Year: 2019

Using Wikr (for Hybrid and Remote Uber players)

NighthawkPlayer updates

Just a reminder that Wikr chat is only for emergencies. An emergency is something like the server is down despite a booking. For anything that’s not urgent, please only use encrypted email.

 

If there’s anther issue that really is urgent, and worth waking me up for, then you can use Wikr. But I don’t want the same thing to happen with my private phone number. People ended up calling at all hours for non-urgent matters. If that happens with Wikr, I either have to ignore messages from some players or I overall become less receptive to Wikr messages. When I hear a Wikr message on my phone or see the led blinking, I check it immediately. Please use Wikr appropriately.

Uber and Hybrid Session Recordings

NighthawkPlayer updates

Every Remote Uber and Hybrid session is recorded, so I can replay and inspect everything that happened on the server. This is for a few reasons:

 

1. Security: to ensure players aren’t doing something forbidden.

 

2. Support: so if a player gets stuck or something goes wrong, I can easily replay the recordings and see for myself.

 

By default the recordings are at a lower resolution and frame rate, but still clear enough to see everything.

 

This is not a security risk to anyone because:

 

* Only I access the recordings

* Any activity uses end-to-end encryption

* Recordings are deleted after review

* Any saved recordings (even temporarily) are stored on a 256 bit encrypted drive

* Fragmented encrypted files are impossible to recover

* Logs aren’t saved. I can only view them in real-time. And my memory is terrible (where am I?)

* You arent or shouldn’t be breaking laws anyway (do your research)

 

In the worst case scenario, a team may knowingly break the law, and my computers are raided. That would be a breach of contract. And it may interrupt my morning coffee. So please don’t do it. I’m not speaking in code – please don’t break laws.

 

But players frequently ask, what if a team doesn’t pay an operator a fair amount?

 

Firstly, you should have very clear agreements in place. You can make whatever you want. Typically the operator gets about 30% AFTER expenses. So if the players win $10,000 but had a $500 hotel expense, the operator’s take would be 30% of $9,500 which is $2,850.

 

Operators may own the computer. But remember the players are the ones in the casino, betting with their money.

 

Your agreements should be very clear about the player’s expenses, including what they are for. You shouldn’t need to cover unnecessary luxuries.

 

What happens if there’s a dispute? Firstly, I must be neutral. I will impartially share whatever information I have, which can be obtained from recordings – which is useful if you plan to sleep while others play (not recommended). Most of the time anyone watching the server can see actual bets, winnings and losses.

 

Disputes are rare, but not rare enough. If you short-change a team member and it’s clear, expect that other operators will learn about it, and nobody will want to work with you.

 

Luckily in most cases, everyone is fair and honest. The most important thing is having clear agreements.

 

Generally with my own teams, I don’t even bother asking about their profits until they’ve been successful for some time. I have various agreements, but mostly it is all based on trust. Everything doesn’t need to be rounded off to the nearest number. If you develop good relationships with the right players, trust and mutual understand is worth more than a contract. You don’t need legally binding contracts that everyone signs. You just need text that you both have, which outlines the agreement.

Custom Cable pricing

NighthawkPlayer updates

Today I tested every new custom cable on a variety of phones, and all worked without a problem. So we’ll start making more.

 

The downside is the new design is $50 more expensive (now $250). This is my cost price. But if you already paid for a cable, I’ll absorb the additional cost.

 

I have 7 units and will ship later this week. It isnt enough for all pending orders so I’ll send first to players who have waited the longest. More completed cables are on the way.

Custom Cables

NighthawkPlayer updates

I’ll receive the new custom cables in a few days. First I’ll test each one thoroughly, and if everything is ok, I’ll start shipping. But the first batch isnt enough stock for everyone. So I’m waiting for them to arrive (early next week), and the technician is waiting for my test results before making more. Sorry for the delay – the modifications haven’t been so simple. Every phone is different. The other version may have worked perfectly on some phones, but not others. Nevertheless it appears we now have a solution.

JAA phone version update

NighthawkPlayer updates

I’m doing some final software mods requested by players (before selling the company as making mods would be harder for the new owners). This includes the JAA phone app, which now has touch-screen number and direction input, and option to play one or both directions. So play is much quicker and more practical for online casinos and testing. See details of the updated version at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bub0O7EE1C0 – download the latest version from the usual location.

