G.B. - Sharon, all of us are amazed by the recent news when you rewrote Internet Gambling history. We are all curious to know how it happened. Can you describe the final moments of this important day two weeks ago?

S.P. - I was playing on King Solomon's Slots. The progressive Jackpot on Cashsplash was incredibly high, so I thought I would give it a shot. I bet $3 dollars and pressed the spin button. At first I could not hear anything, because the sound on my PC was turned off and it took a couple of seconds before I saw my credits balance. When I finally saw it I then realized that I had won, but... could not really believe it. In fact I was shocked.

G.B. - What did you do then? I think most of us would not be sure whether it is for real or not.

S.P. - Because I was unsure I phoned the 24 hour King Solomon's Support line and they asked me to confirm my name. They then congratulated me straight away. I can only say that my hands were shaking and I could do nothing but jump up and down in my flat for ten minutes - my cat 'Kizzy' looked at me totally puzzled! It is hard to explain. All I can say is that it is a feeling I wish everybody could experience.

G.B. - Well, I could do with a win like that. Did you take a day off? I would have.

S.P. - No, I did not. I went to work as usual. There is too much on at the moment so I could not really take time off.

G.B. - Sharon, one thing that I am sure interests everybody is: How did you start playing online and why King Solomon's?

S.P. - I saw an advertisement in the paper and just thought I should give it a shot. I am not a regular player and have only visited a couple of land based casinos so far - like most of us. It was the convenience of staying at home that made me try it I guess. Plus, at King Solomon's not only was it easy to use, they offered a free bonus for first timers which I found pretty cool.

G.B. - Talking about online casinos, a lot of people have reservations regarding online transactions and transferring credit card details via the Internet. Plus, there is a certain anonymity with online companies. Weren't you worried about not getting your money back?

S.P. - As someone who never gives personal details I was hesitant first. One thing that reassured me was the 24/7 Hotline. When I went to their website and downloaded the software I came across the toll free numbers and gave them a ring. They were very helpful which was reassuring.

G.B. - But that does not eliminate any risks, does it? It is more like trial and error. I think the majority would like to know whether there are any industry standards, which make sure that we play at secure online casinos. I would like to address this question to King Solomon's Marketing Manager Marc Grand. First of all: Welcome, Marc. How do you deal with people's cautiousness regarding online payments - especially to online casinos?

M.G. - We are fully aware of this issue. The online casino industry is growing quickly and there are always some people who don't show any conscience in their business practices. We solve this by taking several measures. Technically we use state of the art hardware and software in order to eliminate errors and make our casino one of the safest around. Secondly we continuously reassess our business procedures. King Solomon's is fully registered and licensed by the government of the Dutch Antilles. In addition to this we are monitored on an ongoing basis by third party consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers. They analyze our software generators as well as pay-out ratios to make sure game results are 100% random and the casino pay-outs hover around the 97% mark of all amounts wagered. We keep track of all game results which are available for perusal in case of any dispute.

G.B. - But technology and certificates cannot be the only key I believe. A lot of people are concerned that online casinos are mail box companies which only exist on paper. How do you deal with that?

M.G. - I agree. Human contact is very important to people. We work extremely hard on establishing relationships with our clients. Our call center team has a key function at accomplishing this. They will help customers in whatever way they can. They are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week should there be any problems or queries. We make sure that our call center operators are not only technically trained, but also enjoy dealing with our clients. It is important not to loose the human touch after all.

G.B. - And if that does not convince me?

M.G. - Well, in that case we say: "Check it out first." Those who don't want to play for real money don't have to do so. We offer a 'Play for Fun' facility where people can play with virtual money to start with. It works exactly the same as 'Playing for Real' - you just cannot cash in your winnings (laughs). For real players we also offer excellent financial benefits such as bonuses and loyalty programs, which also pay back a great deal.

G.B. - Thank you very much, Marc. I finally would like to address a last question to Sharon. What are you going to do with the money and what jackpots are you going to crack next?

S.P. - I have been dreaming of buying a flat for 'Kizzy' and myself for quite some time now and now it can be reality. As for playing at King Solomon's I think I will stick to slot machines as they worked out quite well for me and I also think they are the easiest.

G.B. - I want to wish you both the best of luck and would like to thank you for your time.

S.P. - Thank you very much!

M.G. - Thanks!