Online Casinos Directory

The last big move the US made to affect online gambling in the US was the UIGEA of 2006. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act deemed financial institutions unable to lawfully transfer money for the purpose of online gambling withdrawals or payments.  Since 2006, that law has remained in the mix and caused much red tape for the world of internet gaming.

As the world moves towards a new way of using online slots, the US will be hard-pressed to hold out. Despite the UIGEA’s law, more American legislators are realizing how outdated and useless it is.  They are making moves to revamp the online gambling laws and use the huge tax revenue dollars to fund government programs and bring down deficits. Only time will tell where the US is going to go in terms of online slots, but it surely will make moves to regulate and legalize the hobby for US citizens. Despite hampered US movements, many other countries are moving forward with their legalization and regulations of online slots and gambling. Nova Scotia is the latest country to make tangible moves towards legalizing slots. While the US is still working on adjusting the current UIGEA law, Nova Scotia is already allowing online slots legally in the country. They have figured out how to get online slots going in their area before the US. While internet gambling is actually against the law in Canada, it looks like people are well aware that the law is just for show, as there are several online casinos who call Canada their home and they have great success there.

The main reason for that discrepancy is that the companies that operate there are for the most part licensed through a special agreement with the native Mohawk tribe, which hosts international licenses through their Kahnawake Gaming Commission. Canadians have similar issues to those of the US because they are having problems interpreting the laws regarding online gambling.  In the mean time, Nova Scotia will begin legalizing online casino gambling in the near future. Every state program, such as the lottery, is widely accepted and the market is seemingly ready for internet casinos.

For any avid online slots player, you should be sure to check out English Harbour Group’s newest online casino, Slots Galore. The website is a virtual display of all the best things about online gambling today. It uses Vegas Technology to power the website and that in itself makes it worth a look at minimum. Vegas Technology is of course a huge name in the world of online slots and offers some of the best gaming available. English Harbour is no exception to their gaming excellence.

The website that focuses on bringing tons of the best 7-reel video slots and 3-reel progressive slots to the market.  The website obviously has a penchant for finding some of the best games out there. Take a look at what they have to offer and you’ll be more than satisfied with the number of options for game play. As the website’s name suggests, they are pros at picking slots that have great visuals and dynamic sounds. The featured game right now is Grail Maiden. As the name suggests it’s a game that features castles, knights and of course, the maiden. For some medieval fun, check out this slots game. It has some great visual appeal and sound integration to enjoy. If you do test out the games, be sure to capitalize on the bonuses too.There is a great bonus for new players.

Another final bonus at the Slots Galore website is the VIP plan. The great thing about being in on this promotion is that you’re entered into a $10,000 sweepstakes. Overall the online casino is a great place to find some of the best slots and best online gaming experiences. Check out Slots Galore for some slots fun and bonus opportunities. The gambling bonus fun starts with a 200% up to $500. That is a great way to earn more credits to extend your game play.  There is also a consistent 25% bonus for your deposits. This again is a huge benefit to the player. The first 500 players to register at Slots Galore will receive $25 for free in casino credits, with absolutely no deposit required. All of their bonuses are relatively easy to get, as opposed to some websites.

The EGBA, or the European Gaming and Betting Association, is the governing body that decides on rules of online gambling casinos and what regulations each must follow. Their aim is to ensure the protection of online gamblers in many different areas.  First of all, security is their prime concern. With the continued rise of identity theft, it is important to focus on secure information transfer.  The EGBA is an organization that sets up the rules for online casinos in terms of security and encryption. With the huge growth in online gaming, the market is aware that some safeguards need to be set up for the gambling public. Similarly to brick and mortar casinos, some government body needs to take the responsibility of maintaining and monitoring online casino activity.  The biggest issues are identity safety, funds, and underage gambling. Many casinos are finding themselves monitored by Price Waterhouse Coopers but there are other organizations hoping to contribute to gambling safety.

