Online Gambling - A Booming Industry
Gambling is no longer just about the bright lights and dizzying décor of conglomerate, Vegas-style hotel-casinos anymore. With the advent of the Internet, thousands of online casinos have cropped up offering a new gambling experience to casino goers around the world. No more searching for parking at a casino. No more vying for a spot at a table at a busy casino. No more searching for an available slot machine. It's all right there at your fingertips, right in the comfort of your own home.
Online casinos are the new wave of gambling for all gamblers. There are thousands of games that you can gamble at online casinos. From Craps and Poker, to Roulette and Slots. There is something for everyone. If poker is more your style, you can choose from a variety of poker games at an online casino as well, including Texas Hold'em, Five Card stud, and more. If chance games are more suited to your gambling style, you can try out one of the online casinos craps tables, roulette tables, keno or slot machines. Online casinos offer a great way to learn a new casino game that you may not be comfortable playing at a regular casino. It affords you the opportunity to gain some gambling experience with the game before you try your hand at a table in a casino.
However, never assume that just because you have played a game in a casino, you know how to play the game at an online casino. When you visit an online casino, the rules of the games offered are usually the same as the rules of the games played at a physical casino but not always. Nevertheless, be sure to read the terms and conditions pertaining to any gambling you plan to partake in. Some online casinos base their rules on European guidelines and such guidelines may differ slightly to what you're familiar with.
So if you haven't checked out an online casino, it is well worth it. Many players are touting the praises of online casinos and online gambling as being a new way for people to enjoy gambling without the pressures of being at a physical casino. What are you waiting for? Visit an online casino and find out what the fuss is all about.
Games That Cost You A Fortune
Besides the obvious fact that some online casinos (an estimated 30%) will never pay their customers one red cent either because you will never win or they fail to pay out if you do, there are some "bad bets" no matter where you play. This article looks at some of the games that will cost you a fortune if you don't change your gambling ways.
One of the worst bets is a parlay bet in sports betting. This is where where a number of bets are placed one after the other and while some parlays can be decent investments, a "safer" parlay this year might have been a two team cross-sport parlay with Indianapolis Colts and West Virginia Mountaineers. This year both teams have been great bets to cover the spread. Overall parlays are the "sucker" bets that the bookies love because you, as a punter, will lose more of them than you win.
Online keno is a bad bet in the bricks and mortar casinos and equally so online. If you like the numbers, play bingo rather than keno. It may look like a winning proposition but it is designed to lure you in that way so please resist the temptation.
The side bets that poker rooms have added are enough to make you laugh. First, you almost don't notice them and then when you do, you spend the next few minutes trying to figure out the concept. Here it is in a nutshell - it's easy to figure out, but don't bother, it is a really bad bet!
Online roulette ranks up there with the worst of all casino bets. If you read some reviews of from a few years ago, you will discover this hasn't always been the case. Be sure to always watch for improvements, but at the moment online roulette is to be avoided at all costs in almost all online gaming rooms.
Slot Machine Games — Background and History
Slot machine games have their modern roots reaching back to the late 19th century with poker machines and the 3-reel Liberty Bell slot machine. Both were the predecessor of video poker games and slot games as we enjoy them today. Even the plums, oranges, bells and bars on slot machine games we see in casinos all over the world can be traced back to that time period. And they began with the effort to sell chewing gum to the public.
Herbert Mills, owner of Mills Novelty, introduced the Liberty Bell Gum Fruit machine that was a gaming device with a gum dispenser attached to it in 1910. Mills had been making gum vending machines since 1898 so the Liberty Bell Gum Fruit machine was a natural transformation for him. The gum flavors that were lemon, orange, plum and spearmint were used as symbols on the reels. The bell, which was the symbol of the highest payout possible on the original Liberty Bell device created by Charles Fey, stayed with this version. The bar symbol was actually a picture of a stick of gum that came out of the packets of gum dispensed by the machine. In that same year, Mills came out with the Operators Bell device, which substituted a cherry cluster for the spearmint symbol. Even though the reel strips for the devices had a copyright by Mills, competitors ″borrowed″ the format. Other manufacturers such as Caille and Watling not only used this format, but added apples, pears, pineapples and strawberries to their versions. Eventually the English branded them as ″fruit machines″. Mills added the watermelon symbol to the reels in 1937.
