2006 Newsletter
12 January 2006 – Issue #260
Dear Reader,
Yeah, I’m still chillin’ yet trying to work at the same time. Pardon the apparent slackiness, but that’s life in northern Bavaria right after New Years.
Appreciatively yours,
Bryan
BUT IT’S NOT ALL PLAY
Sure I’ve been taking most afternoons off this past couple of weeks. One of my oldest daughters is visiting from the states, so we’re playing tourist right now. I learned how to ski this past weekend (got my ass kicked, but I survived), and went skating for the first time today – didn’t fall down once. Been checking out the local castles and other neighboring things. It’s nice to try to see the familiar from the eyes of a tourist.
But it’s not all play. I’ve been working way late at night on a number of projects. One project is the Casinomeister awards that are almost complete. As tradition has it, they are announced the week prior to London’s ICE – and man, I’m right on schedule. There are some very interesting awards this year – several new categories, and it’s a decent retrospective view of the past year. I’m sure you will be pleased, entertained, amazed, and a few of you might be a little pissed. Watch this spot for the announcement – and subsequent webcast.
CASINOMEISTER CAUTIONS
I should have done this a long time ago since I was involved with at least one unresolved player issue with a Chartwell powered casino. The casino pulled a disappearing act – the player never saw his money, and the software provider tried to contact the operators but…no luck. This week I placed all Chartwell casinos in a new section at Casinomeister – “Casinomeister Cautions.” Why? I’ll tell you why.
I have always felt that the buck stops at the software provider when there is a problem. A lot of people disagree with me. They feel that it’s the operator, and if there is a problem, take it to the operator’s licensing jurisdiction. Well this is crap. You should know as well as I do that there are many licensing jurisdictions that couldn’t give a flying rats ass on what happens to a player. Licensors are concerned about getting paid, that’s about it. So when a casino has managerial problems, it’s the software provider I that I press for player solutions – not the licensing jurisdiction.
I have been dealing with player issues for nearly eight years now, and the times that a licensing jurisdiction has gotten themselves involved with a player’s problem…well I could count the number of times on maybe a couple of fingers.
Chartwell has a “hands off” policy towards their licensees. They have told this to me face-to-face and in emails. They will not involve themselves with player issues. Why? Because they feel that they do their due diligence when they take on a licensee. And I can’t dispute this. They have some solid organizations to which they provide their software: Victor Chandler, BetandWin, the Spin Room, Eurobet, etc., but they have had licensees that up and disappeared. I almost forgot about this poor player who was stiffed $600 because a Chartwell casino’s operators closed shop and *poof* vanished (Caribsunshine-casino.com). Now there seem to be problems at Frontroom and Liquid Club Casino – I’m not sure if it’s managerial or financial – but there are problems.
So players need to be advised that if they run into problems with Chartwell powered casinos – they may find out that they are in a very lonely place. More here: https://www.casinomeister.com/rogue/chartwell_gaming_software.html
End note: attitudes like this one (hands off) are just plain idiotic. Both Playtech and RTG had this attitude years ago – “we’re only the software provider”. Well they learned a hard lesson and their reputation still suffers because of this. Chartwell needs to get with the program and offer its players a safety-net. Players are owed this much.
SLOT JUNKIES WHERE YOU AT?
Slots!! Slots!! and more Slots!!
Hey, there’s a tournament you need to get involved with if you’re into slots! It’s at Slotjunkies.info, and it’s probably one of the most ingenious and fun tourneys to get involved with.
The Slot Junkies Challenges are a unique concept whereby players can opt into competitions for their favourite casino games and join in a community of like-minded players. Each month, casinos sponsor certain games and put up prizes for the best win, backed up by a screenshot, during the month.
The winning screenshots are those which show the highest win, based on the number of coins won rather than the actual amount. This gives the “low-rollers” a fairer chance to compete. The first prize each month will vary from game to game and the prize allocation is displayed for each game when you enter the Player Lounge. Second and Third place prizes are also usually available.
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Now For The Humor….
The Blonde Kidnapper
A blonde was down on her luck. In order to raise some money, she decided to kidnap a kid and hold him for ransom.
She went to the playground, grabbed a kid, took him behind a tree, and told him, “I’ve kidnapped you.”
She then wrote a note saying, “I’ve kidnapped your kid. Tomorrow morning, put $10,000 in a paper bag and put it under the pecan tree next to the slide on the north side of the playground. Signed, a blonde.”
The blonde then pinned the note to the kid’s shirt and sent him home to show it to his parents. The next morning the blonde checked, and sure enough, a paper bag was sitting beneath the pecan tree. The blonde opened the bag and found the $10,000 with a note that said, “How could you do this to a fellow blonde?”
19 January 2006 – Issue #261
Dear Reader,
Well here we go. Zipping through January, and February is on the cusp of the horizon. This month is one of my busiest – even though I chill out during the first couple of weeks.
What’s so busy about January? Well, there are the Casinomeister Awards and of course the ICE. What’s so great about these? scroll down and find out.
Happily yours,
Bryan
CASINOMEISTER AWARDS 2005
Yep, they were announced yesterday. And not to toot my own horn, these anticipated awards are held by many to be some of the most important and prestigious awards given to the online gaming industry. If you haven’t checked them out, now is the time to do so here:
Best and Worst of 2005
If you’ve already read them, you can still hear Vortran and I dish them out on this week’s webcast:
Webcast
https://www.casinomeister.com/webcast/webcast_archives/
And if you have any comments about any of these awards, please let the Casinomeister members know in our forum or pop me an email: commentsHere’s a brief run down on some of the top awards:
Best Casino 2005
32Red Casino
Best Casino Group 2005
Trident Entertainment
King Neptunes Casino
Trident Lounge
Vegas USA
Trident Poker
Best New Casino 2005
Vegas Splendido
Best Affiliate Program 2005
32Red Affiliates
Now those are the best. To check out who the worst were, check out the site.
ICE 2006 – LONDON
Yes, I will be there and this should be a pretty good trip. Lots of things happening. I’ll be meeting a number of webmasters, casino operators, and other industry people. My schedule is pretty much full – which is a shame since there are at least three movies I want to catch. And by hook or by crook, I’m gonna see them.
If by chance you want to meet up, please let me know. Thanks!
SLOT JUNKIES WHERE YOU AT?
Slots!! Slots!! and more Slots!! Hey, there’s a tournament you need to get involved with if you’re into slots! It’s at Slotjunkies.info, and it’s probably one of the most ingenious and fun tourneys to get involved with.
The Slot Junkies Challenges are a unique concept whereby players can opt into competitions for their favourite casino games and join in a community of like-minded players. Each month, casinos sponsor certain games and put up prizes for the best win, backed up by a screenshot, during the month.
The winning screenshots are those which show the highest win, based on the number of coins won rather than the actual amount. This gives the “low-rollers” a fairer chance to compete. The first prize each month will vary from game to game and the prize allocation is displayed for each game when you enter the Player Lounge. Second and Third place prizes are also usually available.
Lots more information here http://www.slotjunkies.info/slot_challenge_faq.php. Check it out!!
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Deposits from $2001 and up will receive a $500 bonus
Check them out!!
Lucky Nugget Online Casino!!! Buy $50 get $200 FREE!!
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$25 FREE no deposit required at Jackpot City One Player stands in line to explore Las Vegas from the luxury and comfort of a pink Cadillac and take home a classic Cadillac couch – all to the value of $6,000! Two Players will each win their very own Cadillac couch worth $2,000. To qualify, deposit 150 and wager 3,000 credits from January 3 – 31, 2006 at Jackpot City and click the link in their promotion’s page to enter the draw.
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Now For The Humor….
Brain Farts…
Question: If you could live forever, would you and why?
Answer: “I would not live forever, because we should not live forever, because if we were supposed to live forever, then we would live forever, but we cannot live forever, which is why I would not live forever,”
–Miss Alabama in the 1994 Miss USA contest.
“Whenever I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can’t help but cry. I mean I’d love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff.” –Mariah Carey
“Smoking kills. If you’re killed, you’ve lost a very important part of your life,” –Brooke Shields, during an interview to become Spokesperson for federal anti-smoking campaign.
“I’ve never had major knee surgery on any other part of my body,”–Winston Bennett, University of Kentucky basketball forward.
“Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the country,” –Mayor Marion Barry, Washington, DC.
“I’m not going to have some reporters pawing through our papers. We are the president.” –Hillary Clinton commenting on the release of subpoenaed documents.
“That lowdown scoundrel deserves to be kicked to death by a jackass, and I’m just the one to do it,” –A congressional candidate in Texas.
“Half this game is ninety percent mental.” –Philadelphia Phillies manager, Danny Ozark
“It isn’t pollution that’s harming the environment. It’s the impurities in our air and water that are doing it.” –Al Gore, Vice President
“I love California. I practically grew up in Phoenix.” –Dan Quayle
“We’ve got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?”–Lee Iacocca
“The word ‘genius” isn’t applicable in football. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein.” –Joe Theisman, NFL football quarterback &sports analyst.
“We don’t necessarily discriminate. We simply exclude certain types of people.” –Colonel Gerald Wellman, ROTC Instructor.
“If we don’t succeed, we run the risk of failure.” –Bill Clinton, President
“We are ready for an unforeseen event that may or may not occur.”
–Al Gore, VP
“Traditionally, most of Australia’s imports come from overseas.”
–Keppel Enderbery
“Your food stamps will be stopped effective March 1992 because we received notice that you passed away. May God bless you. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances.”
–Department of Social Services, Greenville, South Carolina
“If somebody has a bad heart, they can plug this jack in at night as they go to bed and it will monitor their heart throughout the night. And the next morning, when they wake up dead, there’ll be a record.” –Mark S. Fowler, FCC Chairman
26 January 2006
CASINOMEISTER NEWS: BLUFF MAGAZINE EDITOR UNDER OBSERVATION IN MENTAL CLINIC
Michael Caselli apprehended in Velcro Factory incident – under observation.
MONTREAL 18 May 2006
Michael Casseli, editor of Bluff magazine and I-Gaming Review remained under care at the psychological ward of the Montreal General Hospital after being apprehended at the ACME Velcro Co. in Montreal for trespassing and minor property damage.
“The damage was minimal,” said a spokesperson from Acme. “It turns out the guy had broken in and was trying to modify a pair of Velcro boots. These are the type used for racing competitions.”
But it was a bit more complicated than that. According the RCMP, a call was received from ACME’s security department that they had apprehended the suspect at around two AM. Caselli had broken through an alley way window, and was causing damage to company property. An officer described the bizarre and embarrassing scene.
“He found where the company had stored the boots for Velcro drag racing. He had wrapped duct tape around one pair and had written on the tape in big bold letters MIKEY’S BOOTS. The suspect then began to shave off the plastic hooks located on the soles with a Swiss Army knife.”
A company employee discovered Caselli in the act, Tami Smith who said, ” He didn’t see me at first. He was giggling and repeating over and over “Must beat Bailey, must beat Bailey…” When he saw me, he dropped the knife and screamed like a girl. He got up to run, but I tackled him. I was surprised he went down so easy since I only weigh 115 pounds. He didn’t put up much of a fight.”
According to witnesses, he began screaming, “Don’t you know who I am?” which puzzled them – they had no idea who he was. Mental Health officials were called in at that time.
“I’m afraid Mr. Casselli suffers from what we call hyper-delusional fixations,” explained Dr. Frankenfurter, MGH’s ward supervisor. “He is fixated with the webmaster of Casinomeister.com, a certain Bryan Bailey, and Caselli simply snapped.”
This may be the case. Several days ago, Caselli’s Lyceum Publishing distributed a bizarre press release claiming that Bryan Bailey had an unfortunate accident that involved Velcro and sheep. Bailey was contacted and stated, “Yes, that was an odd press release. The funny thing is, when I was supposedly chasing sheep I was actually sponsoring a picnic for the local orphanage. We were barbequing, and I was teaching orphans how to play American softball. In fact, Casinomeister has always been generous. We donated a decent sum of money for the charity drive at GIGSE. I don’t see Caselli doing that.”
And while this may be true, we spoke with one of Caselli’s office workers who wished to remain anonymous. She said, “He hasn’t been the same since he accepted Bailey’s challenge. He stares off into space and mumbles a lot. I think it’s really sad.”
More information here: http://www.gigse.com/2006/index.cfm/page/charity
2 February 2006
Special London Report – ICE 2006
Dear Reader,
I’m back and that’s a good thing. Lots of business to take care of, lots of emails to answer, lots of players looking for assistance – wondering where I am. Lots of grandieux plans. But before any of this is going to happen, you’re going to have to bear with me and hear of the tales of decadence and other cool things during my ICE London trip.
So grab yo’self a hot cup o’ java, and read on…
Busily yours,
Bryan
ICE – London
Forced to drink “Girly Drinks”…So where should I start? Perhaps I should begin with the delayed flight out of Charles De Gaul airport in Paris – the worst airport in the EU, or perhaps I should start with my train ride from Heathrow to London’s Paddington station – nope, too non-eventful. Me thinks I’ll begin this tale with my Sushi dinner with a fellow webmaster Webzcas and a bloke from Forwardslash.com
I think it was Webzcas’ first time at Sushi, and it’s always a treat to turn someone onto something a bit exotic – even though for some people, Sushi is quite the norm. Webzcas is the webmaster of Onlinecasinoreviewer.com, an excellent online casino portal and he’s a very sharp and dedicated webmaster. We discussed webmastery things like search engine optimization and how we deal with casino stuff. In fact, one of my missions in London was to meet with various webmasters and talk about what concerns us: webmastering.
Anyway, we left Sushi Uno and delved into the heart of London’s Soho district. London is by far my favorite city. There is so much history, so many faces from every nationality and culture, so many people to bump into – it’s always crowded. And we made it to the Detroit Bar, checked my coat and we descended the spiral staircase into the bar.
This is one of the best things about these conferences – the pre-partying. There are so many cool people in this industry, and I’m talking webmasters. Many of the webmasters present were from Casino Affiliate Programs and the party was being sponsored by Wildjack Gaming which did a great job. I remember back in 2001 – my first ICE – and there were virtually no webmasters or affiliates involved. Back then there was Spearmaster from Got2bet, the Winneronline guys, and a handful of others — nothing compared to now. This online casino stuff has exploded over the past several years.
Nevertheless, there were many familiar faces, Greedygirl, the Reviewed-casino guys, Tim Whyles from
I picked up my jacket at the cloakroom, and I had discovered to my dismay that someone had sabotaged the jacket’s zipper. It didn’t work no matter how hard I tried to make the zipper ends meet. But I finally got it, and I commenced to meander back to my hotel.
The hotel was maybe a ten minute walk away, but the once familiar streets were all turned around and whacked out. I had no idea where I was. So I hailed a cab, and left it up to him to get me back to the hotel. What a nice cabbie.
I was relived the next morning to find that I was still on one piece, that my wallet wasn’t empty, that I still had my mobile and all of my stuff. In fact, I didn’t feel bad at all, and I was ready to hit the ICE in all its glory.
The ICE – International Casino Exhibition – is the largest casino exhibition outside of Las Vegas. It’s focused internationally, but being in London it gets a lot of traffic from this side of the globe. I go to meet operators – good and bad – meet software providers, and licensing representatives, and all the other folks who are scattered about. This year’s show was huge, but I wasn’t too impressed with anything new.
I wandered about, and I remembered how innovative the industry has been – different payment solutions, poker, bingo, skill games, and games for the pocket computer and mobile. Even so, it’s still so drearily focused on marketing, and sometimes I get put off by the “make a load o’ cash” techniques many of these firms are touting. But then there are the organizations that are trying to better the industry by providing information for operators and players, or quality products that enhance the players’ experiences.
Suddenly, I bumped into Ed Ware the CEO of 32Red Casino, Casinomeister’s top rated casino for three years in a row. We were scheduled to have lunch, so we mosied out of the exhibition hall and down to The Atlas Pub. This was the place where I interviewed Ed Ware of 32Red two years ago (you can still hear the interview – it’s just as valid now as it was back then). It’s amazing how some things just don’t change.
So we sat there – chatted and ate some bitchin’ food. And while we were finishing lunch, Ed spotted Paul Gascoigne who had just entered the pub and was ordering a meal at the bar. Being the displaced Yank that I am, I had no idea who he was referring to – so Ed explained to me that this was probably the most famous footballer in the UK. Well, he looked pretty normal to me. I guess I could be bumping into all sorts of celebrities here and not even know it.
As we left, Ed gave Paul a friendly wave and told him it was good to see him. Paul returned the wave and smiled. What a nice chap.
I returned to the ICE and met with Catherine van Battum, the representative for Brand Conversions. Brand Conversions is an affiliate program based in the UK that promotes some of the leading UK based casinos and poker rooms. She was concerned that I had only recently given Chartwell Technologies a “Head in the Sand” award for 2005. Chartwell is the software provider for a number of casinos – some of which are very solid and promoted by Brand Conversions. The problem – as I stated in the award and in the “Cautions” section – is that in the past, the software provider does not offer assistance to players is they have issues with their licensees.
Well apparently, there are changes in the making. According to Brian Cullingworth, who was able to track down the right people, Chartwell seems to be relooking at this stance and is planing to implement some sort of player assistance. He reported:
Chartwell Technology has come in from some flak from the player community recently regarding its *hands off* approach to player-licensee disputes, and this is being addressed by the company through its major sixteen site “middle man” group Elite Club Management, currently operating a wide range of services from Curacao but about to move to a new complex in Singapore.
Elite Club is now tasked with dealing with player complaints at its 16 licensees, and the director of sales anticipates that through Elite’s immediate involvement and close communication with Chartwell disputes will be dealt with fast and fairly.
“No player will be disadvantaged in the unlikely event of any licensee going under,” he said.Well, that attitude is a major improvement since I spoke with them last. I will be following up on this in the next couple of weeks.
I had the pleasure in meeting “Caruso“, one of the more outspoken members of Casinomeister’s forum. We had met before last year at the ICE, but only briefly. This year we had a chance to talk for a while about a number of things.
He was just finished with speaking to both Playtech and Gambling Federation – two casino entities that have had their share of problems. He did a nice write-up which he posted in our forum here. Again, I was impressed on how this industry has gotten a number of players involved with trying to make things right. It’s not just a money churning entity, it’s an entertainment industry that can never forget its responsibility to the player community. “Caruso” is also a nice chap.
It was about time for me to head out – I had plans that evening to hook up with the iNetBet guys. Little did I know that I was to end up in a girly bar at the end of the evening. What’s up with that? Find out after this….
to be continued…
I like dem boobies… We went to the Strictly Hush restaurant in Mayfair. I almost didn’t find the street since it was barely on the map. It’s actually a tunneled alleyway which slips into an ancient courtyard. Another reason to love London. There are some really trippy old places to check out.
I was met by the operators of iNetbet, which is probably one of the best run RTG casinos on the planet (scroll back up to check out their exclusive offer just for you my dear reader). The restaurant is quite exclusive and it seemed a bit uppity at first. They didn’t have much to choose from in the beer department. Just some light Italian beer. But we had a drink and sat down to eat, and they told me the restaurant is owned by Roger Moore’s son. The problem with these places is that the food never seems to meet one’s expectations, but I was wrong here. The food was absolutely splendid, and the service top-notch. It was a very nice eating experience.
From there, we decided to go have drinks elsewhere. It was suggested that we go to “where all the RTG guys were hanging out”. This I thought would be interesting, little did I know they were jivin’ me.
We arrived at the Windmill International, and we checked our coats and went upstairs to the bar. Swarming around the bar were about twenty knock ’em dead young ladies – some hanging on the arms of middle aged men, or making eye contact with me. And down below us was a lounge area and a stage where some girlies were shakin’ their booty. Oh jeese, troublesville I thought.
A beer appeared – a Heineken – and a young brunette sided up against me, “What’s your name? Where are you from? What are you doing later tonight?” I thought – oh, pu-lease be real. I’m really not into this at all. But I tried to oblige her – I was polite and gave her the information she was asking for. What these girls are trying to do is to sucker you in to buying a lap dance that you can get for free at home. So I told her up-front the truth. I’m here for the beer, and I don’t need you near. But I was cool about it.
It was a trip watching some of the other guys in there playing into the fantasy. I guess it’s harmless, and for some of these older guys I’m sure it’s somewhat of an ego boost. But I sure felt sorry for these girls, having to put up with these guys just so they can pay the rent.
No sign of any RTG guys by the way – except for my hosts.
The following day I found myself having breakfast in Harrods drinking coffee and eating pastries with a representative of Fortune Lounge. The Fortune Lounge group of casinos were the recipients of Casinomeister’s 2005 Fall From Grace award for the recent spam issue. We went over my posted statements carefully – he had a copy of them at hand, and we came to the conclusion that we agree to disagree. We agree that they are one of the best and most solid casino groups around, but where we disagree is at the US CAN SPAM act. The FL group feels that this is a legitimate guideline to use to send out their mailers; I feel that it is only a license to send unsolicited bulk email.
The meeting was cordial and productive, but I still don’t plan to list them back at Casinomeister anytime soon – not until they reconsider their marketing techniques and their philosophy on the Can Spam Act. Casinomeister subscribes to SpamHaus’ viewpoint on advertising via email, and I won’t change my position.
From there I made it to the Partnerlogic offices. Once more, I met with the people behind the scenes at Intercasino and VIP Casino. I have recently been made the official mediator for these casinos and all of their brands, and so far so good I can gladly say. If whatever problem a player may have, and their support and management can’t resolve the issue – then it comes to me. It’s been pretty quiet so far.
I caught a matinee that afternoon. Now most people know that when I travel to London, it’s the movies that are way on top of the agenda for me. English language films suck in Germany because they are all dubbed. This is a reason (in my humble opinion) why the few Germans who are able to speak English speak it so terribly. They rarely hear the language. This goes for the French too (they dub all of their films as well), and there are very few French people who can speak without a heavy accent. Now head to the Netherlands, or Sweden, or any other country that keeps film and English television programming in the original language (it’s subtitled) and you will hear these people speak fluently, many times without an accent at all. Oh, I digress – but I think I made my point. Don’t be so damn lazy by overdubbing the voices.
I saw “Jarhead” which was a bit off base for me. Jarhead is about a platoon of Marines that are sent to the first gulf war. Some of it was pretty much how it was, but quite a bit didn’t ring true for me. Many of you probably know I spent nearly six months in the desert during Desert Shield/Desert Storm, and about eleven years in the US Army. And I can say for a fact that the leadership in any combat unit – whether it’s Marines, US Paratroopers, mechanics, or cooks, is a big part of your life – you’re either being lead, or you’re leading – and in most instances you are doing both. In this film, there was no leadership – no troop formations, no daily troop briefings, really nothing. And I know for a fact these sorts of things are something that happens every day. I was a squad leader, and I had squad meetings twice a day – once early in the morning – once at night. And in the months that I spent in the desert, we had only two days off – Christmas and New Year’s day. Every day spent in the desert we worked our asses off. I was in the combat engineers, and our main mission was to breach the Iraqi minefields. We spent weeks rehearsing on how to do this, and after the ground offensive – we spent about four months cleaning up the mess and collecting all of the Iraqi munitions. We had no time off until we were ready to redeploy back to Germany. It was then (our redeployment) that we were able to really party. After six months in a desert with no beer and no women, the GI bars in Germany became a bit chaotic. Man, another digression.
That evening I – and a number of very cool webmasters and personalities in the online gaming world met with Ed Ware, Patrick Harrison, and Lee Simmonds from 32Red Casino at Quaglinos’ Restaurant on Bury street. It’s a brightly lit modern English restaurant which serves modern English food. Some of the people joining us were Ted Loh, the webmasters for the Japanese portal Online Casino Fan, Online Casino Reviewer, onlinecasinouk.com, and forum member Vinylweatherman. The service was slow as hell, but it gave me the chance to find out that Ed Ware and I share many commonalties music-wise. I had no idea he was a big Joe Strummer fan (the Clash), and really into the new wave punk scene when it was happening. Some of my best “rock and roll” memories come from DEVO’s performances in Santa Cruz 1979, 1980, Elvis Costello’s Armed Forces tour and a myriad of other blurry memories. It was nice to finally talk to someone who could relate.
The highlight of the evening was watching two incredibly inebriated guests being assisted up the stairs (no, they weren’t from our party). One guy had food – looked like pudding – smeared on the front of his shirt. There was no way he was walking up the stairs without assistance. The waiters were most helpful – I felt sorry for the cabbie who would be the unfortunate one to give them a ride back to wherever they came from. I wondered how in the hell two guys could get so wasted, but I figured they were victims of having to wait an excruciating long time for their meals; it was the restaurant’s doing y’know.
The following day was my last day in London. I didn’t feel the need to go back to Earl’s Court – the location of the ICE, since I had about enough information that I needed. There are no casino operators to convince on how to run their operations, since most operators are doing what they feel is necessary to run their businesses anyway. This industry has matured, and casino operators – the ones who have survived so far – are set in their ways, for better or for worse. Sure, there are some newbie operators that I try to give guidance – I hope they listen carefully to what I have to say.
I met with Micki from Trident Lounge, Brian Cullingworth and Ted Loh at Memories of China on Kensington High street. Now I’ve eaten a lot of Chinese food in my day. I grew up within 45 minutes of San Francisco’s China Town. I had mastered the use of chopsticks at the age of three. I know good Chinese food when I eat it. This was probably the best I’ve eaten. They had these crispy sesame seed crunchy things for starters which are to die for. The food was fantastic, the service good, and the company very enjoyable. In fact, Sir David Frost was sitting adjacent from us – finished his meal and left.
By the time I left, walking was barely an option.
Micki and I crossed the street to the Shehrezade, a Persian restaurant that had a very nice bar. We sat down and Micki recorded an audio interview with me – which unfortunately didn’t record. So we did this over the phone once I returned (last week), and it’s a very interesting one (it’s about me of course) since it goes behind the scenes of Casinomeister – what makes it tick – what makes me tick. Trident Lounge should have this up on their site or announced in their newsletter in the near future. You can subscribe to their newsletter, or better yet – just join one of their casinos – Winner of Best Casino Group award for 2005 King Neptunes Casino, Trident Lounge, Vegas USA, Trident Poker.
That evening was the grand finale for me. I went back to my dingy St. Giles hotel room, changed, and then headed to Leicester Square to catch “King Kong” at the Odeon. What a magnificent movie! When I was about 12, I was a special effects, Ray Harryhausen, Willis H. O’Brien, freak. I could only imagine a movie like this back then – every kid like me back then could only dream for this. And here it is, our wishes came true. If you haven’t seen this film yet, please don’t wait for it to come out on DVD – this one deserves the “big screen” treatment. You’ll know what I mean when you see the Brontosaurus stampede scene.
Suddenly my time was up – had to check out of the hotel and the next thing I knew, I was back in Paddington station looking for the Heathrow express train. The trip was way too short. I didn’t meet half of the people I wanted to meet; didn’t see half the films I wanted to see. That’s the shame about these functions – everyone is so damn busy.
And coming home. I barely had a chance to reflect on the trip since I have a ton of emails to wade through, PABs to bitch about, and lots of website updates to contend with. I was happy to hear that I was responsible for spreading the joy in London. Since I gave Tim Whyles a big smack on the lips, just about every affiliate he meets does the same thing. I guess I’ve started a tradition.
And one thing is for sure, I like this job. Thanks for making this work for me. It’s because of you, my dear reader, that I do these things.
9 February 2006 – Issue #263
Dear Reader,
It’s snowing like hell outside. It’s early evening for me, and it’s pretty dark. I’m glad I’m in front of a computer screen instead of being on the outside – in the cold.
Actually, I wished myself here. I remember years ago when I was a US Army private. It was just below freezing, but instead of snow, an icy sleet was pouring out of a Ft. Bragg sky. I was in the middle of the woods, standing by a bush, pulling my shift of perimeter guard. It was probably about 4am, and I just stood there, and stood there, and stood there, letting the sleet pour over me. There was nothing I could do about it, but deal with it in my head. I wished for the future, to be warm and dry. And to be able to look out a window and say “Damn, that sucked.”
So here I am.
Comfortably yours,
Bryan
CASINO MANAGEMENT 101 In light of some of the reoccurring problems that players keep sending to me via “Pitch a Bitch”, I’ve chosen to dedicate this part of the newsletter to “Casino Management 101”. This is in anticipation that a manager or two might not only read this, but heed to its principles.
Dealing with Players Who Use Bonuses
If you offer a player a bonus, and this player meets the wagering requirements – pay her (or him). Please understand, you are not being cheated if a player plays the bonus to the last cent; you are providing that player a unique service – the ability to gamble online. This is your function as a casino, and your mantra should be “Pay the player. Pay the player. Pay the player…” Repeat ad nauseum.
Providing gambling activities online may be your function, but with a bit of creativity and ingenuity you can garner loyalty from this player to keep him or her coming back. The house always wins, and if you are going to survive in this highly competitive industry, you need to see this “win” as a long term goal. Keep your players happy, whether you like their style of play or not, and you will receive your just rewards: respect and loyalty.
What not to do.
Don’t lie to the player. Don’t let the player play out a bonus, and then deny the player his winnings when he requests it. To tell a player the following is the wrong approach:
It has been noted that you have not taken part in promotions offered by xyz Casino and its affiliate casino’s in the true spirit as intended. From your pattern of play at xyz Casino and other affiliated casino’s, it has been noticed that you only generate the sub minimum wager required in order to be entitled to cash out after receiving the bonus.
On at least one other affiliated casino, you again wagered the sub minimum required in order to be allowed to cash out after receiving the bonus and never returned to this casino to play further. When we plan our promotions, the aim is to reward loyal and regular depositing players with FREE bonuses. Unfortunately, your pattern of play across our affiliated casinos has not shown this intention of becoming a loyal and regular depositing player.
As a result, as per our terms and conditions, your initial deposit has been returned to you and all bonuses and winnings have been declared void.This is a no go. This gives the casino license to pay whom they want to pay. And to not pay a person who has met the wagering requirements is flat out wrong. I understand and sympathize with casinos which are hammered by bonus players, but if the casino invited them in by offering the bonus then whose fault is that? Casinos who feel victimized need to either review their bonus structure or in the method how these bonuses are handed out.
This email should read as follows:
….Unfortunately, your pattern of play across our affiliated casinos has not shown this intention of becoming a loyal and regular depositing player.
As a result, as per our terms and conditions, your winnings will be honored, but you will not be given further bonuses unless you can convince us that you will become a loyal player.Simple as that. The casino may take a financial hit now and then – but that’s just the way it is. Get used to it. Trust is what it’s all in this industry, and if players can’t trust you, neither can I.
HELP SEND A TEENAGER TO IRELAND
One of our forum members (Gaputernut), is trying to raise money to pay for her daughter’s tuition to go to the UK and Ireland next summer. Instead of plunking down this week’s casino allocation (you guys are on a budget, aren’t you?), how about contributing to this girl’s tuition instead? This is the deal:
From Gaputernut:
My daughter (15 yrs old) has been accepted to go to UK and Ireland next summer for a People to People ambassador program, (for more info go to http://www.studentambassadors.org/).
She was nominated by her teachers, and was accepted after an interview process and references from other teachers, she had to prove she would be a good ambassador. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for her, but the Tuition and costs are high, so we have put together a website to help raise money.
If you have a business and would like to have a link on another site, we are selling link space. Each block (75×50) is $5.00, for each block you buy we will post your banner. For example: if you would like a 150×150 banner posted, donate $30.00 and we will put your banner and link on the site. We also have an updates page where we will put a link to your site in the update.
We have already gotten a donation, so you can see an example at http://www.ukandirelanddream.com/
If you do not have a website but still want to donate, please do…we will post your name.
Once you have made the donation please forward us the email you receive from paypal (or a confirmation number) and your banner and link and we will have it posted within 2 days.
We have to fill all the squares to meet the tuition, we have all the details and updates on the web site.
http://www.ukandirelanddream.com/
They even had a press release posted here: http://newsroom.eworldwire.com/view_release.php?id=13692
So c’mon and help the kid out! I did.
GLOBAL PLAYER BLACKJACK TOURNEYS
Have you checked out Global Player’s Blackjack tournaments?? If you’re a BJ player – perhaps you need to join. From the casino:
Discover the World of Blackjack Tournaments
For a casino, Tournaments are a good method of promotion. These events should have attractive payouts in order to entice players into the casino.
Firstly, let’s make this clear: We are not talking about the Blackjack “Tournaments” whereby you have ridiculous wagering requirements – on the contrary, Global-Player offers you real multi-player elimination-style Blackjack Tournaments, similar to those offered in land-based casinos or the World Series of Blackjack.
You pay a Tournament entry fee of $10 to $50 and your main goal is to beat the other players seated at your table, to qualify for the next round. Meanwhile, other multiple tables are running concurrently to yours.
Why should you play in such an event you ask?
The answer is easy: It is much more fun, because you compete against other players and not against the casino. You can even talk to the other players in “chat” as well as the Tournament Support Staff who will supply you with the latest information and offer their assistance. Furthermore, all entry funds are paid out to the Finalists, plus there are bonus prizes on top of that. Meet this challenge and join the GPC Blackjack Tournament community – you are guaranteed to enjoy it!
Global-Player, on line since 1999, also offers Sit & Go Blackjack Tournaments available 24/7 and weekly Video Poker Tournaments with 100%+ payouts. A list of GPC promotions for this month can be found on the events calendar.
Your choice ? so choose the one you can trust!
CASINOMEISTER TOURNEY AT 32RED POKER!!
32Red Poker is sponsoring a tourney this Saturday! This is for Casinomeister Forum members only!
Start Time: Sat 11th February, 10pm GMT
Register and deregister up until that time
Name: ‘Meister Freeroll
$320 in the pot
Winner – 50%
2nd – 25%
3rd – 15%
4th – 10%
5th – 5%
This tournament is for Casinomeister Forum members only. You must be a member of this forum in order to participate. More information here.
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And Now For The Humor
Punishment
3 friends – Pepe, Jose and Juan were riding in a car when it was suddenly totaled in a freak accident
The 3 soon found themselves facing St. Peter.
St. Peter: Welcome to the Pearly Gates, Before I let you in, there is a rule here that you will be given a partner. If you were a good on earth, then expect your partner to be beautiful as a reward. And if you were bad, then you know what to expect as punishment.
Pepe was first called by St. Peter and he was given a not so good looking woman.
Jose and Juan broke out in laughter.
Jose was next called and he was given a female dog as a partner.
Pepe and Juan were rolling on the ground laughing.
Finally it was Juan’s turn and he was given Marilyn Monroe.
Pepe and Jose were dumbstruck. They went to St, Peter and complained that how come they got ugly partners and Juan, who was the worst of them is getting the beauty
St. Peter replied: Shhh.. Its Marilyn who is being punished!
ha ha ha
17 February 2006
Dear Reader,
Yeah! Friday! Hope your day is as good as mine!
Happily yours,
Bryan
CASINO MANAGEMENT 101
In light of some of the reoccurring problems that players keep sending to me via “Pitch a Bitch”, I’ve chosen to dedicate this part of the newsletter to “Casino Management 101”. This is in anticipation that a manager or two might not only read this, but heed to its principles.
Making mistakes
There is one thing that we all have in common – we make mistakes. No matter how sharp or wise we are, no matter how foresighted we can be, we have the ability to screw up. It’s bound to happen, and when it does – just get over it.
