Ocean Resort Casino and GAN plan to launch an online gambling site in NJ, and we can predict a few things that the former Revel's new site will include.
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The Washington Redskins pulled off a rare NFL blockbuster deal on Tuesday night, as they swung a trade for veteran quarterback, Alex Smith.
Washington promptly followed that move up by handing the 33-year old Smith a massive four-year, $94 million contract. The deal gives Smith the type of job security he seemingly never had in previous stops in San Francisco and Kansas City and almost certainly ousts long-time starter, Kirk Cousins.
The team had been in a back-and-forth negotiations battle with Cousins for the past few years but had publicly stated that the franchise hoped to make a definitive statement on the quarterback’s future with the organization this offseason.
Consider the message received.
Cousins will hit free agency with zero intent to try to remain in Washington, as the Redskins have clearly moved on with Smith as their starter for 2018 and beyond.
As much of a slap in the face as this trade probably is to Cousins, this is actually a potentially brilliant move by the Redskins. The organization clearly never fully supported Cousins, likely because they didn’t completely believe he could get the team to where they want to go.
That or the Redskins saw a similarly talented quarterback that they could secure for less cash.
Smith isn’t an elite NFL quarterback, but he’s an above average option that compares favorably when put up against Cousins. In fact, Smith saved his best ball for 2017, when he was arguably truly unleashed for the first time in his career.
Taking more shots down the field and being more aggressive turned Smith into a real problem for defenses, as he notched career highs across the board in pass completions (341), passing yardage (4,042) and passing touchdowns (26).
It’s fair to suggest Smith’s most recent season will end up going down as his best as a pro, but the Redskins still got an arguable upgrade. With the contract extension on top of the trade, the Redskins land a reliable passer for the next several seasons.
In turn, Washington could again make a playoff push in 2018 and perhaps make a deep playoff run.
While this is a big move by the Redskins, there is still a lot to be settled, specifically in the Kirk Cousins camp. Cousins probably would have preferred this to go down a year ago, when a reunion with former Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan was a realistic option in San Francisco.
Now that the 49ers are locked in on making Jimmy Garoppolo their new franchise passer, however, it appears that ship has sailed.
Things haven’t gone down precisely how Cousins probably would have hoped, but he actually still holds all of the power here. Not only are there a number of quarterback-needy teams that would love to call him their starting quarterback, but this guy is about to get paid.
In addition, Cousins will finally know the comfort of contract security, as well as a franchise that actually wants him and fully backs him. The question, of course, is what team will end up landing him?
The list of Kirk Cousins landing spots is understandably long and it’s even something sports bettors can wager on. BetOnline currently provides you with nine interesting options, along with some odds:
I would have liked to see alternative options here, as “other” or “none of these teams” would have been worth a look.
Two other options that could have been appealing with steep odds are the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers. I’m sure the Niners will hand Jimmy G a huge deal and Drew Brees stays home, but what if things don’t work out quite as planned?
An “other” option or these two specific teams would have been fun to consider. If you can find those alternative options on other NFL betting sites, they’re worth a look.
That being said, BetOnline does a great job covering most of the more realistic bases here. Denver, New York, Cleveland, Arizona, Buffalo and Minnesota – at least for the moment – absolutely need to locate a firm answer under center.
Without a doubt, these are the top favorites to land Cousins when the 2018 NFL free agency period officially starts on March 12th.
The teams here I’d rule out are the Dolphins, Jaguars and Giants. New York has stuck behind veteran gunslinger Eli Manning, while the Jaguars recently made it known that they’d be holding onto Blake Bortles.
Miami seems content with Ryan Tannehill as their franchise passer, as well, so moves for Cousins by any of these teams seems unlikely.
Of the group of favorites, the teams that stand out the most are Denver, Minnesota and Arizona. If Cousins wants to win, these are the teams he’s probably giving serious consideration.
The Broncos have a draft pick inside the top-five in the 2018 NFL Draft this year, however, so it stands to reason they’ll bypass shelling out a ton of cash and instead just select a top passing prospect.
Minnesota is an odd one, as they got solid play out of Case Keenum and Sam Bradford last year. They’re both scheduled to hit free agency along with former Vikings franchise passer Teddy Bridgewater. Cousins could easily leapfrog this trio, but Minnesota might feel obliged to keep things in-house.
Arizona is another realistic option, as the Cards aren’t that far from a playoff return. They did lose Carson Palmer and Bruce Arians to retirement, too, so if they want a quick rebuild, starting over under center with a reliable passer like Cousins could make some sense.
If Cousins just wants some fat stacks and a team is looking for a quick answer to their quarterback problems, he could also go play for a loser.
Should that be the case, the two teams everyone needs to track are the Jets and Browns. Both teams desperately need an answer under center and probably wouldn’t mind a faster rebuilding process. They also rank inside the top-four in the NFL in terms of salary cap space, per Overthecap.com.
Not so shockingly, reports have already emerged that the Jets will go after Cousins “hard”. It certainly doesn’t hurt that they have a need at the position, have loads of cash and even have a tie to Cousins:
Kirk Cousins really likes one thing about the Jets https://t.co/3oMvwtESkd via @nypostsports
— Brian Costello (@BrianCoz) January 31, 2018
New York leads the way for me in what will be a very interesting race. Considering how the Jets were actually competitive last year and aren’t as far away from contending as some may think, they make sense as the pick at the moment.
New York even trumps the Broncos in terms of betting value, so at the moment I see them as the best option for bettors.
Pick: New York Jets (+225)
Beyond the monetary gain for Cousins, the team that lands him is obviously hoping he provides many returns for them, as well. The biggest return should be wins and hopefully a run to the playoffs.
That brings in the question of the title of this post – can Cousins actually get his new team to the Super Bowl in 2018?
If you’re asking this on a broad scale that doesn’t just pertain to 2018, I’d say sure and maybe even a definite yes.
That doesn’t mean Cousins will ever win a title, but he’s good enough to get his team to the playoffs and if guys like Nick Foles, Blake Bortles and Case Keenum can get wins in some of the biggest games of their lives, a superior talent like Cousins absolutely can, as well.
This question is for 2018, though, and it’s another thing bettors will ponder and ultimately place money down on. Of course, it truly depends on where Cousins goes.
If Cousins is simply following the money trail, then no, he’s not going to the Super Bowl in 2018. That would almost surely mean he latches on with rebuilding franchises like the Browns or Jets.
Cousins makes them better and maybe helps them sniff the playoffs, but those teams are more than a passing upgrade away from reaching the Super Bowl.
If Denver, Minnesota, Jacksonville, New York, Miami, Arizona or even Buffalo landed Cousins, then yes, I can see him leading his new team to the Super Bowl – possibly immediately.
Again, for me, the Giants, Dolphins and Jags aren’t in the mix, barring something random. Minnesota is probably staying in-house, too, while Arizona doesn’t seem overly worried about the quarterback position for some reason.
Of this entire crop, the only teams I can really see making the jump are the Broncos, Jets or Browns. Denver is probably content with rolling with a new young arm like Baker Mayfield, though, so Cousins is likely looking at starting over with a rebuilding franchise.
My money would be on New York and if he goes to the Jets, I could see them getting back to the playoffs in 2018. Unfortunately, even a quick turn around like that wouldn’t make the Jets likely title threats.
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Basseterre, the capitol of St. Kitts in the Caribbean's Leeward Islands, is a charming city with French architecture, coconut palm trees, cannons, ancient museums and bustling hard-working people who greet each day with a smile.
There is a pizza parlor that makes, frankly, the best pizza I have ever eaten. It is located about two blocks from the pink palace that houses the governmental headquarters. That is where the Prime Minister and his Ministers have their officers.
I worked as editor of The Observer, a weekly newspaper that served the people of St. Kitts and Nevis, for two years before my work permit expired. My publisher was Kenneth Williams, a native of Trinidad who prided himself on printing a politically independent newspaper that kept locals as well as tourists informed on island and world events.
One of my favorite past times in St. Kitts was to wander through the narrow twisting streets. I would pass fruit vendors selling anything from mangoes to passion fruit and sea grapes. There were open-shuttered bars where you could buy a bottle of Carib or Heineken's Beer for the equivalent of .85 cents U.S. And there would always be island food -- roast pork, black beans, plantains, rice and whatever else the cook could conjure.
My days were spent assigning reporters to stories and to interviewing Ministers on the various projects they were involved in to improve the lives of the people. I spent my evenings at the island bars and restaurants and visited the Marriott Hotel's Jack Tar Casino two or three times a week.
There I would play blackjack, video poker or live poker. My foes at the table included business owners, sugar cane laborers and police officers who took their poker seriously.
