Online Casino Gambling

Keno is one of the oldest casino games in the world and still among the most popular.  From the early days in China to the local lotteries to online casinos throughout the web, this game has certainly come a long way.  Though quite vague to some, Keno is relatively simple when you know what to expect.

Getting Started

Whether it is online or in a land-based facility, each player receives a ticket known as a Keno board.  This board contains eighty numbers.  The object of the game is to predict as many of the twenty numbers presented in each round as possible.  When playing online, the numbers are selected by the RNG (random number generator) in the casino software.  You have the option to place a wager on any number you believe will come up, picking anywhere from one to ten numbers.  If your numbers match the randomly selected numbers, then you “hit.”  The more numbers you predict, the higher payout you receive.  The actual payout of course, all depends on how much you bet.  In Keno, the most common bets are of $1, $3 and $5 denominations.

You begin the game by choosing the numbers you want on the Keno board.  In most online casinos, you have the option to allow the software to select random numbers on your behalf.

You can also deselect numbers if decide to make another selection.  Once you choose your numbers, you will notice the potential payout in the corner of the screen.  After making your wager, you can then choose how many games you want to play.  Most casinos let you play one, five, or ten games at a time and have features that provide detailed information on each game played.

Keno Strategy

Since the game of Keno has several potential number combinations, calculating these probabilities and the odds can be a very overwhelming challenge.  How difficult is it?  Well, there are literally far more than three quintillion possible combinations that could come up each round.  Don’t let this get you down, because you don’t have to be a mathematical genius to win at keno.  Here are few strategic tips to take with you:

Make a Good Bet – Even when your bankroll is dwindling, it still might be a better to make a $5 wager opposed to a $1 bet.  Over the long run, payouts for these bets will turn out to be far more significant.

Pick the Right Spots – If you want to stick around when playing Keno, choosing the right number spots on the board is very essential.  This of course, will take some getting used to, but over time you will learn to select the spots that enhance the possibility of some of your numbers being drawn.

Be Realistic - Keep in mind that Keno is a game of pure chance.  Because the numbers are randomly generated, it is virtually impossible to predict the outcome of any given round.  Sometimes things will work in your favor, sometimes they won’t.  That’s the beauty of games like Keno because you never know what your luck might call for.

An online subsidiary of IGT (International Game Technology), WagerWorks is one of the premiere providers of online casino software.  In fact, the firm currently provides gaming solutions for most of the online casino operators in Britain.  Originally a subsidiary of acclaimed slot machine producer Silicon Gaming, WagerWorks was purchased by International Game Technology in 2005.  Since the acquisition, it has helped to revive the ITG brand and now has its games in some of the industry’s biggest and best online casinos.

Layout and Presentation

There are some casinos who attempt to portray realism with vividly custom designs and others that put an emphasis on their brand.  The approach WagerWorks takes is one that resonates with the player, helping to distinguish its casinos from all others.  Among its most popular casinos is 888.com, which instead of a menu bar, offers a circle of gaming icons flanked by a Flash movie in the center.  When selecting an icon, players are taken to the lobby area where all the available games are located.  From there, players can rotate their mouse over the icons to view a special preview and details of the game.   The comprehensive layout and presentation of the gaming interface are attributing factors to WagerWork’s success as an online casino software vendor.

In-Game Graphics and Sound

For those looking to indulge in video poker, WagerWorks casinos can assure you a truly unforgettable experience.  Its virtual video poker machines are a feast for the eyes, particularly the Power Poker game that allows you to try your luck with a full 50 hands at one time.  The vendor also offers an array of exciting slots options such as Spider Man and Knights and Maidens, all of which are complimented by brilliant animation and realistic sounds.  WagerWorks table games such as blackjack and roulette are pretty stellar in the graphics and sound department as well.  Though not quite as stunning as the slots options, they are rather impressive nevertheless.

Gaming Variety

WagerWorks casinos offer players a broad range of gaming options to choose from.  Slots is one of its specialities and aside from the aforementioned titles, other popular games include Gold Medal Mania, Fantastic Four and Treasure Twirl.  Its Video Poker option cover beloved favorites such as Deuces Wild and Jacks or Better as well as variants like Aces and Faces.  WagerWorks also has something for those who prefer table games with options ranging from craps and baccarat to Pai Gow Poker and virtually everything in between.  With exclusive gaming rights to world famous brands such as Baywatch, Monopoly and Wheel of Fortune, WagerWorks has the technology to ensure a smooth and unrivaled online gaming experience.

Conclusion

WagerWorks is currently one of the fastest growing online casino software providers in the industry.  The company is always developing and launching new games to keep the gaming experience fresh and entertaining.  With IGT being the largest slot machine maker in the world, WagerWorks has benefitted tremendously from the relationship and developed some of the best online casino games available.

