Online Casino Gambling

Realtime Gaming video poker games online have slightly different rules than your standard game. The credits wagered are not deducted from the overall account balance. Instead, credits must be added to each game from that balance and are deducted as bets are placed. Similarly, when winning, your casino account is not affected until the credits are transferred from the game to the total balance.

The Psychological Toll

As a result of this difference, credit management is extremely important. One common question is, how much should I load into a game of video poker at a time? Although the short answer is it does not matter because you can always reload, it does play a psychological toll over time. Players tend to wager more than is necessary because they have a large bankroll in their game account (which is usually a huge portion of their total account balance).

Credit Management Methods

Instead, it is more practical and effective to adopt a rational money management approach. To do this, the player should have a wagering target for credits and time. For instance, if the player chooses 1,000 credits over 60 minutes, then they need to only load 1,000 credits. If the credits are lost prior to the 60 minutes then the player should end the game prematurely and not reload.

The primary downside to this method is that the player continues to wager with winnings. Ideally to combat this issue, the player should withdrawal after each win and keep the 1,000 credit reload in their account. Unfortunately this is not practical and efficient so withdrawing everyone once in a while may be more effective.

This balance can be met by setting target amounts for cashing out after each win. For example, the player loads 1,000 credits and sets the target at 200 won credits. If after 15 minutes the player reaches 1200 credits, they should then cash out and leave a pro rated amount for the remaining 45 minutes which would equate to 750 credits.

The final successful method for managing video poker credits is to wager half for the same time period. For instance, if the player has a target of 1,000 credits over 60 minutes then they should load only 500 credits. If they maintain that amount over 60 minutes, they have saved themselves 500 credits from not loading the initial 1,000. If the player exhausts the credits after 45 minutes then the reload should be pro rated at 250 credits.

Finding your Comfort Zone

The ideal strategy for money management is what is most comfortable for you. Perhaps it is one of the methods mentioned above, perhaps it is a hybrid of a few of them or you may have your own system. Whatever the method, it is important to have one to help you manage your credits at online casinos.

Employees of a surveillance room must be alert and attentive at all times with their focus facing outward. When focus is diverted to the surveillance room and the employees inside, trouble ensues. Political games and other foolishness may occur with the casino floor being neglected.

Where to Keep the Focus

Employees of the surveillance room should always be watching games, cages, slots, count rooms, pits, change booths as well as monitoring all activities of security. The only reason an operator should be focused on the surveillance room is to monitor equipment to ensure it is working correctly. This includes ensuring that logging and reporting are completely correctly.

This is a shared responsibility between operators and the Director of Surveillance. In addition to camera coverage, the director is primarily focused on scheduling, equipment repairs and the addition of any equipment.

Higher Management

Despite these responsibilities, supervisors and directors must maintain an outward focus as well. They must act as a connection between the security, cage, slot and pit departments. Also, they must keep in constant communication with casino management to ensure a smooth transfer of information.

Common Inward Focuses

Within a surveillance room there are many distractions and inward focuses that can occur. Some of these include, others in the surveillance room, rivalries between individuals and departments, internal concerns and others on different shifts. Meanwhile surveillance of the casino floor and coverage areas is neglected.

Errors that may occur during this transfer of focus include, a lack of tap rewinding and missing tape entries into the log. Major errors include, cameras being left off of a specific game and incorrect information being communicated to co-workers and superiors.

Handling These Issues

The best response to these errors is to fix them and move on, not waste time tracking who made the blunder. Many managers opt to send out a general notice or memo to the staff regarding the issue at hand. A heavy internal investigation is usually not needed. A memo can be just as effective while continuing to keep the department focused on the gaming floor.

Like any work area, there are distractions. However, in the casino industry, these distractions and mistakes could cause major liabilities and cost significantly more than just lost productivity. Therefore, keeping your attention in the correct places not only helps you with an excellent review, but also significantly helps the casino.

