2011 Newsletter – Casinomeister
19 January 2011
Special Announcement!!
Casinomeister 2010 Awards Announced
Best Casino of 2010 – US Friendly
Best Casino of 2010 – Global
Worst Casino of 2010
Worst Casino of 2010 (runner up)
Best Casino Group
Worst Casino Group
Best New Casino of 2010
Worst Player Experience 2010
Worst Affiliate Experience of 2010
Evil Marketing Award of 2010
Ted Loh Humanitarian AwardNEW!
Worst Blundering Screw Up 2010
Best Customer Service 2010
Worst Customer Service 2010
Customer Service on Crack AwardNEW!
All these and many more here!
Discussion in the forum here:
23 January 2011
It’s London baby! Yep, I’ll be there all week attending the International Casino Exhibition (ICE)for the tenth time! This is where I meet a number of operators, software vendors, licensing jurisdiction peeps, and some of my webmaster buddies. It’s also where you have a chance to ask your questions or voice your concerns. In order to do so, please join this thread and let me know what is on your mind. I’ll do my best to get some responses from people. Thanks!
Casinomeister’s Webcast!
Casinomeister’s 2010 Awards…
A brief discussion on what’s up.
All this and more…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Fk50uoEN-ow%3Frel%3D0
Discussion in the forum here:
4 February 2011
ICE 2011 – London
Monday – Arrival:
Shiny paint strokes…
Photographic proof of the following events can be found here.
London – my favorite city. Each time I go, I find something new to mesmerize me. Seeped in stoney relics, and graced with the dust of forgotten adventures, this city is a true wonder. Upon my arrival, I quickly found my hotel in Trafalgar square smack dab in the heart of London.
One of the finest things about this great city is that the museums are free. One of my first stops was the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. I only spent a couple of hours there, but it’s a fantastic experience. At home, I’ve just finished watching the first two seasons of “The Tudors” on DVD – and in the National Portrait Gallery, they have a special exhibit about the Tudors. I was simply awed – marveling at the portraits that I’ve seen so often in history books. Here they were in real life – you could see the brush strokes reflecting the overhead lights – dried paint frozen in time. You must go if you want to blow your mind.
And my obligatory movie…Due Date with Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis was pretty damn funny. A little predictable at times – a bit like Trains, Planes, and Automobiles, but it was good fun.
And then the movie was over. Walking back to my hotel from Leicester Square at 11pm – the streets were packed with party goers – young and old all chattering away. I made a mental note of the Nelson column; it was well lit by a spotlight and I imagined only what his comrades would have imagined if they had a time machine traveling 200 years into the future only to see that modern day Brits still honor the man. But they would have been a bit more freaked out by the monstrous automobiles and buses careening around at that hour of night.
Tuesday – ICE Day One:
Meisterly meeting and more…
Met up with Maxd first thing in the morning, and we headed for the tube station at Charing Cross – going towards the ICE. The International Casino Exhibition is huge – it spreads throughout both Earls Court I and II, and includes all aspects of online and offline gaming. This was my tenth year here. Max and I wandered up and down the exhibition hall bumping into the occasional operator or other industry representative. Gathering information and possibly solving any outstanding player issues was on the top of our agenda, but for the first time, we didn’t have any major issues that needed to be dealt with face-to-face. So this event was more of an “observe and learn” situation.
One thing we learned was that there was a lot of old school marketing going on. Old-school marketing involves hiring hot looking scantily clad young females to walk the floor and hand out brochures or whatever. It seemed that this year there were more than enough, they were swarming around us. But then, they could have just heard that I was there. It’s tough being me sometimes.
Another thing we observed was that things may be going quite well for Playtech and Microgaming. You can usually get a sense on what track a business is on by the size of their booths – or if they are displaying at all (no Crypto). Playtech’s booth stretched for thousands of square feet (no lie). In fact, I wouldn’t call it a “booth”, a would call it a massive display of corporate spending. There were offices on the floor level, and offices upstairs (photographic proof here). Playtech also seems to be very successful with licensing Marvel and an upcoming Monty Python’s Spamalot slot.
Microgaming’s presence was massive. What’s new: a 3D slot where one wears the classic blue and red 3D glasses. Groovy. Additionally on the horizon, a multi-player live dealer roulette game that allows up to seven players – you can interact and see where others are placing bets. Weee – let’s have a roulette party! Ingenious.
We sat with Microgaming’s CEO Roger Raatgever for a spell and discussed a few player related issues that were voiced here in our forum. One question that US players are dying to know: when will MGS casinos take them back? Roger said he would take them tomorrow, but as long as the US market is a gray area, it’s just not possible. My personal opinion is that it won’t happen for years. Sure even NJ might be opening up, but not until the majority of the states (to include the Federal government) get on the same sheet of music, US players will probably have to wait.
There was another issue about game downloads and how to make it “smarter”. Also game “favorites” will be totally modifiable in the preferences section of one’s account – the favorites will be a bit more user friendly.
All in all it was a nice discussion. I noted how Microgaming’s slogan has changed from “we’re the game” to “Together, we’re the game.” It’s really true. They have always been open to suggestions and advice to better the player experience.
Lunch with Max was nice. It was next door at The Prince of Wales. We had the standard Fish’n Chips’n two-beer-lunch, and talked about Casinomeister.
One quick note: we’ve uploaded Max’s full year compilation for 2010 of PABs. You can check them out here. This was one item of our lunch discussion; I’m sure you might find these interesting as well.
One thing that we’ll probably add next to the stats is “licensing jurisdiction” – does it make a difference where a casino is licensed or if it is licensed at all? You might be surprised at the results.
Back at the ICE: speaking of licensing, Max and I sat with the representatives of the Kahnawake Gaming Commission for about an hour. They went over the changes they have made over the past year (since our last meeting), and discussed plans for the future. I can honestly say that the KGC has finally risen above other licensing jurisdictions with their proactive and responsive approach to their operators and players. I really wish that Malta would wake up and use the KGC as an example on how to conduct itself as an agency that is there to provide players and operators a professional service. Malta for now, is merely an expensive rubber stamp.
From there, Max and I met up with Sara Vincent, the CEO of Purple Lounge. Purple Lounge if you remember, was removed from the Accredited Section last Spring for a bonus term deemed unfair (you can read all about it here). But since then, they have changed the term and the player is being taken care of. Purple Lounge also recommitted themselves to the Casinomeister Philosophy of how to deal with players and affiliates. So to make a long story short, Purple Lounge is back up in the Accredited Casinos section.
Voice from the past – ICE 2003
Well, within 30 seconds of arriving in my hotel room. The phone rings and it’s Kevin from Reviewed Casinos wondering why I’m not drinking beer downstairs in the bar. Well, I gave myself ten minutes to unpack, and I made it down there and there was a whole zoo of people that I knew. Ted Loh, Craig Miller, the guys from Reviewed Casinos, Spiral Solutions and Greedy Girl from GoneGambling. Oh what fun we had blabbing away, figuring out what we were going to eat while we drank beer. Sushi it was and we wandered down to a very cool sushi restaurant.
Day turned to evening… and it was time for the annual Meister Meeting at Waxy O’Conners. As usual, it was a real fine turnout of forum members (and a few welcome stragglers). There are always a few faces I’ve never met before – meeting Cheeky Monkey and Amandajm for the first time was worth the price of the party alone. And of course not only these two, but it was worth it just meeting all of my webmaster buddies, and all the other riff raff who made it down there. Thanks Club World for their sponsorship of another fine Meister Meeting.
That evening a select few of us drifter off next door to an Indian restaurant where Simmo!, the curry king, squared us away with a mesmerizing banquet of mystery meats and sauces that deemed challenging to some of us, especially Maxd whose meal revisited him throughout the night. What joy.
Wednesday – ICE Day Two:
Back on the showroom floor – it was another great turn out of scantly clad young ladies, and a number of others who I was able to get some great gossip from. No it wasn’t about you, my dear reader, but about someone else…I digress.
One person to meet was the casino rep from GoWildCasino – the newest member of the Baptism by Fire section. At the moment they have an exclusive Casinomeister No Deposit Bonus – check it out if you’re not in the US. GoWild has been around for a little while – they had a rough beginning, but over the past year they’ve gotten it together. I hope they keep it that way. So far, so good.
For lunch, Max and I met up with the operators of iNetBet for sushi lunch at Yashin in Kensington. The sushi is out of this world, but the restaurant staff frown upon the pedestrian notion of ruining the subtle flavors with soy sauce and wasabi. I guess they were right; the food was fabulous.
We discussed with the iNetBet guys that there seems to be a impression that iNetBet’s customer service is curt and sometimes rude. At least that seems to be the gist at times in the forum. Personally, I don’t understand it since I’ve seen their responses. They don’t get it either. And if you had met these guys, you’d wonder how that would be. These are two of the most copacetic and pleasant blokes you could hang around with. My suggestion to them was to have their customer service use more smilies in their emails…whatever. I don’t know.
Our discussion went from there to a couple of player issues and then progressed to what to do in the Seychelles, what cool bands have you seen, ska and reggae, and our simple lunch digressed into a four-bottles-of-wine-lunch with lots of saké ta boot. We had an open afternoon, so no worries.
Voice from the past – ICE 2006
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.
That evening we ventured into Covent Garden, which was crawling distance from our hotel. Christophers was the objective – having a great meal was the mission. My webmaster buddies Webzcas and Simmo! were there – along side the guys from 32Red – always classy; always entertaining.
https://www.casinomeister.com/goto.php?c=32r
The recent court decision concerning 32Red’s trademark victory was a topic. In my opinion, this sets a precedent for companies or even webmasters who want to protect their intellectual property rights. This is a very good thing. As the evening wore on, we came to appreciate excellent company, provocative conversation, and extraordinary wine.
Thursday – ICE Day Three:
The last day at ICE was a brief one. I stayed just long enough to browse the IGT stands and some of the land based companies. Also WMS who will be offering games to those in the UK shortly – that’s going to be exciting. Biding farewell to Earl’s Court, I made it back down to the tube and took the Circle line back to Embankment. Bought some cheddar cheese at Spencers, I then mosied on back the Hotel.
That afternoon was spent mostly with the manager and operator of the Club World Casinos group at the Grange Hotel at St Paul?s. We discussed the whole “student clause” issue. Club World casinos prohibit full time college students to play at their casinos. It’s stated in their terms and conditions – in fact it’s the very first term they have. Unfortunately, a number of players never read the terms – or they read the terms after it’s been pointed out that they’ve violated them – like our friend Danl who had to forfeit his winnings after it was discovered he was a student.
It has been suggested by some that this casino group only has this term to defend themselves from gangs of dorm dwellers who prey upon their bonuses. This has been denied – it’s strictly a policy against those who don’t have the means to gamble. Identifying students for them is pretty clear cut, and they’ve had this policy for years with only a handful of negative issues. I’ve suggested that perhaps they could briefly state on their website their philosophy concerning student play, and why its prohibition is important to them. Club World is the only casino group that has this policy. I think the reasoning behind the policy would interest players, but this decision is strictly up to the casino.
That evening was the iGB Affiliate Awards dinner and ceremony. I wore a black suit, purple shirt, with a silver bear claw bolo tie that belonged to my grandfather. It’s a least 40 – 50 years old.
What I found somewhat odd was there were many new faces – so many in fact, I was pretty surprised on how many people I didn’t know. Just goes to show that the affiliate community is growing incredibly. Unfortunately the London Affiliate Conference was not on my agenda this year. I had to make it back home to my dear wife who had just had surgery on her foot. She can’t drive for the next four weeks; just call me Mr. Taxi.
Besides, I was getting pretty burnt out since I had been nursing some cracked ribs for the entire week. I hadn’t had much sleep because of this. So instead of hanging out until the wee hours with all the familiar faces, I headed to the Empire Casino in Leicester Square with my webmaster buddies Simmo! and Webzcas. It was nice way to wind down before heading back.
Voice from the past – ICE 2010
That evening was the iGaming Awards – really a good show. The food wasn’t bad at all, and it was nice seeing a lot of familiar faces. The best thing however, was the entertainment. I thought they would have a comedian like last year’s event (apparently, I was the only one laughing – the rest of the audience sounded like crickets), but this was amazing: Petebox is a musician who makes “beat box” music with his mouth. But he’s also a master of looping. You need to check out some of his videos at Youtube here, and you’ll see what I mean this guy is great.
There was also the presentation of a check of £65k from industry folk to Oxfam’s Haiti relief. Casinomeister members had contributed nearly $25k for this charity. This amount was matched by Calvin Ayre which amounts to about $50k. Amazing stuff – and we ran our charity drive for only four days. What an awesome force our members are.
And then there were the awards, and the evening wore on and lasted too long…
So again, I found myself on a flight heading back home, reminiscing on the imagery of London – its nuances and deep-rooted history. And going over the events of the week gave me a warm feeling. It was a very successful week – this industry has a lot going for it, and in most cases it’s not the technology or gaming aspects, it’s the people that are making this industry forge ahead. Sure, there are some areas that need improvement, but for the most part, it’s getting better. “Together, we’re the game.” I like that.
Photographic proof of the events can be found here.
15 February 2011
Follow Casinomeister on Twitter! Yep, you can follow us on Twitter – whenever there are new additions to the site, Casinomeister warnings, webcasts, new roguings, new casinos, or any special news, you can be informed via Twitter since I’ll be posting this info there. You can check it out here.
Casinomeister’s Webcast!
Are Online Casinos Safe?
ICE London debriefing
Spot the rogue
Simple tips on covering yo’ ass
All this and more…
http://twitter.com/#!/Casinomeister
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kle6WGkS_mc
Baptism By Fire!
The following casinos have thrown themselves into the Baptism by Fire section. Do they have what it takes to be a Casinomeister Accredited Casino? You decide!
UK ONLY
Let’s welcome Jackpot Party to Casinomeister!! WMS powered casino – and it’s their first casino to go online!! Into the Baptism by Fire
section ya go!
Play your favorites – Wizard of Oz, Star Trek, Zeus – and all those you’ve seen in land based casinos – Sign up now and get a 100% bonus up to £150!!
You can check them out !!
Terms and conditions apply – please read them.
Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located here
NO US
Let’s welcome GoWildCasino to Casinomeister!! MGS powered casino that has been making some great improvements of the past year. Into the Baptism by Fire
section ya go!
To start, they have a exclusive Casinomeister member only promotion – €£$10 No deposit bonus & 30 FREE SPINS on Thunderstruck 2, and a 1000 Welcome Package (to include 75 Free Spins)!! You can check it out GoWildCasino!
Terms and conditions apply – please read them.
No US – Sorry
Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located here
And Now For The Humor…..
For several years, a man was having an affair with an Italian woman.
One night, she confided in him that she was pregnant. Not wanting to ruin his reputation or his marriage, he paid her a large sum of money if she would go to Italy to secretly have the child. If she stayed in Italy to raise the child, he would also provide child support until the child turned 18. She agreed, but asked how he would know when the baby was born.
