Twitter was in an uproar after popular American-friendly sportsbook BetOnline.ag fired one of their most popular blackjack dealers. Andy (found at @lukyandy on Twitter) was let go for allegedly committing the horrendous crime of being too friendly with customers. Many of the betting site’s regular customers spoke of their frustrations by using the hashtag #FreeAndy on Twitter this afternoon.
What might have happened.
I hate people who claim they know everything, so I will admit that I did not know who Andy was prior to this incident. However, I will attempt to determine as much as possible from some of the tweets that he sent out from his personal Twitter account. Here is what he had to say this afternoon:
At 11:48 AM eastern, Andy tweeted that he was looking forward to his shift.
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At 2:18 PM, he wrote that he had just been fired from his position at BetOnline.
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In a tweet directed at a follower, he said that the [f*ckers] fired him for interacting with customers outside of the casino.
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Andy enjoyed his position, and was clearly frustrated with what had happened.
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A lot of his regulars, including some people who stream blackjack sessions on Twitch, reached out to help him with donations.
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Andy indicates that BetOnline did not give him a clear reason why he was fired. He assumed it was due to his friendliness.
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While BetOnline did not give him an exact reason why he was let go, it is likely that it was connected to his outgoing personality. If this was the reason for his termination, management could view it as a problem for one of two ways: Substituting quantity for quality, or the dangers of out-of-office interaction.
I have never worked in an online video casino before, but I would imagine that the person who has the highest hands-per-minute rate would be the best employee. The sad truth of the matter is that the majority of customers who frequent BetOnline’s streaming service are doing it for the sake of gambling, and not for interacting with dealers. As long as they are not being rude, it is difficult to justify choosing someone who averages 1.9 hands per minute over the other leading brand, who averages 1.6. Especially during peak hours, these video casinos normally have all of their tables full. There is certainly no lack of interest, with or without Andy.
But, like I have stated before, I have never seen Andy deal before. I do not know if he sacrifices efficiency for entertainment, and anything that I would say on the matter would be purely speculation. Judging from his tweets, it appears as though the reason for his termination was more likely connected to the fact that he interacts with customers outside of the office. As BetOnline’s offices are in Costa Rica, and their clientele are in North America, this interaction could only be done through Twitter.
As of the time that I am writing this article, Andy has just under 10,000 followers on Twitter. A lot of Twitch streamers host video events such as “Blackjack Friday”, where I would imagine Andy has become a fan favorite. Scrolling through his timeline, it appears as though he is always friendly with those who spend their time at his table, carrying inside jokes away from the felt. If there is one thing to take away from Clive Owen in Croupier, is that if the casino employee were to recognize a customer outside of their station, they were to act as if they have never seen them before in their life. But, lets remember, its a fucking movie.
Its hard to draw a conclusion without knowing the information. BetOnline will never release a statement on something like this. The truth of the matter is that a video dealer is a competitive job. You earn tips from your customers, making it a lucrative alternative to other standard positions that may be offered in Costa Rica. And since this blog is about honesty, I will go ahead and say it: Male dealers are far more replaceable than female ones. A larger portion of a sportsbook’s customers will be male, and a high percentage of those individuals would be more inclined to sit-down at a table with a pretty female dealer, as opposed to a male. It is a fact; do not kid yourself.
BetOnline viewed Andy’s actions as either inefficient or dangerous. And when you are in a position that is very replaceable, you can understand why they did it. However, that does not make it right.
The Verdict
As stated many times in this article, its difficult to pick a side when you do not know the facts. Instead, we can examine both possible scenarios to determine who may be at fault. If Andy’s employer made it explicitly clear that he was to operate at a certain hands-per-minute rate minimum, and should not be interacting with customers outside of his workspace, then BetOnline had a right to do what they did. We all know that it is highly unlikely for someone to attempt to devise a plan to cheat the system with a customer outside of the workplace when there are so many cameras analyzing your every move, but the company does not know that for sure.
If he was never warned or educated on the proper form of conduct, then the events that happened today were not warranted. Unfortunately when you are expandable, not only do you rarely get to strike-three, but you next-to-never live to see the first one go over the heart of the plate.
Next Steps For Andy
Andy tweeted out that he will use some of the money that was donated to him by his fans and followers to begin his own streaming service. I will post an update when the specifics have been hashed out. If you would like to check out his Twitter account for more recent updates, click here.
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Next Steps for You
If you are not happy with what happened to Andy, or would at least like BetOnline to release more information on what happened so we can stop speculating, then there are three things that you can do. The hashtag #FreeAndy has received a surprising amount of popularity, which can help get the sportsbook management’s attention on the matter (although they probably already know whats going on). The best person to contact on Twitter for any issues regarding BetOnline is Dave Mason (@DaveMasonBOL), perhaps in the coming days he will bring more light to the situation.
Your final option is to switch sportsbooks entirely. For my American readers, I would highly recommend 5Dimes as an alternative. They offer a great video casino service, as well as many of the same wagering services that BetOnline offers, surpassing them in multiple categories as well. For more information, feel free to check out Frostbet’s 5Dimes review. You can also use the button below to get a free $200 sign-up bonus when creating your account.
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