Get over it, you say? Yeah, you need to lighten up and learn to laugh about your mistakes. So you screwed up and forgot to disallow Black Jack from a lucrative bonus causing a 100k hit at your casino. Accept it and turn it into a positive. From Richard Carlson’s best seller “Don’t Worry, Make Money”:
“A decision to make light of your mistakes, to remain lighthearted, doesn’t mean you don’t care or that you’re not concerned with making an error. It simply means that you refuse to compound a problem by making a bigger deal out of something than is absolutely necessary. It means that you understand the value of keeping your perspective and sense of humor even in the face of adversity.”
In every mistake there is potential for growth. Inherent in every problem there is a solution. When you take the process too seriously, however, you interfere with your ability to see the answers.
When we screw up royal, our primal instinct is to deny everything and make counter-accusations. But that’s not the way to go in our situation – the online casino situation – our community. Yes, it’s a community – and you are part of it. In fact, you are an integral part of it. I couldn’t care less how many licenses from Gibraltar you have, or if you have a royal seal of approval from her Majesty the Queen of England; this industry revolves around trust. If players don’t trust you, you have nothing. If you make a mistake – be honest and admit it.
And as soon as you admit making a mistake – be willing to apologize. The act of apologizing makes us human. We bond with others and increase their trust in us as well by simply acknowledging our humaness and saying “I’m sorry”. Here is an example from our forum this week:
Why a check only?
I have just been told by Roxy Palace that they cannot refund other than the original deposit to my Neteller, and the only other option seems to be a check. The website states that it should be possible to refund winnings to Neteller too. I have never before come across this with an MG casino, and would most certainly not have expected this from Roxy Palace!! …
And this was the response:
Thank you for the posts in this forum. It appears that there was an administrative error which caused the players payment to be split between check and Neteller. This error was not due to a fund related issue at Neteller (as suggested in a post) but rather a pure admin error. The check has been cancelled and the balance due has been refunded to Neteller. We are currently investigating the promotional mailers point that was raised. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for the post.
So, how simple was that? There was no groveling on the casino’s part; just a simple admittance and an apology. This prompted the next posting:
Ahhh, faith in Roxy restored, thank God. And a casino actually willing to admit than an error was made rather than lie through their teeth. How refreshing!!WHAT NOT TO DO:
Casino managers: don’t act upon instinct and “deny everything and make counter-accusations.” This is the core for many failures in this business. There have been many instances where a manager lies (stretching the truth, providing disinformation, verbalizing a terminological inexactitude, whatever) They lie about making mistakes, or they blame it on others, funky software, banker’s holidays, Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, etc., – I’ve heard it all. I’m not going to indulge you with examples. But it has happened often, and mostly in very public ways. Never ever ever underestimate the intellegence or sleuthing capabilities of Joe the player. It’s not worth getting caught in a big fat public fib. It’s embarrassing, and the cost is extremely high – something most casinos can’t afford to lose: the trust of a player. Trust is something money can’t buy.
LAST WEEK’S LESSON
Last week I discussed how to handle bonus players, and I gave an example of an actual email that has been sent to players in the past. The casino felt the player didn’t play in “the spirit” of the promotion, and the player’s winnings were confiscated. This prompted the operators of Lasseters Casino to respond (Please note – my highlights):
Hi Bryan,
I just read your newsletter and can’t get over what I saw. I’m referring to the unnamed casino’s stance on promotional abuse. First of all, I can’t believe that they are legally allowed to do what they have done, let alone their moral obligation.
Just to fill you in on the procedures here at our casino, we actually need to have our promotions and their associated terms and conditions approved by our licensing government before we can conduct them. If we were to apply a condition stating that all winnings would be void if the player outsmarts us, our auditors would laugh in our face.If we tried to pull such a stunt, we’d lose our license to operate
(Not that we’d consider it in the first place). Of course we are aware that certain players will attempt to profit from our promotions and I believe it is our responsibility to consider this when establishing the terms of the promotion.
We need to find a balance with our terms and conditions that will protect our profitability and still have appeal to our patrons. That’s one of the challenges of casino marketing.
As you suggested (almost word for word from our promotion terms and conditions page) if a player is deemed to be abusing our generosity, we restrict them from receiving further bonuses.The idea of voiding their winnings is beyond my comprehension.
I guess this is a prime example of why tighter regulation benefits the consumer. If only all casinos had the same audit processes we do.
I think this should be a dose of “food for thought.” Compare this statement to the hokey responses some casinos give to void winnings. This is a prime example of how an operation should be conducting itself. I expect this from any casino listed at Casinomeister – and I hope that many casinos will look at this, think about it, and follow this example.
ATTENTION BRITS!!! (and residents of the UK and Ireland)
Blimey!! Put down your Tea and Crumpets and check out this brilliant Intercasino UK new player bonus! For a limited time, they will add an additional ?10 to your initial bonus amount. This is good only until 28 February!
Terms and Conditions are as follows:
Deposit between ?25 and ?50 in a single transaction and they will match it 100% to a maximum of ?50. AND they’ll give you an extra ?10. The additional ?10 will be credited into your account 2 days after your initial deposit.
This is only open to new account holders and not existing players.
Baccarat and Craps do not count towards your minimum wagering requirement.
Have a smashing good time!!
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And now for the humor……
The Devil
People were in their pews talking at church. Suddenly, Satan appeared at the front of the church. Everyone started screaming and running for the front entrance, trampling each other in a frantic effort to get away from evil the incarnate.
Soon everyone had exited the church except for one elderly gentleman who sat calmly in his pew without moving, seeming oblivious to the fact that God’s ultimate enemy was in his presence. So Satan walked up to the old man and said, “Don’t you know who I am?”
The man replied, “Yep, sure do.”
“Aren’t you afraid of me?” Satan asked.
“Nope, sure ain’t.” said the man.
“Don’t you realize I can kill with a word?” asked Satan.
“Don’t doubt it for a minute,” returned the old man, in an even tone.
“Did you know that I could cause you profound, horrifying, agony for all eternity?” persisted Satan.
“Yep,” was the calm reply.
“And you’re still not afraid?” asked Satan.
“Nope,” said the old man.
More than a little perturbed, Satan asked, “Well, why aren’t you afraid of me?”
The man calmly replied, “Been married to your sister for 44 years.”
ha ha ha
PLAYTECH LISTING CONFIRMED
Rumours are true – Israeli owned firm plans IPO in London
The rumoured London listing of turnkey provider Playtech was confirmed this (Friday) morning by a company spokesman, who said that his company hoped the shares would be placed with institutional investors by the end of March.
The spokesman confirmed that Playtech plans to raise GBP 175 million in a London stock market flotation that will value it around GBP 550 million.
The firm, majority-owned by Israeli internet-gaming entrepreneur Teddy Sagi, counts the Tote, Bet365 and BetFred among its clients and is the latest in a series of online gambling firms to opt for a London listing. Yesterday, Excapa Software, which also makes online poker software, floated on London’s junior AIM market and saw its shares rise 5 percent in early trade.
Cyprus-registered Playtech said in a statement it made sales of GBP 27.4 million and a post-tax profit of GBP 20.5 million for the financial year to December 31, 2005.
Collins Stewart has been appointed as sole bookrunner, nominated advisor and joint broker. Seymour Pierce is joint broker.
News courtesy of Infopowa news service.
More news here.
23 February 2006
CASINOMEISTER NEWS UPDATE
Dear Reader,
I read something funny the other day. Well, it wasn’t too funny – but…well, it was an article about people who literally died laughing. It seems that Chrysippus a Greek philosopher from the 3rd century died laughing to death after seeing a donkey eating prunes. What a way to go.
Smilingly yours,
Bryan
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And now for the humor……
Before It Starts
A man comes home from an exhausting day at work, plops down on the couch in front of the television, and tells his wife, “Get me a beer before it starts.”
The wife sighs and gets him a beer.
Fifteen minutes later, he says, “Get me another beer before it starts.”
She looks cross, but fetches another beer and slams it down next to him.
He finishes that beer and a few minutes later says, “Quick, get me another beer, it’s going to start any minute.”
The wife is furious. She yells at him “Is that all you’re going to do tonight? Drink beer and sit in front of that TV? You’re nothing but a lazy, drunken, fat slob, and furthermore . . .”
The man sighs and says, “It’s started . . “
2 March 2006 – Issue #266
Dear Reader,
If I seem a bit slower this week than the usual slow, it’s because I was home alone with my boy for most of the week. My wife and little girl took off for a few days to go visit family, and it was just us guys hanging around the house. So instead of a lot of Casinomeister stuff to deal with, I helped build snowmen, walked through spooky haunted forests, and fought vampire aliens. It’s been a pretty tough week.
Adventurously yours,
Bryan
HA HA HA – WE SO FUNNY!
They did it again – Golden palace sent a streaker to the 2006 Winter Olympics <yawn>. How much more of this crap do they want us to take? C’mon already! This is like being forced to listen to Richard Nixon jokes 24/7. It ain’t funny – enough is enough.
But what is disturbing to me is they did this in spite of their licensing jurisdiction’s condemnation of the 2004 Summer Olympic incident.
From the Kahnawake Gaming Commission’s news section:
http://www.kahnawake.com/gamingcommission/
KGC Investigates Golden Palace
In the past two weeks, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC) has received numerous complaints concerning an incident at the Olympic Games in Athens involving a person who ‘streaked’ an event displaying the name of one of the KGC’s permit holders: Golden Palace.
The KGC did not approve or condone the incident in question and does not approve or condone this type of ‘marketing’ by its permit holders.
After investigating the Athens incident and meeting with representatives of Golden Palace, the KGC has directed that:
1. Golden Palace will not use, promote, encourage or fund this type of ‘marketing’ ever again, and
2. Given the seriousness of the incident and the negative effect it has had on the community’s reputation, Golden Palace will make a substantial donation to Kahnawake organizations to be identified by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake.
The KGC is satisfied with Golden Palace’s cooperation throughout and considers the matter closed.
For further information, contact the Kahnawake Gaming Commission at 450-635-1076.
Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake 3 September, 2004
How embarrassing for the Kahnawake Gaming Commission – I guess Golden Palace couldn’t care less of what their licensing jurisdiction thinks. Doesn’t say much for Golden Palace or the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. I’ve asked the Kahnawake Gaming commission if they are planning to address this. But apparently they don’t feel the need to answer my emails. What a shame.
You can check out the mumblings about this in our forum here: https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/online-casinos/11311-more-golden-palace-stoopid.html
OOPS! DID I FORGET SOMETHING FROM LAST WEEK?
Yep, sho ‘nuf, I forgot to tell you that the King Neptunes Casino published an exclusive interview of yours truly here:
http://www.kingneptunescasino.com/newsletter/feb2006/
You can either listen to the audio or read the transcripts – but I discus just about everything that concerns Casinomeister – it’s origins, my background, choice experiences. So take a few minutes out of your busy day and check me out.
HELP SEND A TEENAGER TO IRELAND
One of our forum members (Gaputernut), is trying to raise money to pay for her daughter’s tuition to go to the UK and Ireland next summer. Instead of plunking down this week’s casino allocation (you guys are on a budget, aren’t you?), how about contributing to this girl’s tuition instead? This is the deal:
From Gaputernut:
My daughter (15 yrs old) has been accepted to go to UK and Ireland next summer for a People to People ambassador program, (for more info go to http://www.studentambassadors.org/).
She was nominated by her teachers, and was accepted after an interview process and references from other teachers, she had to prove she would be a good ambassador. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for her, but the Tuition and costs are high, so we have put together a website to help raise money.
If you have a business and would like to have a link on another site, we are selling link space. Each block (75×50) is $5.00, for each block you buy we will post your banner. For example: if you would like a 150×150 banner posted, donate $30.00 and we will put your banner and link on the site. We also have an updates page where we will put a link to your site in the update.
We have already gotten a donation, so you can see an example at http://www.ukandirelanddream.com/
If you do not have a website but still want to donate, please do…we will post your name.
Once you have made the donation please forward us the email you receive from paypal (or a confirmation number) and your banner and link and we will have it posted within 2 days.
We have to fill all the squares to meet the tuition, we have all the details and updates on the web site.
http://www.ukandirelanddream.com/
They even had a press release posted here: http://newsroom.eworldwire.com/view_release.php?id=13692
So c’mon and help the kid out! I did.
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Now For The Humor….
From the archives.
HOW TO SING THE BLUES
1. Most blues begin “woke up this morning.”
2. “I got a good woman” is a bad way to begin the blues, unless
you stick something nasty in the next line. Like:
“I got a good woman — with the meanest dog in town.”
3. Blues are simple. After you have the first line right, repeat
it. Then find something that rhymes. Like:
Got a good woman
with the meanest dog in town.
He got teeth like Margaret Thatcher
and he weighs `bout 500 pounds.
4. The blues are not about limitless choice.
5. Blues cars are Chevies and Cadillacs. Other acceptable
blues transportation is Greyhound bus or a southbound train.
Walkin’ plays a major part in the blues lifestyle. So does
fixin’ to die.
6. Teenagers can’t sing the blues. Adults sing the blues. Blues
adulthood means old enough to get the electric chair if you
shoot a man in Memphis.
7. You can have the blues in New York City, but not in
Brooklyn or Queens. Hard times in Vermont or North Dakota are
just a depression. Chicago, St. Louis and Kansas City are still
the best places to have the blues.
8. The following colors do not belong in the blues:
a. Violet
b. Beige
c. Mauve
9. You can’t have the blues in an office or a shopping mall.
10. Good places for the Blues:
a. The highway
b. The jailhouse
c. The empty bed
Bad places:
a. Ashrams
b. Gallery openings
c. Weekend in the Hamptons
11. No one will believe it’s the blues if you wear a suit,
unless you happen to be an old black man.
12. Do you have the right to sing the blues? Yes, if:
a. Your first name is a southern state–like Georgia
b. You’re blind
c. You shot a man in Memphis.
d. You can’t be satisfied.
No, if:
a. You were once blind but now can see.
b. You’re deaf
c. You have a trust fund.
13. Neither Julio Iglesias nor Barbara Streisand can sing the
blues.
14. If you ask for water and baby gives you gasoline, it’s the
blues.
Other blues beverages are:
a. Wine
b. Irish whiskey
c. Muddy water
Blues beverages are NOT:
a. Any mixed drink
b. Any wine kosher for Passover
c. Fruit smoothies (all flavors)
15. If it occurs in a cheap motel or a shotgun shack, it’s
blues death. Stabbed in the back by a jealous lover is a blues
way to die. So is the electric chair, substance abuse, or being
denied treatment in an emergency room.
It is not a blues death, if you die during a liposuction
treatment.
ha ha ha
9 March 2006 – Issue #267
Dear Reader,
Another glorious Thursday – closer to Friday with each and every minute. And I’m looking forward to the weekend so we can start a new week, and do it all over again. Ain’t life grand?
Anticipatingly yours,
Bryan
FIGHTING H.R. 4777, THE INTERNET GAMBLING PROHIBITION ACT
It doesn’t matter what role you play in this industry: player, affiliate, casino manager, software provider. This bill – if passed – will affect us all. Even though you may reside outside the US (like me), this could have grave consequences for you as well. Many large casino groups rely on the US player, and a ban on online gaming from the US would mean many of these companies would fold, many people would lose their jobs, some of your favorite sites (not this one – have no fear) would dry up and whither away. In short, everything would suck.
Why? Because a bunch of Bible thumpers feel that you are not able to do the due diligence it takes to protect you or your family from online gambling. These politicians want to ban online gambling in the States – where all but one state (Hawaii) has one or more forms of legalized, State controlled gambling. Last December’s edition of IGWB Magazine (International Gambling and Wagering Business) gave a breakdown of what is allowed in the US by state:
Charitable Bingo – 47 states
Charitable Games – 40 states
Card Rooms – 13 states
Casinos and Gaming – 15 states
Indian Casinos – 24 states
Sports Betting – 4 states
This doesn’t include lotteries which are allowed in 41 states
By the way, for parimutuel wagering – telephone wagering is allowed in CA, Conn, Idaho, KY, LA, NV, NH, NJ, NY, ND, OR, Penn.,VA and WY.
But what’s up with the Internet? Some misguided and ill-informed politicians want to ban online gambling. Why? Probably because they aren’t imaginative enough to figure out how to regulate and tax it. It’s just easier to ban it.
Well, it’s time that Americans get busy and protect what they cherish the most – their freedom. Here are some useful links to help you get started:
Here is the bill, so you can read what it says and try to understand it:
h4777ih.txt.pdf
The bill has been passed on to the Judiciary Committee for review
http://clerk.house.gov/committee/index.html?comcode=HJU00
Since this is one of the most important stages of the passage of a bill – it’s being debated – you should contact these members of Congress. On the right is a link “Write Your Representative” which is pretty easy to do.
Here is a link to monitor the Roll Call Votes on the bill
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/index.asp
Then there is an article at Wall Street Journal
Web-Gambling Opponents Restore Old Fight
Which also contains a poll that shows the readers are about 80% against any banning bill being passed:
Reader’s Poll
And then there is a link from “Poker Players Alliance” and the text is primarily poker focused, but you can edit this at will: fill out the address, choose “email” or “snail mail” and send it – it automatically goes to your rep. Pretty nifty.
http://capwiz.com/pokerplayersalliance/issues/alert/?alertid=8522976
Finally, there is a thread in our forum that is currently bringing together information on this situation: click here
So there you have it. I’ve given you just about everything you need to get started and do your civic duty. So what are you waiting for? Get busy – it’ll probably take about 10 minutes of your time.
SILENCE FROM THE KAHNAWAKE GAMING COMMISSION
Am I being stonewalled by the KGC? I’ve sent several emails (very polite ones mind you) to the administrator at the KGC asking them how they were planning to address the Golden Palace streaking incident at the Winter Olympics. Either the Gaming Commission is on Winter break, or they just don’t feel my emails are important enough to get back to. Well, I’ll keep trying. and I’ll let you know next week if they bother to answer.
FUTUREBET BACK IN THE NOT RECOMMENDED SECTION
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Now For The Humor….
A man was speeding down the highway, feeling secure in a gaggle of cars all traveling at the same speed. However, as they passed a speed trap, he got nailed with an infrared speed detector and was pulled over.
The officer handed him the citation, received his signature and was about to walk away when the man asked, “Officer, I know I was speeding, but I don’t think it’s fair – there were plenty of other cars around me who were going just as fast, so why did I get the ticket?”
“Ever go fishing?” the policeman suddenly asked the man.
“Ummm, yeah…” the startled man replied.
The officer grinned and added, “Ever catch all the fish?”
ha ha ha
16 March 2006 – Issue #268
Dear Reader,
It’s hard to believe that Spring is within a few days’ grasp, and yet it’s minus 4 degrees outside. C’mon sun! Do your thing!
Wishingly yours,
Bryan
CASINOMEISTER’S FORUM
This week I spent a hell of a lot of time working with some of the scripting in Casinomeister’s forum, mainly on the Casino Representative page. What a pain in the ass! But lo and behold, it seems to be functioning fine.
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/showgroups.php
So what’s up with this page? Well, it lists over 80 casino reps – casino managers, affiliate managers, customer service supervisors, CEOs, and casino operators who represent over 250 casinos and poker rooms. They are members of our forum, and their participation makes Casinomeister’s forum one of the most productive forums in the online casino industry. There is some good stuff happening there, and it’s only going to get better.
CALLING ALL CASINO OPERATORS!
Do you have a representative in our forum? If not, why not? This is your opportunity to use our forum for public relations fallout prevention, crisis management, question and answer exercises, and to just simply have some good ol’ fashion fun. This is why we do what we do, right? To enjoy ourselves.
Anyway, you should have a representative who monitors the forum activities, and to simply get up to snuff on what’s going on in online casinoland. There is a hell of a lot going on, so join up here:
https://www.casinomeister.comhttps://www.casinomeister.com/forums/login/
Then email me or request to be added to the Casino Representative group, and I’ll get you hooked up. Once you are listed, you (or your rep) will just be a click or two away to solve any player issue that might pop up.
Things to consider:
When players feel like bitching and moaning, Casinomeister’s forum is where they go. Why? Because there are many problem solvers who frequent the place — many players hang out there. In the past six weeks alone, there have been over 400 new signups – many of these are players looking for advice, or looking for a solution for a problem.
It’s a moderated forum. In other words, there are rules that are followed by most everyone, and when members get too emotional or step out of line, they either are corrected or they correct themselves. It’s a pretty cool place to be. It’s not a player vs casino sort of atmosphere. There are many members who like to keep the forum in a “productive” mode.
Most of the active members can chew gum and walk at the same time.
Some of the most intelligent and entertaining people post in our forum. From the US political scene, to gaming odds and statistics, my mind is blown away on a daily basis from reading what some of the well-read people have to say. Casinomeister’s forum is a magnet for brainy people.
So c’mon, what are you waiting for? Gabba gabba hey! Be one of us.
SPRING CLEANING
It’s time to clean out your Private Messages – both the inbox and out boxes. These can be easily downloaded, y’know. So you don’t have to worry about losing everything. Also, if you are a member, you need to update your user profile – email addresses, etc., need to be current.
FORUM THREAD OF THE WEEK
If you’re not following the discussion in our forum concerning the H.R. Bill 4777, you’re wrong. The thread contains up to date info on this bill – and this bill is designed to screw you over. Be informed! Take action! Check it out here
THE KAHNAWAKE GAMING COMMISSION ACKNOWLEDGES MY EXISTANCE
Two weeks and four emails later the Kahnawake gaming commission finally acknowledged my question on how they were handling the issue about Golden Palace’s breech of their agreement not to disrupt the Olympics with their stupid juvenile marketing stunts.
So how are they handling this? Well, they told me it would be done internally.
Are we owed an explanation on how they handle Golden Palace’s blatant in-your-face thumbing of the nose response to “Golden Palace will not use, promote, encourage or fund this type of ‘marketing’ ever again”? This sort of response does not say much for the policing efforts of the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. I’m really disappointed in how this was dealt with, and I’ve lost a lot of faith in this licensing agency. How do you feel about this? Feel free to let us know here
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And Now For The Humor…..
From the archives:
Three turtles, Joe, Steve, and Poncho, decide to go on a picnic. So, Joe packs the picnic basket with cookies, bottled beer, and sandwiches. The trouble is, the picnic site is, 10 miles away, so the turtles take 10 whole days to get there. By the time they do arrive, everyone’s beat.
Joe takes the stuff out of the basket, one by one. He takes out the beers and says, “Alright, Steve, gimme the bottle opener.”
“I didn’t bring the bottle opener,” Steve says. ‘I thought you packed it.”
Joe gets worried. He turns to Poncho. “Poncho, do you have the bottle opener?”
Naturally, Poncho doesn’t have it, so the turtles are stuck ten miles away from home without beer. Joe & Steve beg Poncho to turn back home and retrieve it, but Poncho flatly refuses, knowing that they’ll eat everything by the time he gets back.
Somehow, after about two hours, the turtles manage to convince Poncho to go, swearing on their great-grand turtles’ graves that they won’t touch the food. So, Poncho sets off down the road, slow and steadily.
Twenty days pass, but no Poncho. Joe and Steve are hungry and puzzled, but a promise is a promise. Another day passes and still no Poncho, but a promise is a promise. After three more days pass without Poncho in sight, Steve starts getting restless.
“I NEED FOOD!” he says with a hint of dementia in his voice.
“NO!” Joe retorts. “We promised.”
Five more days pass and the two are near starvation. Near death, the two turtles weakly lift the lid to get a sandwich. As they open their mouths to eat, Poncho pops out behind a rock, and says, “Just for that, I’m not going!”
ha ha ha
24 March 2006 – Issue #269
Dear Reader,
Today it’s a quick one – but extremely informative at that. Lots to do; busy bees are we.
Succinctly yours,
Bryan
FIGHTING H.R. 4777, THE INTERNET GAMBLING PROHIBITION ACT
……Someone reported a few posts above that there are now 130 co-sponsors to HR4777. Where can we find out who these folks are and how we can email them? Even though they may not be our state Rep, we can still let them know we won’t forget for the next presidential elections and we will also broadcast their record of limiting citizen’s freedom as much as we can. Most of the co-sponsors belong to the party that cherish right to life but then don’t give you much freedom to do something with it. Thoughts?
You can find out who they are by going to thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.04777: and clicking on “Cosponsors”. Copy the reps name you want to contact, do a Google search and “voila” – the reps website with a “contact me” section. Get busy!
Read the thread here.
FUNKIFIED SOFTWARE
Oops!! Software screwed up, so the casino chooses to void all winnings and losses during this period. This seems to be covered in their terms and conditions, but is it the right thing to do? Read about this here
FINALLY! NEW WEBCAST IS UP!!
Hear Vortran and I talk about…Futurebet screwupKahnawake Gaming Commission disappointmentCasino Reps in the ForumVortran007’s Casino Warning
All this and more here
You can now download the webcast as a MP3 file for your iPod or other MP3 player!! Now you can now listen to us at the gym, at the beach, while shopping, or on the train on the way to work. Isn’t life grand?!
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- Only ONE bonus per household.
- Only downloading via Casinomeister will result in the bonus. Any one with a different source code WILL NOT be credited. To see what source code you have, look at the number in the link when downloading. If it is not 1185205 you won’t get the bonus. No expectations.
- The welcome bonus (100% up to $50) will not be affected.
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And now for the humor……
A couple were driving to a church to get married. On the way, they got into a car accident and died. When they arrive in heaven, they see St. Peter at the gate. They ask him if he could arrange it so they could marry in heaven.
St. Peter tells them that he’ll do his best to work on it for them.
Three months pass by and the couple hear nothing. They bump into St. Peter and ask him about the marriage.
He says, “I’m still working on it.”
Two years pass by and no marriage.
St. Peter again assures them that he’s working on it.
Finally after twenty long years, St. Peter comes running with a priest and tells the couple it’s time for their wedding.
The couple marry and live happily for a while. But after a few months the couple go and find St. Peter and tell him things are not working out, and that they want to get a divorce.
“Can you arrange it for us?” they ask.
St. Peter replies, “Are you kidding?! It took me twenty years to find a priest up here. How am I gonna find you a lawyer?”
ha ha ha
PLAYTECH, EMPIRE AND OTHERS SUED FOR PATENT INFRINGEMENT
Austrian plaintiff alleges that over-the-Internet gambling system has been misused
Turnkey provider Playtech and three other foreign companies this week faced patent litigation from an Austrian company on what appeared to be a claim involving live-over-the-internet gambling systems, although full details are still emerging.
The Israeli business press reported that the Austrian company Lubar and its CEO, Yaakov Rafaeli of Rishon LeZion, have filed a lawsuit with the Tel Aviv District Court against Playtech Cyprus Ltd. for patent infringement relating to its “….system and method for remote online gambling at actual casinos.”
Lubar has named three other defendants, all foreign companies operating online gambling sites, including Empire Online Ltd., controlled by CEO Noam Lanir.
The claim is unfortunate timing for Playtech, which is currently on the run-up to a London listing believed to be scheduled for the end of this (March) month and its majority shareholder, Israeli entrepeneur Teddy Sagi.
According to papers filed by the claimant, before the development of the Lubar system and method of online gambling at actual casinos, gambling was carried out at virtual gambling sites, with the results calculated by the website’s computers. The claimant says its invention was the first to make possible online gambling at an actual casino, where the operator was a real person, and where the results of the game were determined by where the roulette ball fell.
Although this has yet to confirmed, from this description the patent sounds like a “live over the Internet” videostreaming technology similar to that used by Casino Web Cam and the subject of heated legal clashes in the past.
The claimants allege that they have parallel patents in the US and Australia, that they were applying for patents in European and other countries, and intend to enforce their patent rights worldwide.
No statement of defense from any of the accused companies has yet been filed, and InfoPowa’s request for a comment went unanswered by Playtech.
News courtesy of Infopowa news service.
More news here.
30 March 2006 – Issue #270
Dear Reader,
Again, lots going on – so I won’t waste your time with reports on the weather or what book I’ve just finished, or a anecdote about a movie I’ve just seen. No siree Bob, let’s delve into the unabridged Casinomeister’s Newsletter.
Informatively yours,
Bryan
DUE DILIGENCE
The has been a major issue brewing since August 2005 involving a under age gambler and Grand Prive casinos. This is a Microgaming group – nine casinos total – and they are eCOGRA certified. Here is the problem in a nutshell: The player, who resides in Las Vegas, joined each one of these casinos made deposits and occasionally won here and there. She was never asked for her ID, and the fact that she was only 19 was never an issue. But when she made a larger withdrawal, the casino requested her ID. These are required by the agreement that the casino has with eCOGRA. They must ensure that the player is a legitimate person who is lawfully allowed to play. Well, she lives in Nevada, and the gambling age for jurisdiction is 21. So the casino voided her cash-in and returned her deposits. Sounds fair? Well fairness is not the issue here. The issue is a casino’s accountability, responsibility, and their relationship with the online casino industry.
The casino failed to do it’s due diligence. They have all of the power within their means to prevent under age gambling. They relied solely on their terms and conditions, and in these times when underage gambling is such a hot topic – this is unacceptable. Underage gambling is beyond nickels and dimes, it is a behavior that is prompting the Bible thumpers in the US to hop up on their soapboxes and preach about the evils of online gambling. Reliance on the gambler to police his or her activities is a careless and irresponsible attitude to take. There is no excuse to have let this happen.
The casino considered this case closed last August since they turned this over to eCOGRA which understandably ruled against paying this player. There is absolutely no way eCOGRA or any other entity could consider asking the casino to honor a dime of her winnings.
But to the average Joe player, this casino appeared to be selective in who they were paying. It seemed to them that once the player had a big win, the casino found a loophole and decided not to pay. “She’s a teenager – don’t pay her” And this is the furor of the public. In the eyes of most players, casinos are crooks – you have to earn the players’ trust, and this whole scenario fanned these flames of suspicion.
The casino failed us – those who work in this industry – by not making a bold statement to this episode. I was trying to convince them that the only way to face this would be to take this player’s winnings and donate them to either a charity of her choice, or to some other organization – perhaps Gambling Anonymous. This would have nullified the notion that this casino was being selective. It would have cost them 20k (or whatever amount the winnings were). Hopefully it would have made the player feel that her negative experience was transposed into something positive – feeding hungry kids, providing counseling to problem gamblers, giving the homeless a home.
It would have saved a lot of anguish for the casino. And most importantly, it would have demonstrated to everyone that casinos will not profit from catering to under age gamblers. In short, this would have made many positive messages and provided something for the needy.
But in the casino’s short-sightedness, they have chosen not to do this.
I’ve discussed this situation with a number of people, and I am deeply frustrated. I feel that this casino group has let everyone in this industry down by just letting this be and not engaging themselves in this problem. And I question how many more players like this one are out there.
I hope this serves as a wake up call to operators who are not doing their due diligence on protecting their players, their casino, and the online casino industry. Grand Prive Casino group, welcome to the rogues.
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- Only ONE bonus per household.
- Only downloading via Casinomeister will result in the bonus. Any one with a different source code WILL NOT be credited. To see what source code you have, look at the number in the link when downloading. If it is not 1185205 you won’t get the bonus. No expectations.
- The welcome bonus (100% up to $50) will not be affected.
- There is a $10 wagering requirement and wagering in Roulette, Craps and Baccarat will not count towards this wagering requirement.
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And Now For The Humor….
George Carlin’s New Rules For 2006New Rule: Stop giving me that pop-up ad for classmates.com! There’s a reason you don’t talk to people for 25 years. Because you don’t particularly like them! Besides, I already know what the captain of the football team is doing these days: mowing my lawn.
New Rule: Don’t eat anything that’s served to you out a window unless you’re a seagull. People are acting all shocked that a human finger was found in a bowl of Wendy’s chili. Hey, it cost less than a dollar. What did you expect it to contain? Trout?
>New Rule: Stop saying that teenage boys who have sex with their hot, blonde teachers are permanently damaged. I have a better description for these kids: lucky bastards.
New Rule: If you need to shave and you still collect baseball cards, you’re a dope. If you’re a kid, the cards are keepsakes of your idols. If you’re a grown man , they’re pictures of men.
New Rule: Ladies, leave your eyebrows alone. Here’s how much men care about your eyebrows: do you have two of them? Okay, we’re done.
New Rule: There’s no such thing as flavored water. There’s a whole aisle of this crap at the supermarket, water, but without that watery taste. Sorry, but flavored water is called a soft drink. You want flavored water? Pour some scotch over ice and let it melt. That’s your flavored water.
New Rule: Stop messing with old people. Target is introducing a redesigned pill bottle that’s square, with a bigger label. And the top is now the bottom. And by the time grandpa figures out how to open it, his ass will be in the morgue. Congratulations, Target, you just solved the Social Security crisis.
New Rule: The more complicated the Starbucks order, the bigger the ass hole. If you walk into a Starbucks and order a “decaf grandee half-soy, half-low fat, iced vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one Sweet-n’-Low and one NutraSweet,” ooh, you’re a huge ass hole.
New Rule: I’m not the cashier! By the time I look up from sliding my card, entering my PIN number, pressing “Enter,” verifying the amount, deciding, no, I don’t want cash back, and pressing “Enter” again, the kid who is supposed to be ringing me up is standing there eating my Almond Joy.
New Rule: Just because your tattoo has Chinese characters in it doesn’t make you spiritual. It’s right above the crack of your ass. And it translates to “beef with broccoli.” The last time you did anything spiritual, you were praying to God you weren’t pregnant. You’re not spiritual. You’re just high.
New Rule: Competitive eating isn’t a sport. It’s one of the seven deadly sins. ESPN recently televised the US Open of Competitive Eating, because watching those athletes at the poker table was just too damned exciting. What’s next, competitive farting? Oh wait. They’re already doing that. It’s called “The Howard Stern Show.”
New Rule: I don’t need a bigger mega M&M. If I’m extra hungry for M&Ms, I’ll go nuts and eat two.
New Rule: If you’re going to insist on making movies based on crappy old television shows, then you have to give everyone in the Cineplex a remote so we can see what’s playing on the other screens. Let’s remember the reason something was a television show in the first place is that the idea wasn’t good enough to be a movie.
New Rule: No more gift registries. You know, it used to be just for weddings. Now it’s for babies and new homes and graduations from rehab. Picking out the stuff you want and having other people buy it for you isn’t gift giving, it’s the white people version of looting.
6 April 2006 – Issue #271
Dear Reader,
It’s a late night, and I’m trying to get this out before midnight – my deadline. It’s been a hell of a busy week, so there may be a chance it’s a few minutes late. But regardless, you probably won’t tell the difference.
Always yours,
Bryan
GOTCHA!
Every year April 1st makes its rounds around Casinomeister. One year, the site was sold to Doloplex, last year the site ended up in the hands of some Russian mob guy, and this year – well, for about three hours on Saturday (the 1st) visitors were treated to this:
The site was redirected to HR4777.com (which has been changed now) and for a number of Casinomeister visitors, it caused a bit of a panic.
I fell for it totally, the ditz that I am. I e-mailed everyone on my list of representatives, called th FBI (both in Northern VA who routed me to Norfolk location). And gave them a piece of my mind this morning! I said my piece on the HR 4777 bill through e-mails today to all of them. You did good. Very, very good. Got my attention and off my tush! (Too funny after the fact) My very first April Fool’s with ya and you got me!And:
This morning I was quite happily reading/adding messages to the Casinomeister forum. Went to lunch, came back, and wham….this…
You are probably aware of this by now from Spearmaster or one of the others, in which case I apologise. However, from a personal point of view I am absolutely livid. I am *not* a US citizen, the gambling bill has not yet been passed by the senate, and even more galling is the fact that I can still access xxxxcasino.com sites and GAMBLE! I can’t access the forum giving me the positives/negatives of gambling, but I can still gamble! Makes absolutely no sense to me at all.