An additional concern the government has is to protect consumers from unscrupulous online casinos is that as the global marketplace continues to grow, it’s harder and harder to find culprits. For example, if a person deposits money to their online account expecting to play games, they can be misled. It is possible their account may be frozen or the money may simply, disappear.  Then when they do some investigating, they realize that there is no customer service line and tracking down the company is virtually impossible.  This is another concern of the EGBA.  They are looking to set up regulations in terms of transparency with customers. This includes having 24-hour/7-day a week customer service lines available to any customer who needs them.

Game fairness is another concern. Intricate codes and overwhelming TOS can potentially create problems if games are “fixed” in the online world.  The EGBA requires that games are never fixed and that the website has a good track record of payouts.  They want to make sure that players have won the specified amount of money they were expecting should they get lucky. Overall, the EGBA is the governing body that makes gaming secure. They regulate and monitor online casinos to ensure that consumers are getting what they paid for: fun gaming and the fair chance of winning money.

In October of 2006 the UIGEA, or Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, was passed. It did not define gambling as illegal. In fact, it didn’t really touch the topic of gambling at all. It actually focused more on stopping deposits and withdrawals for online gambling transactions. It focused on financial institutions and made them responsible for flagging and denying transactions that were coming from gambling websites.  Over the years the UIGEA has had limited success in achieving its goals. Banks have never been supportive of the law because it left the responsibility of checking each transaction with them. They also were held responsible if any transactions got past their system of checking. This led to huge fines and federal issues. It’s no wonder banks had a hard time with the UIGEA and are more than excited to hear about some of the changes the laws are going through.

Part of the problem with the UIGEA is that although it initially was thought to be instituted to “protect family values” in reality it had other outcomes.  In particular, it forced some of the best and most reputable online casinos from the US to pull out of the country.  They wanted to avoid conflict with the US government and the federal government and felt the most viable solution was to leave operations in the country completely. Unfortunately the repercussion for good online casinos leaving was the door opening for less than scrupulous casinos coming into the market to take over the US market. These newer online casinos offer huge bonuses, easy deposits, and tons of gimmicks that rarely payout.  They also are notorious for offering huge jackpots—until players win them. Then the huge jackpot is not paid out due to some “fine print” rule. 

Another negative repercussion of the UIGEA happened in 2008. November of that year MicroGaming, one of the biggest online software providers to online casinos, made a change. They allowed their licensees to continue servicing existing USA residents with accounts, but they stopped allowing them to accept new registrations from US players.  Again, this put players in a difficult situation because suddenly they had to be twice as careful when choosing an online slots or gambling casino. Because of the many problems the UIGEA introduced, legislators are hoping that the new laws being written will be able to contribute to the game of online gambling, rather than detract and limit it.

Recently Calder Casino and Race Track in Miami Gardens Florida got its first delivery of brand new slots games.  There were 242 shiny games delivered from WMS of Waukegan, Illinois. It took five trucks to haul the machines from the Midwest to Florida. They were situated in a 104,000 square foot casino facility and are hoped to bring much-needed revenue to the business. The all-new Calder Casino is scheduled for a grand opening in January 2010 and will feature 1,225 slot machines in all, as well as three new restaurants.

The casino will feature the most popular games in the industry from WMS and other manufacturers.  Wagers will range anywhere from penny-slots to high dollar slots. They are shooting for diversity with their slots parlor so everyone can enjoy the fun and gamble freely.  Senior Director of Slot Operations Beverly Price stated, “This is an exciting step for us on our journey to making the Calder Casino a reality. Our team has been working extremely hard on the casino project and to have the first round of machines arrive signifies another major milestone for us.” It was a good day for the casino and it is hoping that the new slots open up a new market for the casino. Many racetracks have suffered due to the recession and have looked for various ways to bring in added revenues. Calder will be the second pari-mutuel facility in Miami-Dade County to offer slot machines, and the only Thoroughbred racetrack in the county to feature these games. In addition, Calder opened its brand-new, 29-table Studz Poker Club on Oct. 23. The race track is looking to develop itself into a premiere “racino” for the state. Racino is a term that has been coined to signify a casino with slot machine parlor combination. It’s great news to legislators who are hoping to first, elevate the amount of jobs in the area, two, save race tracks from financial disaster and three, bring in huge tax revenues from the slot machines. It’s no secret that race track bidding is down. People just aren’t venturing to the race tracks these days.  It is hoped that bringing slots will attract a new gambling public to the facilities and elevate revenues.

