Casino Forum has visited GPC early in April 2007 in Antigua    

Interview Global Player Casino with Ms. Erica Edwards, Marketing & Operations Director

After having worked for several well-known online gaming companies like WWTS, BetonSports and others in places like Costa Rica, the 31 year old Antiguan accepted the position of Marketing & Operations Director at Global Player Casino (GPC) and returned to her home country in September 2006.
Shortly afterwards, U.S. President George W. Bush signed "The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006" (UIGEA), which made it almost impossible for U.S. citizens to participate in online gaming and has had a huge negative impact on many online casino operators.
However, the Global Player Casino recently announced a change of software, so it seems to be quite alive and kicking. Casino Forum Administrator "Boni" took the chance for an interview with Ms. Edwards during his stay on Antigua, West Indies, where the Global Player Casino is located since 1999.

Global Player Casino founder and CEO Giancarlo BettiniMarketing and Operations Director Edwards
CEO Ginacarlo BettiniGPC Director Erica Edwards


Casino Forum: After having run your own proprietary software for almost 8 years, you are changing to a Boss Media product. Can you give us some insight about the reasons?

Edwards: It was very hard for us to make the decision to part with our proprietary software and move to a licensed solution. Our software was developed in 1999 and although we are very proud of many of its unique features, we understand that we must upgrade our product offering to a level that continuously meets the needs of our entire customer base. When we attempted to upgrade our gaming suite last year, we encountered several limitations, and it would have required a total rebuild to get it to the level that we needed; as a result, Management took the hard decision to move to an established gaming platform.
The Boss Media product is an ultra modern software which offers a timeless experience and this compliments our brand perfectly. Our players will now have the opportunity to enjoy an expanded suite of games with very little effort and this should lead to a higher level of customer satisfaction.

Casino Forum: Did The Unlawful Gambling Act influence your decision in any way?

Edwards: Yes, it actually did, in a very positive way. Our main market has always been Europe and the US players were a small fraction of our player community. With the arrival of the UIGEA and the subsequent exclusion of US players, we now have to opportunity to focus on growing our European market share and repositioning Global Player Casino for entry into other emerging markets.
Because of those reasons, we decided to change to a software provider whose product is culturally diverse and tailored to accommodate each market’s specific needs.


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Casino Forum: The Customer Support will also be run by Boss Media, what will be happening to your current staff? Did you dismiss a lot of people, due to operational changes?

Edwards: No, we are actually moving our current Customer Support team members into the Marketing department. Every person on our current team has a wealth of knowledge and experience that we cannot afford to lose. We are even planning to expand our team in the near future.

Casino Forum: If you have so many European players, will you keep the USD as your currency?

Edwards: No, we will be changing the primary Casino currency to EUR. The Webdollar payment system will accept all currencies and convert them to EUR when a player deposits. The currency for Poker will remain in USD; this is due to historical reasons which are beyond our control.

Casino Forum: Will you still be able to offer French Roulette and what will be the minimum stake for online Roulette?

Edwards: Of course we will still be offering French Roulette, definitely! The minimum chip denomination will be 1 EUR; however, there will be a second release offering a lower stakes table shortly after the new software launch on May 24th 2007. We understand the importance of low stakes for our Roulette players and we are committed to offering lower denomination chips to ensure that everyone is able to enjoy this popular game without going bankrupt (smiles).

Casino Forum: The GPC has had a reputation of high credibility and trustworthiness, due to the fact that you published the entire wheel history, reaching back until 1999. Will you still offer the Roulette Wheel History in some way?

Edwards: Yes, we will definitely provide a Roulette Wheel history because we know this feature is important to many of our players. Some of the features will differ from what we are offering at the moment, but it will be similar to one offered by another Boss casino and which that appears to work for a number of players that we have spoken to over the last couple of weeks.

Casino Forum: You are certainly referring to Casino Club, also a Boss Media Casino. Why should a player play in your casino if you are offering the same games they offer? In which way will Global Player be different from any other Boss Media casino?

Edwards: Ah, there are a lot of ways in which we differ from the other Boss Media casinos, but some of them cannot be disclosed at this point in time. Let’s start with the design: You won’t find any other Boss Media casino with that classy, clean and timeless look. Of course there will be different personalized and targeted promotions and some unique features, but we don’t want to give them away at the moment (smiles).

We are actually glad that other Boss Media casinos are doing so well in the Eastern European market because all players who enjoy playing on the Boss Media platform are invited to join on our tables. Although the games are the same, there will always be unique features that really make a difference. As with cars, it depends on the edition and extras you select.

Casino Forum: So you are planning to offer special Bonus offers? Can you give us some more insight?

Edwards: Yes, of course. There will be special promotions and bonus offers with the software launch and, of course, later. This is also one of the big surprises we are providing for our players with the new casino.

Casino Forum: The GPC was one of the first casinos offering Multiplayer tournaments in Blackjack, Videopoker and sometimes even Roulette. Is there a chance that you will offer those again?

Edwards: Fortunately, Boss Media already took care of this matter, so there will be Multiplayer tournaments in the near future.

Casino Forum: Due to legal issues, online casinos are not allowed to advertise in Germany and many other European companies. Will there be a Global Player Casino for free and play for fun or practice mode?

Edwards: We will be offering solutions that will allow us and to our affiliates to legally promote the casino in Germany and other European countries shortly after the transition to Boss Media software. You will certainly understand that I cannot disclose this in a public forum but we will be speaking to our partners on an individual basis.

Casino Forum: You are based on Antigua, West Indies. Are you planning to stay there or will you move your operations to another place?

Edwards: Many people are not aware of the fact that the Antiguan and Barbudan Directorate of Offshore Gaming is one of the strictest jurisdictions regarding money laundering and protection against identity fraud.

Antigua - Cruise liners and beaches


The Caribbean is far away from Europe and we might consider moving closer to Europe, but our license is still valid for another half year, so it is not our main focus at the moment.

Casino Forum: Many Boss Media Casinos are participating in a linked jackpot system, in order to offer attractive jackpots to their players. Will you be participating as well?

Edwards: Yes, we will participate in that system. I believe it will increase the excitement and benefits currently offered to our players.

Casino Forum: The GPC will offer its own poker room by the end of May. Will you be offering your own tournaments or special promotions?

Edwards: Yes, definitely. There are a lot of tournaments that we are preparing at the moment in all the different poker varieties and of course, we will be offering special promotions. As much as I understand your need to get to know more about our plans, I am sure that you will understand that we cannot give away too much information about our marketing strategies at the moment.

Casino Forum: Ms. Edwards, one last question: What are your feelings regarding the big day on May 24th? Are you excited or even anxious? Are you proud of yourself, regarding what you accomplished in such a short time?

Edwards: Well, May 24th is definitely a milestone, and I view it as the beginning of a new era at Global Player Casino. So am I excited? Yes, because it is always exciting when you start something new and I will certainly have butterflies in my stomach when it comes to actually pushing the button and switching to Boss Media software, but I am not anxious. We have gotten a lot of positive feedback from our players and affiliates and I am confident that this change is for the best.

I am proud, yes, not only of myself, but of the entire Global Player team. When you achieve such a goal in such short time, it is always a team effort and I was actually surprised about the way we all pulled together and I am really looking forward to what the future will bring.

Casino Forum: Ms. Edwards, thank you for taking the time for this interview.

Bad News: Global Player Casino went out of business