Category Archives: online gambling

online gambling

OddsMaker.com

From time to time, I audit a sampling of the online gambling sites that are listed at The Online Casino Gambling Directory. I do this to see for myself how easy or difficult the process is for signing up, downloading, grabbing a bonus, playing, making a deposit and (hopefully) making a withdrawal. I also test customer support using all the channels that the site may offer — email, live chat, and/or phone support in some cases. The result of my experience is the major contributing factor in the star rating that is assigned to the sites at The Online Casino Gambling Directory.

Another way that I ensure that an online gambling site is on the level is through my experience with the site’s affiliate program. An affiliate program allows a person to earn income from referring players to the site. If the affiliate program is run honestly, smoothly, and effectively, you can be pretty sure that underlying online gambling that they are promoting is legit.

OddsMaker.com ‘s affiliate program is ReferIncome. ReferIncome owed me over $400 for referring players to OddsMaker.com from January 2007 – October 2008.

Update: I’m pleased to report that I’ve been paid!

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bonus, eWalletXpress, online gambling, slots, US players, wizard gaming

All Star Slots Offers New Slots on a New Platform

Late in 2008, All Star Slots opened their virtual doors to online gamblers. Built on the new Wizard Gaming platform, All Star Slots offers 20+ slots, including classic three reelers, progressives, and video slots. As of this writing, All Star Slots offers only these slots, but is expected to soon offer traditional casino table games, video poker, and the like.

All Star Slots is open to US players, and offers eWalletXpress as a convenient way to make both deposits and withdrawals. In addition, they are offering a 100% match bonus for initial deposits of between $25 and $100.

Give All Star Slots a try, and let me know what you think!

(Note: The information present on this blog is intended for entertainment purposes only. Please check your local, state and provincial laws before you gamble online. If your local laws prohibit online gambling then we recommend you consider an alternative form of entertainment.)

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bonus, online gambling, sportsbook, US players

Top Sportsbook

Of the 20 or so sportsbooks that are listed at The Online Casino Gambling Directory, only one has the top rating of 5 stars: Intertops.

(Note: The information present on this blog is intended for entertainment purposes only. Please check your local, state and provincial laws before you gamble online. If your local laws prohibit online gambling then we recommend you consider an alternative form of entertainment.)

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blackberry, online gambling, sportsbook, tips

Betting on Blackberry

I recently upgraded my mobile handset from a Motorola Razor camera phone to a Blackberry Curve personal digital assistant (PDA).

Wow. What a difference.

One of things that I tried was placing a wager at Intertops using their PDA-optimized site.

  • Overall, it worked and I was able to place a wager.
  • The default value for a wager is 1. The first time that I tried to make a wager, I inadvertently hit the wrong key on my Blackberry, and the bet was submitted and accepted. I expected an intermediate page to review and confirm the bet, as on the main Intertops site.
  • OK. So now I had a wager of 1 on the event. To get the wager to the correct amount, I placed an additional wager on the same event. To my pleasant surprise, I was told that I already had a wager on the event, and was asked to confirm the additional wager on the same event. Good design — this should be done on the main Intertops site, too.
  • As on the normal browser-based Intertops site, I was able to review my past and pending wagers. However, the formatting on the PDA was nonexistent; the data should be properly formatted.
  • Not all bet types are offered; for example, it did not appear that I could tease an NFL game. I would expect to see additional types of wagers available on the PDA over time.

Overall, Intertops has done a decent job with the basics. A little fit-and-finish work, a few more features…. and they’ll have a very good PDA-optimized site.

(Note: The information present on this blog is intended for entertainment purposes only. Please check your local, state and provincial laws before you gamble online. If your local laws prohibit online gambling then we recommend you consider an alternative form of entertainment.)

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caribbean stud poker, online casinos, online gambling, promotions, US players

$6,000 Biggest Stud Contest

Sportsbetting.com is running a promotion for fans of Caribbean Stud Poker. They are giving away a $1000 cash prize to the players who accumulate the most Royal Flushes, Straight Flushes, 4 of a Kinds, Full Houses, Flushes, and Straights — that’s $6000 in total!

All you have to do is play Caribbean Stud€”at the conclusion of the contest, Sportsbetting.com will award the player with the most number of the hand values their prize. Each player is only eligible to win one prize, so 6 unique players are guaranteed to win.

1. Cash prizes have a 3x rollover requirement in the Casino only. Rollover is not applicable in the Sportsbook or Poker room.

2. You are only eligible for one prize. If you win more than one, you will be awarded the higher-value prize amount. For example, if you have the most Royal Flushes and Flushes, you will receive the prize for most Royal Flushes, and the player with the 2nd-most Flushes will win that prize.

This contest runs from December 28th, 2008 to January 4th, 2009.

(Note: Sportsbetting.com accepts players from all US states. Please check your local, state and provincial laws before you gamble online. If your local laws prohibit online gambling then we recommend you consider an alternative form of entertainment.)

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blacklist, Microgaming, online casinos, online gambling, online poker, ripoff, warning

Blacklisted: Villa Fortuna Casino and Eight Others

Villa Fortuna Casino, along with eight other Microgaming sites that were promoted by Grand Prive Affiliates, have been blacklisted at The Online Casino Gambling Directory for breach of contract with its affiliates.

  • Grand Prive Affiliates contracted with affiliates to have affiliates refer customers to various Microgaming sites (Bella Vegas, Fortune Junction, Jackpot Wheel, Jupiter Club, Lake Palace, Road House Reels, Casino Grand Bay, Grand Bay Poker). In exchange for referrals, affiliates were to be paid a percentage of the lifetime revenue generated by referred players (see bottom page at the above link).
  • Weeks ago, Grand Prive Affiliates went out of business, while the sites that they were associated with, and to which affiliates referred players, remain operational. However, the sites are no longer paying affiliates for revenue generated by previously-referred players. This is theft and breach of contract.
  • Villa Fortuna Casino, while not an original part of the eight Grand Prive-branded group of sites, is being run by the same outfit as that which operates the eight Grand Prive sites.

