Lawmakers have begun to create a bill that would regulate the online gambling industry within the United States.  Representative Barney Frank recently got legislation passed through the House Financial Services Committee.  This legislation is scheduled to be heard after the brief legislative recess and the mid-term election.  The results of the mid-term election will have a great impact on both the issues of same-sex marriage and on online gambling.  For these reasons, many people in California and all across the United States are looking at the stances of the leaders in the US.

In California, the governor is a supporter of gambling and advocates gambling expansion.  It is likely that along with same-sex marriage, California will pave the way for online gambling legislation.  This has been greatly contested and debated for many years and has now received a great deal of support.  Millions of people within the US play online poker which has turned into a billion dollar industry.  Many law makers are now viewing online gambling as a way of increasing state revenue.

Other states are now looking toward California, one of the more liberal states, as a leader in these issues.  Along with this state, New Jersey and Florida have come a long way in pushing online gambling to the forefront of discussion.  It is likely that shortly after the mid-term election, both issues will be heard and voted upon in California and beyond.

M.A.H.

Those superstitions are as old as the games themselves, have always existed, and will always remain, as they are next to impossible to root out, no matter what kind of reasoning is applied. Over the years many of those superstitions have transformed into habits, here is an overview of the most common ones:

Superstitions playing craps

While throwing the dice, it sometimes happens that the die falls off the craps table. Many players consider this to be an omen of bad luck. In order to break the spell, a player, who wishes to continue the game with those dice, must shout “same dice”, or finish the game with a new set of dice producing rolls that will make them lose.

Many gamblers playing craps believe that shouting or whispering seven is sufficient to roll this magic number. A variation on this is when a player believes it is bad luck to say seven, and so shouts “big red” instead to invoke the seven.

Passing the dice from one hand to the other is also considered bad luck, and a practice forbidden at many casinos. The reason for outlawing this, has nothing to do with superstition though, it is simply a measure to prevent cheaters from slipping in dice that are tampered with.

Superstitions in Roulette

The most well known superstition while playing Roulette is the belief in trends. For example, when several times in a row red has fallen, a pattern seems to be emerging. Of course Roulette is a random game of chance, so to believe in a trend emerging during a game of roulette is simply superstition. For Roulette at casinos, the land based casinos as well as online casinos; past results have no effect on future ones.

Many gamblers playing Roulette will bet on what they perceive to be their “lucky numbers”, in the belief that betting on those numbers will increase their chances of winning. The reality is the same one as with the trends superstition. No number is more or less likely to come up than any other during a game of Roulette, it is merely a game of chance and there are no such things as lucky numbers, for any player. All gamblers playing Roulette has exactly the same chances of winning as any other player in the game.

While it is easy to “debunk” the myths surrounding those casino games, the belief in superstitions as described, remains, and players holding on to that belief are as stubborn in their ways as can be. There is no rhyme or reason to their beliefs, they just need something to cling to, which makes them believe they can exercise some control over the outcome of the game, and as long as there is this need for control, there will always be superstition in playing the popular casino games.

M.A.H.

As the technology matures, the industry became more transpired, and with shifts in social conduct online gambling has become a more and more accepted phenomena, which attracts an ever growing and steady base of players from all areas. Amateurs and seasoned veterans are playing the popular casino games on the web.

Despite many forces acting against it, the gambling industry has displayed an enormous resilience with stabile growth showing month after month, even during a worldwide economical recession.

With so many changes in a mere two decades, what will the future hold for online gambling? While nobody has a crystal ball through which the future can be predicted, it is possible to speculate on how online gambling will be enjoyed, say 20 years from now.

Gaming software

This part is the easiest to predict as it is very likely that the technological evolution and development of online gaming will simply continue, so it is safe to assume graphics will continue to look more realistic than ever before, or that we can even imagine at this point in time. Possibly real photographs can be scanned or uploaded by players, which can be applied to create 3D avatars that can be used to be seated at virtual tables, and touch screens and voice control will have replaced most of the traditional keyboards. It is also very likely that user interaction in the games will improve significantly.

Casino Games

Classic casino games will never die, but we can imagine a whole range of new sophisticated games being added to the already large assortment of the average online casino. We will see the rise in number of games specifically designed to target certain audiences. It is also likely that we will see a split between online casinos offering thousands of casino games, and online casinos offering very specific games targeted towards a select audience in that niche.

