Online Casino Score

Mississippi features 19 dockside casinos; all are expected to be closed within several days as a result of the recent flooding by the Mississippi River. This will cost the taxpayers millions of dollars and cause temporary unemployment for thousands of employees. Therefore, the local and state economy is predicted to also be heavily affected.

Casinos in Vicksburg

At one of the five Vicksburg, Mississippi casinos, the doors were closed bringing the number of gambling revenues shut down due to flooding up to 15. Authorities have been heavily monitoring the four other casinos. These properties will close if the river crests, as predicted by experts.

Casinos in Tunica

In Tunica, the record high river levels have closed a total of nine casinos. Three have closed in Greenville, one in Lula and one at Natchez. The total shutdown of all Mississippi River gambling locations is estimated to cost local governments between $12 and $13 million in taxes for every month they are not functional. This figure does not include local sales tax for other services like the 6,700 casino hotel rooms and loss of income for 13,000 employees.

Cleaning up after the Disaster

Once the water subsides, there will continue to be a large amount of cleanup that must ensue in addition to remodeling and landscaping prior to reopening. When casinos are shut down, the money in slot machines and cages is transported to secure locations. When a casino is cleared by the state government to reopen, it takes approximately 12 hours for the money to be back on the property, ensure account and security controls are in place and restart all machine-games.

Louisiana and the Gulf Coast Casinos

Louisiana boasts 13 riverboat casinos but only two are on the Mississippi River. Representatives from the Louisiana Control Board stated that regulators continue to monitor the river levels but no closures have yet been made. The 11 casinos located on the Mississippi Gulf Coast have not been affected by the flooding and continue to operate as usual.

The Disaster and the Economy

Natural disasters such as flooding can cripple a local economy, especially those built on gambling. Since the gambling industry is already being negatively affected by the global recession, situations such as flooding along the Mississippi River do not help improve. Hopefully the water will subside and the affected properties can quickly clean up and reopen their doors.

International Game Technology (IGT) is a designer and manufacturer of computer-based gaming equipment such as slot machines. As a result, the company has their hand in almost every aspect of gaming. Through WagerWorks, the company is able to develop online games for casinos. IGT has expanded their operations to include mobile gambling such as their recent announcement of Jacks or Better video poker for handheld devices.

Jacks or Better Gameplay

Jacks or Better is currently offered at a number of WagerWorks online casinos. Due to the game’s success online, players will be able to enjoy the action on their iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and Android gadgets. The mobile version of Jacks or Better is similar to the online variant in which players are distributed five cards from a 52-card deck and have the option to discard or hold. The lowest paying hand is a pair of Jacks.

The Main Difference in Games

The primary difference between the mobile and online versions is whenever the player receives any type of payout, the “Double-Up” features is activated. This bonus requires players to select between red, black and collect. If a color is chosen and the next card dealt matches the color selected, the previous amount won is doubled. If the color does not match, they lose their winnings. The collect button allows players to keep their current winnings and not participate in the game.

Adding Value to Online Casino Operators

The Vice-President of IGT stated that this is an innovative product that will add significant value to mobile and online casino operator’s portfolio. With the advances in smart device technology, software development companies will be able to exhibit their strengths while building on popular online game titles to create an instantly recognizable online brand.

A Variety of Jacks or Better

At its online gaming sites, WagerWorks delivers a variety of Jacks or Better video poker games with the two most popular being Phantom Belle and Lucky Draw. The standard version is Phantom Belle Jacks or Better which is visually attractive due to advanced animation. Lucky Draw Jacks or Better features a western-theme with a four hand format.

With the slow expansion of online gaming to the mobile platform, this gives players additional ways to access their favorite games. In the near future, it is expected that the mobile device platform will explode for shopping, internet usage and of course, online gamble. Therefore, IGT seems to be far ahead of the competition with their continued mobile releases of popular online gambling games.

Rival Gaming recently launched a new online gaming site entitled, “Golden Cherry” which is promoted by the Affactive Affiliate Program. Within this affiliate program Affactive manages the administrative functions like 24 hour customer support, retention initiatives and in-hour processing. Other casinos that currently fall under the Affactive umbrella include:

• Casino Titan
• Mayflower Casino
• Slots Jungle Casino
• WinPalace Casino

Golden Cherry internet casino is licensed and in the gaming jurisdiction of Curacao. Also, since the casino is powered by Rival Gaming software, players from the United States are accepted and will be able to participate in real money games.

Golden Cherry will allow users to play all games in the downloadable and instant-play versions. There are over 80 games offered in groups such as craps, roulette, blackjack, slots and video poker. Additionally, the innovative Rival Gaming i-slots feature with interactive bonus rounds is available.