One of the players was a smiling black man who was a native of St. Kitts. Jerome was a muscular individual who wore a gold cross around his neck. He was a regular reader of The Observer and told me he liked my by-lined stories.
I asked him what he did for a living. He smiled and said, 'I grow plants in my Garden of Eden.'
Really, I said?
'God actually grows the plants but I tend to them to benefit humanity,' he said. 'If you would like, I could show you my garden. You may even be interested in writing a story about it.'
He gave me instructions on how to find the place. The next morning, I walked from the newspaper office and found my way to Jerome's Garden of Eden.
He lived in a small one-bedroom house on the property. There were over 100 different plants in the well-attended garden, including the digitalis plant. My father had suffered a heart attack and was taking digitalis pills for his condition.
'The pills are made from this plant,' Jerome said. He produced a book and showed me the scientific names of all the plants growing in his garden. I borrowed the book and write a story about the Garden of Eden.
One of the plants was used to make Noni, a healthy drink made from the Noni tree. It is packed with anti-oxidants and is used to treat inflamed joints as well as heart disease. The drink was a bit harsh but tasted like grape juice.
I kidded him. 'What about the Blessed Herb?' I asked. 'Do you grow that?'
He gave me a serious look. 'Of course,' he said. 'I am Rastafarian and I believe in the spiritual as well as the healing qualities of Ganja.'
I wrote an article about the Garden of Eden. It is a special place of peace, good health and good karma. If you are ever lucky enough to make it to St. Kitts, be sure to visit the place. It will be a rewarding journey.
Award-winning gambling platform from Microgaming, Quickfire, now features an entire slots collection from Iron Dog Studio, daughter company of 1X2 Network. The agreement includes smash hit titles like Neon Jungle, Blood Queen and Cherry Blast, whereas the software provider announces new editions by the end of March. Among the anticipated releases is also Rainbow Wilds, the company’s long awaited addition to various casino offerings.
Since the entire gaming platform is powered by Microgaming, which started a partnership with 1X2 back in 2015, the new expansion will include an RGS to RGS integration and ETI layer. To put it differently, more than 700 worldwide brands, operators and partners will have exclusive access to Iron Dog Studio’s portfolio.
According to Kevin Reid, CCO at 1x2 Network, the agreement with thriving iGaming suppliers is a successful continuation of growth and a strong acknowledgement from esteemed brands such as Microgaming. The supplier recently announced a new slot edition of Playboy, which is to launch on March 7th. Its live version will represent the first branded live dealer game in the world!
Furthermore, adding innovative development achievements to the platform will strengthen the interconnection between partnering companies, whose content represents an astonishing addition to the industry. Quickfire offers instant access to a large portion of premium casino games, which are available on every device.
In conclusion, the platform is extremely popular thanks to its progressive jackpot network, easy integration and a selection of contemporary games with intelligent design. Provider specializes in casino, poker, bingo, live dealer and mini games, whereas Iron Dog Studio carries a large database of players and unique content – a commodity rarely seen for startups.
Source:
“Iron Dog Studio Live on Mirogaming's QUickfire Platform”, irondogstudio.com, January 26, 2018.
Several years ago, Bitcoin was a novelty that was rarely used by the average person. Outside of being used at a few pizza joints and for black market activities, this cryptocurrency didn’t have much popularity.
But times have changed greatly since Bitcoin’s launch in 2009. It’s now used in a wider variety of industries, especially the online gambling sector.
The use of Bitcoin (BTC) has only further increased when considering the recent cryptocurrency boom. Now, more online gamers know of bitcoins than at any other point.
This is good for the online casinos that rely on Bitcoin. But it’s also disrupting internet gaming in different ways.
I’m going to cover 5 ways that Bitcoin is shaking up the gambling industry from both a good and bad perspective.
One of the hardest things about being a Bitcoin gambler is that you never know what your bankroll is going to be worth tomorrow.
Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies fluctuate wildly on the marketplace. Your bankroll could be worth 0.1 BTC one day, then drop down to 0.08 BTC the next.
Bitcoin is considered the gold standard among cryptocurrencies, because it was the first crypto coin and is easily the most famous.
When BTC drops in value, you can almost guarantee that the “altcoins” will follow. Likewise, the altcoins commonly rise along with Bitcoin.
This means that even those who are gambling with other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Litecoin will see their bankrolls fluctuate too.
Nothing illustrates the volatility of Bitcoin gambling better than the month of December 2017.
This coin entered the month valued at less than $11,000. But it quickly climbed to an all time high of nearly $20,000.
Obviously this was great for Bitcoin gamblers, given that their bankrolls nearly doubled. But the ride wasn’t finished yet.
Later in the month, BTC dipped under $13,000. This meant that players saw their funds decrease by 35%.
Anybody who gambles online is somewhat risk adverse. But even the most ardent gamblers stressed out about this roller coaster ride.
Some players would rather stick to gambling on the cyber tables and slot machines, rather than having a side gamble on how much Bitcoin will be worth the following day. Others appreciate this volatility in hopes that their funds will increase in value.
Interestingly enough, online gaming was one of the first industries to dive into the Bitcoin world. This began when Satoshi Dice opened its cyber dollars in 2012 and accepted Bitcoin deposits.
Another big milestone occurred in 2013, when gaming developer SoftSwiss created its own advanced payment processing system for Bitcoin. SoftSwiss, which sells entire casino packages to companies, has since worked with a number of gaming operations to get their Bitcoin sites up and running.
SoftSwiss deals with a lot of offshore gaming sites that operate in unregulated markets. And the same companies are able to accept Bitcoin payments and get around certain countries’banking laws.
A perfect example is the United States, which approved the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006. This law essentially prevents American banks from handling unregulated online gambling transactions.
But the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) brought Bitcoin into the regulated gaming industry in 2016. They approved BTC as an acceptable payment solution under the updated License Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP).
The LCCP is designed to prevent money laundering or any other shady dealings by an online gaming company. This means that the UKGC decided Bitcoin is reputable enough to be used in one of the world’s most prestigious gaming markets.
The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) –another respected licensing jurisdiction – has been discussing the Bitcoin matter ever since the UKGC’s approval.
Given its acceptance in the UK and the promise of more gaming jurisdictions approving it, Bitcoin has burst into the mainstream internet gambling world.
It’s possible that BTC will become as common as Visa, MasterCard, and Neteller at online casinos, poker sites, and sportsbooks.
Internet gambling sites wouldn’t be so quick to embrace Bitcoin if customers weren’t interested. The reality is that more and more gamblers are using BTC every day.
Here are the main advantages that Bitcoin offers both players and operators when compared to fiat currencies (e.g. USD, GBP, EUR).
Transaction Fees are Lower
One of the biggest reasons why gamblers like Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is because the transaction fees are lower.
You’ll pay a small fee in order to accommodate the Bitcoin miners. But these charges are normally much cheaper than those seen with credit cards, eWallets, prepaid cards, and other traditional payment methods.
The reason why Bitcoin charges lower fees is because it’s not run by a central company. Instead, BTC operates on the blockchain, which is a public ledger that records all Bitcoin transactions.
Cashouts are Processed Faster
Another selling point on bitcoins is that withdrawals are processed quicker. If you withdraw your money from a Bitcoin casino, you can normally expect the money to hit your wallet in 1 3 hours.
Contrast this to another popular cashout method in eWallets. When you withdraw funds using Neteller, Skrill, or PayPal, it requires third party verification from the company itself.
The end result is that you can end up waiting two or more days for money. Bitcoin, on the other hand, doesn’t require third party verification or ask questions about the nature of your transactions.
Bitcoin is Cheaper for Operators
Online gaming sites also enjoy Bitcoin for a couple of main reasons.
First off, offshore sites don’t have to obtain licensing to operate a Bitcoin gambling site. The reason why is because and central governments and banks don’t control this cryptocurrency.
Companies still need to be licensed in regulated markets like the UK, France, Italy, Spain and so forth. But operators can operate in unregulated markets by accepting Bitcoin.
Another benefit for gambling operators is that all Bitcoin transactions are final. This means there are no chargebacks to deal with for internet gaming companies.
Players in Offshore Markets can Use Bitcoin
Given that Bitcoin isn’t controlled by a government or central bank, it’s very popular in offshore markets. Some online casinos, poker sites, and sportsbooks even base their entire operation around BTC.
This is good for players who live in unregulated markets like Canada and the US, where they don’t have as many options as other countries.
Bitcoin gambling sites allow both operators and players to act with more anonymity.
This isn’t to say that BTC transactions are completely anonymous, as is commonly believed. But the transactions are harder to track when compared to credit cards and eWallets.
In order to crack down on this, certain governments have altered their internet gambling regulations to take aim at Bitcoin. This includes the Czech Republic, Poland, and the Netherlands.
