Online Casino Gambling

Thousands of slot-machine enthusiasts, poker players, and thrill-seekers were on-sight in Las Vegas for the opening of the new Aria Resort and Casino.

The Aria Resort

The Aria Resort and Casino is a 61-story resort, and part of the most expensive destination on the Las Vegas Strip- CityCenter; costing $8.5 billion. The Aria is set to be the biggest part of Las Vegas’ new CityCenter. The Aria resort has nightclubs, bars, and restaurants. The resort also has a 2,000 seat theater that will be playing a permanent Elvis attraction put on by Cirque du Soleil. A three-story convention center hosts four large ballrooms. There is even a 70,000 square foot spa with a salon, barber shop, and fitness room. The salon also features several private and group rooms. There are three pools outside of the resorts hotel rooms as well.

The Aria Casino

The casino is taking on a new direction from traditional casinos by incorporating natural light in with fluorescent lighting. The casino is 150,000 square feet and features high-end slot machines and poker tables. Many of the high-end options at the casino are featured in private rooms and offer a high-tech level of gaming that is new for Las Vegas.

Opening Night Festivities

Opening night for the new casino was truly Las Vegas style. The grand opening started the evening before opening day with gala hosted for 5,000 guests. The gala served Perignon champagne and caviar among other high-quality food. Around midnight, guests were allowed to enter the Aria for the first time. They were greeted by models and executives, all cheering for the new casino. A fireworks show was held outside for guests who were still awaiting entrance.

Viva Elvis: Truly a Las Vegas Show

The Aria even put on a show for their grand opening. The resort hosted a preview of their soon-to-be permanent attraction; Viva Elvis. Viva Elvis is put on by Cirque du Soleil. The show includes 75 performers reliving the life of Elvis through his songs. The production is a mix of performance art, dance, and acrobatics.

The Aria Resort and Casino promises to be an excellent center attraction for Las Vegas’ highly anticipated CenterCity. Since it will be one of the biggest, and most expensive, project Las Vegas has ever under-took, the Aria may be the trick to turning around the recession slump in the city that never sleeps.

It seems like there is no end to the United States recession’s reach. People are cutting back on everything from everyday luxuries to Christmas presents, and now it appears that casinos are starting to feel the burn of a small pocket book

American Indian Casinos starting to see a Decrease in Profit

At first glance it appears that American Indian casinos are doing well, certainly better then Las Vegas casinos, and this is true to some extent; a few states seem to be recession-proof. However, while the American Indian casinos did see an increase in profit in 2008 from the previous year, a 1.5 percent increase across all 28 states that have American Indian casinos, that profit margin is slim compared to past years. Between 1993 and 2006, American Indian casinos had an average growth of 20.3 percent. Even in 2006, when the nation’s economy started to make a turn for the worst, these casinos still saw a 4.6 percent growth.

Oklahoma and Recession-Proof Casinos

Oklahoma may be the exception to the rule when it comes to a decrease in casino spending. Overall, Oklahoma has 110 casinos, (the largest collection in any state,) and saw an 18 percent increase in revenue in 2008. The biggest reason for this may be location. Oklahoma borders Texas, a state that has mostly escaped the recession and does not allow casino gambling establishments. With locations like Winstar World Casino, Oklahoma is able to draw in thousands of Texas residents daily.

The Future of American Indian Casinos

While American Indian casinos may have seen a drop in sales in 2008, it is unlikely that the set-back will be anything but temporary. Most casinos are still getting the same number of annual visitors as any year prior to the recession; those visitors are just spending less. Chances are when the United States recession starts to turn around, those visitors will return to spending as much, or more, as they were before.

Also, American Indian casinos are still on the rise, there was a 3 percent increase in casinos nationwide in 2008. Several states like California and Oklahoma are building new casinos and making additions to their existing ones. Winstar World Casino was one of the many American Indian casinos in Oklahoma to get a face-lift in 2008 and 2009. Winstar expanded their casino, added an adjacent hotel, and even a few restaurants. All of these attractions are likely to mean more visitors overall.

The United States recession can be seen everywhere, even at the casino, but overall the American Indian casinos are still making a profit. These same casinos are likely to see a bump in profits each year as the recession starts to turn around.

