What’s the Deal With Online Gambling Sites Claiming to Be Legal in the US?
February 21, 2013
If you’re a part of the online gambling community, you’ve no doubt noticed a growing number of ways to bet online that promote themselves as “100% U.S. legal!” or with some similar declaration.
That’s a confusing message to those who have followed the American online gambling market over the last few years and watched as first the UIGEA and then Black Friday dramatically shrunk the number of options bettors from the United States could find online.
At the same time, the law (and the enforcement of it and related laws) made the position of the U.S. government with regards to online gambling perfectly clear: It wasn’t legal.
That takes us back again to sites that accept some form of betting online but yet advertise themselves as completely legal for Americans (from most states) to take part in. There are poker variants like SkillBet.com. Fantasy sports sites such as DraftDay.com are also popular. What’s more, many of these sites take PayPal – something that U.S. players haven’t been able to use for online gambling due to legal concerns for nearly a decade.
So what gives?
The truth of the situation is that gambling law in the United States is complicated. Complicated actually isn’t even near to strong enough of a word. It’s maze with little equal in other areas of the law. Part of the reason for this state of affairs lies with the fact that each and every state that makes up America has its own set of law dictating what gambling is, along with what forms are allowed or disallowed by law. That’s 50 unique sets of laws that are often in conflict on face, and then further distinguished by decades and decades of case law
Another issue: defining gambling in a practical way is quite difficult. All matter of legitimate business resembles gambling in some way or fashion and would certainly run afoul of the letter of state law.
Think of insurance, the stock market and other business with an inherent aspect of uncertainty. As a result, state law contains numerous exceptions for various types of activities that may resemble, but are distinct from, gambling. That’s created a breed of business that are a strange hybrid of financial speculation and gambling; just click here for an example of how closely (albeit subtly) binary options trading sites resemble online casinos.
Those exceptions are also what create the space for skill-based poker variants and fantasy sports wagering sites. Buried in state laws are specific provisions that – although often vague in nature – provide the legal justification for offering very specific forms of online betting to customers in the United States.
News Years Poker Resolutions – Good Idea or Waste of Time?
January 24, 2013
We are now almost four weeks into the new year, meaning it’s been almost an entire month since many of us set up our New Year’s resolutions – promising ourselves to be fitter, healthier, more productive, and perhaps even better and more profitable at the game of poker. So, now that January is nearly a thing of history as we steam ahead toward February, just how well are those resolutions you made at the end of 2012 holding up?
While you might be making good on your vow to lay off the cheeseburgers and step up off the sofa, you might also be finding that your poker-related New Years resolutions are proving to be a little bit harder to maintain. A recent post on Carbon Poker’s blog explains just why making pledges to yourself with regard to your poker game might not be as useful as you may think.
The most important reason that poker goals often fail is also the number one item on Carbon’s blog’s list of considerations to take into account when established poker goals, whether they be long-term or short-term, and that is not to focus on the money. That is to say, instead of beginning out the year by telling yourself you’d like to win a certain dollar amount of money, instead focus on what steps you need to be taking in order to be maximizing your profits.
After all, when you set out to earn say, $1 million, there are many factors along the journey to the jackpot that may very well be beyond your control. You can play online poker for hours and hours on end, and maybe you have some bad luck or the competition is not what you had expected it would be, so instead of winning you find your bankroll diminishing.
Rather than focusing on a fixed amount, often arbitrary, that you want to win, instead think about what you can be doing to improve your overall game. You may find that in lieu of playing more with the thought and hope of winning more, you might be better served working on training and studying to improve your skills, which in the long-term can lead to improved profitability.
Another roadblock that Carbon’s blog post notes is the fact that many people fail to look at their plans at the micro level – that is to say they fail to make a detailed plan that will be better suited to success. And lastly, and perhaps the worst problem of all, is that if your goals are unfocused, there’s a pretty good chance you will quickly grow tired of them and abandon your self-improvement plan altogether.
Play Blackjack – And Be A Winner
November 7, 2012
The thought of playing games in a casino can be an intimidating prospect for some people. A lot of this is down to the high stakes that are often involved but there is a formality to casino play that a lot of people are not altogether comfortable with. Being able to play online casino games has definitely made a big difference because people can play casino game wherever they are and can play in the comfort of their own home if they wish.