To keep it discrete, he told her to simply mail him a post card, and write ‘Spaghetti’ on the back. He would then arrange for the child support payments to begin.
One day, about 9 months later, he came home to his confused wife. ‘Honey,’she said, ‘You received a very strange post card today.’ ‘Oh, just give it to me and I’ll explain it later,’ he said . The wife obeyed and watched as her husband read the card, turned white, and fainted.
On the card was written: ‘Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti. Three with meatballs, two without.’ Send extra sauce.
25 February 2011
Spirit of the Bonus is a antiquated misnomer, but there are some casino managers that never got the memo. It’s 2011 and there are still some misguided casino managers who insist on using this term to confiscate players’ winnings. What is alarming is that two large betting firms, Betfair and Ladbrokes, have used this “rule” to justify these confiscations. Ladbrokes reconsidered this action and resolved the issue by subsequently paying the player. Betfair stuck to their guns and were rogued last December.
As stated in Casinomeister’s Philosophy and Mission statement, Spirit of the Bonus is too subjective to be used as a reason to remove winnings. No one can agree what the “spirit” is. For the casino, it’s for the customer to enjoy the games; for the customer, it’s to win – no one plays to lose.
The danger of using “spirit” within one’s terms and conditions is that it opens up a world of potential managerial abuse whereas casino managers begin confiscating wins at their whim. If they don’t like the way a player plays, *poof* winnings vanish and “speak to the hand” is the casino’s response. Believe me, it’s happened before.
When a casino manager uses terms like “spirit” or “abuse” it smacks of poor training on the casino’s part – these managers have not been trained to effectively design bullet-proof bonuses and/or properly deal with players. Seasoned players usually have a laugh when a customer support rep uses terms like these, but it’s no laughing matter when these terms are enforced.
The bottom line is the casino can select who receives promotional offers. If a casino does not like the way a player plays, well don’t offer him or her any further bonuses. But if the player plays the right games, and meets the wagering requirements, that player is owed his winnings. Spirit or not, that’s the way it is.
You can read more about this here.
Follow Casinomeister on Twitter! Yep, you can follow us on Twitter – whenever there are new additions to the site, Casinomeister warnings, webcasts, new roguings, new casinos, or any special news, you can be informed via Twitter since I’ll be posting this info there. You can check it out here.
Baptism By Fire!
The following casinos have thrown themselves into the Baptism by Fire section. Do they have what it takes to be a Casinomeister Accredited Casino? You decide!
UK ONLY
Let’s welcome Jackpot Party to Casinomeister!! WMS powered casino – and it’s their first casino to go online!! Into the Baptism by Fire
section ya go!
Play your favorites – Wizard of Oz, Star Trek, Zeus – and all those you’ve seen in land based casinos – Sign up now and get a 100% bonus up to £150!!
You can check them out !!
Terms and conditions apply – please read them.
Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located here
NO US
Let’s welcome GoWildCasino to Casinomeister!! MGS powered casino that has been making some great improvements of the past year. Into the Baptism by Fire
section ya go!
To start, they have a exclusive Casinomeister member only promotion – €£$10 No deposit bonus & 30 FREE SPINS on Thunderstruck 2, and a 1000 Welcome Package (to include 75 Free Spins)!! You can check it out GoWildCasino!
Terms and conditions apply – please read them.
No US – Sorry
Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located here
And Now For The Humor
One morning, a woman and her baby were taking a bus. As she entered the bus the driver says “Wow, that is one ugly baby.”
The woman deeply hurt just continued on the bus and found a seat next to an elderly man. The man asks “What’s wrong? You look mad.”
She replied “I am. That bus driver just insulted me.”
“You shouldn’t take that from him.” the man replied. “He’s a public worker and should give you respect. If I was you I would take down his badge number and report him.
“You’re right sir I think I will report him.”
The elderly man says, “You go on up there and get his badge number. I’ll hold your monkey for you.”
ha ha ha!
NEW JERSEY SPECULATION (Update)
With the deadline for signature approaching, what will governor Christie do?
The New York Post revved up speculation on the New Jersey bid to legalise online gambling (see previous InfoPowa reports) with a piece this week claiming that governor Chris Christie will not sign the bill into law.
The bill, authored by Sen. Ray Lesniak, enjoyed a remarkably fast passage through both state legislative bodies, achieving significant majority votes before being passed to the governor for signature.
Christie has three options: sign it; veto it and return it to the legislature for a further vote or ignore it and see it pass into law automatically after 45 days.
With only days to go until the deadline, the issue is being keenly watched by the industry and is seen as a possible forerunner for US states to individually decide the future of internet gambling in the world’s biggest market.
However, Joe Brennan Jr., who chairs the iMEGA online gambling action group, warns that because the legislature is currently in recess until March 4th, the governor may have a little more time to make his decision.
The New York Times quotes unnamed ‘insider’ sources in claiming that there is pressure on governor Christie from both sides, but that it is likely he will not sign the bill into law.
Apparently the giant land gambling group Caesars Entertainment – which has online gambling ambitions too – wants to see a federal rather than state-by-state legalisation process and is urging the governor not to give his approval to the New Jersey proposal.
The group has some clout in the region, operating four large casinos in Atlantic City.
Brennan, however, has said that this is not his perception following iMEGA meetings with the governor’s staff, who apparently did not give any negative indications on the issue. They insisted that the governor was considering all points of view with an open mind, and wanted to be sure that passing the new law was the correct course for the state.
Online Casino News courtesy ofInfoPowa
4 March 2011
Just a short one today – it’s been a real busy week and most productive. We’ve uploaded most of the archived newsletters which are located here.
Take a trip down memory lane – we’re back to the year 2000 at the moment with 1999 and 1998 in the works. It’s amazing how far this industry has come in 13 years, and baffling that many of its problems still exist. Got a lunch hour to kill? Check them out here. And yeah, I know some of the internal links are broken, I’ll be fixing those next week.
Casinomeister’s Forum:
There’s a poll in the forum that you may want to participate in here: Poll: What entices you to try a new casino?
Is it the bonus offer? Is it what you’ve heard in the fora? Is it the games? Give us your thoughts here.
Casinomeister’s Webcast!
Spirit of the Bonus
Rules in action
Pitfalls of not reading terms and conditions
Simple tips on covering yo’ ass
All this and more…
https://www.casinomeister.com/newsletter/index.php
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/online-casinos/42893-poll-what-entices-you-try-new-casino.html
http://twitter.com/#!/Casinomeister
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=303Y8ulZs90
Baptism By Fire
The following casinos have thrown themselves into the Baptism by Fire section. Do they have what it takes to be a Casinomeister Accredited Casino? You decide!
UK ONLY
Let’s welcome Jackpot Party to Casinomeister!! WMS powered casino – and it’s their first casino to go online!! Into the Baptism by Fire
section ya go!
Play your favorites – Wizard of Oz, Star Trek, Zeus – and all those you’ve seen in land based casinos – Sign up now and get a 100% bonus up to £150!!
You can check them out !!
Read what the players are saying here!
Terms and conditions apply – please read them.
Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located here
NO US
Let’s welcome GoWildCasino to Casinomeister!! MGS powered casino that has been making some great improvements of the past year. Into the Baptism by Fire
section ya go!
To start, they have a exclusive Casinomeister member only promotion – €£$10 No deposit bonus & 30 FREE SPINS on Thunderstruck 2, and a 1000 Welcome Package (to include 75 Free Spins)!! You can check it out GoWildCasino!
Terms and conditions apply – please read them.
No US – Sorry
Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located here
And Now For The Humor…..
At school, Little Johnny was told by a classmate that most adults are hiding at least one dark secret, and that this makes it very easy to blackmail them by saying, “I know the whole truth.”
Little Johnny decides to go home and try it out. He goes home, and as he is greeted by his mother. He says, “I know the whole truth.” His mother quickly hands him $20 and says, “Just don’t tell your father.”
Quite pleased, the boy waits for his father to get home from work, and greets him with, “I know the whole truth.” The father promptly hands him $40 and says, “Please don’t say a word to your mother.”
Very pleased, the boy is on his way to school the next day when he sees the mailman at his front door. The boy greets him by saying, “I know the whole truth.”
The mailman immediately drops the mail, opens his arms, and says, “Then come give your daddy a great big hug!”
ha ha ha!
9 March 2011
My buddy Ted Loh – today would have been Ted Loh’s 47th birthday, and I thought it would be cool to dig up an old interview I did with him back in 2004. He was the webmaster of Got2Bet at the time and one of the most active and knowledgable webmasters in the business. This was true in 2004 – and even up to when he left us in 2010. Take a trip down memory lane and check it out here:
Casinomeister’s Forum:
The poll is still going on! Players – voice what motivates you to sign up at an online casino. Poll: What entices you to try a new casino?
Is it the bonus offer? Is it what you’ve heard in the fora? Is it the games? Give us your thoughts here.
Baptism By Fire
The following casinos have thrown themselves into the Baptism by Fire section. Do they have what it takes to be a Casinomeister Accredited Casino? You decide!
UK ONLY
Let’s welcome Jackpot Party to Casinomeister!! WMS powered casino – and it’s their first casino to go online!! Into the Baptism by Fire
section ya go!
Play your favorites – Wizard of Oz, Star Trek, Zeus – and all those you’ve seen in land based casinos – Sign up now and get a 100% bonus up to £150!!
You can check them out !!
Read what the players are saying here!
Terms and conditions apply – please read them.
Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located here
NO US
Let’s welcome GoWildCasino to Casinomeister!! MGS powered casino that has been making some great improvements of the past year. Into the Baptism by Fire
section ya go!
To start, they have a exclusive Casinomeister member only promotion – €£$10 No deposit bonus & 30 FREE SPINS on Thunderstruck 2, and a 1000 Welcome Package (to include 75 Free Spins)!! You can check it out GoWildCasino!
Terms and conditions apply – please read them.
No US – Sorry
Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located here
And Now For The Humor
In a city park stood two statues, one female and the other male. These two statues faced each other for many years. Early one morning an angel appeared before the statues and said, “Since the two of you have been exemplary statues and have brought enjoyment to many people, I am giving you your greatest wish. I hereby give you the gift of life. You have 30 minutes to do whatever you desire.” And with that command, the statues came to life.
The two statues smiled at each other, ran toward some nearby woods and dove behind a couple of bushes. The angel smiled to himself as he listened to the two statues giggling, bushes rustling and twigs snapping.
After 15 minutes, the two statues emerged from the bushes, satisfied and smiling. Puzzled, the angel looked at his watch and asked the statues, “You still have 15 minutes. Would you like to continue?”
The male statue looked at the female and asked, “Do you want to do it again?”
Smiling, the female statue said, “Sure. But this time YOU hold the pigeon down and I’LL poop on its head!”
ha ha ha!
7 April 2011
“It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want – oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!” ~Mark Twain
Ain’t that true. Looking outside, I know I have a lot of work to do, but it’s not quite warm enough to chillout under a shade tree – mostly because there is not much shade, and it’s not quite that warm yet. Nevertheless, I have work to do.
So what needs to be done? Well, if you haven’t noticed yet, the forum has been relaunched. If you haven’t checked it out yet, well please do so now here.
It has a different feel to it – at the moment I’m still spending time re-installing the bells and whistles many of you have learned to enjoy. The best part is that within the next several weeks, we will be adding a number of new functions to the forum. Yes, we are participating in the year 2011 – and you’re going to like it.
Casinomeister’s Forum:
ATTENTION VIDEO POKER PLAYERS!! JOIN OUR POLL!!
There is a poll going on concerning the “double-up” function of VP. Do you use it? Do you think it’s a scam? Please let us know if and how you play this here. And if you are a math head – let us know the ins and outs of using this function of the game. Thanks!
Grand Privé wants out of the Rogue Section. Find out why we said no here.
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/online-casinos/43445-double-up-video-poker-do-you-do.html
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/online-casinos/43267-grand-priv-wants-get-out-rogue-pit.html
Special Announcement
If you haven’t seen it yet, GoneGambling has been relaunched. It’s the first relaunch in about a decade and it looks amazing. Don’t believe me? Check it out here.
Don’t know what GoneGambling’s about? It’s the Disneyland of online gaming – simple as that.
ROGUE ANNOUNCEMENT
There have been several warnings issues this week for some nasty activity. Please check out the updates in our rogue section for the following:
Warning: WPT Casino – no pay, “spirit of the bonus” Terms
Warning: SpinWin Casino: no pay, CS on auto-responder
Warning: Backgammon Masters: hidden Terms, non-responsive
Details here.
https://www.casinomeister.com/rogue/
Baptism By Fire
The following casinos have thrown themselves into the Baptism by Fire section. Do they have what it takes to be a Casinomeister Accredited Casino? You decide!
UK ONLY
Let’s welcome Jackpot Party to Casinomeister!! WMS powered casino – and it’s their first casino to go online!! Into the Baptism by Fire
section ya go!
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You can check them out !!
Read what the players are saying here!
Terms and conditions apply – please read them.
Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located here
NO US
Let’s welcome GoWildCasino to Casinomeister!! MGS powered casino that has been making some great improvements of the past year. Into the Baptism by Fire
section ya go!
To start, they have a exclusive Casinomeister member only promotion – €£$10 No deposit bonus & 30 FREE SPINS on Thunderstruck 2, and a 1000 Welcome Package (to include 75 Free Spins)!! You can check it out GoWildCasino!
Terms and conditions apply – please read them.
No US – Sorry
Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located here
And Now For The Humor……
A young wife, her boorish husband and a young good looking sailor were shipwrecked on an island. One morning, the sailor climbed a tall coconut tree and yelled, “Stop making love down there!”
“What’s the matter with you?” the husband said when the sailor climbed down. ‘”We weren’t making love.”
“Sorry,” said the sailor, “From up there it looked like you were.” Every morning thereafter, the sailor scaled the same tree and yelled the same thing. Finally the husband decided to climb the tree and see for himself. With great difficulty, he made his way to the top. The husband says to himself, “By golly he’s right! It DOES look like they’re making love down there!”
ha ha ha!
21 April 2011
What a wild week. The DoJ cracks down on the three big poker rooms (Fulltilt Poker, Pokerstars, Absolute/Ultimatebet Poker), confiscating their .com domains and close to $3 billion worth of assets, yet Washington D.C. legalizes online poker for its residents. The US poker community is up in arms grabbing their pitchforks and torches, and they are voicing their protests at every level. I would recommend everyone to join in as well – especially if you are living in the States.
The Poker Player’s Alliance is the torchbearer when it comes to poker player’s interests. The PPA has links on their site that can refer you to your representatives in the Senate and Congress, the DoJ’s Facebook page, the email addresses for the Attorney General and Mr. President himself.
It’s a mess – and the DoJ’s actions are full of mixed signals. They confiscated these poker rooms .com domains because the DoJ asserts that these companies are doing something illegal. Remember a few months ago when Wikileaks published classified information? The rhetoric from Washington was that website – wikileaks.org – was aiding and abetting terrorists. Why didn’t the DoJ or Homeland Security confiscate the .org site back then? Are these poker sites more threatening than “aiding and abetting” terrorism? Where is the logic?
