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Hello fellow forum members ,
With my finally having a little more free time now, I had this idea rolling-around in the back of my mind for quite some time. What would you consider to be the most "Underrated" casino operations around? Well, to better understand where the context of "Underrated" lies, let's first explore what I'd define as "Overrated".
What fulfills (in my mind) the criteria for an "Overrated" casino would be...
- Too much hype, which is obviously (like everything one can think of...) subjective. And obviously, this particular casino that you feel doesn't live up to that "hype". A casino in which your experience will never match your expectations.
- A casino which is all too often mentioned in threads, and what one might think is annoyingly so. This can be positive threads, or negative threads, and they generally end with a parade (or mob) in full support of the operation (without any of the issues are really being resolved).
- A casino you never win at, and where you probably feel that every deposit is an automatic "purge" (fair or not). And taking this a step further, a casino others routinely win at, but you never do... and it doesn't matter what you do, you can never make a dent in it.
- The casino may be great, but there are still holes in it that you believe others are overlooking (or being blinded by) them, because all the other factors seem to eclipse the negatives.
- A casino that makes plenty of blunders ("blunders" that would not be tolerated by you the player), but has enough of a following (and probably a strong one at that) that these blunders are generally excusable.
- A casino whose Loyalty Programs, monthly match bonuses, VIP treatment, ongoing promotions, aren't so great when you think about it (based on factors such as steep wagering requirements, with only a few games that are allowed to be played to meet those requirements).
- A casino which has this whole bells-and-whistles "rah-rah" campaign that just isn't working for you, but is probably working for everyone else (this is for a casino which you consider "OVERRATED" remember ).
Side Note: I wouldn't necessarily classify an "Overrated" casino as a bad one. Heck, some of the most "Overrated" casinos are probably the best ones around, and it's probably impossible living up to the hype all the time. I'd have to consider Cal Ripken Jr. one of the most overrated sports icons of the last 50 years, but he was still a great baseball player (insert any other icon if you wish ... not everyone fancies baseball... my apologies ).
What fulfills the criteria for an "Underrated" casino would be...
"A" - A casino that goes under the radar. It doesn't get enough of a push (banners/advertisements/rarely being mentioned in threads if at all/ect...). No spotlights. No fireworks.
"B" - Pays out as quickly as the operations that garner the most attention, but doesn't seem to the credit it deserves (for making prompt payments to winners).
"C" - A casino that rarely receives any sort of complaint, while at the same time rarely gets praised for providing a great and quality service.
"D" - A casino that you've dealt with personally, and always feel like the casino is there to satisfy you (or rather, everything they do is satisfactory). A casino which you've always been pleased with the service, and one which does all the little things right.
"E" - A casino that might have at one time had a bad reputation, and that is still being haunted by it's past, but took the necessary steps over a fair (enough) amount of time to clean-up their mistakes. For good reasons, they may very well be one of the best operations around in the now, but carry the burden of making a considerable mistake well over 2 years ago (as an example).
"F" - A casino that gives you bonuses when you really weren't expecting anything from them, BECAUSE they are perceived as being a middle-of-the-road operation. This may include B-Day bonuses, $50 out-of-the-blue trying to get you to come back, or just something because they recognize that you're a great customer.
"G" - A casino which gets too much negative press, yet for all of your experiences at that particular casino, you've never ran into those sort of problems and every transaction has been seamless thus far.
"H" - A casino that will be forever lumped into one big group of poor operations, because they are part of the same software provider. Yet, this casino is great and always has been despite the poor reputations of those surrounding it.
If I had to make a short-list of a few operations that I considered to be "Underrated", I'd have to go with...
"Underrated" criterion "C", "D", "F", "H"
Probably passed-over because it's a PlayTech casino, yet has (as far as I know) always had a sterling reputation. Few complaints, fine service, no problems. Major stumbling block for them (I would imagine), is having to distance themselves from the majority of the PlayTech pack.
"Underrated" criterion "B", "D", "G", "H"
The fastest paying PlayTech casino that I can think of. This isn't a casino for bonus hunters/whores, but in my experience, it meets most of the requirements that I expect from a solid operation.
"Underrated" criterion: "A", "B", "D", "G"
I can see this pick going either way, but I'm leaning towards "Underrated" because in my neck-of-the-woods, I don't hear enough about them (whereas I hear and have always heard plenty about InterCasino & William Hill... which surely would have to be classified as great operations).