Everyone is now familiar with the popular Sin City slogan of “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”  For many, Las Vegas is that great escape from the real world.  Naturally, some visitors would prefer that all of their gambling and recreational activities remain sacred.  In a sense, the same holds true for the realm of online gaming as having privacy is a must.  This article will give you several tips to keep in mind when examining the privacy policy of an online casino site.

Privacy for Email

It is critical to make sure the online casino’s privacy policy covers email communications.  The company should clearly state that it will not distribute spam to your email address or solicit it to third-party sources.  Your email address should only be used for matters pertaining to your casino account or newsletters and promotional offers you agreed to receive.  Under no circumstance should it ever be given to an outside company or auctioned off for sale.  To put it simple, your email address should only be a communications medium between you and the casino operator.

Efficient Sign-in Systems

Online casinos require that you submit a great deal of personal information upon signing up for an account.  This generally includes your name, home address, email address and phone number.  You will have to fork over even more details if you want to fund your account with real money.  While this can be a hassle and scary for some, it is a requirement that must be met in order to place a wager. Even though there is no getting round this aspect, it is still advisable to find a casino that ensures privacy with a system that requires you to enter these details only once, opposed to every time you want to make a wager.

Be Aware of Cookies

There are many sites that rely on cookies to keep track of the players who register at the casino.  This helps them automatically recognize you the next time you pay a visit.  However, the basic functioning of cookies could be a privacy concern.  You could always disable cookies through your browser but there may be a few consequences.  While most sites allow you to access the normal casino features, others will be limited in terms of functionality because their gaming software requires the use of cookies.

These are just a few of many important factors that must be considered when evaluating the privacy policy of an online casino.  Although each operator has different policies, all should be designed to keep your information safe.  Because you will be required to comply with an agreement before signing up, this would be the perfect opportunity to speak with someone at the company to make sure the privacy policy lives up to your standards.  If the person cannot answer your questions to satisfactory or you find something in the policy that sound right, simply move onto to another casino site.  Rest assured, there are plenty of suitors that can provide you with the level of privacy and security you need to feel comfortable.

The regulation of online gambling has been one of the most controversial topics of recent times.  Since the inception of the industry in the late 1990s, jurisdictions, lawmakers, organizations and individuals all over the world have debated whether it should be completely legal and regulated or banned entirely.  The United States is arguably the biggest center of controversy due to the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) enacted by President Bush and a republican-led U.S. Congress.  Although the UIGEA does not specifically forbid American players from gambling online, it does speak highly of the disdain many U.S. politicians have for the industry.  Ironically, even with this legislation in place, research shows that well over 50% of online gamblers worldwide reside in the United States.

UIGEA Reception

The initial reaction to the UIGEA can be compared to that of Prohibition back in the in the early 1920s.  It was similar in a sense that several publicly regulated offshore online casino operators abandoned the American market in fear of punishment from lawmakers.  However, the drastic market shift that left players with fewer gaming options simply directed them to privately owned firms who were not afraid to accept wagers from U.S. citizens.  For this reason, critics of the bill have frequently remarked that the UIGEA really does nothing to stop internet gambling for the simple fact that players can seemingly always find a loophole that allows them to play somewhere.  Jurisdictions such as Antigua and Barbuda have labeled the UIGEA and other legal actions taken by the United States as discrimination against online casino operators and a breach of international free trade.  Battles have already been won against the U.S. and several more countries are planning to file complaints because it continuously fails to make efforts to comply with WTO’s (World Trade Organization’s) filing back in 2005.

The United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy  and many other nations have decided to regulate and tax the online gambling industry instead of outlaw it completely.  In fact, several countries, including Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and The Netherlands were warned back in 2006 by the European Commission for allowing local lotteries to offer sports betting, but preventing other operators from doing so.  Charlie McCreevy, EU Financial Services Commissioner, recently hinted that more nations could be added to the growing list of juristidtions currently pending legal ramifications for refusing to open their markets to online gambling.

The Battle Continues

Recent studies conducted by the British government reveal that there are nearly one million avid online gamblers residing in the country.  These players account for an estimated one-third of Europe’s approximate number of 3.5 million people who gamble online.  When combined with nearly 20 million online gamblers in the U.S., you have a rather large group of global supporters that help to power the billion dollar per year industry that has become the internet gambling market.  Players everywhere want a piece of the action so until viable agreements are reached, online gambling regulation will likely be a controversial matter for some time to come.

