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Archive for April, 2010

Gambling In the Hands of Voters in Maine

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

Yesterday the House in Maine decided to contemplate gambling within the state. The Oxford Casino bill was scheduled to go to the voting floor this November, thus allowing people to make a decision on the issue. Now, there is a long list of bills looking to be brought to the ballot later this year and it promises to offer voters a bigger choice as to what they want to happen with the issue of gambling within the state of Maine.

Many states in the US are in the midst of debates over gambling. Legislators are pushing hard for legalization due to the overwhelming amount of tax-revenue dollars available. They know that the recession created huge budgets and deficits to overcome. With deficits in the millions, it is hard to find money-generating activities that are going to help overcome and bring in the huge dollars needed. Gambling is a hopeful alternative to future cut-backs in spending and financial disaster.

The Passamaquoddy Tribe and Hollywood Slots are two entities that are happy about the vote that took place. It means that the decision is in the hands of the people and that’s a good thing. To both operators, it means that they will have adequate time to petition and advertise the many virtues of allowing gambling into the state. Just like other US states are voicing their support of gambling legalization and regulation, so Maine is joining in the campaign. If the vote is to be put off until November, residents of the state can expect a lot of promotion in the form of TV ads, print ads, flyers and radio spots. The main goal will be to showcase how gambling would bring in a wide range of job opportunities. This is a chord that hits a note with many of the voting public due to the soaring unemployment rate. If various entities that want gambling can focus on the good it will bring to the state and to the local market, then they have a shot at a positive vote in November of this year. There are still those who oppose gambling, but the advantage of more tax-revenue dollars and employment may be too big a point for them to argue against.

Off Track Betting Looks for Help from Kiosks

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

OTB operators are now looking for a new way to keep their businesses alive. Just like other gambling games, off-track betting has suffered in the past year and a half of a downturned economy. People stopped spending mid-recession and have yet to return to their old spending habits. That means that everything from retail outlets to restaurants and movie theaters to OTB locations have all suffered greatly. They have lost millions of dollars in revenue that normally would have kept them in the black on the books. Now that the recession’s effects are still being felt, OTB locations are having problems remaining relevant financially.

In New York City, OTB operators are getting resourceful. Planners are hoping to push for bringing their businesses into the city’s bars and pubs. The plan is to have OTB at the various locations throughout the city and bring in more money due to “kiosks” being set up in each facility. It would allow customers the ability to sit at the kiosks and partake in OTB right from the comfort of their favorite bar or pub. Not only would they be able to hang out at their normal place on a Friday night, but they also can have a little extra fun with some high-energy gambling at a kiosk. As an added incentive, OTB operators are apportioning out $2,500 for each bar or pub willing to install the kiosks for their patrons. The joint venture is hoped to bring in money for OTB locations and for the bars that host them. In a time when money is hard to come by, OTB operators are hoping that the New York City bars and pubs will jump at the chance—in particular because of the $2,500 incentive. It won’t costs bars a thing to take a chance and see if more people come in. More people coming into the bars, means more revenue. More revenue means a faster turnaround after a difficult economic downturn.

OTB operators are desperate to stay in business. They are hoping the new idea of remote kiosks will help save their businesses and bring in new revenue. Now that bars and pubs share the same concern, this affiliation may prove lucrative for both business entities. It will take time to implement, but it just may be what the market needs to turn OTB around in the state.

MA Has Some New Rules Coming Today

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

Massachusetts is one of those states that has had a very visible struggle with the question of gambling. Governor Duval Patrick has led the cause and has always had a positive view of casino gambling within the state. The governor had attempted to pass laws last year that would allow for casino resorts within the state. Unfortunately, his attempt was thwarted, namely by House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, who was a strong opponent of the move. Though there was a difficult pushback, Patrick believed that bringing a casino resort was a sure-fire way of bringing in more money to a sorely reeling state that had been ravaged by the recession.

