1 February 2025
International Casino Exhibition and CAP Awards 2008 - London
Special Edition
Dear Reader,
And here we go with Casinomeister's annual ICE report, and for the first time CAP Awards. If reading about the tripiness of London, freaky people, Cockney Cabbies, bitchin' restaurants, and online gaming is your thing, then read on...
Reportingly yours,
Bryan
Can't read this newsletter in HTML? Click here (or copy and paste this link into your browser): http://hotchkissgroup.co.uk/newsletter.php#skip for the bitchin' online version.
ICE 2008 - London |
No Fish and Chips...
Day One:
London: how can I explain? Awash with a deep history of Romans, Celts, German Bombers, Elizabethan drama, Jack the Ripper, Dickens and the Beatles - it's meshed with almost every culture imaginable, it's an icon of life in modern day Europe. How could you not love this place? Stand on a corner in a bustling section of the West End, and you'll be dazzled by the myriad of languages and countless faces of people from around the globe. And here is the American ex-pat looking for a good place to eat Sushi.
I was there for the entire week - three conferences in five days was plenty to look forward to. I knew that each day and evening ahead of me was booked - lunches, meetings, restaurants, and parties. It can be all fun and games y'know, but I need time to myself as well. I have attended the ICE for the past eight years, and it's become somewhat of a pilgrimage for me. But what has always been frustrating is to be smack dab in the midst of this great city, yet I only have a chance to experience just a taste.
So bearing this in mind, day one was spent in the British Museum. In fact, I took a London Walking Tour of the museum which was well worth the £6. There were about eight of us total, and the museum was not crowded in the least bit. The British museum is nothing less than mind boggling - the Rosetta Stone, sculptures from the Parthenon, the Mummy Room, ancient Europe - it's size is numbing and one could spend weeks wandering its corridors pondering its antiquities. Some of these are here - photographic proof.
I caught two films in Leicester Square: "I am Legend" with Will Smith. Great special effects - decent story line (Omega Man - C. Heston, Last Man on Earth - V. Price). It was a little depressing though - everybody is dead but him. I also caught the new Coen Brothers film "No Country for Old Men". I was sort of expecting "Fargo" but in Texas - it's a truly different film. It's bloody - violent, (definitely not a date film). However, the acting and characterizations are worth every bit of the ticket price. Antagonist Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), is by far the intense villain I've seen in a long time. The Coen Bros capture 1980 Texas superbly. It's not their best, but definitely not their worse. Like many of their films, this movie grows on you. The story returns for contemplation a number of times.
"What's up? I thought this was a gambling newsletter," says you, my dear reader. Never fear - I went to the Hard Rock Casino in Leicester square immediately after the show. I was to meet one of the guys from NextGenGaming who I've been working with on the up-and-coming Meister Slots - "Casinomeister". Yes that's right! Coming to a Cryptologic casino soon - you can sneak a peek here.
We discussed the game a bit. It's due to be released in the near future for Cryptologic powered casinos. And after six months, it will be made available for other software providers. Believe me - it's a totally original slot - no templates here. I think slot lovers will be pleasantly surprised.
Day Two:
Tuesday was the first day of the ICE - and a very productive day at that. Max Drayman (ex-WinnerOnline forum moderator - and now Casinomeister moderator) and I have been in contact with one another for the past eight or nine years or so, and he has just recently come on board taking over the Pitch a Bitch section. It was finally our chance to meet in person.
In fact, this year's ICE was monumental as there were a number of people meeting for the first time after knowing each other for literally years.
This year's ICE was also by far the largest yet. It was well attended - huge in fact. And the people were upbeat and forward thinking; a stark contrast from last year's gloomy long-faces.
Max and I made our rounds - we discussed the recent problem with MGS players who sign up and use the wrong currency. Microgaming's CEO Roger Raatgever explained that this was something that was strictly an operator issue. And coincedently, the operator for the casinos that have been having these problems was there - and we discussed this further. The bottom line is this - it is up to the player to ensure that he or she abides by the terms and conditions and to pay attention to these rules while depositing. No one is out to trick anyone. And if you live in Brazil, you don't use British Pounds.
Voice from the past - ICE 2006
The ICE - International Casino Exhibition - is the largest casino exhibition outside of Las Vegas. It's focused internationally, but being in London it gets a lot of traffic from this side of the globe. I go to meet operators - good and bad - meet software providers, and licensing representatives, and all the other folks who are scattered about. This year's show was huge, but I wasn't too impressed with anything new.
