round 4, as you will have one less continue to help
build your score. However, I had already planned on rebuying once on the affected account, because I had used a continue in Round 1 to qualify for Round 2. So in the end, I wasn't really affected at all.

Although, if I had finished somewhere around 110th on the affected account, I might have felt differently, given the very small gaps in final Round 4 scores between 80th and 110th (less than 8000 points I think?).

from 32red:

"Thank you for your recent contact with us.
Please accept our sincere apologies that you were unable to enter the Sure Win 10K tournament for April. Our software providers have reassured us that you will be able to enter the one in May without any problem.
Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention."


So there will be another one this month! I want to believe..... but I don't see it. Maybe it will be there after this one ends.

I think they have made a mistake there. The next one is in July, as it is a quarterly tournament. Perhaps they mistook the Sure Win Cup for the monthly ACCUMULATOR tournament? But what they said about being able to enter without any problem "the next time"...that bit is true. I was told the same thing by Casino Rewards support after I had raised my own query with them.

 

[nikantw]

I think they have made a mistake there. The next one is in July, as it is a quarterly tournament.

Yes, the golden rule with any live chat (even 32red) is : "Question everything, believe nothing"

 

[09237653]

Nice of MG to let us into their ongoing beta testing of their software.

Also have never even made the 3rd round in this stupid tournament, the guys that made prizes you using many addons and rebuys? Is it profitable?

 

[PaaskeDenmark]

Great most tournaments gone at all 32Red brands. Also 20K fortnightly shows error in status but loads up??

Other avalon $250 is not showing at all only completed one yesterday....Thanks microgaming really getting tired of your crap. Think its time to abandon microgaming sorry 32Red at least this is out of your hands and not your fault. Think it is time 32Red starts thinking about a multiplatform like everyone else.

 

[mcgameboy]

Nice of MG to let us into their ongoing beta testing of their software.

Also have never even made the 3rd round in this stupid tournament, the guys that made prizes you using many addons and rebuys? Is it profitable?

It can be. It certainly has been for me. But there is a fair amount of risk involved. Well, there is given the strategy that I use for playing it.

There is a fair amount of details I have to go into though. I will revisit this thread tomorrow to give a full explanation.

 

[mcgameboy]

Nice of MG to let us into their ongoing beta testing of their software.

Also have never even made the 3rd round in this stupid tournament, the guys that made prizes you using many addons and rebuys? Is it profitable?

OK here's my stats for the Sure Win Cup since July 2014, which is when I started to take this tournament "seriously".

July 2014:

Number of participating accounts (Round 1): 37 (tournament not available at Lucky Emperor and Virtual City, Luxury Casino account closed)
Round 2: 27
Round 3: 26
Round 4: 24

Total number of continues used (costing 1 euro each): 45 (3, 0 , 8 and 34 in Rounds 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively).
Total rebuys (costing 3 euros each): NONE
Prizes: ONE - 175 euro (23rd place)
Total profit: 130 euro (Prizes: 175 euro, Spend: 45 euro)

October 2014: This is when I decided to really go all out on this.

Number of participating accounts (Round 1): 40 (tournament now available to play at Lucky Emperor and Virtual City, Luxury Casino account re-opened)
Round 2: 40
Round 3: 40
Round 4: 40 (but only got to play 32 of them due to the rather unfortunate timing of Fortune Lounge and Digimedia pulling out of the UK market).
Thankfully, only 2 of my continue plays were "wasted" as a result of this.

Total number of continues used (costing 1 euro each): 161 (15, 4 , 13 and 129 in Rounds 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively).
Total rebuys (costing 3 euros each): 21 (all in Round 4)
Prizes: THREE - 250 euro (8th place), 200 euro (16th place) and 50 euro (64th place)
Total profit: 276 euro (Prizes: 500 euro, Spend: 224 euro)

January 2015: NB. Number of continue plays increased from 3 to 4, starting coins increased from 15,000 to 17,500 and continue coins increased
from 7,500 to 10,000.

Number of participating accounts (Round 1): 33 (My 8 Fortune Lounge and Digimedia accounts all migrated to Spin Casino)
Round 2: 24
Round 3: 24
Round 4: 24

Total number of continues used (costing 1 euro each): 152 (7, 1 , 11 and 133 in Rounds 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively).
Total rebuys (costing 3 euros each): 14 (all in Round 4)
Prizes: THREE - 300 euro (3rd place), 225 euro (15th place) and 100 euro (36th place)
Total profit: 431 euro (Prizes: 625 euro, Spend: 194 euro)

NB. Unlike October, when I chose to get all of my runners to Round 4, I chose not to save my other 9 runners in Round 1. If I had
done though, my total spend would have increased from 194 euro to 293 euro.

April 2015: NB. Number of continue plays increased from 4 to 5.