Mississippi is yet another river state that has implemented riverboat gaming legislation. The state followed the structure of Iowa and Illinois to create their governing body. In addition to gambling on the Mississippi River and its tributaries, gaming is also permitted on Oxbow Lakes that border the river, in three Gulf Coast counties and in the Mississippi Sound. This all became effective as of April 1^st, 1990.

The state of Mississippi permits all forms of gambling including charitable bingo. New games are subject to review and approval by the Mississippi Gaming Commission. Although all forms of gambling are legal, counties cannot automatically open casinos. They must file a notice of intent.

If no petition is signed within 30 days, the country Board of Supervisors must create a resolution approving legalized gambling within their county borders. On the other hand, if 20 percent or 1,500 registered voters of that county (whichever is less) file a petition against gaming in that area, an election must be held. This must occur within 60 days of the certified petition. The state gaming body then evaluates whether the site for the casino is too close to a residential area or church.

The Mississippi Gaming Commission comprises only three board members that serve four-year tiered terms without compensation. Commission members may only serve two terms with one member being a resident for at least five years. The Governor and the Senate work to appoint the commission members.

The Commission regulates, licenses and adopts new laws. An executive director serves full-time to administer legislature and makes recommendations to the Commission. There are many rules the Gaming Commission enforces including:

• Procedures to apply for gaming licenses
• Payment for background checks of applicants
• Size of a gaming area
• Credit and debt collection procedures by casinos
• Acceptable games
• Procedures for hearings

Gaming is only permitted by those that are at least 21 years old and on the grounds of a casino. Although local governments have little input into the issuance and gaming regulations, they can create zoning restrictions that isolate gaming to a specific area within a town, city or county.

The gambling tax structure in Mississippi is fairly standard. Those boarding a gaming vessel are charged $3.50 by the government. 60 percent goes to the state, 20 percent to the county and 20 percent to the city. Gaming establishments pay a 4 percent sliding tax on the first $50,000 in revenue, 6 percent on $84,000 and 8 percent on anything over $134,000. Local governments can impose a tax of up to 3.2 percent.

Mississippi gaming laws are similar to other boarding river states that permit land-based casinos as well as riverboat gaming. As the economy continues to decline along with the gaming industry, perhaps regulations may loosen to spark new business.

First introduced in 1993 by Shuffle Master, Inc., Let it Ride has developed into a popular game due to the high payouts. Since players are betting against the house, a fun and social atmosphere develops at the table or in online casinos. Also, the rules of Let it Ride are easy to learn and many simple strategies have been developed.

Let it Ride is played on a table that resembles Blackjack. Each seat has three circles on the table marked with the numbers 1 and 2 and character $. Play commences with each player placing three equal bets in each circle on the table. The dealer distributes three cards at a time to each player. The dealer takes three and removes one card, leaving two face-down cards.

Next, you are permitted to view your three card hand. The betting options include:

• Taking back your bet placed in the first circle
• Accepting your hand and letting it ride

The most common indicator of a take back is scraping your cards against the table. Once you have made a decision, the dealer flips the first of the two community cards in front of him. This card represents your fourth toward the five card poker hand. Once again you can take back your second bet or let it ride. You can take away the second bet only, but the first bet will remain.

During the final round, the dealer turns over the second community card for you to make your best five card poker hand. The dealer will now pay out the winners according to a specific betting chart.

When playing the correct strategy and robust poker, the house edge for Let it Ride is approximately 3.5 percent. To play correctly, you must know which hands to take back the bet and which hands are worthy of letting the wager ride. There are specific strategies for each betting round within the game.

Let it Ride is a fun and exciting twist on five card poker. The camaraderie that develops at the table, the high payouts and the easy to learn rules make this one of the most popular games in the casino. The strategies are also easy to learn and can be applied instantly to either an online or live game with only memorization. Let it Ride is a great game to try when looking for excitement.

