Originally Posted by
Integrity
Alan,
Many of us know very well who's idea spring break was... who "took" it and ran... and what it has become today.
Like so many other great ideas in this industry it was taken, re-branded as CAP Property, and made into a profit machine. Let's look at what Lou and Warren have done with CAP and where many of the ideas came from:
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:dollarsign: CAP Certification
Certification may not be novel, but the only thing "certification" means here is that a program can afford to pay an outrageous amount of money every quarter for access to the CAP forums. Many forums of "certified partners" at CAP are actually quite dead, so why pay all the cash?
Some affiliate managers have told me that it's because, if you don't pay, it's made quite clear they would not have access to the conferences or other advertising venues. Also note that CAP has what some would call very questionable affiliate programs as "certified" members. So really, it's no secret that "certification" is just a huge cash cow with little to do about integrity.
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:dollarsign: CAP Conferences
Does CAP put on a good show? Yea, I admit they do... but once again it's because they are attended by my friends and iGaming Business organizes a great event... not because we want to see Lou & Warren that badly. So how did all of these events get started?
Lou's friend, Alan (the Captain here) actually came up with the original idea of "Spring Break". Lou took it and ran, piggybacking off the timing of GIGSE in Montreal. The original event was in 2004, I believe.
When Marc Lesnick stumbled in 2006 with his Vegas show (already scheduled after the Caruthers arrest and just before UIGEA passed) Lou and Warren seized the opportunity to take him out. Ever since then they have looked for every chance to destroy his events.
Don't believe me? Then why did they add CAP Amsterdam to the rotation when they already had CAP London & CAP Barcelona? I know they are most likely changing the venue from Spain, but why Amsterdam? And why was it originally scheduled for 2 weeks after the CAC Event? To force us to choose and destroy Lesnick's last big event.
Still don't believe me? Then why --- after Mr Lesnick moved his event to March 30th to avoid a conflict --- did Lou decide to make CAP Spring Break March run through March 28th in Mexico? Because he knows affiliates cannot attend both.
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:dollarsign: CAP Magazine
Many of you may not be aware that the APCW started a print magazine back in March of 2006 called APCW Perspectives (that's where we borrowed the name Perspectives Weekly from). It was only distributed at CAC events but was quite well received. Now I know that a magazine is not a groundbreaking idea, but it was 3 months later that Lou and Warren just decided... quite "out of the blue"... to start CAP Magazine.
I called Lou about the decision and asked him why they were doing a magazine as well. After all, CAP was making 100 times more cash than APCW and we really needed the revenue. Lou said that he wasn't competing with me, to which I replied "WHAT?"
He was focusing on the same audience, the same news, and the same advertisers. And when I pointed this out to him, he said: "Oh well. Best of luck to you." This cold, matter-of-fact response would soon become the norm for dealing with him.
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:dollarsign: CAP Portal Seal
I interviewed Michael Corfman about the GPWA Portal Seal's back in 2006 on one of the first Perspectives Weekly. It was a great idea, so it didn't take Lou long to sniff it out.
The CAP Portal Seal is a direct rip off of the GPWA. Noticing a pattern now?
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:dollarsign: CAP T&C Software
A friend of mine, Andy, poured himself into a great idea: Develop a software to automatically scan affiliate programs Terms and Conditions pages for unannounced alterations that could hurt affiliates. This became Affiliate Guard Dog.
Lou once again seized the day and offered Andy a "deal he can't refuse" to give CAP the software. When Andy turns down the deal, Affiliate Guard Dogs days at CAP are numbered... and he's eventually gone... forum erased... and banned (This was only a short time after Lou removed the APCW forums, too). AGD and APCW forums has added value to CAP, and instead of appreciating that value it was viewed as an attainable commodity.
CAP now has/is developing their own T&C software? What a "fresh" idea!
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:dollarsign: CAP TV
Everyone knows that the APCW led the way for our industry in video. We expected that, eventually, there would be competition... no surprise. We even knew that CAP would try to be a player in the genre. What many don't know is that the APCW was going to be CAP TV if Lou had gotten his way.
After banning both Anthony and I at CAP, Lou "tossed us a bone" by flying me to Barcelona to meet wit him and Warren about a buy out, and becoming a part of the CAP team. He made a really poor offer and wanted me to cut Anthony... my friend of almost 25 years... out of the business.
Anthony helped make APCW what it had become... I told Lou this... he didn't care. He wanted me to take a small salary, cut my best friend out of the business, and become his propaganda tool. After talking about things and receiving a poor "counter offer" from Warren, I spoke it over with Anthony and we declined.
It was shortly afterward that Michael was contacted and a deal was made. Ever since, Lou has ranted and raved and called me names in his forums.
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:dollarsign: CAP ASOP
A while back, Lou touted the ASOP as one way he gives back to the industry. Yea, and he makes a healthy profit off of it as well. I know first hand that the sponsors pay a hell of a lot more that the prize pool that's given out, and the rest goes in someones pocket.
It wouldn't be that big a deal, really, because this is a business and we're all here to make a living. But don't trumpet the ASOP as a great contribution to online gaming when you actually run the thing as a money maker.
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:dollarsign: PAP Radio
I have good friends that run an online radio station, and they attended CAP London last year. It was at that event that PAP members approached and asked all kinds of questions and seemed genuinely interested in how they did what they did. Can you guess why? LOL!
It wasn't too long before PAP Radio was on the air. Again, there's no monopoly on this technology, but there is a definite pattern of behavior developing.
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:dollarsign: CAP Audits
The latest "look at CAP" stunt involves their so-called audits. They finally produced one for Rome Casino, and it was widely viewed as a catastrophe because of it's complete un-professionalism and getting just about everything wrong.
It's no secret that the APCW has been conducting successful audits of casinos and affiliate programs since 2004, and that those audits have produced positive results in the industry, even when they were not flattering of the casinos or programs themselves.
Just another un-original copy of another's hard work, and re-branded with the all-important CAP Logo.
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I know I know, some of you will say I am bitter or bringing up the past or whatever... I expect to hear it. But do you guys know Warren has actually asked Michael to apologize for "issues" related to Cardspike... twice???!!! It's true! :bong:
So with the deliberate deceptions we have seen over the past month... with the audacity of Lou and Warren to now expect GPWA and APCW to apologize to them... with the years and years of taking others hard work and re-branding it as their own... I ask you all:
Why have Lou and Warren made NO PUBLIC APOLOGY about all the Cardspike lies?
Why do they NOT CARE enough to come clean and explain their actions to everyone?
Are webmasters, players, and operators not worth FINALLY hearing the truth come from their mouths?
Tell ya what... let's just forget all about it, look the other way, and get back to "business as usual" or whatever... Everyone ok with that? :puke
PS > I PERSONALLY DO NOT WANT AN APOLOGY FROM LOU FOR HIS ACTIONS TOWARD ME IN LONDON BECAUSE IT WAS THE FIRST TRULY GENUINE ACT WE'VE SEEN FROM HIM IN A WHILE.
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