Legislation

It is likely that most bans on gambling will be overthrown as the revenues gained from taxes are bound to outweigh the moral objections that there may be. Even now we see the social climate shifting towards acceptance rather than outlawing online gambling and it is expected that this trend will continue in the years to come.

Land based casinos

In the coming decades most likely we will see many land based casinos close up shop, making way for large resorts, that are and always will be a popular holiday destination, as the focus of casino operators will more and more shift to online gambling, where regular casino establishments are concerned.

The land based casinos themselves will be digital, with video slots and a whole range of centrally managed games, which can be adjusted by the casino staff with just a few clicks or touches on a touch screen.

With the upcoming uses of 3D technology as can be seen at popular gaming console manufacturers like Sony and Microsoft, this technology will also break through at land based casinos where a host of incredible 3D games will be put in place, along with multiplayer features connecting players at the casino with players online.

In short it is very likely the boundaries between online and offline casinos will blur more and more in an environment where gambling is a socially accepted phenomena, where legislation is put in place to support it rather than to combat gambling.

M.A.H.

Where gambling is concerned, a large factor is psychology; in fact we can classify this in two categories: Applied psychology and applied sociology.

The psychological level concerned with gambling is a matter of will, the proper mind set that will allow a player to stay in control at all times. It makes the difference between healthy gambling and addictive gambling.

On a psychological level, the term gambling, either equals illegal behavior, or it is perceived as a part of human nature. However, in general gambling is perceived as something bad, as is best illustrated by the fact that gambling is called a vice, a weakness if you will.

Those that perceive gambling to be bad, immoral, or illegal, typically have black and white views on the world, and in general avoid risk whenever possible. These are the types of people that place their trust in banks rather than attempting to multiply the money on the stock market, casino, or other investment type they deem risky. These people are governed by reason rather than instinct, and those people think of gambling in the same sense as they would when talking on the subject of drugs. To them a gambler is a sick individual that needs to be treated for his illness.

On the other hand we have those that perceive gambling as a part of human nature, and see gambling as something governed by instinct. To them it definitely is not a disease that needs to be treated, and they regard gambling to be a means for relaxation, which is entertaining. To them gambling is a part of life, as natural as eating, sleeping and breathing. However, this does not mean that those people do not consider the possibility of a gambling addiction; to them it just is a natural thing that does not necessarily lead to addicted behavior.
Who is right or wrong cannot be determined, it is a matter of personal views, and should be respected in their own right.

Where gambling is concerned, a player’s emotion must be under control at all times. If a player loses control it will present a major distraction, preventing the player to maintain the right state of mind required to play the game(s) in an intelligent fashion. A professional player also knows when to play and when to quit. A successful player will never go all out and risk it all.

While gambling, not letting emotions getting the better of you can be at times hard to do, yet it is important to stay in control in order not to let emotions take control over you. When things get hard to handle, blow off some steam afterwards, but never while playing.
M.A.H.

The software, empowering an online casino, can tell you about any expectations players may have regarding the online casino in question, like the level of security, the quality of the available games, and the level of support they can expect from the casino site. Especially when security is concerned, you should consider what software is used very carefully, after all, it is that software which takes care of the storing of the player’s private details and also that same software that will manage the player’s funds. Therefore it is essential to know what software is used to operate the casino, in order to determine whether or not those details will be safe at that casino.

The quality of the available games and how they work is also completely dependent on the software it runs on, so once more it is essential to know what software is used in order to avoid disappointments regarding the amount of games, or the quality of them. Questions like, whether or not the games are graphically of an acceptable, good or great quality, and how well they will perform are all dependant on the software used and this info is essential in order to avoid losing money through errors whilst playing, or even avoiding your computer to crash because of badly coded software.  These are all factors that could become a costly matter if the wager during which the game crashes was substantial enough.

An online casino experience should be pleasant, comfortable and without any problems, but only the right software can provide this environment so therefore it is vital to do some research on the subject.

Most information required to make the right selection comes from simply taking the time to read up on the casino that caught the attention of the player. Simply reading some online reviews of the casino will usually disclose which software is used to operate the casino and often a link to the manufacturer of that software. Most of the time a site providing online casino reviews will have a section on the software providers as well, or will at least have links to these types of resources.