The casino is coming out swinging with regards to welcome bonuses. For slot players, the promotion is extremely attractive by offering a 300 percent matching bonus for the initial deposit to a maximum of $3,000. Those engaging in regular games will be offered a two-step bonus of 50 percent casino matching up to $444 for each round. Therefore, the total obtainable bonus is $888. Additionally, regular players are presented through email, weekly reload bonuses.

Since Golden Cherry is new to the industry, Realtime Gaming is anxious to promote the entity through its current members and word of mouth. As a result, current players are offered $50 for referring a friend to the site. All bonuses are subject to specific terms and conditions prior to release into the player’s account.

All financial transactions are conducted in U.S. dollars to remain consistent. Those who make deposits using other currencies will have that among converted. The casino offers the typical payment options such as, Moneybookers, ClickandBuy, NeTeller, Click2Pay, UseMyWallet, Ukash and Gold-Pay. However, all accounts are subject to verification to prevent any fraudulent activity. Most deposits require a minimum of $25 with a maximum of $1,000.

This casino looks promising due to its backing from an industry giant as well as extremely attractive welcome bonuses. Additionally, it appears as if the customer support is knowledgeable, fast and accessible. Therefore, if you are looking for a new place to play any casino game (especially slots), look no further because Golden Cherry has arrived.

For the sixth straight year, the eGaming Review Awards has successfully honored the best companies in online gaming. In November 2010, the sixth eGaming Review Awards ceremony was held. In addition to the regular awards, eGaming Review announced the inaugural B2B awards for the best service providers that cater to other companies and not directly to customers. These providers include:

• Betting and gaming software developers
• Mobile gaming
• Networks
• Payments
• Recruitment
• Information technology
• Infrastructure
• Marketing

Recently, eGaming Review announced the entries for the 2011 B2B Awards have opened. The award winners for 2011 will be honored at a gala in London on Tuesday, May 3^rd which is also the opening night for eGaming Review Live which is the gambling industry’s chief event. The 2010 B2B awards had over 120 entries from suppliers across the globe. That number is expected to grow significantly in 2011.

The marketing manager for the awards confirmed the B2B awards are an outstanding platform for business-supplying companies to boost their greatest innovations to the entire industry while rewarding their team for the hard efforts they put in to make various projects come to fruition. The awards are also a chance to position their brand through networking. Therefore, companies that developed an innovative product over the past year are encouraged to enter the awards.

The actual awards are placed into two categories: Software/Networking and Services. Software/Networking currently offers 15 awards in areas like online casinos, bingo halls, sports betting and poker rooms. Those most relevant to the online gaming industry are Affiliate Network of the Year, Innovation in RNG Casino Software, Slot Provider of the Year, RNG Casino Supplier, Live Casino Supplier of the Year and Mobile Supplier of the Year, among others.

A few of the Services category awards consist of Fraud and Compliance Solution of the Year, Regional Payments Solution of the Year, Innovation in Payments Solutions and Payments Company of the Year. The judging is a two-step process comprised of individual judges rating the nominees online followed by the judges meeting in person to decide on a winner for each category.

The past six years have been successful for the eGaming Review Awards and 2011 is gearing up to be better than the previous years. With more entries, more categories and a plethora of networking between online gaming entities, this awards ceremony will be the best yet.

The most popular games at an online casino are always reported. However, popularity is subjective and depends on who you are asking. French Roulette is a highly popular game among online gamblers, but is not popular with online gaming operators. As a result, many online casinos do not or no longer offer French Roulette but continue to provide user’s access to American and European Roulette. Those that do offer French Roulette only provide a single game.

The Numbers

All roulette players are aware of the three variants of roulette and their related house edges. American Roulette boasts a house edge of 5.26 percent while European Roulette has an edge of 2.70 percent. French Roulette claims a house edge of only 1.35 percent on even money wagers and 2.70 percent for all other bets. Online gaming operators argue the 1.35 percent is much too low for them to cover costs and therefore do not offer it on their site.

The Player’s Argument

The argument for players is that all online casinos offer various blackjack and video poker variants with house edge less than 1 percent. This is significantly lower than all roulette variants. Why is there are problem with French Roulette then?

The Operators Argument

The reason lies with the actual gameplay of each contest. Roulette is a game built on luck alone. Any player that posts an even-money bet in French Roulette will receive an average return of 98.65 percent over the long term. Therefore, the casino will never make more than $1.35 for every $100 placed on an even-money bet.

On the other hand, the game of blackjack entails luck and skill. For example, if a specific blackjack variant boasts a house edge of 0.5 percent and the player bets will perfect skill, he will have a return of 99.5 percent over the long term. However, most players do not wager with perfect skill, therefore, there is much more variance. As the skill level decreases so does the average return. Bad blackjack players can end with a return of less than 90 percent.

