CM Announcement The 2021 Meister Awards are here!

[The Dude]

They are finally here! The best and worst of the online gaming industry 2021

More best than worst this year - read my notes

Meister Awards 2021

Best Casino
Best Casino Group
Best New Casino
Bag of Hammers Award
Worst Named Casinos
Forum Highlights

All this and more!!

 

[goatwack]

Well done Bitstarz in breaking the love-in between certain casinos here, also to 3Dice for their efforts in upping their game in recent months after it seemed like they'd fallen from grace, and of course well done to Dunover for what is actually a long overdue slice of recognition

Don't really care about the other categories, but I'm sure they all did well at something

 

[pinnit2014]

That queue system cost VS dearly (but probably has saved some money)

 

[pinnit2014]

Wasn't much to shout about for certainly UK Punters hence the apathy. Right now MrQ are IMO the best casino (being short of a few games, granted) available to UK players with a UK Licence so hopefully they can enter the foray here at some point.

 

[dionysus]

a big congrats to all recipients
And I am a wee bit bummed missing some sauce and snark

A personal shout out to @Halvor for stepping into trance's shoes as able. And to all staff and members keep the site trucking and the home away from home that it is.

It has been, well, just....such a terrible year all around, and sadly, not getting much better, but I hope we all move into better times soon.

cheers for the read

 

[bamberfishcake]

Wasn't much to shout about for certainly UK Punters hence the apathy. Right now MrQ are IMO the best casino (being short of a few games, granted) available to UK players with a UK Licence so hopefully they can enter the foray here at some point.

Agreed, MrQ is the best option for UK players right now being the only casino that offers max RTP games.

Premium products are what makes the difference. Nothing else really matters but the RTP of the game you play - why have burgers when you can have steak?

Agree with Goatie also that it's good to have a worthy participant breakthrough as the best casino, well done BItStarz.

And well done UKGC for getting the Bag of Hammers award. Being that bad at your job takes some real effort.

 

[Karolina-CasinoMax]

Congratulations to all the winners !!!!

 

[L&L-Jan]

Congratulations to all winners!

And thanks CM and team for the hard work.

 

[3Dice]

Congratulations to all winners and thank you Bryan, and the CM community for this award.

It is always special to be acknowledged for something we take such pride in.

Cheers,
Anna

 

[dunover]

I won something! Nearly 10 years here I have finally done it! Congrats to that Dunover bloke. he's cool!

In a normal year I would be presented with a CM shield at the Meistermeet amid much revelry and back-slapping along with an embarrassing photo.

As it's unlikely there will be one before ICE next month, I shall dream about beer, Irish folk bands, a buffet and watching @KasinoKing get shafted in Grosvenor at the 3-card brag game...

Congrats to the other winners, after a shite year there have been some shining lights, beacons of hope.

Thanks to Bryan for doing the awards too.

 

[mina1929]

Well done Bitstarz
Olle you have done an amazing job along with your team
Congrats Dunover, well deserved and to all other winners as well

 

[Supababe]

I’m not sure which planet I landed on during lockdown boss… but these awards don’t seem to reflect the CM I have followed in 2021.

Other than the bag of spanners… the relevance to us mere UK players is almost 0.

Also the logic and reasoning (or lack of) is definitely not why we usually see from Bryan (who usually has a much higher level of intellectual thought). I wonder who wrote them…..


Sorry @L&L-Jan that your continued dedication to the forum, always here to answer any player regardless of whether it’s a L&L brand issue or not, wasn’t noticed/ acknowledged.

Micro gaming? Really? What logic is that…. When the majority of us play at a massively reduced rtp (around 92%) so that one person has a life changing amount???
Wouldn’t the gaming experience be better if 32 people won half a million each?

 

[LadyJelena]

Sorry @L&L-Jan that your continued dedication to the forum, always here to answer any player regardless of whether it’s a L&L brand issue or not, wasn’t noticed/ acknowledged.

That's actually not true (about the notice, acknowledgement and appreciation)

 

[paul7388]

Talk about an anti climax after a two month delay.

Really do not get how the awards work out. For a forum that probably has UK players as the biggest percentage of members and voters not sure how the casino of year, best group etc. can all go to casinos that UK players can not even use. So basically Top awards as voted for by CM community go to casinos the majority can not play at. Makes no sense.

