Jean Noelting Probably Won’t Be At Cryptologic For Much Longer. A Reliable Source Reported That Cryptologic Was Looking For A Replacement.
Why the Cryptologic Crooks Must Go.
Self-regulation? Forget it!
Our magazine was recently invited in confidence by one licensee to examine material that we would almost certainly have preferred not to see.
Since online gaming became wildly popular around the world, we have enjoyed reporting thousands of stories and articles for the benefit of our readers. The material published in this magazine is, we are proud to say, completely unbiased and truthful.
We strive for the highest editorial and publishing standards and always welcome the opportunity (and the duty) to tell both sides of a story. Consequently, we publish both the good news and the bad news about online gaming.
The principles of freedom of expression, freedom of speech, and integrity in our coverage of events have been followed whatever the cost.
What we have discovered is black news indeed for online gaming. Many of the companies involved in online gaming simply don't have any principles or values.
That's a polite way of saying that the industry is infected with crooks, criminals, the mob, scam mongers, thieves, and corporate liars.
If they had to create a corporate "vision and value" statement as a PR exercise for their company, it would go something like this -- if they told the truth: "We will strive to make as much money as we can without going to prison."
We can go further and say that after having seen some of the evidence, prison authorities in the appropriate locations should start getting new cells ready.
The consequences of illegal and criminal activities usually mean the criminals get banged up in jail.
We were particularly interested to find out what players think, and what experiences they have had.
The players are the ones who actually support the whole industry. Without players, there would be no industry. We believe they deserve our attention first.
We were taken to an elaborately planned filing system at a secret location where copies of original documents are stored in their thousands.
We were astonished to find meticulously labeled, dated material, including thousands of e-mails, arranged according to priority and degree of seriousness.
No one could have forged or faked such a vast range of materials; this was real, and we couldn't wait to get our hands on it.
Sad to say, right from the start, it was the most depressing and distressing time for our reporters.
We were sure we were seeing the results of a bankrupt system set up to cheat players, to rob licensees, and generally make as much money as possible by screwing the most number of people in the shortest possible time.
Let's face it gambling can be fun. It is relaxing, entertaining, a real buzz whether you play for fun or real money.
The great table games you can play in casinos have become part of our inheritance and culture, for good or for bad, for better or for worse, and these games are played by millions of people all over the world.
When we asked to see what players sent in their e-mails, it was a real blow to find that so many of the problems of the past have still not been eradicated.
We got rid of the mafia and the mob in Las Vegas after a struggle, and now it's fair to say the games you play in Nevada are among the fairest you can find.
Strict controls by gaming boards make sure that maximum numbers of players get the maximum amount of enjoyment and gaming pleasure.
Being ripped of in a Las Vegas casino today is very rare indeed. In fact, the closest you can get to a rip off thhese days is being overcharged for a stale sandwich or a tired, sexless floorshow.
When you play the slots and table games, you know that the odds are guaranteed, and that all the games are about as fair as they ever can or will be.
When one of the biggest software developers in the business can cause so much havoc and unfairness to players, genuine distress and even anguish, you have to say that the integrity of their gaming systems is as good as bankrupt. Their business model is a disaster too.
We looked at hundreds of e-mails from among thousands and were horrified that a publicly traded company such as Cryptologic could perpetrate such mass misery upon so many players.
We learned that the directors of Cryptologic had a policy for every unwelcome eventuality. If a player wins $ 5,000 or more, the software blocks out the account so the player is locked out. Meanwhile, the account is frozen.
Amazingly, this policy was initiated to work out why a player had won because it was thought "abnormal" for a player to win!
One player confessed to having deposited thousands of dollars at various online casinos and had no great problems to report. This same player confirmed that when it came to Cryptologic's software, their games were a kind of "online torture."
Isolated problems on occasion are widely tolerated and accepted but we were clearly looking at a huge number of legitimate complaints that Cryptologic has hoped would be swept under the carpet.
It was company policy (and still is!) not to answer complaints, as if it couldn't care less as long as the customer had no effective power to change their way of doing business.
One complaint that was especially numerous was that Cryptologic was always quick to take your money but if you then had a problem, it simply ignored you.
Other players complained of junk software that freezes all the time, the locking of accounts after a win, and one very nasty complaint: when you deposit money, your pin number is correct but if you attempt to withdraw money, heaven help you, as the pin number suddenly becomes invalid!
The player is stuck there, unable to withdraw any cash. As customer support is useless, there's no point contacting them, as you will never get an answer!
If you are waiting for your pin number to be e-mailed so you can withdraw your funds, be prepared for a very long wait.
The idea behind this is probably that if you can't withdraw your funds, you can continue playing, and will be more likely to lose than to win. So by the time the pin number arrives, it's too late.
It is quite clear to us that Cryptologic's games and software are rigged. Players have money stolen from their accounts even when they are not playing, the perfect definition of stealing.
In English law, theft is defined as the intention to permanently deprive someone of his or her goods. So much money has been stolen from players that it's clear the intention was to permanently deprive players of their cash, a very clear case of theft.
Why should the industry tolerate behavior that is criminal in intent and practice?
The Internet was originally seen as a free and unfettered marketplace. It had its own code of ethics and values.
Now it's in danger, not just from spam merchants (who would sell your soul to the devil given half the chance) but also from the crooks and corporations who want to make a profit at any cost.
The best way to achieve the goal of self-regulation is to get rid of the crooks, and give players the break they deserve.