Just another example of the USA trying to be masters of the universe. Morons!!!And
OMG……..I just sent e-mails to my senator, governor etc..OMG tooo funny…well..I hope everyone else does the same ..the bill 4777 needs to be stopped..OMG …too funny…Thank You..I feel much better now knowing Bryan has not been hijacked! Geezes…I even called my service provider……Laffin too hard..gonna beat him…Even though it was a funny ha-ha, it was somewhat of a wake up call. There are some scary people in the US Congress who would probably support an actual ISP block. In our thread in Casinomeister’s forum, a member posted a response from her Congressman concerning her asking him to not support the HR4777 bill. This is what he had to say:
Dear Ms. XXXXX:
Thank you for contacting me in opposition to H.R. 4777, the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act. I appreciate the opportunity to respond to your concerns.
Introduced by my colleague, Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, H.R. 4777 would prohibit the placing of bets or wagers over the internet. Gambling is currently illegal in the United States unless regulated by the States. The numerous gambling websites from outside our borders are unlicensed and unregulated and thus violate the laws of all 50 States in the Union. Gambling is an issue for the States to decide and internet gambling has taken away the State’s power to regulate.
I have joined 126 of my colleague’s in the House in co-sponsoring H.R. 4777. Currently, this bill is awaiting action in the House Committee on Judiciary. Although we do not agree on this issue, I appreciate your input and I will certainly remember your concerns as this bill continues to move through the legislative process.
Once again, thank you for getting in touch with me. In the future, do not hesitate to contact me on this or any other issue that is on your mind.
Sincerely,
Jerry Lewis Member of CongressThis is a scary response. The Congressman has not researched this issue and it seems he has merely relied on what he’s been told by others with biased perspectives. These lawmakers need to hear from you – especially if they are representing you on Capital Hill. Get busy people – how to fight this bill is listed here HR4777.com
CASINO AFFILIATE CONVENTION – AMSTERDAM
Yes, I’ll be chillin’ there. And I wish everyone a safe and interesting trip getting there. It should be a great experience – the speaker lineup is great, and there is nothing better than to meet up with operators and webmasters alike. I’ll be covering this in upcoming newsletters, so stay tuned. And if you have the desire to meet up, just send me an email and perhaps we can make it a possibility.
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And Now For The Humor….
A wife was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband. Suddenly her husband burst into the kitchen.
“Careful … CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh my GOD! You’re cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my GOD! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They’re going to STICK! Careful … CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you’re cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? Don’t forget to salt them. You know you always forget to salt them. Use the salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT!”
The wife stared at him. “What the hell is wrong with you? You think I don’t know how to fry a couple of eggs?”
The husband calmly replied, “I wanted to show you what it feels like when I’m driving with you in the car.”
ha ha ha
Thanks Grandmaster!
12 April 2006
Casinomeister’s Amsterdam Adventure
Dear Reader,
Yes, I’ve been trippin’ around if you haven’t noticed. And before I get to your emails, or PABs or telepathic signals, bear with me while I communicate some jovial jocularities to you, my dear reader.
So grab yo’self a hot cup o’ java, and read on…
CAC – Amsterdam
Ein, Zwei, Drei, Vier, Funf, Sechs, Sieben, Acht…
There’s something about listening to Kraftwerk and riding on an Inter City Express train in Europe. I was chillin’ listening to my iPOD; “Numbers” popping off in my head while updating a new section at Casinomeister on my laptop. The section isn’t quite finished yet; it has to do with how to spot roguish elements of an online casino. Something that players need to be aware of.
The weather was fresh, mildly chilly; a thin jacket was essential. The scene – Bavaria: rolling farmlands, vineyards and forests breezed by in a blur outside my window while I thought about you my dear reader – yes, you. It’s because of you that I venture to places like the Casino Affiliate Convention in Amsterdam. This is where I am able to collect information first-hand and meet the people who operate online casinos or their marketing personnel. And I have the chance to hang out with fellow webmasters and share ideas and problems. These conferences are the meat and potatoes of running a website like Casinomeister. Meeting face-to-face with people in this industry is really a good thing.
I had a 20 minute stopover in D�sseldorf – a large Northern industrial city – big, flat, and grey. I was grabbing a meat and cheese crêpe when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Lo and behold it was fellow webmasters Peralis and Mito from Reviewed-Casinos.com. Chance meeting them there, but Düsseldorf is their hometown. We exchanged howdy-do’s and we were coincidently scheduled for the next train for Amsterdam. And then along came David Sack from Fortune Affiliates – and then a string of other affiliates and aff managers. They had been hanging around the Reviewed Casino guys for the past few days. How nice. They were already getting a head start on the festivities of the conference. Our train pulled up, and we got on.
I like trains. They are comfortable – it’s relaxing, and virtually stress free. Perhaps this is why I like the Amsterdam conference so well. It’s a mellow way to travel, and mellow I be when I get there.
My Hotel – the Victoria Hotel – is situated right across the street from the main train station and right down the street from the Grand Krasnapolsky where the CAC was being held at.
My first impression of Amsterdam – I was more or less taken aback on how crowded the streets were. It was packed with people, tourists, students, riff raff of all sorts. And this was only Spring! It must be chaotic in the summer months. I prefer to be there in the Spring, and Spring it was.
That first evening was fantastic. I was invited to the Comedy Club Boom Chicago thanks to Partnerlogic. The place was packed, but it was a very nice dinner and improv. Improvisational comedy always blows me away. And even though we were in Amsterdam, the comedy team was American – great choice! From there we headed to some packed bar that was the main opening drinking party for the CAC. The place was wall-to-wall affiliates, affiliate managers, and other weirdos. Waiting in line for drinks sucked, but it was good seeing many old friends and acquaintances again. But as soon as the Tequila shots came out, I knew it was time to catch a cab back to my hotel room. That was a smart thing to do.
Day one of the convention was hyper-busy. And I suddenly realized that these conferences/conventions need more time. Two days is not enough time to get what I need to get done. I had a few objectives – one of which was to meet with the Grand Privè people. They understandably wanted to meet up with me after their “rogue” status was bequeathed upon them last month. This was a very serious issue that some people felt was harsh, but I felt – and still do – that it was the only recourse. But I’ll explain later.
I spent most of the day browsing through the booths, meeting affiliates and affiliate managers. Many old faces, and a number of new ones. In fact, there are a slew of photos on the CAC page here. In fact, let’s play “Spot the Meister”. The first person who can identify me in one of those photos will win $30. Hint – there are actually two photos of me, one you can see my face – one you can’t. Good luck! Answers next week.
Another highlight for the day was meeting up with the Lasseter’s guys. At the end of the conference activities we grabbed a few beers in a Dutch pub way down the street. If you’ve never been to Amsterdam, well you gotta go. Some of the pubs are downright ancient, and this had the flavor of being so. We drank some “white beer” which is a little like the German Weiss Bier – excellent – and we talked about everything from roguish casino operations to Frank Zappa. We left from there and walked to China town. I was getting a little leery seeing a few shops with chickens hanging in the windows with their heads still on. The bird flu crossed my mind. But we chanced upon a cool Thai restaurant that served some of the best Thai food I’ve had for a long time.
And of course, from there we had the obligatory stroll through the funkified red light district – Amsterdam wouldn’t be Amsterdam without this. Looking at these girls as a young guy, I would have thought “hot diggety dog – lookit dat!” But as I age and mature, I look at these girls and think “That could be my daughter” or “Do your parents know where you work?” Sometimes my brain disappoints me..
The following day was just as eventful. I met up with Yashin, the marketing director of Grand Privè. I was anticipating a conversation of “what do we have to do to get off of the ‘Rogue’ list” or something of that nature. It wasn’t. It was a very professional explanation of what exactly happened and their perspective of it all. I’m not going to go into detail about this, but if you want to know what I’m talking about, you can read this here. But how they handled this was understandable to a point. The main issue, (which I emphasized once again) was the players’ and the public’s impression on the whole matter. The fears of the player public – that the casino merely found an excuse not to pay the player her winnings – were never addressed. It could have been handled much differently. The casino should have gone beyond the call of duty in this instance – and we both agreed upon this. But they didn’t, and that’s a real shame. That was more or less the end of the conversation.
A highlight of the day was when the representatives from the three leading software suppliers gave a presentation showcasing their software. Ah, such friendly competition. Microgaming’s Roger Raatgever, Wagerlogic’s Peter Marcus, and Playtech’s Tom Hall each gave a convincing demonstration on why their software was the best to market to players. They presented their new games and how their platforms differed, but most importantly, they were open to questions and comments from the webmasters. Curiously enough, there weren’t very many questions. I had one comment – to Peter Marcus who just announced that Wagerlogic casinos were doing away with the infamous pin number (players had to wait for a pin number delivered via snail mail before withdrawing funds from an account). I’ve never had a problem with this, and actually I thought it was a good idea – sending pin numbers via snail mail. It verifies the user’s real address, and eliminates many cases of player fraud. Nevertheless, most of the complaints that Wagerlogic casinos receive were related to lost pin numbers or snail mail being too snail-like. I’ve participated in Wagerlogic casinos for eight years, and honestly – I’ve never lost a pin number. But this is a good move by Wagerlogic. They will be relying on other resources to verify legitimate players – which is great.
And then there was the beer session. Marc Lesnick’s conferences are always capped at the end with the “beer session”. It’s a panel discussion with a group of leading webmasters and affiliate managers, and the discussion is normally a heated one fueled by free beer. I can’t remember what the hot topics were, and I was in the front section. I probably wasn’t paying attention since I was sitting next to a good friend of mine who was filling me in with some good casino gossip.
And then *poof* the convention was over. Everyone was packing their bags and heading to the airport. I was exhausted. Too fast – too quick – and here I was going out to dinner with Simmo! and Webzcas and Brian Susskind from Wagershare(who had cordially invited us). It was a trippy modern cuisine that served creative odds and ends. One dish was a small bowl of Octopus that sat in a concoction derived from its own Octopus ink. Yummy!
The highlight of the meal was desert. The Flan was really very good. But I was ready to pass out at the table. I could hardly keep my eyes open.
As midnight came and went, it was finally time to leave, and we strolled back to our hotels and I bid adieu to my friends. But before going to my room, I grabbed some chicken at the local KFC. Now THAT was good.
The next day – bright and early – I was on the train heading back home. And while chillin’ looking out the window, I anticipated my Spring Break which was to commence at 1 AM the next morning. I dreaded the wake up call, but it was unavoidable – it was coming. There was nothing I could do about it…
To be continued…
SPRING BREAK 2006
Spanish Castles made of sand…
One of the things that was perplexing for me with the CAC was that it was scheduled at the beginning of Easter Break here in Europe. If you have kids in school, these breaks are the only time you can go on vacation. And believe me, my family needed a break from a long hard winter. We needed a warm beach and sunny weather, so at the last minute we found a four star hotel on the Andalusian coast. The PlayaLuna Hotel in Roquetas de Mar near Almeria was our destination. And we were really looking forward to it. I wasn’t looking forward to the 1 AM wake up call and 2 1/2 drive to Munich International, but sometimes sacrifices must be made.
We arrived at the airport safely and motivated to have a good time, my wife, 8-year-old daughter and 5-year-old little boy. The Nintendos and Gameboys worked their charm on making the kids good campers.
And then we were suddenly there – smack dab in the middle of the hotel lobby with swarms of loud Spaniards (these are really loud people, and they don’t notice it) – and our room wasn’t ready. The hotel service went downhill from there. What we weren’t told before getting there is that this hotel was geared toward Spaniards and they really don’t cater to English or German speaking tourists. This is very odd at a four star hotel in a European tourist town. But it happens.
My wife was semi-cool about this since she can speak a little Spanish. I was a bit perturbed, but I know how to order a beer (thanks to my US Army days in Central America). And my kids can get just about anything they want because they look cute, y’know – like me.
The weather wasn’t all that great, windy as hell. But what do you expect in mid-April in Spain? Yet once out of the wind, the sun felt refreshing – and the last couple of days I really began to dig the beach weather being the Californian that I am. As long as I stayed away from the hotel, I was happy. We had cushiony lounge chairs, and the beach was relatively deserted since it was off-season. This was nice.
But after a few days, the hotel food began to suck. It was pretty much the same food everyday. And what was astounding is that this hotel is in the middle of one of the most productive areas in Spain for produce. The surrounding area is covered with tomato fields, lettuce, strawberries, etc., but did they serve this? Hell no. They served some fresh lettuce and cucumbers, but the rest of the salads and vegetables came out of jars and cans. I’ve seen better food in an Army mess hall.
But enough of me bitching and whining, other than that we had a decent time. And for once, the kids behaved themselves for the entire trip. Insubordination of the child can turn the nicest place into a hell-hole. We were lucky this time.
And hell, I’m back. My office looks like a couple of grenades went off – don’t even ask me what my desk looks like. But I’m grabbing this bitchin’ bull by the horns, and things should be back to snuff next week. PABs being answered and resolved, webcast being uploaded, new Casinomeister casinos being showcased, all this and more. So hang tight.
Or perhaps it’s time you took a break? Whadya say? Maybe I can be your trip planner.
24 April 2006
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4 May 2006 – Issue #273
Dear Reader,
Spring may be here, but it’s dark as hell outside – another late night for me. But finally, I’m finished.
Toilingly yours,
Bryan
WHAT A MESS
This week has been a mess – and no I’m not talking about my inbox or the way my desk looks – I’m talking about what’s been going on in casinoland. Here are a few issues that you should be aware of:
Issue #1
It appears that 888.com (Casino-on-net, Pacific Poker) employs individuals who market 888.com in an unorthodox manner. Besides being accused by numerous webmasters of “scraping’ websites – using software that visit casino related sites and copies the text at a high rate of speed. They then upload this text to numerous websites that link to 888.com and Pacific Poker – they are spamming blogs. Let’s take this website for example:
www.casinoonnet-online.com redirects to 888.com. Here is the registrant information:
Registrant [52981]:
Cassava Enterprises (Gibraltar) Ltd.
Europort 601-701
Gibraltar
Gibraltar
1111
GI
Administrative Contact [52981]:
Guy Margolin
Cassava Enterprises (Gibraltar) Ltd.
Europort 601-701
Gibraltar
Gibraltar
1111
GI
Phone: +350.49800
Fax: +350.50309
Cassava incidently is the company that owns 888.com. So here we have a website casinoonet-online.com (what a stupid name by the way) that is apparently owned by Cassava and redirects to 888.com. Well there is nothing wrong with that, is there? But next, let’s figure out how visitors get to casinoonet-online.com. Go to Google.com and paste this in the search field link:http://www.casinoonnet-online.com/. This will give you a list of all the websites that link to casinoonet-online.com.
Hmm, something odd here. These are all forums and blogs that have nothing to do with gambling. Take a look at this link that appears at the bottom of the first search results page http://www.p45blogs.net/ok/archives/000407.html.
This poor blog, which concerns Napster info, is nothing but spam crap from Casino-on-net, casinoonet-online.com, 888.com, pacificpoker-online.com, and a bunch of pharmaceutical idiots. This is the sort of garbage that pollutes cyberspace. It needs to stop – now.
I am bewildered as to why 888.com feels that this sort of marketing is necessary, and it is beyond me why a publicly traded company feels that this is acceptable. Do they not care about how this industry appears to the wayward Google searcher looking for a Napster blog? Do they not care that this “searcher” may be a teenager or a conservative US Senator’s wife? Have they lost their minds? Perhaps so.
At press time, 888.com was dropped from the Casino Affiliate Program – de-certified in other words – stripped of their membership. Kudos for CAP.
And yes, I know that 888.com is huge and I guess no one is going to tell them what to do. But just because you’re huge doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want.
Players, please keep in mind that when you patronize a casino, you are supporting everything that they stand for and what they do. Affiliates, please do not support casino groups that practice or condone unorthodox marketing techniques. 888.com – off to the rogues with ye.
Issue #2
What the hell is going on with Oddson’s Video Poker? Over the weekend a player noticed something unusual with the doubling of Video Poker hands and posted his findings in our forum. A bunch of other seasoned players joined in, and the results were not good. Michael Shackelford, the Wizard of Odds, has been Oddson prime auditor and he was called in to evaluate the game logs. This is an ongoing issue and he has not posted his findings yet. But you can read about this here:
Online Poker Complaints
In the meantime, all Oddson casinos have been removed from Casinomeister until after the findings have been publicized.
Issue #3
Is anyone awake at Kahnawake Gaming Commission? What is proving to be a flaccid and “lights on nobody home” syndrome – the Kahnawakees are AGAIN stonewalling me. Lest we forget, they never answered my emails until they were prodded by a third party concerning the Golden Palace streaking incident. As far as I know, Golden Palace can do whatever they want. You can read about that here.
https://www.casinomeister.com/newsletter/2006/16march2006.html#Kahnawake
Well guess what? They are doing it again. They refuse to answer my emails concerning Kaave.com. This is a Turkish Poker/Casino site that is sitting on Kahnawake servers. Kaave claims they are licensed, but Kahnawake told a player flat out that they weren’t. This casino is not listed on the Kahnawake Gaming Commission’s website either.
So I emailed a polite request to find out if this casino is indeed licensed by the Kahnawakees, and if so – fine and dandy! If not, then why is this casino sitting on their servers? Simple enough, yes? Hell no. I’ve been stonewalled. I feel like the proverbial red-headed step child.
One thing I can say for sure is that I have lost most of my confidence in this “Gaming Commission”.
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And now for the humor……
Three old ladies are sitting in a diner, chatting about various things. One lady says, “You know, I’m getting really forgetful. This morning, I was standing at the top of the stairs, and I couldn’t remember whether I had just come up or was about to go down.” The second lady says, “You think that’s bad? The other day, I was sitting on the edge of my bed, and I couldn’t remember whether I was going to bed or had just woken up!” The third lady smiles smugly. “Well, my memory’s just as good as it’s always been, knock on wood.” She raps the table. With a startled look on her face, she asks, “Who’s there?!”
ha ha ha
SPIN PALACE GROUP ACQUIRED BY FAIRGROUND GAMING
Recently merged online casino and poker room group acquired for US $ 66 million
Surprise disclosure this week was the takeover of the recently merged Spin Palace- Piggs Casino group by London listed company Fairground Gaming Holdings plc for a $66 million consideration. Trading of the shares on the London AIM was suspended as the deal went through.
In the press release, the directors of Fairground Gaming (see previous InfoPowa reports on this company) disclosed that the company has entered into a conditional purchase agreement to acquire all of the online gaming businesses and subsidiaries, which collectively form The Spin Palace Group from Roundit Limited, for a maximum consideration of US$66 million.
Highlights of the deal include:
* The Acquisition is the first by Fairground Gaming since admission to AIM in October 2005, is in line with the Company’s strategy and is conditional on re-admission to trading of the enlarged issued share capital;
* The Spin Palace Group comprises two recently combined businesses, Spin Palace and Piggs Casino, and is a licensed online casino and poker group offering over 200 different games to a global customer base;
* Core domains include www.spinpalace.com, www.rubyfortune.com and www.piggscasinos.com;
* The technology platform of the Acquisition is underpinned by Microgaming considered by the Fairground directors to be the leading provider of software to online casinos;
* Scope for further integration and exploitation of new products; Existing management teams and staff to remain with the enlarged group on completion of the Acquisition;
* Acquisition incorporates a marketing business and scalable call centre to which Roundit previously outsourced these functions as well as an award-winning affiliate programme;
* The initial consideration of approximately US$46 million, consisting of US$10 million cash payment from existing Fairground Gaming resources with the remainder being satisfied through the issue of ordinary shares in Fairground Gaming and warrants over Ordinary Shares in Fairground Gaming;
* Further earnout consideration payable of up to US$20 million, dependent upon the EBITDA of The Spin Palace Group for the year to 31 December 2006; and
* The acquisition constitutes a reverse takeover for the purposes of the AIM Rules and accordingly the Directors have requested that Fairground Gaming’s shares be suspended from trading on AIM with immediate effect until such time as an AIM admission document is published.
Commenting on the proposed acquisition, Evan Hoff, Chief Executive of Fairground Gaming, said:
“The Spin Palace Group will be the cornerstone in the execution of Fairground Gaming’s consolidation strategy. Both Spin Palace and Piggs Casino are well managed and cash generative businesses and, combined, we believe they have the potential to be scaled upwards to enhance future revenues of the Company. We look forward to working with management in growing the business and seeking out complementary acquisitions that will assist us in achieving further scale and product and geographic diversification. We look forward to providing further information to investors in due course.”
News courtesy of Infopowa news service.
More news here.
11 May 2006 – Issue #274
Dear Reader,
Looking forward to next week. Why? Scroll down and find out…
Expectantly yours,
Bryan
GETTING READY FOR GIGSE
The Global Interactive Gaming Symposium and Exhibition is on the horizon – it’s next week in fact. I’m really looking forward to this trip because I’m hoping to educate operators – newbies and old-timers – with some philosophical advice. Online Casino Management 101 will be held on Wednesday 1:30 PM in the Exhibition Hall. I have a crapload of material, and it’s going to be hard to condense this into one half hour presentation. So what I’ll be doing is hanging around the conference center giving you advice (whether you ask for it or not).
In most cases, it’s easy to give advice on what not to do. And over the past few weeks I’ve seen a lot of “not to do’s”, like don’t baffle people with bullshit when you make mistakes. This may have worked in the Army, or at Staples, but running an online business is a bit different. People save email, gaming logs, terms and conditions are archived, IP addresses are tracked, there are a number of reasons why it’s best to be upfront with players when you (the operator) make a mistake. Lie, and you’ll get caught. This is not a good thing in an industry that relies on trust.
If you eff up and make a mistake – admit it. You’ll be much better off in the long run. Believe me, you will.
Anyway, for those who will miss my presentation – no need to start slitting your wrists, I’ll be uploading the presentation online sometime next week.
My agenda: (besides meeting with several operators and webmasters):
- Convince 888.com that they are doing everyone in this industry a disservice with their unorthodox marketing techniques.
- Hope to meet someone from the Kahnawake Gaming Commission to renew my faith. Right now, I’m highly disappointed in them.
- Meet with the Oddson people along with Ted Loh to find out what really happened with their software “glitch“
- Eat sushi.
- Catch a movie or two.
Last but not least, convince Michael Casselli (editor of Bluff Magazine) that he doesn’t have a chance in hell winning “Velcro Race 2006”. He’s challenged me to race across some velcro track wearing velcro boots, and it’s all for charity. You can check this out here: http://www.gigse.com/2006/index.cfm/page/charity. This year the River City Group is running a charity drive for The Gordon House,and gamAid.com, and so far they’ve raised over $100,000. Good stuff.
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And now for the humor……
A man was speeding down the highway, feeling secure in a gaggle of cars all traveling at the same speed. However, as they passed a speed trap, he got nailed with an infrared speed detector and was pulled over.
The officer handed him the citation, received his signature and was about to walk away when the man asked, “Officer, I know I was speeding, but I don’t think it’s fair – there were plenty of other cars around me who were going just as fast, so why did I get the ticket?”
“Ever go fishing?” the policeman suddenly asked the man.
“Ummm, yeah…” the startled man replied.
The officer grinned and added, “Ever catch all the fish?”
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29 May 2006 – Issue #275 GIGSE 2006 Montreal Special Edition
Dear Reader,
Well here it is finally – the Global Interactive Gaming Summit & Expo 2006 report. Cool encounters, suck-ass parties, scandalous activites (me not included).
So….grab yo’self a hot cup o’ java, and read on…
A blur of suits… Every year that I travel to the GIGSE, whether it is in Toronto or Montreal, I’ve been harassed at the Canadian immigration booth. It wasn’t until last year that I discovered why. There is an American Brian C. Bailey who was wanted for auto theft (or something of that nature). And this is just one of the reasons I’m a stickler on why people need to spell my name first name correctly – with a Y instead of an i. Well, I guess they caught the guy because for the first time in years, I slid right on by.
Or maybe the immigration officer (it was a young lady) was impressed by the way I articulately and flawlessly replied when she asked me what my business was in Montreal. I meticulously stated, “I’m a gaming consultant, and I’ve been invited to speak at the Global Interactive Gaming Summit and Exposition.” Oh, that must have sounded much better when an officer (a guy) asked me the same question a few years ago, and I replied – “I, uh, operate websites.” (You can read about that conversation here. That reply got me sent to the room full of turbans. But then, I was perhaps an auto thief – well, according to them.
I breezed my way into the country this time, grabbed a cab, and found my hotel: the Hotel XIXe Siecle which was right around the corner from the conference center. A wonderful boutique hotel (it used to be a bank years ago), the only thing wrong was that I didn’t know how to pronounce its name. Was it “Hotel Ex – Eye – Ex Siecle”, “Hotel 19th Siecle?” and was I supposed to say this in English or French? I always made sure I had the hotel’s name written down on a piece of paper to give to a cabbie. Language in Montreal can be pretty funkified
My mission at the GIGSE:
I was hoping to meet up with anyone from the Kahnawake gaming commission. If you can recall, my dear reader, there have been a number of awkward silent moments from the gaming commission concerning Golden Palace marketing exploits, and a couple of other things. Kahnawake is next to Montreal, so I was hoping for some luck. I also was included in a panel discussion that dealt with marketing concerns. And I was also slated to give my own presentation: Online Casino Management 101. And the usual hope of meeting a operators who could solve some ongoing problems. I was also scheduled to take on Michael Casselli in a Velcro drag race. Beating him would be my redemption for his underhanded victory two years ago. This trip turned out to be a success.
But before the conference was to start, I had a couple of days to catch up with myself and with some friends as well. Most of you know that one of my main functions at these conferences is to catch a flick or two during my free time – or what’s left of it.
I had no idea on what to see. I have been waiting patiently for a few films to be released – one is the new Jack Black film Nacho Libre, but it hasn’t come out yet. I was at the Paramount Theater on Rue Ste-Catherine – starring at the movie schedule wondering what to see. Nothing. Maybe Mission Impossible III, but I had heard it was dreadful. To me, MI2 was absolutely excruciating – why would I want to waste my money on the third piece? I had heard that United 98 was a very realistic and heavy film. I wasn’t to sure if I was ready to see this yet, especially alone. I’m a big softie sometimes, and sitting alone in a theater dabbing my eyes with a hankie didn’t really seem like fun to me. But it was the only film that had any potential to be interesting. I bought a ticket an hour before showtime and took a walk around the underground mall.
Note of Interest:
While walking the mall, the mall’s muzak speakers were playing REM’s “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” How surreal.I was worried that the film would be overly dramatic or would demonize the hijackers. It was not. It was a real-time depiction of what had probably happened in-flight, and on the ground. The film recruited some of the actual flight controllers acting as themselves, and it was one of the most intense films I have seen for a long time. I highly recommend this film. It’s been carefully thought out and it’s effective.
So, this gave me something to dwell on through the night – meeting friends and discussing how I felt about it.
Day one of the GIGSE was a blur; mostly a blur of suits. Last year it was noteworthy that many more “suits” were showing up – investors and other interested parties getting involved in the industry. The industry is no longer dominated by the casually dressed casino operator and software developer, it has definitely moved into the mainstream where wearing a suit is the uniform of the day. Me? I’m a casual kind of guy, and I hung my uniform up years ago. No suit for me – thanks!
That afternoon, I was a member of a panel discussion that covered marketing: past, present and future. Hosted by Debbee Silverman, who is by far one of the leading experts in the field, the panel included me, IGaming Business Magazine’s Michael Casselli, David Hallonquist – Spotted Dog Media, Michele Oster of the Trident Group, and David Wang, WPT Enterprises. It was really quite a good panel discussion since we come from differing positions in the field. One thing that makes Casinomeister unique is that it’s a perfect example on how viral marketing works. Obviously it’s a popular site – or you wouldn’t be reading this newsletter, would you? I get a decent amount of traffic and I spend zilch on marketing. When Goto.com was a reasonable option for a webmaster to get his site out there (before it was Overture.com), I had a budget of $25 a month. When the pay-per-click ads got too whacked out price-wise, I said the hell with it. Thus I do that no more.
I consider myself lucky, there aren’t too many sites like mine that can rely solely on viral marketing – at least for now that is.
As the discussion closed, I chimed in on how there needs to be a certain level of responsibility towards public opinion when marketing one’s casino. If a casino is out there doing something stupid (I used Golden Palace’s Olympic intrusions as an example), it affects everyone in the business since we all get painted with the same brush. This is extremely important especially with the Bible thumpers thumping away in the States.
And it looks as if my words are being taken in consideration by the people who count. As I left the stage, I was met by the commissioners of the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. You may recall some of the frustrating experiences I’ve had trying to get answers from the commission. Well, here they were in the flesh – and they weren’t there to jump me. They wanted to reassure me that they were willing to hear me out and open a channel of discussion. This was great. They also wanted to let me know that all references to streaking, naming babies, and the Olympic intrusions have been removed from the Golden Palace website. How about ‘dem apples? That was a high-point of the day.
That evening was the GIGSE cocktail party that was a who’s who of online gaming. I briefly met a number of operators and casino representatives many of whom thanked me for allowing them a spot in Casinomeister’s forum where they have direct contact with players. Sometimes casino support doesn’t fulfill it’s intended obligations and a communication conduit is needed which can be found here:
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/showgroups.php
And if you are a casino operator or rep and you’re not listed here, c’mon – what are you waiting for? 100 operators and their representatives can’t be wrong.
I ran into Andrew Beveridge from eCOGRA who filled me in on the latest eCOGRA news – of course interesting and we both hope that what’s developing will materialize. Of course it’s too early to discus now, but things are really looking good for this organization.
Question from Andrew: When do you think Grand Privé will be removed from the “rogue” list.
My answer: I don’t know. That’s a toughie.We also talked about 888.com and the blog spamming problem. There was a rumour that eight or nine 888 affiliates were fired. But that’s not the real problem. The real problem is that Casava is behind this blog spamming, not just the affiliates (they were doing most of the site scrapping I believe), and I illustrated this here. I saw John Anderson from a distance, but he disappeared by the time I got to where he was standing. There were hundreds of people in the room.
I met the operator from Black Widow casino, and we talked. And he was wearing a suit.
Day Two kicked off for me in the exhibition hall. I was due to give a presentation “Online Casino Management 101: Letters from the Trenches. It was well attended – and yes, I had a lot to say. Most of the material I used was actually from this newsletter (aren’t you glad you subscribed?). Issues #263, 264, and 265. I covered “gaining player trust”, “maintaining player trust”, and wait to do (or what not to do) when you screw up. Using real live issues and correspondences from casinos and players, it went over rather well. Ted Loh was there, and he was wearing a suit. He’s finally been assimilated.
Ted was slotted for a panel discussion about on self regulation moderated by eCOGRA’s Michael Hirst, and included Card Player Magazine’s Roy Cooke, and Andrew Beveridge. One thing that I found interesting is the amount of distrust poker players have towards online poker rooms. Roy Cooke mentioned that only around 5-10% of the poker players he knows from the card rooms in Vegas ever venture online. They fear other cheating players and obviously, this is a major hurdle poker rooms need to eliminate. Obviously there is a lot of room to work in this arena – player trust and following through on that trust is what it’s all about. Why this industry lets us down in this realm almost on a daily basis is beyond me. Ted brought up the issue that licensing agencies are failing players because they (in most cases) are non-responsive to player issues. If a licensing agency chooses not to police their licensees, why should players be concerned whether a casino is licensed or not?
After their informative rap session, I wandered over to Playtech’s both to grab a free beer (a positive note for Playtech), and while the barkeep poured the beer, a guy who was sitting at the bar looked up at me and congratulated me on a presentation well done. He then introduced himself as the marketing director for Indio Casino. I couldn’t help but laugh (excuse me) – astonished I was since it was Indio Casino that I used as an example of bad casino policy in my presentation. It sort of blew me away, but he said he didn’t realize that the email example (it’s on their rogue page as well) came from their casino. How strange.
Nevertheless, we chatted for a few minutes, and I explained where I was coming from and how I disagreed on their policies and why. And we’ve renewed direct communications again. If players are having difficulties with these casinos (Indio, African Palace) please let me know and maybe I can assist.
That evening brought on the Bodog Media Mixer where a number of press, or press-like people were invited to speak with Calvin Ayre and get the scoop on what’s new in the Bodog scene. It was nice seeing some old faces again, and there were quite a number of people I didn’t know. In fact I sort of felt out of place since they all seemed to know one another, and a number of them were all hyped up for some reason. Perhaps the raw oysters and shrimps were having an effect, or that there were cameras all over the place.
Calvin gave everyone a briefing on some of his plans, and they sound exciting – particularly the “Battle of the Bands” he’ll be sponsoring. The best band wins $1 million USD. Bodog is going mainstream and that’s a good thing.
Calvin Ayre to the meister: your site is sort of like Sting’s. You both kinda do the same thing.I met Michael Casselli, and we sat down for the buffet dinner. He looked a little nervous since he was slotted to race against “the meister” in a race for a charity run the following day. I told him not to worry, I wouldn’t beat him too badly – didn’t want to embarrass the guy to much in front of the ladies.
From this party we moved on to the Golden Palace sponsored event at some club which was a total waste of time. It was overpacked – surprised that the fire department didn’t show up to shut the place down. In order to get drinks, one had to tolerate being mashed up against horde of people hoping to slide in up to the sticky wet bar. Sign language was in effect since there was no way to speak over the dude blowin’ away on his harmonica to the tune of some prerecorded rap music. What the hell? And there was a constant stream of Playboy bunnies coming in through the door and heading into the cloakroom and then disappearing downstairs into some cellar. It seemed that there was a planned bikini contest, and that they were to be paraded in front of the captive audience. Whoop-dee-friggin’-doo. I might have been impressed if I was 18 and hadn’t been laid for about a month. But this was plain stupid. I stood there and thought to myself “I could be answering emails,” and at that point I knew it was time to leave. Which I did. I met a couple of guys from Bodog who were leaving as well. We trekked on back towards the hotel, and my evening ended watching the Conan O’brien show.
Day Three: Beside my anticipated glory over Michael Casselli in the velcro drag race, one thing I was looking forward to was the meeting between me, Ted Loh, and the operators of English Harbour. But first, there was a panel discussion The Impact of I-Gaming: What Have We Done? that I really wanted to attend. Moderated by Sue Schneider, it included Calvin Ayre from BoDog.com, Michele Oster, Trident Group, and Detlef Train from Intertops Sportwetten GmbH. Calvin brought up some interesting issues: There is a lot of money in Costa Rica from the sportsbooks and online casinos, but the non-English speakers are not feeling the benefit of this and it’s actually having a negative effect by inflating the cost of real estate, etc. Casinos need to have some sort of social conscience since economic growth can have a negative impact. He also felt that casinos need to offer entertainment but something beyond casino games. He considers his competitors to be companies such as Paramount and Sony, but he still feels that online casinos are light years from the main stream. He also stated that he felt that most online casinos couldn’t survive if it’s legalized in the states – it’s too competitive. In essence, he feels that the biggest challenge to online gaming is growth.
Detlef from Intertops said dryly that he has no fear – that he’s seen it all. The online gaming environment is so dynamic that it can withstand most any blow. But everyone, he warned, needs to pay attention to what is happening in the States.