While the house edge of blackjack may be less than 1 percent with perfect skill, it is more realistic to estimate the house will acquire $3 for every $100 wagered based on the average player. However, there is much less variance with French Roulette and therefore players betting even-money will see a return of 98.65 percent. Therefore, it does not make financial sense for online gaming sites to offer French Roulette.

Wild symbols on the reels are substitutes for other symbols to create winning combinations. Over time, the standards evolved to the development of different types of wild symbols. Simultaneously, payout multipliers for wild symbols were increased. Then casinos added more than one wild symbol appearing on the same reel which was coined “stacked wilds.” This idea was further expanded to include a single icon per reel which became known as exploding wilds.

The Slide a Wild Feature

One of the most recent wild symbol innovations is the Slide a Wild slot feature. Wild symbols in this game engulf various characteristics. For instance, the wild symbol may appear only on a single reel but the player is given the option to select the reel. This indicates that if the wild symbol appears during a spin, it will appear on that specific reel.

Crocodopolis

One online slot game that features Slide a Wild is Crocodopolis which is available at Virgin Casino. The crocodile is the wild symbol that takes on the following characteristics. On the first reel, the payout doubles if the croc is substituted in a winning spin. On the second reel the payout is tripled if the croc is replaced during the winning combination. On the third and fourth reels, when the croc appears it is available for all three reels. The fourth reel has tripled payouts.

Selecting the Reel

To select the reel players wish to apply the croc, they must hover the cursor over the “Slide a Wild” bar and drag it above the desired reel. Once the bar is placed over the reel, it graphically displays the specific properties the wild symbol will take on in the reel. This assists players in that they do not need to check the rules to learn how to place a wild symbol.

Increasing Innovation

This feature makes the slot game much more interactive as it gives players another decision to make in a repetitive casino game. The feature does not require any skill but does have associated risk. Therefore, the Slide a Wild feature does require some amount of thinking to ensure the proper move is taken.

Slot game wild symbols continue to evolve and integrate the player more into the game in addition to the standard betting parameters. Slot games continue to find innovative ways to keep players interested in playing slots at online gaming sites.

Microgaming is a software game-developing machine. Their most recent release, the sequel to Retro Reels, should be a big hit. The first version was tremendously popular so the title already has a great deal of branding attached. Only back in December 2010 did Microgaming release the original Retro Reels. This game acquired instant popularity and fame because of two aspects of the game; the symbols and the re-spin feature.

The original Retro Reels used the popular three reel slot symbols converted to the five reel format. These traditional symbols include:

• Seven
• Cherry
• Bar
• Dollar sign

Also, the re-spin feature was introduced which allows players to spin a specific reel while keeping the others in place. This feature only cost the player an additional wager. As a result of these two popular features, Microgaming decided to launch Retro Reels Diamond Glitz which is almost identical to the first version.

The primary differences between the two are the sequel is glitzier due to the addition of diamonds behind the reels and the neon sign advertising the game. Also, the symbols have been upgraded to two and three diamond symbols. Additionally, the dollar sign, bar and scatter symbols have a more glamorous and glitzy appearance. The payouts are the same in both games which is the most important aspect of each.

The structure of the game is also slightly different. Retro Reels was a 20 payline video slot game. Retro Reels Diamond Glitz was upgraded to 25 paylines. This indicates winning combinations will occur more frequently. However, this benefit is neutralized in the free spins round. Retro Reels required a single scatter symbol for five free spins. However, in Retro Reels Diamond Glitz the only option is 3 scatter symbols for 15 free spins.

All other aspects of the game are the same. Both have the same coin denomination, the same limit on coins wagered per payline and the same player customization options. The re-spin feature has been brought back to this variant given its tremendous popularity in Retro Reels.

It is puzzling as to why Microgaming immediately created a sequel after such a short time period with few changes. It must have been the widespread success and popularity of the slot game. This game is featured at all Microgaming-powered online casinos so look to your favorite operator for this exciting slot game.

There were many events that occurred in the world of online gambling in 2010. Some were for the betterment of the industry, others for the worse. The midterm Democratic losses in the United States did not bode well for the advancement of the online gaming industry in November 2010. Democrats tend to favor the legalization of online gaming whereas Republicans do not. Due to this loss, Barney Frank’s legalization bill was placed on hold.

Additional European Legalization

Across the pond in France, the regulation of sports betting and poker was the beginning of a potentially successful industry. In the past, France has kept online gaming out of their laws. Following closely behind is Italy who plans to legalize online gambling sometime in 2011. Other European nations have the legalization of online gaming right on the horizon. 2011 is going to be an active year in the European Union.

An Increase in Global Demand

Regardless of location, the global demand for online gambling is increasing considerably. One example of this is the purchase of the domain name Slots.com by the Bodog Company for $5.5 million. The owners of online gaming domain names that have held onto these for many years have been saw a tremendous amount of money in 2010.

