Online Casino Gambling

Located in Scotland, Argyll is infamous for its golf courses. As a result, Microgaming utilizes this concept as the theme for its recent slot game release: The Argyle Open. The introductory clip draws players in by revealing that the Argyle Open is one of the most prestigious events in all of golf. Golfers in the game include; Ryan Smith, Wayne Philips, Blake Conner, Kevin Andrews and Mark Winston.

The aforementioned players can also be found as symbols on the slot reels. For instance, one symbol includes Philips hitting the ball out of a sand trap. Another shows Conner holding a trophy above his head. Other regular symbols in the game are a tee, glove, boot, clubs and flag.

The Argyle Open logo is the wild symbol and the golf ball is the scatter symbol. All symbols look realistic to help create the experience of a major golf tournament. However, the only symbols that show animations are the wild and scatter characters. The main visual occurs when the player’s names begin flashing. Then Andrews finishes his swing while Winston pumps his fist. This is followed by the Argyle Open logo spinning and the ball settling in the cup.

There are many advantages to playing this game including:

• 40 paylines
• Stacked wilds
• Bonus game

The first pro of this game is the 40 paylines with the ability to wager up to 10 coins per payline. This creates tremendously flexible betting options. However, the betting range is restricted by coin size. Since the denominations are 0.01, 0.02 and 0.05, the maximum total bet per spin is 20.00 coins.

Another benefit is the wild symbol substitutes for all other symbols excluding the scatter symbol. Therefore, this allows for the stacking of wild symbols. Although it does not multiply payouts, the game does permit multiple paying combinations each spin. The final advantage is the bonus game entitled, The Tournament Bonus. This occurs when three or more symbols appear anywhere on the reels.

With the pros, there are cons including:

• Restricted coin sizes
• Low fixed jackpots

As previously stated, the coin denominations are tiny. Although the number of paylines may seem high at first, due to the low coin amounts, the maximum bet is also low. This is sure to drive away any high rollers. Also, the fixed jackpots are set at a low amount. Although any type of winning is exciting, compared to other online gaming sites the jackpots do not pay well.

The Argyle Open is a mediocre slot game. Usually Microgaming develops dynamite games. Online casino games come down to money. With low jackpots and a restriction of the coin sizes, it is unlikely many players would try their luck at this game.

Desert Nights is a new online gaming site that recently rolled out their software to the betting public. The new casino is backed by Deckmedia which has been in the online gaming business since 2007 and operates other popular online casinos such as Sloto Cash. Powered by Rival Gaming, Desert Nights is approved by GPWA, a highly regarded Internet watch dog organization in the online gaming community.

The Desert Nights website is extremely attractive and enticing to new players. Stylish graphics capture the night desert theme. The gaming software is available in instant play Flash and downloadable versions. Overall, the casino provides users with a choice of 80 games, many of which can be played for fun or real money. Two of the most unique features of the casino are the i-slots and progressive jackpot games.

Since Desert Nights is such a new casino, they are offering a generous welcome bonus of a maximum of $10,000 available over the first ten deposits. The maximum deposit at a time for the bonus is $1,000. This is one of the largest overall bonuses in the online gaming industry. An alternative offer to new players is they are given $500 to use within 30 minutes. Players can keep the winnings above $500 which is subject to specific rules.

There are also promotions for current players. For instance, the popular Refer-A-Friend bonus provides players with $50 referral to the gaming site. Additionally, there is a stackable 15 percent bonus for using different deposit options.

Furthermore, Desert Nights provides users with a three tiered VIP program which include:

• Bronze
• Silver
• Gold

The bronze level offers a monthly reload bonus matching of 100 percent up to $100, 25 percent extra on each subsequent bonus and 5 percent cash back weekly. The silver status offers a reload bonus matching of 100 percent up to $250, 30 percent on each subsequent bonus and 15 percent weekly cash back. Finally, the gold level offers a reload bonus matching of 100 percent up to $1,000, 35 percent on each subsequent bonus and 15 percent weekly cash return.