The information is out there and not at all hard to find. Players should just be aware of the importance and take the few minutes it takes to read up on the casino, before making a choice. After all it is the safety of their own personal information and funds they are gambling with if they don’t.

M.A.H.

Playing poker revolves around creating certain combinations from the cards that have been dealt. It is an easy game to master, requiring a little skill and even involves some acting abilities. The combination of this combined with a dose of luck is the main attraction to poker, it is not merely a game of chance but also requires strategy. This attracts large amounts of players and some are even known to become addicted to playing the game.

Initially the only place where a player could participate in a game of poker was at the casinos. A fee would be charged for entering the game and there would be bets on the round of poker themselves. This all changed with the arrival of the Internet, which greatly attributed to the popularity of the game.

Most likely, playing poker is among the most popular games that are played at the online casino sites. Besides the paid variant, a lot of online casinos also offer free online poker games. For novice players that are new to online poker, the game entails lots of entertainment by providing a fun challenge. Online Poker is a game every online casino offers, but there also are websites that are dedicated to the card game.

The poker games one can play at the online gambling sites are generally the simple variants of the game, the most common ones. The poker variant that is most popular online is without a doubt “Texas hold’em”. This particular variant of the poker game requires more poker skills and also more acting abilities. It is the game where the term “poker face” comes from.

The best types of poker to play are also the simplest ones. For this reason most online gambling sites only offer the main types of the game and not the lesser known variants, which are less popular and have not got such a large fanbase.

Besides online casino variants there are many other types of poker one can play online like strip poker, which is basically a regular game of poker, but instead of money a player bets clothing. The offline version of this game can be a source of entertainment provided it is played with the appropriate crowd.
In a way Strip poker is a parody of the regular poker game, but it still is a poker game in every sense of the word.

The simple variants of the game are offered on many sites, where they can be played online in your browser, but there is also video poker that a player can download. These games typically have excellent graphics, and through them a player can compete with other players online. It is a good source of entertainment and if a player is any good it can be a good source to win some money also.

Another aspect of online poker is the tournaments. These events have gained in popularity at an amazing rate, as even TV is broadcasting them. Players able to enter in such tournaments must possess excellent poker skills, and while the stakes are high, so are the spoils for the winner.

It is no wonder that online poker gained so much popularity in such a short time, considering the fact that thanks to the Internet, players can now enter into poker games for free or participate in paid versions of the game, and all this from the comfort of their own homes.

M.A.H.

Let’s take the same wager only this time the person in question has already tossed the coin nine times over and heads has come on top every time. What chance would you give him? The same as before? If so you would be wrong and this error is the heart of what is known as the gambler’s misconception.

The notion that previous results can affect the outcome of an event that is random by nature is what we commonly refer to as the gambler’s misconception. In our bet, the fact that the coin already turned up heads nine times has absolutely no effect on the tenth toss which still could go either way.

Because the coin came up with heads nine times in a row already, the chances of doing it a tenth time are 50 percent just like they were when the coin was tossed for the first time. A coin does not remember previous results and there is no difference between tossing this coin or another one. In other words the probability factor does not change.

In modern day casino games the gambler’s misconception has a great impact. Players typically are looking to spot patterns in order to gain the advantage in a game. To illustrate: Gamblers playing roulette who notice several wins on black in a row are more likely to bet on red, as in their mind it is due to turn up after so many results on black. Same goes for their betting amounts. If they lose, they most likely double their wagers in the belief it improves their chances of winning.

This misconception is used as the core of the flawed Martingale system. Using this system the wagers are doubled after each loss so when the player eventually wins he will make good on all previous losses he sustained. The reality of it all is that losses can and will happen, even many times in a row, there is no pattern to detect and players who base their strategies on this system could end up in financial problems if they do not have the required financial resources to back up their bets. They may end up with financial problems they are unable to solve on their own.

It should be noted that this strategy is a misconception only under circumstances where events are renewed at each turn, because in that case the conditions for the results are identical in every instance of the game. In card games such as Blackjack for example, cards already drawn can affect the outcome as the game progresses. That essentially is the foundation for counting cards, which actually is a strategy that can work.

M.A.H.

The software is being tested by the gaming regulation boards and compared to regular land based casino games and tested for fairness. For online casinos there are 3 groups of games that are tested: Downloadable games, Java Games and HTML games.