 

Updated written instructions are at https://www.roulettephysics.com/forum/index.php?action=kb;area=article;cont=65

Remote Uber & Hybrid Cables

NighthawkPlayer updates

Some of the original cables weren’t working correctly, so the technician is having to redesign them. It’s quite a complex issue that needs significant research and development, which is taking time. I’ve worked with the technician for many years and he’s very good at what he does, so he will resolve the situation. If you have any problems with your existing cables, let me know exactly what you find. Most of them are perfectly fine. About 1/3rd are affected. It more depends on the original components and circuit board that was used. The other option is use the wireless button, but to use it as a toe switch it will also need modifications. I appreciate everyone’s patience. I have regular contact with the technician and the resolution isn’t far off.

Sale Of Company (it wont affect existing players)

NighthawkPlayer updates

I’m making some major changes to the companies I operate. This includes selling the company which handles all roulette technology sales.

I’m posting this to give players first notice, and to explain what will happen so everyone understands it wont reduce their support, or negatively affect them.

Some details of the plan are yet to be decided. The below explains the current plan.

REASONS FOR THE SALE

I’ve been doing this for 15 or so years. Mostly what takes my time is supporting NEW players. Sometimes I’ve struggled to find the time to continue. I wanted to avoid selling the company because my available time often changes. Roulette has always been a passion, so I’ve done what I could to continue.

Previously I leased the company, and another time had partners helping with support. But that was temporary. They are players too and don’t have time to continue either. So all responsibilities came back to me. The company sale is permanent. 15 years is enough.

I will still continue with my private teams, and supporting players who purchased BEFORE the company sale. The only affected individuals are NEW purchasers (players who join AFTER the company sale).

To protect existing players and my own teams, some conditions for the company sale are required.

CONDITIONS OF THE COMPANY SALE

It will give the new owners rights to:

  • All websites, excluding parts necessary for my continued support to existing players (exception is rouletteforum.cc, although I agree to indefinitely run whatever ads are required, provided they are not displayed to logged-in members).
  • All technology sales & licensing (with limitations for some technology explained below).
  • Sale prices must not be lower than existing prices, without prior written consent from myself. But they may be higher. This is to prevent the new owner from over-selling, at the expense of existing players (ie to prevent too-widespread use of computers).
  • Source codes are not included for the Remote Uber and Hybrid. Instead, a set number of copy-protection USB dongles are provided (one per new Hybrid/Uber server is required). This guarantees the new owners wont “over-sell” and therefore make the technology too common.
  • A cap on the amount of Remote Hybrid or Uber teams operating within each jurisdiction.
  • I will continue supporting players who joined under me, to keep promises. The new owners will have their own players to support. All system players will access the same software, but there may need to be different support websites. In the event of my incapacity, the new owners will be responsible for continued support of existing players, OR players will receive everything needed to continue (including code generators).

In the case of the Remote Hybrid and Uber computers, I will continue to maintain servers for teams who purchased under me. If I cannot continue for any reason, players will receive all tools and software required to run their own servers (as per existing contracts), OR the new owners will assume control.

THE SUMMARY

Basically the company is being split into two parts:

Part 1: Players that joined under me (before the company sale), and

Part 2: Players who join under the NEW company owners (after the company sale).

I will have nothing to do with “part 2 players”.

The new owners will be restricted from doing various things that could negatively affect existing players.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:

Q. Does this affect your private teams?

No. None of this affects my private teams.

Q. Who will have the legal liability to continue support?

The contracts will state I must support players who joined under me (for at least 5 years), unless I cannot continue for some reason. It would need to be a serious reason like illness or death. Legal liability only falls to the new owners if I’m completely unable to continue. And if they can’t continue, they or I must provide all players with everything required to fully utilize what they purchased (irrespective of when they joined).

Q. How can you enforce the limitation of sales for technology like the roulette computers?

Most of the original computers aren’t available anymore because there isn’t any available hardware. The exceptions are like when someone upgrades to Remote Uber or Hybrid, and returns old equipment. So this leaves only the Remote Uber and Hybrid computers. Included in the company sale are a finite supply of copy-protection USB dongles. Each Hybrid or Uber server needs its own dongle. They are pre-encoded, and only I control the encryption key required to create more USB dongles. The supply will be limited enough to prevent too many teams worldwide. The limited supply completes my obligation to the new company owners. For me to create more, the new owners will need to provide justification, and convince me an extended supply will not adversely affect existing teams. The restriction will exist for at least 5 years from the date of the contract. This keeps the technology exclusive for a reasonable time.