Reel symbols catch the eye of the player, but why do people play slot machine games at casinos? People enjoy gambling for a number of reasons. For one, many like the fun of gaming regardless of whether they win or lose. Most enjoy this during vacations or on business trips. And winning while playing can’t be discounted because people hope for some monetary gain in the short run at the casino. Plus the excitement of the casino adds to the reasons why people gamble. Sights, sounds, the presence of millions of dollars combined with lavish mega-resorts with exotic themes are in themselves a stimulating environment. Also, relaxation is a good reason as visiting a casino hotel can offer relief from the everyday stresses of life. Guests receive lots of pampering and get away from their daily routines during their stay.
Understanding the needs and motivations of players has stimulated slot machine game manufacturers to keep coming out with new and fresh ideas. Over the years, as technology evolved, so did their results. During the mechanical age (1890’s to 1920’s), the types of games available were variations in regular slot and draw poker machines. Very little did change over the next few decades for slot machine games.
In the 1970’s, Fortune Coin led the change in the landscape of gaming by introducing the first full-color multi-line video slot machines and the first full-color video poker machines to the gaming industry. Solid-state circuitry began to replace the mechanisms of slots and allowed new games to be played. International Game Technology (IGT) soon after purchased Fortune Coin. The level of benefit and success of that acquisition is seen today as thousands of ″Draw Poker″ video machines were placed in casinos and bars throughout Las Vegas and other cities, capitalizing on the popularity of poker machine games that began in the early 1890’s.
The 1980’s saw a move from solid-state circuits to microprocessors, which allowed new directions for games. One was the giant jackpot carousels like the Hilton Hotel’s ″Pot-O-Gold″ which linked machines together and created the opportunity to win million dollar jackpots. In 1986, IGT introduced a statewide ″Megabucks″ progressive slot system in Nevada which combined microprocessor-powered gaming machines with modern communications in order to link gaming machines across the state. This allowed players the chance to win multi-million dollar jackpots. With the 1990’s, the multi-game machine came into being giving the player a choice of playing spinning slot reel games, a number of poker games, keno, and video blackjack on one single machine. Other advancements during this time period include:
- Multi-hand video poker games like IGT’s ″Triple Play Draw Poker″ which gave the player the chance to play multiple hands of poker in a single play
- Interactive bonus games which have become standard on video slot games
- Multi-denominational game play allowing a choice in the amounts wagered per game
Today, gaming manufacturers are continuing to find new ways to heighten the player experience. At the time of this writing, Bally’s has created the ″Hot Shot Progressive″ which takes 5 of their most popular slot games and places mini-versions of them on the machine. When the player gets the bonus round, they can play these mini-versions to have a chance to win up to five progressive jackpots on the same game. WMS Gaming has come up with a ″Powerball″ themed slot game in which a player can win up to 9 jackpots with one spin. And in the Blue Lagoon version of their ″Hot Hot Penny″ slot game, the player can play a free spin bonus that awards free spins at 3x pay, which can be infinitely re-triggered. Plus in the Hot Hot Penny mode, the bonus frequency increases by over 2x by re-spinning all non-bonus symbol reels along with receiving additional free spins in the form of bonus picks from 3 to 36 additional spins. These are examples of how slot machine games and their creators will continue an exciting legacy of innovation and creativity, giving players new reasons to come back for more.
Choosing an Online Casino
Choosing an online casino can seem like a tedious job. Most casinos will give you game previews on their sites to give you an idea of what they offer. Obviously, you want a casino that has a large array of options including slots, video poker, poker, keno, scratch cards and some sites also offer sports books and more.
It is important to carefully read each site's terms and conditions. You may find that some sites have rules that you are not comfortable with. You also want to look at each sites deposit options and methods of withdrawal, time of transfer for each method and whether you can use credit cards, bank account transfers, wire transfers and e-checks. There are a number of options but you want to choose one that suits you best for your needs. Ensure you go to each payment methods site to view their terms and conditions.
Another important concern is the time it takes for deposits to make it to the casino and how long it will take for your withdrawal to come back to you. Some sites are instant and some may take up to three weeks. And you want to know what their minimum and maximum limits are for depositing and withdrawing. Don't forget to look at their play through requirements if you are going to accept their bonuses, most casinos require from ten to thirty times your deposit plus bonus.
