While I never think for even one minute that it's my job (or right) to tell someone how to run their business, I definitely feel it's my right and perhaps obligation to tell my readers when I think some person or company is running their business in a way that could be harmful to their customers, especially when those customers may also be my readers. At the same time, I also have an obligation to try and tell my story in an honest and fair way so that all concerned will get the most value from it.

Recently, I "crossed swords" with a company called FutureBet, which supplies the casino software to a dozen or more Internet casinos. This came about due to an expressed reluctance on the part of one of their representatives, as stated in a meeting with people from the Online Players Association, to take any responsibility regarding the loss of deposits by players at a now-defunct casino that used FutureBet software.

Naturally, I took them to task for that attitude and consequently added their casinos onto the Warning List side of our Blacklist Page. (In case you don't know, a casino on the Warning List side has an opportunity to redeem itself, whereas those on the Blacklist side are pretty much a hopeless case, in my opinion.) While I had not received specific complaints about any FutureBet-powered casino, I believed the warning to be prudent because these may be fine operations, but if the software manufacturer is not behind them, then the player's only recourse is the casino itself and, should that casino decide to close up shop, the player will likely be out his or her $$$ as a result.

Not long after that was posted, I began receiving messages from a representative of FutureBet who stated, among other things:

"In regards to your erroneous statement that we have abandoned players that were affected when Black Rhino Casino (a former licensee) elected to close their doors, please note that we have provided applicable players with generous credits, typically amounting to thousands of dollars in many cases, at other licensee sites. Note that we did so despite having no actual financial obligation to do so. In doing so, those players agreed that the credits given amounted to sufficient compensation to place the Black Rhino debacle behind them (and us)."

While the players involved were not paid cash, but in the form of credits for gambling at other FutureBet casinos with "playthrough" requirements attached, at least they received some compensation. For the most part, the amount each received was capped at $4000, but I have to agree it's at least something and that's a good thing.

Because I based my decision regarding the placement of FutureBet-powered casinos on our Warning List on the fact that no player from Black Rhino Casino had been paid and that was not the case (which I verified through the OPA), there is little reason for them to remain on the list. As I said then, I had received no specific complaints about these casinos and I haven't received any prior to this being written, so as far as I'm concerned, it's good luck to them and off they go. Therefore, we have removed all FutureBet-powered casinos from our Warning List, at this time.

They did the "right thing" and so will I.