Although brand new, Desert Nights appears to be off to a great start with an attractive website and enticing promotions for new players and the few that are regulars. With this type of commitment to their players, Desert Night is sure to take off and significantly rise in popularity.

Overseas British territory and reputable gaming regulated location, Gibraltar, manages its own affairs with defense and foreign affairs governed by England. The licensing and regulation of online gambling is one of their primary sources of revenue. These actions are managed by the Gibraltar Regulatory Agency. Some of the most popular online casinos are licensed through Gibraltar including:

• William Hill
• Victor Chandler
• Ladbrokes

As of January 1^st 2011, all operators licensed through the Gibraltar Regulatory Agency must pay a significant tax increase from 1 percent to 10 percent. The previously low tax rate was the primary reason many online gaming sites selected Gibraltar as their licensing and regulator. In 2009, many large sites moved from the United Kingdom to Gibraltar to escape high taxes.

It was recently reported in 2009, the Gibraltar government earned 12.4 million Euros for online gambling taxes when the tax rate was only 1 percent. With the increase to 10 percent, this raises the tax rate to the same that regular businesses pay. Gibraltar representatives stated the reason for the higher taxation is to conform to European tax laws. Further, the government must phase out the old tax system while continuing to be a competitive corporate tax model.

Since online casinos regulated in Gibraltar will not have to pay a VAT tax, raising the tax rate to 10 percent allows them to still be competitive. Regardless, the primary question is whether this tax increase will cause online casino operators to relocate to an area with a much less tax rate. In an interview with representatives from the Victor Chandler casino, they confirmed that nobody will leave; however, plenty of complaints will be placed with the Gibraltar government.

Neighboring country, Spain, is in the process of creating a regulated online gambling system. However, the proposed tax rates in Spain are significantly higher than in Gibraltar. It has been estimated that in 2009, Spaniards wagered 575 million Euros at unregulated online gambling sites.

Another important question being pondered is how this tax increase will affect the services provided by the operators. Since players can access an online casino from any jurisdiction from anywhere in the world, there should be no change in service.

Essentially, Gibraltar gaming operators must simply adapt to the change in tax rate. Although it is not as low as in the past, taxation remains at a much better rate than the majority of gaming jurisdictions around the world. Therefore, to offset the increase, casinos will need to find more creative methods of increasing revenue.

Toward the end of 2010, Clark County placed a moratorium on new tavern licenses for 70 days. This suspension has been enacted as a result of the formal definition of a tavern and whether the code needs to be updated. The Clark County commission voted 4-3 to implement this moratorium. However, those applications submitted prior to this enactment have not been affected by this halt.

The Current Definition

According to state regulations and Clark County code, taverns are permitted to feature gaming that is “incidental” to its primary business operations. However, some businesses are operating as taverns but their primary source of profit stems from gaming. This is the exact situation the code is attempting to prevent. This is known as “Dotty’s Model” which is representative of the actions taken by National Restaurant Services, Inc., the owners of Dotty’s brand.

National Restaurant Services, Inc.

This organization publicly argued that this suspension and reorganization of the county code was targeted specifically at their company as a result of successful growth. Dotty’s restaurants and taverns typically house a bar with 15 slot and video poker machines at its numerous locations. These all occurs under a restricted gaming license, but has developed into a successful chain.

The Nevada Resort Association

On the other hand, representatives from the Nevada Resort Association argue business models have changed since the original definition of a tavern. Therefore, the code must be updated as a result of this potential loophole. Those representatives typically act on behalf of major casino organizations.

Restricted and Unrestricted Gaming Licenses

The main issue is with the restricted and unrestricted gaming licenses. Restricted licenses are issued to business entities with a different, primary source of income. Unrestricted licenses are granted to casinos that have gambling as their primary source of revenue. Like everything else, this issue also comes down to money. The county collects taxes on revenue from slot machines issued under an unrestricted license while those with a restricted license pay a flat fee per machine.