And when the questions went to the audience, some guy stood up and accused everyone at the conference of trying to fool people by wearing suits. He kept saying “You need to dress like Americans. And if you want to impress Americans, you have to dress like one.” Eh? I didn’t get it. Besides, we were in Canada – and there are very few Americans involved in this business. But here we go with the suits again.
From there we moved on to lunch with English Harbour. If you’re living in a cave, and your computer hasn’t been turned on for the past few weeks, there is a hotly debated issue in our forum concerning an incident where a script was uploaded and caused the Video Poker to malfunction in the casino’s favor. Not good.
Ted Loh is experienced in programming and has taken it on his own to try to find out what happened and how it happened. I already mentioned in our forum about how I feel about the whole mess – I’m not going to regurgitate it here – except briefly: I have no reason to believe that it was not an honest mistake – a seriously bad bad mistake, but a mistake nonetheless. So far Ted has been receiving an incredible amount of flack in the fora for his participation in trying to find the root cause of this, which is totally uncalled for. We anticipate his findings, and hopefully a couple of others, within the next day or two. Opinion follows: in my opinion, they are guilty of implementing the wrong code, of not ensuring safeguards were emplaced, and of not handling this very well publicly.
Question from Ted: Do you want some of my fries?
Me: Don’t mind if I do…
So while we wait for Ted and perhaps others to publicize their findings, English Harbour ought to make a public statement that details exactly what happened so that some of the speculation can be put to rest. This speculation is extremely damaging, and I’m also tired of seeing unnecessary thrashings in public.
But a necessary thrashing was about to commence…
To be continued…
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Continued From Above
Casselli takes a fall…
The pinnacle of day three’s events was of course the charity race. And I was pumped ready to go. Never forgetting how he beat me by a point during the Sumo Wrestling match in 2004, this was payback time. We wore ski boots outfitted with a large plywood bottom which had velcro affixed to the sole. The track had a velcro strip that was completely stripped out. But nonetheless, it was like trying to run wearing snowshoes.
And I beat the guy. So there.
That evening it was good to catch up with friends, Ted, Debbee, and Brian Cullingworth. We had dinner in the old part of town at Gibby’s. And then it was over.
Before I knew it I was checking out of my hotel – the week was nothing but a blur – my head swimming in meetings, discussions, faces and business cards. Plus emails from you my dear ${token2} were probably awaiting my answer. Sorry if I haven’t gotten to them already.
And even though I’m just catching my breath, I’m heading out this week for the states to celebrate my grandma’s 100th birthday. Vortran is at the controls so stay tuned for our Bierfest announcement, and other cool things he has in store.
And finally, thank you River City Group for another outstanding event that brings us all together.
23 June 2006 – Issue #276
Dear Reader,
It’s good being back in Bierland. The World Cup is in full swing and tomorrow may be a difficult day for me. I’m an “old country” American – generations of being mixed in the American gene pool since the 1700s, with some family members coming over in the 1600s from England. So I’m a true mutt. But I am one quarter Swede (grandfather – mother’s side) – so I identify with the Swedes a bit more than the Germans, even though I live here. Saturday it’s Germany vs Sweden, and guess who my friends will be rooting for tomorrow? I’ll be in the corner with my little Swedish flag awaiting my ostracization.
Discretely yours,
Bryan
YEP, I’M BACK
If you couldn’t tell, I was tripping around California for the past 2 1/2 weeks. It was my grandmother’s 100th birthday and it was quite a big celebration for the family and friends. She forgets a lot, and sometimes it can be a little funny. My brother-in-law had made a slide show of old photos of her from the 20s and 30s; her with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren as babies. It was the finale of the party – shown in a small auditorium for all to see. The next day she had forgotten she had seen it. So we showed it to her in her room on a laptop. About half-way through, a photo appeared of her and my grandfather (the Swede) taken in the early thirties. They were sitting and she had her arm around his shoulders. “Who’s that woman with her arm around my man?” she said. We sort of laughed it off and explained that it was her. “Well, I don’t like it. That’s my husband.” Okay grandma. But at least she’s good natured, and laughs when she realizes that she’s forgetting things. Perhaps this is one of her secrets for longevity.
She’s also always preached to me “You have to do what you’re interested in.” And simple as that may seem – that is a gem to pursue. I remember when I left the Army years ago, the skills I had were knowing how to blow up things, emplacing minefields, shooting at stuff, jumping out of airplanes, and training soldiers how to survive in a myriad of situations. What the hell was I supposed to do in the civilian world? Blow stuff up and shoot at things? Nope, that wouldn’t work out too well. Besides, I was getting a bit tired of those sort of activities. But people always interested me, and I missed my soldiers – so I chose a path that led me to teaching, providing information, and getting involved with people. And what I’m interested in, I’ve integrated into what I do – well, most of the time at least.
It was good being back in my homeland – California. I spent a great deal of the time chillin’ at Laguna Beach – body surfing and chowing down on Mexican food, Sushi, and anything else I can’t get or eat here.
And it’s good to be back. I have a lot of work to get done, so please bear with me as I slowly get back up to speed. I’m still in a semi-chill mode.
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VORTRAN’S BITCHIN’ CONTEST
While I was chillin’ at the beach, Vortran had a reading task for you. You were to read: Did Vikings really wear horns on their helmets? and then be prepared for a reading comprehension test when I came back. Well I’m back:
Answer me this and win $50 worth of BEER or cash in your Neteller account:
1. What was dredged up from the Thames?
2. Who was Gustav Malmstr�m, and what did he do?
3. Did Wagner write an opera about Vikings?
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And now for the humor……
One day George W. went out to dinner with a Jewish friend. The friend recommended a kosher place nearby.
They arrived and Dubya’s friend ordered them both the house specialty: matzo ball soup. The waiter brought the bowls and George looked at the soup suspiciously, but his friend urged him to try at least one taste. So he took a bite of matzo ball and slurped some soup and clearly liked it.
After Dubya was finished he said, “Mmm mmm, that was good! But tell me, do you Jewish folks eat other parts of the matzo, or just the balls?”
ha ha ha
888.COM STRIKES BACK
A promise to investigate any credible complaint against the black hats, but a veiled legal warning too
Some months into an increasingly bitter dispute (see earlier InfoPowa reports) with the online gambling affiliate sector over alleged tolerance of “black hat” search engine optimisation tactics involving site scraping and blog spamming, 888.com has struck back.
The giant online casino group has been the target of repeated criticism for allegedly turning a blind eye or profiting from the black hat practices of some of its marketing affiliates. Allegations include site scraping or content theft, inappropriate targeting and the irrelevant spamming of blogs in attempts to push the search engine rankings of 888.com higher. Several prominent affiliate sites have roundly condemned the activities as prejudicial to affiliates and unethical in nature, and have disassociated themselves from 888.
There has also been widespread and continuous criticism of 888.com, mainly by affiliates on a diversity of leading public message boards around the Internet, and suggestions that affiliates take retaliatory action by linking their sites and publicising the issue. A key irritant for affiliates has been the public silence on the issue by 888.com.
This week, Nicholas Lev, a 888.com and Random Logic executive based in Israel sent a letter on the issue to a number of prominent affiliates, who published it on their sites.
After several paragraphs highlighting the good reputation of the company and its brands, Lev gets down to business by addressing the accusations, saying: “No official process of any kind was conducted by ANY authorized party to verify these allegations. Additionally most of the affiliates who have been singled out for practicing “Immoral” marketing techniques on 888.com’s behalf are providing marketing services to several other large and small online gaming companies.
“Strangely enough only 888.com was continually accused of working with these affiliates. Some CAP Members have even raised the suspicion that our competitors have directly or indirectly contributed to these accusations. While we have repeatedly attempted to contact several members who have lodged complaints, our attempts were ignored.
“It seems resolution is not what the accusations are aimed at achieving but rather damaging 888.com’s hard earned reputation hiding behind anonymous identities as the Web permits.”
Lev goes on to draw attention to the group’s Affiliate Program contractual terms, which specifically exclude the conduct on which the allegations are based, and reveals that: “We have recently investigated several hundred affiliate accounts that were brought to our attention and immediately blocked the ones who have violated our policies.”
He points out that his company recently added a notice on its Affiliate Program homepage outlining 888.com’s Ethical Marketing Practices Policy with a link to report any misbehavior of 888.com affiliates, and emphasises that every time a credible allegation that a member of the program has engaged in any sort of illegal or illicit activity is made, the company will investigate it thoroughly.
“If the evidence that is gathered proves wrongdoing there will be decisive action taken, including blocking their affiliate account and suspending all payments, towards the affiliate found in breach of this policy. We encourage all moderators and members to share any evidence of misbehaviour of our affiliates and 888 guarantees that there will be a prompt and efficient investigation.
“However, that being said, we will not tolerate baseless accusations by anonymous moderators or members and will take legal action against those who libel 888,” Lev concludes.
Whilst this semi-public appearance and explanation of its actions against black hat SEO activity is welcome, albeit belated the threat of legal action was probably unnecessary and will not sit well with many affiliates who have been prejudiced by black hat activities.
It may be a better strategy for 888.com to get together with senior affiliates or representatives of groups of affiliates in a consultative process to get to the bottom of these allegations and then take genuine remedial action should this be required.
888.com should also consider the benefits that can flow from an open and communicative posture in industry disputes of this nature – by leaving the field to its detractors it has done more harm than good to itself, and a more proactive stance would have served it better.
Taking something positive from the development, which occurred as InfoPowa was going to press this week, at least the parties are now communicating with one another and with the right sort of commitment to a solution on both sides these black hat activities can be stamped out.
News courtesy of Infopowa news service.
More news here.
27 June 2006
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30 June 2006 – Issue #277
Dear Reader,
Germany’s playing today – gotta run. But first,
you’ve gotta read this…
Happily yours,
Bryan
ATTENTION WEBMASTERS
A few years ago, I had a links page at Casinomeister for my fellow webmasters. It listed their websites and a brief summary on what their site was all about. Well with the passage of time and the relauch of Casinomeister in 2003, it went to the wayside. It was just too time consuming to keep up, and it was abandoned. Oops – not a good thing.
This section has been resurrected and it’s being rebuilt. Thanks to my little helper “Cooky” she is in charge of uploading links and keeping them updated. Do you want to link to Casinomeister? Check it out here: https://www.casinomeister.com/online-links/. You can contact Cooky here: listings@casinomeister.com.
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VORTRAN’S BITCHIN’ CONTEST
Congrats Luke M. from Downingtown, PA – you’re the “Bitchin Contest” winner for last week!! Here were the questions and answers from last week’s contest:
You were to read: Did Vikings really wear horns on their helmets? and then answer these questions:
1. What was dredged up from the Thames?
ANS: An ancient Celtic type of horned helmet was dredged from the Thames
2. Who was Gustav Malmstr�m, and what did he do?
ANS: Gustav Malmstrom was a 19th Century Swedish artist who “was the first to give horns to Vikings”, in illustrations for an edition of Frithiof’s Saga.
3. Did Wagner write an opera about Vikings?
ANS: No, Wagner never wrote an opera about Vikings (he had one which included Germanic Gods though).
So what will it be? Beer or the $50?
And stay tuned for further beer offerings!!
THIS WEEK’S FORUM HIGHLIGHTS
I’ve reorganized the Online Casino and Poker Room Complaints section into separate areas that separate bonus complaints from non-bonus complaints.
In the Casino Complaints Non-Bonus Issues section:
bellerock being awkward over ID – locked accs and no payouts. Well it looks like there is more than meets the eye. It looks like groups of fraudsters being busted out in this thread.
Mathematical Proof that English Harbour is cheating is finally put to rest. EH has been placed in a newly created section in Casinomeister’s Rogue Section “Bumblings, Blunders and Negligence”. You can check it out here:
long-ass thread or here or here.
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And now for the humor……
NOTICE OF REVOCATION OF INDEPENDENCE
To all the citizens of the United States of America,
To the citizens of the United States of America, in light of your failure to elect a competent President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective today.
Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II resumes monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths and other territories. Except Utah, which she does not fancy.
Your new prime minister (The Right Honourable Tony Blair, MP for the 97.8% of you who have, until now, been unaware there’s a world outside your borders) will appoint a Minister for America. Congress and the Senate are disbanded. A questionnaire circulated next year will determine whether any of you noticed.
To aid your transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:
1. Look up “revocation” in the Oxford English Dictionary. Check “aluminium” in the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you pronounce it. The letter ‘U’ will be reinstated in words such as ‘favour’ and ‘neighbour’. Likewise you will learn to spell ‘doughnut’ without skipping half the letters. Generally, you should raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. Look up “vocabulary.”
Using the same twenty seven words interspersed with filler noises such as “like” and “you know” is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. Look up “interspersed.” There will be no more ‘bleeps’ in the Jerry Springer show. If you’re not old enough to cope with bad language then you should not have chat shows.
2. There is no such thing as “U.S. English.” We’ll let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take account of the reinstated letter ‘u’.
3. You should learn to distinguish English and Australian accents. It really isn’t that hard. English accents are not limited to cockney, upper-class twit or Mancunian (Daphne in Frasier). Scottish dramas such as ‘Taggart’ will no longer be broadcast with subtitles.You must learn that there is no such place as Devonshire in England. The name of the county is “Devon.” If you persist in calling it Devonshire, all American States will become “shires” e.g. Texasshire Floridashire, Louisianashire.
4. You should relearn your original national anthem, “God Save The Queen”, but only after fully carrying out task 1.
5. You should stop playing American “football.” There’s only one kind of football. What you call American “football” is not a very good game. The 2.1% of you aware there is a world outside your borders may have noticed no one else plays “American” football. You should instead play proper football. Initially, it would be best if you played with the girls.
Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which is similar to American “football”, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like nancies).
You should stop playing baseball. It’s not reasonable to host an event called the ‘World Series’ for a game which is not played outside of America. Instead of baseball, you will be allowed to play a girls’ game called “rounders,” which is baseball without fancy team stripe, oversized gloves, collector cards or hotdogs.
6. You will no longer be allowed to own or carry guns, or anything more dangerous in public than a vegetable peeler. Because you are not sensible enough to handle potentially dangerous items, you need a permit to carry a vegetable peeler.
7. July 4th is no longer a public holiday. November 2nd will be a new national holiday. It will be called “Indecisive Day.”
8. All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and it is for your own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we mean. All road intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left. At the same time, you will go metric without the benefit of conversion tables. Roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.
9. Learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips. Fries aren’t French, they’re Belgian though 97.8% of you (including the guy who discovered fries while in Europe) are not aware of a country called Belgium. Potato chips are properly called “crisps.” Real chips are thick cut and fried in animal fat. The traditional accompaniment to chips is beer which should be served warm and flat.
10. The cold tasteless stuff you call beer is actually lager. Only proper British Bitter will be referred to as “beer.” Substances once known as “American Beer” will henceforth be referred to as “Near-Frozen Gnat’s Urine,” except for the product of the American Budweiser company which will be called “Weak Near-Frozen Gnat’s Urine.” This will allow true Budweiser (as manufactured for the last 1000 years in Pilsen, Czech Republic) to be sold without risk of confusion.
11. The UK will harmonise petrol prices (or “Gasoline,” as you will be permitted to keep calling it) for those of the former USA, adopting UK petrol prices (roughly $6/US gallon, get used to it).
12. Learn to resolve personal issues without guns, lawyers or therapists. That you need many lawyers and therapists shows you’re not adult enough to be independent. If you’re not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist, you’re not grown up enough to handle a gun.
13. Please tell us who killed JFK. It’s been driving us crazy.
14. Tax collectors from Her Majesty’s Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all revenues due (backdated to 1776).
Thank you for your co-operation.
The citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
ha ha ha
7 July 2006 – Issue #278
Dear Reader,
It’s really difficult getting the newsletter out on time during the summer months. Actually, summer “month” in Germany because that’s about all it will last here – one month. Then it starts raining and everyone gets depressed. But when summer kicks in, the evenings are splendid. You can go bike riding with friends to tucked away Biergartens. You can chill out until late (it doesn’t start to get dark until 10) drinking beer and being mellow. During the day – it’s hot and sweaty, and it’s easy to say “Ah, the hell with it – I’m going swimming!” But so much for that; I’m here my dear, bringing you cheer and perhaps a beer – so stay near.
Cheeringly yours,
Bryan
BOOO – DECEPTIVE MARKETING PRACTICE
One of my big pet peeves are casinos that practice deceptive marketing tactics to try and convince players that they are the ones they should be doing business with. What’s even worse is when affiliates who do this. Unscrupulous affiliates are harder to catch if there is no “quality control” implemented by the casino. The following serves as an example as to why affiliate managers need to be proactive in controlling what their affiliates are doing.
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Learn to say no It will be of more use to you than to be able to read Latin Elementary sartorial techniques initially applied obviate the need for repetitive similar actions to the square of three. Don’t byte off more than you can view.
Well for one thing, this was just one out of a crap-load that were sent to a number of email addresses that are listed at Casinomeister – I was victimized by a site scraper – he scraped the site harvesting any email addresses he could find.
The spammer is using at ISP in Brazil to send these messages which are totally deceptive and misleading.
The URL: familyrollcall.com/dl/check leads to a casino page that has been designed to cloak whoever is responsible for the casino. For the links “Fair Gaming” and “Completely Safe”, you are forced to download the casino software. This is BS.
Well, I downloaded it and began the install – it’s Vegas Red Casino – a Playtech casino that marketed by Casinopartners.com. This information was posted in our forum, and according to some forum members, it seems as though this has been going on for some time.
I hope that CasinoPartners.com takes immediate action and shuts down this affiliate’s account. There is no room on the Internet for crap like this.
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- Email us your account number and other details here. It’s that simple!!
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As I have been beating over your head – it’s Bierfest at Casinomeister. We’re going craaaaazay and giving away FREE BEER and/or CASH prizes. Here goes:
Was Mr. Ed a horse – or was he actually a disguised Zebra from the Jungleland animal park in Thousand Oaks, California? The first person who contacts me with the correct answer (with cited references) wins $50 or $50 worth of Beer. One entry per person (make sure it’s correct) and please include your age and mailing address.
And stay tuned for further beer offerings!!
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And Now For The Humor…..
WATCH AND LEARN
A rather confident young man walks into a bar and takes a seat next to a very attractive young woman. He gives her a quick glance, then casually looks at his watch for a moment.
The woman notices this and asks, “Is your date running late?”
“No,” he replies, “I just bought this state-of-the-art watch and I was testing it.”
Intrigued, the woman says, “A state-of-the-art watch? What’s so special about it?”
“It uses alpha waves to telepathically talk to me,” he explains.
“What’s it telling you now?”
“Well, it says that you’re not wearing any panties…”
The woman giggles & replies, “Well it must be broken then, because I am wearing panties!”
The man exclaims, “Damn – this thing must be an hour fast!”
ha ha ha
ONLINE GAMBLING BAN INCLUDED IN “AMERICAN VALUES AGENDA’
Goodlatte and Leach Bills may be combined and have been passed to the House for debate next month
Further details are now available on the surprise news that the Goodlatte and Leach Bills seeking to hamstring online gambling in the USA have been forwarded on for debate on the floor of the House of Representatives – effectively another step forward for this legislation.
Dennis Hastert, Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, published the list of measures this week. “The American Values Agenda will defend America?s founding principles. Through this agenda, we will work to protect the faith of our people, the sanctity of life and freedoms outlined by our founding fathers,” he said.
The two Bills have been included in the ‘American Values Agenda? being proposed by the majority Republicans in the House of Representatives. The party hopes it will energise conservative activists and voters ahead of the mid-term elections in November.
A Republican spokesperson has revealed that “it is likely” that a combined Goodlatte/Leach bill could be among the first of the bills to go before the full house, possibly in July.
Rep. Jim Leach, whose proposed bill HR 4411 seeks to add credit cards etc. to the list of illegal online gaming payment methods, is reported to be seeking to combine his proposal with that of Rep. Bob Goodlatte to avoid either Bill fouling the progress of the other. Unofficial reports suggest that a deal could be worked out in the near future with Goodlatte, whose bill HR 4777 seeks to modernise the Wire Act.
News courtesy of Infopowa news service.
More news here.
20 July 2006 – Issue #279
Dear Reader,
It’s freaking hot!
Faintly yours,
Bryan
BITS AND PIECES
I was approached by a player last week who had a big problem: he is experiencing one of the slowest paying payouts in online gambling history. Let’s cut to the chase…
Situation: The player gets a bonus offer from Club Player Casino – an RTG casino affiliated with Cirrus Casino, Palace-of-Chance, Coolcat casino, and a number of other Costa Rican outfits. He deposits $20,000 USD in July of 2005 and makes a staggering collective win of $150,000 (after their sticky bonus was removed). The casino then proceeded to implement their terms and conditions for payouts: he was to be paid $2500 per week until his balance was 0.
They made two payments – one on 11 August and another on 12 September. In October of 2005, they amended their payout policy, adding a clause stating that inactive accounts (such as his) would be paid $1000 weekly at the discretion of the manager. In March, amount was again reduced to $500 per week at the manager’s discretion.
This is from his complaint:
Bottom line: In the year that has since elapsed, the casino has made only 17 payments totaling 16,000 since my win…in other words, not even my initial deposit has been returned to me. 134,350.20 is still owed, plus approx. 2700 worth of comp points. Club Players management will not return my phone calls, respond to my e-mails, or address my concerns. I have called them approximately 70 times in the past year and written at least 20 e-mails, but by a remarkable string of coincidences not once has Cynthia Williams or another manager been available to assist me, only front line customer service employees who lack the authority to make any changes to my account.
I should add that I have never been anything less than polite and professional to any employee of the Club Player Casino, even in the face of such childish tactics. As your site suggested, I submitted my problem to Montana Disputes almost two months ago. They didn’t address the casinos modification of their weekly max, but managed to extract a promise from the casino to continue to make weekly payments broken immediately. I assure you this is not a joke. I have just discovered this resource and I would be very grateful for any assistance you can render. When stories like mine circulate, they cause embarrassment to the entire industry. I have gambled quite extensively on the internet and I am well aware that the vast majority of the industry treats their players respectfully and honestly. Club Player has done neither one. Thus far I have kept things entirely private but I am rapidly losing my patience.
I’d also like an apology.
I spoke with the affiliate manager of this casino a couple of days ago, and she was very concerned about this situation – no one has really had any problems with this casino, except for this player. She asked how this should be reconciled, I said it was easy – pay the player according to the original payment agreement, and skip the $500 per week crap. That’s just plain stupid.
So – it’s a “wait and see” mode; wondering what’s up and how this casino plans on sticking to its payment plan. What irks the hell out of me is that quite a number of casinos enforce these “payment plans” at whim. If they are clearly stated in the terms and conditions, then no problem. But if the casino fails to immediately credit back the deposit, and reneges on its agreement, well that is definitely roguish behavior. Players don’t need the grief. Last week, there was even a Microgaming casino that had a “piece meal” payout scheme for a progressive win. C’mon, get with the program! You claim to be a casino, well act like one.
MORE STUFF
Spoke with Amit, the General Manager of the Virtual Casino Group. They are continually trying to clean up their image, and he wanted me to make sure I forward any complaints directly to him so he can get involved. So far there haven’t been too many with this group of casinos. It’s mostly the stories from ex-employees and others that have had personal encounters with them. It just creeps me out, that’s all. But sure, if anyone has any problems with the Virtual Casino group – send them via PAB and I’ll have Amit get it sorted.
DON’T BETONSPORTS
The Feds are cracking down on sports betting this past week by arresting David Carruthers, CEO of BetOnSports, and a number of his partners and co-workers for Racketeering, violating the Wire Act, Mail Fraud, Tax Evasion, and a number of other serious offenses. Carruthers is a citizen of the UK, BoS is a publicly traded company in the UK, and operates from sunny Costa Rica. He was arrested in the States while waiting to change planes to head to Costa Rica.
This really sucks, not just for him, but for the entire industry. He and his partners are being brought up on specific charges which can be found here:
Federal Indictment
This is rattling the cages of probably most anyone who deals with sports betting and accepts bets over the telephone. This is against the law – no grey areas here, and if you think you are untouchable just think about David Carruthers and co. What gives the US Feds the right to nab a British citizen whose main business is not on US soil? Well it looks like he is breaking the law by accepting these bets from US players over the phone. The Feds allege that he is operating illegally and not paying US taxes on these wages. He has committed mail fraud by claiming that his casinos are “legally licensed and insured” (hmmm, where have we heard that before?). These are a number of other allegations.
One thing that bothers me is the following:
(23) On or about April 12,2006, BETONSPORTS PLC owned web site BETonSPORTS.COM solicited and accepted wagers from an individual residing in the State of Washington, in violation of that State’s laws.
That’s scary. Side note: it’s a federal offense in the State of Washington to place bets on the Internet – this goes for casinos and pokerrooms. This could open up a whole can of worms if the Feds are able to make this stick. If Carruthers and co. are convicted of this – then everyone hold on to your hats – it’s going to be crazy town. Are the feds going to start extraditing casino CEOs and owners to Washington state? Look out William Hill, you just might have a pending visit to a rainy place called Seattle. Stanley Ho? How’s your English? Hope you’ve boned up on it pretty well because you might find yourself in a pickle if the Feds can pull this one off.
Imagine what will happen if the Senate passes the anti-online gambling act this fall.
Calvin Ayre, CEO of Bodog, has stated that the Fed sting was BetOnSports specific and that his operations are completely different. He’s probably safe as long as they aren’t taking bets via phone lines. In fact, anyone who is doing this should not make this available to anyone residing in the states (especially from the “Evergreen State”).
I’m glad I never really dealt with sports books, especially those in Costa Rica. They’ve always sort of creeped me out. I don’t know what it is, something about seeing images of American Football, Basketball, and Baseball players on web sites gives me the heebie-jeebies. That ten foot pole just got longer.
FINALLY! NEW WEBCAST IS UP!!
Hear Vortran and I talk about…
FREE BEER!!Stupid US Congress Bible thumpersSlow Pay CasinosVortran’s Casino Warning
All this and more here
You can now download the webcast as a MP3 file for your iPod or other MP3 player!! Now you can now listen to us at the gym, at the beach, while shopping, having sex, or on the train on the way to work. Isn’t life grand?! You can download that here:
MP3 File Download
CASINOMEISTER’S BIERFEST IN FULL SWING!!
Who are the winners?
They’ll be announced early next week as soon as they have been selected. As for now, congrats go to John Steed who was the first person to answer correctly the following: What were the Mothers of Invention called before Frank Zappa took charge? They were “The Mothers” and before that “The Soul Giants”. $50 goes to JS since he’s in Korea and that’s a funky place to send Beer!!
MORE BEER HERE!!
As I have been beating over your head – it’s Bierfest at Casinomeister. We’re going craaaaazay and giving away FREE BEER and/or CASH prizes. Last week’s question:
Was Mr. Ed a horse – or was he actually a disguised Zebra from the Jungleland animal park in Thousand Oaks, California?
Ha! thought I pulled a fast one on some of you, since at Snopes.com there was an article on how the studio used a trained Zebra to act as Mr. Ed. It was a Red Herring. Congrats Jonas W. of Sweden – he’s our winner of $50!!
This week’s question:
What happened to Jimi Hendrix’s guitar that he burnt at the Monterey Pop festival?
The first person who contacts me with the correct answer (with cited references) wins $50 or $50 worth of Beer. One entry per person (make sure it’s correct) and please include your age and mailing address.
*If you’ve already won beer (or cash) during this beer fest, that’s your share until next year. Don’t bogart that beer my friend.
And stay tuned for further beer offerings!!
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WORLD CUP JOKES ARE STILL A’COMIN’
There was an Italian, a German, and a Frenchman all on holiday in Saudi Arabia. They were busy partying drinking illegal beer when they were suddenly busted by the Saudi cops.
They stood trial the next day – were found guilty of illegal Beer consumption – and were to be punished by the traditional 20 lashes.
The judge told the Frenchman, “Before you receive your sentence, I will grant you one wish.” The Frenchman thought for a moment and stated “I wish for a nice thick pillow to be strapped to my back before my lashings.”
No problem – the judge ordered the guards to strap a pillow to the man’s back. After the fifth lashing, the pillow exploded into a cloud of feathers and the French guy was victim to the following 15. Ouch.
It was the Italian’s turn, and the judge asked him if he wished for something before his sentence was to be delivered. He said, “Yes, make it three thick pillows strapped to my back!”
The pillows were strapped on, and then the whipping began to commence. The pillows lasted until the eleventh blow when they exploded into a cloud of feathers and the Italian got the rest.
All eyes were on the German. The judge, feeling sorry for the other two said, “I’ll tell you what, you may have two wishes before the lashings occur.”
The German thought for a moment – then said, “For my first wish, I wish for 100 lashes.”
“Oh my, said the judge. You may not survive the punishment.”
“And for my second wish,” continued the German, “I wish for the Italian to be strapped to my back.”
ha ha ha
CASINOMEISTER NEWS UPDATE – 21 July 2006
There have been a number of developments and interesting articles posted in Casinomeister’s News today. The arrest of BetOnSports CEO in the US continues to reverberate throughout the industry:
NO BAIL FOR CARRUTHERS
BetonSports executive is regarded as a “flight risk” say American officials
https://www.casinomeister.com/gambling-news/
IS NON-SPORTSBOOK INTERNET GAMBLING ILLEGAL?
In any event, don’t travel to the US to find out, recommends legal expert
https://www.casinomeister.com/gambling-news/
PLAYTECH IN DAMAGE CONTROL MODE
Turnkey provider notes that it does not develop sportsbetting software
https://www.casinomeister.com/gambling-news/
BAD NEWS FOR U.S. PLAYERS FROM CORAL EUROBET
Spooked by the DoJ actions in the States, major UK gambling group bars U.S. players
https://www.casinomeister.com/gambling-news/july2006.html#bad All this and more here:
https://www.casinomeister.com/gambling-news/
28 July 2006 – Issue #280
Dear Reader,
It may seem a bit quiet because many folks are on vacation, or just taking a summer break – but at Casinomeister, things have been busy as ever. So kick back, relax, and scroll down to see what’s up in Casinomeisterland…
Pleasantly yours,
Bryan
SUMMER LULL
It’s common during this time of year that things slow down a bit. People are chillin’ by the pool, going on holiday, or saying the hell with it because of rolling blackouts. Even so, Casinomeister has been busy with the usual player complaints of delayed payments from RTG casinos, forum postings of interesting political topics, and the obligatory crisis of the week.
Some exciting news though – on the horizon is Casinomeister’s relaunch. Besides a sharp new look, we will be welcoming a more noticeable functionality of the site. Casinomeister is synonymous with online casino information. And that’s what you’ll get. The entire site will have a new search engine that will allow you to search both the main site and forum simultaneously. Can’t find rogue-ass-casino.com? Well now you will.
Also, a toolbar is being designed for Internet Explorer users which will incorporate much of this stuff – information, links, forum, fun, etc. So stay tuned for further announcements on this.
More stuff – if you’re not fascinated by the recent turn of events in the US political scene and David Carruthers’s arrest and ousting as CEO of BetonSports, check your pulse. It’s hard to keep up with the latest, but we’re doing our best to keep you updated with what’s up in Bible thumpingland. Casinomeister’s forum – Casino Industry Discussion section will keep you up to snuff in this arena. The latest from ATE:
BetonSports hoping to reopen within a week
BetonSports is hoping to restart its operations within a week according to a report in the UK Daily Telegraph newspaper. The beleaguered betting company hopes that the sacking of its CEO will give it enough leverage with the U.S. Department of Justice to reopen.
U.S. gambling bill put on ‘hold’
Congressional sources cited in the Washington Post have said that the bill banning most forms of internet gambling was not going to pass. It is thought that some Republican senators have broken rank and put a ‘hold’ on the legislation, which will prevent it from being brought up for vote until concerns on the measure are resolved.
Check out http://www.ateonline.co.uk/ and/or join the discussion here
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/casino-industry-discussion/
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The Mansion Casino Video Poker Issue
This week it was reported Mansion Casino’s (a Casinomeister Accredited Casino) video poker was recycling discarded cards. In other words, let’s say you’re dealt three aces, a ten of spades, and a three of hearts. You hold the three aces (obviously) and discard the ten and three hoping for that fourth ace. With recycled cards, you might get the same cards back that you discarded – and that sucks, especially when the game rules state that you are dealt new cards. Intercasino has a video poker game like this, but they state that the cards are recycled and give you bonus points when they reappear. Whoop-de-friggin’do, it’s still a stupid game.
With this glitch (even I witnessed it while playing) their links and banners came down until it was resolved. And just a side note – I’ve noticed this phenomena while playing a “Casino Action” video poker game at the Luxor in Vegas – I think it was 50 play or 100 play Deuces wild. I noticed cards being recycled – but I didn’t know who to complain to, so I just said the hell with it and quit playing.
Anyway, Mansion Casino got on this – their software guys fixed the problem, they are reviewing player logs on a case by case basis and should be coming out with a statement in the next day or so. The statement will be posted here when I get it.
MORE BEER HERE!!
As I have been beating over your head – it’s Bierfest at Casinomeister. We’re going craaaaazay and giving away FREE BEER and/or CASH prizes. Last week’s question in our webcast:
What was Frank Zappa’s band called before he became the leader of “the Mothers”? Answer: the “Soul Giants”.
Congrats John Steed!! Oh so wise, he be. He chose the $50 (beer is too friggin’ hard to send to Korea). Good going!!
Last week’s newsletter question:
What happened to Jimi Hendrix’s guitar that he burnt at the Monterey Pop festival?
Answer: Frank Zappa salvaged this – got it to work, and used to play it at concerts. Amazing.
From Wikipedia
Zappa retrieved the burnt and broken parts of the Fender Stratocaster guitar that Jimi Hendrix destroyed onstage at the 1968 Miami Pop Festival. After Hendrix’s death in 1970, Zappa rebuilt the instrument and played it extensively during the 1970s and 1980s. In 2002, Zappa’s son Dweezil put the guitar up for auction in the U.S., hoping it would fetch $1 million, but it failed to sell. Dweezil also used this guitar on his albums “Having a Bad Day” and “My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama”; on the latter album, Dweezil covers a song first recorded by his father.
Congrats Steve C. from Sunny California – you won BEER!!
This week’s question:
Name the movie star who plays a cirus performer that apparently has no arms. But he does have arms; he keeps them hidden and one of his hands actually has two thumbs. What was the character’s name and who played him?
The first person who contacts me with the correct answer wins $50 or $50 worth of beer – your choice (unless you live in a place that I can’t send beer to – then you get the fifty bucks).
*If you’ve already won beer (or cash) during this beer fest, that’s your share until next year. Don’t bogart that beer my friend.
And stay tuned for further beer offerings!!
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And Now For The Humor…..
LITTLE SIS’
My wonderful girlfriend and I had been dating for over a year, and so we decided to get married. There was only one little thing bothering me. It was her beautiful younger sister.
My new prospective sister-in-law was twenty-two, wore very tight miniskirts, and generally was bra-less. One day “little” sister called and asked me to come over to check the wedding invitations. She was alone when I arrived, and she whispered to me that she had feelings and desires for me that she couldn’t overcome. She told me that she wanted to make love to me just once before I got married and committed my life to her sister.
Well, I was in total shock, and couldn’t say a word. She said, “I’m going upstairs to my bedroom, and if you want one last wild fling, just come up and get me.” I was stunned and frozen in shock as I watched her go up the stairs. When she reached the top she pulled off her panties and threw them down the stairs at me. I stood there for a moment, then turned and made a beeline straight to the front door.
