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Archive for February, 2011

Best Online Casino Payment Methods

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

If you’re a regular player at online casinos, you’ll recognize the fact that a good site supports a wide range of banking methods that allow you to fund your accounts painlessly and quickly. New players may not quite understand just how important it is to find the right payment method, because not only do you have to transfer funds in order to start playing for real money, but you will also eventually need to withdraw your winnings. As such, there is no question that the payment method used be secure and convenient. It is important to remember that some online casinos will reward you for opting for alternative payment methods so look out for these type of casino bonuses when you next visit the cashier’s section at your favorite gaming site.

Here are a few of the more popular payment methods offered at online casinos these days:

Credit cards

There’s no arguing the convenience of whipping out your credit card to pay for online goods and services – gambling included. Most online casinos will accept Visa and Mastercard, although players from the US may have a harder time as sometimes payments to gambling sites are declined. Pros: Convenience, most people have one. Cons: See US players.

eWallets

These online bank accounts allow you to transfer money from a wide range of methods and then continue paying from your ewallet account to the online casino account. Payment is immediate as long as there are enough funds in the account. Examples of ewallets are Neteller, Moneybookers, etc. Pros: Simple, discreet and easy to keep track of your online gambling spending. Cons: None that we can think of.

Wire transfers

All you need to do is transfer money from your regular bank account to the online casino account. An upgrade on this regular system is known as the echeck which is basically an online check that is signed by the player to have funds transferred from your bank account to the online casino. It works along the same principles of the wire transfer but usually takes much quicker. Pros: Secure, players can keep careful track of their spending. Cons: May come with extra costs.

Tags: casino banking, payment methods
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The Origins of Sic Bo

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011

Sic Bo is one of those games I play at online casinos when I’m in the mood for something slightly exotic. Even its name is different to the regular games I usually head for first, but that doesn’t make it any less entertaining and I always come out of my Sic Bo gaming sessions exhilarated and hungry for more. For those who are wondering, Sic Bo is a simple dice game which was once played with bricks (!) but has since been adapted to dice thrown from a small shaker at the majority of casinos.

So where did Sic Bo actually originate?

The term ‘sic bo’ means dice pair, although – in a actual fact – the game is played with three dice! Sic Bo, as its name implies, originated in areas of Asia such as China and Korea where it was a very popular form of entertainment. It was around the 19th century that Chinese immigrants brought the idea of Sic Bo to the shores of the United States, and it was played among these communities and taught to others.

It wasn’t long before US casino owners realized that Sic Bo could actually be adapted to a game on their casino floors and it was introduced as a new addition for US players to try out. The form of Sic Bo as we know it today was thus standardized at most casinos and became a popular fixture at land casinos across the country.

Advancement in technology helped booster Sic Bo’s popularity. When electronic grids were added to the game to help reveal results quicker, players became even more attracted to the game. In 2002, Sic Bo was legalized in the United Kingdom and players across the pond also grabbed a chance at learning the game. However, the real push in the popularity of Sic Bo came with the introduction of online gambling, beginning in the mid 1990′s, where players from around the world could suddenly try out Sic Bo for free and discover this Asian game for themselves.

Today, Sic Bo is extremely popular around the world. In Macau, for example, it is considered the second most popular game after baccarat. As such, I’d definitely give this game a try if you haven’t already done so.

Tags: sic bo
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Simon Cowell Launches New Lottery Style Game Show

Saturday, February 19th, 2011

Simon Cowell, possibly the most famous of all TV show producers, has been gambling in show business for many years, but this week he announced one of his most ambitious projects to date. Cashing in on the English nation’s love of their National Lottery, Cowell will be launching a new live quiz show run in a lottery-type format, with the winner guaranteed to win a staggering GBP 1 million!

Codenamed ‘Roulette‘, the new show will be presented by Britain’s Got Talent hosts, the comedy duo Dec and Ant. I read this week that 17,000 people will pay GBP 1 for a ticket that will give them a chance to enter the draw to take part in the ITV1 show. Those chosen will then get a chance to take part in live challenges to go for the top prize. According to some of the reports I’ve seen, the pilot show will take part in June, and all the quiz episodes will be aired from Wembley’s Arena in London.

