Interview with Mike


Amuse: When did you gamble the first time, where and what game did you play?
Mike: My brothers and I grew up gambling, everything we did was a bet. Our family played cards around the table at least 3 nights per week, all that changed was the currency, sometimes it was for money other times for sweets and occasionally chores. If we had money we’d occasionally get in on some street corner dice games but most didn’t end well. My first time in an actual casino was when I was in my 20’s and travelled to the US. South Africa didn’t have casinos in those days.

Amuse: Follow up on this question: Did you win?
Mike: You mean overall? No, but I did have a few good hands of blackjack and I won a small sum in a poker game.

Amuse: When did you gamble the first time online?
Mike: Now you are asking a question…about 5 years ago…so about 2005?

Amuse: How much was your biggest win/loss?
Mike: My biggest win R308K and my biggest loss…well, I like to think that I am a glass half full kind of guy so I don’t count the losses!

Amuse: In your view, what is the difference in gambling online and in a land based casino?
Mike: When it comes to gambling, not much except online there is more variety and you get to set the pace in table games. Land based casinos have more distractions than online ones but I think which you choose really depends on your mood and what you are looking for.

Amuse: Do you believe casinos cheat?
Mike: I would say it depends on where they are…I’ve seen some pretty dodgy establishments in out of the way places. For the most part in the more “reputable” places I’m sure they would if they could but I don’t think it is that easy or that common with auditing and random number generators.

Amuse: Are online casinos safe?
Mike: That depends on the operation and who is behind it. Some are, some aren’t and you need to do your homework there. If you get suckered it’s generally your own fault because you can find all the information you need on the net…it’s called Google!

Amuse: What are the problems South Africans are facing when they want to play online?
Mike: My pet hate is that you can’t play everywhere because not all casinos accept South African players so I think we sometimes miss out on some great ones.

Amuse: Why do online casinos have such a bad reputation?
Mike: They do? I never really realised that because it’s not an issue for the people I know, most play poker online. I guess it’s because people are closed minded then, what else could it be?

Amuse: Where do you see the future of online gambling in South Africa?
Mike: I think that as internet penetration continues to grow and the quality of our internet improves that we’ll see more and more people gambling online.

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