And new casino of the year. Okay Winz.io might be greatest thing ever. But how can a casino that only appeared on forum a few weeks before the votes be new casino of year. Not even enough time for people to discover if they were good or not.

 

[sapit222]

Bitstarz? It was an ok casino 4-5 years ago when i could still play there.
Now i have no idea.

The Legend Group? Never played at their casinos.

Winz i havent tried.

Microgaming? Was a long time since they were good.

3Dice is the only1 i know is still going strong.

 

[bigbear]

Totally agree that Jan is a brilliant rep but the same cannot be said about L&L casinos in general.Over the past year they have gone completely over the top with their Source of Funds/Wealth demands,i would say that their customer service is one of the best in terms of response times but i had so many continuous requests for various documents that i simply stopped playing at any of their brands.

 

[dunover]

I’m not sure which planet I landed on during lockdown boss… but these awards don’t seem to reflect the CM I have followed in 2021.

Other than the bag of spanners… the relevance to us mere UK players is almost 0.

Also the logic and reasoning (or lack of) is definitely not why we usually see from Bryan (who usually has a much higher level of intellectual thought). I wonder who wrote them…..


Sorry @L&L-Jan that your continued dedication to the forum, always here to answer any player regardless of whether it’s a L&L brand issue or not, wasn’t noticed/ acknowledged.

Micro gaming? Really? What logic is that…. When the majority of us play at a massively reduced rtp (around 92%) so that one person has a life changing amount???
Wouldn’t the gaming experience be better if 32 people won half a million each?

Yeah, agreed, a bit low key this year, a bit truncated. I didn't do the slots write-up/summary as I usually do, rogue awards missed out, Crypto casinos to the fore (which as you say have little relevance to the UK as the decent ones here rightly bar us.) Covid has had an effect in some ways, the RTP reductions and UKGC shithousery too. In fact, 2021 was the worst year since I have been here. It was so bad, in desperation I even won something. A bit of a pyrrhic victory as the fun that goes with the award (usually a shield and presentation at the MM) I will miss out on as there won't be one, so I wish it had been another year!

Seriously though, due to the personal circumstances of various persons, I think time was very limited this year so we have a kind of skeleton content compared to normal. A normally detailed, comprehensive and even entertaining yearly summary is understandably considered an anti-climax when reduced like this in comparison to previous years.

Behind the scenes @maxd has been retrieving monies as normal, there's been forum revamps and updates, we get the news flows as usual from @News Hound, there's been the same amount of hours spent in moderation, a constant stream of new members appearing and new casinos coming on board. Sadly, most of these as you point out above are irrelevant to the UK because a new UK-facing casino of any note appearing is about as likely as Mad Vlad getting the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize. So I totally get why the UK membership feel a bit sidelined.

I expect, all getting better in the world (which I really hope like most of you will actually happen) that next time you'll see this was a one-off. The one good thing and to me the most important is the fact we have a community of good, experienced people here who have enduringly contributed throughout 2021 and continue to do so. That will I expect be foremost in people's opinions and enjoyment of CM when the 2021 awards are consigned to past memories.

 

[goatwack]

Catastrophic world events aside, governing bodies' penchant for ruining slotting has led to a general downturn of player fun, to the point of haranguing them before they've even begun playing. SoWs are at OTT levels, RTP's being shorn at an alarming rate, gambling affordability checks are being conducted on the sly etc.

Good casinos are being driven out, player choice is dwindling, and so is healthy competition....

Coupled with designers' shift to insanely high variance models, and you have yourself a lot of disgruntled spinners, whereas say years prior the forum would be peppered with Winner Screenshots; now it's a select band of scratchcard victors. Is that the sort of scene that elicits a feelgood factor? Not on your nelly!

I guess it all boils down to making the best of a bad situation, and there are still reps and casinos that try to go that extra mile for customers. But in the current wasteland that is slotting, the showering of praise might be in short supply. It's akin to breaking into The Hills Are Alive! after just having been mugged.

- it ain't gonna happen

 

[Supababe]

That's actually not true (about the notice, acknowledgement and appreciation)

I didn’t see any mention in the awards sadly…. Just thought I’d use the search function to check…..

 

[Steviedoo]

Congratulations on your award @dunover. You’re always a good read. And funny. Well deserved.

Congratulations bitstarz.