Gambling online can be fun, exciting and very prosperous for winning players.  There are downsides though, and one of the most significant is that these virtual casinos continuously fail at duplicating the atmosphere of their land-based counterparts.  No matter how hard they try, the virtual world has never been able to fully live up to the glitz and glamor brick and mortar casinos tend to offer.  However, this could all change as the concept of 3D graphics has been introduced to the industry.

Poker vs. Casino Software

3D software has enjoyed some success in online poker rooms, but not so much in online casinos.  Why you may ask?  There are actually a couple of reasons.  For one, poker software is far less complicated than online casino software, which generally has more games and an entirely different structure.  When it comes to poker, it doesn’t matter whether you play Texas Hold’em or Five-Card Stud, the basis is the same.  On the other hand, online casinos typically offer blackjack, craps, roulette and a wealth of other games.  Therefore, a different structure is needed to accommodate the variety.  In addition, slots games, which are a major attraction of many online casinos, require heavy graphics and animation in order to provide players with an optimal view of the game.  For this reason, casino operators require greater storage capacity and significantly faster network connections.  This problem is only compounded by the presence of 3D graphics as it puts a tremendous strain on the casino’s system resources.

3D Requirements

While 3D poker rooms do exist online, there are some requirements players should be aware of.  Most rooms require that you have a broadband internet connection in order to play.  This is in contrast to traditional poker rooms that run efficiently on high-speed DSL connections.  And while the visual experience still fails to live up to what you would get in a land-based facility, it provides a quality that rivals some of the best video games on the market.  Poker rooms powered by 3D software offer brilliantly designed avatars that facilitate real-time interaction among players.  Two of the most common interactive features performed by the animated avatars are bluffs and tells, two integral elements of live play. Being that most casino games pit the player against the house, there is rarely interaction among players, so the aforementioned aspect is not as significant.

The Future of 3D Casinos

Although the adoption of 3D casinos has been slow, there have been a few attempts at implementation.  Created by Linden Lab, Second Life is one of the first to make an attempt.   A virtual online world, Second Life members are known for interacting with each other through 3D avatars.   It was reported that a member of the community created a 3D-driven casino and offered invitations to other Second Life subscribers.  Unfortunately, this was around the time that the UIEGA was enacted and federal authorities threatened action.  Linden Lab quickly shut down the casino before any charges could be brought forth.

Slotland Entertainment is the latest to make an attempt at 3D casino games.  The software maker currently offers a select few games in 3D format.  Whether or not it will set a successful trend others will follow remains to be seen.

Once smart phones left the corporate world and went off in to main stream society, a large variety of new applications were developed for the devices. Now smart phone owners can gauge the fuel economy on their car, schedule a lunch date, or level a house. People everywhere are asking, “Is there an app for that?” Harris Casino is right in line with the hundreds answering the call with their new poker app that allows people to play poker anytime, anywhere.

Harris Casino’s iPhone Application

The newly developed iPhone app lets poker enthusiasts compete in virtual World Series of Poker games. Players have a total of seven venues to choose from.

Once the player downloads the application to the iPhone or iTouch they start building a bank roll by playing in smaller poker games. When the player has reached a bank roll of $100, they can start competing in larger World Series of Poker games.

Players who play well can eventually win a virtual bracelet from Harris Casino, similar to the gold bracelets handed out during World Series of Poker Tournaments.

Players who utilize the Bluetooth on their iPhone can also compete against several other players within their Bluetooth range.

The Harris Casino iPhone and iTouch application costs $2.99 to download, and can be found at Apple’s website.

History of the World Series of Poker

The World Series of Poker has been held in Las Vegas once a year since 1970. There are over fity-five events in the tournament and the highest participation was over 8,000. Millions of dollars in prizes are awarded to winners in the World Series of Poker tournaments, with the largest prize being over one million on the final day. That prize is awarded to the winner of the Texas Hold ‘Em competition.