Like most other states, there are clearly opposing sides voicing their opinion on the issue of gambling. One side is holding up the ethical argument. They state that having gambling as a legal hobby would create an increase in crime, corruption and addictions for residents. This side believes that it is too high a price to pay for the money from tax-revenue dollars and is not reliable.  On the other hand, there are legislators who believe that the money is much-needed and without gambling there are few other options to bring in millions of dollars for the next decade. They estimate millions of dollars being underutilized if gambling isn’t legalized and regulated in their states. An added argument is that if people cannot gamble in their state, they will continue to gamble in other states, and fuel their money into those other states.

So far there are two casino resort operators and slots parlors that are heavily supporting the move to bring online gambling and casino gambling to the state. It is expected that the eventual outcome will be that the hobby is allowed, but not without a lot of strict regulation prior to its acceptance. Governor Patrick is hopeful also, stating that without the revenue, the state will continue to be hampered by its financial state. There are not a whole lot of other options to turn things around and casino gambling online may be its best bet for recovery.

What Online Casinos Can Do for You

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

There is a new generation of online casino players and everyday new programs are being built to keep their interest. That’s the great thing about technology—it’s ever-changing and pushing the boundaries of what customers can get farther and farther. It’s an interesting time too becaues things like the economy and competition are pushing the industry to new hgeights of development. That is why it is a great time to get into online gambling.

If you are considering gambling online, there is a lot an online casino can do for you. First of all, it can save you time. With land-based casinos you have to travel to them, find parking, waiting line at the cash cage and then hope that your favorite games are free. It call all take time. On the other hand then there are virtual casinos online. The virtual casino doesn’t require any effort to play at– in fact, all you will have to do is log-in. That i show simple this type of gaming is. And there is no such thing as your machines not being free– they are always free at internet casinos. They are sitting there waiting for you and other players to start wagering.

Another thing an online casino can do for you is to bring you the best and most cutting-edge games in the market. Think about a land-based casino. It can bring in “real” machines but it has to see them, decide which ones to bring in, and then schedule them for delivery. Once they are in, they have to be hooked up. This is not the case with online casinos because it takes some scheduling of programmers, but that is the only real problem to coordinate. New games can be up in a matter of minutes and people can be playiing them almost immediately.

The online casino has a lot to offer and one final characteristic, is its huge bonus potential. Land-based casinos have high overheads to deal with. Rent, utilities, managers, staff, and maintenance all add up and create big bills for casinos. On the other hand, virtual casinos have none of these to deal with. The money they save, they can turn around and put into promotions and bonuses for their customers. It’s a great time to get into online gaming and if you haven’t tried it yet, give them a chance. You won’t be disappointed.

Can you Trust an Online Casino?

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

Many gamblers love the idea of online gambling but have some reservations. If you are thinking about venturing online, no doubt the biggest issue is whether or not you can trust the casino online with your personal information. Some people will tell you that online gaming is a scam and that by using the internet operators can maneuver the odds at a moment’s notice to their own favor. This may have been true when games online were first introduced, but today it isn’t. In today’s world there are third-party regulators who watch over all online casinos and make sure they are dealing fairly with the gaming public. Casinos can try to scam players but the hefty fees and bad reputation are too much of a risk. It is much more lucrative to build an online casino that serves customers and brings in millions of dollars from them. The only way to do this is to act with complete integrity and transparency with customers.

Here are some reasons why online gaming is not a scam:

1)    It’s not a scam because you can get a lot more plays per hour compared with land-based casinos. Remember with land-based casinos you will have to travel there, find parking, find your games, wait for them, etc. Online gaming is instant. You log in and play. So if you have three hours to play games, you don’t have to use an hour and a half of that time for travel.

2)    When you are gambling online you are gambling alone. For example if you play Blackjack in a real casino with four other gamblers, even if you lose, someone at your table most likely will win. That can be difficult to listen to someone else on a winning streak. If you’re playing online you won’t have to worry about that.

3)    In past years there were casinos caught cheating, but now that the likelihood of getting caught is so high, casino operators are cautious. What’s better? To scam a customer and have to “disappear” or to act honestly and have a long-standing reputation that brings in more customers over time? For casinos that want a future in the industry, scamming is not an option. Plus regulations are getting stiffer these days and paying hefty fines and the bed press just aren’t worth it.