Pay attention to the casinos methods of support contact. You want to choose a casino that has live, phone and email support. Ensure that their live support is active while you are visiting the site. There are some rogues out there that appear to have live support but there isn't anyone actually sitting there waiting to assist you.
Finally, one of the most important factors is the casino's accreditation. You want to see that they have a valid seal of approval such as eCOGRA. The seal is awarded to those casinos that have achieved compliance with eCOGRA’S high standards and demonstrated that:
# The games are fair
# The casino operates honestly and behaves responsibly
# Monetary deposits are safe and winning bets are paid in a timely manner
This article goes along with The Cash2C.com Beginner's Guide
Free Keno Casinos
Keno is a game of chance with a rich and illustrious history. The game that we are currently familiar with has undergone remarkable changes since its original inception. Gambling historians have traced its roots as far back as 200 B.C. to a Chinese form of diversion called 'The Game of the White Dove.' It is a well-documented fact that a form of keno was played in a bingo-like format on the eastern seaboard right around the time of the massive Chinese immigration during the gold rush.
In its contemporary form, keno is something like bingo in that both games are based upon numbers. An individual keno card comes with 80 numbers and the player can pick as many as he or she wants. This is done by circling or otherwise marking them with a pencil. Once the player has picked the numbers, he or she must bring the card back to the clerk at the keno booth. The clerk will then issue a receipt after recording the player's numbers. It's up to the player to redeem any winning ticket before the next round begins, so stragglers need to stay alert.
When the maximum number of games (matching the number of tickets) is finished, the player can redeem any winnings and avoid the peril of a void ticket. Another option is the 'stray and play' ticket, which usually documents 30 or more games. Unlike standard keno tickets, the "stray and play" doesn't have to be redeemed immediately and is often good for up to a year after purchase.
Now that we've covered a little bit of keno's fascinating background and basics of game play, you are probably chomping at the bit to discover where you can play keno online. And that is only a reasonable thing for an avid keno player - who perhaps hasn't had the chance to set foot in a brick-and-mortar casino for a while - to be interested in. Rest assured you have many options to choose from when it comes to some serious online keno action with all the thrills you expect, and several of them are listed below for your reference:
New York Casino
Start spreading the news, this is one great gambling site. Playtech software makes sure that players are able to grab bonuses and make deposits swiftly. You will be in keno heaven.
Carnival Casino
This is a fun, colorful site, just as its name would suggest. You won't find any elephants or tigers, but you will find a ton of great games. The energy is high throughout the lively design, crisp sounds, and exciting graphics. Lots of keno games for avid players.
Club Dice Casino
This online gambling site recognized around the globe for offering tons of great gaming options. The site is unique for having multi-language support and multinational sites dotted all over the web. And yeah, you'll find lots of keno options here no matter what language you speak.
Your Best Bet in Online Casino Gambling - a Punto Banco Strategy
Casinos stay in business because of the house edge. Put simply, this is an indication of how much a casino expects to win on any particular game in the long run. It is calculated as the ratio of the average loss to the bet. For example, in a game with a house edge of 6%, the casino expects that for every £10 bet it will make a profit of 60 pence.
Winning (other than by being lucky) depends on lowering this edge and having a suitable betting strategy.
One game has attracted the attention of gamblers for centuries, due to the peculiar nature of its gameplay.
That game is Punto Banco - a variation of the European Baccarat, played primarily in North America, Canada and Australia. It is also (along with Sic Bo, Pai Gow and Keno) one of the Big Four Chinese gambling games and, as such, can be found in the separate Asian areas of casinos worldwide.
The aim of the game is to predict whose hand, the Banker’s (Banco) or the Player’s (Punto), will be closer to the value of nine. You can also bet on the possibility of a tie.
The point values of the cards are very simple to follow. All 10's and picture cards have a value of zero, and all other cards (Ace through 9) are worth their face value (Aces are always worth 1). When the total of two or more cards is greater than 10, the point total is reduced by 10. For example if a hand is dealt an 7 and a 5, resulting in a total of 12, 10 is subtracted, leaving a point total of 2 for that hand.
The important point to bear in mind when playing Punto Banco is that winning depends on the hand you bet on, not the hand you play.
If the hand that you bet on wins, you are paid double your bet, unless you bet on a tie. If you bet on a tie, the payout is eight times the amount you bet. If you bet on the Banker’s hand, and win, the House charges a 5% commission.
If you bet on a hand, and the hand loses, you lose your bet.