The 51 year old Simon Cowell is best known for his shows such as X-Factor, as well as being a panel judge on the US-based American Idol. The very ambitious Cowell has made millions through these shows, and many believe that the new show could either be yet another show stopper – or his ticket out of the industry. “It’s a big gamble for Simon as it could be telly’s biggest ever turkey if it goes wrong,” one source was quoted as saying. “This will be one of the most ambitious TV shows ever staged.” The source went on to say that while details are still under wraps for now, it is known that people will pay a small price – only GBP 1 – for the chance to take part. “Simon is confident that because millions vote for the X Factor each week, they will be prepared to pay.”

Cowell previously proposed another idea to TV bosses in the form of a Saturday night TV show (ala Top of the Pops), however that was vetoed by ITV1 and they moved on to his next idea – the lottery style quiz show.

I, for one, am looking forward to another Cowell inspired masterpiece.

Tags: Lottery, Roulette
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Susan is the Luckiest Online Bingo Name!

Monday, February 14th, 2011

Here’s some good news – If your name is Susan, you’re in your forties, you’re a Taurus and your live in Birmingham, UK, you should take up online bingo NOW. According to a recent report issued by Gala Bingo, the leading online bingo site, these are the ultimate statistics of its luckiest players. The information was gleaned after tracking winners at Gala Bingo over five years to see exactly which criteria matches those players who win big jackpots time after time.

Gala Bingo studied data on a staggering six billion tickets that were sold over the past years and found that the name Susan topped the winner’s list year after year (except for 2006 when Karen rose to number one). Julie also appeared near the top of the list, and it was disclosed that in the past five years, Susans and Julies have grabbed GBP 131 million worth of prizes from Gala Bingo!

Overall, these are the top five names:

1. Susan

2. Julie

3. Linda

4. Karen

5. Margaret

As can be seen, women are definitely luckier than men when it comes to winning at online bingo!

The top 5 UK towns among Gala Bingo’s winners were as follows:

1. Birmingham

2. Sheffield

3. Newcastle

4. Doncaster

5. Bristol

When it comes to star signs, there is no arguing with the facts – those born under the Taurus sign are the luckiest bingo players around. They are followed by Cancer, Aries, Leo and, fifth, Gemini.

Gala Bingo also examined the luckiest age of its winning players and found that those who were born in the 1960s definitely had an advantage over other players. The top five years of birth among winners were, in order of descent, 1962, 1965, 1961, 1971 and 1963.

It’s also worth noting that since Gala Bingo launched its online site in 2006, it has paid out a staggering GBP 4 billion in prize money – and that’s in under five years! The site gives away GBP 65 million each and every month and it comes as no surprise that players flock to this site to check out the games and jackpots on offer – even if their name isn’t Susan!

Tags: gala bingo, Online Bingo
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Gambling on Egypt: It’s the Reel Thing

Saturday, February 12th, 2011

Everyone’s been watching Egypt in the past few weeks as a revolution unfolded before our very eyes. I must admit that I watched CNN more regularly than before, seeing the crowds on the Tahrir Square calling for that stalwart Sphinx, Mubarak to step down. What is it about the current situation in Egypt that had the world’s undivided attention? Is it because everyone is so interested in current affairs, or is it because we are always so fascinated about anything to do with this country?

You just need to take a look at the vast number of Egyptian-themed games that grace any respectable online casino. There are scores of games that have been created around Ancient Egypt, each one more entertaining than the next, with superb graphics, animations and payouts.

I’ve taken the liberty of providing a list of slot games that revolve around Egypt when you feel like a breather from the news….

Cleopatra’s Gold – 5 reels, 20 pay lines, by Real Time Gaming. The game boasts a high-paying, fast-growing progressive jackpot and offers free spins and other bonus features.

Isis Slot -5 reels, 25 lines, by Microgaming. This game boasts a bonus round, free spins, and 250 coin limits.

Pharaoh’s Fortune- a classic 3 reels, 1pay line game by Microgaming.

