Online Gambling

As I recently blogged, NuWorks is a new online casino software vendor. It is being used by only a few sites, one of which is US-friendly BuzzLuck Online Casino.

BuzzLuck offers 1, 3, 10, 52, and 100 hand versions of Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, and Joker Poker video poker. Looking at their paytables for single-hand quarter video poker, and assuming optimal play and max coins in:

• Their Jacks or Better video poker is the best. They have a full-pay paytable with a return of 99.54%. You won’t find a better Jacks or Better video poker paytable anywhere, either online or in land-based casinos.
• The Deuces Wild returns 98.91%. This is decent, and matches the best return that you can find at any online casino that accepts US players.
• You can skip their Joker Poker video poker with its 98.40% return. BoDog rocks Joker Poker with its incredible 99.97% payback.

To attract the real video poker player, NuWorks/BuzzLuck are going to have to:

• Add more video poker varieties. Double Double Bonus comes to mind.
• Support keyboard shortcuts for card selection a dealing.
• Provide a way to turn off the double-or-nothing screen that annoyingly appears after each win.

Molly Ball at the ReviewJournal.com wrote an excellent piece on the presidential candidates and their positions — both publicly and privately — on gambling. She covers many of the front runner’s histories as legislators, how they voted on past gambling-related issues, and where we can expect many of them to stand should the candidate become elected.

A very insightful article that is worth a read.

Too drunk to gamble? That’s almost like saying that you’re too drunk to fish… it is just not possible. 

But we’ve all been there… too many drinks, too many losing bets, and wanting just one more bankroll to keep playing. We were smart when we left the house without credit cards and ATM cards, but now we could really use them.

In cases like these, the casino is usually more than willing to extend you credit — even when you are hammered. One Indiana lawmaker has proposed that casinos extend more than $1000 credit only to players that pass a breath test.

This seems to be a good idea. Breath tests can be given in a private area so they’d be minimally intrusive. Since results are available in less than a minute, the test would also be minimally inconvenient.

One problem that I forsee is that I, for one, may not be able to muster the volume of exhaled air needed to activate the test after smoking two packs of Camels during my 8 hour losing streak that led to me needing credit in the first place.

Here are some do’s and don’ts to keep in mind when you’re gambling. Do:

• Set a stop/loss strategy for your gambling session, and stick to it. A stop/loss strategy is where you set limits on how much you are willing to lose AND how much you are willing to win. For example, if you start with a bankroll of 200, one stop/loss strategy would be to (a) stop if you lose 200, (b) pocket 200 when you reach 400, and then continue to play with the remaining 200 until you (b1) lose it or (b2) win 200 more, at which point you would stop.
• Know the rules of the games that you’re playing.
• Tip the dealers and drink staff even if you are losing. You’re tipping for their service, not for your run of good or bad luck.

Don’t:

• Drink to excess when gambling. Alcohol suppresses inhibitions and increases the chance that you will wager more than you’d planned.
• Bet more than you can afford to lose. If you are betting money that you need for food, shelter, and clothing, then you’ll find yourself in a tough spot very quickly. (If anyone reading this finds themselves in this situation, please seek help at GA.)
• Give unsolicited advice to other gamblers. It’s rude. For example, when playing at a blackjack table, don’t tell others how to play their hand (unless they ask you, of course).

Online gambling has its own unique do’s and don’ts in addition to the ones listed above. Do:

• Try out the site before you make a deposit. Many sites allow you to play in practice mode so you can see if you’d enjoy playing there. In addition, some sites offer free, no-deposit bonuses that you can use to try the games risk-free and actually have a chance to win real cash.
• Get a bonus on your initial deposit. Many sites offer to double, triple, or even quadruple your initial deposit as an incentive to play at their site. If you get a bonus, be sure that you read the site’s bonus terms and conditions so that you understand if there are any restrictions regarding the bonus. (I’ve written an extensive article on bonusing that you’ll want to check out.)
• Use a NETeller e-wallet to fund your online gambling accounts. It’s fast and secure, and it much more convenient than credit cards (in fact, most online casinos no longer accept credit cards). If you do not already have a NETeller account, you can get a 10% bonus by contacting me prior to opening your account.
• Make sure that the gaming sites accepts players from where you live. With the recent passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 by the United States, some sites have stopped accepting US-based real money players from some or all states. You can find out which sites accept players from where you live at The Online Casino Gambling Directory; the sites listed there have an icon that indicates if they accept players from all or parts of the United States. Here are the lists of all online gaming sites that accept players from various locales.
  • US players that reside in any of IL, IN, LA, MI, NJ, NV, NY, OR, SD, WA, WI
  • US players from all other states have a few more choices available
  • Non-US players have the most choices

Don’t:

• Expect to be paid right away. When you withdraw, it usually takes several business days for the money to appear back in the account that you used to make the deposit.
• Provide false information when registering at an online gambling site. Sites can use this fact to void your winnings!
• Go anywhere other than The Online Casino Gambling Directory to find online gambling sites. The Online Casino Gambling Directory is listed as one of few Reputable Gaming Portals by eCOGRA, and is really the only site you need to find gambling sites and related information. (OK. That was a shameless plug — but it’s true!)

A recent Reuter’s report quotes MGM CEO Terry Lanni as saying that the UIGEA “makes no sense whatsoever”. The article goes on to say that Lanni feels that the recent elections in the United States — in which the Democrats took control of Congress — may provide an opportunity to re-visit the question of regulation of online gaming in the United States.

Will anything come of this? I do not think so. Is it good that there is some ink on the idea that online gaming should be regulated in the United States? Sure… but it’ll take a lot more ink and many more land-based casino CEOs to pressure lawmakers before we see any movement on this issue.