Here’s a look at how each of these countries have recently changed their online gambling laws:
Czech Republic – This country now has the highest taxes on unregulated gambling operators in all of Europe. First off, they level in a 35% tax on gross revenue. The Czech Republic also requires another 19% tax on corporate billing. The Netherlands – Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) regulators are currently searching for Bitcoin gaming sites and other unlicensed operators to push them out of the market. Poland – Gaming regulators have forced a 12% tax on total revenue. Poland also has a rule where they can help choose a gaming site’s staff members.Considering the UK’s forward way of approving Bitcoin, it’s insane to see other countries are railing against it. But hopefully these attitudes change in the near future, because this cryptocurrency isn’t going anywhere.
Cryptocurrency trading is often called a gamble by those who trade in traditional stock markets. The reason why is because of the volatility associated with Bitcoin and other crypto coins.
Investing and cryptocurrency is isn’t a complete gamble, such as playing slot machines or roulette. Instead, it’s more like poker, sports betting, or video poker, where you can use strategy to improve your success rate.
Nevertheless, you do take a fair amount of risk with both short term and long term cryptocurrency investments.
In the first point, I covered how volatile Bitcoin was in December 2017. But what’s amazing is that there are other altcoins that are far more risky than BTC.
In fact, there are currently over 1,000 cryptocurrencies and blockchain companies on the market.
Some investors like to buy a number of risky altcoins based on minimal research. Here are a few points that these types of investors might look at:
Altcoins that have experienced a drop in price, but could be poised to rebound. Coins that have really cheap prices ($0.10 or less) that allow investors to gain a lot of shares. New altcoins that investors hope could become the next Bitcoin one day.The best way to invest in a cryptocurrency is by learning about the team behind it, reading their whitepaper, and understanding the coin’s utility. The fewer of these things that you do, the more you’re gambling.
Back to the original point, some gamblers spend money investing in cryptocurrencies that they would normally pump into online gaming sites.
This is yet another disruptive factor in the industry, because casinos that don’t deal in Bitcoin may see lower volume during the recent cryptocurrency craze.
Bitcoin doesn’t look like it’s ready to completely take over payment solutions for online gaming just yet. But this coin is definitely making a big impact on the industry.
Bitcoin has increased the number of available online gambling sites, lowers transaction fees, and speeds up cashouts.
What’s interesting is that Bitcoin might not even be the end game in cryptocurrency solutions.
Ethereum has now entered the internet gambling space and is used at a small number of casinos. But I expect this to increase greatly in the near future, because Ethereum transactions are even faster and the transaction fees are lower.
Considering how early we are in the cryptocurrency game, it’s entirely possible that one of the newer altcoins could rise to the level of Bitcoin and Ethereum.
I’ve even seen where online gambling sites are working on developing their own blockchain. This means that they could issue their own form of currency, which can be traded on the crypto market.
Long story short, the disruptions that Bitcoin is causing are only the beginning. Expect to see many more changes in the future thanks to blockchain and cryptocurrencies.
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Former customers of Atlantic City's Revel voiced complaints about the NJ casino's glaring weaknesses in hopes Ocean Resort Casino owners are listening.
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From a distance the mountain is shaped like a saddle. It is located about 10 miles northeast of Wickenburg, AZ., nicknamed the 'Dude Ranch Capital of the World.'
The remains of two ghost towns, Stanton and Weaver, lie at the foot of the mountain. Parts of old buildings still exist, with the desert breezes blowing through the crumbling remains. In the distance a coyote howls. A Gila Monster sits on a rock sunning itself, its tongue darting out to catch flies. A sidewinder rattlesnake slithers off and disappears beneath a barrel cactus.
Rich Hill became famous in 1863 when a party of travelers camped at the foot of the mountain. The group was led by Pauline Weaver. When an animal escaped from the makeshift corral Weaver had set up, one of the members followed it to the top of the mountain. There his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
The mountain was covered with gold.
There were nuggets everywhere. In the stream running across the top of Rich Hill. In the boulders strewn across the mountain top. Some of the nuggets were as large as potatoes and that part of the mountain gained the nickname the 'Potato Patch.'
Within a short period of time when gold was selling for about $10 an ounce, the Weaver party extracted more than $100,000 in gold. The gold was so abundant they didn't even have to do much digging, removing most of it with shovels and knives.
The gold discovery occurred nearly 160 years ago. Since that date, an estimated $900 million in gold has been taken from the Rich Hill area. And the truly amazing part of the story is that, according to the prospectors who are working the area, the mother lode has not yet been discovered.
Joe Wilcox was a gold prospector who divided his time between Phoenix and his home in Sedona, AZ. where he and his family operated an Indian trading post. I met him in the early 1980s when I worked as a reporter for the Phoenix Gazette.
Joe was helping a friend promote a service station by setting up a sluice box and letting motorists pan for gold, using ore that Wilcox had transported in a pickup truck from Rich Hill. I stopped my car to fill it with gas and tried my luck at panning. I found a tiny gold nugget in my gold pan and became hooked.
The prospector and I became fast friends and he agreed to take me to Rich Hill the following Saturday. We made the 60-mile drive from Phoenix in Joe's pickup and spent the day panning for gold after a two-hour trek up a mountain trail that took us to the top of the mountain.
'Here is what is so amazing and mysterious about Rich Hill,' Wilcox said. 'Even after all the prospecting and mining over the past 160 years, the mountain is still loaded with gold. After a heavy rainstorm, it just pops out of the ground. Nobody can explain it. This is a phenomenon of nature.'
That day thanks to Joe's tutoring, I found a gold nugget big enough to make into a ring. Joe cracked open a boulder in the middle of the stream and discovered 13 tiny gold nuggets concealed in the clay inside the boulder.
Today there are a number of gold prospecting clubs that have staked claims on Rich Hill. There are 'No Trespassing' signs scattered across the mountain and gold seekers equipped with shovels, picks, crowbars, gold pans and sluice boxes can be spotted in the area seven days a week.
Joe was a poker player as were several of the prospectors I met in the Wickenburg area. They played in home games as well as at the American Legion Posts in Phoenix and Wickenburg.
One of the prospectors I met in the area was a retiree in his 70s. He lived in a camper that he parked near the foot of the mountain. He and Joe were old friends. Once he was convinced I was okay, he showed me some of his treasures. They contained two solid gold bars that he had melted down from the gold he had found in the stream at the foot of the mountain and on Rich Hill.
'This is part of my retirement package,' he joked. 'I just like to look at the gold and realize that I found it on my own with no help from the government.'
Another person I met on Rich Hill was a professor from Arizona State University. Along with his passion for prospecting for gold, he collected rattlesnake venom that the university used in an ongoing program to find a cure for cancer. His nickname was Rattlesnake Pete, he wore a beard and carried a machete, and he brewed a mean cup of cowboy coffee.
One prospector told me candidly that the story of the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine could not compare to the mystery of Rich Hill.
'A lot of men have searched for the Lost Dutchman in the Superstition Mountains,' he said. 'All most of them have found is sunstroke, mosquito bites and fool's gold. Rich Hill is literally a mountain of gold and the mother lode is still out there waiting for somebody to discover it.'
At the Arrowhead Bar, a watering lounge located a few miles from Wickenburg, a grizzled prospector sipped his beer while he recounted his experiences looking for gold in the area.
'There's an old saying that a gold mine is a hole in the ground owned by a liar,' he said. 'While that's probably true, the people who have discovered gold on Rich Hill aren't liars. This is real gold country and they'll be finding gold on this mountain a hundred years from now.' He winked and finished his beer.
I have been to the top of Rich Hill half a dozen times over the past two decades. From the top of the mountain you can see for 75 miles in all directions. There are parts of old wheelbarrows on the mountain top and piles of rocks and boulders that have been moved over the years in the relentless search for gold. You can feel the history. It's alive.
On one of my trips to Rich Hill, an actor friend named Dick Alexander accompanied me. Dick was a friend of Nick Nolte, Wilford Brimley and Michael Landon, the star of 'Bonanza' and producer of the 'Little House On The Prairie' television series. Dick had played a recurring role as a Catholic Priest in the series.
As we stood on top of the mountain, Dick was impressed by the grandeur of the place.
'This is real Arizona,' he said. 'You can almost feel the presence of the pioneers who discovered the gold here. The place gives me the shivers.'
I agreed. The mystery of Rich Hill will do that to you.
Can you really win anything online?
Do casino websites compare to land-based gambling?
Are there opportunities for life-changing prizes through internet-based slots?
Of course, millionaires aren’t being made every day through online gambling, but some fortunate players can say that their lives have been changed all because of a lucky combination on the slot reels.
