ON LINE GAMBLING INFORMATION

[ahtram88]

I received an email from  Simon Goodman?? Not sure who he is or why it was sent to me.  I think the information it provides is very practical. What do you think? He is very in favor of eCOGRA. EMAIL FROM SIMON GOODMAN : I have been in the industry for a while now and I am often asked many questions about online casinos.So I thought I'd try and answer some of the common one. As always, I welcome any feedback you might have.Are all the casinos different?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~No, they are not really; almost all casinos buy their software from providers, they then advertise their casino as unique by changing some of the graphics.Most of those software providers will then offer full support as well as new games on regular basis.Although the money on is clearly from the casino itself, the software providers make sure that everything runs smoothly in the background.Normally there is a link at the bottom of the casino home page that says something like 'powered by...'When looking for a casino, be sure to look for who actually manages the casino software and do a little research about them as well as the casino itself.Look out for a big name, because when it comes to online casino, bigger is often better.eCOGRA~~~~~~When it comes to online gambling there are a few laws that really apply.Sadly a large number of casinos operate very shady operations.eCOGRA, ( <a href="http://www.ecogra.org/default.aspx"> http://www.ecogra.org/default.aspx </a> ), is an independent organization that ensures fair play and good standards, (no, I don't work for eCOGRA, but they are about the only recognized body that tries to monitors online gambling).They cannot enforce any rules, but if a casino is a member it means that their software has been 'verified', (in other words the games are truly random and independently tested).If your online casino is not a member of eCOGRA, chances are you will probably loose a lot more than you will win.Have a look at their approved sites, you will most probably find the casino you are looking for.Is it really random?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Is the online casino playing fair?Are the results really random?I know most people don't believe me, but yes, online casinos are random, in fact they pay better odds than most land based casinos, (because they have less overheads).Of course it depends on the casino software, but if you chose your casino carefully chances are that they are not fixing the games.They make their money like any casinos, by returning guests, they know that players will keep coming back.It is a common misconception that all online casinos cheat the players.The profit margin~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The winnings are normally between 90% and 99%, that means that in for every $1.00 you will win $.99c, (or loose 1c per dollar). But that is of course only an average, in the long run that is what will happen.In summary~~~~~~~~~~- Choose your casino carefully make sure it is accredited.- The odds are slightly better online, but they are still against you.- Make sure they are eCOGRA certified.- Know what software the casino uses.- Play the new games, they tend to have a better payout.- Don't hesitate to go online and read reviews about the casinos.- Use the help desk of the casino, they will often reward you with free games.- Don't base you judgment on one review, most casinos offer bonuses to those site to tempt them into giving glowing reviews.Other questions?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~If you have any questions or feedback feel free to send them to me, (just reply), and I will try and answer them as truthfully as I can.Regards,Simon Goodman ahtram88-- Edited by ahtram88 at 18:23, 2007-05-12

 

[ahtram88]

RE: ON LINE CASINO INFORMATION...What do you think?

Another email from John Goodman: Thanks to the feedback I received this week I thought I'd answer a few more questions.The overwhelming majority was regarding the new Gambling laws in the US.So let me first try and tackle the legal issue.Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~All the bill does is a modernization of the wire act of 1961, the new bill attempts to make it more difficult to get money into a gambling site by forbidding US financial Institutions from funding the type of online gambling which the law has previously made illegal.The new bill does NOT make online gaming illegal where it was not illegal before they just closed some loopholes regarding payments.Let me say that again. The new bill does not make online gaming illegal.This is the actual text of the law, <a href="http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h109-4411"> http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h109-4411 </a> This is what msnbc had to say on the mater, <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15118962/"> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15118962/ </a> Online Poker is not illegal---------------------------The judiciary has already held that the 1961 Wire Act doesn't speak to poker. It only applies to sports-betting.Jurisdiction------------The US government doesn't have jurisdiction to make rules for a company that resides offshore.US rules do not apply in other countries as they have their own set of rules.For various reasons, almost all the gaming sites are offshore and not subject to US laws.Neteller, an online money transfer service, is also an offshore company, not subject to US laws.But they decided to stop online gambling transactions because of the perception that the US public has of the law.And this is the reason some online companies have pulled out of the US. Because they are publicly listed they cannot be seen to be breaking any US laws.Furthermore as some of the shareholders are US citizens that would make the whole company 'US based'.- The law applies to the casinos, not the player. If they allow you to play then you are not breaking the law.- The law applies to US based casinos; many casinos are already based offshore for financial reasons.- 11 states made it a federal law preventing online gambling, in those cases there is no way around it. You cannot gamble online in those states.- The law only applies to US citizens.Are Slot Bonus Game skill based?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~No, bonus games are cleverly designed to give the impression that choosing an item over another will somehow change the outcome. In reality, it does not, otherwise some clever programmers would find a way of changing the outcome.Do 'big' players win more?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Statistically, yes, because your best chance of winning, (on slots), is to bet the maximum possible for every spins.But remember, (statically), you will still loose in the long run.But many 'professional' players will win huge jackpots, (because they were betting the maximum), and in turn go on casino notice board and tell everybody about it.What they don't tell you is that they had to invest thousands of dollars to get that one big win.That's human nature, people will tell you when they win big, but they will be very quiet when they loose big.Does using the slot quick spin or table fast deal make a difference?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~No, when playing an online casino, everything you see on your screen is 'eye candy'. Nothing you do on your side will control the outcome of the spin/deal.When you hit the spin button your computer 'asks' the casino, (over the internet), for a result. That result is then displayed on your screen, (in the form of a slow spin with flashing lights and some pretty music).In the past the spin was used to wait for the response from the internet, but now the connection speeds are such that you can have 'Fast Deals' or 'Quick Spins'.Why does it take so long to withdraw my money?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Simple, they hope that you will change your mind.By holding on to your money for one month they know that you will probably want to gamble again, and they hope you will loose and stop the withdraw.But you should not wait more than a month for a withdrawal to clear.Winning with Bonus Money~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Some casinos will give you $xx either for joining or simply for been a good guest.In the small prints certain casinos will ask you to bet 10 times the bonus amount with real money before you can claim any wins.If you win with Bonus money they might 'hold' the winnings until you have actually cashed-in the required amount of 'real' money.Sadly, some online casinos will hold any wins that you get with the bonus money.Again, choosing your casino is key to having an enjoyable experience.What is my favorite online casino?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A few of you wanted to know what my favorite casino is, I have many, but I think I will keep those to myself otherwise I would appear to be promoting one casino over another.Other questions?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Remember, if you have any questions or feedback feel free to send them to me, (just reply), and I will try and answer them as truthfully as I can.Regards,Simon Goodman

