Online Gambling

For you video poker enthusiasts, I’ve increased the number of video poker varieties that are analyzed on my video poker page from 15 to 18. The recently-added varieties of online video poker are:

• Loose Deuces: There are three online casino software vendors that offer this video poker; the paytables are the same at all of them; the house edge is 0.93%. You can play it at Bodog, Real Time Gaming online casinos like Intertops RED, and Grand Virtual online casinos.
• Triple Bonus: Not recommended. The house edge is a whopping 9.98%!
• Triple Double Bonus: Double Double Bonus video poker on steriods. There are two online casino software vendors that offer this video poker; the house edge ranges from 0.43% to 1.85%. Unfortunately, Grand Virtual online casinos — where the better paytable is offered — are not available to US residents. You can find the less desirable paytable at BetOnSoft online casinos like Treasure Mile.
• Super Double Bonus: Dealt at Grand Virtual online casinos, the house edge is 1.32%.

Offer valid in USD as well as EUR.

As I mentioned in a previous post, BetOnSoft online casinos are a new online casino software provider in the US market. The BetOnSoft online casinos (listed below) offer seven popular varieties of video poker including Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, Bonus Deuces Wild, Bonus Poker Deluxe, Bonus Poker, Double Bonus, Double Double Bonus, Triple Double Bonus, and Joker Poker. Futhermore, each of these video pokers is offered as single-handed, ten-handed, and fifty-handed varieties.

I’ve updated the video poker pages for Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, Bonus Deuces Wild, Bonus Poker Deluxe, Bonus Poker, Double Bonus, Double Double Bonus, and Joker Poker to include the return tables for the BetOnSoft online casinos. As it turns out, their return tables are simply outstanding. As two examples, the return on their Bonus Poker is 99.50% and their return on their Bonus Poker Deluxe is 99.45% — both of these return percentages are highest among all online casinos for those video poker games.

Any of these video poker games can be played for as little as a penny per credit, all the way up to $5 per credit in single-handed mode, $2 per credit in ten-handed mode, and $1 per credit in fifty-handed mode.

If video poker is your game, you’ll want to take a hard look at one or more of the BetOnSoft online casinos. Start with Treasure Mile; here is a list of other BetOnSoft online casinos. Be aware that if you take advantage of the Treasure Mile 100% initial deposit bonus (use bonus code TM1000), video poker counts as only 10% toward meeting the 20 x (deposit + bonus) playthrough requirement associated with the bonus. So, if you only played video poker with your initial deposit and bonus, you essentially have to meet a 400 x deposit playthrough before you can make a withdrawal.

Offer valid in USD as well as EUR.

It’s been over a year since US players have had the opportunity to play at an online casino with new online casino software. (The last new online casino software for US players was from Top Game; before that was Rival.) Recently, however, the new BetOnSoft Platform has been released and has opened their virtual doors to players from around the world — including US players.

The BetOnSoft Platform offers 15 Classic Slots, 28 Video Slots, and Keno. Their table games include Blackjack (1, 2, 4, and 8 deck versions), 3 Card Poker, Craps, Baccarat, and both American and European Roulette. To wrap things up, they offer 28 varieties of Video Poker.

I’ve taken an initial look at one of the BetOnSoft online casinos – Treasure Mile. (Since they offer a practice mode, you can check out all the games before making a deposit.) The interface is clean and intuitive — start at the bottom and work your way up from Casino to (for example) Video Poker until a ring of available games is displayed. Pretty cool!

Here is a list of the five BetOnSoft online casinos. Only one offers free chips, while all offer an initial deposit bonus (the minimum deposit is $20).

Slots of Fortune is running The Big Turkey Slots Freeroll with a $2500 prize pool, now through November 30. You get 1K credits and 60 minutes to win as many credits as you can. To enter, download and install Slots of Fortune, then go to the cashier to claim the freeroll promotion that will be listed there.

US players — other than KY residents — are welcome at Slots of Fortune.