Number of participating accounts (Round 1): 33
Round 2: 33
Round 3: 33
Round 4: 33 (four of my entries were not completed as the tournament ended before I could play them - but they were four entries where I had zero spend as they qualified for Round 4 without the aid of continues)

Total number of continues used (costing 1 euro each): 245 (18, 2 , 7 and 218 in Rounds 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively).
Total rebuys (costing 3 euros each): 20 (all in Round 4)
Prizes: FOUR - 90 euro (43rd place), 70 euro x 3 (53rd, 54th and 55th place)
Total loss: 5 euro (Prizes: 300 euro, Spend: 305 euro)

NB. I could have stood pat after clinching my fourth prize (after 19 entries played) with what would have been a profit of 66 euro.
And left my remaining 14 entries alone. But I chose to plough on, knowing that in a worst case scenario, my losses would have been
no greater than 25 euro. Given my successes in previous tournaments, I felt it was worth the risk.

Total profit from those four tournaments in total: 832 euro (roughly £625) (Prizes: 1600 euro, Spend: 768 euro)

 

[nikantw]

Total profit from those four tournaments in total: 832 euro (roughly £625) (Prizes: 1600 euro, Spend: 768 euro)

You are good!!! Congrads!! My guess is that tournament is profitable for casinos (you win but thousands of others lose). Why don’t they make it a monthly thing? Because of all the technical problems?

 

[mcgameboy]

You are good!!! Congrads!! My guess is that tournament is profitable for casinos (you win but thousands of others lose). Why don’t they make it a monthly thing? Because of all the technical problems?

It's hard to say if this tournament is profitable for casinos or not. I'd certainly wonder if it is profitable for MG, because from October 2013 (that was the first time I remember playing it) up to and including October 2014, the number of continue plays remained unchanged at 3. Now they have increased the number of continue plays in consecutive tournaments (to 4 in January, then 5 in April). Why has such a step been necessary? If it's not to reduce losses, then it must be to boost profits. Thing is, they don't want to be increasing the number of continue plays every tournament, otherwise it could end up putting off a portion of the paying players from participating at all.

I think the reason they don't make it a monthly tournament is because of the format, rather than technical issues. Unlike the monthly ACCUMULATOR tournament which runs from the first day to the last day of the calendar month, the Sure Win Cup runs strictly from the 1st Monday of the calendar month to the 4th Sunday that occurs after that 1st Monday.

If you were to hold it monthly (while keeping the start date as being the 1st Monday of the calendar month) then the tournaments
would start in the following week numbers (according to 2015 calendar)....

2, 6, 10, 15, 19, 23, 28, 32, 37, 41, 45, 50 (a mixture of 4 and 5 week gaps IE not uniform gaps)

Hold it quarterly and the tournaments start in weeks 2, 15, 28 and 41....all exact gaps of 13 weeks. That looks tidier.

I personally like it that they have it every quarter. Helps to make it more of a novelty and something to look forward to.

 

[nikantw]

Here we go again.....
Nowhere to be found just as we enter week 4.
Before it disappeared it said "cancelled".

 

[mcgameboy]

Here we go again.....
Nowhere to be found just as we enter week 4.
Before it disappeared it said "cancelled".

It did the same thing heading into Week 2. Hence why the round started at around 1.30pm UK time instead of the normal 12pm.

This is the one tournament I look forward to playing, because it only happens once per quarter (the fact that I have fared quite well on it helps too).
But if MG is going to start this multiple cancellation bullcrap, I'll be completely put off from playing it when it comes round again in January.

I'm a tad concerned that if they have already "cancelled" it twice, what are they going to do once players have pumped whatever money they intend to pump into the tournament? Cancel it again, not pay out any prizes and then force players into chasing after refunds?

No one who enters this tournament with the intention of playing in Week 4 signed up for that crap.

 

[vinylweatherman]

MG should understand that they are no longer the only software hosting this kind of tournament structure, so if they carry on the way they are they may find players vote with the wallets and switch to other tournament providers, ones who don't cancel mid way or near the end, nor have constant bugs and other issues.

This may also be another this for our new friends the CMA. Is it treating players fairly to run a tournament through to the final round where players have spent money building their positions, only to cancel it without warning and not pay the final prizes. This is essentially another form of one aspect of their investigation, where players have a "reasonable expectation of being paid winnings (prizes in the case of tournaments)", only to have all their play cancelled and only get their deposits returned (buy-ins and continues in the case of tournaments).

Under the UK rules, software providers also have to be licenced, so MGS can't wriggle out of it by saying they merely provide the platform. If MGS are operating the tournament, they are responsible for treating the UK players fairly in how the tournaments are managed, which has a useful by product in that non UK players in the same tournament also benefit from any changes forced onto MGS by the CMA in how tournaments are run, managed, and cancelled.

 

[nikantw]

Game is up again, we will see if it is working properly in 6h and 35m
I don't think the new format with double the cost for continues and 100 getting 100 will work for them.
No reason to try to buy your luck for just 100 when it costs 13 each time and you need like 50 times to make sure.