 

[grr84u]

Ahthram,                Thanks for great info posted

...           After reading this *esp* in regards to the 11 banned states...I have decided to do a little more research about the law stating that we are actually breaking the law, not the casino!!!!!!!!!!!!!           I don't know if any members here are in the 11????  I am, as you know, in vegas!!! So I hope its kewl if I post back  here with any good info I manage to dig up~

 

[ahtram88]

 

  grr84u- ................................................................................................................ <img width="100" src="http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r125/ahtram88/3D_bird.gif" alt="3D_bird.gif" height="65" style="width:100px;">Please do......You are good to have as a member here. I am not sure who John Goodman is .....I have been meaning to do some research...   I thought he explained things quite well. I saw no errors in what he had to say. If anyone else does please post.ahtram88 -- Edited by ahtram88 at 16:24, 2007-05-20

 

[ahtram88]

Casino's using US Law to Delay Payments

3rd installment : Hi, this is the third installment to some of the current questions some of you might have about online casinos.I have added a list of some casinos that are currently using the new law in the US to delay payments. If you know of any more 'rogue' casinos, please let me know and I will investigate as much as possible.Are bonuses randomly triggered?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Yes, in the case of a reputable casino they are randomly triggered.... to a certain extent.The casino sometimes 'seed' the bonus meaning that they cannot be won before a certain time and must be won after a certain time.This is more noticeable in the case of progressive jackpots, you will notice that most jackpots are won around a certain value, ($20.000 or $1.000.000 for example), this is because the trigger time or value was reached.But technically the casino does not choose who wins bonus. It only makes it easier and easier to win the closer the casino gets to a certain target.I also do not know of any casino that 'choose' the country of the winner or if they are big players or not.Often some casinos advertise that the bonus 'must be won this week-end' this is because they know that the computer has been instructed to randomly pay someone who gets close to the trigger value or time, (normally on week-end).Loan account~~~~~~~~~~~~Another note about bonuses and progressives, some casinos will not pay out a certain bonus/progressive until an amount has been 'made' from the game, (typically 20% to 50% of the bonus).This is sometimes called the 'loan account'; until that loan has been paid back the bonuses/progressives will not be won by anyone.Of course the casino hopes to make a lot more than the loan amount, (about 500%), but that is their way of making sure that they don't pay out before they get to make some money.What game is most profitable?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~This is another common question, because everyone seems to have their own little 'techniques' for each game.But, as already mentioned, while no casino game played normally will make you a winner in the long run, there are several speeds at which you can lose.Games like Roulette take longer per spins, but you usually spend more on them than on the slot machines.To make matters worse, each casinos have different rules for each games, so it is very hard, (if not impossible), to say what game is likely to offer the better odds, because the blackjack rules in one casino might not be the same at another, (do they hit on soft 17?, can you split on any 2 cards? Can you surrender?).Nonetheless, as a general principle, if you want to lose money at the slowest possible rate, play blackjack using what game experts call basic strategy. In contrast, roulette is a money-burner because of the amount you spend per spins and the odds are clearly on the side of the casino.Craps doesn't help you either. Rolling a 7, has an even money payoff that delivers a 1.41% edge to the house. The single-roll bets are just ridiculous: an 'any 7' bet pays 4:1 and gives the house a whopping 16% edge.Online Slots, on the other hand can offer the best odds, but that's really up to the casino.They can setup the reel to offer payouts ranging from 90% to 99%.Most reputable online casinos will offer very high percentages, (meaning you should loose less), in the region of +96% to +99%. This is because of the competition between casinos themselves, they need to be known to be high payers.Some new casinos even set their machines to be at 102% or even 106%, meaning you cannot loose with those machines.There are a lot of systems, (like doubling your money after each loss or the Martingale method). Those don't really work either for various reasons, (one of them been the upper betting limit imposes by any casinos).A small note about blackjack, although it offers you the best odds, (apart from some slot games), card counting is not really possible online, it is not illegal to count cards at all; it is just not possible to do it.Having said that, my two favorite games are Blackjack and Poker, poker can be a lot of fun if you join a good table, even online. Some tables can cheat, but after a while you know what casinos are the best.NETeller going from bad to worse?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Regrettably the NETeller news that online players really want to hear - when their funds currently frozen by the embattled e-wallet are to be released - was not available.At the time of writing this newsletter it looks like NETeller has no immediate plan to release the frozen funds.There was a press release at the end of march about a possible agreement between NETeller and the US government that sounded promising but some accounts are still frozen.The announcement claims that all accounts should be released within the next 75 days, (or at least make another announcement about it).See <a href="http://www.neteller-group.com/press/en/126.htm"> http://www.neteller-group.com/press/en/126.htm </a> and <a href="http://content.neteller.com/content/en/member_businessupdate_us.htm"> http://content.neteller.com/content/en/member_businessupdate_us.htm </a> for more on the mater.Sadly we will not know more until the middle of June, but it looks like everyone will get paid in the end.Bad casinos?~~~~~~~~~~~We have had reports or casinos not paying out, we are looking into it and hopefully we will know more in the near future. All those casinos are using the new laws in the US to delay payments. I cannot see any good reason for them to do that.- All Jackpots casino- Grand Prive- Blackjack Ballroom.- Blackjack Casino- Golden palace Casino- Casino Kingdom- English Harbor,- big dollar casino- Lucky Pyramid CasinoOther casino reported.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~- Golden Palace, (the old Golden Casino), they seem to be under new ownership and not doing too well.- Intertops casino, don't seem to be limiting players from the states that prohibit online gambling.More questions~~~~~~~~~~~~~~As always, please keep sending me any technical questions you might have and I will try and answer as many as I can in the next newsletter.Regards,Simon Goodman