I opened the door, and headed straight towards my car. Lo and behold, my entire future family was standing outside, all clapping! With tears in his eyes, my future father-in-law hugged me and said, we are very happy that you have passed our little test…..we couldn’t ask for a better man for our daughter. Welcome to the family.”
And the moral of this story is:
Always keep your condoms in your car
ha ha ha
CONFLICTING SIGNALS
Or are we trying to read too much into some of these statements?
The huge coverage and focus on every word uttered by officials and lawyers on the BetonSports issue this week has understandably led to company execs trying to fathom what the federal action is really all about.
One of the burning questions has been whether the action taken against BetonSports and its people is company-specific (ie aimed at nailing a high profile company that has allegedly questionable origins and a sports telephone betting record) or is the start of a wider persecution of industry activities in the United States?
Certainly the hardass initial statements of Missouri AG Catherine Hanaway gave the impression that there was more to come. She said: “Illegal commercial gambling across state and international borders is a crime. Misuse of the Internet to violate the law can ultimately only serve to harm legitimate businesses. This indictment is but one step in a series of actions designed to punish and seize the profits of individuals who disregard federal and state laws.”
However, later statements by DoJ spokesfolks had a milder ring. Jackie Lesch said the indictment against BetonSports was consistent with previous US policy, and emphasised that the DoJ did not intend to go after all US-facing operators. She added that “Under three federal statutes online gambling is illegal, both sports betting and casino games.”
Asked why the DoJ had picked on BetonSports rather than, say, PartyGaming, she said: “We weigh up the evidence and pick the cases that we think will have the greatest deterrent effect.”
Mitch Garber, CEO of Party Gaming countered: “I would ask the DoJ that if online gambling is illegal, why are there three Bills waiting to go to the Senate trying to make online gambling illegal?”
Jon Tarasewicz, a leisure analyst at Deutsche Bank’s City arm, seemed to agree with Garber, saying that the action may be aimed specifically at the Kaplans and their associates. The family had run physical gambling operations before going offshore and BetOnSports made greater use than rivals of telephone betting, in contravention of the Wire Act in America.
Tarasewicz said: “If this is not driven by trying to get at the founders and is genuinely the start of an industry clampdown, the timing seems odd, given that politicians have passed legislation through Congress whose whole point is that existing legislation is not robust enough to prosecute anyone.”
Rep. Bob Goodlatte, arch-enemy of online gaming in the House of Representatives seemed to admit that the question of illegality was not as cut and dried as Department of Justice spokesmen believe it to be. Praising the actions of the DoJ, he said: “We join with them in trying to make it clear that the law covers all forms of gambling. It is quite clear that the Wire Act covers sports betting, [but] the Wire Act because it was written in 1961 is not at all clear as to whether it covers other forms of gambling.”
The existing law does not clearly ban such things as a virtual roulette wheel, poker and other kinds of online gaming, Goodlatte said, also drawing attention to the fact that executives with other overseas gambling companies should take note of the prosecution.
Another DoJ spokesman, Brian Sierra said: “The view of the Department of Justice is and has been that Internet gambling is illegal,” According to Sierra, the new laws and Congress’ interest in online gambling have nothing to do with the latest round of charges lodged by the Department of Justice. “We’re not trying to send a grand scale message here,” he said. “We’ve been saying it for years: Internet gambling is illegal.”
Sierra’s comment to Dow Jones Newswires earlier in the week downplayed suggestions the indictment may trigger a clampdown on the online gaming sector. “I wouldn’t read too much into one indictment. It is obviously a fairly significant case on its own with a number of defendants,” he said.
Sierra says the department’s position is and has always been that anyone either in or outside of the U.S. who operates illegal online gambling operations to take bets from U.S. residents is committing a crime. Period.
UK gaming lawyer Hilary Stewart-Jones believes that much of the Department of Justice’s tactics are based on scaring the industry into compliance.
“I don’t think it’s going to be part of a flat-out campaign to prosecute everyone associated with online gambling,” she told OCN. “I don’t think they [US Department of Justice] have the resources or the appetite to do that… I would imagine it is much more about putting a marker in the sand and being seen to be taking action. The Department of Justice stance throughout all of this has been to try and control by fear as a deterrent, rather than pushing through clear legislation for example, or pushing through to test cases and prosecutions, so the fear factor has featured largely in deterring companies from going all out to take bets from the US.”
Several sector observers and analysts in London opined Tuesday that investors were overreacting by selling off online gambling holdings: “The indictment seems to be very BetOnSports-specific, yet the market seems to be treating all online gaming companies in the same manner,” said Wayne Brown, an analyst with Altium Securities in London.
Martin Owens, a US attorney who specializes in online and interactive gaming law, says “The arrest of David Carruthers represents a giant step backward in American gaming policy. It serves only to daunt and intimidate precisely that segment of the industry, which is attempting to bring online gambling into a harmonious and useful relationship with the licensed gaming regimes already in place. Grabbing Carruthers does nothing at all against the true pirates of the industry – to the contrary, it reinforces their position.”
“There is a genuine controversy here, based on the fact that Internet gambling is legal under the laws of at least 70 countries at the same time that the United States purports to ban it,” comments Owens. “I say purports because that is not a clear law or decision. At the time of this writing, there is as yet no federal law on the books unequivocally banning i-Gambling, and no federal court decision to that effect. The issue of whether or not American state or federal jurisdiction is invoked simply by the act of an American contacting an offshore gambling site has not even been intelligently addressed, never mind decided”.
Mark Grossman, US technology lawyer and the author of the “TechLaw” column, which has appeared as a weekly feature in the Miami Herald adds to this sentiment:
“I don’t think this [arrest] spells doom and gloom for the industry. This has always been an industry where those in the business understood the legal risks inherent in their operation. For years now, the government has been aggressive in the public positions they have taken about the legality of online gaming operations. The fact is that the laws are ambiguous and Congress, after years of trying to pass news laws that address the ambiguities, has not been able get anything approved by both houses of Congress. So does the latest arrest spell the end of the industry? Of course not. However, I suppose that there will be fewer layovers in Dallas by executives involved in an online gaming business.”
Jim Halpert, partner at the DLA Pipe law firm in Washington, DC, said: “The record of enforcement in this area is one of periodic high-profile enforcement actions, designed to deter what the Department of Justice views as ongoing systematic violations of US law.”
US legal expert Anthony Cabot said that over the past decade, federal officials have prosecuted many operators of online sports books with U.S. ownership or operations because federal law prohibits using phone wires to place those bets.
In a celebrated case from 2000, prosecutors won a conviction against Jay Cohen, a U.S. citizen who ran an operation in Antigua that took sports bets from Americans over the Internet. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison. But the wire law doesn’t cover other types of casino betting, a federal appeals court in New Orleans ruled. That has left some doubt about whether prosecutors can shut down poker and other casino games that target American players, Cabot said.
“The Justice Department has said [all] Internet gambling is prohibited, but most legal experts would say they are wrong, that this only applies to sports betting,” opines Joseph Kelly, a legal scholar at the State University of New York at Buffalo, who has consulted for the government of Antigua and others on US law.
Kelly said it was an unusual coincidence that the indictment – which was handed down in June but only unsealed this week – came in such close contiguity to the House of Representatives passing a new bill banning some, but not all forms of Web gambling in the USA.
“Why would Congress try to make something illegal if it is already illegal?” he asks.
The Times says that Britain will refuse to extradite suspects for breaking US laws against internet gambling. Extradition is an option only if conduct is illegal in both the UK and America.
The Telegraph added to other independent reports that several senior online gambling executives had been in the United States without hassles very recently, and quoted analyst opinions that this may indicate that the crisis was company-specific and not an all-out attack on the industry.
News courtesy of Infopowa news service.
More news here.
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4 August 2006 – Issue #281
Dear Reader,
Things have been quite hectic this week, so it’s time for a command decision: it’s time for Casinomeister’s summer break! I’ll be chillin’ on some mountain in Austria for a few days with the family starting tomorrow. So until then – bye.
Absently yours,
Bryan 4 August 2006 – Issue #281
CASINOMEISTER TOOLBAR!
Yes it’s finally here – the long awaited and coveted Casinomeister Toolbar. This is designed for Internet Explorer, and it includes all of the cool stuff that makes Casinomeister what it is. Once you’ve downloaded and installed this (takes about one minute – if that), you’ll have at your finger tips direct links to: Casino Searches, Accredited Casinos, Rogue Casinos, Dispute Services, Casino Representatives, Forum Access, Webcast, Online Casino News, Online Casino FAQ, Screenshot tools, Spyware Detection tools, bitchin’ music feeds, some really neat surprises and a whole hell of a lot more. You don’t have to be on the Casinomeister website to have all of this – you can have Casinomeister wherever you go – that’s the beauty of it.
It has a search function much like the Google or Alexa toolbar that many of you use, and for now it searches the forum (with Casinomeister’s pending relaunch, it will search the entire site). Let’s say you are checking out yo-mama-casino.com and you want to see if anyone has posted about this in our forum – just copy and paste the name in to the search field in the toolbar and voila, you’ll have the search results.
You can download this here:
Casinomeister’s Toolbar!!
http://toolbars.winthemes.com/casinomeister/
And you can post your likes or dislikes about it here:
Toolbar Discussion
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/online-casinos/13567-casinomeister-toolbar-beta.html
HOT DAMN! NEW WEBCAST IS UP!!
Hear me and Vortran blab about the following:
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- Bierfest
- New Casinomeister Casinos
- Vortran007’s Casino Warning – Casino Fortune UK
All this and more here!
https://www.casinomeister.com/webcast/webcast_archives/
You can now download the webcast as a MP3 file for your iPod or other MP3 player!! Now you can now listen to us at the gym, at the beach, while shopping, having sex, or on the train on the way to work. Isn’t life grand?! You can download that here:
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As I have been beating over your head – it’s Bierfest at Casinomeister. We’re going craaaaazay and giving away FREE BEER and/or CASH prizes. I ask a question, the first one to answer correctly gets $50 or $50 worth of BEER. Here is last week’s question:
Name the movie star who plays a circus performer that apparently has no arms. But he does have arms; he keeps them hidden and one of his hands actually has two thumbs. What was the character’s name and who played him?
I thought that this was a hard one, but man – I had no idea that there were that many Lon Chaney fans out there. Yep, it was Lon Chaney’s character carnival knife thrower Alonzo the Armless in “The Unknown” (1927)
You can check out a short clip here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHYnY3uO6ng&search=lon%20chaney
And congrats Deb W. from the USA – $50 was hers.
This week’s question:
Identify this sound clip:
Identify the movie and the character – first one to do so wins $50 or FREE BEER!!
And stay tuned for further beer offerings!!
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And Now For The Humor…..
Words Women Say
From the Archives:
FINE
This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.
FIVE MINUTES
If she is getting dressed, this is half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given 5 more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.
NOTHING
This is the calm before the storm. This means “something,” and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with ‘Nothing’ usually end in “Fine”
GO AHEAD
This is a dare, not permission. Don’t do it.
LOUD SIGH
This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A “Loud Sigh” means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over “Nothing”
THAT’S OKAY
This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman can make to a man. “That’s Okay” means that she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
THANKS
A woman is thanking you. Do not question it or faint. Just say you’re welcome.
WHATEVER
It’s a woman’s way of saying *!#@ YOU!
ha ha haA
eCOGRA COMPLIANCE COMMITTEE REPORT ON JACKPOT FACTORY SEARCH ENGINE ISSUE
eCOGRA PRESS RELEASE
On 28 July 2006 the Compliance Committee of eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance, made up of Mr. W. Galston OBE (Chairman) , Mr. F. Catania and Mr. M.Hirst OBE, all independent directors of the organization, considered all the facts regarding an incident in which complaints were received concerning search engine optimisation practices be conducted by the Jackpot Factory group.
The Committee received a report of an independent and on-site investigation which had been carried out by external auditors. This covered the circumstances surrounding the issue, its causes and effects and the remedial actions taken by the company.
The Committee findings are that:
1) The nature and tenor of the Jackpot Factory search engine optimisation project was totally unacceptable because of the fictitious and misleading scenarios it portrayed. This had resulted in widespread public disapproval of the campaign.
2) However, there was no evidence to show that any individual or group of individuals were harmed or persuaded to indulge in potentially harmful behaviour by the campaign, which represented an important mitigating factor.
3) Similarly, there is no evidence to suggest that Jackpot Factory management had any deliberate intention to encourage vulnerable persons to participate in gambling activities at group casinos
4) The investigating team report indicates that it is satisfied that the Jackpot Factory claim to have outsourced the project initially is correct. However, the report finds, and Jackpot Factory management conceded that the company’s supervision of the project was inadequate.
5) The report confirms that internal disciplinary action taken by the company against those responsible was appropriate.
6) The Committee also considered the more positive aspects of the case and in particular the actions of Jackpot Factory in the immediate aftermath of the issue coming to public attention. On two occasions the company admitted fault in the matter and offered public apologies.
Management backed this up by re-directing company resources and mounting a committed and energetic exercise to track down every element of the campaign that could be found in order to remove it, at the same time urging the public to report any elements discovered so that these could be addressed.
7) Jackpot Factory management cooperated fully with the independent investigation team, presenting verbal and documentary evidence without reserve to assist in its investigations.
8) Jackpot Factory management has since deployed control improvements in its systems as suggested by the investigation team, which will guard against any repetition of this unfortunate incident. Processes are now in place to ensure that any further material that may surface as a result of this campaign is dealt with on a timely basis.
9) Evidence was produced showing that the damage to business and reputation suffered by Jackpot Factory was substantial, as a consequence of public disapproval and the suspension of the Play It Safe seal.
10) Before the incident, Jackpot Factory had a solid reputation for compliance with all eCOGRA standards and requirements.
Having considered all of the above, the Compliance Committee has made the following ruling:
The suspension of the “Play It Safe” seal is lifted, but Jackpot Factory will be subjected to increased eCOGRA monitoring to ensure compliance with the new content code of practice. This is to ensure that all remaining traces of the campaign are removed wherever this is possible. The Compliance Committee is aware of the existence of inactive search engine links, but is satisfied that these do not provide access to any offensive material. The removal of this type of link is solely under the control of the search engines.
The Committee wishes to thank all those representing players’ interests for their comments during the initial complaints and throughout the investigation. It also notes that the investigation team received the full cooperation of the Jackpot Factory management and is satisfied that they have shown their determination that this should not happen again.
The goal of eCOGRA in incidents such as this is to remove the immediate cause and potential for harm as quickly as possible, and then through fair and factual investigation isolate the reasons and ensure that systems are in place to guard against any repetition. These objectives have, in the opinion of this Committee, been met.
News courtesy of Infopowa news service.
More news here.
18 August 2006 – Issue #282
Dear Reader,
I’m back, and there is a whole hell of a lot going on at Casinomeister. Want to know what’s going on? Well stop reading this salutation, scroll down, and find out.
Bluntly yours,
Bryan
SUMMER BREAK
Yep, it was nice. We spent a week in the mountains about 150 kilometers south of Salzburg, Austria. No TV, no computers, just the family, books to read, and games to play. The only thing that sucked was the weather – it’s been a typical raining August in central Europe. And the video recorder’s battery pack died on the second day – and the recharger was back home. Nevertheless, I’m hoping that all of my Casinomeister members are able to take a pause from your bosses’ agendas, company goals, spreadsheets and proposals and instead spend time with your families or go off by yourself. Vegas doesn’t count.
WHAT’S NEW AT CASINOMEISTER?
…a whole hell of a lot. Unfortunately you can’t see it yet. Casinomeister’s relaunch is on the horizon, and it’s much more than a tighter new design. The main purpose is to give you, my dear ${token2}, a better experience in navigating to wherever you’re trying to go to, or for finding whatever you seek. Meanwhile, Casinomeister’s forum has been upgraded with many new features. There is a new “Infraction” system where Meister Members are able to give warnings or “infractions” to other members who get out of hand (it happens y’know). Senior members and above can add images to their signatures. You can “multi-quote” posts, and the posts that you quote are hyperlinked for easy reference. Lot’s of cool stuff – check out your User CP, and it’ll only get better as I begin to tweak it a bit more and add some more bitchin’ plug-ins. Stay tuned for more…
Not a member? If not, why not? Become a member of one of the most highly regarded and visited online gaming forums on the Internet. Share your gambling experiences, bitch and moan about how all the casinos are ripping you off, post your winning screenshots, tell us why your government sucks, post pictures of fat Elvis, join our Casinomeister community – gabba gabba hey – be one of us:
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CASINOMEISTER TOOLBAR!
Yes it’s finally here – the long awaited and coveted Casinomeister Toolbar. This is designed for Internet Explorer, and it includes all of the cool stuff that makes Casinomeister what it is. Once you’ve downloaded and installed this (takes about one minute – if that), you’ll have at your finger tips direct links to: Casino Searches, Accredited Casinos, Rogue Casinos, Dispute Services, Casino Representatives, Forum Access, Webcast, Online Casino News, Online Casino FAQ, Screenshot tools, Spyware Detection tools, bitchin’ music feeds, some really neat surprises and a whole hell of a lot more. You don’t have to be on the Casinomeister website to have all of this – you can have Casinomeister wherever you go – that’s the beauty of it.
It has a search function much like the Google or Alexa toolbar that many of you use, and for now it searches the forum (with Casinomeister’s pending relaunch, it will search the entire site). Let’s say you are checking out yo-mama-casino.com and you want to see if anyone has posted about this in our forum – just copy and paste the name in to the search field in the toolbar and voila, you’ll have the search results.
You can download this here:
Casinomeister’s Toolbar!!
http://toolbars.winthemes.com/casinomeister/
And you can post your likes or dislikes about it here:
Toolbar Discussion
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/online-casinos/13567-casinomeister-toolbar-beta.html
MORE BEER HERE!!
You guys are too damn smart. Each “Bierfest” question has been answered in literally minutes after it’s been published. Thanks to Google searches, music and film questions are a cinch. I thought last issue’s question Identify the movie and the character in this sound clip:
https://www.casinomeister.com/static/mp3/needle.wav would have you scratching your heads for at least a little while. Sheesh! Zoozie gave me the correct answer within minutes of publication. As if he was anticipating the newsletter and went straight to the contest. Good going dude! $50 is yours!!
But anyway, let’s try it again. Put on your thinking caps and identify this clip – the movie and the characters – first one to do so wins $50 or FREE BEER!!
Submit your answers to: bierfest@casinomeister.com
Incomplete answers don’t count! Good luck and stay tuned for further beer offerings!!
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And Now For The Humor…..
HEALTH QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION
Q: I’ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that’s it… don’t waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that’s like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.
Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.
Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!
Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.
Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can’t think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain…Good!
Q: Aren’t fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU’RE NOT LISTENING!!!…. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they’re permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?
Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.
Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It’s the best feel-good food around!
Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.
Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! ‘Round’ is a shape!
Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.
ha ha ha
CASINOMEISTER NEWS
2,000 BETONSPORTS EMPLOYEES TO GET SEVERANCE PAY
Management assures Costa Rican authorities that dismissed employees will be paid this week
The tragic side of the US Department of Justice’s prosecution of BetonSports (see earlier InfoPowa reports) was in evidence this week as up to 2 000 dismissed Costa Rican and Antiguan employees were assured that they would receive severance pay from the company, hopefully this week.
According to the newspaper AM Costa Rica, a spokesman for the Ministerio de Trabajo said that inspectors visited the offices of the online sportsbook and were told by a manager that an agreement was reached with employees that they would be paid this week.
As many as 2,000 persons lost jobs when the company bowed to a U.S. court order and shut down its gambling operations. These were not only persons who took bets over the telephone or on the computer but administration clerks, maintenance specialists and security personnel.
BetonSports has claimed that it is trying to work through a payment schedule to return money to depositors as required by the US court order, which effectively blocked up to 80 percent of the company’s business. One of the obstacles has been getting the cooperation of e-cash processors which suspended business when the company had to close its site to US players, and suspended trading of its shares on the London stock exchange.News courtesy of Infopowa news service.
More news here.
25 August 2006 – Issue #283
Dear Reader,
We’re still looking at the first week of September as Casinomeister’s relaunch. It’s keeping me pretty busy, but it’ll be worth it. What else is going on? Scroll down, and find out.
Anticipatingly yours,
Bryan
PLAYER WARNING
Over the past several months, there have been some elaborate player scams: players who knowingly commit fraud against online casinos – usually in teams. These have been pretty elaborate with players sharing forged documents – creating numerous fake identities. Sometimes they mess up, and it’s easy to spot the scam. Sometimes it’s extremely difficult to spot – more often than not, casinos give players the benefit of the doubt (especially with your larger operations). But every so often, casinos kick themselves in the ass after they realized they’ve been scammed out of huge sums of money. I mean huge.
I believe that each and every incident of player fraud concerned a bonus of some sort. It’s really a shame that it’s gotten to a point of “can’t turn back”. No casino in it’s right mind would cease offering bonuses – they can’t afford not to offer these. As long as a casino’s competitors can give their new players bonuses – they’ve got to do it too. But this is stemming on the ridiculous. Like lemmings flinging themselves off the edge of a cliff, the casinos all are taking the bonus route. Casino operators are limited only by their imagination (or lack of) to get through this.
Some players will never play without a bonus. What a shame. These players will never know what it’s like to play unfettered – no burden of meeting wagering requirements or needing to follow convoluted terms and conditions. To some players, it’s all about how to pick apart the terms and conditions in their favor. Take for instance the following example that’s been bouncing between the casino, Playtech, and me for the past year.
A player signs up at Giant Vegas and is given a bonus. The terms and conditions on the website clearly state “Bets placed on Black Jack, Baccarat, Craps, Roulette and Sic Bo do not count towards the wagering requirement for the bonus.” The player fully admits this.
As soon as the player signs up at the casino, an auto-generated email is sent to the player stating: If you wish to play any of these excluded games, please contact support@royaldice.com to have your bonus removed before playing these games (please include your Username in the email).
The Casino reserves the right to withhold any amount in excess of the player’s original deposit from a player’s withdrawal if the bonus is wagered on the above games, before the wagering on allowed games is completed fully.
The player either ignores this email or doesn’t receive it, and commences to place one bet on Roulette – wins $3600 and then starts playing out these funds on an allowed VP games. She did the exact same thing at Royal Dice Casino – a sister site of Giant Vegas.
The casino locked her account and refused to pay her her winnings, claiming she had broken the terms and conditions. They were also exercising their right to void her play. She wanted me to look into this, and so I did.
Now when I look at issues like this, I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and I don’t rush to making judgments – especially when not everyone’s cards are on the table so to speak. What puzzles me – it still does – is why this player played Roulette when it clearly states that Roulette doesn’t count.
If it were me – and I saw the BJ/Roulette/Craps etc. warning, I would have avoided these games and everything related to them. If it were a related game, I would have contacted customer support to see if it were okay to play. And I feel safe to assume that most players would have acted in the same way – avoid these games. Never give a casino the opportunity to void your winnings. This player did neither – she played Roulette figuring it was merely disallowed – not forbidden. The casino felt that she was trying to pull a scam on them, and they referred to point #5 of their terms and conditions:
The casino reserves the right to review transaction records and logs from time to time, for any reason whatsoever. If, upon such review, it appears that player/s are participating in strategies that the casino in its sole discretion deems to be abusive, the casino reserves the right to revoke the entitlement of such player to the promotion.
If this player made the mistake of playing the wrong game, thinking that it was ok to play roulette and it simply wouldn’t count towards the wagering requirements, I would argue for the player. But this was no mistake. The player made one single bet, won, and moved on. And she did the same at number two casino. If this was player error, it would have been relatively easy to have the casino deal with this in a manner that would have made this player happy.
Coincidently, there is another player half-way round the globe that had the identical problem. They signed up at the same time, had both stated that they made screenshots of the terms and conditions when they signed up (because they claim to have had problems in the past). That’s a serious red flag for the casino.
The “escape clause” (term number 5) was there when they signed up. If it was NOT there, it would have been easier to argue for the player. But when these players signed up, they agreed to this term. Term #5.
And this sort of term is posted on nearly every online casino out there. Check it out for yourself. And when you sign up, you agree to abide by their terms and conditions. This is something we all have to live with whether we like it or not.
So, what am I supposed to do with this? Am I supposed to chastise the casino and send them into the rogue-pit for not stating “Bets placed on Black Jack, Baccarat, Craps, Roulette and Sic Bo do not count towards the wagering requirement for the bonus. If you play these games your winnings will be voided“? Well that’s like putting a warning on your bicycle “Warning – goes faster when traveling downhill.” But I guess some players need to be told this.
Or am I supposed to say to the player, “Sorry, but the casino thinks you’re a scammer. Instead of playing at Giant Vegas, go play on a busy freeway”? Nope, I’m not going to do that either?
Am I supposed to tell a company they don’t have the right to exercise their “escape clause”? Then why even have them – or any other term for that matter. Would you want me to tell you how to run your company?
It’s tough, but what I will do is try to explain to the player, and to the gaming community what happened and why – that’s what I’m here for. And it’s simply amazing that my explanation of the situation is taken as advocating the “catch all phrase” or condoning the casino’s actions, by a handful of players. I’m not making any “judgements” for or against the player/casino – that’s my prerogative. For those few misguided ones, just because I can look at both sides of an issue clearly doesn’t mean that I’ve crossed over to the darkside – the player has claimed that I sold my soul to the devil. Get a grip on yourself, it’s a simple fact: if you give a casino an opportunity not to pay you, they won’t pay you. Get over it – accept it. If you don’t like this, then you should be spending your time at brick and mortar casinos. Please defenestrate your computer.
And all this over a bonus. See? You should have played bonus-free. Imagine what would have happened then?
MORE BEER HERE!!
Ha ha. I had stumped the hell out of everyone last week. I had asked you to identify this clip – the movie and the characters – first one to do so would win $50 or FREE BEER!!
I ended up posting this in our forum here – it took awhile but finally “aka23” got it. “Earth vs. Flying Saucers”. A Ray Harryhausen flick from 1954. You can hear the entire clip here:
So, are you ready for this week’s stumper? Who said this and what did he say? Identify the film and character:
Submit your answers to: bierfest@casinomeister.com
Incomplete answers don’t count! Good luck and stay tuned for further beer offerings!!
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And Now For The Humor…..
There’s a guy with a Doberman Pinscher and a guy with a Chihuahua. The guy with the Doberman Pinscher says to the guy with a Chihuahua, ‘Let’s go over to that restaurant and get something to eat.’
The guy with the Chihuahua says, ‘We can’t go in there. We’ve got dogs with us.’
The guy with the Doberman Pinscher says, ‘Just follow my lead.’
They walk over to the restaurant, the guy with the Doberman Pinscher puts on a pair of dark glasses, and he starts to walk in. A guy at the door says, ‘Sorry, mac, no pets allowed.’
The guy with the Doberman Pinscher says, ‘You don’t understand. This is my seeing-eye dog.’
The guy at the door says, ‘A Doberman Pinscher?’ He says, ‘Yes, they’re using them now, they’re very good.’
The guy at the door says, ‘Come on in.’
The guy with the Chihuahua figures, ‘What the hell,’ so he puts on a pair of dark glasses and starts to walk in.
The guy at the door says, ‘Sorry, pal, no pets allowed.’
The guy with the Chihuahua says, ‘You don’t understand. This is my seeing-eye dog.’
The guy at the door says, ‘A Chihuahua?’
The guy with the Chihuahua says, ‘You mean they gave me a Chihuahua?’
ha ha ha
MAJOR WIN FOR KING NEPTUNE’S ONLINE CASINO PLAYER
Casinomeister player wins over 362K!!!
August 15 was a red letter day for online player JoanneS, an historial and ancient books archivist from Georgia; on her first and only bet on the Major Millions progressive slot at King Neptunes Casino she hit a life-changing $362 745.20 jackpot on a total wager of only $18!
Joanne, who has been a King Neptune’s player for the past two years sat stunned as the on-screen notification of her big win appeared on a quiet Tuesday evening that started out as a little online gambling entertainment and ended in big money truimph.
Describing her first impression of the win Joanne said: “A notification came up on the screen as I hit the jackpot, and my immediate reaction was “oh, I’ve lost my internet connection”…. then, when I looked a little closer, put my glasses on and saw what it really was I just couldn’t believe it!”
King Neptune’s spokesman Scott Gaines said that hitting such a big win on a single bet was extraordinary but illustrated the random nature of the Major Millions, one of the most established Internet progressive games which has paid out tens of millions of dollars since its introduction.
“Joanne will be paid out in one single cash payment, and independent expert financial advice on how to handle such a large sum will be available as part of our free service should she ask for it,” he said.
King Neptune’s staff are no strangers to big-winning players. The top tier online casino has paid out literally millions of dollars to fortunate players since it went live 4 years ago. Gaines said that on the Major Millions progressive alone, Trident group players have won $1 711 985, all paid out quickly and without hassles.
King Neptune’s is in the process of merging into Carmen Media group, which has wide international online gambling interests and operates 10 tier one online casinos, 4 online poker rooms and 1 sportsbook. All operations are powered by Microgaming and have achieved the eCOGRA “Play It Safe” seal. Online gaming licences from the Kahnawake Gaming Commission are held and operations are conducted strictly in compliance with the Commission’s regulations. The online gambling venues within the group have built a strong reputation for ethical and responsible business conduct and are respected by the gaming industry and players alike.
News courtesy of Infopowa news service.
More news here.
31 August 2006 – Issue #284
Dear Reader,
The clock is ticking, and I’m trying to stay on track to get the high-speed, new and improved wondrous newly made-over Casinomeister up and ready for its launch date. When will this be? Maybe some of you should start an office pool and come up with a date for me.
Auspiciously yours,
Bryan
WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?
The MiniVegas group has been listed at Casinomeister for six years, and for the past six years there has been only a handful of complaints – mostly minor, and these are expected from time to time. But just recently, there have been a flurry of complaints in our forum – mostly one time newbie posters, most of whom have been suspected, or so I tend to believe, of player fraud. Which brings me further to the decision to disable all new accounts for the first 72 hours of their creation. Call it a cooling off period. There are far too many threads that get polluted by these crap postings. Anyway, I digress.
There are two threads that concern me. One is from a Turkish player who signed up at Vegas Poker Casino, and his account was blocked because he made a deposit in Euros. The terms and conditions state that the Euro is only for players who are residents of the European Union. Well, they don’t have the Turkish Lira listed at the casino as an accepted currency, so this player assumed that depositing in Euros would be okay. Euros are used pretty much all over Turkey by the way, and Turkey has requested consideration to be a member of the EU. I’m not defending his justification; I’m merely pointing out that there is a logic behind his actions.
Anyway, I guess he should have contacted support and asked if his deposit would be allowed, because after he deposited, the casino locked his account. They pointed out “All accounts opened not according to our Account Currency Policy (i.e. Euro accounts opened from a non-EU country) will be locked: should you have made a deposit before the account is locked, the Casino cannot be held responsible for any action taken afterwards.” Well, what Einstein came up with the last part of this term? How do you make a deposit after your account is locked?
So what’s a player to do? He found me, and I’m trying to find out what the deal is. You’d think that it would be clear to anyone looking at this account that there may have been a misunderstanding (unless they don’t know where Turkey is). But then again, this guy could be some big time bonus abuser rampaging each casino in the casino group. I don’t know – but I’ll find out.
Another thread that concerns me is one where a player posted a response from the casino when his account was locked. He’s been accused of “abusing” their promos.
After extensive analysis of your *********** account, it appears that you have on a number of occasions taken advantage of the goodwill of the Vegas Joker
As a result, the Vegas Poker Casino felt that it had no other option but to lock your account and deny your respective winnings.
These decisions were taken only as a last resort and were enacted in adherence to the Vegas Poker Casino terms and conditions.
However we do not wish you to experience any financial loss as a consequence of this decision, so as an act of goodwill your original deposits have been refunded.
We regret to inform you that we cannot enter into negotiations with you over this matter and thank you for your understanding.
So in other words, this guy abused their bonuses. What happened to “if players meet the wagering requirements and didn’t violate the terms and conditions – pay them, then ban them.” I guess Vegas Poker was sleeping through “Casino Management 101”:
https://www.casinomeister.com/newsletter/2006/9february2006.html
I’ll refresh your minds on the segment “Dealing with Players Who Use Bonuses”
“Casino Management 101”
Dealing with Players Who Use Bonuses
If you offer a player a bonus, and this player meets the wagering requirements – pay her (or him). Please understand, you are not being cheated if a player plays the bonus to the last cent; you are providing that player a unique service – the ability to gamble online. This is your function as a casino, and your mantra should be “Pay the player. Pay the player. Pay the player…” Repeat ad nauseum.
Providing gambling activities online may be your function, but with a bit of creativity and ingenuity you can garner loyalty from this player to keep him or her coming back. The house always wins, and if you are going to survive in this highly competitive industry, you need to see this “win” as a long term goal. Keep your players happy, whether you like their style of play or not, and you will receive your just rewards: respect and loyalty.
What not to do.
Don’t lie to the player. Don’t let the player play out a bonus, and then deny the player his winnings when he requests it. To tell a player the following is the wrong approach:It has been noted that you have not taken part in promotions offered by xyz Casino and its affiliate casino’s in the true spirit as intended. From your pattern of play at xyz Casino and other affiliated casino’s, it has been noticed that you only generate the sub minimum wager required in order to be entitled to cash out after receiving the bonus.
On at least one other affiliated casino, you again wagered the sub minimum required in order to be allowed to cash out after receiving the bonus and never returned to this casino to play further. When we plan our promotions, the aim is to reward loyal and regular depositing players with FREE bonuses. Unfortunately, your pattern of play across our affiliated casinos has not shown this intention of becoming a loyal and regular depositing player.
As a result, as per our terms and conditions, your initial deposit has been returned to you and all bonuses and winnings have been declared void.
This is a no go. This gives the casino license to pay whomever they want to pay. And to not pay a person who has met the wagering requirements is flat out wrong. I understand and sympathize with casinos which are hammered by bonus players, but if the casino invited them in by offering the bonus then whose fault is that? Casinos who feel victimized need to either review their bonus structure or in the method how these bonuses are handed out.
This email should read as follows:
….Unfortunately, your pattern of play across our affiliated casinos has not shown this intention of becoming a loyal and regular depositing player.
As a result, as per our terms and conditions, your winnings will be honored, but you will not be given further bonuses unless you can convince us that you will become a loyal player.
You can read more of this here:
https://www.casinomeister.com/newsletter/2006/17february2006.html
https://www.casinomeister.com/newsletter/2006/23feb2006.html
End note: if the wager requirements were made, but the player broke the terms and conditions, then chalk one up for the casino. But if there were no terms broken, then you should pay up.
Anyway, I hope to receive more information from the casinos concerning this. On the surface it seems as though they are being overzealous on combating the evil bonus abusers. These responses are a bit too “knee-jerkish” in my opinion – but I hope when I receive some more information from them, I can get a better perspective on what’s going on.
CLUB PLAYER ROGUED!
Welcome to the coveted “Rogue Section”. Reason? Here is the situation:
https://www.casinomeister.com/newsletter/2006/20july2006.html
(Lot’s of references to past newsletters, aren’t you happy you’re a subscriber my dear ${token2}?)
Anyway, not much has changed since then. Too bad for the guy waiting to get paid, and too bad for Club Player:
https://www.casinomeister.com/rogue/clubplayer.html
MORE BEER HERE!!
