Webmaster:

First of all Alan, I'd like to thank you for accepting this interview.

Alan:

Thank you for asking, Antoine.

Webmaster:

When did Vegas USA first open for business?

Alan:

VegasUSA opened for business on January 1, 1999. We have experienced a tremendous growth in popularity in the last 12 months and see things growing even faster in 2000.

Webmaster:

Vegas USA has a solid reputation for offering the fastest payouts. Do you feel that this is a major reason for your ongoing success?

Alan:

Yes. When VegasUSA first started doing business, we looked around the industry and knew that we needed to set ourselves apart from our competition. At the time most casinos were (and a lot still are) charging for the delivery of payouts by deducting a processing fee from the players winnings. Others were sending out the checks by regular mail. I read that the average payout can take up to 14-21 days or even longer to receive. If I had to wait that long to get my winnings, I wouldn't play!

We also had a lot of customer service emails with people asking where their checks were. We decided to put together the "Express Payout Online Tracking Center" and to ship the checks out via UPS Express Delivery. When a player cashes-out we send them an email with their UPS tracking number and they can track their package right from our site. We absorb the cost of shipping the payouts. This service isn't cheap, but it is worth it. Our players love it.

Webmaster:

In this industry, some operators ignore all incoming e-mail, yet VegasUSA strives to offer superior customer service, with most e-mails been responded to in less than 20 minutes. Why this commitment to superiority?

Alan:

The problem with doing business on the Internet, no matter what business you are in, is that it can be so cold and sterile. It is easy for casino owners to hide from their customers. Most people send an email because they really need some help, and soon. We welcome emails. The way I look at it, an email is an opportunity for us to solve a problem and prove that we really do care.

We send out an initial response in under 15 minutes. We don't always have the problem solved that fast, but we at least let the customers know that we're working to get them an answer. Our goal is to answer the players question while they are still online. If we can answer their question quick enough they are probably going to continue to play. Most people stop playing until they feel the problem has been taken care of.

VegasUSA also assigns a dedicated Player Advocate to every player that emails in a question or concern. After the question has been answered, the Player Advocate sends out a follow up email 24 hours later to make sure that the player's question was answered to their satisfaction. I call that going above and beyond the expectations of the customer

Webmaster:

Lately Vegas USA has been offering a free $30 chip just for signing up. Is this freebie popular amongst players? and have you seen a rapid growth in players since its introduction?

Alan:

We really wanted to do something special to convince new players to give us a shot. We feel that if a player will just give us a chance we can keep them as a customer for a long time. The $30 sign-up bonus for new players is working great. We had a 43% increase in the number of new players last month.

Webmaster:

Why did you decide to offer download games, versus browser based game play?

Alan:

That is a tuff one. We had to do a lot of research before choosing download games over browser based games. I would say that the security issue was the number one concern. Our download software is a lot more secure for the player and the casino.

Another issue was connection speeds. With a the majority of players still on 28.8 or slower connections a lot of browser based games really creep. Our software has a unique download manager. The initial download is around 68K. You don't actually download a game until you play it the first time. If you don't like Keno, you never download it. After download you can access all of your favorite games in SECONDS. It all comes down to "you can pay me now or pay me later". There is no such thing as "no download". You can download once and be done with it or you can download smaller chunks forever.

Webmaster:

What is your most popular game amongst players?

Alan:

There is no doubt which of our games is most popular. Blackjack. I think it is because most players feel Blackjack is more a game of skill than luck. They're right, to an extent.

Webmaster:

How do you ensure your games are fair and honest?

Alan:

VegasUSA went through extensive research and testing to ensure that the games all play accurately. We come from a long line of gamblers and we personally tested to make sure we liked the way the games played.

Webmaster:

Security is always a worry in every ones mind, can you tell us a little about the security of our deposits and personal information?

Alan:

Security is our number one concern. VegasUSA has gone to great lengths to ensure the security of our customer's deposits and personal information. We have an excellent track record of providing the highest level of security possible. You connect directly to our gaming server. We password protected all accounts. Our gaming software produces an audit trail of all transactions, requests and wagers. We can track every play on our site down to each hand of cards or pull of the slot machine lever.

As far as protecting the player's personal information. All you have to do is read our privacy statement: VegasUSA will FOR NO REASON MAKE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION AVAILABLE to any third party. Your personal information resides inside "firewall protected" servers. All actions and transactions will be kept strictly confidential!

Webmaster:

What do you feel the future has to hold for online gambling?

Alan:

Unfortunately, the United States is currently working more towards prohibition than regulation. Casinos like VegasUSA welcome the opportunity to be more tightly regulated. If there were a governing body that would review the activity of online casinos it would only help us. My biggest concern is that we, by association, get lumped in with ever other online casino, both good and bad.

No matter what happens in the United States online gambling will continue to thrive. The world is a big place and there are millions of new gamblers coming into the market every year. It is just a shame that the U.S. doesn't take a more positive role to help make online gambling a safer more reputable past time.

All we can do is strive to make VegasUSA a safe, affordable and comfortable place to gamble.

Webmaster:

Thanks for the interview,