In addition to prize money, the World Series of Poker also awards players with a coveted golden bracelet. These bracelets are a symbol for some of the best poker players in the nation.

iPhone – A Perfect Compliment to Virtual Gambling

The iPhone was created by Apple as a hybrid between a smart phone and their popular MP3 player, the iPod. The iPhone is the most popular smart phone for consumers on the market. It offers an advanced touch screen and highly developed graphics.

The iPhone allows owners to download small applications directly to their smart phone. These applications can do anything imaginable and provide a more customized feel to the phone.

Currently, the iPhone is the only smart phone to carry the World Series of Poker application developed by Harris Casino.

Poker enthusiasts have long been anticipating the North American Poker Tour to make its debut. Since the poker tour was created by poker players, it offers low buy-ins and a chance for almost anyone to play. Thousands are expected to participate in this year’s tour hosted by Poker Stars.

What is Poker Stars?

Poker Stars is the largest online poker site, with millions of registered users. Pokerstars.net offers beginners a chance to learn in an easy online environment.

Pokerstars.net has the best environment for beginners and experienced poker players to practice their skill through their free poker games. These games are for practice only and no winnings can be had at the site.

The North American Poker Tour

The first annual North American Poker Tour kicked off on January 5^th, 2010, with the Pokerstars.net Caribbean Adventure held in the Bahamas. Players will get a chance to play in a highly anticipated poker tournament in one of the most beautiful places on earth. From there the North American Poker Tour makes its next stop in Las Vegas where Poker Stars is hosting the Venetian event from February 20^th-24^th. Next, the tour heads to Connecticut for the Mohegan Sun in April. So far only four tour dates have been announced, but Poker Stars plans to add more events in 2010.

The main events have a $5,000 buy-in. Several smaller events will be hosted throughout each tournament to give every poker player a chance to play. The North American Poker Tour will also be televised and hosted by Joanna Krupa. In addition to players of all skill levels, several famous poker stars are expected to attend the tournaments including, Vanessa Rousso, Daniel Negreanu, Greg Raymer, and Joe Cada.

Poker Stars is offering a chance for players to win a set in the main events held through out the North American Poker Tour. Players can register for a chance to win on Poker Stars website.

The North American Poker Tour expects to pay out millions in winnings to poker players of all skill levels through out 2010 while they make their way across the nation. More tour dates are expected to be announced as the tour progresses. More information about joining the North American Poker Tour is available at the Poker Stars website. This highly anticipated tour promises to be entertaining for anyone interested in joining, or just watching the televised events.

Casinos take their security very seriously. It can almost be a little nerve-racking to patrons, especially first time visitors to a newly built casino, but staying out of trouble is simple enough. Do not cheat the tables, do not horse around on the casino floor, and certainly do not steal the security guard’s truck. That last one may seem obvious to some, but not one Pittsburg firefighter.

Pittsburg River’s Casino Has Security Truck Stolen

The security patrol stopped a man in the River’s Casino parking lot when he noticed the man exhibiting strange behavior. The man asked to for a ride home, so the security officer drove the man to the front of the building where he could call a cab. Once the two arrived at the front of the building, the man got in an altercation with a woman standing at the casino doors. When the security guard got out of his truck to stop the altercation, the man jumped in the driver’s side and drove off.

Man Leads Police on Chase from Casino

The security guard contacted the local police who begin looking for the man. They found him when he was headed the wrong way down the street and almost struck their police car. The police followed the stolen security truck for several miles. Finally, the man parked the security truck and proceeded to run on foot from the police. When he was apprehended it became apparent to police that the man was intoxicated.

Driver of Apprehended Stolen Casino Security Truck Turns out to be Local Firefighter

As it happens, the man who stole a Rivers Casino security truck is actually a local Pittsburg firefighter. The man, William White, has been a firefighter in Pittsburg for nearly sixteen years. Unfortunately, this won’t help White much, as his blood alcohol level was over three times the legal limit when he was apprehended in the stolen casino security truck.

William White, local Pittsburg firefighter, is now facing several criminal and civil charges. White was charged with drinking and driving after he was found to have an excess of alcohol in his system. He may also face charges of grand theft auto from speeding away in the security truck. There is no word yet if the River’s casino plans to press any civil charges for damages that may have occurred to their property, or if the woman who White was found to be arguing with plans to press charges.