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Archive for October, 2010

Charles Fey: The Name Behind the Slot Machine

Sunday, October 31st, 2010

Slot machines are so much part of our lives today in every shape and form, that it’s hard to believe that they were invented just over 100 years ago. And while it has always been assumed that slot machines are an all-American invention, it might surprise many to learn that the man behind the machine, Charles Fey, was actually a Bavarian immigrant.

Who was Charles Fey?

The youngest of 16 children, August Fey decided at the age of 23 to leave his native Europe and seek his fortune in the United States. Delighted by the size and opportunities in the country, Fey travelled its length and breadth, before settling in California where he changed his name to Charles.

The Birth of the First Slot Machine

Fey – ever the adventurer – quit his job at the California Electric Works Company and, together with his colleague Theodore Holtz, started his own company that manufactured phones and electrical equipment. In 1895, Charles Fey created the first slot machine, known as the Liberty Bell, based on the lottery game, Policy. A year later, Fey was ready to open his first slot machine factory.

The Liberty Bell

The creation of the first slot machine in the world opened up a magical era for the gambling industry. The game soon became hugely popular because it offered, for the first time, cash payouts and the top jackpot was a $5 win (a far cry from the millions that can be won in online progressive slot games these days!). The original machine weighed a staggering 100 pounds and was made of pure cast iron. The three reel format of the game was so popular that it remained the standard format of all subsequent slot games for decades after the Liberty Bell was invented. Today, the original Liberty Bell is housed in a unique museum in Reno, run by Fey’s own grandchildren.

Slot Machines Today

The slot machine has come a long way since Charles Fey made his dream a reality. Today, there are thousands of different types of slot games that can be found on a casino floor or at online casino sites. These games vary in size, themes, payouts, bonus features, reels and pay lines. However, one thing remains in common – they are just as fun now as they were when Charles Fey first invented them!

Tags: fey, online slots, Slots, slots history
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Casinos in Singapore

Friday, October 29th, 2010

One of the gateway’s to Asia is Singapore, and even if you use this country as a stop over to switch planes, it may be worth spending some time in this fascinating location and get a feel of the vibe. If you’re a gambling enthusiast, you are well recommended to try out one of several casinos that have recently opened their doors to the public. These are among some of the most glitzy and glamorous in the world, and definitely worth a vist.

In 2005, the government gave the green light for casino gambling, which led to a flurry of activity in the construction business. The casino building industry took a hit in 2008 during the global recession, but bounced back soon afterwards – leading to the opening of the city-state’s first casino, the $4.4 billion Resorts World Sentosa in February 2010.

In April this year, the doors’s to the second casino were flung open – this time the $5.5 billion Marina Bay Sands constructed by the US gaming giant, Las Vegas Sands. This was the world’s second most expensive casino to construct, after MGM’s Mirage’s CityCenter in Las Vegas. The casino is expected to generate $1 billion in annual profits, making this a sound investment for Las Vegas Sands.

The casino opened at 3.18 pm – a lucky number in local Chinese tradition – and the official opening included the casino and nearly 1,000 of the 2,500 rooms planned. Restaurants, exhibition rooms, a shopping mall and plazas were also part of the grand opening. The remaining rooms opened in June this year.

The Marina Bay Sands boasts all the favorite casino games on its floor, ranging from blackjack to roulette and slots.

The Marina Bay Sands caters more for the corporate crowd, while the Resorts World complex is more geared towards families with children. The latter boasts a Universal Studios movie theme park – the only one in South East Asia – as well as hotels and restaurants.

Singapore believes that both casinos will attract a staggering 17 million visitors a year, bringing in $21 billion by 2015.

The two casinos certainly pose a competitive threat to the casino in neighbouring Malaysia, although Macau shouldn’t be too affected by these facilities, considering the number of uber-casinos being constructed in the Chinese enclave.

Tags: Casino, casino games, singapore
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The Best Blackjack Jokes

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

Nothing quite beats the excitement of the blackjack table on any given casino floor. Players may be sitting quietly studying their cards, murmuring politely to the dealer or pondering their next move. But behind that peaceful facade is an almost tangible electricity as players try to beat the dealer with a better hand. To lighten the mood a little around the blackjack table, here are a couple of the best jokes we’ve heard about this game that is so popular among online gambling players and land casino fans alike.