Top software providers like Microgaming, Playtech, and NetEnt provide progressive jackpot games offered on casinos worldwide. These are games that may start with a six-figure prize and gradually climb the longer it goes unclaimed. Or, they can even be million-minimum payouts that begin at seven figures and only get better from there.
Experienced slot players know the names and where to find them. And, even though there are several, some, like Mega Fortune, Mega Moolah, and Age of the Gods are the cream of the crop and are highly sought out by those players in the know.
I’m going to fill you in on some of the best “bets” for slot players online. While these games may not have the best RTP (return to player percentage), they have the highest payout potential you can find in the virtual world of casino gaming.
Instead of starting out with the all-time top millionaire-maker, I’m going to begin with the game in the number two spot.
Mega Fortune has been chasing after Mega Moolah for years trying to claim the top place, and it’s come very close to doing just that several times. In fact, NetEnt’s Mega Fortune made history in 2013 when it paid out a Mega prize of €17,861,813, breaking the Guinness Book Record for the highest online slot payout.
However, Mega Moolah edged it out in 2015 with its €17,879,645 payout, and the record still stands. At least, at the time of this writing anyway.
Mega Fortune is a luxury-themed slot game with three levels of progressive jackpot prizes: the Rapid, the Major, and the Mega. These top awards are only issued to players that make it into the bonus round. Meaning, the players who see at least three of the bonus symbols on a single payline starting left to right.
The bonus round features a Wheel of (Mega) Fortune. The player stops the spinning wheel to determine his or her fate. The highest non-progressive jackpot amount is 7,500 credits.
Since 2010, Mega Fortune has created twenty-eight millionaires.
It’s not just the prize amount that makes this game so appealing, though. It’s the set up that doesn’t require players to have to bet a considerable amount. There’s a maximum bet requirement of 100 per spin, but that can be made with the lowest .01 designated denomination or the highest .50. So, for 1.00 per game, the bonus round possibility is in play.
Ah, the number one money maker, Mega Moolah. It’s a game provided by Microgaming and, just like Mega Fortune, it pays big and doesn’t mandate big bets. Players aren’t required to select one particular credit value.
The maximum stake is 125 credits, but they can come in at the 1p level for a total of £1.25 per game. That £1.25 isn’t even required for a chance at the bonus round as players can opt to bet below the maximum level.
Mega Moolah is a twenty-five-payline setup with five credits allowed per line. The most prominent prize winner to date was only betting .25 per spin!
Microgaming does state that the higher you bet, the greater your odds of entering the bonus round, but it’s safe to say that it’s not mandatory.
Mega Moolah’s bonus round appears randomly. At any time during gameplay, the Mega Moolah prize wheel can pop up and the player will walk away with one of the four prizes. Each has a seed amount that’s the starting point whenever the prize resets. The mega jackpot always starts at one million and the others are £10, £100, and £1,000.
The prizes during regular gameplay aren’t too shabby either. The top regular game prize is 15,000 per credit or 75,000 with maximum credits bet. There’s also a three-times multiplier during free spin rounds.
Standard Mega Moolah is African-themed, but there are some spin-offs as well. There’s the Egyptian-themed Mega Moolah Isis as well as Summertime and the American-themed Five Reel Drive.
Mobile players also gravitate to this slot game as it’s been proven to pay players on the go with “mega” jackpots of £7 and £8 million. Not a bad way to kill some time, huh?
Playtech’s Age of the Gods series may not be known as millionaire-making slots, but they come incredibly close. Age of the Gods is a linked progressive jackpot that encompasses all of the games in the series. There’s the original Age of the Gods as well as King of Olympus, Prince of Olympus, Furious Four, God of Storms, and Goddess of Wisdom.
Just like Mega Moolah, Age of the Gods has a randomly issued progressive jackpot bonus round. There’s nothing to strive for on the reels. You just have to hope that the “Gods” favor you and reward you with a shot at big money.
If you do get into the bonus action, you’ll walk away with one of the four prizes and a minimum of €50 which is the lowest “Power” level. Extra Power starts at €500, and Super Power begins with €5,000. The top prize is called Ultimate Power and rewards a winner with a minimum of €100,000, but has been known for approaching the million Euro mark from time to time.
Each of the Age of the Gods version has different regular game bonus rounds as well as various feature enhancements like multipliers, sticky wilds, and free spins.
In addition to the progressive jackpot bonus, each slot in the series also offers game-specific bonus rounds and top regular game payouts. The original Age of the Gods provides a top prize of 10,000 without factoring in any multipliers or other value-added opportunities.
Whether you’re a fan of Greek Mythology or just enjoy a game with a lot of fun features, Age of the Gods provides both, plus ever-changing jackpot prize amounts.
The Age of the Gods series features multiple games that all share in one large progressive jackpot prize amount, and the DC Superhero series, also produced by Playtech, offers the same premise.
This time, however, Greek Mythology becomes superhero fun with Batman, Green Lantern, and Superman. Players can select their favorite DC comic book character and spin the reels hoping that they get the invite for the bonus round. Yes, once again, this is a randomly triggered jackpot game, and anyone that’s lucky enough to get to play does walk away with one of the four prizes.
While the premise is similar to Age of the Gods, the prize pool is slightly higher. The Mini prize starts at €100. The Minor offers a minimum of €1,000, the Major is €10,000, and the Grand kicks off with €200,000. It increases steadily from there until it’s eventually claimed, and then it re-seeds again at €200,000.
Each of the games is entirely different. The Batman games are from the original 1960s TV series starring Adam West. Superman honors Christopher Reeve’s character, but there’s also the newer Man of Steel, as well as Green Lantern.
You’ll find per game bonus play as well as the DC Superhero round possibility, and when I last checked in on the Grand prize, it was well over €900,000. So, a superhero-loving slot player should have the opportunity of becoming an instant millionaire if they can beat the odds.
From the Greek Mythology in Age of the Gods to Norse Mythology in Hall of Gods, Odin, Loki, Thor, Freya, and Idun are the stars of the slot reels. This particular game is built on the premise of Thor chasing the Midgard serpent.
Millionaire potential is a probability for the lucky jackpot winners, as this slot has provided an average of €5 million grand prizes. But, a few things need to line up correctly to get there.
First off, you need three bonus symbols on a payline starting from left to right to enter the jackpot round. Then, you need to select the three “Mega Jackpot” symbols that may be hidden behind fifteen shields. If you unveil three other matching prizes first, though, that’s what you get to keep.
Not only is Hall of Gods action packed with some scatter bonuses that can pay out up to 60,000 credits and wild serpents that expand to cover entire reels, but it’s known to pay out twice a year. To date, €57 million has been awarded, but a third of it is attributed to 2017 gaming action. Just recently a €7.5 million payout was made to a Norwegian player.
RealTime Gaming is the software provider behind Aztec’s Millions, and it does have more stringent requirements behind its progressive jackpot structure.
Most of the games I’ve mentioned have flexibility in the minimum wager that needs to be staked, but this particular slot requires a .20 bet on each of the twenty-five fixed paylines. That equals $5 per game to be in contention for the million-plus prize.
Every time a jackpot is claimed, the prize gets reset at one million, and it continues to grow from there.
The top prize is awarded based on regular gameplay and not through a particular bonus round. You’ll go from wannabe to actual millionaire if you can line up five Aztec’s Millions symbols on a payline. If you come up one short, you still receive 2,500 credits, but you’ll probably want to keep your day job.
Oh, and did I mention that this game hasn’t paid out the top jackpot since 2009?
Yes, it’s been more than eight years since a $1.2 million prize was awarded. The game is currently sitting at the $2.4 million mark. Some people are excited to play it because they feel that it “should” pay out at any time now. But, again, they’ve been in that mindset for years now, and it just hasn’t happened.
NetEnt’s Arabian-themed slot has been around now for twelve years, paying out six and seven figure jackpots on average of every two and a half months.
The big prize starts out at €125,000, but prize awards are typically in the 1.5 million range, with a top recorded payout of 4.8 million euros that was awarded all at once.
It’s a five-reel game with only ten paylines and a maximum bet of one per line. While this may sound like an affordable proposition, there’s a catch. While you can select a denomination of .05 to .50 making your per-spin stake .50 up to 5.00, the 5.00 bet is required to be in contention for the progressive jackpot. Anything less and you end up with a 10,000-credit prize, and that would be quite disappointing.
There’s one more twist to keep in mind. There are a few versions of Arabian Nights so that some casinos may have a local jackpot instead of the networked pool with the seven-figure potential. So, if you decide you want to give it a whirl, be sure to find a casino that’s linked in for big money.
There are three different versions of Major Millions, all tied into a networked progressive that starts out at a quarter-million. But, for traditional slot players who enjoy a more streamlined game, the original offers a three-reel, three-payline setup.