Sands of Fortune -5 reels, 9 lines, by Electracade. The game is available in instant play mode for immediate entertainment, and offers players bonus rounds and autoplay features.

Mega Moolah Isis Slot- A highly entertaining video slot game by Microgaming. This game is linked to the famous Mega Moolah progressive jackpot that has paid out millions to lucky players over the years. Isis Slot has five reels and 25 lines, and boasts free spins, scatters, wilds, gamble features and, of course, unbeatable payouts.

Check out other Egyptian themed slot games such as: Pharaoh’s Tomb, Pharaoh’s Gold, The Lost Treasure Slot, Platinum Pyramid, Crocodopolis, Lost in the Pyramid, Lady Luxor, Serpent’s Treasure… the list goes on and on. It’s worth looking at the slots titles at any online casino’s games lobby to see what I’m taking about!

Tags: ancient egypt, Online Casinos, Slots
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Valentine’s Day Puts a Spin on Slot Games

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

If there is one date in the year that I will never, ever forget, it’s February 14th. It’s not only because I’m bombarded with marketing hype from every billboard, TV ad or store window, urging me to pamper the love of my life with flowers, candy, chocolates, diamonds and anything else, it’s also because, even if I was living on a commercial-free desert island, my better half would not allow me to forget. From February 1st, she’s sneaking travel brochures into my briefcase, she’s oohing and aahing over jewelry in the latest rags and she’s exclaiming louder than usual about how she’d LOVE to try out the new eatery on Jefferson Street.

And if I thought I could escape the Valentine’s Day battering by going to my favorite online casinos, I’d definitely be wrong. Online casinos are getting ready for the big day by running super promotions on lots of their love-inspired slot games, and I reckon that if I can’t beat ‘em, I might as well join them. I’ve therefore put together a list of some of the better Valentine’s themed slot games to play over this gooey-kitchy-yet-can’t-live-without-it season. Happy spinning!

Cupid’s Arrow by Vegas Technology – 5 reels, 20 paylines. Full of features such as wilds, multipliers, bonus rounds and free spins. Enjoy a maximum payout of 10,000 coins!

Doctor Love by Vegas Technology - 5 reels, 20 paylines. A sexy doctor-nurse set up video slot, with a maximum $200 bet for highrollers to enjoy.

For Love and Money by Rival Gaming – 5 reels, 15 paylines. A bright, animated slot game with a classic fairytale theme, plus wilds, free spins and multipliers.

Love Potion by Microgaming - 1 reel, 9 paylines. A classic slot game, taking you back in time to true ladies, gentlement and cupid! Great animations and graphics in true Microgaming style.

Cutesy Pie by Microgaming – classic 3 reel slot game. The perfect game for all those lovey-dovey’s out there. From “I love you” logos to cute fat teddy bears, there is no mistaking that this is probably the ultimate game to play on Valentine’s Day. Maybe I’ll even convince my own true love to share in the fun!

Tags: online slots, valentine's day
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Has the Canadian Lottery Scratch Card System Been Cracked?

Sunday, February 6th, 2011

I was floored when I read the latest edition of Wired magazine, which describes how a very modest and unassuming guy from Toronto may have cracked the code on Scratch-and-Win lottery type tickets. According to 52 year old Mohan Srivastava, a geological statistician by profession, he first discovered the secret when he managed to correctly predict the outcome of Tic Tac Toe scratch tickets back in 2003 by up to 95% of the time. He made the discovery quite by accident when a sports buddy purchased him a card as a stunt, and he landed up winning $3 on the card. More important than the win was the fact that by doing a few simple math problems in his head, Srivastava managed to work out the pattern of numbers on the face of the card and how certain cards could be winners, why others would be losers.

According to Srivastava, he has an “odd combination of skills” – intimate knowledge of statistics, computer programming and spatial analysis. As such, if anyone was going to know how to crack the code, it was this guy!

The article in Wired magazine asked the statistician to pick winning cards out of a random stack of twenty different lottery cards. After examining the cards, which he had not seen before, Srivastava picked out six which he considered may be winners. Turns out the guy was right in four of them – the odds of this happening are one in 50.