And at press time, the DoJ has stated that they are allowing the Big Three to access their .com domains so that they can pay the US players back. What sense does that make? I thought these poker rooms had managed these poker players funds illegally. Sorry, but I can’t wrap my head around this.
One thing for sure, representatives from the poker rooms have stated that they believe they have done nothing wrong. So I’m sure we are in for an interesting debate in the US courts in the near future. The current laws will (I’m sure) be challenged. And this might be the opening of the US market in disguise.
Casinomeister’s Forum:
Pokerstars, Absolutepoker, Ub and Fulltilt Seized By Doj
Follow the ups and downs of this roller coaster adventure here.
Legal Online Poker In D.C. Yes it’s true. Find out why here.
US Players money stuck in Casinos/Poker rooms? Some developments here.
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/casino-industry-discussion/43592-pokerstars-absolutepoker-ub-fulltilt-seized-doj.html
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/casino-industry-discussion/43484-legal-online-poker-d-c.html
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/online-casinos/43652-us-players-money-stuck-casinos-poker-rooms.html
Special Announcement!
If you haven’t seen it yet, GoneGambling has been relaunched. It’s the first relaunch in about a decade and it looks amazing. Don’t believe me? Check it out here.
Don’t know what GoneGambling’s about? It’s the Disneyland of online gaming – simple as that.
Accredited Casinos!
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And Now For The Humor…..
A man decided to have a face lift for his birthday. He spends $ 5,000 and feels really good about the result. On his way home he stops at a newsstand and buys a paper. Before leaving he says to the salesclerk, “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but how old do you think I am?”
“About 35,” was the reply. “I’m actually 47,” the man says, feeling really happy. After that he goes into McDonalds for lunch, and asks the order taker the same question, to which the reply is, “Oh you look about 29.”
“I am actually 47.” This makes him feel really good.
While standing at the bus stop he asks an old woman the same question. She replies, “I am 85 years old and my eyesight is going. But when I was young there was a sure way of telling a mans age. If I put my hand down your pants and play with your thingy for ten minutes I will be able to tell your exact age.”
As there was no one around, the man thought what the hell and let her slip her hand down his pants. Ten minutes later the old lady says, “OK, it’s done. You are 47.”
Stunned the man says, “That was brilliant! How did you do that?” The old lady replies, “I was behind you in McDonalds.”
ha ha ha!
6 May 11
Did you know that Casinomeister has just published an official Android Application? Well now you do. If you are a jetsetting member of the mobile phone society, you can download your app for freehere. For you iPhone users, the iPhone app should be out in a week or so – stay tuned for this!
These applications will allow you to access and participate fully in the forum: read and answer PMs, respond to posts, keep updated to the goings on in Meisterland. It’s a marvelous addition to Casinomeister. You can read more about this here.
Casinomeister’s Forum:
Introducing the Meister Beat – the forum’s Content Management System.
The Meister Beat is a spot where some of the most pertinent and interesting information from the forum and main website converges. Updated daily – on the fly, it’s a spot that should be booked-marked by all. Check it out here.
It’s still in a fetal stage, but it’ll be expanding – with members being able to publish posts and threads to this section. Stay tuned for more.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.vbulletin.build_373&feature=search_result
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/forum-suggestions-announcements-feedback/43703-casinomeister-app.html
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/content/
Special Announcement
If you haven’t seen it yet, GoneGambling has been relaunched. It’s the first relaunch in about a decade and it looks amazing. Don’t believe me? Check it out here.
Don’t know what GoneGambling’s about? It’s the Disneyland of online gaming – simple as that.
Accredited Casinos!
OMNI CASINO ACCREDITED CASINO
Omni Casino has been around longer than Casinomeister – and that’s a long time. Seldom is there a complaint, and they can boast of 1000s of satisfied customers.
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As a new player, you will receive 100% up to $/€/£ 100 immediately after your first deposit.Check them out now here!! Sorry – No US
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MANHATTAN SLOTS
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And Now For The Humor….
In a trial, a Southern small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grandmotherly, elderly woman to the stand. He approached her and asked, “Mrs. Jones, do you know me?” She responded, “Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I’ve known you since you were a young boy, and frankly, you’ve been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you’re a big shot when you haven’t the brains to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you.”
The lawyer was stunned! Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, “Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?” She again replied, “Why, yes, I do. I’ve known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He’s lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can’t build a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was your wife. Yes, I know him.”
The defense attorney almost died. The judge asked both counselors to approach the bench and, in a very quiet voice, said, “If either of you idiots asks her if she knows me, I’ll send you two to the electric chair.”
ha ha ha!
TURNING BLACK FRIDAY INTO AN EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY
Harvard professor stimulates his students with a legal conundrum
CNN reports that online poker supporter and Harvard law professor Charles Neeson turned the bad news of Black Friday into a learning opportunity this week, asking his students:
“The government seized online poker sites under a 2006 law that bans all financial institutions – banks, credit card companies, and online payment companies – from dealing with illegal Internet gambling.
“But there’s no federal law that bans people from playing online poker. And while the Justice Department takes the view that Internet gambling is illegal, no court has settled the question of what is illegal and what is not.
“How would you represent me in this?”
Neeson wants his protégés to think of ways in which a regular citizen like himself might challenge the government on the issue.
Professor Neeson is no stranger to controversy; he teaches his students to play poker in order to better understand and use the law and human nature, and is the founder of the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society (see previous InfoPowa reports).
The Society, which has a strong Harvard following, is based on the view that poker is a game of skill that can teach a multitude of important facts of life: strategic thinking, how to perceive risk, handle opponents and even geopolitics.
A colourful and highly intelligent personality, Neeson frequently makes the mainstream media headlines with expert opinions on the game and on his support for attempts to recognise it as a legal pastime favoured by millions of Americans.
The professor says his main reason for supporting these attempts is a desire for freedom of choice when it comes to poker.
He told CNN this week: “It’s actually the liberty of playing. That’s a true way of exercising a freedom on the net. It’s a form of internet liberty I happen to value considerably and think replicates too many other things,” he said, briefing CNN on the US situation.
He explained the UIGEA, drawing the distinction between a law that does not attack players, but their financial transactions with ‘illegal’ online poker providers. The problem is….what constitutes an illegal transaction?
There’s no federal law that bans people from playing online poker. And while the Justice Department takes the view that Internet gambling is illegal, no court has settled the question of what is illegal and what is not.
Hence the conundrum presented to his students.
Neeson hasn’t stopped there, reports CNN – he’s joined players who have peppered the Justice Department’s Facebook page with complaints, and he’s protested to the officials involved in the poker indictments.
Others are also taking up arms, according to widespread news reports on the indictments. Some detail the over 70,000 protests sent via the Poker Players Alliance to US politicians; others have taken to Youtube, and blog coverage has been phenomenal.
Mainstream and online media articles on every aspect of the internet poker industry and the US attempts to snuff it out continue to proliferate, creating an exceptionally high profile for the industry and the attempts at state and federal level to legalise it.
In a typical piece written for the Huffington Post, the founder of a charity underlined the philanthropic nature of online poker providers…and the adverse impact of the DoJ attack on poker sites.
Kate Moulene of the charity Capian Enterprises writes that she was in negotiations with one of the indicted sites, Full Tilt Poker, to support a range of charities that included Japanese tsunami victims, but the project has had to be suspended due to the Department of Justice actions.
Online Casino News courtesy ofInfoPowa
More news here.
13 May 2011
Casinomeister’s Webcast!
Casinomeister News
US Players – be careful what you wish for
Content thieves
All this and more…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=303Y8ulZs90
Special Anouncement!
If you haven’t seen it yet, GoneGambling has been relaunched. It’s the first relaunch in about a decade and it looks amazing. Don’t believe me? Check it out here.
Don’t know what GoneGambling’s about? It’s the Disneyland of online gaming – simple as that.
Accredited Casinos
UK ONLY
Let’s welcome Jackpot Party to Casinomeister’s Accredited Casino section!! WMS powered casino – they have fantastic games that are standard slots at any US based casino.
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Read what the players are saying here!
Terms and conditions apply – please read them.
Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located here
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MANHATTAN SLOTS
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And Now For The Humor…..
While riding one day, a cowboy met an Indian riding along with a dog and a sheep and he began a conversation.
Cowboy: “Hey, nice dog you got there. Mind if I speak to him?
Indian: “Dog no talk.”
Cowboy: “Hey dog, how’s it going?”
Dog: “Doin’ alright.”
Indian: Look of shock.
Cowboy: “Is this Indian your owner?” Pointing at the Indian.
Dog: “Yep.”
Cowboy: “How does he treat you?”
Dog: “Real good. He walks me twice a day, feeds me great food, and takes me to the lake once a week to play.”
Indian: Look of disbelief.
Cowboy: “Mind if I talk to your horse?”
Indian: “Horse no talk.”
Cowboy: “Hey horse, how’s it going?”
Horse: “Good.”
Indian: Extreme look of shock.
Cowboy: “Is this your owner?” Pointing at the Indian.
Horse: “Yep.”
Cowboy: “How does he treat you?”
Horse: “Pretty good, thanks for asking. He rides me regularly,
brushes me down often, and keeps me in a shed to protect me.”
Indian: Complete look of utter amazement.
Cowboy: “Mind if I talk to your sheep?”
Indian: “Sheep liar.”
ha ha ha!
MORE U.S. INTERNET CENSORSHIP?
Has the Department of Homeland Security overstepped its authority?
The online publication Wired.com examined an apparent censorship attempt by the US government’s Homeland Security department over the weekend, raising the question of how far the department’s authority extends.
The article revolves around a ‘request’ by the department to software developer Mozilla, which offers the popular Firefox internet browser, that it remove an add-on that allows web surfers to access websites whose domain names were seized by the government for copyright infringement.
The implications of this sort of censorship attempt will be clear to the online gambling industry, which has seen industry domains attacked by state and federal governments for a variety of reasons.
Mozilla’s legal representatives are currently engaged in a debate with the department, and have revealed that the company’s MafiaaFire add-on is at the centre of the argument, and that the department has been asked to give reasons why its request should be granted.
However, two weeks have passed since Homeland Security was asked to justify its request, and the government has not responded to Mozilla’s questions, which include whether the government considers the add-on unlawful and whether Mozilla is “legally obligated” to remove it.
The DHS has also not provided the company with a court order requiring the add-on’s removal, a Mozilla lawyer pointed out.
“One of the fundamental issues here is under what conditions do intermediaries accede to government requests that have a censorship effect and which may threaten the open internet,” Harvey Anderson, Mozilla’s lawyer, wrote on his blog.
Wired.com reports that the add-on in question redirects traffic from seized domains to other domains outside the jurisdictional reach of the United States.
In addition to internet gambling industry domain disputes such as the attempted Kentucky seizures and the recent Department of Justice actions against three major online poker sites, it appears that the U.S. government has seized at least 120 domains in an antipiracy initiative known as “Operation in Our Sites.”
The domains were taken under the same federal statute used to seize drug houses.
Many of these seized sites have been redirected by their owners to domains being hosted where the United States cannot legally touch them, Wired.com notes.
The add-on that has spurred Homeland Security to approach Mozilla has been downloaded more than 6,400 times, the internet publication reveals.
Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa
More news here.
30 May 2011
Back in the saddle again. Last week I attended the iGaming Super Show in Dublin, and it was a well attended and pleasurable experience. I’ve never been to Dublin – and I was not looking forward to leaving a desirable 27 degree near-summer environment and venture into a cold blustery windy wet city. Yet one thing I was looking forward to was the Guinness – there is a rumor that the Irish can make a good beer.
But on the first day, I found that the beer had to wait. The US president and I have at least one thing in common, we landed in Dublin on the same day. Air Force One was on the tarmac when we set down – a really impressive sight. And it was a indicator that the rest of the day was to be filled with delays and crowded streets.
My taxi made it about half-way to the hotel. The driver apologetically explained to me that the entire downtown was closed off to traffic. Bummer for me. I ended up having to hoof it through a town I was totally unfamiliar with. It’s a good thing I only had hand carry on – the crowds were thick and there was little room to maneuver along the partitioned sidewalks. Walking a snail’s pace at times, I just wanted to get to my hotel – to which I finally arrived at nearly two hours after being left off by the cab. (Note: the taxi drivers in Dublin are probably the friendliest taxi drivers I’ve ever met).
Meeting the usual suspects in the bar at Bewleys at Ballsbridge Hotel it was good to catch up. And of course watching the President’s Dublin address – which in my opinion was well thought out and inspiring. As an American living abroad, he can make you proud being an American just from what he says and how he says it. He definitely has the “gift of gab.”
These conferences are usually a busy time for me. Either operators want to meet up to discuss coming on board, or they want to meet up with me to see about getting removed from the rogue pit. I am pleased to say that I did meet with a number of operators that I feel have what it takes to get listed in the Accredited section – and no one had to corner me to see what it takes to get “de-rogued.”
Besides meeting potential new Casinomeister member casino reps, I wanted to hear what some of the legal experts had to say about the online gaming environment.
The Future of iGaming in the US and the Effects of Black Friday
Martin Owens – a trade attorney from California who specializes in gaming law gave the presentation.
My notes:
US gambling law is based on the laws of its States – which are all over the road. Generally speaking, a violation of US state gambling law is needed to trigger US Federal gambling law. Each state can and does make its own gambling policy: 16 states and DC have no statutory definition of gambling. Only nine states mention the Internet in their gambling laws, which can lead to even more grey areas.
The Jurisdiction Question: if Joe Gambler, residing in US State X, dial up the ABC online gaming site (located overseas) and places a bet – does that alone give US State X jurisdiction to haul ABC casino into its courts and prosecute? Answer: Nobody knows for sure – there is no clear statute; no clear case decision.
But the presumption is “no”. Normally, laws of State X only apply within State X. For criminal prosecution, the suspect must “inject harm” from outside. And since 48 States have their own forms of gambling, that’s a high hurdle to jump.
Are non-US service providers/vendors just as potentially liable as non-US operators? The answer is generally speaking: “no”.
Targeting priority (in the business of gambling or wagering):
- proposing the bet
- setting the odds
- holding the stakes
- paying the winners/collecting from losers
The gamblers themselves are not a US Federal target. Service providers may be targeted if they are helping to move the money, or aiding and abetting. How do affiliates fit in? The further away from the direct “business of gambling” the better.
One thing to remember – the decision to prosecute is often a political one – a clearly defined “villain” doing clearly “villainous” things. Service vendors and marketing arrangements are harder to understand so generally, they are not a “trophy head”, so most will be overlooked entirely…just don’t kick ’em in the shins.
One thing that he and Professor I. Nelson Rose brought up was their alarm at the US being able to confiscate .com sites. It’s setting a dangerous precedent. If .com sites are clearly global in nature, what is stopping Saudi Arabia or Iran from confiscating Budweisser.com? Or any .com that promotes alcohol? Alcohol is unquestionably illegal there (no grey area whatsoever).