It’s a military-themed game, but features more of the ordinary slot symbols that most people are familiar with including bars, cherries, and sevens. The Major Millions symbol doubles the prize when one shows up on a line and quadruples it when two appear.
The Major Millions logo is the key to unlocking the jackpot as well. But, unlike most games where you need the designated symbol to fill a payline, this game requires a full reel.
Three Major Millions logos on reel one provides 25,000 credits, and on reel two it’s 50,000. Reel three is the coveted one, though. Fill reel three, and you’re claiming the top prize amount that’s currently displayed on the screen.
In 2016, a player on her mobile device was down to her last £3 when those logos filled the right side reel on her game screen. She was paid in one lump sum and received a nice check amounting to £1.2 million!
Major Millions is a slot that requires the maximum bet of £3 for every spin. If not, you probably don’t want to see the jackpot spin as you’ll only take away 8,000 credits.
If you enjoy a bit more regular game action, you can also play Major Millions in its five-reel video slot form or the Mega Spin version. All provide the same ever-increasing jackpot that can, obviously, reach millionaire-making status.
2.3 million euros! That’s the size of the 2013 record-setting payout on Playtech’s Gladiator slot game that’s an homage to the 2000 Academy Award-winning film, although Russell Crowe is notably absent.
If you’re up for some fun in the Colosseum, you bet anywhere from €.25 to €1,250 per spin. You’ll play for scatter symbols, multipliers, and two different bonus rounds that can increase your credit balance substantially.
Gladiator hit the virtual casino floors in 2008, but was reinvented as a progressive jackpot version in 2012. It has changed lives of the lucky players who were able to collect the nine golden helmets in the Gladiator Jackpot Round to claim the top prize.
While some of these slots offer random bonus rounds, this one is tied to the payline symbols and requires you to get three helmets on reels 2, 3, and 4 simultaneously. If you accomplish that, then the gates will open wide for you. You’ll select symbols hoping to reveal a golden helmet behind each one. If you get to nine, you emerge victoriously.
If you’re a mobile player or more conservatively betting, you should feel encouraged about this game. In June of 2017, a mobile player betting just £.25 took home £1.3 million by unveiling those coveted golden helmets.
For those who aren’t shy about betting, regular gameplay can add up to something pretty significant as well. A payline of five “Commodus” symbols equates to 5,000 credits per credit bet. With a ten-line maximum allowed, that can add up to a hefty 50,000-credit payout.
RealTime Gaming offers a slot variation that has just edged over the million mark and is available to players from the United States.
Like many casino gaming opportunities open to Americans, though, it tends to be pricier to get in the game. Shopping Spree requires a maximum bet to be in jackpot contention. With a $.25 lower end denomination and forty-five credits, that’s $11.25 every time you press spin. Not intimidated? You can go up to a $100 per credit stake.
The only way to claim to the top prize is to fill a payline with five diamond rings. At that point, though, you have a decision to make. Do you want to go on a shopping spree with a $100,000 value or take the progressive jackpot? There’s not a lot of thought involved here. If the jackpot is under $100,000, go on the shopping spree!
Other possibilities for racking up the credit balance lies within five pearl necklaces or high heeled shoes. The mini bonus rounds can also add up through mystery grab bag picks.
Shopping Spree doesn’t pay out often, but when it does, the amounts have been significant. For a game with a $100,000 minimum guaranteed top jackpot, it has paid out over a million dollars twice. The downside to Shopping Spree is that it’s similar to Aztec’s Millions in its lag time between prize awards. The last millionaire-making payout was in December of 2011.
Some games, like Arabian Nights or Hall of Gods, pay out frequently. Then, there are those like Shopping Spree and Aztec’s Millions that are incredibly stingy with their rewards. Jackpot Giant falls into the latter category.
In the past two years, only one prize has been awarded. The good news is that it was over six million dollars. And, without another payout since then, the current jackpot has grown to surpass the ten million dollar mark. That prize amount designates it as one of THE highest jackpots up for grabs to online slot players.
Jackpot Giant falls into the more expensive category as a £4 stake is required to claim the top payout, should you be lucky enough to get five wilds on the first payline. If £4 is too intimidating, you’ll still claim a 50,000-credit payday for the same result with a smaller bet in place.
This particular slot game is also by Playtech and features a fun introduction, and a “pick and win” volcano bonus as well as stacked and scatter symbols.
Playtech offers yet another progressive jackpot game, and this one will take you down to the sunny seashore for your prize expedition.
Beach Life is a twenty-line, forty-credit game that requires a €5 or a €10 stake. Either one will put you in the running for the ever-increasing top payout amount. If you’re someone who is more comfortable with a .25 bet, this is probably not the game for you.
On the bright side, jackpot issuance averages just over four months so, unlike Shopping Spree and Aztec’s Millions, you won’t grow old waiting for it to be claimed and reset.
This game does have a slightly different jackpot trigger. It’s only activated by five Sunshine symbols on the twentieth line. If five appear on any other payline (one through nineteen), it’s a 10,000credit win instead. So, you can see why all paylines need to be active, as there’s a vast difference between a million dollars and 10,000 credits.
On average, the top prize winners have taken home a 3.25 million-euro payoff, but in 2012, the jackpot reached 8.2 million. So, Beach Life is another one of the top paying progressive jackpot slots you can find online today.
I’ve provided you with just a quick look at twelve different progressive jackpot slot games, but there are several others out there. Their availability depends on where you live and which casino(s) you prefer. But, there should be at least something that you find appealing that could change your life. That is if you join the lucky group of jackpot winners that were able to hit the right combination.
The post Top Online Progressive Jackpots appeared first on GamblingSites.com.
Our regular readers and fellow LCB'ers already know that the annual ICE Totally Gaming conference and exhibition will be held from February 6th to 8th in London – we've covered this bit of info in previous news. What we have to share with you today is that the world-famous developer BetSoft Gaming Limited will be making their appearance at the event, at stand, S3-312.
There, BetSoft, who is renowned for delivering high-quality content to the most popular online casinos around the world, will be debuting some of their latest innovations and inventive solutions. Some of the content that will be making its official debut include the Egyptian-themed, Legend of the Nile video slot, utilizing the cutting-edge Shift platform as well as the Sugar Pop sequel.
Legend of the Nile promises unparalleled graphics, as the developer has been cited commenting that it will come with, “beautifully rendered scenery.” We can also expect to see “revolutionary game mechanics, a great example of how form and function work hand in hand.” What this means exactly, remains to be seen, but we're impatient to find out. What we can also expect to see for the first time is the new trail system that lets players “collect Gods during play,” in order to gain special awards.
Sugar Pop video slot will receive its long-awaited sequel – Sugar Pop 2: Double Dipped. It will boast new features such as the Candy Bomb event, Sweet Hammer and Jelly Bean Cannon.
Another thing that could make its debut during the London event is the announced “evolutionary gaming technology that will open the industry up to entirely new demographics.”
Prior to BetSoft’s spot at this year’s ICE event, the company's Chief Technology Officer Dan Cooper said: “BetSoft [Gaming Limited] believes in a game’s flow; the way the mathematics function, the sounds and animations, the speed in which things happen and the order in which things happen. All of these various elements play a synergistic part in the creation of a game. The closer to perfection each element becomes, the better the resulting game performance can be.”
Source:
“BetSoft Gaming Limited coming to ICE Totally Gaming”, Morgan Adam, worldcasinodirectory.com, January 28, 2018.
International online gambling operator GAN announced plans to open an online casino for Ocean Resort Casino, the former Revel, in the first half of 2018.
The post GAN Announces Plans For New Ocean Resort Casino NJ Gambling Site In 2018 appeared first on NJ Gambling Sites.
The world of cryptocurrencies just got another huge boost within the online gambling industry. Bitcoin.com, the number one info portal for all things Bitcoin, has had their own casino gaming platform called Bitcoin Games for a while now – it was launched in September 2017. Now, it's been significantly enhanced and broadened in that it also has a gaming portal that uses Bitcoin Cash (BCH). The sheer lightweight nature of BCH which makes transactions way faster and less expensive will make many players happy to hear this news.
BCH Games – much like its parent domain - requires no registration (so you can play anonymously if you prefer), has an expected RTP of 99%, provably fair games and instant payouts! Look forward to choosing between a hefty selection of games, too, as players are faced with a gaming catalogue containing video poker, Blackjack, Craps, Keno, Roulette, Dice and, of course, a slice of slot games for your spinning pleasure. Each game can yield instant high-stake jackpots, so it's not just fun and using revolutionary monetary technology – it can also get pretty fruitful.
