Online Casino Gambling

With the recent release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One, online casino game developers are jumping on board. With the vast success of Harry Potter series, it is unlikely a developer will create a game based on the series. However, new magic-themed slot games have been released similar to the characters and witchcraft of Harry Potter. Most major online gaming providers offer slots with a magic theme.

Industry-leader Microgaming recently released Magic Spell, an online slot game that most resembles Harry Potter. The game takes place at a magic school for cats. The wild symbol is Master Tom with the higher paying symbols being students Catrina, Leo and Baz, all of which bear a resemblance to Hermoine, Harry and Ron. Other symbols include:

• Building
• Emblem
• Satchel
• Teacher
• Tie
• Scroll
• Lamp
• Snacks

A school bell-type audio is heard in the background as the reels spin. Additionally, there are magical animations such as when Master Tom appears during winning combinations. The bonus game occurs when the letters M, A, G, I and C appear from left to right. At this point players are awarded the golden key which gives them access to the Secret Library.

Another excellent game is Witches and Warlocks, developed by Cryptologic. The scatter symbol is the witch and the wild card symbol is the warlock. Other symbols include, a cauldron, potions, cat, skull, crystal ball, pumpkin, broom, witches hat and spell book.

In the Witches and Warlock bonus game, which is triggered by three witches, players must choose to battle a witch or a warlock using spells and potions. A prize is awarded for each spell or potion that causes damage and the fight continues until one player drains the other of all their life. Victory and consolation prizes are awarded.

Vegas Technology has also decided to get in on the action with the release of Black Magic. The symbols on the reels of this game propagate black magic such as, a snake, vial, skull, spider, bat and grave stone with a wild-card witch. The Black Magic bonus game features six crystal balls that must be correctly selected by the player to win bonus credits.

These games are extremely fun and exciting, especially around Halloween. Themed slot games continue to retain veteran players while attracting interested individuals. Online slots providers are developing so many themed games there is one for almost all categories of life.

Surprisingly Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt, is a popular theme for online slot games. Cleopatra was a woman that was way ahead of her. With Roman Emperor Julius Caesar and Roman General Marc Antony eating out of her hands, she was on top of the world. Cleopatra had such an impact on history; many online gaming manufacturers have dedicated slot game themes to her.

The most popular Cleopatra-themed slot games include:

• Cleopatra’s Pyramid
• Cleopatra
• Cleo Queen of Egypt
• Cleopatra’s Coins

Created by Vegas Technology, Cleopatra’s Pyramid is one of the most popular themed slot games. The symbols on the reels derive from Ancient Egypt and include a pyramid, ankh, mummy, the sphinx and a scarab with Cleopatra being the wild symbol which pays out double and 10,000 coins.

This slot game is popular because of the bonus game which consists of players moving a pyramid upwards by selecting one stone from each row. As the player continues to draw credits, they move upwards. Once they draw the asp (snake) the game ends.

WagerWorks has developed a similar game entitled Cleopatra. The symbols are similar to Cleopatra’s Pyramid but with a more modern styling. Again Cleopatra is the wildcard with the same payouts except she is more animated in this variant. This game is also separately linked to its total progressive jackpot network, Megajackpots.

The most recent Cleopatra-themed slot game was developed by Cryptologic and is entitled Cleo Queen of Egypt. The graphics in this game are more vivid and portray realistic objects from ancient Egypt. Crazy Jackpots is the most innovative feature of this game. All nine paylines have independent jackpots associated with them. When five Cleopatra symbols appear for a specific payline, the jackpot is triggered and the player wins.

Of all Cleopatra-themed slot games, Cleopatra’s Coins by Rival Gaming is the best since the game is focused solely on Cleopatra, not just ancient Egypt. Cleopatra, Marc Antony and Julius Caesar are symbols on the reels. Other symbols include hieroglyphic images of objects like the scarab and asp that related to Cleopatra’s life. If five asp symbols appear on the reels, 100 free spins are granted. The bonus game requires players to smash urns and reveal the wealth inside of them.

These four variants of slot games are extremely exciting to play. They take traditional slots and kick them up a notch to include various aspects of ancient Egypt and Cleopatra’s life. Each of these games should be played to reveal the fun and excitement.

Cryptologic-powered casinos offer a number of variants of blackjack. One of the most popular is Atlantic City Blackjack. Within the game is a settings button that allows players to configure the game to their liking. Important actions and warning messages are two of the options that can be configured after clicking the settings button.

There are a few tips to using this button that will improve the experience at any Cryptologic casino. The settings button is divided into two sections:

• Insurance
• Player warnings

In the Atlantic City Blackjack variant an insurance bet is available when the player’s face up card is an Ace. If the player feels the dealer will draw blackjack, he can place a side bet equal to half the original wager as an insurance measure. If the dealer has blackjack the insurance bet pays two to one so the player does not completely lose. However, if the dealer does not have blackjack the player losses the insurance bet and the original wager is played out.

