Online Casino Help

Nobody has to tell you, online casinos are facing an increasing amount of competition. In order to attract players, many casinos use new member and matching bonuses. They are trying to throw “money” at people in order to get them on board. Their desperation to get new members is your gain. You can rack up on these bonuses and easily double the amount of cash that you have available to bet with However, don’t be fooled, many of these casinos structure bonuses so that they are hard to collect. If it takes you 2 years to collect a $50 bonus, you may want to find a different online casino. One site that is holding a pretty good bonus promotion is Cocoa Casino.

Right now, gamblers can win $200 and don’t have to playthrough. However, the “catch” is that your name will go into a drawing in order to receive the $200. This is real cash but not everyone will get it. In order to collect, you will have to fund your account with at least $50 and Cocoa Casino will match it 150%.

In other news concerning Cocoa Casino (if you care at all) is that they are now using Usemywallet as a payment processor. This company accepts bank transfers and credit cards.

Cocoa uses Rival Gaming software, which is pretty good. You will be able to play i-slots. If those are your thing, then you will be happy to hear this. Interactive (i-slots) are cool. They have nice bonuses and the storylines change giving you a unique and fun experience every time that you play.

Players from the United States are allowed to join. Therefore, you all U.S. based players, here is one online casino that is willing to take your money. Go at it!

Microgaming tried to hang in there for as long as they could. They were among the shrinking number of casino software companies that still allowed players from the United States to play at their casinos. When Kentucky made a move to seize domain names, they decided to bail. Now, no casinos that use their software will service new U.S. players. There has been no comment on what will happen to players already signed up with these online casinos.

This is another blow to American gamblers. It is becoming harder and harder to find a trusted online casino to join. With the laws different in each state concerning online gambling and a Federal policy that all but forbids it, it is getting more difficult to for gamblers to well, gamble online.

Once in support of making online gambling illegal, many land based casinos see the merit in it as it relates to their bottom lines. Many of them are suffering to keep their businesses afloat while seeing how lucrative the online industry is for hundreds of casinos based off shores. Many of these casinos are becoming rich off of American dollars that could be going to them. Because of this, you can bet that you will see a continued push by big name, land based casino to legalize online gambling. With a new administration in place, it just might happen. We will have to wait and see.

Even though land based casinos have been suffering lately, the Superbowl  has provided a bright spot for many of gambling spots. Gambling on the “Big Game” has meant big business for both online and offline casinos. In fact, there may even be increased  revenues this year of about 15-20%.  Experts believe that even in a tough economy, people are still passionate about football. Perhaps it is the last form of escapism that they are willing to give up. Whatever, the reason, betting on who is going to win, Arizona or Pittsburgh,  is making casinos a lot of money.

During the Superbowl not only do your everyday gamblers come out and bet but new comers come as well.  I guess this is the one time of the year where they will allows themselves (or their spouses allow them) to risk a little money.  Most Americans get into the spirit of the game. Essentially, it is like a holiday for people in the U.S.

The Steelers or the Cardinals (whoever wins the Superbowl)  are going to make someone’s pockets a little heavier this year. Others will be undoubtedly be pissed when “their” team loses. But you know what, that’s the nature of the game. While someone has to win and someone has to take the role as loser, one group that is excited either way,  are the casinos.  This huge game and American sports tradition is going to infuse a bit of needed cash into their operations.

Is it just me or is online casinos just becoming bigger and better?  With all the competition around, casino graphics, audio, game play and client service levels have really been the outstanding, especially since 2008.

This could well be because of the UIGEA ban that took more of a hold in 2008.  The only good thing resulting form this ban is that  the casinos and software providers battened down the hatches and started to work together to prove that the online casino industry in the US was far from dead.  The current casino’s who welcome US players decided to offer a greater variety and depth of online gambling opportunities in 2008 and we are reaping the benefits. Although a number of casino operators closed their doors to U.S. players, other online casinos like Rushmore decided to still welcome players from all over.

So, what’s next?  In 2009, the US gaming industry is hoping that the new U.S. President, Barack Obama, has time to review at the laws associated with U.S. online casinos, and at least repeals the infamous ‘06 UIGEA Bill. Meanwhile, the online casino industry is showing a new kind of optimism and life, which means that we will see greater things to come in 2009, with or without bill changes.  But lets hold thumbs that we get the best of both worlds – kinder legislation AND better games!

It’s that exciting time of the year again when Oggs.com, an eCOGRA recognised and trusted online casino reviews website, announces the winners of its Global Online Casino Awards.  This announcement will be made during London’s IGE & ICE 2009 week, and several casino winners will be announced from the U.S. and UK market.

I like keeping my eye on these winners as who wouldn’t want to play with the best online casino out there?  While we wait for the 2009 winner announcements, lets look at who made the top spot at the 2008 Oggs Global Casino Awards.