Explaining the provability of their games, the portal states as follows: “The reason that we can guarantee provably fair gaming is that your web browser supplies a random number that we must incorporate into the random number generator in a provably consistent way (…) Our server first shuffles the deck, and your computer then gives us a random number that we must use to repeatedly cut the deck. Since our servers do not know what random number your computer will send, we have no way of knowing how the shuffle will look in the end.”
The games are open for players all around the world, “except for the US and few other destinations,” due to regulation restrictions. However, the portal goes on to explain that, “US residents can still play the games with test credit.”
Bitcoin Games, launched in fall of 2017, was envisioned as an, “ultimate destination for playing classic casino games with Bitcoin,” that harks back to the days of old and classic game consoles, which is somewhat stated with the very elemental looks of the website. You can easily switch between Bitcoin Games and BCH Games platforms with a clearly visible dropdown menu at the top-left side of the page.
What do you think of the new platform? Will you be using it or are you just glad that further recognition has been given throughout the gambling industry mechanisms? Shout it out in the comments below...
Source:
“Bitcoin Cash Games Arrives – Play Your Favorites Faster With BCH”, bitcoin.com, January 25, 2018.
The concept of virtual reality originated in the 1980s, and online casinos emerged in 1994, but it took until 2015 for an intrepid entrepreneur to blend them both.
When the SlotsMillion virtual reality (VR) online casino launched just over two years ago, the site represented the next step in online gambling’s evolution.
Utilizing the highly advanced Oculus Rift VR headset and high-powered gaming PCs, SlotsMillion was the first fully immersive online casino to transport players directly into cyberspace.
At the time, gamblers and industry insiders alike celebrated SlotsMillion as a trailblazer, paving the way for eventual widespread adoption of VR casinos.
As it turns out, players spanning the spectrum from teenagers to senior citizens are interested in VR casinos.
According to a survey conducted by the research firm Opinium, 66% of respondents reported themselves as “interested” in VR gambling. In fact, 40% of people aged eighteen to thirty-four have already given the technology a go, along with 24% of thirty-five to fifty-four year olds, and 10% of the fifty-five and older crowd.
But even as people express interest in VR casinos, platforms like SlotsMillion and its newly launched competitors aren’t exactly gobbling up market share.
The rate of adaptation continues, but only at a crawl, prompting many within the iGaming industry to wonder whether players will every truly embrace VR casinos.
I’ll try to answer that question on this page, first by examining the primary barrier to entry that has worked against VR casinos. From there, I’ll discuss the many benefits of VR gambling, before offering my own opinion on the technology’s viability down the road.
While the SlotsMillion platform is available in a 3-D rendered browser based version, the site’s true VR experience can only be accessed through the Oculus Rift headset.
The going rate for an Oculus Rift is $350 or so, which is rather reasonable, given the product’s innovative nature. For that flat fee, users can enjoy boundless VR immersion, from the casino at SlotsMillion to any adventure you can imagination.
When the latest iPhone will set you back $800, paying $350 for your own VR machine is nothing short of a steal.
Unfortunately, owning an Oculus Rift headset is only the start for SlotsMillion players. From there, you’ll also need a modern gaming PC outfitted with enough processing power to render VR in real time. I’m not talking about your Toshiba laptop and the like, as you’ll need a dedicated gaming PC setup to really enjoy SlotsMillion as its designers intended.
Depending on the make and model, you can expect to drop another $1,500 or so on a new gaming rig – putting the price of entry to SlotsMillion’s VR casino at just under $2,000.
For that price, you can forego virtual reality altogether and simply book a suite on the Las Vegas Strip.
Indeed, that Opinium survey found that the crucial eighteen to thirty-four demographic, while highly interested in VR experiences, is willing to spend an average of just $134 on the technology.
And for folks in the fifty-five and over age bracket, $74 is the average limit to their prospective VR investment.
That’s a far cry from the $2,000 baseline cost, which helps explain the gulf between interest and actual play.
Alexandre Tomic, the co-founder and chief executive officer of SlotsMillion, recognizes that fact. In an interview with VegasMaster, Tomic explained that the price of VR technology will gradually come down, allowing more players to experiment with experiences like SlotsMillion:
Once headsets and the related technology becomes more affordable, I fully expect the interest and experience levels to continue to rise sharply.”
Thankfully, as recent tech innovations like the smart phone and home assistance computers have shown, prices tend to drop dramatically after the first year or two of use.
A voice activated artificial intelligence machine used to run $1,000 or more, but I just bought my mother in law an Alexa for $29.99.
If VR technology follows the same trendline, it should only be a few years before Best Buy and the rest have Oculus Rift on sale.
Once the costs come down for users, operators of VR casinos are expected to make a killing.
Per a recent report by Juniper Research, entitled “Mobile & Online Gambling: Casinos, Lotteries, Betting & VR 2016 2021,” the VR gambling industry is expected to grow to $520 million by 2021. That’s good enough for an astounding 500 percent rate of growth.
In fact, Juniper Research estimates that a full 40% of the worldwide gambling industry will be composed of VR products by 2021.
Those products aren’t limited to online VR casinos either.
In late 2016, the Gamblit Gaming company rolled out a new skill based Virtual Reality Cube concept. Placed in brick-and-mortar casinos and designed to resemble video game arcades, the Virtual Reality Cube is a kiosk that offers real-money wagering on VR games.
The first game packaged within the Virtual Reality Cube was “The Brookhaven Experiment,” a horror themed zombie shoot ‘em up that plays more like a video game.
Darion Lowenstein, chief marketing officer for Gamblit Gaming, described “The Brookhaven Experiment” as a fusion of arcades, casinos, and VR:
Imagine if not only you were able to bet money on how good you are killing monsters and then able to have your friends, instead of just sitting around watching you in goggles, have them not only see your viewpoint but also be able to bet on your experience.
The way the game works is you start up the experience, and you can bet out $15, $25, or $50, which basically affects your payout return. And as soon as you select [your wager], you’re given three different challenges that change each time you play the game.”
Along with online VR casinos and skill-based kiosks like the Virtual Reality Cube, the gambling industry is exploring several other ways to monetize the emerging technology.
The MGM Grand in Las Vegas opened its Zero Latency Virtual Reality experience this year, inviting guests to take a break from gambling to explore a VR zombie wasteland.
As part of the casino’s LEVEL UP Lounge area, the Zero Latency Virtual Reality attraction doesn’t provide gambling per say, but it has provided thousands of gamblers with their first exposure to VR.
And if they like what they see while zombie hunting, they’ll be more inclined to load up a site like SlotsMillion to see what all the hubbub is about.
One of the most common complaints lodged by online casino enthusiasts is the solitary nature of the experience.
Sure, you have access to hundreds of slot machines, video poker variants, and table games just one click away, but there’s just something missing. Without fellow players at the table to sweat, or a dealer making small talk to pass the time, gambling online often feels sterilized and impersonal.
Indeed, sitting silently for hours staring at a screen, not saying a word, is the default setting for most online gamblers. That’s no fun at all, which is why the live dealer sector of the industry has taken off in recent years.
But even with live dealer games — which connect players to human dealers and genuine equipment via live streamed footage — players are stuck staring at the screen.
You can watch the dealer distribute actual playing cards, which is definitely an improvement over a pixelated animation, but you can’t squeeze and sweat the cards as you would at a real table.
With a VR casino, however, players can walk around, sidle up to a table, and perform any action as they normally would.
Handling chips, checking cards, and even ordering a cocktail – anything you can do in real life is possible on the VR casino floor.
That includes making friends, as a VR casino like SlotsMillion is a fully immersive world. While you’re exploring the venue and searching for your favorite games, fellow players are doing the same in real time.
Take a seat and buy into a baccarat game, and you’ll find your virtual avatar alongside peers who are doing the very same thing.
With chat boxes and microphones in play, it only takes an icebreaker to get the conversation going, and from there you’ll feel like you would gambling it up in Las Vegas.
The excitement of watching your new pal win, their own celebration when you drag a pile of chips, and the mutual commiseration when the dealer makes their hand all add to the immersive nature of VR casinos.
Tomic knows this better than most, as he helped to design SlotsMillion as an outlet for social engagement on par with the best brick-and-mortar casinos:
Without the thrills of playing with other people and seeing them winning, the sensation of being in a casino is not the same — you don’t get that buzz that you feel when you’re there in real life.
Now, with VR, you’ve got that. It’s what we have all been waiting for. Experiments have been done with 3D casinos but they didn’t work — the two most important aspects, immersivity and social, were missing. But with VR, you’ve got both.”
This phenomenon is already on display within the world of competitive video games, as players in their teens encounter strangers on the other side of the world through Halo, Counter Strike, and League of Legends.
Communicating through headsets, and engaging with one another in real time, people who will never meet in the physical world can develop meaningful relationships by playing together online.