The QuickFire Platform

Microgaming has also been a big factor during 2010 with the creation of the QuickFire platform which allowed online casino operators on different software platforms to provide Microgaming slots on an individual basis to their customers without the need for a license. Although other online gaming developers have been practicing this for a while, Microgaming has always been protective of their licenses. Therefore this was a major breakthrough for the company and customers.

The Merger

The largest landmark in 2010 was the merger between PartyGaming and Bwin. These were two of the biggest online gambling operators and are now the greatest online gaming entity. This is a clear signal that internet gambling is growing and definitely here to stay. In the near future, for companies to be competitive, they must reach a specific size through mergers and acquisitions. Those that cannot will be forced to sell. There are currently similar talks between 888 and Ladbrokes.

2010 was certainly an excellent year for online casinos; except in the United States. Hopefully Congress and the House of Representatives can agree on the legalization and regulation of online gambling so the United States can catch up to the rest of the world.

Each year thousands of online gaming operators, their employees, gambling enthusiasts and potential buyers attend the ICE Gaming Expo. This year the expo is being held at Earls Court in London from January 25^th to January 27^th. In the past three years, this expo has attracted professionals from over 122 countries. In 2010, there were over 18,500 participants. In 2011, over 400 exhibitors well set up shop across 20,000 square meters of floor space.

The majority of attendees pre-register for the event. Based on this information, there are a large number of officials from various regulatory gaming agencies attending. The organizers of this event have reported that over 100 gaming regulators from across the globe are sending representatives.

The Director of the ICE gaming show recognized the importance of many influential regulatory personnel attending the expo. She believes this exerts the growth of the expo to an international status. This is such a large show due to the extensive gaming innovation and the potential to interact with the largest names in the gaming industry.

Also, this event allows regulators to view the size of the industry first-hand and experience new technologies. However, the most important point is the regulators can be convinced that responsible gaming is possible. When they return to their respective counties, these regulators will be able to further improve their jurisdiction.

Another reason for the large attendance is the seminars that focus on gaming jurisdictions across many countries. To kick-off the show, there will be a seminar discussing the adaptation to change in Europe and the future of gaming in the United States. January 26^th discussions will include the United Kingdom gaming regulatory developments. On the final day, the discussion of South American emerging jurisdictions will close out the show.

Other intriguing areas of seminar discussion include:

• Cyber crime
• Payments
• Social networking
• Mobile gaming
• Mergers and acquisitions

Two of the most reputable and well-known online casino operators, Microgaming and Playtech, will be exhibitors at the event. Also, there will be many payment processors at the exhibitions including Moneybookers.

The ICE show is an excellent chance for smaller online gaming companies to advertise their products and services. With the influx of regulators attending the conference, many will be able to return to their countries and create a more organized and streamlined online gaming regulatory jurisdiction.

InterCasino recently announced it had paid out 100,000 Euro’s to a player that wagered on a scratch card at their casino. This player won that amount in a game entitled, “Money Farm.” This is one excellent Christmas present for that player. InterCasino further explained this was one of the highest jackpots ever won from an online scratch card by one player. Therefore, this showcases their dedication to providing players with the best games, jackpot payouts and experience.

Money farm is an instant online scratch game that is bundled with industry-leading audio and visual effects. To play, the customer must place their bet and activate the digital card. Three of the same animal equates to a multiplied payout for that specific animal. Overall, there are nine farm animals on the card including:

• Pig
• Cow
• Horse
• Rooster
• Dog

The animal offering the largest payout is the horse at 5,000 times the wagered amount. This amount ranges from 0.25 Euros to 20 Euros. Therefore, by wagering 20 Euros and uncovering three horses, the player can win a maximum of 100,000 Euros.

This payout is tremendously rare, especially at online casino scratch card games. At InterCasino, their large payouts are typically on jackpot slot games. InterCasino typically has Marvel Superhero and DC Comic-themed games like The Green Lantern, Spiderman, Batman and the Hulk. In addition to this wonderful plethora of themes, InterCasino is the oldest online casino in existence, 2011 will mark their 15^th birthday.

InterCasino even sent out a personal email to all players indicating they will be going “promotion crazy” during 2011. Furthermore they urge customers to constantly check out the website for updates. Full details have not yet been revealed but will be available soon. InterCasino has a propensity for large give-aways and promotions. This past year they sent a promotional winner onto a space trip.

The email also contained a Christmas gift in the form of a free $10 credit for slot play at the casino. Players must simply enter XMAS10 at the cashier screen to have the money credited to their account.

This massive payout is such a common occurrence with InterCasino, although has never occurred on a scratch card. Given their lengthy history, they have become one of the best casinos for prizes and promotions in the industry. Be ready to ring in the New Year at InterCasino with their huge upcoming promotions and prizes.