Large U.S. casinos are seeing dollars signs with the potential to legalize Internet gambling but neighborhood casinos are seeing problems. Small, local casinos in Nevada comprise most of the gaming halls in the state of Nevada which has the world’s largest concentration of casinos. There is already enough competition amongst land-based casinos; adding legalized Internet gaming could be disastrous.

Why this is an Issue

Local casinos make their money through convenience of reaching a small, localized market and building strong, lasting relationships with their customers. Adding online properties to the mix will result in the biggest brands acquiring the most customers thus phasing out smaller competitors. It’s a simple matter of economies of scale. Those that offer the largest service will continue to expand, grow and attract more customers.

Supporters of Legalization

The primary supporters of the legalization of gambling include foreign-based gaming websites, celebrities, no-name poker players, a few U.S. casino companies and recently the American Gaming Association (AGA) who is lobbying for tough licensing requirements. A select few in Congress have argued that prohibition is ineffective and U.S.-based players are simply spending their money overseas which is continuing to hurt the American economy.

The Las Vegas Culinary Union supports the legalization of online poker. Additionally, gaming giant Harrah’s Entertainment supports online gaming.  Harrah’s commissioned a study in 2009 that concluded the legalization of online gaming could triple the industry as opposed to hinder it. The study was based on the continued growth of Internet poker rooms; European growth and U.S. retail chains that have boosted sales following the launch of Internet stores.

In the past 10 years, it is proven those businesses that have not adopted the Internet as a medium of growth have died out and those supporters have shown vast growth and expansion. This is an excellent opportunity for older casinos to cater to the younger crowd using technology as its medium.

The Opposition

Few U.S. casinos have someone in Washington lobbying for legalization. 14 California tribes that own and operate major casinos are against the bill stating the tribal members will suffer because of extra competition. Additionally, the nation’s largest poker room, Commerce Casino, is against online wagering. The Nevada Resort Association has not yet taken a position on the matter. They represent large casinos at the state level.

The legalization of online gaming has been a long, heated debate. The mechanisms in place to stop problem gamblers or those underage have been minimal. On the other hand, through prohibition the U.S. is losing out money that is being pumped into foreign markets. The country is at crossroad and a firm decision must be made.

Spin3 is the mobile gaming brand of powerhouse casino software developer Microgaming. They recently introduced an interactive lottery system called LottoSpin. This software is available for online and mobile gamers. LottoSpin is powered by Microgaming and will be offered to players globally, even in the United States. In the U.S., the lottery will be provided on a state-by-state basis. The bundle will contain a variety of games and support for over 2,000 of the most popular mobile devices.

LottoSpin Features

Although there are other mobile lottery systems available, LottoSpin offers a few unique features to differentiate them from the competition. For instance, while other systems use text-based technology, LottoSpin will be based on an advanced graphics system. Also, the system features location based transaction technology which prevents gamblers from purchasing lottery tickets in unapproved areas. User’s information is secured due to the system’s innovative SpinLoc technology.

Target Markets

The United States is the primary market for Spin3. Executives believe that the first area of mobile gaming to be regulated is state lotteries. The company has two large deals lined up to help with the release of this system. One is in the United States to target U.S. players and the other will launch globally. The clients have exact specifications for launch which Spin3 has customized to match.

Brief Background

The British Columbia Lottery Corporation was the first online casino run by the government in North America. It was hosted through the PlayNow website. Within a single day of launch, the site had to be shut down due to an online security violation. Spin3 has observed and learned from this security issue. They have implemented a system that is tremendously robust and secure to protect the confidentiality and personal information of their clients.

The issue with the British Columbia Lottery Corporation served as a reminder to Microgaming the importance of thorough testing, analysis and robustness prior to launching a major endeavor such as LottoSpin. Without this, they could be shut down as quickly as their predecessors.

Although mobile lottery has been unleashed to the consumer in the past, this is a new innovative twist on an old idea. With advanced graphics displays, top-notch security and innovative features, Spin3 will have the player returning for more. Microgaming is bringing a whole new product to the table that has a great chance of increasing their popularity and thus their bottom line.