That trend should only accelerate as VR casinos become the rule, rather than the exception.
One reason for the delay in widespread VR gambling adoption might just be that the target audience isn’t yet old enough to gamble.
Players like myself who cut their teeth in the brick-and-mortar setting were already reluctant to bring their bankrolls online. Personally, I’ve come around on the idea of online casinos, and nowadays I spend just as much time grinding blackjack on Bovada as I do at the Bellagio.
But it took time for me to embrace online gambling, and I suspect many of my old school peers rejected the technology out of hand. Random number generators that nobody can see, the occasional cheating scandal, and unscrupulous operators were enough to push many avid — but older — gamblers right out of the iGaming industry.
Fast forward to today, and the same phenomenon is occurring with VR casinos. As the Opinium study cited above makes clear, interest in VR gambling is directly correlated to age, with younger players far more likely to take the plunge than their predecessors.
Sarah Blackburn of VentureBeat explained that divide perfectly in a 2015 profile on the VR casino industry:
Thus, the first users of virtual reality casinos will likely be gamers of the millennial generation, and not the casual or traditional gambler.
The virtual online casinos of the future are likely to be hybrid hodge podge of skill games, video games, social games, and traditional casino games — geared towards the millennial generation.”
As Blackburn astutely points out, the millennial generation is already biased against the traditional casino industry. With full access to information on odds against and house edge, younger players rightfully consider games of chance like the slots, craps, and roulette to be “sucker” games.
If younger players are increasingly wary of gambling in live casinos, VR alternatives must take a different track to bring them onboard.
For this reason, most VR gambling products fall into the skill based category, as you’ve already seen with the Virtual Reality Cube’s zombie hunting game. Over at SlotsMillion, one of the site’s most popular virtual slot titles is Beehive Bedlam Reactors, which includes a skill based side game.
Millennial gamers are all about control, and they don’t enjoy leaving their fate up to the fickle whims of fate. They’ve spent their developmental years target shooting alien invaders, putting together massive architectural puzzles, and teaming up to conquer epic fantasy worlds.
VR casinos, perhaps more than any other online gambling option, have the power to put players back in control.
Through a combination of skill based games, and the social engagement added to traditional games of chance, VR casinos create a sense of camaraderie that — until today — could only be found at the nearest brick-and-mortar casino.
On a final note, with the advent of online gambling creating a new wave of problem gambling concerns, VR casinos have tremendous potential to assist in addiction therapy.
For a player who finds themselves hooked on gambling, what was once an enjoyable hobby can transform into a hopeless addiction.
I’ve watched good friends succumb to gambling addiction over the years, and I only wish we had VR casino technology back then.
As part of a groundbreaking study virtual reality as addiction therapy, Stéphane Bouchard of the Université du Québec’s Cyberpsychology Laboratory has created his own VR casino.
When patients suffering from problem gambling feel that all too familiar urge to hit the casino, Bouchard invites them to don a pair of VR goggles instead. By exploring the VR world, and even enjoying the games, these players are able to scratch that itch without ever setting foot on the casino floor.
Bouchard explains his approach to the age-old conundrum of compulsive gambling thusly:
If they say, ‘I think I can control myself,’ that’s good, and we can play the VR simulation with the goal of control.
We want to get to a point where my patient could actually learn to control what’s happening, control themselves, get out of the situation if they have to. All of this has to be practiced.”
As Bouchard makes clear, the role of a VR casino in gambling addiction therapy is to retrain a player’s ingrained behaviors.
For folks who have trouble walking away from a losing session, a few trips to the VR blackjack tables can help them work on accepting a downswing and walking away.
Those who lose track of time and waste entire days spinning the slots can establish limits on their play, before using in-game clocks to monitor their progress.
The possibilities for problem gambling therapy truly are limitless, offering yet another reason for VR casinos to gain widespread acceptance in the coming years.
Virtual reality has been promised to be the wave of the future for three decades and counting, so doubts about VR casinos are completely understandable.
But I believe we’ve reached a technological tipping point, wherein reduced prices and increased utility will combine to bring VR gambling mainstream.
Remember, it wasn’t so long ago that veteran gamblers — myself included — scoffed at the idea of betting real money on computerized blackjack or poker.
Today, the online gambling industry has exploded into a multibillion dollar global enterprise, with millions of players worldwide viewing internet wagers as the de facto way to get in on the action.
Ten years from now, I expect the same conversion to occur with VR casinos, because VR gambling is simply an extension of online play. Eventually, the idea of clicking at pixels and watching animated graphics while gambling will be quaint and outdated.
And when that time comes, you’ll be more than happy to ditch your browser based games for a fully immersive experience.
The post How Likely Is It That Casino Gamblers Will Love Virtual Casino Tech? appeared first on GamblingSites.com.
A week of extraordinary offers and tournaments are instore at two of the most popular online casinos, followed by monthly specials and staggering cash prizes! If you fancy additional spins, reload bonuses and relatively small wagering, navigate to Liberty Slots or Lincoln Casino and choose between this week’s favorite deals.
Whether you seek good deposit boosts or additional rounds on favored slots, Lincoln has got you covered. To get things started, place a symbolic deposit upon login and use the promo code, LCCWSPIN, for an extra 20 spins on Cash Cow. Of course, the party does not end there. Get an additional 40 rounds on Dynasty by using the promo code, LCDXV54, and play from January 22nd to January 29th - winnings can reach up to 5,000X the initial bet!
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One of the best ways to become a successful gambler is to study those who are currently on top. People like Fedor Holz (poker), Teddy Covers (sports betting), and James Grosjean (blackjack) are living legends whom you can study to become a stronger bettor.
But you don’t have to stop at the living legends. In fact, you can learn a lot of lessons and strategy by looking at dead gamblers who thrived.
Who are some of the best late gamblers to learn from?
I’m going to discuss 7 dead gamblers who dominated and left behind lasting legacies.
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Nick Dandolos, best known as “Nick the Greek,” was born in Rethymnon, Crete.
Nick’s grandfather sent him to the United States when he was eighteen years old. Dandolos quickly moved to Montreal, Canada, where he discovered his love of betting on horse races.
He quickly proved successful, winning $500,000 in profits. Dandolos would move to Chicago, where he lost all this money on dice and card games.
While Nick the Greek lost a fortune gambling in Chicago, he also learned some important lessons about how to beat poker. It wouldn’t be long before Dandolos was dominating poker players on a consistent basis.
He played nine-time WSOP champion Johnny Moss in a famous heads-up match. But this was more than a simple match, given that the showdown raged on for five months.
After beating Moss out of between $2 and $4 million, Dandolos famously uttered,
Another legendary poker match saw Nick the Greek face a wealthy Texan. Dandolos beat this mogul to the tune of $1 million.
The Texan later accused Nick the Greek of being afraid when he quit the game in the early morning hours. A weary Dandolos called for a new deck and demanded that the Texan keep playing him.
The mogul backed down from his challenge and quit, rather than risk losing any more money.
Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, once discussed Nick the Greek’s gambling strategy in the autobiography Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! Feynman explained how Nick won through a combination of knowing the odds, carefully selecting his opponents, and taking advantage of his reputation.
As outstanding as he was at gambling, Nick the Greek had a problem with bankroll management and constantly looking for action.
This is why he claimed to have gone from rags to riches over seventy-three times in his lifetime. He also estimated to have won and lost more than $500 million in his life.
What Can What Can We Learn from Nick the Greek?Here are the big two takeaways from Nick the Greek:
Exercise bankroll management Know when to walk awayWhile Dandolos was a very successful gambler, he also had a compulsive streak. The story about him wanting to continue playing the Texas poker player when he was already tired illustrates this.
Nick the Greek spent his twilight years playing $5 draw poker and other casino games. When asked about how he could play such low limits compared to his heyday, Nick said,
Joseph Jagger was an engineer from Yorkshire, England. Jagger used his engineering background to correctly hypothesize that some roulette wheels break down over time and favor certain numbers (a.k.a. wheel bias).
Armed with this knowledge, he hired six clerks to visit the Beaux Arts Casino in Monte Carlo. Jagger instructed the clerks to watch the roulette wheels there and record results.
The clerks returned with the data, which Jagger used to figure out that one of the wheels was biased towards certain numbers. He then traveled to the Monte Carlo casino himself to play roulette.
Over one week, Jagger won the equivalent of US $325,000, which is $12 million when adjusted for modern inflation.
His winnings didn’t come easily, though, because the casino staff switched the biased wheel with another. This caused Jagger to lose part of his fortune before he quickly adjusted and found the biased wheel again.
What Can What Can We Learn from Jagger?Unfortunately, roulette wheel bias isn’t a viable advantage-play technique these days. The reason is because casinos now use Starburst wheels, which have metal frets and are sturdier.