I wandered about, and I remembered how innovative the industry has been - different payment solutions, poker, bingo, skill games, and games for the pocket computer and mobile. Even so, it's still so drearily focused on marketing, and sometimes I get put off by the "make a load o' cash" techniques many of these firms are touting. But then there are the organizations that are trying to better the industry by providing information for operators and players, or quality products that enhance the players' experiences.
We also met briefly with Andrew Beveridge and Tex Reese from eCOGRA who have been instrumental on making great strides for players. It's a shame that there are still some individuals who have knee-jerk opinions about organizations that step forth to better this industry for the player. eCOGRA has done a hell of a lot of work, and they really make a difference for casino operator accountability.
The rest of the afternoon was a blur in a sea of people and casino booths. One impressive item - the new Lara Croft: Tomb Raider game due out from Microgaming soon. The graphics are absolutely awesome, and the bonus rounds bring online slots to another level. Hell, who needs land based slots when you have slots like these. When it's launched, you'll see what I mean.
Almost as good as the upcoming Meister Slots 
That evening was probably one of the best evenings I've had in a long time. It was the Meister Meeting at the Atlas Pub - and actually the first official Casinomeister event. It was a total success - success equating a candle-lit mellow pub experience. We had the upstairs to ourselves - I would guess about 40 of us. There were a number of players, affiliate managers, casino managers and operators, webmasters, and a number of old-timers and friends. One thing we all had in common was the website: Casinomeister.
Thanks to Club World Casinos for sponsoring this very pleasant experience. Photographic proof of jovial jocularities here.
When it was over, and the bill was paid, some of us drifted off to an Indian restaurant where one of the waiters was even wearing a turban, and I made a verbal faux pas by addressing our waiter as "dude" (California-speak being my mother-tongue). He got a kick out of that; Simmo, Greedygirl, KasinoKing, Webzcas, gave me no mercy.
Day Three:More ICE and a very nice meeting with iNetBet who have some amazing things coming your way. I won't steal their thunder, but it's something new that I'm sure will please both players and webmasters.
We also discussed the dilemma concerning RTG and its failure to get a qualified third party to oversee its licensees. It's a frustrating situation since there are a few excellent operators that are being tarnished by their roguish brethren - and this has been going on for years. The only protection that players have is their own diligence and judgement, (this may be asking a hell of a lot<grin>). There are a few RTG casinos listed at Casinomeister - and from there, players are pretty much on their own.
Voice from the past - ICE 2005
Thursday, the last day of the ICE proved to be an effective and very satisfying day for me. Spearmaster and I met with the General Manager of the Virtual Casino group at length and gave him an ear to some of the future projects that Virtual is undertaking. It's been a difficult road for Virtual. A few years ago, they were known as one of the most notorious casino groups, in fact they had won the award for "Worst Casino Group" of 2001 at Casinomeister. But after meeting with the operator last year, he vowed to get Virtual back on track and to provide fair and proper treatment to the player; no more dodginess in other words. And so far, so good (comparatively speaking). This year I gave them credit for making some big improvements on this front; they were acknowledged in the Best and Worst of 2004 in the Player Improvement Awards section.
That evening I strolled down to Covent Gardens to meet up with Ed Ware, Pat Harrison and others from 32Red Casino - Casinomeister's Best Casino of 2007 (and 2003 - 2006). We had reservations at Rules
Rules is the oldest restaurant in London - established in 1798 - I'd recommend it to everyone. The food is fine, but it's the observable that is amazing. I could spend hours just perusing the walls that are bedecked with memorabilia from years past. I almost got lost in thought a couple of time heading for the mens' room. Framed caricatures from the First World War - I covet them.
The 32Red crew and I traded stories and discussed just about everything except online gaming. No - we didn't talk about you too much my dear reader - at least we tried not to.
And as that evening progressed into the night - the Hippodrome begged our call. It was packed and we had missed the cabaret shows - and looking down from the balcony into the mass of people below, it seemed as though I didn't recognize anyone. The DJ was great and they had a Conga drum player who was really jammin'. But watching some of the nerdy computer guys "get down" on the dance floor, I knew it was time for me to leave.
Traveler's tip: always keep a little bit of change in your pocket in case you feel determined to give any to a panhandler. To remove your wallet from your pocket in order to dig for spare change is a risky thing to do. This occurred to me as I walked through Soho that night. Some of the street people are quite persistent, but sorry guys - no spare change in me pockets.