The most frustrating thing to me is … where are the victims? Who has been harmed? There are millions of players in the States who want to play – there are near countless operators who want to provide their services be AND TAXED FOR IT.
The Department of Justice: of the people, by the people, and for the people. Yeah, right.
To be continued. Scroll down…
Special Announcement
If you haven’t seen it yet, GoneGambling has been relaunched. It’s the first relaunch in about a decade and it looks amazing. Don’t believe me? Check it out here.
Don’t know what GoneGambling’s about? It’s the Disneyland of online gaming – simple as that.
DUBLIN CONTINUED
Two things about Dublin – whiskey and Guinness. Thanks to CAP, a group of us were invited to the Jameson Distillery where we had a nice lunch and a tour of the distillery. I was never really into whiskey that much, but the “tasting” we had was very informative – I actually learned something about whiskey that I can remember. Amazingly enough, they have a locked display case that includes 40 year old whiskey gift packages that start at €4000 a bottle. If you need my mailing address, please let me know.
And of course – Guinness; what a magnificent beer. Three of us made it to the brewery before they closed, and had a couple up at the top of the Guinness tower – one of the highest structures in Dublin. The beer there was fantastic. The head was like liquid beer pudding – I never tasted anything so smoothingly beerlicious. The brewery is a “must see” if you like beer. Even the President mentioned that he liked it.
Finally, the Dublin conference was a fabulous show. I wish there were more webmasters there – I’m thinking the volcano cloud scared a few off. Nevertheless, it’s always a pleasure meeting up with my webmaster buddies, affiliate managers, and operators that participate and/or follow Casinomeister. It was a real good trip. Thanks go to Alex Pratt and all those responsible for a great show.
And now for the humor……
A guy stops by a cafe for breakfast. After paying the tab, he checks his pockets and leaves his tip–three pennies.
As he strides toward the door, his waitress muses, only half to herself: “You know, you can tell a lot about a man by the tip he leaves.”
The man turns around, curiosity getting the better of him. “Oh, really? Tell me, what does my tip say?”
“Well, this penny tells me you’re a thrifty man.” Barely able to conceal his pride, the man utters “Hmm, true enough.”
“And this penny, it tells me you’re a bachelor.” Surprised at her perception, he says, “Well, that’s true, too.”
“And the third penny tells me that your father was one, too.”
ha ha ha!
10 Jue 2011
Casinomeister’s Webcast!
Bierfest!! 13 Years online!!
Dublin Supershow
Legalities of Online Gaming
All this and more…
Special Announcement!
If you haven’t seen it yet, GoneGambling has been relaunched. It’s the first relaunch in about a decade and it looks amazing. Don’t believe me? Check it out here.
Don’t know what GoneGambling’s about? It’s the Disneyland of online gaming – simple as that.
Accredited Casinos!
UK ONLY
Let’s welcome Jackpot Party to Casinomeister’s Accredited Casino section!! WMS powered casino – they have fantastic games that are standard slots at any US based casino.
Play your favorites – Wizard of Oz, Star Trek, Zeus – and all those you’ve seen in land based casinos – Sign up now and get a 100% bonus up to £150!!
You can check them out !!
Read what the players are saying here!
Terms and conditions apply – please read them.
Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located here
ALL COUNTRIES
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And now for the humor……
A man boarded a plane with six kids.
After they got settled in their seats a woman sitting across the aisle from him leaned Over to him and asked, “Are all of those kids yours?”
He replied, “No. I work for a condom company. These are customer complaints.”
ha ha ha!
POLICE OFFICER INDICTED FOR ILLEGAL GAMBLING
Year long investigation culminates in three charges of illegal gambling
Detective Roland Benavides, an Oklahoma City police officer was indicted and charged with illegal gambling by a Multi-County Grand Jury this week.
Benavides had been under investigation by the Oklahoma City Police Department for over a year before being charged said Police Chief Bill City.
The officer has been charged with three counts in connection with playing online gambling games of chance.
Two indictments in connection with the gambling website have already been handed down to David Roy Tune and C.L. Richards (see previous InfoPowa reports).
The judge unsealed the indictment and set Benavides’ bond at $2,000 for each count. A preliminary hearing conference is set for July 6.
Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa
More news here.
1 July 2011
Yep – I’m back in the saddle after my early summer/late spring break. It was good to get away, but it’s great to be back. Took the family to Italy for nine days – trucking through the city on foot looking at every “must-see” church, ruin, and historical site. You can’t do it in nine days. We even visited Pompeii for a day – which was a true highlight of the trip.
Other highlights included:
Driving through Rome – what a blast! It was like driving bumper cars but without the bumping. It’s not for the faint of heart or those prone to road rage. No one in the city cares how they drive, and they don’t care how you drive either.
The food – you can eat relatively cheap there. 6-8 Euros for a pasta dish or pizza, or a three course meal for €15 to include a half liter of wine. And those are tourist prices.
The Vatican Museum – I’ve never seen so much art in one location in my entire life. Amazing, and the Sistine Chapel needs to be seen in person. Awesome.
The Colosseum and Forum – Rome at its peak in 1st century AD must have been incredible. It boggles the imagination – over 1 million people lived in the city back then.
Capuchin Crypt – We weren’t allowed to take photos, but a lot of people in the past have. It’s several rooms decorated by thousands of remains of Capuchin monks and their followers. If you like the macabre, this is the place for you. Google “Capuchin Crypt” in images, and you’ll see what I mean.
Niki de Saint Phalle’s Giardino dei Tarocchi – it’s a tarot garden of massive sculptures that anyone from San Diego would be familiar with. It’s in southern Tuscany and is a “must-see” attraction. You can check out her official website, or check out some of my photos here.In essence, it was a great break – but I’m glad to be back. If you’d like to check out some photos of the trip, you can check out my album in the forum here. And a discussion here
ROGUE ANNOUNCEMENT
Grand Duke Casino gets tossed into the rogue pit for confiscating £7200 from a player they claim to have played with a Black Jack system. Read what happened here. And you can follow the discussion here.
https://www.casinomeister.com/rogue/grandduke.php
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/casino-complaints-non-bonus-issues/44664-grand-duke-not-paying-7200-black-jack-winnings-due-system.html
Baptism By Fire!
The following casino has thrown itself into the Baptism by Fire section. Do they have what it takes to be a Casinomeister Accredited Casino? You decide!
Mr. Green Casino Baptism by Fire
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section ya go!
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You can check them out here!!
Terms and conditions apply – please read them.
No US – Sorry
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Accredited Casinos!
Sports InterAction Accredited Casino
Let’s welcome Sports InterAction to the Accredited Casino Section!!
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Terms and conditions apply – please read them.
Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located here
Sorry, no US
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ALL COUNTRIES
MANHATTAN SLOTS
Manhattan Slots – one of the best RTG casinos period. Sign up now and receive a 100% Welcome Bonus up to $747 (claim it twice!)
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And now for the humor……
Two Scottish nuns have just arrived in the USA by boat and one says to the other, ” I hear that the occupants of this country actually eat dogs.”
“Odd,” her companion replies, ” But if we shall live in America, we might as well do as the Americans do.” Nodding emphatically, the mother superior points to a hot dog vendor and they both walk towards it.
“Two dogs, please.” Says the mother superior. The vendor is only too pleased to oblige and he wraps both hot dogs in foil. Excited, the nuns hurry over to a bench and begin to unwrap their ‘dogs’. The mother superior is first to open hers, then, staring at it for a moment, leans over to the other nun and whispers cautiously, “What part of the dog did you get?”
ha ha ha!
ONLINE POKER LEGALISATION BILL UNVEILED TODAY
Barton bill details to be detailed in Friday press conference
The federal internet poker legalisation bill that everyone is talking about – Texas Republican Joe Barton’s proposal – is to be unveiled later today (Friday) at a press conference in Washington DC, reports the political newspaper The Hill.
Representative Barton’s proposal has the backing of Reps. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.), John Campbell (R-Calif.), and Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) with more names expected once the official launch is made public.
Co-sponsors of the bill argue the issue is one of personal freedom and the government shouldn’t stop people from playing a “game of skill.”
The Hill reports that Barton’s bill will be introduced through the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which appears more open to the prospect currently than the House Financial Services Committee, which passed an online gambling bill last year, but is now under the control of hard-line anti-internet gambling Republicans.
Early reports suggest that Barton’s bill would require poker sites to register through the gaming commissions of states that currently permit gambling, and create a federal body to oversee the industry.
Last week The Hill revealed that Barton’s staff were putting the finishing touches to the bill and expected it to be introduced soon (see previous InfoPowa reports). It is understood that the Poker Players Alliance supports the move and has provided expert input to the drafters.
Leaked information claims that under the proposed legislation, online poker sites would have to be registered in a state where gambling is already allowed, such as Nevada or New Jersey. Sites would be required to register with the gaming commissions in those states, which would be in charge of ensuring they don’t cheat consumers. The bill would also create a new regulatory body to oversee the game at a federal level.
Users in all 50 states would be allowed to play on the sites for real money, but states would be given the option to opt out of the law and ban online poker if they so choose. Whether that decision would be made by the state legislatures or a referendum has yet to be determined.
There is good synchronicity in an announcement at this stage, with Barton – said to be a keen poker player – due to visit the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas over the weekend and give the traditional “Shuffle Up and Deal” call to start one of the events.
Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa
More news here.
8 July 2011
Casinomeister’s Webcast!
Bierfest!! Win FREE BEER!!
California’s Poker Bill – Introducing the Poker Cops
Vortran’s Casino Warning
All this and more…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5X1kIJB1lc
ROGUE ANNOUNCEMENT
Casino770 is the newest member of the coveted Rogue Pit. Read why here.
https://www.casinomeister.com/rogue/casino770.php
Baptism by Fire!
The following casino has thrown itself into the Baptism by Fire section. Do they have what it takes to be a Casinomeister Accredited Casino? You decide!
Mr. Green Casino Baptism by Fire
Let’s welcome Mr. Green to Casinomeister!! Powered by Betsoft, Net Entertainment, and Wagerworks – into the Baptism by Fire
section ya go!
Sign up now and get a 100% First Deposit Bonus up to £250!!
You can check them out here!!
Terms and conditions apply – please read them.
No US – Sorry
Accredited Casinos!
Sports InterAction Accredited Casino
Let’s welcome Sports InterAction to the Accredited Casino Section!!
- 100% sign up bonus, up to $100
- 15% Monthly Reload Bonus
- Progressive Jackpots
- A personalized loyalty program
- Hot weekly promotions!
You can check them out here!!
Terms and conditions apply – please read them.
Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located here
Sorry, no US
https://www.casinomeister.com/goto.php?c=sia
ALL COUNTRIES
MANHATTAN SLOTS
Manhattan Slots – one of the best RTG casinos period. Sign up now and receive a 100% Welcome Bonus up to $747 (claim it twice!)
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And Now For The Humor…..
A drunk man who smelled like beer sat down on a subway seat next to a priest. The man’s tie was stained, his face was plastered with red lipstick, and a half empty bottle of gin was sticking out of his torn coat pocket. He opened his newspaper and began reading. After a few minutes the man turned to the priest and asked, “Say, Father, what causes arthritis?”
“My Son, it’s caused by loose living, being with cheap, wicked women, too much alcohol and a contempt for your fellow man.”
“Well, I’ll be damned,” the drunk muttered, returning to his paper.
The priest, thinking about what he had said, nudged the man and apologized.
“I’m very sorry. I didn’t mean to come on so strong. How long have you had arthritis?”
“I don’t have it, Father. I was just reading here that the Pope does.”
ha ha ha!
ANOTHER U.S. POLITICIAN SPEAKS UP FOR LEGALISED ONLINE POKER
And this one is a possible presidential candidate!
Following the news earlier this week that Senator Jay Rockefeller from West Virginia supported legalised online poker (see previous InfoPowa report) another influential US politician has come out in support of the pastime.
Presidential candidate and former two-term Republican New Mexico governor Gary Johnson appears to have identified poker players as a powerful demographic in his run for the presidency, setting up a website promoting the concept of legalisation and persuading poker players that he’s the man to vote for…and support with campaign contributions.
“Support me for President, and I’ll support your freedom,” the site proclaims. “The federal government should not be involved in restricting lawful commerce that doesn’t harm anyone.”
Johnson has some powerful support already, from the one million member Poker Players Alliance chief executive John Pappas, who is one record as saying about Johnson: “He cares about this issue. He also realises there is a serious voting block of people out there and believes that their ideologies, not just on poker but [on] other issues, probably align with his.
“He’s a down-to-Earth guy,” Pappas added. “He’s real. He talks the talk and walks the walk. Whether his campaign has the ability to make a run at the nomination is still a question mark, but what he believes is very much aligned with my personal beliefs.”
The Poker Players Alliance has nailed its colours to the mast on legalisation, stating repeatedly that it favours a federal rather than individual state solution, an approach that was echoed this week by the chief executive of the American Gaming Association in an address to a gaming conference in Madrid (see previous InfoPowa report).
However, the AGA chief said that the trade association did not support Texas Representative Joe Barton’s recently launched proposal for federal legalisation, and would be submitting its own measure later this year.
It is understood that this will be more restrictive, including elements favourable to Nevada and New Jersey, and the exclusion of foreign companies that did not exit the US market when the UIGEA was introduced in 2006.
Johnson’s meet ‘n greet political tactics include a visit to Las Vegas this week, where the World Series of Poker is closing in on the key Main Event, scheduled to kick off Thursday, and he is scheduled to attend the WSOP function of the influential poker message board 2+2 Thursday evening.
It’s early days in the 2012 US presidential race, and Johnson is currently ninth among Republican politicians who hope to secure the GOP’s presidential nomination, according to recent polls.
Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa
More news here.
28 July 2011
Summer in Deutschland sucks! It’s rained nearly every day for the past three weeks which has put a real damper on any summer festing. Evening rides to the local Biergartens have pretty much been out of the question – same goes for sitting out on the back patio looking at cows. But what the hell, it just allows me to do more in Casinomeisterland.
Slowly but surely, the site has been getting some updates – like this newsletter for example. We’ve changed the formatting since quite a number of members were not receiving the newsletter properly. There were some subscribers getting truncated messed up crap which was just unreadable. So here we are – a new and improved version.
If you think this sucks, please go ahead and read the online version. This is always located here.
Missed a newsletter? The archives are located here
CASINOMEISTER’S BIERFEST IS IN FULL EFFECT!!!
What could be better than winning some bonus from some online casino? BEER I tells ya!!
THIS WEEK’S CONTEST:
Are you ready for this week’s contest??? Well click here and identify the image. What is this? Hint – it has something to do with Casinomiester.
The first person to get it right wins BEER delivered to your doorstep (must be legal drinking age and not live in a beer unfriendly environment) – or $50 – your choice.
Get ready…get set…go!