Man, you guys are too smart for you’re own good. Sometimes it’s scary. Last week I asked you to identify this film and the character: https://www.casinomeister.com/static/mp3/worm.wav
It was answered within minutes by “Andy Hinckley“. The film was “Braveheart”, the character – “Hamish”. $50 was just too easy for him.
Apparently movies are easy game, so let’s play “Name that Tune.” Identify the song, artist, and album/CD of this reggae tune mon’. https://www.casinomeister.com/static/mp3/short_reggae.mp3
First complete correct answer wins $50 or beer!! Submit your answers to: bierfest@casinomeister.com
Incomplete answers don’t count! Good luck and stay tuned for further beer offerings!!
CASINOS YOU GOTTA JOIN!
Check out AusVegas Casino!! They have a deposit $20 get $60 bonus at the moment, and a bunch of other great offerings!
Check out their “Mid Week Madness”, and other special promos. They even have a “Satisfaction Guarantee” for their promotion bonuses:Ausvegas has placed a satisfaction guarantee on all match and play bonuses offered to valued players like you. When you claim a match and play bonus at AusVegas, such as the Mid-Week Madness promotion, Ausvegas will guarantee you will be able to wager it for at least your first hour of play, without hitting a zero balance. If you do lose your bonus and deposit on our slots in your first hour of play, then Ausvegas will pay you the bonus again!
Please read their full terms and conditions and have a great time!!
Ausvegas casino is licensed and fully regulated by the Northern Territory Government in Australia.
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And Now For The Humor…..
This guy goes into a doctor’s office. The doctor says, “Oh, Mr. Jones! We have the results of your test. Do you want the bad news first or the very bad news?”
The guy shrugs and says, “Well I guess I’ll have the bad news first.”
“Well the bad news is, you have 24 hours to live,” the doctor replies.
The man is distraught, “24 hours to live? That’s horrible! What could be worse than that? What’s the VERY bad news?”
The doctor folds his hands and sighs, “The very bad news is…I’ve been trying to contact you since yesterday.”
ha ha ha
9 September 2006
Dear Reader,
Casinomeister’s relaunch has commenced. New look – new stuff. Scroll down to find out what’s up.
Happily yours,
Bryan
CASINOMEISTER RELAUNCH
Now you know why I haven’t been responding to your emails, or following up on some roguish behaviour of some soon-to-be-rogued casinos. I’ve been a busy guy.
So, it’s all there for you to peruse – some of the new content is not up yet, but it’s a process that is perpetual – there will always be something new. One of the newest sections is the “Spot the Rogue”, just some simple easy instructions on how to avoid funky casino experiences. You can check it out here:
Also, the “Rogue” section had a total makeover. There was a lot of outdated stuff in there, and it’s been totally reorganized. https://www.casinomeister.com/rogue-casinos/
One major tool that is totally new is the “search” function. You can now search the entire site – rogues, news, newsletter, webcasts, etc., (you still need to be signed in to search the forum – that’s a separate search). I’ve been working to get this up online for some time. Now it’s finally here; use it wisely.
Other sections are in the making, and I am open for suggestions as well. If you have some ideas you’d like to see transformed into reality on Casinomeister, just let me know. Thanks!
MORE BEER NEXT WEEK!
No time for a contest this week. But if I have time over the next few days, I’ll post a new one in the forum. Last week you were to “Name that Tune.” Identify the song, artist, and album/CD of this reggae tune: https://www.casinomeister.com/static/mp3/short_reggae.mp3
Man – it was down to the wire. No one could guess it until the 11th hour – Soflat nailed it “Calling Rasta Far I” by “Culture”> Good going Soflat!!!
Stay tuned for more!
CASINOS YOU GOTTA JOIN!
NEW AT CASINOMEISTER!!
Casino Fantasy was one of Casinomeister’s original “Reputable” casinos back in 1998, and they are finally back after a four year hiatus (they were removed when I dropped all Costa Rican based casinos).
They are back on board, licensed in Kahnawake, and they offer many really cool games. They have about every form of Video Poker imaginable. Check out their sign up bonus (if you’re into that sort of thing): For a limited time, get up to $100 in free bonus chips added to your player account! After installing the software, simply register, make a deposit and we will match 100% of the amount of your first deposit with bonus chips up to $100.
Sorry – no US based players.
One of the best Playtech casinos SlotsPlus.com
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Deposits from $2001 and up will receive a $500 bonus
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And Now For The Humor…..
WIFE: “There’s trouble with the car. It has water in the carburettor.”
HUSBAND: “Water in the carburettor? That’s ridiculous.”
WIFE: “I tell you the car has water in the carburettor.”
HUSBAND: “You don’t even know what a carburettor is. I’ll check it out.
Where’s the car?”
WIFE: “In the pool.”
ha ha ha
ARREST OF SPORTINGBET CHAIRMAN
Executive detained on a Louisiana warrant of arrest for online gambling
As we went to press this week more details were starting to emerge on the arrest late on Wednesday night of Sportingbet plc’s non-executive chairman, Peter Dicks (64).
The British businessman is in detention following his arrest at Kennedy International Airport on arrival aboard a flight from Britain a spokesman for the U.S.district attorney for Queens, Kevin Ryan told reporters.
He said that Customs officials, performing a routine name check around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, discovered that Dicks had an outstanding warrant issued by the Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division. Police officers with the Port Authority, which runs the airport, took Dicks into custody, where he remained Thursday awaiting arraignment in a state court.
The Port Authority confirmed Dicks’s detention with spokesperson Pasquale DiFulco saying: “We were acting as the middle man. We were informed that Mr Dicks was wanted on an out-of-state warrant.” Dicks was expected to be extradited to Louisiana to face state rather than federal charges.
Ryan said the July 12 warrant charged Dicks, who lives in London, with gambling by computer, which is punishable as a felony by up to a year in prison or a fine of up to $25 000.
Senior Trooper Dwight Robinette Jr., a spokesman for Louisiana State Police said Louisiana authorities intend to bring Dicks back to stand trial in St. Landry Parish, where the warrant for his arrest was signed. Robinette said more arrest warrants have been issued in connection with the case but he declined to provide more information. He said authorities in January launched an investigation into the online gambling industry that involved Sportingbet.
He would not say if other online gambling companies have been targeted by Louisiana authorities.
Shares in the company were suspended by the London Stock Exchange at Sportingbet’s request, but as news of the arrest reached an already nervous online gambling share market in London, related stocks headed south.
Dicks is the second executive of a British Internet sports-betting company to be held in the U.S. (see previous InfoPowa reports) David Carruthers, former chief executive officer of BetOnSports PLC, was arrested in July. The company fired Carruthers, who remains under house arrest in the St. Louis area awaiting trial, and closed its U.S. Web sites.
The founder of Abingdon PLC, a private equity firm, Dicks is also a director at Nasdaq-listed Polar Technology Trust PLC and Standard Microsystems Corp., and has been non-executive director at Sportingbet since 2000. He is also chairman of Daniel Stewart Securities Plc.
Sportingbet plc, which also owns the Paradise Poker brand, has more than 2.5 million customers and an annual turnover of more than $1.2billion (GBP 630 million).
Sportingbet was in the Las Vegas news earlier in the week when a company billboard which featured a transparent box containing $100 000 in one dollar notes was raided and $30 000 taken. Local police have since located much of the loot in an abandoned car.
Discussing The Dicks arrest, Andrew Lee, an online gaming analyst at Dresdner Kleinwort in London, told Bloomberg: “Unless the chairman is being held on charges unrelated to online gaming, we can probably assume the Department of Justice has an agenda against sports-betting companies that are using telephone lines to make bets.”
Reacting to the news of the arrest, PartyGaming stock fell as much as 22.5 pence to 94.75 pence in London and was down 6.6 percent despite announcing good results. Bwin Interactive Entertainment AG, an Austrian online bookmaker, slid 12 percent in Vienna, rebounding from a drop of as much as 19 percent.
Leisure & Gaming Plc, which owns betting brands including VIPsports, dropped 31 percent in London. 888 Holdings Plc, the largest online casino operator, slid 14 percent.
Online gambling stocks showed similar volatility when the BetonSports CEO, David Carruthers was arrested in July but prices made a come-back as the market settled down.
STOP PRESS:
As we went to press this week the latest news on detained British businessman Peter Dicks was that he is to remain in detention.
Sportingbet’s non-executive chairman appeared before Judge Robert Raciti in a state court in Kew Gardens, Queens, New York, for a hearing last (Thursday) night, fighting an order to extradite him to the state of Louisiana where a warrant for his arrest on undetailed charges has been issued. Additional arrest warrants have been issued in the case and remain sealed, a Louisiana police spokesman revealed, although he would not identify who the targets might be.
Dicks plans to seek bail today (Friday) while his lawyer Peter Neiman fights extradition.
“There are serious legal defences” to the crime alleged, Neiman told the presiding judge, who said he didn’t have authority to grant bail to a fugitive. Raciti set a date of September 14 to consider extradition. Neiman suggested bail of $50 000. Raciti, a magistrate, said bail would have to be considered today by a justice of the court.
“This is far from the ordinary case,” said Neiman, a former U.S. prosecutor now with the Washington law firm of WilmerHale. “He is not the type of person who would flee. This is not some mobster who has connections to the crime world. This is a highly reputable businessman from the United Kingdom.”
Unfortunately for Dicks it appeared that the judge had little discretion in the matter. The judge told Dicks that he did not have the power to grant bail to “a fugitive” and that the businessman, who had been travelling to the States to attend board meetings unrelated to online gambling, would have to remain in custody pending a bail hearing today.
A separate hearing has been set at New York City Criminal Court on September 14 to decide whether Mr Dicks should be extradited to Louisiana. A spokeswoman for the Louisiana state police said earlier that the state would seek to bring Dicks to the state to stand trial. She said other arrest warrants had been issued in connection with the case but did not reveal whether other gaming firms had been targeted.
Nieman said his client will contest extradition to Louisiana and emphasised that he will ask a New York Supreme Court justice on Friday to release his client on bail.
State authorities may find it difficult to pursue charges against Dicks, said attorney Lawrence Walters, a Florida lawyer who advises online casinos and poker rooms. Courts have ruled state law can’t be applied to Internet transactions because such activity falls under the pre-empting Commerce Clause of the Constitution, Walters said.
Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa
More news here.
29 September 2006
Dear Reader,
Can you believe it? I finally finished my CAC report – and it’s only 2 am on a Friday night. Looking forward to a “normal” week next week.
Amazingly yours,
Bryan
Where’d everybody go?
So where should I begin? Should I begin with how prior to the event, it seemed as though most affiliate programs were bailing out of the conference? Or should I begin with the crappy Lufthansa flight that seated me smack in front of the bulkhead that cramped up my legs into a twisted pretzel for a nine and a half hour flight? Nope, I’ll start in Vegas; my yearly pilgrimage to the city that never sleeps.
I was pretty much wiped out by the time I got there. I missed my connecting flight, and my luggage came in on the flight scheduled after mine. It was utterly ridiculous. If you fly into Vegas, be prepared to wait 45 minutes or more for your luggage to be offloaded. The same thing happened to me in Denver – thus the reason why I missed my connecting flight.
Sure I was late – and pissed, but I was happy to be back in the States, and in Vegas. Greedygirl picked me up in her convertible – dropped me off at The Wynn which is an amazing place to stay. Unfortunately, my stay was planned to be way too short. For the past few years, I’ve combined the Casino Affiliate Convention and the Global Gaming Expo into one week long (nearly) visit. I would fly in a day before the convention – chill with the jetlag – spend the following two days at the conference busy meeting casino operators, affiliate managers, and fellow webmasters. Most of them would then leave for home, and I would chill with the G2E for three days. It gave me time to relax, reflect, and actually spend some time checking out the shows and doing casino tours. This trip was cut short thanks to the Pope.
You see, the Pope is Bavarian – zum wohl! And I live in Bavaria. Bavaria is mostly Catholic and he was visiting the during the second week of September. This is the week that kids start school here, and the local government decided it would be a good idea to postpone the first day of school so that everyone could go see the Pope. So my boy’s first day of first grade was rescheduled to when I should have been boarding the flight to Vegas. Obviously, I was going to the CAC a day late. The first day of first grade is a big deal, and things like this take precedence over any conference.
And no, I’m not Catholic.
So the first day of the CAC I was pretty wiped out, and I had a pretty full agenda. One day to take care of a number of things. The first thing I noticed coming into the conference center (hosted by the Stardust Hotel and Casino) was a huge conglomeration of old people participating in a slots tourney. It was absolutely priceless; gandmas and such hammering away at the spin buttons trying to get in as many spins as possible in the allotted time. There were two rows of slots cordoned off by a ribbon, and an MC stood and egged the players on via his wireless microphone. It was quite funny to watch – but I was on the way to the CAC.
Entering the conference area, I noticed a placard with the word GUTS in big bold letters. There has been a lot of talk lately whether or not employees of online casino companies are safe from the long arm of US law. Quite a few casino groups – to include a number of sponsors – cancelled at the last minute. The way the talk was going, I was wondering if anyone was going to show up at all.
GUTS. I was really wondering whether or not one needed “guts” to show up. There were a number of arguments before the show addressing the pros and cons of going during this time of legal ambiguity. I think that if the legal department of any corporation tells its management that a risk is involved, then fine – don’t go. Guts has nothing to do with it. It’s a corporate decision based on what is good for the company. For individuals like me, well if you’re doing something wrong, then don’t do it – and don’t show. In fact, by not showing – it may indicate to interested parties that you are doing something wrong, and the legal crosshairs get pointed at you.
I sat in briefly at J. Todd’s presentation on how screwed up the legislation in Washington state is. His website was shut down when state law was passed making playing online in Washington State a federal offense. Washington state has a lottery, Indian casinos, card rooms, and dog and horse track wagering. But if you place a link on your website that directs traffic to an online casino – you’re committing a felony. It makes you want to just throw up.
I had people to meet, so I went out to the exhibition hall. There were a number of booths that were absent – such a shame because most of these people are really the main points of contacts for player issues etc. But there were a number of newbies – Get21.comHypepartners.com to name two. It was unfortunate that I didn’t have the time to visit each booth fully, but I should have that opportunity in Barcelona next month.
One group that I did spend some time with was Jackpot Factory. Remember the fiasco last spring when they had SEO mess? They had hired an unscrupulous SEO agent who created hundreds of pages of “content” primed for about every subject (divorce, suicide, emphysema, dog catching, etc.) and how it relates to online gambling. Most of it is documented here. They were rogued a few months ago, which was a very unfortunate thing. They are an outstanding casino group with a excellent track record of effective customer service and great player relations. Most everyone in the gaming community was pretty much shocked on what happened. They made a big mistake – and paid dearly for it. They lost players, affiliates, reputation, and nearly had their eCOGRA certification pulled – and they were “rogued” here, and blacklisted there. They donated $25,000 to Gamcare in response to this incident.
So after much consideration, I’m considering this a “past issue” and bringing them back on board and reinstate their accreditation at Casinomeister. It’s time to move on.
Well I moved on to lunch with Spearmaster. Sushi was the order of the day – and as usual – it was good. After lunch, we began a search for our favorite slots and video poker machines at the Stardust. They weren’t there. Why? I’ll tell you why – the Stardust is scheduled to be closed and raised. On the way out, I took a peek at their swimming pool and understood why. It was spartan and void of the tropical aesthetic touches we’re so used to seeing at casino hotel pools. I guess Las Vegas casinos are a bit like our computers and TVs. After a few years they’re obsolete, so you blow up the old one and get a new one.
That afternoon, I mingled with a number of casino operators and affiliate managers – no serious discussions were planned since there wasn’t any real outstanding player issues that these people could have dealt with. There is one rather VERY serious issue – but the operator wasn’t there. In fact, I’ve never met this guy face-to-face, but we’ve had our run-ins before. There should be more on this by the next newsletter. Stay tuned.
That afternoon, instead of making the “Beer Panel” discussion, I had a meeting with another operator wishing to come on board at Casinomeister. It was a shame to miss the beer panel – I’ve been at every one of them since their conception – but time was short. I met with the operator of Club World Casino for some time. And we came to understand that our philosophies towards the gaming community are pretty much the same: players should be dealt with fairly and with respect, promotions are clear, and the customer service should be effective and helpful and give the player the benefit of the doubt when there is doubt. I’ve been watching these guys for a few months now, and most players will admit that it’s a well run operation. So let’s welcome Club World Casino as an RTG Casinomeister Accredited Online Casino.
We parted ways and Greedygirl joined me to scope out the casino floor. Favs are:
Leading Edge Games – especially the multi-strike poker.
Action Gaming’s Spin Poker and Super Times Pay Poker
And a few of the slots – Texas Tea of course and and I gave Texas Tina a workout. But the best was yet to come. We had the Partnerlogic Playboy Party to look forward to. Was as it as scandalous as you might possibly imagine? Keep scrolling down to find out…
CASINOMEISTER CAUTIONS!
Neteller clients – watch out for the phishers
Neteller customers report that a phisher using US and London addresses to register a faux Neteller domain has been at work this week, attempting to obtain account information that would enable this cretin to plunder your hard earned cash.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands of honest Neteller clients have been receiving this sort of email – allegedly from the Isle of Man e-cash processing company:
Dear Valued NETELLER Member,
Thank you for initiating your first deposit with NETELLER. As a standard security procedure, your account has been placed on hold temporarily and will be activated once you speak with a NETELLER representative.
This security measure protects your personal information and identity, and is only required for your first deposit; subsequent deposits will not require telephone confirmation.
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The link is of course to a fraudulent site where the crooks hope you will give them the information they need to access your account. It’s a criminal attempt and a false representation. We’re not going to take the risk of re-publishing the link here, but it is from a Neteller-like domain registered by a criminal who gives probably false name and addresses in the UK and USA. These have been passed on to the authorities as a precaution.
Don’t ever sign up at Neteller unless it’s served from the neteller.com domain. Make sure that on the signup page the URL is : https://www.neteller.com/signup/step1.jsf and that the padlock at the bottom right of your browser is locked (not open).
And report any other attempts of this nature to Neteller, who would like to see international law enforcement run this would-be thief of your money to ground.
Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa
More news here.
DICKS IS FREE!
As reported in our forum by Jetset, Peter Dicks was free to go on home this afternoon after Louisiana attempted to have him extradited for the crime of “gambling on the Internet. This is what was posted in our forum:
Peter Dicks has been released by the New York court. According to his lawyer, New York governor George Pataki refused to sign his extradition warrant to Louisiana and he was released Friday.
Dicks’s legal team is quoted as saying: “We gave the court sufficient reason to free him,” adding that Dicks will return to London tomorrow and he “will have a party in New York tonight”.
As far as is understood the Louisiana state authorities have kept their warrants active despite the refusal of New York to honour same.
Dicks’ legal team will presumably continue the fight in that state to lift the state warrant on grounds of no offence committed by the accused.
Dicks is quoted as saying his experience in prison had been “interesting and colourful”. https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/casino-industry-discussion/14283-louisiana-issues-fresh-warning-gambling-industry-2.htmlI certainly hope that this will be viewed by the courts as a frivolous attempt to harass the gaming industry. These companies ought to demand restitution for profits lost, and for punitive damages as well. You can read the comments from members here.
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SAY GOODBYE TO VEGAS – HELLO ROAD TRIP
Well, I thought that the “Bunny” party would be a “dangerous” place for the unwary – but I was wary and was well prepared to enact the “tunnelvision” – to just talk to some webmasters and ignore the half naked women prancing around. Well, it was cool. Partnerlogic pulled off a great party. It was Playboy Hugh Hefners Sky Villa in the Fantasy Tower of the Palm Hotel. It was trippy, but it would have been trippier in 1985 or so. The decor just seemed a bit dated – it was very 80s. I felt as though I should be wearing a pork-pie hat and a skinny tie. But it was cool. And yes, there were many bunnies around, but thankfully they kept pretty much to themselves.
The best part of the evening was communicating with so many fellow webmasters; this is the meat and potatoes of these sort of conferences – the socialization. It was a shame that my presence at the conference was so short. I was really missing the G2E and it was hard to believe that the show was already over for me.
The evening was still young, but I was feeling wiped out. I never recovered from the jetlag, and the entire day seemed to have fast forwarded itself. It was time to leave, and a group of us went back to the Wynn. The Tryst was the next stop – the Wynn’s disco with a 90 ft waterfall and huge dance floor. But it was pretty much packed and the music was absolutely pathetic. I just can’t get into hip hop soul. Just can’t. I dig the Beastie Boys and such, but soul? I just can’t get into the ladies’ chorus singing stuff – I’d prefer techno, or something of that nature. I guess I’ve been to too many European discos. What cracks me up are the girls who jump up on the tables and dry hump the air with their butts to the beat. C’mon, what’s that supposed to be? What happened to gettin’ down and boogiein’? So I left. I was pretty burnt out.
Plans for the morning – meeting with the operators of Giant Vegas for breakfast. We meet at the Wynn, and went over a few player issues and just talked about the industry as a whole. It was a constructive conversation, and it’s these sort of meetings that benefit the players. I know who I’m dealing with, and he knows who he’s dealing with.
It was Saturday, and the plan for the day was the Casinomeister moderator’s casino tour. Spearmaster, Simmo! and I were going to tour the strip for the day, and what a trip. We started at the Venetian, cruising through the “Venetian” shopping area, we tripped out on how the painted clouds on the ceiling seemed to move as one walked below. Nice walk.
Check out the picts: https://www.casinomeister.com/images/photos/vegas2006/ (you can refer to this page periodically).
From there we headed further up the strip towards the Imperial Palace. And it was noticeable on how the clientele changed as we checked out some of the smaller dives. The waitresses looked older as well. I guess when you’re young and hot, you work at the Wynn and Venetian. And when you hit middle-age, they move you on to the lesser establishments. Yeah, that might seem sexist, but it’s merely an observance.
We took the monorail from the Imperial Palace to the MGM, Cruised through there and then went to the NY NY Hotel and Casino and enjoyed a nice Mexican lunch at Gonzalez Y Gonzalez. I had the Chicken Chimichanga. I hadn’t had one in years.
From there we commenced to Mandalay Bay where we decided to take a break and rest our bones in front of some video poker or slots. Spearmaster and I found Leading Edge’s Gems. We were absolutely getting slaughtered on this Hoover Vacuum cleaner of a game. But we were determined to get to the bonus round which is unavailable on the online version. It was worth it when we’s hit it, but they didn’t hit all that often.
Simmo! got a little discouraged and got up to look for some video poker games. After a few minutes, Spear and I got up to look for him, but then I decided to stay put until he came back. So I plopped myself down in front of my newest favorite game: Winning Times – and after about five minutes – wham, look at what happened. The funny thing was that since I didn’t have my passport with me (only my German driver’s licence), they gave me a receipt for my winnings and told me to come back as soon as I had my passport with me. I had to prove that I was an American citizen. No problem. I can handle that.
From there we met up with my good friends from BetonCharity, Simmo! and I checked out “Shark’s Reef” and the hotel, and then we commenced to head back hitting Ceasar’s Palace on the way to the Wynn. Note: Ceasar’s Palace is set up so that there seems to be no exit. You merely get frustrated and they hope you head back to the casino. It sucks in my opinion. I like the occasional exit.
Finally, the night was over – we said our goodbyes and parted ways. What a memorable day – evening. I then met up with Greedygirl who wanted to hit some more slots. If you have a chance while in Vegas (or other land based casino land) check out IGT’s “It’s a Blast”. The graphics are absolutely hilarious. Theme: some comic strip sheep getting blown up and being chased by rockets. Too hard to explain – it’s a must see.
The next day, it was time to say goodbye to Vegas and hello to a road trip heading into the desert. California being my homeland, I had an agenda to visit friends near Lake Isabella, and to visit family in Monterey.
I checked out and headed to Mandalay Bay. I went to the cashier and picked up a check for the total amount. As I walked away I passed the machine I had won the cash at, and I thought “oh, what the hell,” and I sat down just to play for a few minutes. My “goodbye” to Vegas. I was only about three minutes into the session when “wham” – it happened again! I hit another jackpot, but this time for $2250. I was a happy guy believably so. And I had to wait even longer this time to collect my winnings because they wanted to make sure that they had the paperwork “just right.” I didn’t care whatsoever. No screenshot for this one since my camera was in the car.
Leaving Las Vegas is always a trippy experience. The desert pulls you in with it’s vastness and rocky mountains. My mind always wanders imagining what the pioneers dealt with as they crossed these parched, desolate lands. And I can now zip through these passes with my rent-a-car. Amazing how things have changed since then.
My trip into California was a bittersweet one. It was the first time coming back home since my grandma died last month. She had turned 100 in June, and I spoke about her here: https://www.casinomeister.com/newsletter/2006/23june2006.html She’ll be sorely missed.
Final thoughts: this was probably the last CAC in the states, no thanks to the way that the US government bullies itself around and harasses law abiding individuals. Sometimes I’m embarrassed admitting that I’m American to acquaintances in Europe. The general attitude here is that the American government is arrogant and thinks that the world revolves around itself. Can you please stop it?? It’s really a shame because I’m trying to teach my young kids their American heritage, and there is a lot of pride there, but it’s hard not being cynical when it seems as though the US government has forgotten they serve the public – they don’t serve themselves.
This industry has some very tough times ahead. Players in the US are going to be tossed to the fly-by-night clip shot joint pit thanks to their representatives who don’t have a clue about anything concerning the gaming community. How ironic, the US government thinks that they’re protecting their citizens when they have just thrown them to the wolves. This should be interesting.
6 October 2006
Dear Reader,
I’m getting ready for the EIG (European Interactive Gaming Expo & Conference). It’s only days away, and it should be a positively informative one. I’m sure there will be a lot of long faces there, but what the hell – I’m sure we’ll be fed well.
Anticipatingly yours,
Bryan
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006
If one were to believe the mainstream press, you’d think that this is the end of the line for online gambling for US residents. I guess the mainstream press understands this industry as much as the misguided right wing politicians who pushed this through do. Yes, they pushed this through the Senate on the tail end of the “Safe Port Act”. It was underhanded, devious, and would have made any shifty politician applaud with pride. It was a disgusting manipulation of the American political system.
But this isn’t the place to voice my disdain over the self-serving politicians with stupid agendas who are making decisions for American citizens. Nope. This is the place where I’ll try to explain what this means to players, affiliates, and other concerned parties. And I’m going to make this brief as possible.
For one thing – this is not banning online gaming in the states. Don’t believe the hype. There has been a panic amongst players, affiliates, and software providers that has embarrassingly gotten out of hand. This bill is “enforcing” certain provisions against “unlawful Internet gambling” and the key word here is “unlawful”. There are no federal laws that make gambling online “unlawful”. A few states have done this, but there is no Federal law. There is the “Wire Act” that the Department of Justice has claimed that they “feel” applies to sports betting on the Internet, but this has never gone to court.
The best thing to do is to read up on this. One of the best articles I’ve read so far was posted at Cardplayer.com. It was written by their legal team:
http://www.cardplayer.com/poker_news/news_story/1446?class=PokerNews
You should also read I. Nelson Rose’s review of the bill here: Gambling and the Law
http://www.gamblingandthelaw.com/columns/2006_act.htm
To affiliates, it’s not the end of the world. Some webmasters are getting absolutely hysterical. There was even talk that the Federal Government can seize dot com domains if they have gambling related links on them in public view. Please put the bong down because that is total nonsense. If that’s the case, why haven’t they confiscated all of the “illegal” gambling sites dot com domains? And just because it’s a dot com, it doesn’t mean it’s an American domain. Try to tell William Hill Casino.com that the feds want their dot com domain. I’d like to hear what they would have to say.
My advice to affiliates who reside in the states, you should consider moving your affiliate sites to a server not located there. Check these out:
Coreix.net
Rackspace.co.uk
If you are looking for legal advice, here is a link for the Law Offices of Ledger & Associates http://ledgerlaw.com/index.htm
Emery Ledger specializes in gaming law and is offering his services to the smallest affiliate to the biggest operators. He recently spoke at the CAC in Las Vegas.
His offices are in Newport Beach CA
Telephone 800-300-0001
Facsimile 800-398-5345
Last but not least. You can try and do something now. Here is a video by J. Todd of the Association of Professional Casino Webmasters. Click here to check this out.
http://www.apcw.org/law
Lest we forget – election day is only one month away. If you are not registered to vote, you have a screw loose. Get registered now before it’s too late. Here are some sites to get you started:
America Coming Together (ACT)
Federal Voting Assistance Program
The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, Inc.
The League of Women Voters
Rock the Vote
Smoke the Vote
Within the next week or so, I’ll be posting information on who was responsible for this bill, who supported this, and who was against it. Once you arm yourself with that knowledge, you can begin writing letters on how you feel about this, and then take it to the polls.
It’s never too late to voice your opinion. Some of these politicians need to be shown their rightful place.
NEW WEBCAST IS UP!
What’s new in Casinomeisterland
Grab yo’ self a hot cup o’ java and listen to this:
- The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006
- What it means to US players
- What it means to affiliates
- What it means to most everyone
- Nazi Punk – Kiss my ass
- Vortran007’s Player Warning
Don’t have time to listen to this stuff while sitting in front of the computer? Hell – download it to your iPod (or other MP3 player), and you can listen to me and Vortran while raking the leaves, on the bus, or shopping at Target: MP3 File Download For your iPods and other MP3 players.
To download the MP3 file: right click the link, then “save target as…”, then chose a place on your hard drive and save.
https://www.casinomeister.com/webcast/
WEBMASTERS! Win $100 Every Month!!
If you have one of the excellent “del.icio.us” (free from http://del.icio.us) bookmark accounts and a Neteller account, I’ll be giving away one random prize of $100 every month to one “bookmarker” in conjunction with Simmo! at onlinecasinouk.com. If you don’t have a del.icio.us account, it’s free to set up and a very handy way of storing useful bookmarks as you travel the web, which you can then access from anywhere.
To enter the competition, all you simply have to do is visit www.casinomeister.com and www.onlinecasinouk.com and bookmark any one page from each site in del.icio.us (it’s dead easy), then email your public “del.icio.us” URL to Simmo! at webmaster@onlinecasinouk.com. Each month we’ll visit one del.icio.us site at random and if both Oggs and Casinomeister bookmarks are present, the owner wins $100 payable via Neteller. Set it up once, and you’ll be eligible every month! And don’t forget to use your two new bookmarks to find all the best casinos
Simple really. Please send one email for each del.icio.us URL you have containing the bookmarks – it makes it easier for Simmo! apparently! And yes, you can enter more then one URL if you have more than one del.icio.us account!
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And Now For The Humor…..
One night a police officer was staking out a particularly rowdy bar for possible DUI violations. At closing time, he saw a fellow tumble out of the bar, trip on the curb, and try his keys in five different cars before he found his. Then he sat in the front seat fumbling around with his keys for several minutes. Everyone else left the bar and drove off. Finally he started his engine and began to pull away. The police officer was waiting for him. He stopped the driver, read him his rights and administered the Breathalyzer test. The results showed a reading of 0.0. The puzzled officer demanded to know how that could be.
The driver replied, “Tonight I’m the designated decoy.”.
ha ha ha
Over $3 million in contributions to politicians and their education and entertainment
One of the more interesting news stories flowing from the US attempt to disrupt financial channels to the online gambling industry was carried by the British newspaper The Independent this week.
According to the newspaper, the American horse racing industry doled out the big bucks to ensure that it was exempt from the online gambling financial restrictions that Congress seeks to impose.
Through lobbyists, the American horse racing industry made contributions to politicians and for education to the tune of $3 million, says The Independent….and it was much to the chagrin of online gaming companies in the UK.
The President of the US-based Poker Players Alliance, which does not have an exemption but would like one expressed his outrage at the apparent hypocrisy.
Michael Bolcerek said, “The horse racing industry is not afraid or ashamed of saying that they were able, for want of a better word, to buy their exemption from the new laws.”
The American horse racing industry paid over $3 million in political donations, and spent millions of dollars more on entertainment and “education” for politicians, to ensure its exemption from the new internet betting laws that if signed off by the US President will make the movement of US gambling cash more difficult.
The figures show a sophisticated lobbying effort targeted at specific Congressmen, and has infuriated executives from the UK-listed online gambling companies whose shares have collapsed by more than half in the past three days as a consequence of the unexpected Congressional action.
The Internet gambling industry is vowing to learn lessons from the debacle, and promising to fund a new wave of lobbying to promote its own carve-outs or the full regulation of internet betting in the US.
The Independent says that offshore gambling firms, such as PartyGaming and others listed in London, have employed Capitol Hill lobbyists for several years, but have been unable to stem the tide of prohibitionist sentiment or to counter the more expensive efforts of other interest groups.
Figures compiled by the Centre for Responsive Politics show how the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and the owners of racehorses and racetracks have funnelled money into mainly Republican campaign coffers as the prohibitionist tide has risen.
Over the past six years, the industry made contributions of $3.02 million, all but $500 000 of which went to Republican candidates.
Bob Goodlatte, the member of the House of Representatives whose prohibition bill in February gave the campaign to ban internet gambling transactions its successful momentum, is one of the four members of the House of Representatives to have received the most campaign contributions, and the NTRA believes time spent educating Mr Goodlatte was the reason he agreed to exempt horse racing from his bill. He received $16 000 in campaign contributions, according to the figures. There is no suggestion Mr Goodlatte acted improperly in accepting campaign funds.
At a University of Arizona symposium on racing and gaming last year, Greg Avioli, the NTRA’s head of legislation, said a ban on internet betting on horse racing was “an over-our-dead-body issue” and would jeopardise too many livelihoods (see previous InfoPowa report).
He said: “We’re fairly confident we have the political strength in Washington to stop that, because this $40 billion agribusiness now lives and breathes on that [internet gambling] revenue. So we’ve got friends in Washington and I don’t think they can pass a law over our objection.”
Campaign contributions have long acted as a foot in the door in Washington’s crowded lobbying scene, whose worst excesses were exposed once again last year with the jailing of Jack Abramoff, one of the most powerful lobbyists, who used $82 million of money from Native American casino operators to fund lavish dinners, trips and gifts for top Republicans.
The National Football League, too – worried about corruption of sporting events because of gambling on their outcome – made a ban on internet gambling its top lobbying project this year.
Dan Walsh of the lobbying firm Greenberg Traurig, said the online gambling industry would learn from its setback and return with a new campaign. “I don’t believe – I don’t think even Congressman Jim Leach [who wrote the legislation] believes – the new regulations will put the internet gambling industry out of business, and, when that becomes clear, I think we can start talking about clarifying the law and regulating the industry.”
Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa
More news here.
25 October 2006
European Interactive Gaming Expo & Conference Special Edition
Dear ${token1},
This past week has been chaotic to say the least. Thanks for your patience in waiting for the EIG special report. Even though the conference concluded a week and a half ago, the topics affect every one of us. Read on…
Seriously yours,
Bryan
EIG 2006 Barcelona
Angry Spaniards
I’ve been told – by former employees of Lufthansa, that it was an unofficial policy that required the flight stewards to be gay. I never gave it much thought, since it seemed like most of them were – not that there is anything wrong with this – it’s merely an observation, and it’s something I think all Lufthansa flyers accept. It’s just they way things are at Lufthansa.
Well, one of our flights was cancelled flying to Barcelona. We ended up on Iberian airlines flying from Frankfurt – and there were two stewards on board. They didn’t look gay, they looked like they were pissed – “angry” for you Brits – and I think I figured out why. These two guys were probably Spanish machos who trained for this job so they could meet hot stewardesses. Well there weren’t any on board. It was just them. This explained the crappy service.