Q. Can’t the new owners bypass the Remote Uber and Hybrid copy protection?

Realistically, no. Because it would be extremely difficult to even just decrypt parts of the software. This would leave them with a mess of parts, and they’d need to code the missing parts. The cost of doing this make it prohibitive. Nothing is completely un-hackable. But the idea is to make it so difficult to hack, that it would be much quicker and cheaper to write the software from scratch. The contracts prevent them from doing that though. The arrangements are so that if the new owners have honest intentions, there would be no incentive to even attempt bypassing the restrictions. And if they don’t have honest intentions, they’ll waste a lot of resources and probably get nowhere. The chances are they’ll just lock the security dongles, in which case the decryption servers are notified, I’ll know they broke the contracts, and I can take required steps. There’s more to it, but I’m very mindful of protecting all players, including my private teams.

Q. How many licenses for the Remote Uber & Hybrid (USB dongles) are included with the company sale?

The acceptable saturation is 1 Hybrid/Uber owner per 5 suitable casinos. So it depends on variables such as where teams are permitted to operate. I will be able to see how active teams are, and where they play, to determine if regions become too saturated.

Q. What is the company sale price?

It will be auctioned. But the final price also depends on inclusions and terms. The minimum bid is $450,000. Serious buyers may liaise directly with my accountants to verify the existing ANNUAL company income from sales & licensing is well over the minimum bid. This excludes amounts from actual application of the technology via private teams.

You will also be able to check records via the Australian Taxation Office. But the financial information is private, so you will be required to deposit the funds into escrow before seeing financial records. This will be the final stage of purchase.

Q. How do I make a bid to purchase?

  1. If you haven’t already, familiarize yourself with our technology, from our websites.
  2. We both sign NDAs.
  3. You’ll provide verifiable proof you have at least $450,000 to meet minimum bid requirement.
  4. We’ll speak via phone.
  5. At a mutually agreed time, I’ll demonstrate all the technology to you personally. This will take a few days, and it can be done either in-person, or live via Skype. I’ll also explain what is involved in running of the company.
  6. Make your bid, conditional to verification of the company’s financial information.
  7. If your bid is highest, deposit your funds into neutral escrow, subject to release after revenue verification from our accountants and the Australian Taxation Office. The Escrow agent can check everything for themselves.

Q. Does the sale include rights to your “private teams”?

No. This is not something I could easily sell anyway, because the teams may not want to work with others.

Q. Is there any benefit to purchasing equipment before or after the company sale?

Any purchases before the sale mean you deal with me, with terms I set. Purchasers after the sale, with regards to terms and prices, depend on what the new owners decide. The terms of the sale ensure you wont get a better price after the company sale. It might also mean the new owners decide to increase prices, or even restrict sales further to expand their own private teams. It really depends on what the new owners decide to do.

Q. Couldn’t I just design similar software?

You could, but it would cost about the same, take years, there’s no guarantee it will be as effective, and it wouldn’t include all the high-traffic websites that advertise the technology. For example, roulettephysics.com has 3 of the 10 first-page listings for the term “roulette system”, and it ranks first on Google for over 1,000 search terms. The company sale is everything done and ready. I’ve been doing it for around 15 years and it’s time to move on. I originally didn’t intend to sell the company – it was my accountant’s suggestion when I began preparations to close the company.

Q. WHEN will the sale of the company occur?

I’ve only just started advertising it. It could take a week, or months. It wouldn’t take long if an existing player purchased, because they’d already be familiar with everything. I’ve already had offers from existing players previously which I refused. An existing player is probably most likely to take over. But a sale to someone who’s completely new to everything will take longer, because they’ll need to see everything from scratch. If it takes longer than expected, I may temporarily suspend acceptance of new players pending the new owners taking over. I simply don’t have the time.

Q. What support is included to ensure the new owners know how to run the company?

This is negotiable, but I agree to 3 months support. There’s nothing difficult about it. The software and development was the hard part, and it’s already done. Mostly the duties now are supporting new players. This takes approximately 2-3 hours per day, but it’s time I don’t have.

Q. Are any “guarantees” provided to new owners?

As with the sale of any business, there are no guarantees. The closest thing to a guarantee is financial verification from my accountants and the Australian Taxation Office.

Wikr Messages for Remote Uber or Hybrid Players

NighthawkPlayer updates

Please remember to use Wikr ONLY for emergencies. For any other support issues, use encrypted email.

 

If you send me non-urgent support messages via Wikr, I will read them usually within the minute you send them, but I will not respond because I allocate time to normal support issues throughout the day. I may not even have time to respond that minute, unless the matter is URGENT.

 

Also if I started responding to normal support issues via Wikr, people tend to take advantage of that. It happened when I released my private phone number – players started abusing it and calling even at 3am.