But what makes this game unique – and therefore attractive – is the rule that if you do not bet on a Tie, and the hands tie, your bet is returned to you.
So, in any calculation of house edge, the Tie bet can be effectively disregarded. Were it not for the vigorish, the probability of winning on Banker would be over 1 in 2 ie better than a coin toss. Even allowing for the vigorish, the house edge on the Banker bet is just over 1%.
Seeing Punto Banco as close to an evens chance then allows the gambler to use one of the many systems invented over the years – progressive betting, martingale, fibonacci etc. Each of these is described in detail on any number of sites on the internet.
My preferred strategy for Punto Banco does not look for massive wins, nor expect you to stake a fortune in order to win a little, as any 'doubling' system does. Instead, my strategy works on the principal that the Banker bet can occur four times in a row with some frequency, but allows insurance against it not doing so – the most common occurrence!
Using this system, most of my sessions at Punto Banco are winning ones. The profits may only be modest at times, but as any gambler knows, a profit is a profit.
If you want to know more about this strategy, or the rules and odds of Punto Banco - or any of the Big Four games - check out my Punto Banco strategy page at Fortune Palace.
Free Keno Casinos
Keno is a game of chance with a rich and illustrious history. The game that we are currently familiar with has undergone remarkable changes since its original inception. Gambling historians have traced its roots as far back as 200 B.C. to a Chinese form of diversion called 'The Game of the White Dove.' It is a well-documented fact that a form of keno was played in a bingo-like format on the eastern seaboard right around the time of the massive Chinese immigration during the gold rush.
In its contemporary form, keno is something like bingo in that both games are based upon numbers. An individual keno card comes with 80 numbers and the player can pick as many as he or she wants. This is done by circling or otherwise marking them with a pencil. Once the player has picked the numbers, he or she must bring the card back to the clerk at the keno booth. The clerk will then issue a receipt after recording the player's numbers. It's up to the player to redeem any winning ticket before the next round begins, so stragglers need to stay alert.
When the maximum number of games (matching the number of tickets) is finished, the player can redeem any winnings and avoid the peril of a void ticket. Another option is the 'stray and play' ticket, which usually documents 30 or more games. Unlike standard keno tickets, the "stray and play" doesn't have to be redeemed immediately and is often good for up to a year after purchase.
Now that we've covered a little bit of keno's fascinating background and basics of game play, you are probably chomping at the bit to discover where you can play keno online. And that is only a reasonable thing for an avid keno player - who perhaps hasn't had the chance to set foot in a brick-and-mortar casino for a while - to be interested in. Rest assured you have many options to choose from when it comes to some serious online keno action with all the thrills you expect, and several of them are listed below for your reference:
New York Casino
Start spreading the news, this is one great gambling site. Playtech software makes sure that players are able to grab bonuses and make deposits swiftly. You will be in keno heaven.
Carnival Casino
This is a fun, colorful site, just as its name would suggest. You won't find any elephants or tigers, but you will find a ton of great games. The energy is high throughout the lively design, crisp sounds, and exciting graphics. Lots of keno games for avid players.
Club Dice Casino
This online gambling site recognized around the globe for offering tons of great gaming options. The site is unique for having multi-language support and multinational sites dotted all over the web. And yeah, you'll find lots of keno options here no matter what language you speak.
Stardust Line goes Global
The Sunday night Stardust Line has been a staple for Las Vegas bettors for a quarter of a century as sports gamblers were able to hear experts rehash the weekend college and pro games.
The ‘Dust earlier this summer pulled the plug on the popular show in anticipation of the resort’s implosion later this year.
Leroy’s, which operates more than 60 race and sports books throughout Nevada and quickly has become one the industry’s major players, is taking up the slack.
Announcement was made this week that a new show, hosted by longtime Las Vegas broadcaster John Kelly and handicapper Dave Cokin, will air for two hours on Sunday night.
The program also will have a third seat to be filled by rotating guests from within the industry.
The Stardust Line was heard on KDWN-720, Las Vegas’ largest AM radio station, which has been sold to new owners who plan to deemphasize sports.
Details still are being ironed out, but the Leroy’s show likely will air on the same station, KENO-AM 1460, that carries its daily one-hour program.
Jimmy Vacarro, the former Las Vegas bookmaker who co-hosts the daily show with Kelly, noted the Leroy’s Sunday night program, which will begin Aug. 20, will have phone lines open as well a computer for those who want to e-mail questions and comments.