Jagger didn’t just stroll into the Beaux Arts Casino and start dominating roulette. Instead, he invested into the matter by hiring clerks and then pouring over their data for days.
This same type of work ethic can be applied to modern advantage-play techniques, including card counting, daily fantasy sports (DFS), poker, and sports betting.
Alvin Thomas was born in southwestern Missouri and spent most of his early life living near the Ozark Mountains.
He was best known by his nickname, “Titanic Thompson.” This came from a combination of a newspaper misprint and him sinking other gamblers “like the Titanic.”
Thompson left home at age sixteen with less than one dollar in his pocket. He had an early penchant for gambling, learning how to play card games as a youth.
Titanic was drafted into military service during World War 1. Here, Thompson won over $50,000 by gambling with fellow soldiers.
He had a checkered past that involved killing five different men – all of whom had tried to rob and/or harm him.
Despite all of his different run-ins with dangerous thieves, Thompson continued to gamble frequently. He was especially adept at prop betting, where he sometimes even cheated to win.
While Thompson was adept at several forms of gambling, he especially won a lot of money through golf. He quickly became a pro-level golfer, despite not being introduced to the game until his early thirties.
Titanic sometimes made as much as $30,000 a week by hustling country club players. This is especially significant when considering that the average pro only made this much in a year.
The Achilles’ heel in Thompson’s gambling career was horse racing. He admitted to losing millions of dollars by betting on horse races.
What Can What Can We Learn from Titanic Thompson?The best thing to learn from Titanic Thompson is to stick with your best game(s).
Thompson was excellent at everything from poker to golf betting. He was also very successful at prop bets, regardless of whether he was cheating or playing fair.
But he couldn’t stay away from betting on horses and lost a fortune in this sport. If you ever become highly skilled at one or more forms of gambling, don’t blow your winnings on other things that you’re not successful with.
David “Chip” Reese learned to play poker as an elementary school student. His mother taught him poker when he stayed home from school for a year due to rheumatic fever.
This helped Chip become a poker prodigy, and he was able to beat fifth graders when he was just six years old.
Reese attended Dartmouth College, where he briefly played football, was on the debate team, and studied economics. Chip also continued playing poker in college and won a great deal of money from both fellow students and professors.
He was accepted into Stanford Law School. But Reese turned this offer down and instead pursued a professional poker career.
This turned out to be a wise decision because Chip became one of the most successful poker players of all time. He earned $3.96 million in live tournaments and won three WSOP gold bracelets.
Of course, this doesn’t tell the whole story, because Reese won an untold fortune in cash games.
Reese died of pneumonia in 2007. Afterward, poker icon Doyle Brunson said that Chip was the “best poker player that ever lived.”
What Can What Can We Learn from Chip Reese?Reese was like most poker players in that he was a gambler at heart. But unlike Titanic Thompson, Chip didn’t deviate much from the game that brought him so many riches.
This makes Reese one of the more disciplined legendary gamblers in history.
Another takeaway from Chip is how learning skill-based gambling games at an early age gives you a head start on others. Reese learned poker when he was just six years old and used this skill to make large profits throughout his life.
Charles Wells began his early adult life as a successful inventor. He created and sold a device that regulated the speed of ships’ propellers in 1868.
But the Englishman would later move to France and defraud people out of a fortune. In one scheme, he got people to invest £19,000 in a railroad that he had no intention of building.
Wells later used £4,000 of these funds for a gambling trip to Monte Carlo. Here, he won £60,000 (£6m today) by going on an incredible roulette streak.
Wells continued to break the bank, where one wins all of the money at a particular casino table. It’s widely speculated that he’s the inspiration for the 1892 British music hall song “The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo.”
British newspapers caught this story and wanted to know how Wells won so much money in roulette. He claimed to have an “infallible system,” although he was really just using the Martingale.
Wells made three total trips to Monte Carlo. On the third trip, he lost his entire fortune and was later extradited to Britain to face patent fraud charges.
Wells would spend the rest of his life penniless and in and out of prisons.
What Can What Can We Learn from Charles Wells?Wells is the only gambler on this list to earn his fortune through sheer luck.
While the Martingale System works in theory, it will inevitably fail because nobody has infinite money. Wells didn’t know when to quit, and he lost a massive fortune in the process.
If you ever get huge stroke of luck like he did, you should walk away at some point, rather than continuing to risk everything.
Raised in Manhattan, Stu Ungar got an early dose of gambling from hanging around his dad’s social club. He began seriously gambling around the age of eighteen and learned how to play cards from a local organized crime figure.
Ungar parlayed the skills into a highly successful poker career. He regularly won money in both poker and gin rummy.
Unfortunately, he also racked up a huge debt at local racetracks. This led him to embark on a gambling journey, where he lived in Miami and later in Las Vegas.
Ungar was such a great gin player that he eventually couldn’t find action anymore. This led him to play poker full time.
He became the youngest WSOP Main Event champion in history when he won in 1980. Ungar would repeat as the champ in 1981.
Poker wasn’t the only game that Ungar made a lot of money with.
He was considered to be a card-counting prodigy as well, and won so much that many casinos banned him from playing blackjack.
Unfortunately, Ungar had a serious drug problem. He frequently used cocaine to get through marathon poker sessions that lasted into the early morning.
His drug addiction got so bad that he was found unconscious while playing in the 1990 WSOP Main Event. Despite leaving the tournament, he built such a big chip stack that he still finished in ninth place and won $20,500.
Another problem that Ungar had included losing his poker and blackjack winnings on sports betting. These losses were only further fueled when he was high on cocaine.
Ungar would experience redemption at the 1997 WSOP Main Event. He won the tournament, becoming the only person to win the Main Event three times.
This earned Ungar the title of “The Comeback Kid” along with a $500,000 prize.
Despite the success story, Ungar blew almost all of his money on drugs and sports betting. He spent so much that he couldn’t even afford to play in the WSOP Main Event the following year.
Ungar died in 1998 at a cheap Vegas motel called the Oasis. He suffered heart failure as a result of all the years of cocaine abuse.
What Can What Can We Learn from Stu Ungar?The tale of Stu Ungar offers a number of lessons about the pitfalls of success.
Some believe that Ungar was the best card player who ever lived when considering his blackjack, gin rummy, and poker acumen. But he also had self-destructive tendencies that ultimately resulted in his death.
The moral of the story is to avoid this pattern of self-destruction when you’re successful. Who knows how many more poker titles Ungar would’ve won if he didn’t suffer from drug addiction?
Rudolf Wanderone was a professional pool player best known by his adopted nickname “Minnesota Fats.”
Wanderone began playing pool in 1923, when his father took him to train with German billiards champ Erich Hagenlocher. He later faced former nine-ball champ “Cowboy” Weston in 1926 and easily won the match.
A prodigy, Wanderone quit school in eighth grade and spent most of the 1920s playing in New York City pool halls. Here, he befriended Titanic Thompson and went by the nicknames “Smart Henry” and “New York Fats.”
Wanderone travelled wherever the action was, moving to Chicago, southern Illinois, and Norfolk (VA).
He got his nickname Minnesota Fats from the 1961 movie The Hustler, which is based on a Walter Tevis novel. The fictional story covers “Fast Eddie” Felson’s quest to play and beat America’s greatest pool player, Minnesota Fats.
Wanderone swore that the character was based on him. But Tevis denied this and said that the character was completely fictional.
Regardless, Wanderone continued using the nickname and went on to mainstream fame. This included the 1967 TV game show Minnesota Fats Hustles the Pros, where he faced off against pro pool players.
Minnesota Fats never won an official pool tournament. But he was still widely regarded as one of the best, thanks to his hustling career and numerous TV appearances.
What Can What Can We Learn from Minnesota Fats?Wanderone wasn’t afraid to move around when he found a can’t-miss gambling opportunity.
He moved to Norfolk because it became a shipbuilding center and gathering place for soldiers. These factors combined to create a growing population who were interested in pool gambling.
Minnesota Fats and another hustler, Lassiter, moved there and took advantage of the Norfolk conditions.
All of the gamblers I’ve covered here had incredible runs during their lifetime. And each of these bettors offers a lesson for how you can improve at both gambling and life in general.
Nick the Greek was great at winning money from his opponents. But he also did a poor job of managing his bankroll and was reduced to playing $5 poker games later in life.
Chip Reese, on the other hand, was good at staying with the game he excelled at and booking profits. This is why Chip continued to be a successful player until the time of his death.
Joseph Jagger is another model of success who carved out an advantage-play technique that didn’t exist at the time.
You can learn a lesson by reading about each of the gamblers above.
I encourage you to emulate the best aspects of each gambler, while avoiding the worst.
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