Play blackjack where you are most comfortable
The fact that people can play these games at home and without having to spend too much money has helped people to develop confidence the way that they play. However, there are some casino games that are more difficult than others and this can prove to be a turn-off for many people. This is why it can be good to find a casino game that is very simple to play but also allows a player to develop their skills over a period of time. There are not too many casino games like this but you would have to say that blackjack is the perfect option for so many casino players!
Long before they even think about playing in a casino, many people will have been exposed to the fun of blackjack. As it is a game where there is a need to get as close to 21 as possible, it has been used as a great tool to improve confidence with numbers or counting skills. Many children, whether in class or with family members, have played blackjack for fun which means that there is a confidence installed in them when it comes to playing this style of game. This is why so many people will have a greater degree of confidence when playing blackjack than other casino games.
You need to practice a lot to be a winner
It shouldn’t be considered that blackjack is an easy game to win though. The old adage about it being a game that is simple to play but difficult to master rings true to this day. This is why players need to play and practice as often as they can. Learning to know when to hold, hit or even double-up can be learned over time and this is why experience can make a difference for blackjack players. Sometimes the turn of a card will produce unexpected results but playing with a strategy in mind will help players to win more often than they lose. It should be remembered though that there is no guaranteed success with blackjack, if you get a bad run, even the best players can lose a lot.
It is a fun game though and one of the best places to play online blackjack would have to be www.gratisblackjack.org. As the name suggests, there is a chance to play for free and hone those blackjack skills!
Do Slots Players Care About Branded Slot Machines?
August 27, 2012
Anyone familiar with a gambling floor in a typical land-based casino is certainly aware that it is a cacophony of sounds, lights, and activity. It doesn’t take too hard a look to notice both the presence and the popularity of branded slot machines, which often have feature movie, music, or television themes. With the immense success of the Batman movie franchise, it is no surprise that there is a slot machine that corresponds with the newest film in the series, The Dark Knight Rises (also available online at http://www.thedarkknightslotmachine.com/).
After the deadly shootings in Aurora, Colorado last month at a screening of the new film, in which 59 people were injured and 12 were killed, the Los Angeles Times reported that movie attendance was down. According to an article published last week, 17% of moviegoers were hesitant to head out to their local cineplex, which was a slight improvement from 21% of moviegoers who were staying away from theaters in the immediate aftermath of the horrific incident in Colorado.
Kevin Goetz, a representative from Screen Engine, a company that has conducted polls of the moviegoing population, said, ”In our experience, when there are major events that reach the national news level, it can take at least several weeks for things to get back to normal.”
The LA Times went on to say that moviegoer apprehension was likely to blame for disappointing box office numbers for several other recently released films, such as The Watch, The Bourne Legacy, and Total Recall. Of course, all of this begs the question: will gamblers avoid the Dark Knight slot machine because of a negative association with the Colorado tragedy?
Casinos, like movie theaters, are meant to be places of fun and escape, where customers can check their worries and fears at the door and focus on entertainment (and winning, in the case of hopeful gamblers spending their leisure hours in casinos). While the LA Times did note that teenage girls were the demographic most likely to avoid movie theaters after the shooting event, a part of the population that isn’t permitted to gamble anyway, it is certainly feasible that slots players might be turned off by the Dark Knight machine because it reminds them of a sad and tragic event. More likely, though, just as moviegoer fear tends to subside after a few weeks as the memories of the calamity fade, so too will the possibility of the Dark Knight slot machine conjuring negative association with the shootings.
Online Lottery Growth Drives Record Jackpots
June 6, 2012
Those who follow the world of international lotto have certainly noticed an undeniable trend lately: Lotto jackpots just keep getting larger and larger.
What’s behind this record growth? It can be difficult to tease out specific causes in such a complex system. Some might argue that the global economic downturn has driven more and more people to play the lotto in the hopes of dramatically reversing their situation. Another common argument is that the growth of interstate and inter-country lotteries, where several independent jurisdictions pool their players and prize money to create massive jackpots, have contributed to the record-breaking numbers lotto players are seeing as of late.