The new show is working on global acessibility via the Internet.
″This isn’t 1980,″ Vaccaro said.
″Today you have to plug into the world.″
10 Best Online Casinos
Millions of people play at online casinos every year. It is fast and fun entertainment, where getting out of your pajamas and traveling are not required. It is also a great option for those who like to gamble but do not have a casino within driving distance. Below is a list of the ten best online casinos that you may want to check out.
Casino On Net has been entertaining online guests since 1996. They have ten languages available, pay in US dollars, and have an overall payout rate of 97.90%. They also have 30 games for you to choose from.
English Harbour Casino has been established online since 1998. The games are in English, they pay in US dollars, UK pounds, or Euros, and they have an overall payout rate of 96.64%. They have 60 games available.
The Gaming Club Casino came online in 1995, making it one of the first of it's kind on the Internet. The games are in English, they pay in US dollars or UK pounds, and they have an overall payout rate of 96.51%. They have over 100 games for your entertainment.
USA Casino has been established online since 1998. The games are in English, they pay in US dollars, UK pounds, or Euros, and they have an overall payout rate of 98.09%. They have 70 games available.
River Belle Casino has been established online since 1997. The games are in English, they pay in US dollars, UK pounds, or Euros, and they have an overall payout rate of 96.77%. They have 110 games available.
Grand Banks Casino has been established online since 2001. The games are in English, they pay in US dollars, UK pounds, or Euros, and they have an overall payout rate of 98.31%. They have 60 games available.
Intertops Casino & Sportsbook has been established online since 1995, making it one of the first of it's kind on the Internet. The games are in English & German, they pay in US dollars, and they have an overall payout rate of 98.26%. They have 43 games available.
Lasseters Casino has been established online since 1998 and was the first of it's kind to be licensed and regulated. The games are in English, they pay in US dollars, and they have 47 games for you to choose from (which does not include Craps). Their overall payout rate is not available.
Captain Cooks Casino has been established online since 1999. The games are in English, they pay in US dollars, and they have an overall payout rate of 97.58%. They have 83 games available.
Club Dice Online Casino has been established online since 2000. They have seven languages available, pay in US dollars, UK pounds, or Euros, and have an overall payout rate of 97.25%. They have 70 games available.
All ten casinos offer the most popular games of Blackjack, Roulette, Poker, Craps (aside from Lasseters Casino), Baccarat, Keno, and slot machines. Most also offer an alternative form of payment, such as Neteller, so that you do not have to give your credit card or bank account information directly on their site. By choosing to gamble at a casino from this list, you will ensure yourself a safe and pleasurable experience.
Choosing an Online Casino
Choosing an online casino can seem like a tedious job. Most casinos will give you game previews on their sites to give you an idea of what they offer. Obviously, you want a casino that has a large array of options including slots, video poker, poker, keno, scratch cards and some sites also offer sports books and more.
It is important to carefully read each siteâ™s terms and conditions. You may find that some sites have rules that you are not comfortable with. You also want to look at each sites deposit options and methods of withdrawal, time of transfer for each method and whether you can use credit cards, bank account transfers, wire transfers and e-checks. There are a number of options but you want to choose one that suits you best for your needs. Ensure you go to each payment methods site to view their terms and conditions.
Another important concern is the time it takes for deposits to make it to the casino and how long it will take for your withdrawal to come back to you. Some sites are instant and some may take up to three weeks. And you want to know what their minimum and maximum limits are for depositing and withdrawing. Donâ™t forget to look at their play through requirements if you are going to accept their bonuses, most casinos require from ten to thirty times your deposit plus bonus.
Pay attention to the casinos methods of support contact. You want to choose a casino that has live, phone and email support. Ensure that their live support is active while you are visiting the site. There are some rogues out there that appear to have live support but there isnâ™t anyone actually sitting there waiting to assist you.
Finally, one of the most important factors is the casinoâ™s accreditation. You want to see that they have a valid seal of approval such as eCOGRA. The seal is awarded to those casinos that have achieved compliance with eCOGRA’S high standards and demonstrated that:
# The games are fair
# The casino operates honestly and behaves responsibly
# Monetary deposits are safe and winning bets are paid in a timely manner
This article goes along with The Cash2C.com Beginnerâ™s Guide