Online casinos are virtual versions of the real life, brick and mortar casinos you would find in Las Vegas or Atlantic City. The biggest difference is that you can sit at home and play Blackjack with someone from Australia while still wearing your fuzzy pink slippers and house coat. Of course, you will also not be able to read your opponents features to be able to tell if they are bluffing or not, but the longer you play the online versions of the real game, the more experience you will gain in reading the ‘online tells’ of your opponents. Also, many of these sites give you the chance to try out their sites with ‘play money’ so that you don’t actually have to spend your own if you do not want to.

The odds and payback percentages at online casinos are comparable to the ones that are found at live casinos. If you have questions regarding these figures, see if the online casino you are considering joining has published their payout percentage audits on their website. This will give you a good idea of how they work their winnings. Online casinos use a programmed random number generator to help ensure fair play and they are usually programmed to match live casinos. So, if the Blackjack tables have a house edge in a casino, you can be assured that it will have a house edge online. The rules of each individual table game and slot machine determine the payout percentages.

Of course people will be concerned about reliability of the room and whether or not they are in danger of having their personal information stolen. Online casinos use specially designed programs from companies like Playtech, CryptoLogic, and Microgaming for their sites. The software provided by these companies usually is encrypted with at least 128-bit SSL. They also have other identity checking procedures in place to provide their players the most enjoyable site possible without having to worry about their privacy being invaded.

There have been reports of some online casinos participating in fraudulent behaviour, such as not paying winnings to their players when they request a withdrawal or by using software that has been programmed to cheat. These casinos are called ‘rogues’ and there are procedures for reporting them. Unfortunately if you are a victim of one of these rogue casinos, you probably will not recoup your lost money. Before committing to an online casino, see if you can find an online blacklist of these fraudulent casinos to make sure the site you are interested in is not on it.

Online casinos are quickly becoming the wave of the future in online gaming. They may never replace brick and mortar casinos, but they do offer players the same fun without having to leave home.

Written for Online Casino World by Mark

The UK online casino giant ran adverts that depicted Divers diving into shark infested waters in a Seal suit carrying raw meat and Sky Divers jumping out of planes using Crisp packets as parachutes . The ASA also managed to ban a Wink Bingo advertisement last year and stated that the advertisement portrayed the Medical profession in a – ok whatever .

A Ladbrokes Casino spokesman said “Ladbrokes fully supports the code of practice relating to gambling advertising but this ruling is an example of political correctness going too far.”We tend to agree with Ladbrokes in this instance .

Written for Online Casino World by Greg

The Financial institutions are saying that implementing this law is not likely but nobody seems to be listening to them much. Add to that an almighty spat between the two largest gambling affiliate programs on the web and all in all it has not been a good week for the online casino industry.

On the other side of the pond – that is the United Kingdom the online casino industry is regulated and taxed and seems to be thriving . So much so that publicly listed companies like Playtech who supply software to online casinos are reporting increases in profits.

We also heard about a new online casino software that specialises in Slots joining the market . Wizard Gaming launched and one online casino on this software All Star Slots has  really impressed the tem here with their site and games and support.

We will be doing a full review of All Star Slots Casino in due course so keep a lookout for it on our front page.

In addition to that the European Courts of Justice have had to remind a few countries in Europe that banning Internet Gambling to ensure a state monopoly is prohibited within the European Union. Germany and Italy being the cases in question who had to be reminded that Internet Gambling is indeed allowed throughout the European Union. Poland have also recently announced that they are to award internet gambling operators licences to operate within the polish market. How this is going to restrict the normal Polish Poker player from visiting any other site is a mystery.

The main reason for the continued ban in the United States has very little to do with the Federal Government wanting to watch over the morals of the nation but rather a bit more to do with wanting to get its hands on tax dollars that the billion dollar internet gambling industry generates.

Licensing and regulation we think could only be a good thing moving forward in the US and we hope that when the Democrats come to power they are able to pass some meaningful bills through the Senate and repeal UIGEA.

Written for Online Casino World by Greg

As reported by Online Casino World last week the effect of UIGEA is certainly starting to take effect with the Lasseters group only last week reporting that they would be migrating AusVegas accounts to Lasseters.