A Little Bit of Blackjack Lovin’

It’s 4 am and John and Rob roll out of the casino after a dramatic night around the blackjack table. John turns to his friend and says: “That was great! Now comes the bad part of the evening. I’m going to get home, try to be as quiet as possible and creep into bed. But the same thing happens each time – my wife is lying awake with the lights on, ready to screech ‘Where the &*#^ have you been??” Rob smiles and says: “I had that problem too, until I came up with the best solution.” “Please share,” says a desperate John. Rob says: “When I get home, I honk the horn, slam the door, turn on all the lights and jump onto the bed, yelling: “Hey honey, how ’bout a little bit of lovin’ for me?” The little lady lies as still as a mouse and pretends to be fast asleep!”

Blackjack Bonanza

A man comes running into his house, yelling at his wife: “Honey, honey. You’ll never believe what happened? I won a million dollars playing blackjack! Pack your bags.”

His thrilled wife can hardly contain her excitement and says: “Darling, that’s wonderful! What should I pack? Are we going on a cruise to the Antarctic or a summer vacation to the Caribbean? Should I pack for hot or cold weather?”

Her husband replies: “Doesn’t matter, honey. As long as you’re out my house by midnight tonight!”

Tags: blackjack, Casino
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Online Slot Game Celebrates Dettori Horse Racing Legend

Monday, October 25th, 2010

The day was September 28th, 1996 and the place was the Ascot Racecourse in the UK. On that very day, the young Italian jockey, Frankie Dettori, made history by winning all seven races on one single day! Dettori became a legend in his own right, and his amazing achievement is still talked about in horse-racing circles.

The online gambling software group, Playtech, has decided that Dettori deserves to be honored outside the world of sports and has come up with a great idea – to create a unique online slots game that commemorates that great day and this great jockey. Thus, the idea of Frankie Dettori’s Magic Sevens slot game was born.

This is a five reel, 25 pay line game that includes all the symbols that you might associate with the races, such as a horse shoe and trophies. The wild symbol in this online slot game is Frankie Dettori himself. There are, in fact, a number of bonus symbols in this game so that players can win large sums of money if they’re lucky. For example, the Magic Sevens symbol is a scatter symbol, which means that if get three of them anywhere on the reels, you trigger a bonus game where you can win up to 35 free spins! The game also has a fixed jackpot that will pay out – what else? – 7777 credits to the lucky winner!

Dettori is definitely an example of someone who simply doesn’t give up. It took him 15 attempts to win the Epsom Derby, but he did not ever think that it was impossible and went on to do so in June 2007. And just to prove what a phenomenal jockey he is, the very next day, he notched up a double derby by winning the Prix du Jockey Club.

People today may recognize Dettori from his marketing campaign for Jockey yoghurt, which is very popular in European countries such as France.

Frankie Dettori – or Lanfranco as he is known in non-English speaking countries - is a much-loved sporting hero and Playtech’s idea to honor him with a slot game based on his amazing feat, that can be found in the best online casinos, is one that is very welcome.

Tags: casino game, dettori, horse racing, Online Casinos, online slots
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Learn How to Increase Your Chances of Winning the Lottery

Friday, October 22nd, 2010

The biggest jackpot in UK history was finally claimed this week, when someone stepped forward with the winning ticket to the EuroMillions lottery draw and took home a staggering GBP 113 million! The rest of us can now pull our tongues off the floor and go back to our normal flesh color after turning a sorry shade of green, and in the meantime, dream about the next big win. There is something to be said for buying lottery tickets. While casino games such as slots and poker provide almost instant gratification and entertainment, somehow waiting for the lottery numbers to be announced draws out the pleasure somewhat and allows you a few days to dream that maybe, just maybe, next time it’ll be you holding that massive check.

One guy, however, decided to stop with the dreaming and start with the doing. Richard Lustig has written a book called Learn How to Increase your Chances of Winning the Lotteryand he is walking proof that his strategy works. Lustig has won the lottery an incredible seven times, the highest sum being $842,000! Lustig said that he spent most of time losing the lottery until he decided that there has to be a method that works. As such, he sat down and devised a method that he claims will bring relative success.

Lustig doesn’t guarantee that that by following his method, all his readers will win the lottery. He is promising, however, that they will increase their chances of winning. The system was developed over a few years and was initially written out as a report. After Lustig sold thousands of copies of this report, he turned his method into a book and the success was remarkable. Learn How to Increase Your Chances of Winning the Lottery now sits at number three on Amazon’s list of self-help books, and more people than ever are picking up the book in the hope of becoming a big winner.