 Check for the basics with an onine casino and make sure it has secure servers, it uses the latest encryption and there are good public reviews. Most likely, if you can find these things you won’t have to worry about the scamming issue. You can log in and have fun safely.

What Online Casinos Have to Offer

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

When it comes to online gaming, there are a wide variety of casino games to pick from. Do a quick Google search and you’ll find out how many options there are these days in a wide variety of online casinos. For example, developers like MicroGaming, Playtech and CryptoLogic all are companies that specialize in creating new games. These three companies are leaders in bringing new technologies and strides in the industry together. You’ll love how much fun you can have with these games and how many hours of fun they offer you. In addition to the games that vary, you will also find a wide range of specials and bonuses.

The great thing about online casinos is that you can win a lot of different prizes. The market is being pushed quickly to greater and greater heights thanks to the overwhelming popularity of online gambling. You should do a quick online search for casinos that offer the biggest advantages to players. These bonuses can come in the form of cash, credits, free spins, merchandise and points. The best thing to do is find a casino that offers a VIP program. That way every time you wager, you will be also earning extra points. Normally a casino has a limit you have to reach but once you do you can then transfer your points into credits.

When it comes to gambling, there are three various types of games to look at: table games, gaming machines and random number generated games. Table games include things like baccarat, craps and poker. Gaming machines are things like slots, fruit machines and video slot games. Finally, random number generated games are games like bingo, lotto and keno. Each one of these games offers a different level of play, but each one has its own advantages. Of course slots are the most played progressive games online today. The reason for this is that they are so simple. Just like in a real casino where all you have to do is pull a reel or hit the spin button, that’s all you have to do with online slots. There is no learning curve or strategy building time involved. Plus you can find the theme you like because of the huge variety out there.

Wiki-Slots are Growing in Popularity

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

If you are doing a search for a good online casino, most likely you’ll find the wiki slot games. This is a type of game that adds a heavy amount of intricate graphics and color to the play. You’ll get lots of details in the game that you normally wouldn’t see with other games. Even though the games look great, they still maintain the simplicity of online gaming so even a beginner can still jump right in. There are two different types of online slots games: the flat tops and the progressive slots. The thing about wiki slot games is that it may take longer to win than with normal games. These are great if you have a good amount of time for your gamin session. Just like other slots games, the purpose is to spin and have the reels line up with the right configuration. If you manage to get the right one, then you win!

Of course originally, slot machines came with the lever on the side, which is why they were first called one-armed bandits. They gained popularity because all you had to do was pull that one arm—no learning, no studying, no heavy mental work. These games just offered pure fun based on the luck of the spin. That’s why they have been so popular over the years. Add to that the fact that developers worked overtime to create more and more variations of the game and you will see how much the games have to offer. Whatever your favorite theme is, you will find it with online games. If you love NASCAR or horses, or shopping and movies, you’ll find a range of slots games that are centered around those themes. Don’t worry about variety in game play either—you will find 3-, 5- and 7-reel games with varying paylines. Each style has a different advantage. Plus a lot of them have bonus games-within-a-game extras. If you hit a certain combination on the reels, you can automatically enter the bonus round where you’ll play a game completely different from the one you were playing. It’s an added special and anyone who loves variety in gaming should love it.

LionSlots.com Crowns a New Big Winner

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

People who believe that online gaming is still lagging behind in payouts as compared to land-based gaming is wrong. A few years ago getting a huge payout at a land-based casino was the only way to win a life-changing amount of money. Land-based casinos were premiere gaming locations for winning big—not that it happened often, but big winners did come out of that sector of the industry. Now a days, things have changed somewhat. For example, LionSlots.com just announced that one winner walked away with a payout of over $102,000 on the One Million Reels BC slots game. That’s a huge amount and people are taking notice. More and more people are signing into the game to see what the fuss is about and they are seeing how much fun this game is.

