Warren Cloud Death
Casts Cloud Over
Online Gambling
Sector
His online casinos
shut down with
little notice
When Gambling911.com
first reported two
weeks ago that
online casino
pioneer
Warren Cloud had
prematurely passed
away many found
the news difficult
to accept being that
the father of one
was only in his 30's
when he suffered a
massive heart attack
while sailing off
the coast of Spain.
The smart one's
pulled their money
out.....and with
good reason.
Cloud was the
biggest licensee of
Real Time Gaming
software. That
firm warned punters
to remove their
money before July
31, or risk
forfeiting it. No
reasons for the
closure have been
given.
The Silver Sands
brand , which
includes the much
publicised Silver
Sands Casino, has
other shareholders
and is still
operating,
FM Tech reported
Sunday.
That site reported
that Cloud was seen
as reclusive and
eccentric. Just two
months before his
death, he visited SA
on business, flying
into Johannesburg by
helicopter and
travelling with an
armed escort to the
upmarket
Michaelangelo hotel,
where he always had
the same R35 000
suite.
Cloud's online
casinos were
regularly featured
on websites "rogue"
listings including
that of
CasinoMeister.com.
Most of the
complaints involved
Cloud's
unwillingness to pay
out bonuses to those
he deemed as "bonus
abusers".
Warren Cloud used a
variety of aliases,
including Don
Fortune , Richard
Brooks and Oliver
Curran.
Brian Bailey, who
runs the
CasinoMeister
website believed in
the end that Cloud
was not a bad man.
"Even though we
didn't see things
eye to eye
concerning running a
casino, he had a
family and a young
daughter he loved
very much. My
condolences go out
to them," Bailey
stated on his
message forum
shortly following
news of Cloud's
death.
But it was clear
that the online
casino pioneer had
rubbed many the
wrong way, including
Lou Fabiano of
CasinoAffiliatePrograms.
"I don't like to
speak ill of the
dead, but I am not
sure he will be
missed by many."
-----
Christopher
Costigan,
Gambling911.com
Publisher
CCostigan@CostiganMedia.com
Originally published
July 13, 2008 12:53
am EST
|
