Archive for November, 2008

Nov
30

Porsche, anyone?

Posted by jacques ADD COMMENTS

I’ve always wanted my own Porsche. Too bad it was not me who won it this time. Each year, Vegas Partner Lounge, a leading online casino in great prizes, takes some of their members on the Casino Treasure Cruise. This year, it was held aboard the Freedom of the Seas. Let me put this monster into perspective: This ocean liner is almost 350m long and needs a crew of more than 1,000 people to keep it going.

The way it works is that all members of the online casino compete throughout the year for one of 30 places aboard the ship where they are taken around the Caribbean and given the chance to win prizes and cash along the way. This year’s lucky winner was Chantal K. who walked away with a brand new Porsche Boxster. Although cash is always a big draw card, a car is something different because this is not something one would ordinarily buy oneself, even if one had the cash to do so.

If more online casinos could merge the virtual world with reality cruises like this, they could really make an impact in the online gambling market. I wish Chantal – whoever you may be – the very best of luck with her new car and please drive safely. I’ve heard those babies can be a beast on the road.

Nov
28

One of the more interesting online casino stories of the year came to a head this week. The University of Florida has a top-25 basketball team and their star point guard has a bit of a gambling problem. He has been in the online casinos quite a bit over the last few months, so much so they he owes one of them $600 in poker debt. The investigation on this issue centered on whether or not Calathes, a sophomore, broke any of the NCAA’s by-laws with his gambling activity.

The NCAA is around to keep the integrity of its sports in place. Though Calathes is undoubtedly a bad player when he steps into the casinos, he hasn’t broken any NCAA rules, according to someone close to the university. The NCAA cleared him of any wrongdoing, saying that if he hadn’t stepped foot in a casino or done any betting on sports, they didn’t have anything to say about it.

This is all good news for Calathes, except for the one fact that still remains. He’s got to pay off that nasty little debt to the casino. Though he might not have been in trouble with the NCAA for his actions, he will certainly have to pay the piper in terms of his debt, just like all the rest of us who have had a bad run at the tables over the course of our time playing in online casinos.

Nov
28

If you are a gambler who regularly uses online casinos, then you know all too well how difficult it can be to get a deposit in. What are you to do in those instances where your bank card is turned down? The truth of the matter is that you can’t hardly use debit cards at an online casino anymore. You have to get a bit more creative if you want to fund your casino account. So that begs the question, what is the best way for gamblers to get their money to the casinos?

Personally, I would recommend just going and using the Western Union method. This can be a really intimidating type of deposit for people who are new at the game. They don’t like going up and having to write down their name and stand in line to send with Western Union or Moneygram. The thing to know is that this is the quickest, most efficient way to do the job, though. You don’t have to fill out credit card verification forms and you certainly don’t have to put up with angry card providers. You just have to have a name and you have to have the cash that you need to make the deposit. It is simple and it is traditional. Try it out and you might just agree.

Nov
28

There is a new movement in the online casino world and it is one you probably have seen before. These days, they are going after a different type of gambler. Online casinos have long marketed to the older people who have more money to spend. It hasn’t been working so well, so the casinos are now looking for ways to give back and get back with the younger crowd. Specifically, they seem to be setting their eyes on the wild college students who don’t yet understand the value of their money.

If you are a college student, then you can probably get a really nice deal from a casino right now. Poker sites are having college tournaments and all of the online casinos are making sure that they have bonuses in place for people who are young. They are even taking measures to make sure that college gamblers can get their deposits in. They are doing this by advertising those debit cards to let gamblers know that there is a way to get money into their accounts without getting shot down by their bank.

This youth movement should work out for a while, because college kids just love the thrill. Sitting down at a table and losing a few dollars is well worth the entertainment value and the rush they get from it.

Nov
28

I had someone ask me the other day, “Did you know that we can’t use online casinos anymore?” I looked at him really funny and then started laughing. Of course I knew that, as this online casino ban in the United States is old news. That entire conversation made me take a look at just how effective the “ban” has been, though. If a gambler like my friend didn’t even know it had taken place, has it really had an impact on people? The answer to that question is a resounding no if we are talking about its impact on the common gambler.

The truth of the matter is that most people who use these casinos probably had no idea that this thing had gone through. The only “casino” type of website that it shut down was PartyPoker, and they were struggling before the legislation anyway.

So who exactly did this ban hurt the most? Some might say that it had the greatest impact on the payment processors. Companies like Neteller went bust and a bunch of others are having a hard time dealing with the fact that they can no longer help gamblers get their money to the casinos. For us, though, nothing has changed. It is just as easy today to play as it was before the “ban” was instituted.