Lustig himself is a gambler by nature and loves his regular games of blackjack. He has spent some of his winnings spoiling himself, such as a Harley Davidson and a Jaguar. Seems like this guy knows what he’s talking about!

Tags: blackjack, casino games, Lottery
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Ladbrokes Hates Waffles and Chocolate

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

Ladbrokes strangely announced that they will no longer be accepting registrations for people in Belgium today. In a letter to affiliates, Ladbrokes gave no reason why they are pulling out of Belgium, so we have to assume it has to do with the impeding gambling law legislation that is set to go in effect on January 1st, 2011. The law is designed to set up a gambling licensing type system, similar to Italy and France. Though it has been debated whether or not the law to be introduced complies with EU law (as there are some stipulations on companies that can receive licenses), many lobbyist groups are set up to argue this new legislation citing the ruling in the Austrian Engelmann case.

In the meantime if players from Belgium are looking for a new place to play, then check out one of our best online casinos page.

For those interested, here is the letter that went out to affiliates of Ladbrokes:

“Dear Partner,

Ladbrokes no longer accepts registrations from customers residing in Belgium. We will keep you updated of any changes to this policy.

Please get in touch if you have any questions.

Kind Regards

Ladbrokes Affiliate team “

Tags: Belgium, EU Law, Gambling, Gambling Law, Ladbrokes
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Calvin Ayre: Gambling Tycoon and Philanthropist

Wednesday, October 20th, 2010

No other founder of an online gambling empire enjoys as much exposure as Calvin Ayre. The relatively young Canadian created the Bodog gambling brand, which spans poker, casino and sports betting platforms. Ayre became a household name when he appeared on the cover of the 2006 Forbes Magazine which featured the world’s top billionaires. He was also sported to be the hottest bachelor by People Magazine in the same year. His single status is a strong part of his public image.

However, there is another side to Ayre which is a far cry from the glitz and glamor of the world of online gambling and marketing. In 2005, Ayre founded the Calvin Ayre Foundation, an Antiguan based philanthropic group whose sole objective is to do charity work all around the world. The Foundation essentially focuses on five main areas: Environment, Education, Social Development, Child Welfare and Animal Welfare.

Whenever he cans, Ayre tries to combine his philanthropic activities with the igaming industry. In the recent earthquake that destroyed so many lives in Haiti, Ayre challenged the industry to dig into their pockets and to donate to charities working in the country, and pledged to match these donations up to $1 million.

In 2009, Ayre took up metaphorical arms against the practice of bear bile farming in Asia and is working with local governments and animal welfare societies to expose this cruel industry that sees almost 10,000 bears in captivity, undergoing daily torture.

Most recently, Ayre sponsored a number of young adults by sending them to top universities in Canada and the Philippines.

Calvin Ayre also has his own blog which is regularly updated with interesting articles, views, news and more. Going under the banner ‘gamblin’, drinkin’ and carryin’ on’, CalvinAyre.com makes for an interesting read and certainly encapsulates the tycoon’s spirit to the tee.

Next year, Calvin Ayre will turn 50 and he is planning to celebrate his half-century in a major way, with parties and celebrations around the world. While Ayre may be accused of being flamboyant and excessive in his self-exposure, it cannot be denied that his very name has helped thousands of people around the world with education, housing and other basic essentials.

Tags: calvin ayre, Gambling, online gambling
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Interesting Facts About Macau

Monday, October 18th, 2010

Whether you’re a gambler or a geography buff, you will most probably have heard about Macau – considered the Las Vegas of the East. Macau has become so popular among gamblers around the world – especially high rollers – that it has actually overtaken Vegas in terms of revenue. Everywhere you look in this Chinese controlled peninsula, there are hotels and casinos being built at an incredible pace, with exciting casino games and titles. And while the recession put things on hold in Macau for a while, construction work is now back – faster and more intense than ever before.

Facts about Macau

Macau is clearly a fascinating place to visit and to enjoy the superb casinos and games on offer, and it’s definitely on my own wish list of places to visit. Here are a few other interesting facts about the place:

There are two official languages in Macau – Chinese and Portuguese.
The majority of people who live in Macau are Buddhists, although you will also find Catholics and Protestants.
The Portuguese ruled in Macau in the 16th Century and you can still find remnants of their settlements as well as their culture (hence the official language).
In fact, Macau was the first European settlement in the Far East.
The infant mortality rate in Macau ranks among the lowest in the world.

