As always, thanks to everyone who pitches in and helps when issues are uncovered. With 68 games across multiple devices and platforms (67 on IOS), the code base for Riverboat Gambler has grown tremendously.

As my first app, this was originally/simply meant to be a fun diversion. Now, though, it has grown into a popular application with a loyal Player community and it requires a lot of care and feeding to maintain.

I really couldn't do this without your help!

~ Danny

I'm refining/streamlining some code in this release and addressing a bug in Blackjack related to the new "Instant Messaging" feature.

In the previous release, I retired a dependency on a 3rd Party service to send out messages about pending releases and bugs. I'm disappointed (yet not completely surprised due to complexity) that the new feature created some issues.

I owe a huge shout-out to Tom who reached out using "Send Feedback" to provide me with a screenshot that showed the Blackjack/Spanish 21 action buttons remained disabled after the initial deal. This was because one of the new messages had been displayed and it prevented the response dialog from being displayed that would have prompted the Player to purchase insurance against a Dealer's Ace. I left the games enabled while I worked on a fix because the situation was extremely rare. I do my best to minimize the number of Instant Messages and, in order to encounter that bug, a Player would have to be dealing with a Dealer Ace at the same time one of those messages was due to be shown (the messages are only prompted at launch of the app and after every 10 hands).

Thanks very much, Tom, for letting me know about the problem. I really appreciate that you contacted me with a screenshot and answered my questions. I fully expect this release will address the problem. I've also check other games that could potentially be impacted, so I'm hopeful that everything will be okay. RBG continues to evolve and improve as a direct result of my ability to interact with supportive Players like Tom.

The main enhancement is to the new way of showing game tips & instructions. In the previous release, I had to update how those messages were shown and I wasn't able to figure out how to allow them to be "tapped off". Now, you can tap the screen to close them or wait the 1-3 seconds that they remain on the screen. Most of these messages are shown a limited number of times and can be disabled in Preferences. The instructions are shown in an attempt to help new Players understand a game. Of course, reading the “How to Play” is always a good way to learn too.

That's about it for now. The other "enhancements" I made should be transparent to everyone. If they do anything, they will reduce the amount of memory that is being consumed by the app. They also helped me to simplify the code base. Less code means less opportunities for mistakes.

Now, I am going to get back to the business of clearing the backlog. My mother is back in South Florida for the Winter, so I plan to spend some quality time with her over the upcoming holidays, but I will not shirk on my commitment to making RBG the best possible casino simulator in the App Store.

Thanks everyone for your support! If you haven't already, please consider leaving a review in the App Store. YOU are my marketing strategy.

Please stay safe!

~Danny