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/bierfest/
ROGUE ANNOUNCEMENT
On 8 July, we announced that Casino770 was being tossed in the Rogue Pit for being asleep at the wheel. Well they contacted us and told us that they weren’t asleep. They wanted to join our forum and clarify what the problem was. Unfortunately, they never joined. I guess they had a problem with the ZZZZZzzzzzzz.ROGUE ANNOUNCEMENTOn 8 July, we announced that Casino770 was being tossed in the Rogue Pit for being asleep at the wheel. Well they contacted us and told us that they weren’t asleep. They wanted to join our forum and clarify what the problem was. Unfortunately, they never joined. I guess they had a problem with the ZZZZZzzzzzzz.
More info here here.
https://www.casinomeister.com/rogue/casino770.php
Baptism By Fire
The following casino has thrown itself into the Baptism by Fire section. Do they have what it takes to be a Casinomeister Accredited Casino? You decide!
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section ya go!
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You can check them out here!!
Terms and conditions apply – please read them.
No US – Sorry
https://www.casinomeister.com/goto.php?c=mrgreen
Accredited Casinos!
Sports InterAction Accredited Casino
Let’s welcome Sports InterAction to the Accredited Casino Section!!
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- 15% Monthly Reload Bonus
- Progressive Jackpots
- A personalized loyalty program
- Hot weekly promotions!
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Terms and conditions apply – please read them.
Any questions or comments can be directed toward their casino rep located here
Sorry, no US
https://www.casinomeister.com/goto.php?c=sia
ALL COUNTRIES
MANHATTAN SLOTS
Manhattan Slots – one of the best RTG casinos period. Sign up now and receive a 100% Welcome Bonus up to $747 (claim it twice!)
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And Now For The Humor…..
A man is lying in bed in a hospital with an oxygen mask over his mouth. A young nurse appears to sponge his face and hands.
“Nurse,” he mumbles from behind the mask, “Are my testicles black?”
Embarrassed the young nurse replies, “I don’t know, I”m only here to wash your face and hands.”
He struggles again to ask, “Nurse, Are my testicles black?”
Again the nurse replies, “I can”t tell. I”m only here to wash your face and hands.”
The ward nurse passes by and sees the man getting a little distraught so she marches over to inquire what is wrong.
“Nurse,” he mumbles, “Are my testicles black?”
Being a nurse she is undaunted. She whips back the bedclothes, pulls down his pajama trousers, moves his penis out of the way, has a good look, pulls up the pajamas, replaces the bedclothes and announces, “Nothing is wrong with them!!!”
At this the man pulls off his oxygen mask and asks again,
“Are my test results back?”
ha ha ha!
12 August 2011
Lots going on – many things have been happening. And it’s time for my Summer Break 2011. But before I go away for a few weeks – I need to make a few announcements so you know what’s up in Casinomeisterland.
- There is a new search function on the site. This search function allows you to search over 70,000 pages of Casinomeister topics – ranging from our newsletters, the meister news, rogue pit, the forum, and all the miscellaneous stuff that we’ve been dealing with for the past thirteen years. This is the mother of all online casino searches – you can find this here:
- Facebook has been intertwined with the forum. You can now connect to Facebook via the forum. You can “like” threads, posts, blogs, and connect postings directly to your Facebook home page. All you have to do is click the Facebook “Connect” button at the top of the forum home page, and you are good to go. Or you can connect to Facebook via your user settings here.Please note that we do not collect any facebook info. When you are logging into Facebook, you are logging directly with the Facebook site. Your privacy is our upmost importance to us.
- JSM Shaun, the casino rep for ThisisVegas, Cocoa Casino and Pardise8 casino has requested to have his properties removed from the rogue pit. We’ve agreed to place them in the Probation Section at Casinomeister, and I encourage any player or affiliate that has an issue with this casino either post in our forum here, or if necessary submit a PAB. If this casino is able to have smooth sailing for the next 90 days, they will be depitified.
THIS WEEK’S WEBCAST
Casinomeister’s Webcast!
Lighting up at Casinomeister
Bad Bonus Terms
Betfair is still rogue
Bierfest!! Win FREE BEER!!
All this and more here!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7deJvU_GFI
CASINOMEISTER’S BIERFEST IS IN FULL EFFECT!!!
What could be better than winning some bonus from some online casino? BEER I tells ya!!
THIS WEEK’S CONTEST:
HURRY!! The contest was announced last night and no one has guessed it yet. You need to identify the image in this week’s webcast (it’s shown there)
The first person to get it right wins BEER delivered to your doorstep (must be legal drinking age and not live in a beer unfriendly environment) – or $50 – your choice.
Get ready…get set…go!
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/bierfest/
Mr. Green Casino Accredited Casino
The following casino has thrown itself into the Baptism by Fire section. Do they have what it takes to be a Casinomeister Accredited Casino? You decide!
Let’s welcome Mr. Green to Casinomeister’s Accredited Casinos!!
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Terms and conditions apply – please read them.
No US – Sorry
And Now For The Humor…..
Skinny Dipping
Ron, an elderly man in Florida, had owned a large farm for several years. He had a large pond in the back.
It was properly shaped for swimming, so he fixed it up nice with picnic tables, horseshoe courts, and some orange and lime trees.
One evening the old farmer decided to go down to the pond , as he hadn’t been there for a while, and look it over.
He grabbed a five-gallon bucket to bring back some fruit . As he neared the pond, he heard voices shouting and laughing with glee .
As he came closer, he saw it was a bunch of young women skinny-dipping in his pond.
He made the women aware of his presence, and they all went to the deep end.
One of the women shouted to him, “We’re not coming out until you leave!”
Ron frowned, “I didn’t come down here to watch you ladies swim naked or make you get out of the pond naked.”
Holding the bucket up Ron said, ” I’m here to feed the alligator.”
Some old men can still think fast.
ha ha ha!
15 September 2011
Yep, it’s another addition of “back in the saddle again.” After a three-and-a-half week break, I’m back. Sure, it was nice, but it’s a good feeling to be busy again with the website, answering questions, resolving problems, and putting together ideas from epiphanic lightening bolts that shot through my mind while I was away.
So…where was I? I took a family outing through Las Vegas, Southern California, and Hawaii. It was all good. I gave my kids a tour of the strip in Las Vegas, and I think it made a good impression on them. They have seen some decent sized hotels before, but they were blown away by the likes of the NY NY Hotel, Caesar’s Palace, and the Venetian. “This is all made possible by the losers,” I said. And this I think they won’t forget. I just hope I didn’t put any wild ideas into their heads.
Onward to California: my homeland. It’s always good to come back to my roots; it was the first time with my family for three years. This time we noticed a difference – the States are becoming more depressive. You can tell that the recession is taking a toll. Things have a more “beat-up” look to them. A lot of customer service persons have copped attitudes – it was quite noticeable this time around. Prices are going higher; packaging is getting smaller. But one revelation we had wasn’t in California, it was in Hawaii. It’s one I feel needs to be shared with every one of you.
It was after getting up at 4:30 am, dragging the kids to stress-haven LAX, and dealing with a no frills 5 hour flight to Maui that set the scene. We had been dealt one annoyance after another – to include a botched rent-a-car agreement (not our fault) and hassles with our bags. But we are pretty good campers and take things in stride.
When we finally reached our hotel, we were pretty beat. We had been told by our booking agent that she was going to ensure we were to have VIP treatment at our hotel – the Hyatt Regency in Maui. It sounded good to me.
Upon our arrival, we were told promptly that our room was not ready – check-in was at 4pm – we were there at 2:30 PM. I carefully explained to them that we had just flown in and that the entire vacation was booked via an agent who ensured us that VIP treatment was indeed supposed to happen. That meant for us that they should have a room ready for us 90 minutes ahead of schedule. No biggie I thought – but they abruptly told us “Sorry, we have nothing to do with any agents.” In other words, “It’s not our problem.” Okay – whatever. “Any chance for a complimentary drink while we wait then?” I asked. “Sure.” And she handed me two 4 Oz bottles of water. I thought to myself, WTF? This is the Hyatt? This set the tone for a few days.
Maui was nice, but the North Western side of the island has been pretty much cemented over by countless resorts and strip malls. We drove around going on day trips to selected beaches and other places of interest. But one thing that nagged us for our entire stay was the lax treatment received on the first day. It really never improved, and because of this we were inclined to see every fault and mistake the hotel made.
Kauai was our next stop, and yes, we were scheduled to stay at the Grand Hyatt – and we could only hope that it would be a different experience. The difference was astounding.
We arrived at the hotel a little after three. The hostess at reception checked on the status of our room. “Oh, it’s not quite ready yet,” she said. My wife and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes. Here we go again. The hostess continued: “For the inconvenience, I’m deducting $100 from your bill, and here are four drink coupons for the pool bar.” Eh?
My wife and I were flabbergasted. We explained our experience at the last hotel and asked why the difference in treatment. “It’s because this is unacceptable – you should have rooms ready for you, and I apologize.” The Grand Hyatt just made new friends.
Win your customer. As I sat by the pool bar, sipping my Margarita (regular with salt), I thought about this – and what little effort it took to win over a customer. A margarita at the pool bar cost a paying customer $12 – but in actual cost, it was probably about 5 cents worth of Margarita mix, 10 cents worth of booze (everything the hotel purchases is at wholesale), some ice, salt, and it took about a minute to make. So this winning over a customer cost about a dollar at most. The $100 subtracted from our bill, well we made up for this by ordering pizza via room service. It was great – bonus points from the kids.
I thought about how effortless this was for the hotel management. A simple token gift had a great result. Everyone likes the free stuff. And when the free stuff is directed toward base needs (food, drink, money, sex), then it can have an overwhelming positive outcome.
I think it’s a great technique, and I wish I’d see more of this applied to the online gaming industry. There is more than enough negativity and mistrust in this community – I hope that the operators who are reading this can take these ideas to heart. And I hope that the players who have been won over as a customer can share the experiences with us. You can start a thread here.
Back to the trip. The rest of the time spent in the States was pretty good – had an interesting time in San Diego, we even spent a day wandering around the SDSU campus and ran into some of my old professors, and some of my friends are still there teaching the same classes. It’s funny how some things evolve.
And how some things never change.
You can check out some photos from the trip here.
It’s good to be back – yet I have another trip coming my way: the EIG in Milan. I’ll be back reporting on this in a couple of weeks.
CASINOMEISTER’S BIERFEST IS IN FULL EFFECT!!!
What could be better than winning some bonus from some online casino? BEER I tells ya!!
THIS WEEK’S CONTEST:
HURRY!! You need to identify this movie scene. Tell me what film and the scene it’s playing in. You can check this out here.
The first person to get it right wins BEER delivered to your doorstep (must be legal drinking age and not live in a beer unfriendly environment) – or $50 – your choice.
Get ready…get set…go!
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/bierfest/
And Now For The Humor….
It was October and the Indians on a remote reservation asked their new Chief if the coming winter was going to be cold or mild.
Since he was a Chief in a modern society he had never been taught he old secrets.
When he looked at the sky he couldn’t tell what the winter was going to be like.
Nevertheless, to be on the safe side he told his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect firewood to be prepared.
But being a practical leader, after several days he got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked, “Is the coming winter going to be cold?”
“It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold,” the meteorologist at the weather service responded.
So the Chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more firewood in order to be prepared.
A week later he called the National Weather Service again. “Does it still look like it is going to be a very cold winter?”
“Yes,” the man at National Weather Service again replied, “it’s going to be a very cold winter.”
The Chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of firewood they could find.
Two weeks later the Chief called the National Weather Service again. “Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?”
“Absolutely,” the man replied. “It’s looking more and more like it is going to be one of the coldest winters ever.”
“How can you be so sure?” the Chief asked.
The weatherman replied, “We’re sure it’s going to be cold because the Indians are collecting firewood like crazy!”
ha ha ha!
30 September 2011
Tales from the road
Many of you are aware that I have been doing quite a bit of traveling lately. Last week it was the EIG in Milan, Italy. Next week the G2E in Vegas (yee-freaking-ha!). But before I begin to pack my bags for sin city, please let me give you the scoop on Milan:
EIG – the European i-Gaming Expo – this was my eighth EIG. I have attended each and every one since 2003 except last year’s (it was my birthday), and I found that this one was the most different of them all.
I arrived Monday early afternoon, and took a cab straight from the airport. Travelers Note: never accept a taxi offer from guys in the airport lounge in Italy, they will rip you off (experience in Rome). Just queue up at the taxi stand like everyone else.
Checked in at the Hotel Ariosto which is near the center part of town. It was a pretty decent four star boutique hotel (relatively speaking – it’s Italy remember), with very friendly service. The hotel breakfast was excellent. Actually, one of the best “included” breakfast deals that I’ve had.
Monday was the only free day I was going to have. I was fortunate enough make a plan with the notable and personable Alex Pratt from iGaming Business. We had a memorable stroll through the heart of the city – the Piazza del Duomo and the Milan Cathedral. One of the highlights was a late lunch – I love Italian food. And the other highlight was an early dinner. I couldn’t get enough pasta and lamb chops. And the wine…
…and the company was great! We discussed how times have changed from the earlier EIGs – how in years past the EIG was a choice spot for networking and partying. But in the past couple of years the winds have shifted. The industry is not the same as it used to be.
That evening we had drinks sponsored by Clarion Gaming in the park. Very nice.
EIG DAY ONE:
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the EIG, it is the largest Expo that is primarily focused on i-Gaming in Europe. It’s where I go to meet operators and software providers, licensing jurisdiction reps, and anyone of interest that is involved in online gaming.
In the past, the EIG would kick off with a short presentation. Normally, the venerable Sue Snyder would begin with a quick rundown on the state of the industry in Europe and changes that have been made over the past year. Well that was when River City Group ran the operation, times have changed and so has the EIG. The opening speakers were from Italy, and spoke in Italian. Those who did not understand Italian (probably around 90% of the audience), were given headphones – the type you see used in the United Nations – and it allowed one to hear the translation.
So you have two Italians having a discussion, and a woman translating whatever they were saying in a monotone that made one’s eyes glaze over. When one guy would stop speaking and the other guy would pick up the discussion, there was no way to tell who was saying what via the woman’s voice. I gave up listening after about 10 minutes, but the crux of the discussion was: The Italian market is great; you need to be licensed in Italy to legally offer Italian punters games, and you need to contact these guys from AAMS to do so.
I missed Sue.
Voice from the past – EIG 2006
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.
The expo hall was pretty amazing – many booths – many newcomers. There was a fair showing of software providers, and most if not all licensing jurisdictions had a presence as well. I spoke with Microgaming about some of the changes recently made with their games – specifically the New Lord of the Rings. A number of players have voiced their disapproval of the new changes, some wishing to have the old game back. It was a natural progression of the game, I was told, and had been made after receiving input from their operators. I pointed out that in our forum, the new game has had some mixed reviews. You can check these out here and here.
We also made a plan for me to visit their offices (hopefully this coming January) and go over a laundry list of player issues. I’m looking forward to that.
Both Playtech and MGS have plans for Mac/ipads/apps – these should be coming out soon.
I did a bit of networking and discovered a “massage” booth, which was refreshing.