Top Online Casino Group of 2008 - Winner: Jackpot Factory, Runner-up: Belle Rock
Top Online Casino Promotion of 2008 - Winner: Allslots - $500,000 World Series Of Slots, Runner-up: Royal Vegas - International Casino Games
Top U.S. Online Casino 2008 - Winner: iNetBet (Real Time Gaming software), Runner-up: Club USA
Top UK Online Casino 2008 - Winner: 32Red (Microgaming), Runner-up: Ladbrokes
Top EU Online Casino 2008 - Winner: Bet365 (Playtech), Runner-up: 32Red
Top New Online Casino 2008 - Winner: Rushmore (Real Time Gaming software)
Top New Slot of 2008 - Winner: King Kong (Cryptologic), Runner-up: Tomb Raider 2 Secret of the Sword

So, have you played online with any of these great online casinos?  What are you waiting for then?  Also, watch this space for the 2009 winners that will follow shortly.  Happy gaming!

This is just not fair!  When is the new US administration going to make the wise move of allowing all states to take part in online gambling again?

I know that the Microgaming group of online casinos has held on for a long time.  If you are following the progress, you will know that they kept on accepting US online casino players up to the very last minute when the state of Kentucky attempted to seize Internet casino domain names. That is, unfortunately for us, when Microgaming decided to pull out.

All Microgaming casinos were ordered to stop accepting new American customers. This happened not so long ago but US players have already felt the repercussions, and I for one can’t help feeling a bit left out.

The biggest reason to feel upset about not being able to play on Microgaming casinos is of course that they currently have a jackpot prize pool of over seven million dollars and no other casino network in the world can match or come even close to this figure.

So, what’s left for US players?  One silver lining is that the Real Time Gaming (RTG) group is reaping the benefits of Microgaming withdrawal from the US. Although its jackpot is not quite as impressive it is currently the third biggest total jackpot prize pool, and is estimated to be around four million dollars.

It looks like offline casinos are looking to go high tech.  Some casinos in Connecticut are beginning to get rid of chips and in their place use discs. These discs have computer chips embedded inside of them with each disc given a serial number. The change is taking effect to help stop cheating and to better keep track of the casino’s chips.

Foxwood, (one of the casinos that is changing over), is one of the biggest casinos in the world. They have 10,000 employees and dole out millions of dollars in chips and money every month. For them to make this change greatly increases the chance that other casinos will follow suit.

What may delay a widespread change over within the entire gaming community is money. Because of  the rough economic time, most casinos are reluctant to shell out a lot of extra money.  People are not as willing to gamble when they are worried about paying thier monthly bilss.  However, if we make it through this recession and people begin coming back to the tables, you may see more and more casinos using computer imbedded discs instead of chips.

Again, such a move would make it more difficult for counterfeiters and easier for casinos to keep track of their chip inventory. It really won’t have much effect on the individual’s gambling experience.

It looks like another casino is being affected by the bad economy, this time in Atlantic City. In this particular case, the casino wasn’t even fully built but in the process. This more then $2 billion dollar project is being suspended for at least one year.  The building will resume when ever Revel Entertainment Group can get the funding that they need to finish. With banks not wanting to lend money, it can be very difficult to secure sources of revenue on credit.

This comes as another major blow to Atlantic City where more then half of the city’s casinos face the prospect of bankruptcy. This means that more people could be out of a job, further crippling the economy. Times are beginning to get dire and the seemingly collapse of the gaming industry has many people surprised and worried.

With President Obama’s economic stimulus passing in the house, hopefully things will begin looking up. However, even still, it will take some time for the economy to rebound and consumer confidence to improve. Until then, casinos all over the country will have to wait it out and hope that they will be around for the resurgence of the economy.

Even with the economic stimulus, there are still warnings by the President that things will get worse before they get better. This might mean disaster for some land based casinos.

There has been a lot of discussion and debate regarding whether or not poker is a game of skill or chance. The debate has been raging because the outcome will determine whether or not poker will be legalized in some states. Champions of gambling, particularly poker, argue that poker is a game that requires a great deal of skill. In order to be successful, it is necessary to study and practice. Games of chance don’t require you to do either.

Games of chance are simply that. You have no control over the outcome There is nothing that you can do to either improve or lessen your chances of winning and therefore your outcomes are dependent upon luck.

There is plenty of evidence that poker requires skill and study. You can go to your local bookstore and find plenty of books explaining the game and systems that promise to help you master it.

It seems that an increasing number of judges agree. More and more of them are ruling that poker is a skilled game and thus should not be illegal in their jurisdictions. How widespread these opinions are held and these judgments handed down, will help to determine the legality of poker both online and offline.

It is possible to become addicted to just about anything. You have undoubtedly heard of food, porn, alcohol, clutter and gambling addictions. All result when an activity that you enjoy or engage in becomes compulsive. Suddenly, you are having trouble controlling your urges. If you spend time a lot of time at internet casinos then you are potentially at risk.

There are generally some tell-tell signs that you are out of control. They may include thinking about playing at your favorite online casino more the is normal, gambling money that you don’t have or can’t afford to spend, ignoring family and friends or choosing to gamble online instead of spending time with actual people. You may also stop participating in other hobbies that you once enjoyed.

If you find that you are experiencing a number of these symptoms, it may be time to get some help. Consider joining an online casino gambling support group. You will find these both on the internet and offline. Use your favorite search engine and type in “online gambling addiction.” You should be able to find some services that will be able to help you with your problem.

There are also many books on the subject. These might be better suited for individuals who prefer self study and dealing with their problems on their own. Not everyone is open or comfortable with talking about their problems with strangers. Therefore, the first thing that you will need to do is determine your preference in dealing with the problem and then finding a solution that best meets your personality.