If you are looking for an outstanding online casino, check out 32Red.com. It’s a casino that offers poker, bingo, betting, various games and has a mobile capability. Recently the casino earned the Casino Meister’s Casino of the Decade award. This is big news for the casino. 32Red.com has been around since 2006 and since that time has risen to become one of the top online gaming providers. It has a lot to offer in terms of games and variety. Not to mention bonuses and promotions. Overall it is a great online casino that deserves the new accolade. For anyone looking to gaming online, this is a great place to visit. Opening an account is simple and funding it is seamless. The graphics and sound integration of the games are all outstanding. It’s one of the best websites around and any avid online gamer should test the casino out to see for themselves how much it has to offer.

32Red.com celebrates this win following six years that the casino has being named Best Casino in the past 10 years. “The Casino of the Decade sits above all other awards in this year’s Casinomeister list and it’s one we receive with a great deal of pride,” said the Chief Executive Officer of 32Red Plc, Ed Ware. “32Red aimed to be here when we launched the online casino and we’re honored that, come the end of ‘naughties’, we’re right at the top of our industry”. The casino is at the top of the industry and quickly gaining customers due to its outstanding offering. All you need to do is take a look at the casino and you can immediately see how the visual appeal of the website is evident. The website is run via MicroGaming software and it has over 350 games to choose from and is based out of Gibraltar. Casino Meister said of 32Red’s achievements on making the award: “They have maintained their focus since their launch: personable customer service, responsive and effective management, professional solid operations. Publicly traded, fully transparent, and they are bound by an ideology that is based on player satisfaction. These guys have a lot to be proud of…again.”

As a testament to where gambling is going, players in the UK bet on snow. Anyone who lives in the UK knows that snow has been a distant memory for the country for years. They haven’t seen any in a long time. That’s why William Hill made news when it began taking bets on whether or now snow would fall on Christmas of 2009. It was a smart move because once they announced they were taking the bets, as many as 27,000 punters began wagering. They all put their money down on whether or not a single snowflake would grace the country on December the 25^th. On Christmas Eve a spokesman for William Hill said, “We still expect to take a hit with snow in Scotland and Northern Ireland but are hopeful that London will miss out.”

Over 15,000 people bet that snow would fall in London, although forecasters were correct and the flakes narrowly missed the capital. “We have potentially dodged a monster payout but we are still going to be watching Buckingham Palace like a hawk as just a flake or two will decide whether we are going to have a festive season or not,” said a William Hill spokesman. The growing popularity of betting is following the growing popularity of poker and other online gaming. William Hill has been a forerunner in the industry of betting and is a clear-cut winner in the race for number one bookmaker.

The UK has seen a tremendous growth in the field of gambling over the years. Gambling altogether has grown exponentially. The market is continuously changing and now that various jurisdictions are moving to legalize gambling, more companies are cropping up and other companies that are already established are honing their gambling skills for the coming games. They know that having a market share is the most critical part of building their business and for that reason, they are working hard to develop their own value for the gaming customer. As gambling continues to grow, expect to see an even better offering from online casinos in terms of gaming, customer service, bonuses, payouts and promotions.

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission, the gambling jurisdiction based in Canada, which licenses and regulates online gambling sites, has approached the industry watchdog group, eCOGRA to oversee its new compliance program. Over 50 of the KGC’s licensees will be subject to a thorough investigation by eCOGRA to ensure that they meet high-quality standards. eCOGRA investigators will be reviewing issues relating to fair gaming, responsible gambling, customer protection and random games. eCOGRA is a leader in the field of watchdog services to the world of online gaming. It has a highly respected procedure for certification that it puts every candidate through. The certification is also ongoing and applicants have to continuously be reviewed to maintain their status of approval with eCOGRA.