 

[mack341]

Jan is very respected and well liked; it's similar to the premier league - he's still man city or liverpool (1st or 2nd) rather than a ropy fallen from glory man utd.

Definitely seen marco actively contributing, attentively repping, so not a surprise reaction to the result in what is probably a finely balanced decision.

 

[BitStarz]

Holy Sh*t,

Of all the awards we've received, this is the one I'm the most proud of.

In a World where there's not just a massive inflation of currencies, but also among the Casino Awards out there
where you can get everything from like "Best Pirate Themed Slot of the Year" and "Best Dressed Customer Support Agent" (the irony is real),
I'm grateful that CasinoMeister (as always) uphold real quality.

I remember we begged the Meister himself to get a shot at the Baptism by Fire for years. It might have been borderline harassment at some point, but I truly appreciate giving us a chance (and not calling the cops on us). Some forums has a tendency to run amok, a lot of conspiracies, and very little moderation, but we've always seen CasinoMeister as a place where real gamblers discuss serious topics, with solid arguments. To me, that elevates the whole industry.

We're extremely grateful for @Casinomeister @maxd and all the players here. This makes us at BitStarz want to work even harder at improving every aspect of our casino, and we shall.

This is a big honor for me, and for everyone here at BitStarz. I'm humbled, proud and extremely grateful for this and for all of you.

Also, congratulations to all other winners!

Onward forward, we shall not let you down.

/

Olle + Team BitStarz

 

[the Shamus]

Hello Casinomeister:

I just want to thanks you for 12 years of great information you have posted. Another great post this year! In North America, the big news is Scientific Games sold off there world wide lottery division, spun out their social gaming assets, and the new company changing the name to Light and Wonder. Yes, I have a post on it:



The new orgaszation has realized the potential of iGaming in North America -- as most Canadian Provinces and several US states allowing iGaming and sports betting.

Always great to learn more about iGaming. Take care.

The Shamus of Slots

 

[The Dude]

I’m not sure which planet I landed on during lockdown boss… but these awards don’t seem to reflect the CM I have followed in 2021.

Other than the bag of spanners… the relevance to us mere UK players is almost 0.

Also the logic and reasoning (or lack of) is definitely not why we usually see from Bryan (who usually has a much higher level of intellectual thought). I wonder who wrote them…..


Sorry @L&L-Jan that your continued dedication to the forum, always here to answer any player regardless of whether it’s a L&L brand issue or not, wasn’t noticed/ acknowledged.

Micro gaming? Really? What logic is that…. When the majority of us play at a massively reduced rtp (around 92%) so that one person has a life changing amount???
Wouldn’t the gaming experience be better if 32 people won half a million each?

Hi Supababe,

The awards were difficult this year, especially with the "worst" section being toned down a bit. I didn't like doing that since those are the easiest awards to write, in fact in most cases they write themselves. As for the "Best" winners, I don't really take into consideration the geo of the recipients, I try to give acknowledgement to those entities that are doing a bang up job. Sure there are loads of UK members here, but these awards are focused on who is doing a great (or not so great job). Years ago we used to have "Best" awards for US and Global, and I am thinking next year it could be UK and Global, since there seems to be two separate markets.

As for Best Experiences for players - that was a tough one (as I mentined in the write up), in fact I think I mentioned that this past year sucked and there were no real "Best Experiences" this past year. The only thing I could come across was those massive jackpots - which were from Microgaming.

L&L Jan is amazing - he's been awarded twice, and he is a fantastic rep, He knows it, you know it, we all know it. But we also have others who are amazing too and should be recognized.

I am going to revamp the awards this year so that more folks like you can give more input. Maybe start focusing on Player Choice Awards along with Meister Awards, and I can always use volunteers like you to help out

 

[Winz.io casino]

Wow! Wow! Wow!

We are humbled and happy to get acknowledged by Casinomeister and the Best New Casino 2021 Award!

We work hard every day to make gambling more exciting, players’ experience smooth and the overall environment to be fair. We don’t really aim at awards and we got listed very recently, this makes receiving the award even more pleasant!

Our team consists of industry veterans, we know Casinomeister’s community for as long as we operate in gambling. We put an objective for ourselves to become a part of this community from the day we opened our casino’s doors. That wasn’t easy, took a considerable amount of time as Casinomeister is very selective. Kudos to Jelena and Bryan!

We will celebrate the award this Friday and otherwise just continue what we do best, trying to serve our customers!