Both arguments have merit, but there’s another factor at work that might not be the first guess of all observers: The growth of online lottery purchases.
While numbers for the industry are not readily available, it’s simple logic that when players have access to any lotto worldwide available online, participation in lotteries will grow. This is especially true for “mega-lotteries” with jackpots in the tens of millions of dollars (or euros) that draw in players who don’t normally make the lottery a part of their spending habits. With more interest comes more ticket sales, with more ticket sales comes a bigger jackpot, and that bigger jackpot creates more interest again, starting the cycle all over back from the start.
Safe, secure lotto from third-party delivery services is now available, meaning players from the US can take a crack at the Spanish Lottery, players from Australia can buy tickets for US Powerball jackpots, and so on. These services have basically opened up an entirely new market for individual lotteries, allowing their prize pools to swell with a river of entries that were simply not feasible in the pre-internet lotto days.
In addition to third-party services, more and more lotteries are officially moving online. This trend is sweeping the US and Europe, as states hope to leverage the Internet to further increase the exposure and popularity of their lotteries. The end result will likely be even more partnerships that create larger and larger jackpots – and a far greater pool of customers overall for the combined prize.
As with any new medium for gambling, there are challenges facing online lotto. Players will need to do a bit more research and investigation before simply jumping in – after all, it’s a far cry from buying a few tickets from the machine at your corner store. With the proper precautions, however, we can conclude that online lotto will be a safe and secure avenue for driving lotto jackpots ever higher.
Casino Literature
March 29, 2012
While much of what happens inside the four walls of a casino or on online casinos such as Unibet casino is decided by lady luck, there are some ways in which can you can improve your chances of being a successful gambler to make the most of services such as Unibet wedden.
Thanks to the works of people such as David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth, gambling has evolved from the mindless activity of a casino degenerate, to the testing ground for those versed in solid mathematical principles.
Gambling for a Living was written by Sklansky and Malmuth in 1997 and provides an unequivocal answer to the question: is there such thing as a professional gambler? Using their own success as evidence, Sklansky and Malmuth detail how you can gain an advantage in various casino games such as blackjack and sports betting.
Indeed, their fundamental approach to profiting from the latter is making half-time bets. According to them: “There are two reasons why half-time lines can be easy to beat if you know your sports. The first is that the bookies have to make the line on the spur of the moment. They don’t have access to the normal amount of research.”
Other books the casinos’ probably wish didn’t exist include: Getting the Best of It, The GRI Roulette Master, Secrets of Winning Baccarat and many more.
Instructional videos have also provided a welcome accompaniment to gambling books. Casino experts such as John Patrick have produced a series of videos designed to transform the average casino punter into a potentially profitable expert.
While there’s no guaranteed formula for beating any casino game, you can certainly improve your chances of winning by studying some of the theories, mathematical models and betting techniques described in the myriad of gambling literature available from major publishers such as Cardoza and 2+2.
Can You Ever Beat the House at Gambling?
March 10, 2012
For most people – let’s say something like 99% – the answer to this question is no. However, there is some good news: That’s not the question you should be asking. What you should be asking is: How can I get the most optimal return on my investment at the casino?
It’s a subtle distinction, but it matters. Let’s take two people, Ted and Alice. Ted has decided that you can’t beat the house, so it doesn’t really matter how you play – you’re going to lose no matter what. Alice also knows that the house has an insurmountable edge, but she has a blackjack strategy and a roulette system that she uses to keep that edge as small as mathematically possible.
You might be saying to yourself: “What’s the difference? They’re both losing.” You’re not technically wrong – both will walk away from the gaming tables with less money in the long run than they started with. But do both end up in the same place just because of this fact?
Absolutely not. Let’s say both players have $10,000 to gamble with over the course of a year. Ted plays randomly across the casino and spreads about half of his money on slots and the other half on a variety of table games.
The average return on a slot machine is about 96%, so Ted is bleeding $4 in losses for every $100 in wagers on those machines. If he put in his $5000 one dollar at a time until he had bet 5000 spins, he’d likely have closer to $4600 at the end.
