Big Daddy’s Casino and Poker Blacklisted and Rouged by GFPC
Several months ago GFPC was approached by Big Daddy’s Casino and Poker Room to become an affiliate for their site at http://www.bigdaddyscasino.com. We spoke at great length about possibilities and eventually agreed on a relationship. At this time I myself was a member of another forum where the community was interested in playing some freerolls on an ongoing basis.
Over the course of a few weeks and many troubles with the software and trying to set things up, we finally managed to get some freerolls for both our site here at GFPC and also the other forum I am a member of. I was very glad to finally get something going for all our members and the Community as well and was appreciative of Big Daddy’s Casino’s for allowing some games.
We immediately had several troublesome issues, and upon doing some research noticed some very negative things about Big Daddy’s of which were posted on CasinoMeister and the Forums over at GPWA. Both these sites are reputable businesses in the online gaming industry and truly bring a wealth of information to the industry and help many affiliates and players decide whether to play or do business with online gaming sites.
Rather than go into detail on some of the issues, I will post some links to some troubling findings which we found early on in our business relationship with Big Daddy’s Casino and Poker Room. Please take the time to view them.
From CasinoMesiter:
http://www.casinomeister.com/forums/casino-spam-complaints/28528-big-daddys-casino.html
From GPWA
http://www.gpwa.org/forum/word-caution-177579.html#post519616
Added Research Found April 25th, 2009 – Player Concerns
From APCW – Association of Players, Casinos and Webmasters
http://www.apcwinteractive.org/forum/topics/warning-about-pimp-your-poker
From Dr CheckRaise Forum
http://www.drcheckraise.com/phorum/list.php?77#forum
Added: APCW’s Video Alert – May 1st, 2009 – Non Payment Issues
/Pimp-Your-Poker-and-Big-Daddy-s-Casino-Non-Payment-Issues.html
With these posts in mind I proceeded cautiously and was concerned as we try and only deal with trusted ethical online gaming businesses. We are a member of GPWA and trust many of the private members there, of which a couple recommended Big Daddy’s to our site. I expressed these concerns to the Big Daddy’s management and was assured these issues have been solved and things would run smoothly. We decided to trust them and felt we could develop a good relationship together over the course of time.
As time continued we noticed severe software issues, where players were not getting coupons honored to them for upcoming games they registered for. Out of 298 players who had registered for one event, approximately only 48 players got into play one event. The event in question was cancelled and reopened 2 hours before the scheduled game time. However we made the best of it and finished the game.
During this time I was in contact with the owner of Big Daddy’s who indicated he was having several issues with IGS the group that supplies their software called “The Poker Community. I have to say it was one of the worst software’s we ever came across in our history of online gaming. None the less we were told by Big Daddy’s they were trying to remove themselves from IGS and move to another Poker Platform. Simply put, Big Daddy’s was losing money from IGS and they were not getting what they paid for. Support was next to nothing. Players were having many issues registering for games. In fact, there were also some cash out issues along the way with some players which I think were eventually solved.
With Big Daddy’s assurances that they had nothing to do with these issues, and were trying their best to remove themselves from IGS, I was told to just stop sending players, and the owner himself said he was going to inform his own staff to stop all registrations out of fear players may not get paid. He assured me that if this happened he would make sure all affiliates and players were paid by him directly. I felt he was genuine at the time.
With about 8 weeks to go for a major affiliate conference called Casino Affiliate Convention on March 30-31, I emailed the owner of Big Daddy’s Casino and Poker and asked if he would Sponsor me to attend CAC Amsterdam (conference held in Amsterdam). Since he seemed honorable, and told me he was going to be moving to another Poker Platform and everything would be worked out, I felt we could work well together. In return for the Sponsorship I agreed I would advertise Big Daddy’s on our existing site and all our new sites. We had already registered over 300 players to Big Daddy’s in a short time and thought when they did the switch to the new platform we could start getting the players to continue playing and run new promotions and promote them on all our new sites and bring in 100s of more players.
Because there was little time left, I had asked if he could approve of this in a timely fashion. Well I was told he was in meetings all week with lawyers and poker platforms and investors and would have an answer for me shortly. After several emails by me to get a “Yes” or “No” answer and various excuses as to why my emails were not answered I received a few remarks indicating it would be great to have me on the team at Big Daddy’s and there was a possibility to have me come on as an Affiliate Manager. After another week or two I finally got an email giving me the approval that Yes I would be Sponsored and the owner of Big Daddy’s said his investors approved the Sponsorship and wanted my banking details to do the wire.
I had already given him my Pay Pal and Money Bookers information, but apparently due to South African Issues these methods were not suitable and he needed my bank information to wire transfer me the money right away. The trip was now in less than 3 weeks times. So I agreed and sent him all my personal banking information and he said the wire could be sent from A USA bank in a few days time. With this in mind I set up various meetings, organized flight details, contacted my programmers in Amsterdam to set various things up we would need to do to get started on our Advertising Campaign with Big Daddy’s. It was told to me, there would be a meeting April 1st for all Big Daddy’s staff along with his investors and he wanted to meet with me face to face on that day to discuss our relationship further. I agreed of course and was ready to go.
After many emails and excuses I finally felt things were coming together and was just relieved I would be finally going and getting started. However after several days no wire transfer came. I checked my bank each day and everyday and nothing arrived. When I emailed the owner of Big Daddy’s I was assured the money was in fact sent and he verified it was sent. Well I continually checked and checked and nothing. Then the owner basically disappeared for a week with no replies to more emails I sent. I needed this to be done as I had meetings set up, plans were drawn up and business relationships within my own circles created with some people in Amsterdam itself. The owner basically said he was in meetings all week, and at one point had internet connection issues. I was used to these various excuses and issues and now felt I was being led on. I expressed this, and was assured for sure the money was sent again and he was going to meet with the person who sent the transfer in a day or two. Well of course that turned into another week. The meeting was canceled and put off.