"Underrated" criterion: "D", "E", "F", "G"
What surely would have been a casino at the top of the "Overrated" food chain just a couple years ago, I rarely hear anything about them anymore. Odd. Overlooking the extended waiting periods to be paid, and software (like Global Player) that needs a drastic face-lift, this casino seems to do most things right. They've always been fair with bonuses, customer service replies to queries within a decent time frame, and they're rarely talked about anymore. Maybe I'm reading the wrong threads, or I'm going to only a select few sites/portals, but didn't they used to advertise EVERYWHERE back in '02?
"Underrated" criterion: "B", "C", "D", "F"
Out of all the MG affiliates, I'd have to consider this group to be the most "Underrated".
Honorable mention goes to...
"Underrated" criterion: "A", "B", "C", "D", "F"
There are changes happening here, so who knows what's going on. They've been with BelleRock for a long time now (never one of the casino mentioned in their "COOL HAND" magazine though), but now they're officially with BelleRock... but accounts are being transferred to RiverBelle. When you call their long-distance #, you'll likely speak to someone who's not sure if Capital Casino is with Fortune Lounge or BelleRock (not a good thing... this happened twice now where the person wasn't sure ).
Not sure why I didn't go here more often in '03/'04, but this has been one of the few bright spots amongst my MG experiences (luck factor being the prevalent determiner in this case). Playing here always felt like I was actually playing a "random" game. Pushing that aside, this casino has a very boring main-page, the colors are dull, everything about it looks pre-VIPER, yet it does use VIPER.
Getting to the heart-of-matter, I would have put them as the most "Underrated" casino I had ever dealt with (and they are) because they had met every criteria that feel under my criteria (for what I would define to be an "Underrated" operation).
Unfortunately, with all the changes happening here, it'll never be the same. Thus, it can only get an honorable mention. Adieu Capitale... adieu...
***
Thank you for reading through my post, and I look forward to your responses.
Steed
***
Hello fellow forum members ,
With my finally having a little more free time now, I had this idea rolling-around in the back of my mind for quite some time. What would you consider to be the most "Underrated" casino operations around? Well, to better understand where the context of "Underrated" lies, let's first explore what I'd define as "Overrated".
What fulfills (in my mind) the criteria for an "Overrated" casino would be...
- Too much hype, which is obviously (like everything one can think of...) subjective. And obviously, this particular casino that you feel doesn't live up to that "hype". A casino in which your experience will never match your expectations.
- A casino which is all too often mentioned in threads, and what one might think is annoyingly so. This can be positive threads, or negative threads, and they generally end with a parade (or mob) in full support of the operation (without any of the issues are really being resolved).
- A casino you never win at, and where you probably feel that every deposit is an automatic "purge" (fair or not). And taking this a step further, a casino others routinely win at, but you never do... and it doesn't matter what you do, you can never make a dent in it.
- The casino may be great, but there are still holes in it that you believe others are overlooking (or being blinded by) them, because all the other factors seem to eclipse the negatives.
- A casino that makes plenty of blunders ("blunders" that would not be tolerated by you the player), but has enough of a following (and probably a strong one at that) that these blunders are generally excusable.
- A casino whose Loyalty Programs, monthly match bonuses, VIP treatment, ongoing promotions, aren't so great when you think about it (based on factors such as steep wagering requirements, with only a few games that are allowed to be played to meet those requirements).
- A casino which has this whole bells-and-whistles "rah-rah" campaign that just isn't working for you, but is probably working for everyone else (this is for a casino which you consider "OVERRATED" remember ).
Side Note: I wouldn't necessarily classify an "Overrated" casino as a bad one. Heck, some of the most "Overrated" casinos are probably the best ones around, and it's probably impossible living up to the hype all the time. I'd have to consider Cal Ripken Jr. one of the most overrated sports icons of the last 50 years, but he was still a great baseball player (insert any other icon if you wish ... not everyone fancies baseball... my apologies ).
What fulfills the criteria for an "Underrated" casino would be...
"A" - A casino that goes under the radar. It doesn't get enough of a push (banners/advertisements/rarely being mentioned in threads if at all/ect...). No spotlights. No fireworks.
"B" - Pays out as quickly as the operations that garner the most attention, but doesn't seem to the credit it deserves (for making prompt payments to winners).