That evening was spent with my wife and the operator of Club World in a highly recommended restaurant Giannino. Unfortunately, the food was mediocre and the service was crap. It’s hit ‘n miss in Milan I guess. You can read my review ay Tripadvisor.
Later that evening, there was a nice event party where I spotted a number of long time friends and acquaintances. What a shame that I didn’t see most of these people at all for the rest of the show.
Day Two and the rest. I was a little disappointed in the quality of speaker presentations. I was hoping for round table discussions on legal aspects of online gaming in Europe, especially with the opening of the German market this month. But there weren’t any. In fact, Germany wasn’t even a topic that was seriously brought up which I found rather surprising. Most if not all of the speakers were paying to speak (instead of visa versa), so there were a number of infomercials. I didn’t find many of the presentations helpful or informative. But then, I wasn’t the target audience. Since I am gathering information for you, my dear ${token2}, there wasn’t too much that could be applied to casino management and administration, business ethics, player service and support, player protection, affiliate management, marketing techniques and so on. I had nothing really to bite into.
Voice from the past – EIG 2004
I began the next day with a yummy hotel breakfast with Spearmaster (meals were included with my deal) which was topped off by a miserable walk up the 147 steps. But once we arrived back at the conference center, business was underway. I attended the roundtable discussion: “Life After Gambelli and Ladbrokes” which was to cover the changes in European law since these legal issues surfaced. Lawyers Martin Arendts (Germany) Polo Van der Putt (Netherlands) Quinino Mancini (Italy) Thibault Verbiest (Belgium) and Olga Finkel (Malta) gave indepth reports on what was happening in their respective countries. But after this presentation, it was clear that gaming laws in Europe are not clear, nor will they be anytime in the near future. I had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Arendts after the discussion and got a good earful on the present condition in Germany concerning online gaming. There have been some recent laws passed, one of which allows German states to regulate or permit online gaming/advertising within their own jurisdictions. But again, our discussion proved that there are just as many grey areas as before. I still remain a confused man.All in all, it was a good show. Many new faces and a number of cherished old ones. I heard from a few companies that the show was very good for them. I just hope that next year, there is a track that keeps the backbone (players, affiliates, operators) in mind. I honestly feel that there needs to be more focus on these aspects of the industry since that is were the heart beat is.
Vegas here I come.
And Now For The Humor…..
Redneck Math
A football coach of an all Redneck team walked into the locker room before a game, looked over to his star player and said, “I’m not supposed to let you play since you failed math, but we need you in there. So what I have to do is ask you a math question, and if you get it right, you can play.”
The player agreed, and the coach looked into his eyes intently and asks, “Okay, now concentrate… what is two plus two?”
The player thought for a moment and then he answered, “Four?”
“Four?!?” the coach exclaimed, excited that he got it right.
At that, all the other players on the team began screaming, “Come on coach, give him another chance!”
ha ha ha!
12 October 2011
Tales from the road cont.
So where do I start? Should I begin this tale with my direct 12 hour flight from Condor which had no in-flight entertainment? It was just like time traveling to the 1990s. Or should I begin with my checking into the Wynn where they reneged on a comped night last year because I “didn’t gamble enough.” Nope, I’m going to cut right to the chase and tell you one of the primary reasons I traveled thousands of miles to the “Entertainment Capital of the World.” Cheerios. Yep, that’s right. I didn’t buy enough Cheerios last month when I was in California. I also forgot to pick up some A-1 Steak Sauce, Grape Nuts, extra Doritos, and a number of other luxury items we don’t get in Germany.
So Day One – the day before the G2E, I was squared away with a full suitcase worth of groceries. One of the advantages of fitting all of my clothes in my hand-carry-on.
One of the pleasant things about the show is the networking involved. I’ve been in this business a long time, and it’s always good to meet up with some familiar faces. Judi Kelly and Sue Snyder had a very nice get together in the Trump Towers the night before the show. It was “all you can eat” sushi and pasta, veggies, and other munchables. This was a great way to start a week worth of chit chat and howdy-do’s all centering around the topic: how is this industry going to tackle the US playing field? And the obligatory “catching up” is always good way to start.
The G2E, or Global Gaming Expo, is the largest Gaming (read gambling) exposition on the planet. This is where slot machine vendors, distributors of table games, casino furniture and decor, payment solutions, staff uniforms, food caterers, and anything that has to do with casinos are given floor space to sell, showcase, pitch, plug and communicate why their services out-do their competitors. Great stuff. It was the ninth time I was attending – my first in Oct. 2001.
It was a rather good show. It opened with Dan Aykroyd taking the stage at the show entrance. He was hyped up – stating that this was the best G2E ever, and he cut the ribbon to the tune of “Ghost Busters”, and began to play air guitar with the oversized pair of ribbon-cutting scissors. This commenced three days of networking, and seeing what the offline gaming industry has to offer. Why Dan Aykroyd you may ask? Well IGT has just launched their “Ghost Busters” slots and Mr. Aykroyd was there to introduce them to the adoring public.
And yes, I waited in line, giddy as a school girl, to get the coveted photo op and signed Ghost Busters’ 8×10. As I stood in front of Mr. Aykroyd ‘s table I told him I had a question. He looked up at me a little bewildered – he probably was thinking, “Who is this nutjob and what’s he going to ask me?” Well, I just had to ask, “Mr Aykroyd, did you really drink that fish from the Bass-o-matic on SNL?” He sort of smiled and went back to signing the pictures, “No, Lorraine drank it. Lorraine drank the fish.”
My world at that moment was complete. Photos here.
But this wasn’t the only reason I was there. Like I mentioned, I have been attending the G2E in Vegas since 2001. Back in the day, I found it helpful as well as intriguing; I would observe the brilliance of the newest slots and get a sense of what was to come on the online gaming arena. In the early 2000’s, it was the land based casino games that lead the way with their graphics, bonus features, and all around feel. I can safely say that now, in 2011, the online industry is overtaking the land based game providers with better games. I feel that the cause for this is multi-tiered: Competition is incredibly fierce online. The majority of players are slot players, and if you can’t win them over with compelling mind dazzling games, you might as well throw in the proverbial towel. Also, online games can be improved on-the-fly as player input comes in. And quite a few developers have evolved into solid companies that have deep enough pockets to license the images and themes from major motion pictures and other genre – Gladiator, Marvel Comics, Lord of the Rings, The Osbournes, et al.
Webmaster buddy Simmo and I met with several representatives of the major offline game developers – and the consensus was that they need to be ready to go online anticipating the US market. IGT and WMS are way ahead of the game since they already have a presence in Europe. Some of the others aren’t quite with it yet. I guess they have been busy developing games for their current clients thinking that the US online players are nothing but a pipe dream. It’s a shame really since they have had a template already laid out for them by the more progressive European states. The people I spoke with were relatively clued up, but there is a lot of work ahead of them.
We went back to the Wynn, Simmo and I, and took a short casino tour along the strip. We got as far as the Paris Casino but hungry we were. And our minds were set on one thing: a good burger. We had a hell of a time trying to find a burger along the strip. We nearly gave up but finally – Johnny Rocket’s in the Flamingo Food Court answered our wishes. Cheeseburger, onion rings, and a chocolate shake; Americana you can eat and drink. It was one of the best burgers I have ever had.
Voice from the past – G2E 2002
But let’s get down to business. My main mission was to gather information from the exhibition hall of the G2E (why they don’t abbreviate this as the GGE is beyond me). The online casino presence was small and a bit disappointing. Some of the usual booths and personalities were there. And I am happy to report that some of the software providers have some very cool things in store for us. If you are a Bingo fan, Boss Media has Bingo by the horns. They will be releasing a new site in the next couple of weeks that will please Bingo players and probably make those of us who never took Bingo seriously into new found fans. More details pending.
Day Two and the rest. One of the joys of Vegas is our annual “Dive Casino Crawl”. About twelve of us load up a limo or party truck and hit up about five or six off-the-beaten-path casinos. And when I mean the beaten path, that’s exactly where they are.
But even though they may be in the not-so-great neighborhoods, I feel they provide a good reflection on the what the locals do at their non-strip casinos. Some of he casinos’ patrons were pushing 80, and seemingly having a really good time. There is a nice homey feel to these places and it gives one faith that in thirty years, this may be a place to hang out for real. Thanks to Greedy Girl for organizing the escapade, and Affiliate Edge and CAP for sponsoring this splendid tour. Photos here.
Voice from the past – G2E 2005
Next stop: IGT’s booth. Besides being a big time video slots fans, video poker is my passion. And as I mentioned in my previous coverage of this event, Leading Edge Design’s Multi-Strike poker is hot. Leading Edge is contracted to build games that are unique and a blast to play for IGT. Get this, they have other poker games that haven’t been released yet. I spoke with the company’s president and game developer Larry DeMar, and he demonstrated Multi-Strike World Poker Tour which blew my mind. It’s a version of the addictive Texas Hold ’em game, but you are initially dealt a pair of two cards, and you must choose one of the hands before moving on. And there is another version of Multi-Strike Poker which has a special bonus card that pops up every so often that acts as a multiplier to the multiplier. Fantastic stuff. It should be hitting the casinos by December.Over the past several years, there have been a number of discussions in our forum concerning the RTP or Return to Player percentages at online casinos. Most casinos post the overall RTP for their slots games, table games, etc. Relatively speaking it’s pretty transparent. But what about Vegas?
Well, I was playing a video poker machine at the Wynn Casino. The machine hosted a number of VP games such as Spin Poker and several others. I asked the floor manager about the RTP and if the RTP was the same for each individual game, or if it was just one RTP for the whole machine. He said it was for each game – the RTP could be a little different for each one. So I asked him what the RTP was. “Oh, they never tell us that.” And that was it.
I guess this goes to show that it’s a matter of who you trust. How accurate are the posted RTPs at RTG, Microgaming, or Playtech casinos? What do you think they would be at the Wynn, or the Luxor? But at the end of the day, the house always wins. The trick is to know when to bail out of a game – and as Kenny Roger would say (sing), “Know when to walk away, and know when to run.”
Leaving Vegas: So here it was Thursday afternoon, and I was ready to fly home. My flight was at 1645 so I had all sorts of time. I figured it would be a great idea to get to the airport way early since it was at Terminal 2 – which was like stepping back into the 1970s. I figured the line through the security section would be massive.
So here I was three and a half hours early, and the line for my Condor flight was huge – I guess everyone on my flight had the same idea as I did. I waited for a good hour or so before I made it to the check-in counter. I put my bag on the scale and handed the lady my e-ticket and passport.
She entered my info on her computer, swiping my passport as if it were a credit card (don’t you ever wonder what sort of information is going into some federal database?). After an awkward half a minute or so of silence she said, “Oh, it appears you aren’t on the manifest.” She typed on her keyboard a bit more, “But, don’t worry. It’s probably a computer glitch or something. Maybe your name was dropped off of the end or something.” So she directed me to another counter where another woman was taking care of special cases like me.
When it was finally my turn, she checked the computer again – nope, my name was still not there. But then she said, “Oh here’s the problem,” she pointed at the e-ticket, “You aren’t supposed to leave until next Thursday.” She was pointing at the return flight date. It was for the 13th of October.
Oops.
The flight was over booked, and I was S.O.L. In the same terminal, Virgin was loading up for a flight to Gatwick, and they wanted $1700 for a seat. Michael Caselli and Alex Pratt, who were checking in at Virgin, had a good laugh and hoped I would join them. But it wasn’t all bad. I was able to access Expedia.com and book a flight on Polish airways (LOT) for the next day.
So it was another night in Vegas. A bit unexpected, but it gave me a chance to have one more burrito.
And it was very good.
14 October 2011
CASINOMEISTER’S WEBCAST!!!
Casinomeister’s Webcast!
I’m Back!!
Vegas report for US players (and everyone else).
Vortran007 Warning Robot casino warning.
All this and more here!!
PADDY POWER CASINO GOES PLAYTECH!
For those of you who love the Playtech platform, here is a good excuse to sign up at Paddy Power Casino!!
Yep – they have switched to Playtech!!
All new players can receive a £5 NDB!! – and depositing players receive a 100% bonus up to £100!!
New terms and conditions apply. Please read them.
Any questions, be sure to PM their rep here.
MYSTERY CASINO
Soon to be announced!
If you sign up via Casinomeister now, you will be eligible for an additional 20% on top of the initial new player bonus.
This is how it works:
Sign up now and when the casino goes live, you will be notified via email. The players who respond to the email and open a REAL ACCOUNT via Casinomeister links will receive 20% on top of the initial bonus!!
(the standard offer will be 100% up to $868)
The Casinomeister offer will be 120% up to $1,000!!
What are you waiting for? This special bonus WILL NOT be offered to those who sign up AFTER the casino goes live!! Terms and conditions apply.
SIGN UP HERE!!
https://www.casinomeister.com/mystery_casino.php
And Now For The Humor…..
One day long ago, a man and woman got married. The man told the woman that there would always be a box under the bed but to never look into it. So they were married for 40 years and the woman never looked in the box. On the morning of their 40th anniversary, the wife looked in the box. In the box, there was about 300 dollars in small bills, and 3 empty beer bottles. At dinner that evening, the woman just had to ask. So she did, she asked “what are those beer bottles for, you know, in the box under the bed?” The man said, oh no, you looked. OK, Every time I’ve been unfaithful to you, I chugged a beer and put it in the box.
The wife says, well for forty years, that’s not so bad. At night, the woman was having a bad night, she could not get to sleep, something was bugging her. Then she remembered. She shook awake her husband and asked, what was the money for, though. The guy says, what? The lady says, you know, the money in the box. The guy says, well, every time the box filled up, I took it in and got money for the bottles.
ha ha ha!
20 October 2011
You know when fall has kicked in, the weather sucks suddenly and gardening is just not on my daily menu of things to do. This means one thing, I get to work more right here in front of my computer. Eh, it’s not so bad since I enjoy what I do, and fall has traditionally been a time for “Fall clean-up” (which begins next week). The best thing about it (working more in front of the computer), is that you – my dear ${token2}- get more from me. My job is to provide you with info-tainment, right?
Right. We have some great things in store for the forum. We are in the process of revamping the membership and what you can get out of it. We will be awarding members for posting great content, for producing informative blogs, creating social groups, all sorts of stuff. We will also be incentivizing the casino representative realm – awarding casino reps who participate and are helpful to the community at large.
Lots of cool stuff – and it will be comin’ at you in a matter of days. So stay tuned for that.
CASINOMEISTER’S WEBCAST!!!
Casinomeister’s Webcast!
I’m still there – Youtube hasn’t banished me yet. It’s never too late to catch the latest show :)!!
Vegas report for US players (and everyone else).
Vortran007 Warning Robot casino warning.
All this and more here!!
MYSTERY CASINO
You have only a matter of days!!
If you sign up via Casinomeister now, you will be eligible for an additional 20% on top of the initial new player bonus.
This is how it works:
Sign up now and when the casino goes live, you will be notified via email. The players who respond to the email and open a REAL ACCOUNT via Casinomeister links will receive 20% on top of the initial bonus!!
