Tell us about what the new complaints process is for CasinoReviews.com and how you're involved in that?
Well, in April of this year, the owner of CasinoReviews.com acquired the business I founded, ThePogg.com. What we're currently undertaking is the migration of the ADR (alternative dispute resolution) service that ThePogg operates to CasinoReviews.
The recent launch marks the initial stage of this process, focusing on informal complaint management. The unique aspect ThePogg has brought to the market has always involved handling complaints both informally and formally.
This means that we are prepared to address complaints against anyone without restricting users in terms of whom they can file complaints against. We always strive to assist them, and in parallel, we also adhere to formal procedures within the Maltese regulatory system. When acting formally as an ADR, we are empowered to issue legally binding rulings.
Our recent move involved shifting the informal complaint service to CasinoReviews, allowing them to accept informal complaints. In the coming months, our focus will be on rolling out the complete ADR service, which will naturally take more time due to legal requirements. We need to update regulators regarding the service's name and URL change, as well as revise contracts with our various ADR clients.
Consequently, this will require a bit more time. Hence, we've made progress by launching the informal service and we anticipate that by the end of this quarter, we will introduce the formal ADR service on CasinoReviews. At that point, the complaint service at ThePogg will cease and all complaints will be routed through CasinoReviews.
It's quite a challenging timeline, but it has been enjoyable working on this project. We've made significant improvements on the backend to streamline dispute management and simplify the dispute resolution process for users. We anticipate a substantial reduction in the average time required to handle a complaint, which will be fantastic.
We've made significant improvements on the backend to streamline dispute management and simplify the dispute resolution process for users
You said it's been going on since April. How did the deal come about?
There has been an ongoing conversation between me and the co-founder of CasinoReviews regarding the potential acquisition of ThePogg. They were looking to enter the complaint management space and wanted to do so effectively.
Their goal was to create a consumer champion, which aligns perfectly with my background running ThePogg. I've always aimed to create a resource for players that genuinely adds value, rather than solely focusing on advertising and promoting programs that paid us the most.
Instead, we aimed to promote programs that treated players well, where we could intervene when something went wrong to ensure fair treatment and provide reliable information. This ethos is what I brought to the table.
When the time came for me to step back as the owner of ThePogg, their offer was the most attractive because it stayed true to this core ethos. It aligned with what I've always aimed to do. So, that's how we arrived at the sale.
Since then, there has been a shift in culture for me, going from being the final decision-maker in everything to being a part of the team. However, it has been a genuinely positive experience. I've been excited by the plans I see, especially because there is a strong core ethos in line with what I was always trying to achieve with ThePogg. The difference now is that we have far greater resources.
The reality is that we are significantly more effective at resolving consumer disputes when we have the legal authority provided by the ADR model
Regarding these resources, you mentioned expanding into other markets. Could you elaborate on that?
Absolutely. We are in discussions with several regulatory authorities considering adopting an ADR model, some of which have already committed to it, while others are grappling with the challenges of managing complaints and exploring their options. We are actively looking to collaborate with more jurisdictions in the future.
The reality is that we are significantly more effective at resolving consumer disputes when we have the legal authority provided by the ADR model and the backing of regulators for the decisions we make. This, in turn, makes it much easier to ensure that operators comply with our rulings.
Therefore, we are keen on encouraging more jurisdictions to consider and engage with the ADR model, enabling us to assist a greater number of players.