Now, most of us are wondering why the guy didn’t just keep his theory to himself and make himself a packet with his abilities. Apparently, he is such a nice guy that he actually approached the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation who issue these tickets, asking them to look into his theory and ensure that they really are as secure and random as they claim to be. “Being a lottery corporation that’s handling billions of dollars, I think they should say ‘We need to make sure this is just luck’,” said Srivastava. However, OLG, which just started running online casinos, incidentally, replied that while they welcomed cooperation with the statistician, “there’s absolutely no indication there’s a problem with our games.” Hmm. I think we’re going to be hearing a lot more about this guy….

Tags: Lottery, scratch and win, tic tac toe
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Casino Promotions: What you Need to Know

Friday, February 4th, 2011

No doubt that one of the main attractions of online casino gambling lies in the excellent promotions that are offered to players. These promotions are traditionally given in the form of bonuses and are put in place to expand the player’s bankroll enough to the point that it is sometimes even doubled. With competition getting tougher and tougher in the online gambling industry, it is not rare to find anymore bonuses of 100% and more for new players who sign up to these sites and make their first deposit.

But before jumping at the first promotion, there are a couple of things that you need to know about special casino offers.

What are the wagering requirements?

While casino bonuses are generous, they obviously come with certain strings attached so that it makes it worthwhile for the online casino as well. These strings are usually the playthrough requirements on a certain bonus and they exist on every offer. Basically, wagering requirements say that you need to wager the sum of the original deposit and bonus a certain times over (at least 20 in most cases) before you can withdraw your winnings. Not all games have the same wagering requirements, and on games that have lower house edges such as blackjack and video poker, the casino may increase the wagering requirements. As such, it’s important to check out the terms and conditions of each promotion that you are thinking of taking advantage of so that you understand exactly what is expected of you before being able to redeem your prizes.

Check out Bonuses with Unique Terms

In many instances, players were thrilled to see bonuses for as much as 1000% before realizing that they were severely limited when wanting to withdraw their winnings. In some cases, players discovered that there was a maximum cashout of a certain times the bonus so that even if they hit the jackpot with their bonus bankroll, it wouldn’t help them because they couldn’t withdraw more than, say 10 times the bonus offered. Another disappointment for players is the phantom bonus, which is given to the player at the beginning of a gambling session, but is deducted from the total when a withdrawal is made.

The bottom line is this: Read throught the terms and conditions of casino promotions before signing on the dotted line.

Tags: casino promotions
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Thunderstruck Slot Strikes Six Times!

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

Those of you who regularly read my blog know that I go insanely jealous every time someone hits the lottery somewhere around the world. I’ve used this platform to rant about the unfairness of it all, and then I apologize and move on. So, today, I’ve decided to change my tune. I promise I will not show my jealous streak over a lottery win. Today, I will turn green with envy over a video slot winning streak. I read today that one extremely lucky player has hit the jackpot no less than 6 (yes – six!) times on the newly launched Thunderstruck Mobile video slot game.

Keith M. – as he is known at the online casino where he signed up – has been playing Thunderstruck video slot since it was first introduced through the mobile arm of Jackpot City Mobile casino – all of two months! The moment he started playing this game, it seemed like a match made in heaven and lightning struck once, twice, three, four, five and then SIX times. Each time he hit the jackpot, Keith M. won thousands of dollars, and so far, he has won nearly GBP 40,000!

He was interviewed in the media today and he told the reporter: “I honestly no idea that it was possible to win so much money in such a short period of time while playing while playing the same mobile casino game! I have always played casino games for fun but now, thanks to Jackpot City, I can splash out on a few luxuries that I have had my eyes on.”

Is this guy kidding me? “A few luxuries”. With FORTY GRAND in my back pocket, I can think of lots to do with the cash that involves more than “a few luxuries”.

Anyway, now that I’ve ranted, I will give credit where credit is due. Jackpot City Casino is really one of the more entertaining gaming sites out there, not only because of its Microgaming software, but also because of the fact that it offers such a wide variety of games. Combine that with the fact that you can play many games on your mobile phone, and the likelihood of winning so many times increases somewhat. Good going, Keith M!

Tags: microgaming, mobile casino, thunderstruck
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