Day Four: Last day of the ICE, but unfortunately I was unable to attend most of this - instead I was scheduled to speak at CanAffco's Affiliate Bootcamp being held at the Olympia Hilton Hotel. I gave a 45 minute presentation on how to protect yourself in this business as a webmaster, and how to promote online casinos ethically. It was a nice small group, and a very enjoyable presentation. And I didn't have to make anyone do push-ups.
I also met with the guys from Fortune Lounge - these guys are great, really good people. Casinomeister and Fortune Lounge's relationship goes back years - unfortunately, it's been an on-and-off-and-on-and-off again sort of relationship. Fortune Lounge has had issues in the past that resulted in them being removed twice from Casinomeister's Accredited section. But I am a definite believer in people ;earning from their mistakes, and the last issue is the proverbial water on the bridge. We talked about this in depth - and made the decision to come back on. And then we proceeded to discus Astrobiology - one of my favorite subjects. No, really.
French cuisine was the next rendezvous: Jetset, Andrew Beveridge, and Tex Rees were waiting for me at Le Boudin Blanc, situated in an old rustic building - it was some of the best French food I've had outside of France (refer to my EIG trip in Nice for more on French food).
The conversation revolved around mostly industry stuff, and of course Tex and I spoke about player issues since this is one focal point of both Casinomeister and eCOGRA. And there is a fine equilibrium at work with both entities. Tex can pursue with ease (in most cases) player issues with eCOGRA member casinos, and Casinomeister can pick up the slack with issues on non-eCOGRA members. Unfortunately, there is still a large void where many gamblers are still loitering - no thanks to the UIGEA which is clearly having the opposite effect that the political moralist were attempting to achieve. What a shame.
That night ended with us four parting ways and journeying back to our hotels or homes via trains, subways, or on foot. I took the tube back to Holborn station and knew I was going to miss London when this was over.
Voice from the past - ICE 2002
...Alas, after 45 minutes driving in circles (on the wrong
side of the road!) he dumped me off in Soho. I was accosted by prostitutes
as I speed walked to my hotel; a
elderly woman with a can of beer in her hand stumbled towards me and asked
if I "wanted some joy"(?).
.
Day Five: was suddenly here - my last full day. Unlike previous trips, this day was chock full from beginning to end with meeting casino representitives, to the Casino Affiliate Programs awards dinner that evening. No movies or shows for me (boo friggin' hoo) - I had that covered on Day One.
CAP was well organized (at least to a casual observer like myself) and was twice as big as last year - if not bigger. The entire showcase floor was covered to include the halls. There was a great turnout with many familiar faces and some fresh ones. I finally had a chance to meet MissMD from RevenueGiants who has dealt with a number of player issues in our forum. It's always nice to put a face to the emails and postings you get. She is a very pleasant person. The rest of the morning was filled with going from person to person, stand to stand, until I was due to head out with the guys from Virgin Casino and a few other webmasters. We had an amazing lunch at the Babylon Roof Gardens - which is a wonder as it is. Located on the 7th floor overlooking Kennsington, the gardens have rooted trees, water gardens, and even a couple of Flamingos (they looked rather cold). A wondrous place - I can only imagine what a superb party one could have in the summer months. Hopefully I'm planting a seed inside someone's head. Pun intended.
Returning to CAP - more people to jive with. There are a number of casinos wanting to come on board at Casinomeister. And honestly, sometimes I'm overcautious about who I bring on. I have to be 110% certain that they aren't going to screw up and that we are on the same sheet of music. Nevertheless, the next couple of months should bring on some new faces in Casinomeisterland.
Voice from the past - ICE 2004
The CEO of the Virtual Casino group has assured me that the Virtual Casino group has
turned over a new leaf, they have a new managerial staff that is dedicated to the industry
and they have been cleaning up their act. This is a good thing, I thought since this is
what we all want-a change for the better. I know, I know, many of us are skeptical about
what people say - since actions are what count. Well, the proof will be in the pudding
as he said...
CAP AWARDS I was prepared to wear a tie. But I hate ties. When I was in the Army, we were required to wear ties for our dress uniforms, and it always sucked. And as an NCO on CP duty, rounding up the drunk GIs on Würzburger Strasse, one had to remember to always wear a "clip-on" in case you got in a fight. Choke-me-knot.
