I am in London catching the mood of the gaming industry. Strangely enough here I feel more out of touch more than I am home on my computer. It is truly amazing how quickly word gets around in the cyberworld.
Overall I would say the industry as a whole is very optimistic. When the conference started (CapEuro) there was a sort of doom and gloom meeting talking about the future with Neteller leaving. I think everyone (especially providers) found that assessment somewhat laughable given the amount of processors popping up at the moment. Currently I think the sites as a whole are really beginning to embrace the idea of the "insurance" role that they will have to take on in the near future. What I mean by that is there will be bigger fees from processors based on demand and functions like instant money, may either be a thing of the past or could discount some of the bonuses that we take for granted.
Here is a site by site impression that is strictly my opinion for the most part and it relates to how each company relates to webmasters (the people who get the fish we eat):
Noticeably absent is Party Poker from this meeting. What is interesting about that is that Party Poker and most of their company is in London, or many of their employees that work with webmasters are from here.
Also noticeably present is PokerStars. I have said this for a long time and I will stress once again that PokerStars depends heavily on the advertisements. The future of which is certainly in question. They have hired some of the sharpest people in the industry and are really working diligently to increase their European presence and likely the 5% of their business that comes from webmasters will jump in an enormous way because of it. Judging from the past they have hit this event like a wind storm.
What is interesting when you come to these things is that while poker is a big deal you realize how accepting the world is to gaming in general. So when you ask someone who is bigger PokerStars or Bodog, that answer appears simple PokerStars by numbers alone. The reality is no one knows but Bodog is certainly on par with any of the biggest dogs in the industry. Their new card room manager is a great friend of mine and very ambitious who is coming from other channels within Bodog to produce similar results for poker. Make no mistake about it that Bodog is a monster player in the industry and judging from their mood they are going full steam ahead in typical Bodog fashion. I truly believe this is the year for them in regards to poker, they have the right man on the job and the team they are assembling is quite impressive as well.
I have been very outspoken about
UB/Absolute recently, in a good way. For the longest time it was difficult to come on these boards (or any boards really) and speak positively about
UB. Well, because of the view I get I tend to see how the industry is changing and I expect big things from
UB/Absolute. Traditionally many of the webmasters worldwide have had the same problems that many of you have had with communicating on the job. Their new team (headed by the people taking over at Absolute) is phenomenal. What you are really seeing is Absolute realizing what they have acquired in
UB, a great product with a flawed history. To their credit they know to monetize what they have bought it will require righting some of the wrongs of the past. I think you will see that in time, though you may have to be patient while it begins to trickle down.
I was talking to the people at
Full Tilt Poker and they asked me my thoughts on what can be done to really make an impression on people, my answer was simple. Do what you are currently doing. They are in second place with a bullet and its because of their commitment to their interface and some savvy marketing. With the marketing (at least in the US) questionable I think you are seeing them really making large strides in Europe and overall the health of their room is reflected in that. So the simple answer was don't change anything you are doing great.
What is always apparent when you come to these things as an observer is that the industry as a whole is constantly in bail mode, so it has difficulty getting a good head of steam but is very flexible in dealing with catastrophe. What needs to happen in my opinion is all of these companies need to follow the lead of PokerStars and Bodog in the way they brand their product and the way they constantly have a plan. What I really would like to see is the companies work to have a close relationship with its customers and get more familiar with their individual needs. That is difficult to do when there is a catastrophe every other day.
Unfortunately I won't be able to respond until later (I have no computer). Overall though I think the mood here is "play on" and the industry will be there for you. As optimisic as that may appear certainly the moods of the industry is encouraging. I know with all of the bad news recently it is difficult for some people to read optimism at this point but I wanted everyone to know that the industry as a whole is quite upbeat.
I have met a few
PAW members and it is always impressive the level of expertise many of you have. Being a webmaster is so foriegn to me and it is always nice to catch up on what goes on with that end of the world
Mood in London
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