Downloadable casino software means that the player downloads software to the pc that is called a client. Generally graphics and other site essentials are stored on the player’s hard drive for faster loading while the downloaded software connects to the online casino. These types of casinos usually look more real and feel more like regular land based casinos do.

With JAVA or FLASH based casino software no downloading is required and generally provides the same features as the type of software you have to download. Java based casinos often incorporate features not possible with the traditional downloadable client types of casinos. For JAVA based casinos you only need a JAVA capable internet browser in order to play.

HTML based casinos hardly exist anymore as they are not capable of providing animations or any other enhanced features. HTML was used in casinos before Flash was broadly used for playing browser based games. Though a few of those types of casinos still exist they are mostly a thing of the past.

Most online casinos are run from outside the US due to the passing of anti gambling laws in 2006. Though many casinos still do not accept US citizens as a member, there are plenty of reputable ones out there on the Internet that do as the laws are mainly targeted at the operators and not the gamblers themselves.

Overall, if you go with an online casino site that uses a well known software provider to run the games you can be assured that the games are fair and the legalities have been taken care of.

M.A.H.

Currently Micro Gaming is the most used casino software online, used by established casinos on the Web. This software empowers the top of the online gambling industry and it is rumored that its creators ran the very first official online casino that was started in 1994. Like so many companies in the gambling industry the creators of the software are located in the Isle of Man and the company currently is the leading casino software manufacturer.

A vast amount of popular games is available to users of the software, ranging from online slot machines to several versions of blackjack, poker, roulette and many more. Games like Hit man and Avalon Slots are highly popular in many online casinos and are part of the standard games package that comes with the software.

The main attraction for Microgaming Powered online casinos are most certainly the large winnings on slots. With slots players can win exceptionally large amounts of money on the jackpots while waging a relatively small amount of money. Winning millions is a regular occurrence with these slots. The record for the winnings on Microgaming slots stands at  €6,374,434!

Microgaming Casino software is used by approximately 100 online casino sites; amongst them the most popular ones like Jackpot City and Ladbrokes. As always with established and reputable online casinos the service is amazing. All Microgaming powered casinos provide toll free phone numbers, live chat support and more. If you ever require assistance, help is always just a mouse click or phone call away.

Last, but certainly not least, is the generous 100% deposit bonus, that doubles your playing money. Some of the larger online casinos even offer a 50 Euros bonus without depositing any cash up front. The wagering requirements are among the best on the Internet, compared to other online casino sites that are not using Microgaming software to power their casinos.

So next time you decide to play at an online casino, do a little research to see what software they are using and compare.

M.A.H.

Established online casino sites take all the necessary steps in order to protect their customers. One of the key factors in determining whether or not a casino web site is secure is finding out if this site has implemented so called encryption software to shield all (personal) financial data. Never, ever, enter a credit card number without verifying that the site in question has indeed implemented such software. Besides checking the technical side of things it is also wise to research the casino site first in order to determine that it is indeed a legit online casino. Established casinos will shield all personal data and will never share this information with third parties.

Before making a choice it is wise to read up on the casino that caught your eye at the many casino review sites that exist online. However, do keep in mind, while a good review is an indication that the casino in question is legit, reviews can be faked, so also make sure the review site you selected is an established one.
As stated, the well established online casinos also make for the most secure sites. Therefore, it is a good idea to check how long the site has been in business. Most casino review sites will include this information and if not it is always possible to do a so called “whois” search at the web site of one of the many domain registrars. Though owner information could be concealed, a whois search will show you when the domain was registered and how often it has changed servers, owner, and much more.

One can also recognize established casinos simply by comparing services that are offered as established ones can offer services that less reputable casinos can’t. Look for services like real time chat support, a (Toll-free) phone number, and contact email as these usually are absent on less reputable casino sites. If you cannot find this information on the casino site of your choice, or the information listed looks strange, it is highly recommended to find another one.

The only way to gamble online safely is by using reputable, established and secure online casinos. Before joining one always read up on them, do a whois search on the domain and check the services offered for support. If any of the above looks strange do not consider joining that casino, there is no reason to take the risk as there are plenty of well established and secure online casinos around.

Enjoy playing casino games online, and stay safe!

M.A.H.