But I digress, I skipped the tie part - met up with DJ Silver and company (Club World Casino gang) and proceeded to the CAP Awards via a cab. In most normal situations, London cabs are driven by quiet - polite - British cabbies who call you "mate" and pretty much keep to themselves. But this guy was like a chimney sweep right out of Mary Poppins. Every possible political subject he howled about in his cockneyed English way. I thought I was in a Monty Python skit. When he found out he had a cab full of Americans and Canadians, he had a go at everything he could possibly have a go at. Hillary is the devil incarnate, Bush is too good for Americans, Americans don't support their troops, and on and on and on. It was a very long cab ride.
The awards were held at the Chelsea Football Club, we were greeted by topless Golden Girls in a champagne reception drink-a-thon. The theme: James Bond (the girls were really golden as in Goldfinger) and a Shirley Bassey impersonator belted out "Goldfinger" and a number of other Bassey hits. It was difficult keeping an eye off of the human temperature gauges (it was cold in there being next to the large entrance-way).
I digress again. We found our places - I was at Club World Casino's table - and we commenced to consume a very nice dinner (I was famished). And the highlight (beside the awards) was the Welsh comedian Rhod Gilbert who had a number of us in stitches with his "What the hell is an affiliate" tirade "Does anybody bloody care what awards are there? You just want to bloody drink..."
And when he was done, he and Michael Casselli handed out the awards:
Best Poker Affiliate Program - PKR
Best Casino Affiliate Program - Casino Rewards
Best Bingo Affiliate Program - BingoProgram
Best Sports Betting Affiliate Program - Ladbrokes
Best Skill Gaming Affiliate Program - Rummy Royal
Best iGaming software for affiliates - Microgaming
Best Poker Affiliate - RakeTheRake
Best Casino Affiliate - CasinoMeister
Best Bingo Affiliate - Dominique
Best Sports Betting Affiliate - Betbrain
Best Payment system for affiliates - Neteller
Best Affiliate Manager - Renee (Casino Rewards)
Best Overall Affiliate Program - Referback
Best Overall Affiliate - J. Todd
I was surprised to win, but more surprised to be nominated since I'm not a member of CAP - and not so much of an affiliate - I'm more of a webmaster than anything else. But in earnest, I am truly appreciative towards this award since it's from my peers - fellow webmasters. There was nothing to lose or gain by voting for me, so it is a nice thing to be recognized for. Sometimes affiliate is synonymous with webmaster, when it is not really the same thing. Look at J. Todd who won the Best Overall Affiliate - he's done a hell of a lot of work with his video webcasts at Youtube. That's more webmastering than affiliate. Same thing with what I do at Casinomeister - more webmastering than anything else. But nevertheless - we're both working hard to make this a better place for players and fellow webmasters alike. Congrats on all recipients of the awards.
And just after the awards were given, Michael Casselli approached me - panic stricken - they had accidentally skipped Dominique's award. I felt sorry for Dom - missing out on the public recognition - but I felt more sorry for Michael since he had to face her and explain the botch-up.
And then the night was over - it was time to bid adieu and head on back to my hotel room. A 6:15 wake up call was looming ahead of me and I hadn't begun packing yet. My head swimming in thought, the people I had met, the sites I had seen - CNN was playing in the background - more information on Heath Ledger's sudden death, problems in Kenya, the democratic debates rotated themselves through the hour in which I packed. The trip was pretty much over.
And then I was home the next morning - it was good to be back - and then I suddenly realized, I forgot to grab some Fish 'n Chips.
Voice from the past - ICE 2001
I've had a couple of weeks to contemplate my experiences of the Interactive Casino Exhibition and would have to say it was overall a
satisfying experience, but it was too small. It was great seeing the faces behind the websites and emails I've been in contact with over the past couple of years, but the ICE could have been bigger. There were perhaps only about twenty-five booths; that was it. I
was also surprised by how many "newbies" were in the business, people who have never visited the forums of Casinomeister, Winneronline, Got2bet, or other quality gaming information sites. This was scary. It goes to show that many of these vendors have not done their homework when it comes to finding out what is "really" happening in the online gaming world. It was the "oldtimers", people who have been
in the business for a while, who knew about our sites, and consequently, understood the importance of sites like ours. This new budding industry has a lot to learn.
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Complaints? Kudos? Please let me know.
Peace
Bryan Bailey
Webmeister
Casinomeister
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