And this was a prelude to the rest of the Iberia experience – lost luggage (from Frankfurt?). My wife and I learned that you should always pack a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a change of socks and underwear in your carry on. At least the airline gave us an overnight bag to compensate for this – and it even included a white t-shirt and underwear (for the guy). Great, but white jockey shorts really aren’t “me”.
Our hotel was situated in the Gothic center of Barcelona – a fascinating and beautiful place. Massive buildings and a wealth of history mark this city. We stayed almost directly across from the great Cathedral of Santa Eulalia, and directly in the pedestrian zone – a sprawling maze of narrow streets lined with boutiques and Tapa bars. This is probably one of the best cities we’ve stayed in.
Yet, I was on a mission: the European I-Gaming Congress and Expo was my primary focus, to collect information and to meet operators who can assist me in doing what I do at Casinomeister. So far, this EIG (this was my fourth one) turned out to be the most productive and informative. This probably had to do with the current atmosphere of freaky US laws which have turned the I-gaming industry on its head.
I could describe the excellent tapas my wife and I ate at a smokey crowded Tapa bar (damn smokers), but I’m going to cut to the chase an deliver the meat of this newsletter: what happened at the EIG.
For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, the EIG is a conference that is held every year in Europe, usually in Barcelona, Spain or in Nice, France. You can search the Newsletter Archives for previous years’ reviews. At the moment, I’m focusing on this year. The EIG attracts casino operators, software providers, law firms, cash processors, affiliate managers, and just about everyone who is interested in this online gaming industry. Attendance this year was crucial for many because most I-gaming businesses need to focus on the European market – the US market is pretty much out of the picture for now.
Why do I go? I go because of you, my dear ${token2}. I go to collect information and to try and meet with operators who are either a) listed at Casinomeister in the “Accredited Casino” section or b) meet with operators that are listed in our “Rogue” section. The more contacts I have, the easier it is for me to solve player issues and to provide players and others with first hand experiences with industry matters. Plus the food is usually pretty good. This year was no exception.
Day One – No Cheerleaders Here I was still in my airport clothes – t-shirt and jeans – and no one seemed to notice the difference. At least I didn’t smell like sweat, and I was clean shaven thanks to Iberia airlines overnight kit. Woo-hoo! But it sucked that I had to wear the same socks.
In the lobby, one of the first persons I ran into was Andrew Beveridge from eCOGRA and we briefly discussed our concerns about what online casinos are now facing. As most of you are aware, the “Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act” was on the verge of being signed, and even though this pertains to US gamblers, it affects us all. Entities such as Casinomeister and eCOGRA become even more important to the online player – especially the American ones. I made the decision during the conference not to offer American based players any advertising at Casinomeister. More on this later.
I mentioned my pending decision to a number of people while I was there, and most nodded their heads in understanding. I almost expected a cheerleader procession at the conference, “It ain’t nothin’. Don’t worry ’bout it! There are ways to tackle the US market. Rah-rah sis-boom-bah!” But no one felt this way. In fact, the feeling I had from most everyone was acceptance and awareness that one must move on.
That is of course if one is remain within the confines of the law – US law, that is.
So far, the conference was about 1000 strong. The opening remarks made by Sue Schneider were to the point and poignant – “Take a deep breath everybody, and reflect what is going on. This industry has always been under siege since it’s an emerging entertainment form. Governments need to grapple with this; companies need to grapple with this. This industry is not for the faint-hearted.”
At this point she presented a short video of BETonSPORTS’ David Carruthers who greeted us from the living room of his new home stateside. He’s there under house arrest. He stressed the importance of leadership, teamwork, and transparency. He stated that he looked forward with confidence and went on “it’s in times like these when you find out who your friends really are.” You could sense the assurance and determination, but you could see the pain in his eyes.
Norbert Teufelberger from bwin spoke about how the new legislation is going to divide this industry. That this will push the public companies to get more involved in lobbying and start looking at less restrictive governments. It also clears the way for dodgy operations. I wholeheartedly agree.
It was stressed that the industry needs to band together and do things in a legal manner. If you go underground, you will be banned from civilization forever. And that’s a fact. Cross hairs are pointed in this direction, and if you have your head in the sand you may be in for a serious wake-up call.
From there I made it to the Exposition Hall where booths were awaiting visitations and refreshments were being served. Guess what most everyone was talking about?
Interesting note: 3W Graphics had a booth set up. It was a first for them. They are a Moscow based software provider which had similarities between some of their slots and Microgaming’s. In fact, some of the games were exact copies. But this was a few years ago, and apparently Microgaming and 3W Graphics have worked this out. I spoke with them about this and it’s pretty much old history. Some of their designers ended up working for MGS years ago. So they say.
That evening was pleasantly spent having cocktails and drinks at the “Pioneer Reception” at the Hotel Arts (Ritz Carlton) by the Port Olympic. It was a who’s who of online gambling, and just like the title implied – “pioneers” of the industry were there. I was flattered to be considered one of them – of course it may have been that the River City Group just wanted me to write about it. Regardless, it was absolutely marvelous with real Flamenco dancers, fantastic food and great company. I was honored to have a seat next to “Girlie-boy” Caselli who had actually cut some of his hair off. He was still able to put it in a pony tail. The evening ended with a move to the hotel bar. My wife and I braved a downpour as well as we headed back to the hotel. Tomorrow was to be a busy day.
Day Two – Proof is in the Pudding
Let’s cut to the chase. One of the highlights of “Day Two” was my sit-down pow wow session with the Virtual Casino Group. Over the past several years, the Virtual Casino group has been in and out of the rogue section. The problems they have had have stemmed from really a number of things. One thing (that has been a subject of a number of conversations) is that in the early days their staff was given free reign more or less to do whatever they wanted to bring in new players. Not good – since this clearly can lead to player abuse. Another thing is that this company grew way too fast thus they were not able to effectively handle any player issues. And this pretty much led to chaos. And lastly, they had some managers who were allocating bonuses to players without proper authorization. This of course leads to accusations of fraud and evilness. In short – a rogue operation.
So what does one do at this point to improve the situation? One lays all the cards on the table – face up. Joining us was their business consultant (who I know very well from many other activities) had been counseling them on what needs to happen in order to clean up their business. They shared with me their “roadmap” on customer support and public relations, which I given to take home with me. This included a policy and a break down on how manager bonuses are awarded, in addition to this they have outlined how customer issues are going to be dealt with.
Giving these documents to me – they asked me to browse them at my convenience – which I have. It looks as though they finally have a plan. They want to be placed back on “probation” again. I have no problem doing this as long as any current issues are taken care of. If you, my dear reader, have a problem with Virtual Casino (to include Cirrus Casino, Prism, Coolcat, etc.) or know of anyone who has a legitimate problem, please let me know via Pitch a Bitch.
That afternoon – one of the highlights was the panel discussion on “Legal Concerns for US-Facing Operations” Frank Catania moderated a panel of experts which included D. Brett Hale, VP of the American Gaming Association, J. Daniel Walsh from Greenberg Traurig , Mark Spragg – Partner, Jeffrey Green Russell UK, and Mark Balestra, VP of publishing – River City Group. The panel discussed a number of things – one was the ease the US has to extradite anyone from the UK. The US can merely make a claim that the person has broken a law, and the UK cannot challenge whether or not an offense had been committed. They are obligated to extradite the individual. Scary stuff – it seems as though human rights are just tossed to the wind and citizens of the UK are subject to US law.
Most European nations require that probable cause is presented with the extradition. The UK doesn’t require this.
That evening brought us the EIG cocktail reception at the Carpe Diem Lounge Club – what a nice venue. We arrived rather early before it got too crowded and to my pleasant surprise, they had waves of hor d’erves – and all you could eat Sushi. I was able to make the rounds and spoke with a number of operators about their take on the entire situation. Many of them were planning to offer their games to US players, but most were banning 11 states that have explicit laws against online gambling.
At this point, I had already made the decision that I would be dropping all casinos that still take on American players. I had already looked at this thoroughly – and with legal council as well, but there are too many risks involved when dealing with American based players. More on this later.
Day Three – Adversity the Mother of Opportunity?
Well it was the grand finale. The CEO panel was well worth the wait. Sue Snyder moderated the panel which included Mitch Garber, CEO of Party Gaming, Jon Anderson of 888.com, Eduardo Agami of SBG Global, and Lewis Rose of CryptoLogic. Mitch Garber began by stating “Private companies will have to do more – public companies have done their share – the people who have been indicted or arrested are from public companies – so all of the public companies are out of the US…It’s brave of the private company operators to think that they aren’t next. It’s a very serious criminal law. It has to be taken seriously – we’ll see what happens in the private industry, but I suspect that people are way too overconfident on their ability to interpret the law or in fact that the law hasn’t changed. The law changed significantly.”
Eduardo Agami of SBG Global picked up the discussion and mentioned that the economies of eight jurisdictions from around the world are directly affected by this bill. Costa Rica most significantly. “All these jurisdictions create an international opinion. The international community has to say that there are too many jurisdictions – too many companies and economies that are affected by this ‘offhand – in a vacuum attitude of the US’ of disregard…We’ve been too accustomed to this attitude and are complacent about it.”
He stressed the fact that it is important for the companies to unite and consolidate in order to continue doing business. He realized that there is a risk involved in this, but they are willing to take this risk. They’ve gone too far to just walk away from it now, and many people in Costa Rica feel the same way.
Overall, it was one of the better panel discussions that I’ve sat through. It was extremely topical and crucial to the times and the situation that all of us in the online gaming world are in. Whether you are a player, an affiliate webmaster, or an operator, these are changing times.
And the conference ended, everyone seemed to slip away to wherever they were headed, an airport, a local bar, or off to some meeting. I headed to the Hilton next door hoping to catch anyone I needed to catch before they left. I caught Jon Anderson as he was slipping away. 888.com has been in the rogue section for a number of months. This stemmed from their Cassava office directly spamming blogs and message boards with thousands of links that redirect to 888.com. What I discovered was that most of these sites have been dead for two years or so, and that there seemed to be no evidence of this happening since. Mr. Anderson was extremely concerned about this and had no idea why no one had contacted me.
I’m satisfied to consider this water under the bridge, and I’ll just move on. I’m positive it will never happen again.
So now I’m back home. And since then there has been some major changes at Casinomeister. I made the announcement that due to the risks and uncertainties of the American situation, casinos that accept bets from US based players will not be listed at Casinomeister. I then removed these casinos, leaving only casinos that ban players from the US (about 35 of them). This was step one. Once I made the announcement, I was able to back up – regroup – and turn off all banners and commercial text links to my US based visitors. So my statement is upgraded to – I will not provide advertising to US players. At the moment, Casinomeister is an ad-free site for the US visitor. Why? Because I don’t have my head in the sand. The “Accredited” section remains the same, but if you are in the States – there is nothing being promoted. What a deal! If you’re in the US and wonder which casinos are considered “accredited” there is a list here:
For webmasters who are living in the states and are promoting casinos and pokerrooms to Americans, I would advise to proceed with caution. If you are relying on free legal advice that you may get in forums or whatnot, you’re getting what you are paying for. I would suggest to get your ducks in order and seek legal advice. If you wish for me to refer you to someone, just pop me an email.
So for my American visitors, the face of Casinomeister will be changing a little, but instead of offering you 200% bonuses at King Neptunes, I’ll be giving you the tools to try to get your country back. Stay tuned for this.
I want to thank everyone at the River City Group and ATE for another great success. This industry couldn’t survive without you.
Fight the Right
Lest we forget – election day is less than one month away. If you are not registered to vote, you may have a screw loose, but you might not be too late. Get registered now before it’s too late. Here are some sites to get you started:
America Coming Together (ACT)
Federal Voting Assistance Program
The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, Inc.
The League of Women Voters
Rock the Vote
Smoke the Vote
It’s never too late to voice your opinion. Some of these politicians need to be shown their rightful place.
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31 October 2006
Halloween Special Edition
Dear ${token1},
It’s that time of year, my friend – when the veil between the spirit world and ours becomes a little bit thinner. It’s easier for those who have gone beyond to come back and visit us. So sit back, relax, and grab yo’self a hot cup ‘o java and read on…
Gravely yours,
Bryan
I live near here – really.
Let’s go ghost hunting…
Is your boss looking right now? If not, good – let’s browse around the Internet for some trippy ghostly stuff. Do photographs of “ghosts” give you the creeps? They sure freak me out a little. Here’s a cool site that has a number of purportedly authentic ones: Ghost Research Society. There are even tips on how to do this on your own: Ghost Photography in Cemeteries and here – Ghost Photography 101.
One photograph that has been online for a while is one you need to check out – skeptics and all. Apparently a young couple bought a house in New England and they began seeing images and hearing voices for quite a while. They did some research and found that a woman once lived in the house who lost her husband during the American Civil War. Legend says that she used to sit at her kitchen table and look across the fields in anticipation of her loved one returning home. He never came.
So, they say she still waits. The man took a photo of his kitchen and in this photo you can see her. This is really trippy because there is sound as well (he did a recording). You can find the ghost in the picture, but at first it’s really hard to detect. It took me about 30 seconds to find it, but when you do it just stands out. Like one of those weird 3D optical illusions. To save you some time, concentrate looking around the table. Best not to focus too much on one spot. Look around the table and towards the window. For an added touch turn up the volume on your speakers before opening, it’s faint but you can hear the ghost talking sometimes in a low murmur, but you can hear what she is saying. Anyway on the link below:
It takes a while for your eyes to see it…
Focus and concentrate….
Be patient, it’s pretty amazing once you actually see it.
Click here:
http://www.martectx.de/whatswrong.swf
What really gives me the willies, are recordings of ghost voices. American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena they have a bunch of these strange “white noise” recordings that can really freak you out. You can purchase them as well here: EVP Recordings. Amazingly so, musicians have used some of the recordings as samples for dance tracks. Enough said.
CASINOMEISTER’S HALLOWEEN SPECIAL!!!
Get ready for some genuine chills…
Grab yo’self a hot cup o’ java and listen to this:
Three Tales of Terror
Don’t have time to listen to this stuff while sitting in front of the computer? Hell – download it to your iPod (or other MP3 player), and you can listen to these chilly tales while at the dentist’s office, at the beach, or shopping at Food Lion: MP3 File Download For your iPods and other MP3 players.
https://www.casinomeister.com/static/mp3/halloween2006.mp3
To download the MP3 file: right click the link, then “save target as…”, then chose a place on your hard drive and save.
https://www.casinomeister.com/webcast/
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6 November 2006
Dear ${token1},
Election day is tomorrow for our US subscribers. I thought it was only fitting to slip in an extra edition to try and get some of you US members to get busy tomorrow. Please take the time off to get and vote. You have no excuse not to. If you’re living abroad, I hope you had the foresight to request an absentee ballot. I’ve got mine right here – and it’s ready to be faxed.
Decisively yours,
Bryan
List of US politicians
The following politicians are the ones who support banning online casinos and poker for US residents. Many of whom are running for re-election TOMORROW 7 November.
Jon Kyl, R-Ariz
H.R. 4411: Internet Gambling Prohibition and Enforcement Act Passed.
Sponsor Rep. James Leach [R-IA]
Cosponsors
Rep. Todd Akin [R-MO]
Rep. Spencer Bachus [R-AL]
Rep. James Barrett [R-SC]
Rep. Charles Bass [R-NH]
Rep. Roy Blunt [R-MO]
Rep. Sherwood Boehlert [R-NY]
Rep. Madeleine Bordallo [D-GU]
Rep. Charles Dent [R-PA]
Rep. Vernon Ehlers [R-MI]
Rep. Jeffrey Fortenberry [R-NE]
Rep. Trent Franks [R-AZ]
Rep. Wayne Gilchrest [R-MD]
Rep. Paul Gillmor [R-OH]
Rep. Darlene Hooley [D-OR]
Rep. Bob Inglis [R-SC]
Rep. Mark Kennedy [R-MN]
Rep. Mark Kirk [R-IL]
Rep. Thomas Latham [R-IA]
Rep. Michael McCaul [R-TX]
Rep. Thaddeus McCotter [R-MI]
Rep. Thomas Osborne [R-NE]
Rep. Mike Pence [R-IN]
Rep. Thomas Petri [R-WI]
Rep. Joseph Pitts [R-PA]
Rep. James Ramstad [R-MN]
Rep. Michael Rogers [R-MI]
Rep. John Shadegg [R-AZ]
Rep. Christopher Shays [R-CT]
Rep. Mark Souder [R-IN]
Rep. Lee Terry [R-NE]
Rep. Frederick Upton [R-MI]
Rep. James Walsh [R-NY]
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz [D-FL]
Rep. Roger Wicker [R-MS]
Rep. Addison Wilson [R-SC]
Source: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h109-4411
H.R. 4777: Internet Gambling Prohibition Act
Sponsor: Rep. Robert Goodlatte
Cosponsors
Rep. Robert Aderholt [R-AL]
Rep. Todd Akin [R-MO]
Rep. Rodney Alexander [R-LA]
Rep. Spencer Bachus [R-AL]
Rep. Richard Baker [R-LA]
Rep. James Barrett [R-SC]
Rep. Roscoe Bartlett [R-MD]
Rep. Charles Bass [R-NH]
Rep. Robert Berry [D-AR]
Rep. Roy Blunt [R-MO]
Rep. Sherwood Boehlert [R-NY]
Rep. Jo Bonner [R-AL]
Rep. John Boozman [R-AR]
Rep. Frederick Boucher [D-VA]
Rep. Charles Boustany [R-LA]
Rep. Kevin Brady [R-TX]
Rep. Henry Brown [R-SC]
Rep. Michael Burgess [R-TX]
Rep. Dan Burton [R-IN]
Rep. Stephen Buyer [R-IN]
Rep. David Camp [R-MI]
Rep. Eric Cantor [R-VA]
Rep. Shelley Capito [R-WV]
Rep. Dennis Cardoza [D-CA]
Rep. Steven Chabot [R-OH]
Rep. Ben Chandler [D-KY]
Rep. John Coble [R-NC]
Rep. Michael Conaway [R-TX]
Rep. Robert Cramer [D-AL]
Rep. Ander Crenshaw [R-FL]
Rep. Barbara Cubin [R-WY]
Rep. John Culberson [R-TX]
Rep. Jo Ann Davis [R-VA]
Rep. Lincoln Davis [D-TN]
Rep. Thomas Davis [R-VA]
Rep. Nathan Deal [R-GA]
Rep. Peter DeFazio [D-OR]
Rep. Thomas DeLay [R-TX]
Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart [R-FL]
Rep. Thelma Drake [R-VA]
Rep. John Duncan [R-TN]
Rep. Thomas Edwards [D-TX]
Rep. Vernon Ehlers [R-MI]
Rep. Jo Ann Emerson [R-MO]
Rep. Bob Etheridge [D-NC]
Rep. Terry Everett [R-AL]
Rep. Tom Feeney [R-FL]
Rep. Mark Foley [R-FL]
Rep. James Forbes [R-VA]
Rep. Jeffrey Fortenberry [R-NE]
Rep. Luis Fortu�o [?-PR]
Rep. Virginia Foxx [R-NC]
Rep. Trent Franks [R-AZ]
Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen [R-NJ]
Rep. Elton Gallegly [R-CA]
Rep. Wayne Gilchrest [R-MD]
Rep. Paul Gillmor [R-OH]
Rep. John Gingrey [R-GA]
Rep. Louis Gohmert [R-TX]
Rep. Virgil Goode [R-VA]
Rep. Kay Granger [R-TX]
Rep. Raymond Green [D-TX]
Rep. Gilbert Gutknecht [R-MN]
Rep. Ralph Hall [R-TX]
Rep. Melissa Hart [R-PA]
Rep. Robert Hayes [R-NC]
Rep. John Hayworth [R-AZ]
Rep. Joel Hefley [R-CO]
Rep. Walter Herger [R-CA]
Rep. David Hobson [R-OH]
Rep. Peter Hoekstra [R-MI]
Rep. John Hostettler [R-IN]
Rep. Kenny Hulshof [R-MO]
Rep. Duncan Hunter [R-CA]
Rep. Bob Inglis [R-SC]
Rep. Ernest Istook [R-OK]
Rep. William Jenkins [R-TN]
Rep. Bobby Jindal [R-LA]
Rep. Nancy Johnson [R-CT]
Rep. Walter Jones [R-NC]
Rep. Ric Keller [R-FL]
Rep. Sue Kelly [R-NY]
Rep. Mark Kennedy [R-MN]
Rep. Steve King [R-IA]
Rep. Jack Kingston [R-GA]
Rep. Mark Kirk [R-IL]
Rep. John Kuhl [R-NY]
Rep. Ray LaHood [R-IL]
Rep. Jerry Lewis [R-CA]
Rep. Ron Lewis [R-KY]
Rep. John Linder [R-GA]
Rep. Frank Lucas [R-OK]
Rep. Daniel Lungren [R-CA]
Rep. Kenny Marchant [R-TX]
Rep. Michael McCaul [R-TX]
Rep. James McCrery [R-LA]
Rep. Mike McIntyre [D-NC]
Rep. Howard McKeon [R-CA]
Rep. Jeff Miller [R-FL]
Rep. James Moran [D-VA]
Rep. Jerry Moran [R-KS]
Rep. Marilyn Musgrave [R-CO]
Rep. Sue Myrick [R-NC]
Rep. Randy Neugebauer [R-TX]
Rep. Charles Norwood [R-GA]
Rep. James Nussle [R-IA]
Rep. Thomas Osborne [R-NE]
Rep. Mike Pence [R-IN]
Rep. Collin Peterson [D-MN]
Rep. John Peterson [R-PA]
Rep. Joseph Pitts [R-PA]
Rep. Ted Poe [R-TX]
Rep. David Price [D-NC]
Rep. Adam Putnam [R-FL]
Rep. James Ramstad [R-MN]
Rep. Ralph Regula [R-OH]
Rep. Dennis Rehberg [R-MT]
Rep. Thomas Reynolds [R-NY]
Rep. Michael Rogers [R-MI]
Rep. Michael Rogers [R-AL]
Rep. John Schwarz [R-MI]
Rep. David Scott [D-GA]
Rep. Peter Sessions [R-TX]
Rep. John Shadegg [R-AZ]
Rep. John Shimkus [R-IL]
Rep. William Shuster [R-PA]
Rep. Robert Simmons [R-CT]
Rep. Lamar Smith [R-TX]
Rep. Michael Sodrel [R-IN]
Rep. Mark Souder [R-IN]
Rep. John Sullivan [R-OK]
Rep. Charles Taylor [R-NC]
Rep. Lee Terry [R-NE]
Rep. William Thomas [R-CA]
Rep. William Thornberry [R-TX]
Rep. Todd Tiahrt [R-KS]
Rep. Frederick Upton [R-MI]
Rep. Greg Walden [R-OR]
Rep. James Walsh [R-NY]
Rep. David Weldon [R-FL]
Rep. Lynn Westmoreland [R-GA]
Rep. Roger Wicker [R-MS]
Rep. Heather Wilson [R-NM]
Rep. Addison Wilson [R-SC]
Rep. Frank Wolf [R-VA]
source: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h109-4777
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And Now For The Humor…..
A New Yorker was forced to take a day off from work to appear for a minor traffic summons. He grew increasingly restless as he waited hour after endless hour for his case to be heard.
When his name was called late in the afternoon, he stood before the judge, only to hear that court would be adjourned for the rest of the afternoon and he would have to return the next day.
“What for?!?!?” he snapped at the judge.
His honor, equally irked by a tedious day and sharp query, roared out loud: “Twenty dollars contempt of court! That’s why!”
Then, noticing the man checking his wallet, the judge relented:
“That’s all right. You don’t have to pay now.”
The young man replied, “I know. But I’m just seeing if I have enough for two more words.”
ha ha ha
UK SUMMIT MAY HAVE CANADIAN FALL-OUT
6 November 2006
Canada (specifically Kahnawake) the world’s third largest online gambling centre
The Toronto Star carried an interesting article on the UK government report submitted to the recent 32-nation Remote Gaming Summit, remarking that although a representative from the Quebec province was believed to have been present, there was no Canadian federal government delegation.
The newspaper suggests that Canada could come under pressure to outline a stance on online gambling as Britain pushes countries around the world to regulate, while the United States moves toward outlawing it.
The Star refers to research by RSe Consultancy that was commissioned by the British government prior to the Summit, which sought to develop a common and consistent approach to the regulation rather than banning of Internet gambling.
According to the research report, there are about 2 300 Internet gambling sites across the world, reported the Star. When it comes to licensing jurisdictions, Antigua leads the way, with 537, followed by Costa Rica, with 474 and Canada’s Kahnawake reserve, with 401.
One of the report’s sources was a 2004 report by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse’s national policy group, titled Internet Gambling in Canada Waits in Legal Purgatory. The report said “this issue deserves consideration given the rate of Internet expansion, coupled with a growing concern over Canadian gambling in general.”
Internet gambling sites take millions of dollars in bets from Canadian citizens, it said.
“The loss of government revenues to international companies, compounded by the possibility of land-based casinos forfeiting profits to online gaming, is a concern,” the report said.
In 1996 Dennis Mills, a federal member of the Canadian Parliament, introduced a bill to amend the Criminal Code to permit the regulation of Internet gambling by federal authorities, but it did not pass, the report said.
The 2004 report also said that while Loto-Quebec and Canada’s attorney general have deemed a casino operated by the Kahnawake Mohawks illegal, no charges had been laid.
The Kahnawake Mohawks say that under the Constitution, “which is the highest law in this land, that they have a right that is integral to their culture, that gaming was an essential part of their culture,” a prominent lawyer is quoted as saying.
Michael Lipton, a Toronto lawyer specialising in gaming law, said “…twelve years ago, this industry wasn’t alive. It’s now about $14 billion U.S. This is an industry that certainly cries out for regulation,” he said, adding “…that would also give rise to a fairly significant amount of tax revenue.”
The British approach differs from that of the United States, which has tried to use the banking system to choke off the flow of funds relating to illegal gambling, Lipton said. “The United States seems to be going in an opposite direction to what the United Kingdom is doing,” he said. “The United States doesn’t want its citizens to involve themselves in online gambling.”
The federal government effectively transferred the operation of all gambling to the provinces at the time of the Calgary Olympics, in return for payment, Lipton said, but because “gambling falls under criminal law, the laws that are made in respect to this area must come under the federal government.”
Similarly, Ottawa is responsible for banking, and so it would be up to the federal government to move toward prohibition in the way the United States has.
Proponents of regulation argue that the rules would bring in taxes and that, rather than prohibit online gambling, governments should keep the industry above board so that minors would be restricted and gamblers could have more faith that sites are safe and secure.
Those in favour of prohibition argue that Internet gambling is currently drawing in the underaged, gambling addicts and organised crime.
According to the report, online gambling has more than doubled in the last five years (see previous InfoPowa reports).
“This research shows that online gambling is on the rise and there is a need to do something about this at a global level, as well as in the U.K.,” the UK Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell suggested to delegates at the Summit.
“However good the new regime will be in the U.K. for online gambling, it might not be as effective if overseas websites simply ignore the high standards we have set,” John Carr, new technology adviser for children’s charity NCH, stated in a press release from Jowell’s office.
The Americans have a a different view. The Star quotes from an email sent by Carolyn Weyforth, spokesperson for Bill Frist, the senate majority leader who rushed through the U.S. legislation, who said the new legislation is to “simply put a mechanism in place to enforce existing laws that already made online gambling illegal.”
“The United States is a nation founded on the rule of law,” Weyforth said in an email to the Star. “We cannot allow companies to flagrantly ignore our laws just because they are based overseas. Shareholders in corporations that were betting on U.S. authorities looking the other way in the face of illegal conduct have every reason to be upset — it was a bad bet and they lost big.”
Last month, Ontario Government Services Minister Gerry Phillips introduced a bill that would ban all advertising of Internet gambling (see previous InfoPOwa reports).
The Star says that revenues at the province’s Ontario Lotteries and Gaming Corp., which operates land casinos, have dropped more than $300 million in three years, though it’s not known how much of that is because of competition from Internet gambling. And Ontario’s horse racing industry fears Internet gambling as a threat to its viability.
Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa
More news here.
9 November 2006
Dear ${token1},
It’s a beautiful day in Casinomeisterland, and the smoke is beginning to clear after this week’s elections. Will things get a little better over the next several months? I think so. How about you?
Wonderingly yours,
Bryan
Thanks for your vote!
I just want to say to all of my fellow American members, “Thanks for voting on Tuesday!” Regardless of your persuasion: Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, or whatever, your voice is important. It looks like the Dems have the House and Senate, so hopefully this means that silly H.R. 4777: Internet Gambling Prohibition Act will get tossed once it goes to the floor. And it’s good news that some of these prohibition supporters were “fired” yesterday. Representative Jim Leach is one of them. Someone mentioned in our forum “tell us where to click the mouse, and we’ll vote you out of the House.” Ha ha – so true. More here on Leach (gawd, I love that name)
But this is no time to rest on the laurels. The fight is not over – it’s only just begun. Senator Kyle from Arizona is still working hard, and who knows how many Bible thumping moralists will carry Leaches baton. Those of you who are upset about the “New Prohibition” should continue writing your representatives. Election time should not be the only time that you choose to voice your opinion.
And by the way, I had at least one write in vote for California Insurance Commissioner. Thanks!
US Players – protect yourself.
As predicted, the snakes are slithering into the American wilderness. PABs are piled up and to be honest, it’s taking a lot of effort to get through them. The majority are coming from no-name crap casinos or sportsbooks, and most of these aggrieved players have either failed to do their homework or were just to damn greedy to pass up an offer that was too good to be true. I insist that everyone read the How to Spot a Rogue page. Do yourself a favor and abide by its philosophy and guidelines.
Oh, and just a quick side note: some of you may be getting this newsletter for the first time in a long while. I did some fall cleaning in the newsletter’s database and activated a number of dormant accounts. If one of these accounts was yours my dear ${token2}, then welcome – finally.
VORTRAN007 CASINO WARNING
Warning! Warning! Warning! Casino Warning!
x-casino.com is using shills in Casinomeister’s forum for promotion purposes. This is usually an indicator of poor management. Please proceed with caution. You may read more here and here.
MAINSTREET GOES RTG!!!
Yep, the Mainstreet Group has switched back to RTG. If you haven’t joined these casinos yet, now is your chance.
MORE CASINOS YOU GOTTA JOIN!
BELLEROCK CASINOS!!
Buy $50, Get $200! at The Gaming Club Online Casino!!
Buy $50, Get $200 FREE using a Non-Credit/Debit Card Deposit Option at Lucky Nugget Online Casino!Get out your credit card and get $55 FREE when you make your first $55 deposit using either MasterCard, Visa, Diners Club or Debit card. ! Please read their terms and conditions!
https://www.casinomeister.com
MORE MICROGAMING!!
Sign-Up Now for your 100% Match Bonus up to $100 on your first deposit at Intertops Casino!!
And Now For The Humor……
A Yankee lawyer went duck hunting in eastern North Carolina. He shot and dropped a bird, but it fell into a farmer’s field on the other side of a fence. As the lawyer climbed over the fence, an elderly gentleman asked him what he was doing. The lawyer responded, “I shot a duck and it fell in this field, I’m going into retrieve it.”
The old farmer replied. “This is my property, and you are not coming over here.”
The indignant lawyer said, “I am one of the best trial attorneys in the U.S. and, if you don’t let me get that duck, I’ll sue you and take everything!
The old farmer smiled and said, “Apparently, you don’t know how we do things here in North Carolina. We settle small disagreements like this with the NC Three-Kick Rule.”
The lawyer asked, “What is the NC three-Kick Rule?”
The Farmer replied. “Well, first I kick you three times and then you kick me three times, and so on, back and forth, until someone gives up.”
The Yankee attorney quickly thought about the proposed contest and decided that he could easily take the old southerner. He agreed to abide by the local custom.
The old farmer slowly climbed down from the tractor and walked up to the city feller. His first kick planted the toe of his heavy work boot into the Yankee lawyer’s groin and dropped him to his knees. His second kick nearly wiped the man’s nose off his face. The barrister was flat on his belly when the farmer’s third kick to a kidney nearly caused him to give up.
The Yankee lawyer summoned every bit of his will and managed to get to his feet and said, “Okay, you old redneck southerner, now it’s my turn.” The old North Carolina farmer smiled and said, “Naw, I give up. You can have the duck.”
ha ha ha
Special Announcement – 15 November 2006
Dear ${token1},
Two announcements: one for the non-US players – an exclusive Casinomeister special bonus at Global Player. And an announcement for our US based members to please participate in our poll concerning how the “Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act” is affecting you. Scroll down for info
Global Player Exclusive Casinomeister Bonus
Software: Proprietary
Membership: Casinomeister Accredited Casinos since 2005
Special Note: Operated by Universal Gaming Concepts Inc. since 1996
Sorry – No US players accepted.
Terms and Conditions:
This offer applies to new players only.
Bonus will be awarded on first deposit only
Minimum deposit is $10 and maximum bonus is $50.
Only one bonus will be given to each new user irrespective of additional accounts being opened.
In cases of abuse of our bonus policy, Global-Player Casino reserves the right to withhold payment and to discontinue player’s membership to prevent the player from accessing the Casino in the future.
Welcome Bonus Rules apply
US PLAYERS – UIGEA POLL
Has the “Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act” affected your play? Has the new law altered your playing style just a little bit or a lot? Do you have a minute to spare? Please click one of these links and take the poll. Thanks!
Join us here
17 November 2006
Dear ${token1},
Big changes today, and Casinomeister takes another stride forward into the right direction.
Happily yours,
Bryan
US players – please take part in our poll!
Has the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) affected your play?
Yes, definitely – I cannot play at my favorite casinos – I hardly play at all | 22.52% | |
Yes, definitely – I have major problems depositing – I hardly play at all | 4.50% | |
Yes, some – I cannot play at my favs., but there are others to choose from | 34.23% | |
Yes, some – I have problems depositing, but at others I don’t | 6.31% | |
No effect – I have no problem playing at my favorite casinos – law has no effect on me | 13.51% | |
No effect – I have no problem making deposits – law has no effect on me | 7.21% | |
I’m not a US based player – but I am a forum member and want to see the results of this poll | 11.71% |
I plan on doing this every couple of months or so to get a feel on how the new regulation is affecting everyone. Please take the two minutes it takes to do this so everyone can get a good idea on what’s going on. Thanks!
HAVE YOU LISTENED TO THE WEBCAST YET??
IF NOT – WHY NOT?? NEW WEBCAST IS UP!
Grab yo’ self a hot cup o’ java and listen to this:
Hear me and Vortran blab about…
- Corrupt Jurisdictions
- Public thanks to Casinomeister Casinos
- Casinomeister Casinos who bailed
- Recent PABs – the list
- Vortran007’s Player Warning – Sunny Group rogued
All this and more here!Don’t have time to listen to this stuff while sitting in front of the computer? Hell – download it to your iPod (or other MP3 player), and you can listen to me and Vortran while raking the leaves, on the bus, or shopping at Target: MP3 File Download For your iPods and other MP3 players.
To download the MP3 file: right click the link, then “save target as…”, then chose a place on your hard drive and save.
https://www.casinomeister.com/webcast/
MAINSTREET GOES RTG!!!
Yep, the Mainstreet Group has switched back to RTG. If you haven’t joined these casinos yet, now is your chance.
MORE CASINOS YOU GOTTA JOIN!