(the standard offer will be 100% up to $868)
The Casinomeister offer will be 120% up to $1,000!!
What are you waiting for? This special bonus WILL NOT be offered to those who sign up AFTER the casino goes live!! Terms and conditions apply.
SIGN UP HERE!!
https://www.casinomeister.com/mystery_casino.php
And now for the humor……
A Greek and Italian were sitting down one day debating who had the superior culture.
The Greek says, “We have the Parthenon.”
The Italian says, “We have the Coliseum.”
The Greek says, “We had great Mathematicians.”
The Italian says, “We had the Roman Empire.”
..and so on and so on …and then the Greek says: “We invented sex.”
The Italian says, “That is true, but it was the Italians who introduced it to women…
ha ha ha!
27 October 2011
GONEGAMBLING VS. CASINOMEISTER: DAVID VS. GOLIATH!!!
Just in case you weren’t aware of what’s up between Gonegambling and Casinomeister – we have a slight battle going on between us.
To begin with, members from both Casinomeister and Gonegambling will be receiving the additional 20% bonus on top of the Buzzluck new player bonus, by using our links only! Second, there will be a really cool tournament to be played on the GoneGambling site, for anyone opening a Buzzluck account with a MINIMUM $50 deposit, regardless of whether you’re a member of GG or CM. This tournament has some really great prizes up for grabs, including loads of casino cash (with potential bounties added!), Amazon gift cards and GG merchandise!!!
- First place – $250 Buzzluck free chip!
- Second place – $150 Buzzluck free chip!
- Third place – $75 Buzzluck free chip!
- Fourth place – $50 Buzzluck free chip!
- Fifth place – $25 Buzzluck free chip!
- Sixth – tenth place – $30 Amazon gift card and choice of GoneGambling merchandise
Bounties: If GoneGambling members open more new, depositing accounts and a GoneGambling member places 1st – 5th, the prize is doubled. For example, if GG delivered the most new players and a GG member wins first place, that member will receive a $500 free chip from Buzzluck! BUT, if Casinomeister members open more new accounts and a GG member takes first place, the first place prize stands at $250. If you’re confused at all about the bounty, just drop Greedy Girl a note at greedygirl@gonegambling.com or via the forum and she’ll do her best to explain it further.
- Choose your alliance – are you a Casinomeister or GoneGambling player?
- Casinomeister players, open an account with Buzzluck using this link.
- GoneGambling members, open an account with Buzzluck using this link .
- Make a minimum deposit of $50 between now and Sunday, October 30, 11:59 pm, EST.
- Send your deposit confirmation to: greedygirl@gonegambling.com. Deposit confirmations MUST be received by Monday, October 31, 3:00 am, EST to be eligible to participate in the tournament.
- On Monday, October 31st, you will receive an email with a special password to use for the tournament, along with enough GoneGambling points (GG’s) to cover the cost of the tournament.
- Actual play of the tournament will begin Monday, October 31st at 9pm, EST and must be completed by Friday, November 4th, 11:59 pm, EST. You may play at any time during those days and you do not have to complete the tournament in one sitting.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or Greedygirl.
CM link:
https://www.casinomeister.com/goto.php?c=buzz
GG link:
https://www.casinomeister.com/goto.php?c=buzz
FORUM NEWS
We’ve just revamped the forum user groups in anticipation of some new functions that will be implemented in the next couple of days. We’ve added two new groups so we have a better spread of groups you can aspire to be a member of. These are the user groups as of today:
- Guest = not logged in
- Newbie (new registrations) – Automatically promotes to “Fully Registered” if Days Registered > 90 AND (Reputation > 50 OR Posts > 50)
- Fully Registered promotes to Experienced Member if Days Registered > 365 AND (Reputation > 200 OR Posts > 100)
- Experienced Member promotes to Senior Member if Days Registered > 730 (2 Years) AND (Reputation > 1000 OR Posts > 500)
- Senior Member promotes to Meister Member if Days Registered > 1460 (4 Years) AND (Reputation > 5000 OR Posts > 1000)
- Meister Members promote to Ueber Meister Member if Days Registered > 2555 (7 Years) AND (Reputation > 5000 OR Posts > 1000)
- Less Than Zero = you’re in the doghouse
The user group permissions are located here. The higher up the hierarchy, the more permissions you have. Once you have a number of postings and rep points under your belt, you’ll be able to start up your own blog, create social groups etc. There is much more to come as we get things in motion early next week. Keep an eye out for that.
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/user-group-chart.php
And Now For The Humor….
A woman wanted a pet so she went to the local pet shop. She looked at the dogs and the cats but finally settled on a parrot that was perched in the back of the store for $50.00.
She asked the shopkeeper why the parrot was so cheap, to which he replied, “Well, I have to tell you, the birds last owner was a madam at a whorehouse and he occasionally makes off color remarks that may offend some people.”
Thinking that the price was right and she could handle anything he might say, she took him. When she got home she set the bird down on the table. He looked around and said, “New house, new madam”.
“That’s not so bad,” she thought.
A little while later, her daughters got home from school, and the parrot spoke again, “New house, new madam, new whores.”
Even though she felt a little insulted, she thought that wasn’t so bad either.
Later that evening, her husband Ray came home.
The parrot again spoke out…
This time it said, “Hi Ray!”
ha ha ha!
11 November 2011
11.11.11
CASINOMEISTER’S WEBCAST!!!
Veterans Day Salute – Lessons Learned.
All this and more here!!
PADDY POWER CASINO GOES PLAYTECH!
For those of you who love the Playtech platform, here is a good excuse to sign up at Paddy Power Casino!!
Yep – they have switched to Playtech!!
All new players can receive a €/£5 NDB!! – and depositing players receive a 100% bonus up to £100!!
New terms and conditions apply. Please read them.
Any questions, be sure to PM their rep here.
https://www.casinomeister.com/goto.php?c=paddy
ROGUE ANNOUNCEMENT
Grand Duke Casino – Rogue Bonus Terms
Grand Duke has been tossed into the pit after a number of complaints were lodged – and virtually nothing was done about them. These complaints revolve around the fact that this casino has poorly written bonus terms that can disallow nearly any winning streak a player has.
Read about it here!!
https://www.casinomeister.com/rogue/grandduke.php
And Now For The Humor….
A crusty old marine corps colonel found himself at a gala event downtown, hosted by a local liberal arts college. There was no shortage of extremely young, idealistic ladies in attendance, one of whom approached the colonel for conversation. She said, “Excuse me, sir, but you seem to be a very serious man. Are you this way all the time, or is something bothering you?”
“No,” the colonel said, “just serious by nature.”
The young lady looked at his awards and decorations and said, “It looks like you have seen a lot of action.”
The colonel’s short reply was, “Yes, a lot of action.”
The young lady, tiring of trying to start up a conversation, said, “You know, you should lighten up a little – relax and enjoy yourself.”
The colonel just stared at her in his serious manner.
Finally the young lady said, “You know, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but when is the last time you had sex?”
The colonel looked at her and replied, “1955.”
She said, “Well there you go; you really need to chill out and quit taking everything so seriously – I mean, no sex since 1955, isn’t that a little extreme?”
The colonel, glancing at his watch, said in his matter-of-fact voice, “Oh, I don’t know. It’s only 2130 now!”
ha ha ha!
IS THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE GOING ALL-IN ON INTERNET POKER CASE?
US federal prosecutors are reportedly preparing their most comprehensive case yet that online poker is illegal
The Black Friday indictment of individuals connected with Pokerstars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker has given US federal prosecutors their best opportunity yet to defend and promote their oft-stated opinion that online poker is an inherently illegal activity in US law…and according to reports in Forbes magazine this week they intend to make the most of it.
The publication reports that on Friday federal prosecutors in Manhattan filed a comprehensive 51-page document in response to the pre-trial motions of indicted banker and payment processor, John Campos and Chad Elie. The rationale behind the duo’s application to dismiss the DoJ charges is that online poker companies like PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker are not gambling businesses.
“John Campos, a former vice-chairman of a Utah bank, and Chad Elie, who ran a payment processing business, are the only two individuals who have directly stood up to U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara�s April crackdown on the online poker industry in the U.S., which included the indictment of 11 individuals. It is because of Campos and Elie that the government is being forced to litigate its case against online poker for the first time,” Forbes observes.
In their latest response, federal prosecutors claim that Campos, Elie and the rest of the U.S. online poker industry, are wrong in their contention that poker is a game of skill and not chance – a fundamental difference that draws the line between the definition of what is illegal gambling and what is not.
The federal document references some exotic points in drawing its conclusion that online poker is illegal; in one passage the general understanding that poker is generally viewed as gambling is illustrated by referring to popular country and western music on the pastime. In another, the federal litigators claim that a mafia associate was involved in processing payments for the poker companies, and was at one point called upon to assist in collecting $4 million from Elie.
The defence attorneys will probably want to address the latter, with its dangerous connotations of organised crime involvement in the industry.
Forbes reveals that the new federal document also contains some interesting items of fresh information, including that PokerStars founder Isai Scheinberg, pursued Elie for stealing, after Elie transferred some $4 million from a poker processing account at the National Bank of California to himself. The legal document says Elie paid some of the money back, after which Scheinberg hired Elie to process more transactions.
The government also claims that after the authorities shut down covert e-payment solutions used by the poker companies, PokerStars and Full Tilt started to pursue �transparent processing� that did not rely on false disclosures to banks.
Elie was tasked with the job and found SunFirst, Campos� Utah bank, which processed $200 million of payments for PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker in exchange for fees and an investment until the FDIC blocked this processing channel in November 2010, creating major difficulties for Full Tilt in particular.
Elie is alleged to have assisted in addressing the problem, finding two distressed banks in Illinois and promising them investments if they would cooperate, but this channel, too, was shut down by the FDIC, exacerbating Full Tilt’s already acute problems – the company was allegedly crediting player accounts despite the fact that it had no effective means to actually take in the money.
The federal case will apparently also depend on the extent to which the judge accepts the Justice argument that the US Congress did not intend to exclude poker from the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, and that if Congress had wanted to exclude the pastime; it would have done so in a clearer and unambiguous fashion.
Other arguments address the relationship of poker to other gambling activities as defined in the Gambling Business Act; on technical jurisdictional issues; and on a claim by Elie that his actions had not caused loss or damage to the banks involved.
On the latter, the government counter-claims that deceptive e-check processing did expose banks to loss because the payment systems allowed customers to reverse e-check transactions long after they occurred and robbed banks of their right to make a decision over whether such business was worth accepting.
The government sums up its case by claiming that the online poker companies �engaged Elie and Campos, among others, to perform an indispensable service: find ways, by hook or crook, to move money from United States residents, through the United States financial system, to the offshore accounts of the poker companies. They did so in violation of IGBA, the UIGEA and other federal statutes.�
In related news, the main federal driver of the case, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara, has agreed to an extension of the response deadline for Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and Absolute Poker in the $3 billion federal civil complaint issued on Sept. 20, 2011.
The previous deadline faced by the three defending companies was October 31, but they have since been granted until the end of November 2011 to present their counter-arguments. This is the second extension granted – the first expired at the end of September.
The extension also applies to indicted payment processor Chad Elie.
Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa
More news here.
18 November 2011
888.com has been removed from the Accredited Casino section. There has been some controversy on its marketing to sister sites and/or Casava white labels. What is alarming is that players who play strictly bonus play could fall into a trap of opening more than one account at these casinos. Customer support has given conflicting information – at one point they tell a player it is ok to have two accounts, yet their terms and conditions state it is forbidden. This is a train wreck waiting to happen. In my opinion, this cross marketing is unnecessary and is not becoming of an Accredited Casino at Casinomeister.
Further – they cross market not only other white label casino brands, but to extraneous casinos as well. Euro-city casino was included with one of their promotions – yet Euro-city casino is a C-Planet affiliate (Rushmore Casino’s etc.). I find it unacceptable that an Accredited Casino is marketing non-accredited casinos to Casinomeister members.
Affiliates be warned: don’t think you’re getting credit for these cross promotions. More information here.
ACCREDITED CASINOS POLICY CHANGE
Marketing Standards have been updated to include:
Marketing Standards
- Must not use false, misleading or deceptive advertising.
- Must not spam, and must take appropriate actions against any affiliates or any third parties who do spam.
- NEW!! Must not cross promote to other properties without giving proper credit to affiliates and/or their advertisers.
Full list here here.
PADDY POWER CASINO GOES PLAYTECH!
For those of you who love the Playtech platform, here is a good excuse to sign up at Paddy Power Casino!!
Yep – they have switched to Playtech!!
All new players can receive a €/£5 NDB!! – and depositing players receive a 100% bonus up to £100!!
New terms and conditions apply. Please read them.
Any questions, be sure to PM their rep here.
https://www.casinomeister.com/goto.php?c=paddy
And Now For The Humor….
Three guys died and when St. Peter met them at the pearly gates, he said, “I know that you guys are forgiven because you’re here. Before I let you into Heaven, I have to ask you something. You have to have a car in Heaven because Heaven is so big. What kind of car you get will depend on your answer.”
The first guy walked up and St. Peter asked him, “How long were you married?” He answered, “24 years.” “Did you ever cheat on your wife?”, St. Peter asked. The guy said, “Yeah, 7 times … but you said I was forgiven.” St. Peter said, “Yeah, but that’s not too good. Here’s a Pinto to drive.”
The second guy walked up and got the same question from St. Peter. He answered, “I was married for 41 years and cheated on her once, but that was our first year and we really worked it out.” St. Peter said, “I’m pleased to hear that. Here’s a Lincoln.”
The third guy walked up and said, “St. Peter, I know what you’re going to ask. I was married for 63 years and didn’t even look at another woman! I treated my wife like a queen!” St. Peter said, “That’s what I like to hear. Here’s a Jaguar!”
A few days later, the two guys with the Lincoln and the Pinto saw the guy with the Jaguar, crying on the golden sidewalk. When they asked him what was wrong, he said, “I just saw my wife. She was on a skateboard!”
ha ha ha!
ONLINE GAMBLING’S CONGRESSIONAL NEMESIS UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
Representative Bachus named in Sixty Minutes television expose on politics for personal gain
Representative Bachus named in Sixty Minutes television expose on politics for personal gain
The Washington DC political newspaper Politico, along with a plethora of other US media outlets and blogs, is currently running a story on political enrichment in Congress following last Sunday night’s CBS “Sixty Minutes” television program on the topic, which has ignited wide mainstream coverage in the United States.
Among several politicians named in the Sixty Minutes program was internet gambling’s arch-enemy, Alabama Representative Spencer Bachus, about whom the publication observes:
“The knives are out for House Financial Services Committee Chairman Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.), as bloggers on the left and right call for accountability over allegations he profited from insider knowledge of the 2008 financial meltdown.
“The allegations, which aired as part of a CBS 60 Minutes investigative report Sunday evening, are that Bachus traded stock options after being briefed by Treasury Department and Federal Reserve officials about the impending economic collapse. Bachus denies that he traded on any non-public information.”