LionSlots.com is a Curacao-licensed gaming website that is not joining the ranks of high-payout online casinos. It offers games from blackjack, craps, roulette to the simpler slots games to enjoy. If you are looking for a place to experience a wide range of games, this could be the right website for you.  The One Million Reels BC is a 3-reel and 5-payline slot that Rival Gaming created and it caters to older-styled slots gaming. There is a fixed coin size of 25¢ and players must wager the maximum of three coins on a winning line to be eligible for the big jackpot. The biggest advantage of this game is the amount of visual richness you’ll see while playing. Developers put extra time into building a great looking game with this one and you won’t find many games that replicate its details. Of course it’s based on the Antarctic-style with cavemen, igloos, fishing and other fun symbols to enjoy. The game itself has a payout percentage of 97% and that means you have a great chance of walking away with a win. You pretty much can’t go wrong with a great game at a great website. If you are looking for a game you can enjoy for hours, then check out this one. With its history of a good payout, you just may get lucky and walk away with the next big payout.

Slots.com Name is Up for Auction

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

Gambling is big business in the world of online gaming. Though it began slowly, it has taken off in the past few years. You can thank the WSOP for a lot of its popularity. Remember that the WSOP, or World Series of Poker, began over 30 years ago. In its original state it just was a group of six or so poker lovers who decided to get together and celebrate the hobby with a fun game. Over the years the market has exploded in the world of casinos and is even taking on land-based counterparts in terms of revenue and popularity. Now, it’s a million-dollar tournament with hundreds of satellite tournaments leading up to it and qualifying players. It also has hundreds of players fighting it out for millions of dollars and the ever-coveted WSOP bracelets. The overwhelming growth the WSOP experienced is just one part of gambling that has grown so quickly. All other parts are keeping up with as much of a heightened appeal that poker has. Slots, baccarat, roulette, and lotteries are all moving with the same speed in popularity.

To understand just how much gambling has grown in the market, consider this: recently the Poker.org domain sale brought in $1-million. Developers knew that the sale would bring in a good amount of money, but no one anticipated it would bring in a staggering million-dollar amount. Due to its sale, now Slots.com is also up for sale. Industry insiders don’t know how much this sale will fetch, but they are hopeful it will reach the same amount that Poker.org did earlier this year. Early estimates were conservative on Slots.com name, but now no one knows for sure how much it will bring in. Remember that slots have been particularly popular in the market and Las Vegas even reported that about 60% of their overall income comes directly from slots gaming. Most likely the Slots.com name is going to break another record when it does sell and it will be further proof of how much gaming, and slots, have grown in the market. More and more people are logging-in to play casino games than ever before and the internet is reflecting the growth in public appeal.

Ladbrokes Does it Again with New Games

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

The great thing about online gaming is that it is pushing the market to create more and more lucrative bonuses for customers. Competition is making companies vie for patrons and that is good news for anyone who wants to try online gaming. One company that is a leader in bringing new promos to the market is Ladbrokes. The casino has been around for a long time and knows how to make a great deal for its visitors. The company recently announced that it is offering a Wicked Weekend Bonus. That means that 400 pounds is up for grabs and all you have to do to try out for it is to open an account and deposit 10 pounds to start. Then get to the Avalon slots game and test your luck. Every time you play, you are taking a chance at the big cash drawing and you could be that much closer to a great win.

Once the promotion is over, there will be 200 total winners and each one will get about 20 pounds out of the total prizepool. So, worst-case scenario you get back your total investment in the game. Even if you do only break even, you still will get to have a great gaming session on a great slots game. The fun you have should be enough of an incentive to jump into this promotion. In addition, remember that Ladbrokes is a premiere website and has a long history of great games and promotions. It is a leader for a reason. Add to that the Avalon game is a fun slots game, and you can’t miss with this promotion. For anyone looking for a new game, this could be the right one. Avalon is a 5-reel 20 payline slot machine that has the King Arthur-theme to it. Of course the symbols will be akin to that so expect round tables, swords, Medieval chalices and things like that. There is a jackpot of 15,000 pounds can also win up to 105,000 pounds based on the free spin options.  Test your luck with this game– not only can you walk away with a win at the game, but you can also have a chance to win the promotion by Ladbrokes. Think of what a great way that would be to start the month of April!