Online Casino Gambling

Many Nevada-based casino operators that own some of the most well-known brands in the industry may have caught a break with online gaming. U.S. casinos have had to sit back and watch the multi-billion dollar online gaming industry explode, without them getting a piece of the action. However, this may change.

Operating online-based casinos is currently illegal under United States law. New legislation has been proposed to punish foreign companies that have significantly profited by accepting bets from U.S. players. The idea is to help U.S. casinos improve their profits as less foreign gaming sites may now allow Americans. In turn more gamblers will visit land-based casinos.

Recently, the House Financial Services Committee passed a bill legalizing and regulating online gaming. Attached to the bill are amendments that prevent current online operators that are violating U.S. laws from obtaining a license under the new bill. For instance, one section prohibits those individuals that continued to operate or work for illegal online casinos from obtaining a license.

Another amendment allows the Treasury Department to outsource the regulation of the industry to state government agencies. Many states currently regulate land-based gaming operations so they have vast experience in the field. Also, delegating this responsibility to state agencies would eliminate a potential federal bureaucracy.

The restrictions of the bill were primarily supported by conservatives and moderates that are opposed to online gaming. They feel those that operated and participated in illegal casinos were committing a criminal act. Although advertised in the U.S., many of the popular poker brands are still illegal to play online. Currently, online gaming sites operate offshore so they don’t pay U.S. taxes.

This law would prohibit two of the world’s largest poker sites, PokerStars.net and FullTilt.com, from obtaining a gaming license. This would pave the way for land-based casinos like Harrah’s to create new gaming options. Harrah’s currently owns the World Series of Poker franchise. If the law passes, it would become difficult for those online gaming entities that current accept bets from Americans to legally operate.

Many of the controls in the bill mirror Las Vegas rules. These include:

• Conducting background checks of owners and managers
• Financing must be from a reputable source
• Licensed operators must have integrity and good character

Online gaming sites have been pushing for a law similar to this to be passed for many years. If this is passed by the House of Representatives, U.S. land-based casinos will enter the market. This will have an excellent effect on the economy since the American dollar will remain in the U.S.

Gaming regulations vary greatly depending on the region, state, city and town within the United States. Some states only allow gaming on Native American reservations, others permit only video based games and others allow any type of betting to occur at any establishment. Although not generally known, Montana allows gambling in a few different types of settings. These include:

• Video poker
• Video keno
• Live card games
• Sports pools
• Casino nights for non-profits

Montana has a long history of slot machines, blackjack and roulette. When gambling was made illegal, it wasn’t enforced by authorities in Montana until the late 1940’s. Once the State Supreme Court found it illegal, it took over 30 years to make a comeback. The Gambling Control Division was established in 1989 and they license, audit and enforce laws within gaming establishments.

Prior to the creation of this division, gaming was regulated on a local basis. Local governments had the ability to levy a gambling tax and lower the number of machines in the area. The Gambling Control Division collected all revenues, taxes and laws into a single governing body.

The gambling tax is split two-thirds to the state government and one-third to the local government. The state governing body allowed local agencies to extend gaming closing hours and restrict gambling in specific geographic areas by utilizing local zoning regulations.

The Gambling Control Division within the state of Montana employs only 36 individuals. Aside from creating gambling laws, they also test different gaming machines against the standard. Also, they grant, deny, renew, revoke and suspend licenses through a judicial review. Within the division is an auditing branch that examines tax records and scrutinizes other financial issues. Their primary focus is compliance of the law.

There are currently 11 total states that have gaming commissions but do not allow casinos. In many of these states the commission only overseas charitable, non-profit gaming. Other states regulate Native American gaming, card clubs and various smaller-scale gaming operations.

Montana is a unique gaming state in that it doesn’t allow any casino’s; only smaller establishments. These are highly-regulated and taxed at the federal level. Many of these establishments are in taverns that offer video poker, keno, card games and sports pools. Others, such as fundraisers (non-profit) are also regulated. Perhaps one day the gaming commission will elect to allow casino operations into their state.