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68319.html#ixzz1dqMB0kW9
The Sixty Minutes program was presented by Steve Kroft and focused on the political opportunities for personal enrichment available to Congressional representatives through “non-public information” – information not available publicly but which can be used to gain an edge in stock trading.
Whilst “insider trading” is a criminal offence for the man in the street, politicians have framed laws that allow them to practice this form of enrichment, with many leaving Congress with considerably more money than when they entered the institution.
Both Democrats and Republicans – including current House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) – are named in the program, which was inspired by a book on the subject authored by Peter Schweizer, a fellow at the Hoover Institution, a conservative think tank at Stanford University.
Schweizer’s treatise on soft corruption in Washington was assembled with the aid of a team of eight student researchers, who reviewed financial disclosure and other records.
“It became a jumping off point for our own story, and we have independently verified the material we’ve used, says CBS at:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57323527/congress-trading-stock-on-inside-information/
Kroft reported that a number of members of Congress and their aides have regular access to powerful political intelligence, and many have made well-timed stock market trades in the very industries they regulate. For now, the practice is perfectly legal, but some say it’s time for the law to change.
Kroft interviewed Schweizer, who gave examples of the manner in which this political situation can be abused for personal gain. One of these was the case of Spencer Bachus.
Kroft said: ?While Congressman Bachus was publicly trying to keep the economy from cratering, [Bachus] was privately betting that it would, buying option funds that would go up in value if the market went down. He would make a variety of trades and profited at a time when most Americans were losing their shirts.?
Bachus’ office said that he never trades on non-public information, or financial services stock. “However, his financial disclosure forms seem to indicate otherwise,” Sixty Minutes reports. “Bachus made money trading General Electric stock during the crisis, and a third of GE’s business is in financial services.”
One now-retired politician interviewed by Kroft, six-term veteran Brian Baird, was critical of the Congressional system that allowed for such personal enrichment, and stressed that lawmakers should have only the welfare of the United States on their minds in their political careers.
Baird tried on a number of occasions to push a measure through Congress combating the use of non-public information. But his bill HR1148 went nowhere due to a marked lack of interest by other politicians, and is still buried deep in the system.
One immediate benefit from Sunday’s program was a commitment from Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler to support the ?Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge? Act (STOCK), which is similar to legislation championed by Baird. It was reintroduced by Minnesota Democratic Rep. Tim Walz earlier this year.
“Brian Baird deserves a lot of credit for highlighting this needed reform — both as a member of Congress, and recently as a regular citizen,? said Herrera Beutler.
Forum discussion here
Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa
More news here.
25 November 2011
Well, I’m just going to be brief today. I know a lot of members are still recuperating from Turkey-day – or wish they were – like me. I never remember that it’s Thanksgiving until the day – there are no reminders here. So, I’m always missing out on the turkey, stuffing, all the food, and of course turkey sandwiches for weeks. It’s just another day here in Bierland.
Even so, it’s not just another day for TopGaming/Rome Casino and Affactive. Apparently, Topgaming is accusing competitors Affactive of launching a DDoS attack on their servers. It’s been all made very public here. It’s a meltdown that makes the CAP meltdown of 2009 look like a pie fight. It’s criminal and I hope that those responsible are given proper justice.
The thing that gets me though is the cavalier attitude and unprofessionalism. The playing field for the online gaming industry is huge – and there aren’t many industry folk – relatively speaking. This industry thrives on friendly competition – this goes for affiliates as well as operators. Look at Casinomeister, for instance. Some of my closest friends are technically my competitors. We understand each other well, and assist one another whenever we can. Sometimes we have joint competitions – sometimes not. But this is our industry and we care about it. And to be successful in this business, or any business for that matter, you have to engage one another. You are never alone.
Same goes for operators. Many operators that I know party with one another, have dinners, sponsor events together. We all have to get along. And when we don’t get along – then keep it to yourself, or to your close circle of friends.
If you are experiencing a DDoS attack – keep it to yourself as well. If you don’t let up that you’re being affected, who’s to know? Broadcasting to the world that your servers are being shut down via one of these attacks just lets your cyber enemies know it’s working. Get law enforcement involved; get your lawyers involved. Keep everyone else out of it.
Thank you.
Like Casinomeister!! Yep, I’ve launched an official Casinomeister page at Facebook. You can get updates on what’s up in Casinomeisterland to include events, pictures from my office, and any other extraneous stuff that relates to the site. Check it out (and click “Like”) here
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/online-casinos/47338-all-topgames-casinos-down-ddos-attacks.htmlhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Casinomeister/290104147677198
ACCREDITED CASINOS POLICY CHANGE
Marketing Standards have been updated to include:
Marketing Standards
- Must not use false, misleading or deceptive advertising.
- Must not spam, and must take appropriate actions against any affiliates or any third parties who do spam.
- NEW!! Must not cross promote to other properties without giving proper credit to affiliates and/or their advertisers.
This was announced last week, and just about all accredited casino reps have gotten back to me on this and agreed. That’s great news! I’ll be following up on the stragglers next week and let you know what’s up.
Full list here here.
PADDY POWER CASINO GOES PLAYTECH!
For those of you who love the Playtech platform, here is a good excuse to sign up at Paddy Power Casino!!
Yep – they have switched to Playtech!!
All new players can receive a €/£5 NDB!! – and depositing players receive a 100% bonus up to £100!!
New terms and conditions apply. Please read them.
Any questions, be sure to PM their rep here.
https://www.casinomeister.com/goto.php?c=paddy
And now for the humor……
One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people can be. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.
On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?” “It was great, Dad.” “Did you see how poor people can be?” the father asked.
“Oh Yeah” said the son. “So what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father.
The son answered, “I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.
We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.”
With this the boy’s father was speechless. Then his son added, “Thanks dad for showing me how poor we are.”
Happy Thanksgiving!
2 December 2011
The Awards that Matter…
We’re getting ready to swing right into the winter chill mode – if the winter ever really hits us. Usually by this time we have snow, but it’s nowhere near snowing outside – and none coming over the horizon for the next week or so. Nevertheless, we will be chillin’ anyway.
It’s the time of year that I take Casinomeister members’ suggestions and ideas about the annual Casinomeister Awards. The awards have been dished out every year during the second week of January – now is the time to let me know what you would like to see. You can post your suggestions here
Also the little meltdown between Affactive and Topgaming/Rome Casino began to escalate early this week, so I made the command decision to close all of the accounts of these i-Gaming reps. Why take such harsh measures? Well, there were too many deliberately misleading comments being posted in public. I won’t have the forum turned into a circus, and I require i-Gaming Representatives to behave appropriately. Obviously, this wasn’t happening. Our policy on i-Gaming reps in the forum has been updated to include:
i-Gaming reps will at all times conduct themselves in a professional manner. Your presence here is to provide players and affiliates with information, and to assist our members when need be. Your account will be closed if you attack other’s businesses, exploit the board for marketing purposes, poach players – or any other conduct the staff deems unbecoming of an i-Gaming representative. Do not misrepresent your business. This account is a privilege; keep it as professional as possible. Please remember that your boss (or share holders) may be reading your every word.
There is more here.
Like Casinomeister!! Yep, I’ve launched an official Casinomeister page at Facebook. You can get updates on what’s up in Casinomeisterland to include events, pictures from my office, and any other extraneous stuff that relates to the site. Check it out (and click “Like”) here
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/online-casinos/47487-casinomeister-awards-2011-contenders-suggestions-your-input.htmlhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Casinomeister/290104147677198
And now for the humor……
A boy is watching television and hears the name Jesus
Christ. Wondering who Jesus Christ is, he asks his mother.
She tells him that she is busy, and to ask his father. His
father is also busy so he asks his brother. His brother
kicks him out of the room because he doesn’t have time to
answer his stupid questions.
So he goes downtown and sees a bum in an alley. He asks the
bum, “Who’s Jesus Christ?”
The bum replies, “Well, I am.”
The boy, not believing the bum, asks for proof. So the bum
takes the boy into the bar down the street and takes him
inside. They walk up to the bar and the bartender exclaims,
“Jesus Christ, are you in here again!?”
REELY POKER FROM LEANDER GAMES LAUNCHES ON GTS NETWORK
Reely Poker is part of a series of slot games designed to appeal to both mainstream slot and table game players.
Online games developer Leander Games has launched of one its first games on Playtech’s EdGE games platform following a partnership agreement with Playtech’s Gaming Technology Solutions (GTS) subsidiary.
The company’s new offering, Reely Poker, will join the Reely series, a spokesman said this week, noting that it will be taken up be a significant number of online casino operators. The Reely Series of slot games have been designed to appeal to both mainstream slot and table game players.
GTS�s open platform solution enables Leander to reach new operators worldwide, including Unibet, Bet 24, Betsson, and the BetClic Everest Group, which encompasses big brand names such as Expekt, Betclic and bet-at-home.com, the spokesman said.
Ramiro Atucha and Daniel Schultz launched Leander in 2008, and the company has prospered despite the difficult economic environment.
CEO Atucha says �Through our Side Bet Series, which is currently pending an international patent, Reely Poker has enabled us to combine a popular table game with a slot game. This, coupled with our engaging creative and mathematics makes us very confident that this game will be a hit with players on a global scale.�
Steven Matsell, a director of GTS, added: “We have received a huge amount of interest for Reely Poker from all our leading operators and we are really looking forward to working closely with Leander Games on proposed future projects.”
Editor’s note: I have had the privilege of having a sneak peek at this game: it is by far one of the most innovative and engaging slots out there. Reely!
Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa
More news here.
9 December 2011
The Awards that Matter…
Thank you for the massive response giving input on my request for your suggestions on the upcoming Casinomeister Awards. This year has been rich with a number outrageous industry face-plants and other online casino wackiness. I’m afraid by mid-January my fingers will be worn to the bone – there are a score of online casinos that have been generous enough to provide a lot of material for me to use, so hang tight for that. Thread is located here.
More i-Gaming reps get the boot from the forum:
iButler Casino’s rep decided he needed a little support in the forum, so he created another account and posted a shill post. Oops! Busted! But that’s not all – it turns out iButler Casino is using software that has ripped-off images from Rival slots.
iButler is “licensed” by the LGA – another “feather in the cap” for this licensing jurisdiction. Definitely no due diligence exercised here.
Read all about it here in our Rogue Listing.
Like Casinomeister!! Yep, I’ve launched an official Casinomeister page at Facebook. You can get updates on what’s up in Casinomeisterland to include events, pictures from my office, and any other extraneous stuff that relates to the site. Check it out (and click “Like”) here
ATTENTION – SCROOGES!!
Tired of being accused of “Scroogeness” every Christmas? REDEEM YOURSELF AT MY WISH LIST!! Yes! Now is your chance to become a better person by buying me something at my Amazon.co.uk wish list!! Just imagine experiencing the pleasure of giving, and giving generously. Don’t be a Scrooge! C’mon! What are you waiting for!!!
FORUM NEWS
Yay!! A new contest!!Become the TagMeister!!
The member who creates the most tags by midnight (Central European Time) 23 December 2011 wins an Amazon.com coupon worth $35 (or an equivalent at .co.uk, .it, .de, etc.)
Everything you need to know is here
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
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!
16 December 2011
We’re getting ready to enter winter chill mode – so after this weekend, my email and PM response time will even be slower than usual *gasp*. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em you might say. Maybe you need to chill out as well my dear
Holiday contests in the forum!!
Rate the threads and win an Amazon.com coupon worth $35
All you have to do is rate as many threads as you can – giving a rating from 1-5 stars – and the member with the highest points midnight (Central European Time) 23 December 2011 wins an Amazon.com coupon worth $35 (or an equivalent at .co.uk, .it, .de, etc.).
Everything you need to know about the contest (or questions you may have) are located here.
Become the TagMeister!!
The member who creates the most tags by midnight (Central European Time) 23 December 2011 wins an Amazon.com coupon worth $35 (or an equivalent at .co.uk, .it, .de, etc.)
Everything you need to know is here
ATTENTION – SCROOGES!!
Tired of being accused of “Scroogeness” every Christmas? REDEEM YOURSELF AT MY WISH LIST!! Yes! Now is your chance to become a better person by buying me something at my Amazon.co.uk wish list!! Just imagine experiencing the pleasure of giving, and giving generously. Don’t be a Scrooge! C’mon! What are you waiting for!!!
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 here .
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!)
23 December 2011
NEW BITCHIN’ WEBCAST!!
Casinomeister’s Christmas Party – 23 December 2011
Who has been Naughty or Nice? Find out on our jovial festive webcast!! Plus, Vortran007 has a casino warning for everyone, so check this out here .
NEVER BE LEFT OUT IN THE COLD!! Subscribe to our videos here!! You’ll be automatically emailed whenever a video is uploaded!! I guarantee that these videos will make you a smarter, better person.
DEADLINE APPROACHES!!!
Holiday contests in the forum!!
Rate the threads and win an Amazon.com coupon worth $35
All you have to do is rate as many threads as you can – giving a rating from 1-5 stars – and the member with the highest points midnight (Central European Time) 23 December 2011 wins an Amazon.com coupon worth $35 (or an equivalent at .co.uk, .it, .de, etc.).
Everything you need to know about the contest (or questions you may have) are located here.
Become the TagMeister!!
The member who creates the most tags by midnight (Central European Time) 23 December 2011 wins an Amazon.com coupon worth $35 (or an equivalent at .co.uk, .it, .de, etc.)
Everything you need to know is here
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/forum-suggestions-announcements-feedback/47835-another-forum-contest-rate-threads.html
https://www.casinomeister.com/forums/forum-suggestions-announcements-feedback/47650-new-forum-contest-tagging-threads-win-35-gift-equivilant-christmas.html#post459536
ATTENTION – SCROOGES!!
Tired of being accused of “Scroogeness” every Christmas? IT’S NOT TOO LATE!!! REDEEM YOURSELF AT MY WISH LIST!! Yes! Now is your chance to become a better person by buying me something at my Amazon.co.uk wish list!! Just imagine experiencing the pleasure of giving, and giving generously. Don’t be a Scrooge! C’mon! What are you waiting for!!!
And Now For The Humor….
Q: What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus?
A: Claustrophobic.
Q: Why does Santa have 3 gardens?
A: So he can ho-ho-ho.
Q: Why was Santa’s little helper depressed?
A: Because he had low elf esteem.
Q: What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?
A: Frostbite.
Q: What do snowmen eat for breakfast?
A: Snowflakes.
Q: What’s red and white and gives presents to good little fish on Christmas?
A: Sandy Claws.
Q: What do you get when you cross an archer with a gift-wrapper?
A: Ribbon hood.
Q: What do you call Frosty the Snowman in May?
A: A puddle!
Q: Where do reindeer go to dance?
A: Christmas balls!
Q: If Frosty the Snowman married a vampire,what would they name their child?
A: Frostbite!!
Q: What did Mary Poppins want from Santa?
A: Supercalifragilisticexpialisnowshoes!
Q: Who hides in the bakery at Christmas?
A: A mince spy!
What do you call a blind reindeer?
No eye deer.
ha ha ha