The net-net of all of this is that, in my opinion, these sites are not to be trusted with your money. If they are willing to steal from and breach their contract with affiliates, there is sufficient evidence to think that they are perfectly capable of doing the same to its players.

Trust me on this one… I’ve been in this business for years. Stay away from these nine sites.

Besides, there are plenty of other top-rated, trustworthy Microgaming casinos and Microgaming poker rooms available to you.

(Please note: Microgaming casinos and Microgaming poker rooms do not accept players from the United States. Wherever you live, please check your local, state, and provincial laws before you gamble online.)

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online gambling, Online gambling in the United States, The Online Casino Gambling Directory, US players

Updates to Online Gambling Site are Complete

The extensive updates to my main online gambling directory are now complete. With Microgaming recently banning its licensees from accepting new real-money players from the US, and with the state of Kentucky putting pressure on various online casinos and online poker rooms, it was necessary to do a complete check-up and update of all pages at The Online Casino Gambling Directory.

So, here’s where things stand:

Now, and as always, you can be sure that the information that you get at The Online Casino Gambling Directory is accurate, complete, and free from bul**hit.

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Microgaming, online casinos, online gambling, Online gambling in the United States, online poker, proposed laws, US players

Microgaming Casinos to Stop Accepting New Accounts from US

Beginning November 10, 2008, all Microgaming casinos and poker rooms will stop accepting new players from the United States.

This announcement comes in the wake of the recent Kentucky ruling that ordered 140+ online gambling sites to block access to their sites by KY residents or face forfeiture of their domains to the state. Many of these 140+ online gambling sites were Microgaming casinos and poker rooms, and I believe that the company has decided that the cost and risk of serving the United States is no longer worth the profits that US players generate.

It is unclear if US players that currently have an account with a Microgaming casino or poker room will be permitted to continue to play after November 10.My preliminary research suggests that some will and some will not. As of right now, the following Microgaming casinos have stated that they WILL allow existing players that are US residents to play at their Microgaming casino after the November 10 deadline. Be advised that this policy could change at any time, but this is the information that I have at the time of this writing.

What should you do?

  • If you have an account at one of the Microgaming casinos in the list above, sit tight and see how this all plays out. I suspect that you will soon be receiving an email from your casino.
  • If you have an account at another Microgaming casino, open an account at one of the Microgaming casinos in the list above as soon as possible. This way, if your Microgaming casino does decide to cut you off, you may have an alternative for playing your favorite Microgaming casino games.
  • If you do not have an account at any Microgaming casino, open an account at one of the Microgaming casinos in the list above as soon as possible. This way, you may at least have the chance to play at a Microgaming casino should you decide that you want to in the future. If you don’t open an account before November 10, you may never again have the chance to do so.

(Please note: Microgaming casinos do not accept players from the following US states: IL, IN, LA, MI, NJ, NV, NY, OR, SD, WA, WI. Wherever you live, please check your local, state and provincial laws before you gamble online.)

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bonus, free, online casinos, online gambling, promotions, Rival Gaming, slots, US players

Spooky New Slot from Rival Gaming – Scary Rich 2

Scary Rich 2 image

Scary Rich 2 is the newest video slot from Rival Gaming. This Halloween-themed slot is the sequel to Scary Rich, their most popular video slot to date. Be on the lookout for werewolves, ghouls, rats, and some seriously f***ed-up looking clowns like this dude:

You’ll also run into what looks like the stuffed cloth doll from Korn.

Separated at birth, perhaps? 🙂

In any case, check out Scary Rich 2 at the best Rival Gaming casino on the block — This is Vegas.

  • New players: Get $15 FREE + a 200% bonus on initial deposits between $25 and $100!
  • Existing players: Now through October 31, 2008, get a 50% bonus on your first single deposit between $25 and $200 PLUS 2X comp points on Scary Rich 2.

(Note: Rival-powered casinos accept players from all US states. Please check your local, state and provincial laws before you gamble online. If your local laws prohibit online gambling then we recommend you consider an alternative form of entertainment.)

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analysis, keno, online gambling, tips

Analysis of Online Keno Paytables

I’ve just completed an analysis of the online keno paytables from 19 styles of keno from 16 online gaming software vendors. Click this keno link to view the complete analysis, summarized below:

1. Casinos that run VueTec software offer the best keno payout, with an overall payout percentage of 96.22%.

Recommended site: DublinBet.com : Get a 100% bonus on initial deposits between ‚¬50 and ‚¬200! (U.S. players barred.)

2. The keno games at online bingo halls that run Parlay software are a good choice as well. Their Classic Keno game has an overall payout of 94.20%, while their Kenoland game has an overall payout percentage of 94.00%.

Recommended site: Free Bee Bingo : Get $50 FREE + a 200% bonus on initial deposits between $25 and $9999! (U.S. players OK.)

3. The best online keno game is the 10-spot from online casinos that run B3W software, with a payout percentage of 98.72%.

Recommended site: Yachting Casino : Get $10 FREE + a 100% bonus on initial deposits between $20 and $200! (U.S. players OK.)

4. Keno should not be played at online sites that run software from RTG, Grand Virtual, Bingo Entertainment Network, Wagerlogic, or Boss.

(Please note: Wherever you live, please check your local, state and provincial laws before you gamble online.)

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