At this point I was asked by him to actually go ahead and purchase ticket myself and he would reimburse me after again he assured me it was coming. By this time I felt I was being lied to and after so many excuses about how the money was on its way I just felt I was being conned and scammed. I suggested he send the wire himself and if the investors wire came in I would forward it back to him. No reply to that and more waiting for his reply about the meeting with the person responsible for the wire.
Then finally I get this email:
“It seems like I have finally got to the bottom of the wire mystery.
After a lot of probing it has turned out to be a case of some one doing the
wrong thing for the right reasons. The secretary responsible for sending
the wire knew of the urgency to get it to you. So instead of sending it via
the banks which she knew would take at least a week she gave the money to a
friend of hers’ son who was flying out to the states. This guy had $3k in
cash which he was supposed to deposit when he reached the states. This
would have meant that in 3 days you would have had the money.
It is apparent that he has not done this and we are trying to get hold of
him as the secretary has for some time now. I can only assume the worst and
think that this guy has blown the cash.
So this is the situation – I would have gladly wired you $3k of my own
personal money had you used your credit card to book flights etc, but that
window of opportunity has now passed.
We will not be attending any conferences until we have a launch date signed
and sealed with the new platform which should be clear by mid April.
The reason for agreeing to the sponsorship was so that we could meet face to
face and discuss opportunities and synergies between us to find a mutually
beneficial way forward. It is pointless attending any conference where only
one of us is there – there will be absolutely no benefit for me in that.
I appreciate the fact that you want to sort this out between us – I think
that is imperative if we are to have a trusting relationship going forward,
but you have already involved I don’t know how many people – so if you are
serious about the two of us sorting this out, then lets keep all
communication between us, as I have done.
Now the way forward. – The idiot that ran away with our money is not your
problem – that is mine and some how I will get that cash back, even if the
secretary has to re-imburse the company (despite the fact that she may lose
her job over this). I will still honour a $3k sponsorship for you, but that
can only happen at a conference that I will be attending and when we have a
platform that we can market – otherwise it is totally pointless.
On another note xxxxx what you have to realise is that you are one aspect of
a thousand that I am dealing with right now. This may be the Alpha and
Omega for you, and judging by your incessant communication it is, for me,
although important that we solidify and define our relationship, it is
impossible for you to be my only focus and you have to understand that. I
also look for pro-active people that are self sufficient, not those that
seem to be inflexible and make their problems everyone else’s in order to
get their way.
That said, I will contribute $3k as I have promised but only (as I state
above) when we can both hook up and when we have a platform that we can
market. There are many (too many) conferences throughout the year and in a
few months we will be up and running and there will be a conference where we
can get together and sort out a positive way forward where we can both
benefit.
I do apologise for this total fiasco but in the end I do believe that
everything works out for the best and this will too.
Kind regards”
If in fact this was true, it’s such an invasion of my privacy. My whole banking information was given out by an apparent investor group working with management of Big Daddy’s Casino and Poker. I do not take too kindly to my personal data being shared with random people. I can only say anyone who decides at a latter date to work with such an unethical group please be very careful with your data. Look what happened to me. I also wish to know who the investor group is and the person who was responsible for giving out my data like this.
If on the other hand this was not true, which I am inclined to think, it only shows what stories this individual will come up with to dishonor his business deals he makes with his affiliates and business partners. For more than 25 days I waited for a wire that was promised and sent on various occasions. Then when the CAC conference is over and there is no way to go I get this form of reasoning.
I did suggest we work this out and as an alternative based on his own words he would have refunded me for CAC and still agreed for a future event, that I would be able to go to ACC(Amsterdam Casino Convention – end of April) instead, but of course this was denied as he claims we need to meet face to face. But clearly not when he said I would be re imbursed for CAC if I had paid for it. That would not have been face to face.
To agree and make business deals between us all in this industry we need trust. I had made a mistake and trusted Big Daddy’s would honor their word and follow up either by honoring their first deal or accepting my alternative. In the end I was just led on some more and promised the same thing for a future date, of which I felt was just another deception and dishonest truth.
For this reason I feel I had no choice but to stop all activity with Big Daddy’s Casino and Poker and informed all my players and partners. It’s a shame it has come to this, and I genuinely regret having to post this, but I feel the affiliate community and players need to know what they may be up against if they decide to do business with Big Daddy’s in the future.
As it stands, as an affiliate I have not been paid. I do know based on their website it claims payments are sent out by the 10th of the month by cheque In my own stats is shows not paid. Further more I want to know the group who infringed upon my privacy rights and gave out my banking information’s to a third party with out my consent.
I am certainly aware of the issues Big Daddy’s Casino has had with IGS and the unethical treatment they have had face of which they have informed me time and time again, and that they are looking for another Poker Platform to do business. However this does not take away from the fact, Big Daddy’s has dishonored their own deal with me, and further more I am also concerned for the affiliates and players who have not been paid and cannot cash out their funds. As I understand, even Big Daddy’s management may be locked out of their own system.
I lost two months of my time and many hours working on Big Daddy’s trying to deal with their avoidance techniques, lies, deception and basically unethical business practices and I do not wish this on any future affiliates here in the future. This is not the first time something like this has happened with a GPWA member and sure it’s not the last.
I hope all affiliates seriously consider the patterns we see here, with deception and lies. Make your own mind up and be careful. I can no longer trust them and have listed Big Daddy’s as unethical and rogue on my own site.