Alice avoids those slots and plays games where the house edge is closer to 1%. At the end of the year, she’s already way ahead of Ted simply because she chose better games.
That’s just one small observation in a hypothetical situation. When you look closer at your own gambling activity, you’ll likely find many places where a better decision would have resulted not in a pure win, but in a smaller loss. The key is to understand a critical fact of gambling that many do not: Avoiding a loss is exactly the same as booking a win as far as your bank balance is concerned.
Mobile Casino Now Available at 32Red
December 8, 2011
Many of the best online casinos are offering players mobile options to give them gaming on the go, anywhere you want.
The best of these have a massive selection of games on site and a fair amount to transfer to the mobile gambling arena, and one of the best options you can find for this combination is 32Red and their iPhone app; 400 games on site, 10 games on the phone, and a bunch of promotions and bonuses waiting for players who want to play at a big action casino.
32Red gives players multiple ways to play on their iPhone; this isn’t just a slot game or two. You can also play video poker and blackjack directly on your phone, and even bring your gambling dollars to the roulette tables for a spin. All these games offer players some serious coin for their efforts, too, as 32Red pays out over 30 million pounds to their players every single month; and all these transactions are fully licensed by the Government of Gibraltar, meaning you can be secure in your money and play on this trustworthy site.
32Red also offers players one of the best bonus offers you’ll find on the casino market today; deposit $50 or more into your account, and enjoy an instant $50 bonus directly in your account; no waiting, no pending, just instant cash available to gamble with from the first spin of the slot or flip of the card; this is without a doubt one of the best types of deposit bonuses you’re going to fin online, as instead of waiting for the bonus to clear out $5 at a time (and possibly having to make multiple, non bonus worthy deposits to do so) you get all $50 at once!
There’s no better deal and no better mobile casino than 32Red, so sign up now!
Caribbean Stud: Payouts and Jackpots
September 26, 2011
Caribbean Stud is a game that has three different possible wagers you can be paid out on per play; your ante bet, the bet itself, and a progressive jackpot wager that you make to the side of the other bets. The payout for the ante always stays flat at 1:1; if you win or the dealer doesn’t qualify, you’re paid even money on the ante.
The bet is a little more complicated than in most casino games. If the dealer beats your hand, you lose the bet no matter what your hand is; you can have quad sixes, and if the dealer turns over a straight flush, you get NOTHING for your bet! It can be a cruel little twist in the payout structure of the game. If you have a qualifying hand and it beats the dealer, you’re paid on a scale for your bet wager that ranges from even money for a pair or less to 100:1 on a royal flush!
You are also allowed to take a side bet on a progressive jackpot, usually located to the side of the layout in a little slot with a light attached to it. You place your $1 wager in the slot, and it lights up to signify that you’re taking part in the progressive jackpot for the current hand. For the progressive payouts, the minimum qualifying hand is a flush (which pays 10:1) all the way to the progressive jackpot, which is hit if you make a royal flush.
Straight flushes usually get a small percentage of the jackpot as well; 10% is the usual standard for most casinos. While the jackpots at most of these games look enticing, remember; a progressive jackpot has to hit a certain marker to be worth playing, and those markers are generally astronomically high; avoid the progressive jackpots unless you want to sink a good chunk of your edge down a slot.
Winner Poker Bonuses at CasinoShark
September 1, 2011
Navigating your way through the seemingly endless array of online poker rooms can be a total drag for players looking for a surefire winner of a site to play for. With a name like Winner Poker, it’s hard to argue against this site being the best stop for you and your poker dollar, with Dutch friendly features and excellent sign up bonuses waiting for you to help get you well ahead of the competition at other sites.
The biggest reason to get excited about Winner Poker is the astounding first deposit bonus that awaits you once you sign up. A 200% first deposit bonus of up to $2,000 is your welcome to Winner Poker, meaning a player that deposits $1,000 will have $3,000 waiting in their account once the clear their deposit out, a staggering jump start to help accommodate you while you sink your teeth into some of the biggest action you’ll find online today, with thousands of players online all the time at Winner. You’ll never have a problem finding a table at the stakes you crave, from small stakes to high rollers, and there’s a full compliment of variants of poker to keep you interested from day to day.
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