Rival Gaming is fairly new to the online casino software development industry. Created by Black Chip Ltd. in 2006, Rival Gaming powers some of the most popular gaming sites while continuing to accept players from the United States. In addition to graphically pleasing games, Rival Gaming also provides an online casino management system for reporting, security and affiliate management.

Hot Features

There are a few areas in which Rival Gaming does well with its software. First their slot games (iSlot) provide excellent audiovisual effects. The sounds and graphics are top-notch. Second they accept U.S. players. Although there are several online casinos accepting U.S. players, that number is slowly dwindling due to the amount of red tape involved.

Third, Rival Gaming’s software download is compatible with Macintosh computers. Usually downloadable software is only congruent to Windows operating systems. This adds many more players to the mix. Fourth, their iSlot or Interactive Slot software is extremely unique in that tells a story and takes the player on a journey by utilizing video clips and bonus rounds.

Finally, their casino management system is an industry leader. It stores a wealth of information such as casino operations in real time, customer data, reports, bonuses, comp points and other promotions. Communications can be sent through email, handheld devices and PDA’s.

Cold Features

Unfortunately there are a few unfavorable features with the Rival Gaming software. First, there is a little blackjack and video poker selection offered. Also, there are much less games available compared to competing sites.

The Games

The games offered are fairly standard in most online casinos. Single hand and multi-hand blackjack formats are playable. Also both European and American roulette are found on the software. Additionally there are a number of video poker and other popular poker variants. Other games include slots; craps, baccarat and keno are provided. Furthermore, less-known games like Casino War, Red Dog and Let-it-Ride can be played.

The slot games are their most crowned achievement. Rival Gaming offers 3-reel and 5-reel slots along with progressive and iSlots. Although fewer games are offered compared to the competition, Rival gaming compensates with excellent graphics within the games they have.

Although there are a few flaws with Rival Gaming’s online software, the advantages greatly outweigh the disadvantages. Since its conception, Rival Gaming has offered some of the most visually appealing graphics of any online gaming developer. If they continue to release excellent games while expanding their library, Rival Gaming could become an online gaming industry leader.

The name Sic Bo varies depending on the location in which it’s played. Other names include Tai Sai and Dai Siu. In Asia specifically, all three names are used to describe the game, it simply depends in which country you’re playing. The English translation is hi-lo or big and small.

Until recently the game has never been a big deal in Asia. North America wasn’t exposed to the game until the late 1900’s. It was introduced by immigrants from China that brought the game with them. Just years later, the game can be found in several casinos throughout North America.

There are six specific Sic Bo terms that should be memorized:

1. Tai Sai or Dai Siu
2. Spin
3. Re-Bet
4. Clear
5. Chips
6. Layout

As previously stated, Tai Sai or Dai Siu is a regional name for Sic Bo depending on which area of Asia you plan on playing in. A three version translate to hi-low or big and small. Spin is another important term in that it indicates the action of the dice being shaken in the cup. Those that spin must place a wager at the Sic Bo table.

A re-bet occurs when a player places the same wager value within the same betting section on the table for the next betting round as they did in the previous. For instance, if a player bets on the small with a $10 bet and then places the same wager for the next round.

Clear is a commonly used term for many dice games and it generally indicates when the table is wiped clean and all wagers are given to their prospective players. Chips indicate the physical pieces of plastic and clay that the players bet with. Different colored chips represent different monetary values within different games. When playing online, the process is to simply click the wager you’d like to place.

Finally, the layout is the grid of the table. This includes different areas of betting that players are allowed to make. Similar to a craps table, the grid has different sections for different actions like an area to throw the three dice. The dealer usually regulates where to place a bet, where to throw the dice, etc.

Knowing the history, rules and proper terminology used at the table will help you become a more proficient player. Sic Bo has been in the United States for only a short time. As more casinos add the game to their property, it could become one of the most popular games available.