For the past six months, a discussion regarding this issue has persisted. All parties are attempting to develop a new definition for taverns and are ready to take this to the next step. The moratorium expires on March 1^st which can be lifted if common ground is found prior to then. If a consensus is not reached, the commission will present their own ordinance.

Eventually an agreement will be reached to find the definition of a tavern and thus the county code will be changed. Until that point, no business entity can be granted a tavern license in Clark County. This timing is greatly affecting many business timelines and will hopefully be finished soon.

This year is InterCasino’s 15^th year in the online gaming industry. As a result, there are promotions and tournaments all year long. The casino is also continuing the celebration with the release of a new birthday-themed slot game which has been specially developed for this occasion. Therefore, the slot game is not available at any other online casino. To access the game, players must log in and select “Slots” from the menu, scroll down and select “Special Guest Slot.”

The “Special Guest Slot” game changes from time to time so it is unclear how long the birthday game will be available. This slot is a real money game like all others found at the casino. The title of the game is Sweet 15 and it has a birthday party theme. The reels are in the foreground and balloons and streamers settle in the background. The featured reels are typical items from a birthday party including:

• Birthday presents
• Colored paper
• Balloons
• Bubbly with glasses
• Happy birthday logo
• Cake

The bottle of champagne with glasses offers the highest fixed jackpot of 3,000 coins. The happy birthday logo is the scatter symbol and the cake is the wild symbol which only appears on reels 1 and 5. However, the wild symbol doubles the payouts in a winning combination. One of the most exciting features is the animations. The champagne bottle is corked, a sparkler lights up the happy birthday logo while showering stars and candles are lit on the cake with a knife cutting a slice.

Another feature is free spins which are set at 15. Within these free spins, the payouts are tripled. This is activated when the wild symbol appears on reels 1 and 5. If this occurs during any of the 15 free spins, the feature is retriggered. The total number of paylines in the game is 20. Players are only permitted to wager one coin per payline with the coin denomination maxing out at 10 pounds. Additionally, the regular customization features found in other InterCasino games are available.

InterCasino has made an excellent start to their year-long birthday celebration with the 15 Years of Jackpots promotion and the release of the Sweet 15 online slot game. Players are eagerly waiting to participate in the next promotion or tournament. I guess everyone will have to wait and see what InterCasino has up their sleeve next.

With gambling access easier than ever, it is very easy for some to get carried away and spend more than they really mean to. Online casinos are a great way to get to Vegas without actually having to go there. There is a much larger variety in casino games online than there are in land-based casinos. This also makes online casinos more attractive because there is something for everyone. The one downfall to playing online casinos is that it is much harder to set a budget and walk away when it’s gone. If you are bored or work from home on a computer, it almost seems too convenient and pretty soon, if you aren’t careful, you can overspend your budget.

Gambling Budget

The first thing to remember when you begin playing in an online casino is to come up with a maximum amount of money that you can deposit into the casino per week. Take into consideration how much money you make, how much your bills cost and then use that information to figure out how much you can afford to deposit. Be smart when you come up with a number. You don’t want to deposit your grocery money into your casino account because you lost all you had budgeted on Monday morning. Remember this phrase, “When it’s gone, it’s gone.” Live by that phrase and you won’t overspend your budget.

Reverse Withdrawal

Some online casinos have what is called reverse withdrawal. If you don’t have good self-control over your money, you should not use this option. Reverse withdrawal occurs when you cash in your winnings. After you do this, the online casino gives you a certain amount of time where you can access your money.

Limit your Time

Whether you still have money in your account or not, set a time limit for how long you are allowed to play each day or each week. Even if you are winning or losing and you have reached your time limit, stop. This way, your money lasts longer and you are at less of a risk of losing all of your money by playing until you are broke. Set your limit by using a timer. Of course, this method does take discipline.

Conclusion

In the online world, you are responsible for how much money you deposit and withdraw. Be smart about it. Online casinos should be fun and stress-free. Come to play with the right attitude and gambling can be fun and potentially profitable.