The more respectable online casino operators take all the measures they can to ensure a safe and secure gaming environment.   However, these efforts do nothing to stop hackers from making their attempts of breaking into accounts and divulging sensitive personal and financial information.  These days, it is not uncommon to receive an email that looks as if was sent from a casino you do business with, but is indeed from a criminal looking to compromise your player account.  This is a common internet scam known as phishing.

Sometimes these messages originate from what appears to be a valid casino email account.  In most cases, the tone of the message is urgent, making it seem as if you need to act fast before some sort of action taken against you.  Almost always, these spoofed emails try to persuade you into clicking on a link, which then redirects you to rogue website where you are prompted to enter the login credentials for your online casino account.  Th sole purpose of this scam is to steal your information to commit fraud or full fledged identity theft.

Identifying Phishing Bait

Phishing is a very serious crime that poses a direct threat to your identity and financial assets.  Fortunately, avoiding this scam is quite easy.  Just like most threats, the best way to deal with this one is prevention.  Below we have provided a few tips to help you identify phishing emails:

Urgent Tone - As we touched on above, phishing emails often have a strong sense of urgency and portray that there is a major problem with your account.  They will typically threaten to cancel your account if you do not respond with the requested information.

HTML Links – The second big indicator is the request to click on a provided link in
the email to confirm your account details.

Suspicious URLs - Some phishing emails have to be observed very closely in order to distinguish them from legitimate messages.  This is because they often look identical to what you would receive from online casino operator.   You can often tell the real from the fake by looking at the embedded links in the email.  It could be something as simple as the inclusion or exclusion of “www” attached to the website URL.

Poor Grammar - While their plans are often cleverly concocted, con artists often make obvious spelling or grammatical errors that give them away to the trained eye.  These errors are sometimes done purposely to bypass spam filters but could actually keep you from making a tremendous mistake.

Protecting Yourself Against Phishing

Likewise, there are a few simple steps that can help you protect yourself against phishing scams.  Here are some important tips that work every time:

Avoid Clicking Links – If you believe the email you are reading could be spam or a phishing trap, never click on any link in the body of the message.

Do Not Opt Out – Never opt out or unsubscribe to a suspicious email.  Spoofers often give you these options simply to formulate a list of active email accounts.

Keep up with Your Casino Account – You can protect yourself from phishing just by knowing the status of your account.  A reliable casino operator will provide an interface that makes it simple to know what is going on with your account at all times.

eCOGRA (e-Commerce and Online Gambling Regulation and Assurance) is a non-profit organization that exists to ensure reliability and fair play in the online gambling industry.  While the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Act) is a legislation that stands against the regulation of internet gambling in the United States, the purpose of the eCOGRA is to establish the basis for what it considers to be high quality standards in the industry as a whole.  Working as an independent contractor, this body services all legitimate online casino operators throughout the world.

Recognizing eCOGRA

eCOGRA is perhaps best recognized by its Seal of Approval, which signifies credibility and excellence in the online gaming industry.  When out hunting for a casino, you will likely observer a number of sites that bear this official seal.  This particular honor is given to casino operators that meet a wide variety of criteria, such as providing adequate security for players, ensuring fair gaming and ultimately running a responsible business.  These operators are approved because they not only meet criteria of eCOCRA, but player standards as well.  Honest promotional offers, unbiased RNG (random number generators) and efficient payment processing all goes into approval requirements.

Resolving Matters Through eCOGRA

Choosing to play at a casino site that displays the eCOGRA Seal of Approval is something you want to consider.  Why?  Well, it is this simple logo that ensures your questions or concerns will be addressed accordingly.  Of course you should try to get your matters resolved through the casino first, but if they do not cooperate for whatever reason, rest assured that eCOGRA is a trusted body that will stand in your corner.  The organization, does however, ask that you allow time to pass, generally two weeks from the original report to work out a resolution.  For better service, it is advisable to provide eCOGRA with copies of all documents and correspondence to support your claim.  While it does not support any players you have been involved in questionable online gaming practices, if you have truly been wronged, this is the best ally to have on your side.

What separates eCOCRA from other independent regulatory bodies is the fact the it is not in the business for success or profits.  Instead, this organization is designed for longevity and to keep the industry fairly balanced.  Casino operators who earn its honorable seal agree to demonstrate their commitment to the both eCOCRA and the customer.  When choosing to play at a site approved by this reputable organization, you can relax a bit easier with the confidence of knowing your payments will be processed and distributed in a secure and efficient manner, and most importantly, that the site you are gambling on believes in fair play and will likely be around for some time to come.  If you are completely new to the online gaming experience, we highly recommend keeping your eyes peeled for the eCOGRA Seal of Approval.

You can find a list of approved online casinos on the eCOGRA website.