“The KGC and its licensees have demonstrated a great determination to achieve best practice standards, and we respect the commitment that has so far been shown,” said the CEO of eCOGRA, Andrew Beveridge. “We look forward to the considerable task ahead and have almost completed 4 initial test reviews that have generated enthusiastic feedback from the operators concerned. The most important aspect of this program is that players will be safer, and that can only be to the credit of the industry.” Having the eCOGRA seal of approval is a big deal in the world of online gaming. The internet is anonymous and that can open the door for many problems and put players in danger of fraud and theft. Inparticular in recent years more and more companies have threatened the online safety of gamers. The reason is because of the huge growth in the industry. One of the biggest problems is identity theft. Players have to enter personal information into the website they choose to open their account. That person has to enter their name, address, and funding account. In the wrong hands, that information is used to withdraw funds. Due to the nature of the internet, companies can close down and the player has no legal recourse. Their money is gone. Organizaitons like eCOGRA are working hard to thwart these practices and make it more difficult for thieves to take advantage of online gamers.

Casino.com just received the GamCare Trade Services, GTS, certification. That means the website is following a code of conduct and practice for online gambling and has been recognized by the Gambaro charity. Casino.com elevated its responsible gaming practices and employee training time to obtain the certification. Marketing Director of the casino, Jeff Turner said, “Casino.com has now joined the league of the top online casinos that provide responsible gaming. We are very excited to offer our users a protected and safe way to enjoy playing.”

Player protection is a necessity in today’s world. Online gaming puts players at a risk. Anytime they have to download something or share personal information online, there is a risk. That’s why a lot of online casinos created a no-download or instant-play option. With this option, players can click and immediately start playing their game. With a full-play option there normally is a hefty download to use. Players have to install a program and that program can be dangerous if the developers included any spyware or adware with the program. This is where information can be captured also. For example, developers who want to scam personal information can include it with the download and any information a player has on their computer, is now privy to the developer when they sign on. This is the main reason why people look for websites that offer the instant-play option. There is no download and the games play via a Flash or Java-fueled gaming system. It will open in a separate window and can be played within a few seconds. The only negative of using an instant-play option is that it can be more limited. For full functionality, players need to use the download version.

Casino.com has been around for a while and knows well how security and certifications are premiere when it comes to picking a website to play on. Players today are wise and know how important security is. Casino.com brings players a high level of security and offers card and table games, as well as slots, video poker and progressive jackpot games. For some great gaming, check out Casino.com and enjoy all the games it has to offer.

Just yesterday Alderney showcased its new licensing system at the IGE exhibition in London. The new process has already been running but had not yet been shown to the industry. Alderney’s Director of eCommerce Robin LeProvost said that authorities were very pleased with the process made so far but added, “However well thought through, a significant revision of the licensing legislation fills you with some trepidations as to how it will be received. But I think we can say, even though it is early days, the new scheme seems to have hit exactly the right note and enquiries and applications have shown a significant increase.”

The new system includes Categories 1 and 2 and each one has its own advantages. They cater to the outsourcing of gaming and B2B services. The flexibility of the system is what is unique—operators can choose the parts of the application that benefit their business goals. It is a great way to have an outstanding product that is customized to a business’ specific needs. That is a new wave in technology today—being able to customize what is needed to the business, rather than expecting one product to answer the needs for a wide range of businesses. It’s one of the best strides in the industry of technological advancements in recent years. Customization is key for clients these days. No longer so they want a singular-purpose product. Flexibility is important. And with how quickly technology is changing and developing, programmers are not having problems keeping up. In fact, developers are working day in and day out to bring new ideas to the market of online gaming and online technologyl.

Alderney is particularly excited about their new product and introducing it at the IGE exhibition. It sets the company apart as one of the best in the industry and showcases how much work it has done in terms of growth. It is setting the bar for other companies in the industry and making it difficult for them to keep up. Alderney wanted to be the number one talked-about company at the IGE and due to their outstanding growth, that wish came true.