For those of you who have been around a while, you may recall a few years ago when there was a flood of G-FED online casinos that began opening across the world. These online casinos were available to U.S. players prior to the UIGEA of 2006. Subsequently, the G-FED online casinos closed their virtual doors to U.S. players, and the G-FED software was rebranded as CGTV Games.

Last month, iFortune777 opened its online casino. It is running the CGTV Games software, and it is open to U.S. players from 39 states (players from the following U.S. states are barred from real-money play: Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington).

This is good news for all of you who have missed their unique brand of slot machines and other games. They have added quite a few new games in the past years, so you’ll want to check them out. New players are being offered $20 FREE to try their online casino (40X playthrough, $50 max withdrawal), while new depositors will receive a 100% match, up to — surprise, surprise — $777 (15x playthrough on the deposit+bonus amount).

Be aware, however, that they have very limited banking options — bank wire and Visa only. Look for them to add additional banking options going forward.

Now through Oct 31, 2010, head on over to Slots of Fortune and enter their Halloween Slots Freeroll tournament. No deposit is required. Top prize is $500, with prizes awarded to the top scorers! (Too bad Kentucky residents — you’re barred from the casino.)

All players are invited to try the all-new online slot tournaments at Cool Cat Casino. All players — both new and existing — can get $30 free to try the online slot tournaments. Follow the banner above, or click this link, to get started playing in the online slots tournaments.

Note that this free cash is good for online slot tournaments ONLY, and cannot be used to play the other games in the online casino.

How to Enter Your Free Tournament:
1. Download CoolCat Casino
2. Create Your Account and Sign-In
3. Click on CASHIER in the Casino Lobby
4. Under the REDEEM COUPON Tab, Enter the Code provided here
5. Exit the Cashier and Click TOURNAMENTS to Get Started

Pretty simple online casino promo here. Click the banner below and you’re in. US players welcome at this Rival online casino.

Depositors will also get a 100% slots bonus on their deposits of between $50 and $1000.

For more online casino bonuses, The Online Casino Gambling Directory is the place!

At Slots of Vegas online casino, you can play online slots with a $300 free bankroll. While your maximum win is $100, it’s worth a shot. Use promo code FREE300 in the cashier after downloading and installing the Slots of Vegas online casino.

From their website:

Slots of Vegas, with over 80 online slot games, is the premier source of slot games for real or fun money. Slots of Vegas offers the loosest online slots, from the traditional three reel slots to the adventure packed five reel slots. Find the best Vegas-style casino slot games on the web with exciting promotions, top of the line customer service, timely payouts with the highest level of security, only at Slots of Vegas.

As reported in yesterday’s The Wall Street Journal, the House Financial Services Committee voted 41-22 to approve legislation that would regulate many forms of online gambling, including poker and bingo, while specifically banning betting on major US sports leagues like the MLB, NFL, NBA, and others.

Other news articles point out that the legislation also would deny licenses to any online site that has allowed, or currently does allow, US players to gamble online. Looking ahead, this would appear to effect PokerStars, FullTilt, and other online poker rooms that have continued to serve US players despite the UIGEA of 2006.

Other key elements of the legislation include player loss limits, rigorous age verification systems and frequent testing thereof, and allowing states to opt out of this legislation and ban its citizens from online gambling.

And the legislation that was passed does not cover how the industry is to be taxed — that’s covered in a separate bill that hasn’t made it out of the House Ways and Means Committee.

It is unlikely that this legislation will be voted on before the current Congressional Session expires in September. The scheduling is simply too tight. If it is not voted on, the process will need to start again next session. Perhaps it will be attached to some other legislation, as was the UIGEA of 2006. Even so, if the legislation is approved, it still would need to be signed by Obama.

We are still years away from any comprehensive online gambling policy in the United States. Need proof? The UIGEA of 2006 took nearly 4 years before it actually went into effect this past June 1 — and there are still plenty of loopholes in that legislation that allow US players to fund and withdraw money from their online gambling accounts… or so I’ve heard.