 

[belgamo]

 I love the info, but I have one personal note to make. I had a cashout with Blackjack ballroom this week and it only took 2 days.

 

[ahtram88]

Here is another article from Mr. Goodman!4th Installment: <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mhc"> Simon Goodman   <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="rc"> to me show details  Aug 3  <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:100%;"> Hey martha,Is roulette your big game?~~~~I was always under the impression that Slots was the most popular game, followed by Poker.A new survey in Europe shows that beginners play slots and poker, but the pros play roulette.Where I work we haven't developed new Roulette games for a while, preferring the Slots.Maybe we should reconsider... How many of you play Roulette?Casino news.============*************************************************If you're in a hurry, want to find out how to beat online casinos?=&gt; http://www.manager101.com/rd/thecasino.php *************************************************NETeller U.S. withdrawals~~~~Some have been waiting for this news since Mid January. Apparently you can start withdrawing from your NETeller account.Casino City even reported that the whole process seems to be going rather smoothly.Some Players claim that they have already been paid.New Casino for US Players?~~~~Golden Casino now allows US player and they have a 100% sign up bonus.But remember that it is a new casino so be careful... they are part of the gambling911.com group.French player won $77,045.24!~~~~He/She won on an Imperial Casino Slot machine. Just in case you were wondering where all the money goes .Land based Slot machines vs. online machines.~~~~Some of you contacted me about my last message telling me that they 'saw' machines been tempered and that do not know what I am taking about when claiming that online slots are not fixed.What I do know is that I am talking about online slot games and I do know that reputable casinos don't 'fix' the outcome of the spins.As I said before, they carefully calculated the statistics and probabilities of winning vs. losing. That and a few thousand players online every nights that's all they need, this is why their casinos are running at 95%-98% payout, no cheating needed. Simple math.Of course, rogue casinos are not in the same league, they never payout.Video Poker Tips:~~~1) Learn the basics of draw poker before you start playing video poker at online casinos.2) Practice, practice, practice before playing for real.3) Study the machines carefully and choose the one that offers the better payouts/returns.4) Be sure to know the rules of the machine you want to play.5) Do some math; learn what 'hold' pays better than another.6) Do not keep cards that cannot be used to form a winning hand.7) Hold on to any pair instead of keeping a high card or to draw into a straight or a flush.8) Practice playing online video poker in a play money modeSome reported casinos============Bodog, they've had some big jackpots lately, but they are a bit slow at paying out. Connecttocasino.com , very bad news from them.Golden palace, their bonus payout limits are not very clearJackpot factory group, very slow at paying out, (if ever). More casino information*************************************************=&gt; http://www.manager101.com/rd/thecasino.php *************************************************More questions============As always, please keep sending me any technical questions you might have and I will try and answer as many as I can in the next newsletter.Regards,