"C" - A casino that rarely receives any sort of complaint, while at the same time rarely gets praised for providing a great and quality service.
"D" - A casino that you've dealt with personally, and always feel like the casino is there to satisfy you (or rather, everything they do is satisfactory). A casino which you've always been pleased with the service, and one which does all the little things right.
"E" - A casino that might have at one time had a bad reputation, and that is still being haunted by it's past, but took the necessary steps over a fair (enough) amount of time to clean-up their mistakes. For good reasons, they may very well be one of the best operations around in the now, but carry the burden of making a considerable mistake well over 2 years ago (as an example).
"F" - A casino that gives you bonuses when you really weren't expecting anything from them, BECAUSE they are perceived as being a middle-of-the-road operation. This may include B-Day bonuses, $50 out-of-the-blue trying to get you to come back, or just something because they recognize that you're a great customer.
"G" - A casino which gets too much negative press, yet for all of your experiences at that particular casino, you've never ran into those sort of problems and every transaction has been seamless thus far.
"H" - A casino that will be forever lumped into one big group of poor operations, because they are part of the same software provider. Yet, this casino is great and always has been despite the poor reputations of those surrounding it.
If I had to make a short-list of a few operations that I considered to be "Underrated", I'd have to go with...
KIWI Casino
"Underrated" criterion "C", "D", "F", "H"
Probably passed-over because it's a PlayTech casino, yet has (as far as I know) always had a sterling reputation. Few complaints, fine service, no problems. Major stumbling block for them (I would imagine), is having to distance themselves from the majority of the PlayTech pack.
Bet365
"Underrated" criterion "B", "D", "G", "H"
The fastest paying PlayTech casino that I can think of. This isn't a casino for bonus hunters/whores, but in my experience, it meets most of the requirements that I expect from a solid operation.
Littlewoods Casino
"Underrated" criterion: "A", "B", "D", "G"
I can see this pick going either way, but I'm leaning towards "Underrated" because in my neck-of-the-woods, I don't hear enough about them (whereas I hear and have always heard plenty about InterCasino & William Hill... which surely would have to be classified as great operations).
Casino-On-Net
"Underrated" criterion: "D", "E", "F", "G"
What surely would have been a casino at the top of the "Overrated" food chain just a couple years ago, I rarely hear anything about them anymore. Odd. Overlooking the extended waiting periods to be paid, and software (like Global Player) that needs a drastic face-lift, this casino seems to do most things right. They've always been fair with bonuses, customer service replies to queries within a decent time frame, and they're rarely talked about anymore. Maybe I'm reading the wrong threads, or I'm going to only a select few sites/portals, but didn't they used to advertise EVERYWHERE back in '02?
JackpOt FactOry
"Underrated" criterion: "B", "C", "D", "F"
Out of all the MG affiliates, I'd have to consider this group to be the most "Underrated".
Honorable mention goes to...
Capital Casino
"Underrated" criterion: "A", "B", "C", "D", "F"
There are changes happening here, so who knows what's going on. They've been with BelleRock for a long time now (never one of the casino mentioned in their "COOL HAND" magazine though), but now they're officially with BelleRock... but accounts are being transferred to RiverBelle. When you call their long-distance #, you'll likely speak to someone who's not sure if Capital Casino is with Fortune Lounge or BelleRock (not a good thing... this happened twice now where the person wasn't sure ).
Not sure why I didn't go here more often in '03/'04, but this has been one of the few bright spots amongst my MG experiences (luck factor being the prevalent determiner in this case). Playing here always felt like I was actually playing a "random" game. Pushing that aside, this casino has a very boring main-page, the colors are dull, everything about it looks pre-VIPER, yet it does use VIPER.
Old Attachment (Invalid)
Zzzz... Zzzz... Zzzz... Yawn... Zzzz... I'd rather watch the O.J. Simpson trial than have to look at this website again.
Getting to the heart-of-matter, I would have put them as the most "Underrated" casino I had ever dealt with (and they are) because they had met every criteria that feel under my criteria (for what I would define to be an "Underrated" operation).
Unfortunately, with all the changes happening here, it'll never be the same. Thus, it can only get an honorable mention. Adieu Capitale... adieu...
***
Thank you for reading through my post, and I look forward to your responses.
Steed
***
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