Major Tourist Attractions

Macau is not only about gambling and casinos and you can find lots of interesting places to visit that are steeped in history. The most popular tourist spot in Macau is the Church of St Pauls which was originally built in 1602, destroyed in a typhoon and rebuilt in 1865. A Jesuit citadel, known as Sao Paulo du Monto is located right in the heart of Macau’s old city and was actually instrumental in preventing the Dutch from storming the city in 1622. For those interested in the Chinese history of the enclave, there is a complex of stunning temples which date from around 400 years ago during the Ming Dynasty, known as Kum Iam Tong which boasts some interesting works of art.

Taipa Village

A colorful village that has been restored by authorities and represents some great examples of Portuguese colonial architecture.

Tags: Casinos, Gambling, macau
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The Lord of the Rings Meets Online Gambling

Thursday, October 14th, 2010

The Lord of the Rings needs absolutely no introduction, neither as a trilology of bestselling books by J.R.R. Tolkien, nor as a blockbuster movie trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson and winner of 17 Academy Awards. And so I found it super that Microgaming, one of the most original and innovative online casino game software groups out there, decided to adapt the Lord of the Rings to a video slot game.

I doubt very much that Tolkien imagined Frodo the Hobbit spinning insanely on slot reels when he wrote the books during the 1940s, but the fact that the characters of the books and movies have become virtually household names and are considered popular enough to have video slot games based on them, should prove to be a compliment for the late Oxford professor.

Microgaming went all out in its marketing campaign in the gambling world before the game was actually introduced at its partner sites, such as Ladbrokes Casino, sending out tantalizing press releases, providing peak sneaks of the game and building the release up to quite a climax. Fortunately, the game has proven to be exactly what the software giant promised – a slot game of massive proportions, with amazing entertainment features and the potential to pay out big time.

What everyone seems to love about the first video slot games in a planned series, The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, is the fact that Microgaming has managed to make it look so mainstream. Through its newly developed Cinematic Spins software, Microgaming showcases background cinematic film clips throughout the game playing session, so that the excitement of the original movie can be enjoyed from the first spin of the reels.

There is something to be said for adapting popular titles and characters to casino games. Software groups have long realized that the more familiar players are with their brands, the more they will be attracted to the game. For that reason, software groups such as Microgaming and Cryptologic spend literally millions on licensing deals so that they can create new games out of popular movie characters, comic book personalities and even live singers and actors.

The Lord of the Rings has been part of the industry for over a month already and it is clear that Microgaming’s bet has definitely paid off!

Check out the game over at Ladbrokes by clicking the image below:

Tags: lord of the rings, microgaming, Slots
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The Ultimate Lottery Dilemma

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010

There’s an online gambling joke that goes something like this:

Jack’s business is doing badly. His wife is threatening to walk out. He can’t pay the bills and his home is going to be repossessed.

That night, he prays hard and says: “Dear Lord, please, please, let me win the lottery tomorrow.” The next day, Jack doesn’t win the lottery. The bank calls, his wife walks out and his situation is getting worse.

That night, he prays harder: “Please, Lord, please, I’ve been a good person all my life. Please let me win the lottery tomorrow.” But once more, Jack doesn’t win the lottery. The bank forecloses on his home, his business goes bankrupt and his wife runs off with someone else.

That night, Jack falls to his knees and howls to the heavens: “LORD! Why have you forsaken me? PLEASE, PLEASE, let me win the lottery tomorrow.”

After he falls asleep, Jack has a dream. The Lord comes down to him and says: “My son.. I have heard your calls for help. NOW MEET ME HALFWAY HERE AND BUY A DAMN LOTTERY TICKET!”

And that’s where my dilemma comes in. I go through stages where I religiously buy a lottery ticket every week, even checking the numbers as they are called. But then, after a while, I get irritated that I don’t win anything and I vow to use the money towards other things. And then I read about the recent EuroMillions lottery win, where the lucky (as of yet unidentified) person will get to take home the staggering, life-changing, eye-watering prize of around $180 million!

That’s when I get thinking that maybe, just maybe, if I had bought a lottery ticket that week, I could have been THAT person. True, the odds of me winning the EuroMillions are 70 million to one, but why should that winner be the ONE and not me? So then I go back to buying lottery tickets at the best casinos again for a while, in a bid to keep my dream alive, imagining all the wonderful things I could buy with even one percent of that sum… until I get irritated all over again!

Tags: Lottery
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