Lasseters and Ausvegas were on the Microgaming platform which generally don’t have a high percentage of closures , at the present time however it seems that economically times are tough in the world of Online Casinos.

Other gambling news today is that the Club World Casino  group has unveiled a new Real Time Gaming Casino called Aladdins Palace Casino ,it seems that the tide has turned and that Real Time Gaming Casinos are re emerging from a long spell of relative inactivity.

The only product that has not performed was the Bingo platform. The reason for that according to Mr. Alexander the CEO of Gaming VC is down to the company not yet marketing the product meaningfully. The product is called Winzingo and is on the Parlay Software platform.Winzingo is targeted at Spanish Bingo players and perhaps they have yet to work out the ideal demographic in this market.

To round this particular news piece off on a positive note for Gaming VC – they have acquired a Skill Games license for the Italian market and should have an Online Poker offering available to the Italian gaming public in due course. That will without a doubt increase revenues and share price.

This article was written for Online Casino World by Mark – Your Casino News

The Calgary Herald has reported the Commission found that problem gamblers found it very easy to sneak by security at casinos despite being on a voluntary self-exclusion list.  It seems to be just too difficult for security staff to remember the 1,500-plus people who are on the list should they choose to violate the self-imposed ban from casinos.

Problem gamblers have been encouraged to sign up with the list in an effort to stop them succumbing to the lure of casinos.  Signing up is voluntary, but if caught violating the agreement  they could face jail time and up to $10,000 in fines.

“People quickly identify that there’s no teeth to it,” said Robert Williams, coordinator of the Alberta Gaming Research Institute. “So, (the agreement) just becomes a piece of paper.”

”It’s just not going to work for security guards to try to remember the faces of 1,500 people,” he continued.

The online gaming industry takes problem gambling very seriously and online casinos such as King Solomons Casino and Windows Casino go to great lengths to ensure their players are warned of the dangers associated with problem gambling.

Written for Online Casino World by Mike Rutherford.

“Under the new SLA, the Company will provide CYF with software for the entire People’s Republic of China (PRC) and will be paid a licensing royalty by CYF,” a statement by LVHF said.

Jacob H. Kalpakian, the LVFH CEO said, “We look forward to providing CYF with our products, and we strongly believe our new relationship with CYF is better suited to meet each partner’s interests in the rapidly expanding [Chinese] marketplace.”

CY Foundation Group has been involved with AsianLogic in early 2008 in which both companies have sought to establish a pan-China online gaming network.

The development of non-US online gaming markets has become a leading trend within the international online gaming industry following the implementation of the protectionist Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in the US in late 2006.

Windows Poker has been a leading online brand in developing the European market while other online gaming companies have cast their eyes to the growing Asian market.  The LVFH deal with CY Foundation is indicative of this trend towards the Asian market.

Written for Online Casino World by Greg

At the present time it is stated that Microsoft with its Internet Explorer browser controls 80% of the browser market so Online Casino World is looking forward to seeing this landscape change .

For webmasters particularily those involved in the Gambling Affiliate industry news of competition in the Search market that Google dominates comes as welcome news as well . Former Google employees have launched a Search Engine called Cuil . It is apparently a Gaelic name for knowledge and they state that their Search Engine does a better job than Google of indexing relevant pages .

A quick search on the keyword online casino world brought up anything but this site so makes us at OCW wonder about this claim.We still prefer Google and will continue to value it above any other pretenders for the moment.

Written for Online Casino World by Greg – Your Online Casino News source

Highlights of the figures released by Svenske Spel did show a 12.6% increase in its online poker revenues while the company casino revenues came in at 9.6%.  However, sports betting income fell by 1.6%.

Svenska Spel’s newly appointed managing director Anders Hagg blamed the profit declines on deteriorating economic situation and the increased competition from non-Swedish gaming companies which he claims are operating in breach of Swedish law.

Sweden’s online gambling customers would have legal access to sites such as Windows Casino and King Solomon’s Casino once the country’s current online gambling monopoly is rescinded.Other major Swedish companies participating in the online gaming sector include Net Entertainment who power Casino Euro.

This article was written for Online Casino World by Greg