Nov
28

If you haven’t heard about the online casino controvery in Poland, then you must have been hiding under a rock. It now looks like some political types on the country are targeting online casinos and doing their best to make sure that these casinos can’t run in peace. They simply won’t leave alone each and every casino that tries to operate. There are some major problems to consider here, but the first one is the amount of poor information these people seem to be so hell bent on talking about.

According to a lot of the speculation, the people in Poland who are claiming that online gambling is a problem are using misguided stats to back up their acuasations. They are making claims that the problem of online gambling Poland is actually much larger than it really is. According to many, even the media reports are blowing things out of proportion to the point where it is hard to know who exactly you can trust.
One thing is for certain through all of this. If a country is decided enough against online gambling, they have the power to manipulate the numbers in their favor. It looks as if that is what is going on here and things aren’t looking good for the casino industry in Poland at current time.

Nov
28

It isn’t often that we get to see two states go head to head to protect their own gambling interests. In a country where it is completely politically incorrect to back casinos or online casino play, it surely seems like states get very uptight when their gambling revenue is to at risk. The current fight is between Maryland Delaware, but it doesn’t have anything to do with online casinos. Instead, Delaware is thinking about its own casino options in an effort to counteract Maryland’s new gaming regulations.

Both of these states make good money from the betting that takes place at horse racing tracks. Maryland is now allowing players to play slots at their tracks, though, making these horse events something of makeshift casino shows. This is putting a hurt on neighboring Delaware, which has seen attendence drop off at the popular Dover Downs race track since this change happened in Maryland. So what is Delaware planning on doing about it? They look like they are about to allow sports gambling of all kinds at their tracks, so that people will quit crossing the border into Maryland to watch horse racing and make their bets. This is a controversy that you should certainly keep an eye on, as the manuevering isn’t over by a long shot.

Nov
28

In many states, gambling and gambling advertising is completely taboo, except for one huge exception. Online casinos and land casinos can’t advertise their craft in lots of places because lawmakers are worried about what impact those advertisements might have on so-called “problem” gamblers. They aren’t shy to put up big signs advertising their lottery games and the big jackpot of that week, though. Oregon is about to take it a step further, too.

There has been some discussion within the state of allowing casinos and online casinos to advertise out in the mainstream in an effort to get more customers. This could spark a major change in the culture of how any online casino is run. If they are allowed to get out their message in the mainstream advertising market, new doors for the casino could ultimately open up.

I think this is a great idea personally. People should be allowed to make their own choices and if it’s legal to do something, there is no reason why a company shouldn’t be allowed to advertise for it. If this gets more legs and passes through in Oregon, I think you could see more states take up this stance, especially in the Northwest, where things tend to be more liberal.

Nov
28

One of the things that I like to do when reading about the online casino industry is to keep up with what different online casinos are doing to entice players to come to their site. Promotional tactics for these casinos are a hot topic among executives, so the final products are always worth keeping in mind. Right now, a group that runs a bunch of different online casinos is giving away a cruise in order to reward its top players.

It is common to see a casino that wants to give away things to get players to come, but I find it completely strange and intriguing that one is giving away a cruise to its top winners throughout the year. Vegas Partner Lounge is the company that is providing each of its 30 top winners with an all expense paid cruise through the Caribbean islands.

I think this is a pretty smart technique personally. It gives players all the motivation that they need to play more and bet more money. WIth the possibility of a big time trip looming after they are done hitting the tables, players are much more likely to invest their dollars in the games. It is about time casinos started doing something to give back to their players. I for one am glad that this news has hit the board. It’s nice to see that some online casinos still care.

Nov
28

There is a right way for an online casino to make an appearance into the world of online gaming and there is a wrong way. Some casinos don’t understand this and they miss the chance to make a huge splash early in their existence. Count new casino Grand Mondial as one that firmly understands what it means to make a good marketing move. The is one of the many new online casinos that are charging to the top of the list in the eyes of many gamers out there today.

So what has this casino done that others should try to emulate in the future? First and foremost, they came with a strong marketing campaign that was geared at customers. They are offering huge signup bonuses with the intent of getting customers to become loyal to their paritcular brand of online gambling. I think this is absolutely brilliant and customers would be smart to sign up with them. You can get your hands on free money, so why not try it out for a while?

In addition to that, they have teamed up with Microgaming to make sure that they have the best games available. There is no better way to show that you are committed to excellence than through getting the best game provider on your side from the very beginning. I think this is a very savvy move on their part.