BELLEROCK CASINOS!!
Buy $50, Get $200! at The Gaming Club Online Casino!!
Buy $50, Get $200 FREE using a Non-Credit/Debit Card Deposit Option at Lucky Nugget Online Casino!Get out your credit card and get $55 FREE when you make your first $55 deposit using either MasterCard, Visa, Diners Club or Debit card. ! Please read their terms and conditions!
https://www.casinomeister.com
MORE MICROGAMING!!
Sign-Up Now for your 100% Match Bonus up to $100 on your first deposit at Intertops Casino!!
And Now For The Humor…..
An old country preacher had a teenage son, and it was getting time the boy should give some thought to choosing a profession. Like many young men, the boy didn’t really know what he wanted to do, and he didn’t seem too concerned about it.
One day, while the boy was away at school, his father decided to try an experiment. He went into the boy’s room and placed on his study table three objects:
a Bible,
a silver dollar, and
a bottle of whisky.
“I’ll just hide behind the door,” the old preacher said to himself, “and when he comes home from school this afternoon, I’ll see which object he picks up. If it’s the Bible, he’s going to be a preacher like me, and what a blessing that would be! If he picks up the dollar, he’s going to be a businessman, and that would be okay, too. But if he picks up the bottle, he’s going to be a no-good drunkard, and, Lord, what a shame that would be.”
The old man waited anxiously, and soon heard his son’s footsteps as he entered the house whistling and headed for his room. He tossed his books on the bed, and as he turned to leave the room he spotted the objects on the table. With curiosity in his eye, he walked over to inspect them.
Finally, he picked up the Bible and placed it under his arm. He picked up the silver dollar and dropped it into his pocket. He uncorked the bottle and took a big drink.
“Lord have mercy,” the old preacher whispered, ” he’s gonna be a Congressman”.
ha ha ha
POSITIVE VIEWS ON INTERNET GAMBLING FROM TOP CASINO EXEC
UIGEA “Makes no sense whatsoever,” says Lanni
The chairman of the American Gaming Association and head of the giant US land gambling firm MGM Mirage, Terri Lanni had some straight talking things to say about the recently Introduced Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act when he addressed the G2E conference in Las Vegas this week.
The new U.S. law making it illegal for banks, credit card companies and online payment systems to process payments to online gambling companies “makes no sense whatsoever,” he told conference delegates, adding that he was hopeful that the new Democratic leadership in the U.S. Congress could provide a chance to explore the legalisation of online gambling.
“The Republican Party pandered to the religious right,” he said, referring to the manner in which the UIGEA was rushed through Congress without proper debate and consideration, attached to a more important but totally unrelated Bill. In October, Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee was successful in tacking the Internet gambling ban onto a popular bill on port safety. Frist is retiring from Congress as he considers a possible run for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.
Lanni said MGM would like to see a study commissioned to examine whether online gambling can be successfully regulated in the United States.
Lanni’s address was followed by one from the head of the UK Gaming Commission, Peter Dean who said: “Britain wants to be second to none in the regulation of Internet gambling …We firmly believe that the way forward is to regulate, rather than prohibit.”
Dean said that from a British perspective, the U.S. ban is puzzling, in that “prohibition doesn’t have a conspicuous record of success in this country … the obvious result is that the activity is going to be driven underground.”
Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa
More news here.
24 November 2006
Dear ${token1},
It’s funny. I was checking out the archives and it turns out that it was exactly one year ago to this day – that I was complaining about not remembering it was Thanksgiving. Well, it more or less happened again. Happy Turkey Day weekend anyway.
Absentmindedly yours,
Bryan
Did the Pilgrims land on Plymouth Rock because they ran out of beer?
Sounds ludicrous? Well, actually it’s true. Except that the pilgrims had a different definition of the word “beer.” For most of us, Beer is cold, wet, and good reason to continue living so we can continue to drink more of it. For many, it’s a necessity for a good life; for the pilgrims, it was a matter of life and death. You can read about how they had their priorities worked out at the “Straight Dope“. One of my favorite places to hang out (besides Casinomeister):
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/051125.html
ANNOUNCING THE MEISTER’S MALL!
Don’t be a dweeb and forget to get your Xmas shopping done on time. Meister’s Mall has been set up for our US members and those in the EU. There are a number of cool items you can get from Amazon – Casinomeister Picks, Poker paraphernalia, books on Vegas, casinos and slots. There are great DVDs to be had, and cool tunes some of which are featured on Casinomeister webcasts. Plus a whole mess of magazines subscriptions (US members) to choose from. Get that special poker buddy that special gift before you forget it’s almost Christmas.
You can check out the Meister Mall USA here and Meister Mall EU here.
https://www.casinomeister.com/shoppingUSA.php
https://www.casinomeister.com/shoppingEU.php
CASINOMEISTER ACCREDITED CASINOS
BELLEROCK CASINOS!!
Buy $50, Get $200 FREE using a Non-Credit/Debit Card Deposit Option at Lucky Nugget Online Casino!Get out your credit card and get $55 FREE when you make your first $55 deposit using either MasterCard, Visa, Diners Club or Debit card. ! Please read their terms and conditions!
https://www.casinomeister.com
MORE MICROGAMING!!
Sign-Up Now for your 100% Match Bonus up to $100 on your first deposit at Intertops Casino!!
And Now For The Humor…..
Newlyweds:
A couple had only been married for two weeks and the husband, although very much in love, couldn’t wait to go out on the town and party with his old buddies. So, he said to his new wife, “Honey, I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going, Coochy Coo?” asked the wife.
“I’m going to the bar, Pretty Face,” he answered. “I’m going to have a beer.”
The wife said, “You want a beer, my love?” She opened the door to the refrigerator and showed him 25 different kinds of beer, brands from 12 different countries: Germany , Holland , Japan , India , etc.
The husband didn’t know what to do, and the only thing that he could think of saying was, “Yes, Lollipop… but at the bar… You know… they have frozen glasses… “
He didn’t get to finish the sentence, because the wife interrupted him by saying, “You want a frozen glass, Puppy Face?” She took a huge beer mug out of the freezer, so frozen that she was getting chills just holding it.
The husband, looking a bit pale, said, “Yes, Tootsie Roll, but at the bar they have those hors d’oeuvres that are really delicious… I won’t be long. I’ll be right back. I promise. OK?”
“You want hors d’oeuvres, Poochie Pooh?” She opened the oven and took out 5 dishes of different hors d’oeuvres: chicken wings, pigs in blankets, mushroom caps, and little quiches.
“But my sweet honey… at the bar…. you know there’s swearing, dirty words and all that…”
“You want dirty words, Cutie Pie? LISTEN UP CHICKEN SHIT! SIT YOUR ASS DOWN, SHUT THE HELL UP, DRINK YOUR BEER IN YOUR FROZEN MUG AND EAT YOUR FRIGGIN’ HORS D’OEUVRES BECAUSE YOUR MARRIED ASS AIN’T GOING TO ANY DAMNED BAR! THAT SHIT IS OVER, GOT IT, JACKASS?”
and…they lived happily ever after. Isn’t that a sweet story?
ha ha ha
NEW ONLINE GAMBLING PORTAL FROM AN OLD FAVOURITE
TheRXCasinos the first in a series of specialised portals
One of online gambling’s longest established portals, TheRX.com originally started by Ken Weitzner but sold to a highly successful Costa Rican operator some years ago embarked on a new portal strategy this week with the launch of the first in a series of specialised portal websites.
Branded TheRXCasinos.com and presented on a slick, professional looking site which is already carrying some impressive advertising the new portal has content that ranges from industry interviews (the inaugural issue carrying one with Alistair Assheton who has been in the thick of corporate moves arising from the UIGEA) to blogs, industry news and a legal column.
As the name suggests, being the first in a series of focused sites TheRXCasinos.com will centre itself on the online casino industry and seeks to create a true feeling of community. To reach this goal, TheRXCasinos.com offers member discussion forums and chat rooms. Additionally, members of TheRXCasinos.com can create their own personal gambling-related blog. Helping to encourage bloggers will be the weekly and monthly cash prizes for the “Best Blog.”
Debbee Silverman, TheRXCasinos.com highly experienced and widely respected manager said: “We want our visitors to feel as if they’re at home, hanging out with friends at TheRXCasinos.com. We’d like our members to have a better understanding of the online gambling industry, who the important ‘movers and shakers’ are, and what makes the industry ‘tick.’ And of course, we want our members to have fun, so our frequent casino tournaments and on-site competitions should ensure a great experience.”
A subsidiary of successful online sports gambling portal TheRX.com, TheRX Casinos.com serves as a universal online gambling portal and informational resource for gamblers worldwide. Built to encourage greater player interaction, TheRXCasinos.com provides online gamblers with a broader understanding of the online casino industry through discussions and industry news. Members of TheRXCasinos.com can choose from a vast number of gambling sites and have more direct contact with other players than previously possible.
Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa
More news here.
30 November 2006
Dear ${token1},
It’s a brief one, so I’ll cut to the chase.
Succinctly yours,
Bryan
Real Time Gaming Disputes?
Just a heads up for players of RTG casinos: the Montana disputes is no more. At the moment, player disputes are in a limbo stage (not the dance). A new master licensor will be handling RTG casino licensing issues, but their dispute section has not yet been put into action. It may be some time until this is in effect.
What does this mean for players and affiliates? If you have a complaint or issue about an RTG casino that the casino cannot resolve for you satisfactorily, you may have to wait until this new licensor has created their disputes section. I do not know when this will be implemented. Your disputes may have to wait.
In the meantime, I have direct contact with the RTG Casinomeister “Accredited” casinos (naturally). This includes the King Solomons group, Mainstreet group, Casino World Club, 49er Casino, and iNetBet. These casinos also have representatives in our forum.
Other RTGs I am in contact with for disputes:
Bodog
VIP Casinos
Windows Group
Virtual Casino group (listed here)
Crystal Palace Group
There are a few others with reps on Casinomeister’s forum here: https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/showgroups.php
WARNING: Players be advised that you are relying on the discernment, empathy and responsiveness of the casino operator to consider your dispute. I will assist if need be and as time permits.
Please note: If the old Montana Disputes was dealing with your issue, you may have to wait to see if the new dispute section has you in their system. Hopefully they will contact you.
There is a discussion thread here:
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/online-casinos/15296-real-time-gaming-dispute-discussion.html
And Speaking of Disputes…
Pitch a Bitches
Due to many players not doing their due diligence when it comes to playing at an online casino, I will no longer be accepting PABs for casinos NOT listed at Casinomeister for the SECOND PAB.
The first PAB that a member submits is a freebie (crapcasino.com, whatever). But if the member comes back with complaints other than from casinos listed in Casinomeister’s Accredited Casino section – sorry, but I reserve the right to turn these down.
The reason for this is because many players are not heeding good smart advice to be selective with which casino to play at. These players will send in numerous PABs for crap casinos that they should never have been messing with in the first place.
Further reading can be found here and here
ANNOUNCING THE MEISTER’S MALL!
Don’t be a dweeb and forget to get your Xmas shopping done on time. Meister’s Mall has been set up for our US members and those in the EU. There are a number of cool items you can get from Amazon – Casinomeister Picks, Poker paraphernalia, books on Vegas, casinos and slots. There are great DVDs to be had, and cool tunes some of which are featured on Casinomeister webcasts. Plus a whole mess of magazines subscriptions (US members) to choose from. Get that special poker buddy that special gift before you forget it’s almost Christmas.
You can check out the Meister Mall USA here and Meister Mall EU here.
https://www.casinomeister.com/shoppingUSA.php
https://www.casinomeister.com/shoppingEU.php
CASINOMEISTER ACCREDITED CASINOS
TRIDENT LOUNGE GROUP: Winner of the Best Casino Group of the Year 2005 award at Casinomeister – there are number of good reasons why this still holds true. Customer support and recurring player promotions are just two of them. I’m sure you’ll agree with me that they are a cut above many of their competitors.
King Neptunes Casino
Trident Lounge Casino
Vegas USA
And for you poker players:
Trident Lounge Poker
Mummy’s Gold: 1 Hour FREE PLAY!! $500 worth of FREE Casino Credits!! (sorry – no US)
MORE MICROGAMING!!
Sign-Up Now for your 100% Match Bonus up to $100 on your first deposit at Intertops Casino!!
And Now For The Humor…..
A classic that needs to be told again:
“Who’s On First” — new version
George: Condi! Nice to see you. What’s happening?
Condi: Sir, I have the report here about the new leader of China.
George: Great. Lay it on me.
Condi: Hu is the new leader of China.
George: That’s what I want to know.
Condi: That’s what I’m telling you.
George: That’s what I’m asking you. Who is the new leader of China?
Condi: Yes.
George: I mean the fellow’s name.
Condi: Hu.
George: The guy in China.
Condi: Hu.
George: The new leader of China.
Condi: Hu.
George: The main man in China!
Condi: Hu is leading China.
George: Now whaddya’ asking me for?
Condi: I’m telling you, Hu is leading China.
George: Well, I’m asking you. Who is leading China?
Condi: That’s the man’s name.
George: That’s who’s name?
Condi: Yes.
George: Will you, or will you not, tell me the name of the new leader of China?
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Yassir? Yassir Arafat is in China? I thought he’s dead in the Middle East.
Condi: That’s correct.
George: Then who is in China?
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Yassir is in China?
Condi: No, sir.
George: Then who is?
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Yassir?
Condi: No, sir.
George: Look Condi. I need to know the name of the new leader of China. Get me the Secretary General of the U.N. on the phone.
Condi: Kofi?
George: No, thanks.
Condi: You want Kofi?
George: No.
Condi: You don’t want Kofi.
George: No. But now that you mention it, I could use a glass of milk. And then get me the U.N.
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: Not Yassir! The guy at the U.N.
Condi: Kofi?
George: Milk! Will you please make the call?
Condi: And call who?
George: Who is the guy at the U.N?
Condi: Hu is the guy in China
George: Will you stay out of China?!
Condi: Yes, sir.
George: And stay out of the Middle East! Just get me the guy at the U.N.
Condi: Kofi.
George: All right! With cream and two sugars.
ha ha ha
FOUR NEW MICROGAMING GAMES!!
Review of the new MG games (November) – Mega Moolah!
By zoozie
Yes, “Mega Moolah” was actually released this month after being delayed for 2 months and is definately the star of this release. But MG also relased 3 other slots where ‘only’ one of them actually is a clone. Besides the 5-reel slots “All Aces” VP was also relased as 50-play and 5 multi-hand version of popular BJ games was also relased. I will not review the BJ games – Someone else (a BJ lover) can have that honour.
Mega Moolah:
Medium/High Variance slot
25 lines
The intro to the slot is pretty but not very exciting. So my favorite MG intro is stil ‘Loaded’. Most people just click past the intro anyway.
The symbol-graphics are excellent. The animals have the ‘cartoonish’ look that I like. Last month I criticized the ‘Flying Circus’ slot for trying to look too realistic which just does not fit into my slot world. But I am very sad that MG have once again included the 9TJQKA symbols they believe must be a part of every theme. The sound does go well with the slot. Not too noisy with some ‘savannah’-wildlife samples and a pleasant spinning sound. The same spinning sound has been used in other slots before though.
The slot is a standard freespin/multiplier slot that most slot players prefer, but this time a 4-tier rapid fire jackpot has been added.
3 scatters triggers 15 freespins with *3 multiplier during the freespins and the feature can be retriggered. This is good news. It is very used standard feature, but it is still a very good one.
For the rest of the review, check it out here. https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/online-casinos/15319-review-new-mg-games-november-mega-moolah.html
Special Announcement – 5 December 2006
Dear ${token1},
Two announcements: one for the non-US players – a new Casinomeister Casino member Betdirect. And an announcement for our US based members. Scroll down for info.
Betdirect Joins Casinomeister!!
Betdirect hosts a MGS casino, they have sportsbetting, a poker room and mobile betting services.
�100 Welcome Bonus Every new player at their casino will receive a �100 Welcome Bonus. To claim your bonus just follow these easy instructions:
Make an initial deposit of �100 ($/€) or more.
Place bets to the value of �5000 ($/€) at the casino.
Automatically receive the �100 straight into your account.
Please read their terms and conditions.
If you have any questions or problems, feel free to contact their Casino Representative here.
US MEMBERS!! ANNOUNCING THE MEISTER’S MALL!
Does your brother-in-law new a new set of poker chips? Looking for really cool magazine subscriptions? Is your wife into the sordid history of Las Vegas? Where can you find bitchin’ mobster movies or groovy tunes heard on Casinomeister’s webcast?
Meister’s Mall has been set up just for you! Don’t be a dweeb and forget to get your Xmas shopping done on time!!! Time’s a wastin’!! Get that poker buddy (or your spouse) that special gift before it’s too late!!
You can check out the Meister Mall USA here and Meister Mall Europe here.
https://www.casinomeister.com/shoppingUSA.php
https://www.casinomeister.com/shoppingEU.php
7 December 2006
Dear ${token1},
I’m full of cheer, Christmas is near, and so is my Bier.
Concisely yours,
Bryan
Complaints in Casinomeisterland
It seems as though casino complaints are going through the roof. I could understand this if traffic was going through the roof as well – (unfortunately) it’s not. Traffic is pretty much the same as it was prior to the passage of the UIGEA.
It’s alarming. Some people consider Casinomeister to be a good place to get the “pulse” of the industry – if this is the case, then we need a paramedic. I used to have casinos lining up wanting to get on board as Casinomeister “Accredited Casinos”, now they seem to be lining up to get into the coveted “rogue section”. Several casinos have been rogued this week. 32Vegas, and the entire MiniVegas Casino Group. There are a few more cases of pending roguedom, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.
Please don’t get me wrong, I absolutely hate roguing casinos. It sucks – but I feel obligated to my visitors and Casinomeister members to let them know what’s up in online casinoland. If players need to be warned, then I’ll warn them.
My good friend, Ted Loh, brought up a few good points about this sudden increase in player complaints. He came up with the following:
It makes you wonder if the UIGEA is having intended/unintended side effects of:
1. Giving operators an excuse to stiff or cheat US players
2. Driving certain operations into dire financial circumstances because of a huge US player base
3. Causing software providers to create even more cover for their operations, and/or stalling while they figure out what to do next
IMHO, some of what’s been happening lately may be just pure coincidence – either that or we’ve been under a full moon for a few months – but it seems that there has been a significant increase in problems across the board lately.
What is really bothering me is that we are seeing more instances of confiscated winnings, locked accounts, and accusations of bonus abuse. What ever happened to “pay the player – then lock the accounts” of unwanted “bonus players”? This was a mantra for respectable casinos, but it seems to be thrown to the wayside during post UIGEA.
I really hope that operators consider their role in this industry as a long term commitment of respectability. And I hope that they stay on a firm path of treating players with due respect and fairness. To treat players with contempt will undoubtedly have negative consequences in the future.
Be My Secret Santa
Christmas is creeping up on us. And before you know it, the dreaded holiday “panic” will jerk you out of your happy clappy drone-like state. You’ll suddenly realize that you haven’t bought diddly-squat for anyone yet – even though you have pledged to yourself “I will do my Christmas shopping in the Spring and not at the last minute.” Yeah right – you are a misguided procrastinator.
Well, the time is now to get some of the shopping out of your system. Don’t be a panicky person! Tis the season to be jolly so spread some joy here at my Wish List. Be my Santa, fa la la la la la, la la la la.
https://www.casinomeister.com/goto.php?c=wish
HAVE YOU LISTENED TO THE WEBCAST YET??
Grab yo’ self a hot cup o’ java and listen to this:
Hear me and Vortran blab about…
- RTG and the demise of Montana Disputes
- Casinomeister’s Pitch a Bitches
- 32Vegas – newest rogue
- Mini-Vegas Casinos – WTF?
- Vortran007’s Player Warning
All this and more here!Don’t have time to listen to this stuff while sitting in front of the computer? Hell – download it to your iPod (or other MP3 player), and you can listen to me and Vortran while shoveling snow, jogging through the park, or waiting for your wife as she’s trying on shoes: MP3 File Download For your iPods and other MP3 players.
To download the MP3 file: right click the link, then “save target as…”, then chose a place on your hard drive and save.
Please note: I know my voice sounds a little raspy this week – I’ve saved my Christmas money to buy myself a new microphone.
HAVE YOU BEEN TO THE MEISTER’S MALL?
Don’t be a dweeb and forget to get your Xmas shopping done on time. Meister’s Mall has been set up for our US members and those in the EU. There are a number of cool items you can get from Amazon – Casinomeister Picks, Poker paraphernalia, books on Vegas, casinos and slots. There are great DVDs to be had, and cool tunes some of which are featured on Casinomeister webcasts. Plus a whole mess of magazines subscriptions (US members) to choose from. Get that special poker buddy that special gift before you forget it’s almost Christmas.
You can check out the Meister Mall USA here and Meister Mall EU here.
https://www.casinomeister.com/shoppingUSA.php
https://www.casinomeister.com/shoppingEU.php
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And Now For The Humor…..
‘Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the house
Not a creature was stirring,
Not even a mouse.
‘Cuzz the cat had pounced on him
And tore him apart –
Ate his mouse intestines
And chewed up his heart.
Kitty thought he heard sleighbells,
Which made him take pause –
He stopped daintily licking
The blood from his claws.
“Must be Santa,” thought Kitty
(That quite clever cat)
‘Cuz nobody else climbs down
The chimney like that.
Indeed it was ol’ Santa
So jolly and fat
With a huge load of presents
And all for the cat!
“Wow, the best Christmas ever!”
Kitty thought with a purr,
Then he coughed up a hairball
And shed some more fur!
ha ha ha
ATTENTION SLOT PLAYERS!!
There has been a poll set up in our forum on what slots you like to play. Are you into free spin bonuses, or does a “pick a bonus round” suit your fancy? Whatever the case may be, please take 30 seconds out of your busy schedule and let us know what you like (and what you think sucks).
Slot players poll here.
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/online-casinos/15446-slot-players-poll.html
15 December 2006
Dear ${token1},
Casinomeister is getting ready to slide into half-day schedule, so I’ll even be slower at getting things done. No snow yet, but it’s still dark and cold. But if you have the privilege of being indoors, let this newsletter kick off the Holiday Season for you – hope all is well.
Happy Holidays,
Complaints in Casinomeisterland – Part II
Finally, I got my act together – the “Pitch a Bitch” section has been made public. These are the complaints that are submitted via the PAB, many of which never make the fora, webcast, newsletter, or any other public platform. Listing the complaints in this manner gives me a chance to follow up on them better, and gives you my dear ${token2} an indicator on what is happening behind the scenes.
Please note: (I need to say it again) if you have submitted a PAB for a casino NOT listed in Casinomeister’s “Accredited” section, that’s cool. But for any additional complaints, I will only consider PABs that concern the “Accredited” casinos. 90% of the complaints submitted in November (62 total) were for casinos NOT listed in Casinomeister’s Accredited section. Many of these complaints dealt with large winnings being confiscated, casinos being non-responsive, or plain stonewalling. Most of these complaints could have been avoided if the players had followed some simple steps to protect themselves from scammy or problematic operations. A number of these complaints are still open, and a number of these complaints have resulted (or will result) in the casino being rogued.
During the Christmas break I hope to have September and October uploaded:
Pitch a Bitch at Casinomeister – November 2006
Pitch a Bitch at Casinomeister – December 2006
BE MY SECRET SANTA!!
Christmas is creeping up on us. And before you know it, the dreaded holiday “panic” will jerk you out of your happy clappy drone-like state. You’ll suddenly realize that you haven’t bought diddly-squat for anyone yet – even though you have pledged to yourself “I will do my Christmas shopping in the Spring and not at the last minute.” Yeah right – you are a misguided procrastinator.
Well, the time is now to get some of the shopping out of your system. Don’t be a panicky person! Tis the season to be jolly so spread some joy here at my Wish List. Be my Santa, fa la la la la la, la la la la.
https://www.casinomeister.com/goto.php?c=wish
TIRED OF GAMBLING?
If so, click here. Playing online is supposed to be fun. It’s not supposed to stress you out – it’s not supposed to freak out your family and friends. It’s not supposed to cause a major financial hit. But for some people, the above is true. If you need some time to chill out, or to pull yourself back into the real world, then please read how some of our forum members keep themselves in check here.
HAVE YOU BEEN TO THE MEISTER’S MALL?
Don’t be a dweeb and forget to get your Xmas shopping done on time. TIME’S A WASTIN’! Meister’s Mall has been set up for our US members and those in the EU. There are a number of cool items you can get from Amazon – Casinomeister Picks, Poker paraphernalia, books on Vegas, casinos and slots. There are great DVDs to be had, and cool tunes some of which are featured on Casinomeister webcasts. Plus a whole mess of magazines subscriptions (US members) to choose from. Get that special poker buddy that special gift before you forget it’s almost Christmas.
You can check out the Meister Mall USA here and Meister Mall EU here.
https://www.casinomeister.com/shoppingUSA.php
https://www.casinomeister.com/shoppingEU.php
CASINOMEISTER ACCREDITED CASINOS
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And Now For The Humor….
LETTERS TO AND FROM THE JOLLY ELF
Dear Santa,
I wud like a kool toy space ranjur for Xmas. Iv ben a good boy all yeer.
YeR FReND, BiLLy
Dear Billy,
Nice spelling. You’re on your way to being a career lawn care specialist.
How ’bout I send you a book so you can learn to read and write? I’m giving
your older brother the space ranger, at least HE can spell!
Santa
Dear Santa,
I’ve written you for three years now asking for a fire truck.
Please, I really really want a fire truck this year!
Love, Joey
Dear Joey,
Let me make it up to you. While you sleep, I’m gonna torch your house.
You’ll have more fire trucks than you’ll know what to do with.
Santa
Dear Santa,
I left milk and cookies for you under the tree, and I left carrots for
your reindeer outside the backdoor.
Love, Susan
Dear Susan,
Milk gives me the craps and carrots make the deer fart in my face. You
want to be a kiss-ass? Leave me a glass of Chivas Regal and some
caviar.
Santa
Dear Santa,
What do you do the other 364 days of the year? Are you making toys?
Your friend, Thomas
Dear Thomas,
All toys get made in China. I have a condo in Vegas,
where I spend most my time squeezing cocktail waitresses asses,
and losing all my cash at the craps table. Hey, YOU wanted to know!
Santa
Dear Santa,
Do you see us when we’re sleeping, do you really know when we’re
awake, like in the song?
Love, Jessica
Dear Jessica,
You are that gullible? Good luck in whatever you do, I’m skipping your
house…
Santa
Dear Santa,
I really really want a puppy this year. Please please please PLEASE.
Timmy
Timmy,
That whiny begging stuff may work with your folks, but that crap don’t
work up here. You’re getting a sweater!
Santa
ho ho ho!
CONFERENCE CORNER
legal and regulatory gathering in Brussels
Clarion ATE has announced the dates for the third annual European Gambling Briefing (EGB), the gathering of leading gambling regulators, lawyers and operators from across Europe.
The two day briefing will be held at Le Meridien in Brussels on May 8 and 9 2007, and will tackle both sides of the debate on how gambling should be controlled across Europe in both an on and offline capacity, and looks beyond to developments in Asia, South Africa and other emerging markets.
All key regulatory and legal developments will be studied, with a practical focus on what these actually mean for the operators; the pitfalls, the opportunities, and the threats.
Next Asian conference will be especially important
With the increased urgency to grow online gambling markets other than the United States, next year’s Pacific Congress on I-Gaming (PCIG) is assured of a bumper attendance, so get this one into your diaries now.
Pacific Congress on I-Gaming takes plave between 26 – 27 February, 2007 in the convivial surroundings of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Macau.
PCIG addresses the strategic and operational issues in the important Pacific region, and organisers River City Group assure industry execs that they will have ample opportunities to:
* Interact with top-level executives speaking in their areas of expertise;
* Improve operational efficiency and grow revenues with products and services from industry suppliers, and
* Network with an in-demand audience of regional executives and prospective business partners entering the Pacific market.
There’s more information at: www.rivercitygroup.com/2007
Venue change for CAP Euro
Delegates to the CAP Euro affiliate sector conference and expo scheduled for London early next year will have a new and larger facility at their disposal after the organisers were obliged to switch venues.
The conference originally found a home at the Chelsea football club, but club priorities have made it necessary to move the event a little over a mile away to the larger London Olympia Conference Centre.
The organisers have promised to provide a daily free shuttle bus service from all the original recommended hotels that were located beside Chelsea FC to the new venue. And if you did book your hotel through CAP Euro and want to move closer to London Olympia the hotels have guaranteed you can cancel your booking.
The temporary glitch is unlikely to slow this conference down; the expo stands are completely sold out and the organisers are confident that the event will build on the success of last year’s conference.
Get up to speed on what’s up and when with Casinomeister’s Calendar here
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/calendar.php
22 December 2006
Dear ${token1},
I hope that you and your loved ones enjoy this festive season.
Happy Holidays,
Bryan
Even though we haven’t gotten any snow yet, Christmas is upon us. This is a first in years, a snow-less Christmas, but I won’t let that get me down. I just take comfort that I am where I am. In a house – it’s warm inside, and I have lots of cool DVD’s to re-familiarize myself with – “It’s a Wonderful Life”, “A Christmas Carol”, “Elf”, and other films that are the “cannon” of the holidays. I’m grateful to be here with my family – it’s a thanksgiving of sorts – all one needs are memories of a “Christmas Past” when things weren’t so joyous to put things into perspective. Mine was Christmas 1990 when I was in the middle of a stupid desert just south of the Iraqi border. We had been there for nearly a month, and everyday – without a break – we had been rehearsing on how we were going to breach and clear enemy (Iraqi) minefields. I was a Squad Leader in the combat engineers, and that was our job – to lead the tank forces across the flaming valley of death. We all thought we were going to die.
But Christmas came, and we took time out. We had pancakes for breakfast (grilled up by the First Sergeant), and distributed gifts by our makeshift Christmas tree – a piece of plywood cut into the right shape and decorated with odds and ends. It was somber – a bit depressing. None of us wanted to be there. And it wasn’t anything like most of you saw on CNN. We had no volley ball nets. We had no recreation facilities whatsoever. We heated 5 gallon water cans with road flares for our showers. We were in the middle of a vast flatness with an endless horizon. Nothing – no hills – no vegetation – nothing except the vanishing point of the horizon that encompassed us all. At the edge of the world, the land was dotted with an adjacent company’s vehicles and tents. Distances were hard to judge since there were no landmarks – it was as if we were at sea. And to me it seemed like an ancient sea. The ground was strewn with walnut sized igneous rocks, and I wondered where they came from.
Boredom was not an option, we worked every day – hard tough work. We were the combat engineers and our mission was to clear paths through the minefields so that the 1st Infantry Division’s tanks could speed through and regroup on the far side. None of us looked forward to the inevitable; once the war machine jerks into motion it doesn’t stop too easily. And it still seems to be churning away…
So here I am – 16 years later and banging out this newsletter. I am thankful for everything I have, and I hope you, my dear ${token2}, are lucky enough to be in the same state of circumstance – thankful for what you have. If not, have hope that there will be better times ahead. Trust me – it’ll come.
Me (left) and my battle buddy Sgt. Gary James – Delta Company, 9th Engineer Battalion – somewhere in the middle of nowhere – south of Iraq – Xmas 1990
BE MY SECRET SANTA!!
TWO DAYS LEFT!! Now’s the time to spend whatever money you have left on my Wish List!! Tis the season to be jolly so spread some joy!! Be my Santa!
https://www.casinomeister.com/goto.php?c=wish
CHRISTMAS WEBCAST!
Not in the Christmas spirit yet? Vortran and I hope that you pop on by and check out our Christmas SHow – grab some eggnog or Glühwein and get into that festive mood here: https://www.casinomeister.com/webcast/webcast_archives/#christmas2006
HAVE YOU BEEN TO THE MEISTER’S MALL?
Don’t be a dweeb and forget to get your Xmas shopping done on time. TIME’S A WASTIN’! Meister’s Mall has been set up for our US members and those in the EU. There are a number of cool items you can get from Amazon – Casinomeister Picks, Poker paraphernalia, books on Vegas, casinos and slots. There are great DVDs to be had, and cool tunes some of which are featured on Casinomeister webcasts. Plus a whole mess of magazines subscriptions (US members) to choose from. Get that special poker buddy that special gift before you forget it’s almost Christmas.
You can check out the Meister Mall USA here and Meister Mall EU here.
https://www.casinomeister.com/shoppingUSA.php
https://www.casinomeister.com/shoppingEU.php
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And Now For The Humor….
You Know You’ve Had Too Much Christmas Cheer When…
1. You notice your tie sticking out of your fly.
2. Someone uses your tongue for a coaster.
3. You start kissing the portraits on the wall.
4. You see your underwear hanging from the chandelier.
5. You have to hold on to the floor to keep from sliding off.
6. You strike a match and light your nose.
7. You take off your shoes and wade in the potato salad.
8. You hear someone say, “Call a priest!”
9. You hear a duck quacking and it’s you.
10. You complain about the small bathroom after emerging from the closet.
11. You refill your glass from the fish bowl.
12. You tell everyone you have to go home… and the party’s at your place.
13. You ask for another ice cube and put it in your pocket.
14. You yawn at the biggest bore in the room… and realize you’re in front of the hall mirror.
15. You pick up a roll, and butter your watch.
16. You suggest everyone stand and sing the national budget.
17. You’re at the dinner table and you ask the hostess to pass a bedpan.
18. You take out your handkerchief and blow your ear.
19. You tell your best joke to the rubber plant.
20. You realize you’re the only one under the coffee table.
ha ha ha (hic!)
CONFERENCE CORNER
African Gambling Roundtable 2007
Tropical Durban on the east coast of South Africa will be the place for affiliates to be around the middle of 2007, when the big guns of South African online gambling put together a major, 300 delegate conference of global interest.
During the past year the international online gambling industry has gone through many changes that have required co-operation between operators, affiliate marketers and service providers in the industry. With the enactment of controversial anti-online gambling legislation in the US it has become even more important to educate and inform the public about their choices and the importance of fighting for their democratic right of choice.
The already tough industry is now even tougher. Marketing strategies that are in large part shared between all parties involved in the industry have become increasingly competitive and more complex. Search Engine updates have changed the importance of some of the online marketing strategies even more.
Linking partnerships have become crucial and viral campaigns have sub-divided even further into more specialised forms of viral marketing. Keeping track of this amazing growth has become complicated.
South Africa is home to many in the industry and is to a large degree a seminal location for the business. This fascinating country is therefore a logical venue for the industry to come together and team up for the future. With the South African government following the wise path of legalising online gaming, its involvement with such an event is crucial.
Pulling all of this together and providing a great networking environment is the planned Gambling Roundtable. An event where new friendships will be formed and leaders in the industry will share their expertise and insights.
Krevents.com in cooperation with the South African National Gambling Board, the Department of Trade and Industry, Durban City Council, the Local Government of Kwazulu Natal and the Gambling Industry Association will bring this event to Durban in Mid 2007.
Krevents will cover the accommodation and local travel requirements for 300 affiliates and speakers to ensure that affiliates can have a productive and a fun time.
The event promises to be a unique opportunity for affiliates, held in a uniquely African vibrant environment that will offer quality relevant topics. Over a period of 3 days an exhibition centre and 2 seminar rooms will be made available.
For more information as this major project develops, readers can contact the Krevents team at krevents.com or gamblingroundtable.com
Get up to speed on what’s up and when with Casinomeister’s Calendar here