In the Insurance category the player has three options:

• Always offer insurance
• Always buy insurance
• Always decline insurance

Keep in mind the insurance bet is not a profitable move in the long run. Therefore buying insurance on a regular basis is a losing proposition. Ideally it is best to always decline insurance. Therefore, by selecting one of the three aforementioned options, you can auto play this aspect of the game. Typically it is best for new players to always decline insurance until they are comfortable with the game.

In the Player warnings section, which are always defaulted to enabled, warnings are issued when a player hits on a hand of hard 17 or higher, stands on 11 or less and doubles on hard 12 or more. These are moves that should never be made by the player. Therefore, these warnings are issued to protect the player against an accidental clicking error and do not indicate correct or incorrect play.

The warnings can be disabled through the Settings option but is an unwise move. Although the warnings can become irritating, they always cause the player to rethink that specific move. Those that are confident in their moves and not making errors are taking a risk by disabling the warning messages.

These settings are important to consider when playing any variant of Cryptologic Blackjack as they can help you remain focused and eliminate errors. Since there are no checks in a live game, these settings make it much easier to play blackjack online than in person.

Virgin Casino recently announced its partnership with Microgaming. In the future all Microgaming Flash casino games will be available at Virgin Casino through Quickfire software. Microgaming currently has approximately 400 games which will slowly be added to the Virgin Casino system.

About Microgaming

Located on the Isle of Man, Microgaming is the largest online gaming software developer. They provide many casinos with hundreds of different games including those in a Flash version. Microgaming was also one of the first companies to emerge in the online gambling software development field in the late 1990’s.

Thunderstruck Slots

Thunderstruck, a popular online slot game, is already up and running within the system. Thunderstuck is a five reel slot game featuring nine paylines. Its popularity is due to the excellent graphics and audiovisual effects. The game is based on Norse God Thor which is the origin of the symbols. Thor symbols payout double with a 10,000 fixed jackpot and his Rams award 15 free spins for triple payouts.

The Promotional Details

Virgin Casino ran Thunderstruck Cash Back Week to promote the new game. Each day players received 20 percent of their wagered cash back. There is a list of exclusions on the Virgin Casino website. The cash back is calculated through the new loss for bets on that specific day with payouts the following day.

Virgin’s Software

Market research has proven that customers want a wide array of games to play online. To fulfill this order Virgin has aligned its strategy to offer as many games as possible to give the player more choice. Virgin uses software from WageWorks for their overall casino interface. However, they offer games from other online gaming software developers such as Cryptologic, Fremantle and Ash Gaming.

Virgin Casino

Virgin launched its internet based casino platform back in 2008. Since then, they’ve slowly been introducing a variety of games to the public. They currently offer one of the widest selections and are one of the largest online casinos in the United Kingdom. With the addition of Microgaming software, they will significantly increase their gaming variety to become an industry leader.

The collaboration between Virgin Casino and Microgaming is an enormous partnership between two industry leaders. The numerous gaming options that Microgaming provides will make Virgin Casino one of the largest online casinos in the world with the most game selection to offer their customers.

When choosing a new online casino, you want to make sure that your computer, your personal information, and your money is in safe hands. After all, the potential risks for online casinos can be quiet large. On the surface, all online casinos look pretty similar, and pretty safe. However, if you know how to do your investigating you can pick out the safest online casino for you and your money.

What to Look for in an Online Casino

Beyond the games, the style, and the promotions, you need to consider the security of the website supporting the online casino.

A License

Any online casino you are considering should have an appropriate gaming license in the area where they are physically located. This area can be anywhere in the world, but the casino should be able to provide their current license information.

Trusted Software

All online casinos use software to operate their games. Do some research on any casino you are considering and see where their software comes from. Safer online casinos will use software from reputable brands such as Logic, Cryptologic, and MicroGaming. Also, online casinos are required to have a license in order to run software from known brands.

Certified Payouts

A reputable online casino will post the amount they have paid to their winners somewhere on their website. These reports should go months, if not years, in to the past. Research the report thoroughly. To ensure the report is accurate, check to see if it was compiled by the casino or a third-party accounting company. Reports made by third-parties stand a much higher chance of being an accurate account of the online casino’s payouts.

While most online casinos are safe, and gambling online should be an enjoyable experience, it is in your best interest to do your homework before you give your personal information to any website.

The next time you’re perusing online casinos and you find one you like, take a look at who provides the site’s software. Time and time again you’ll see the same names – Cryptologic, Microgaming, Playtech, RTG – at all the top sites. While a handful of large casino and poker room networks have developed their own proprietary software, most gambling sites turn to these top developers when they want the very best. Good software is important to them, and it should be to you too. If a software package is flawed in any way, then the whole casino (and its members) suffer.  Here’s why:

Look and Feel

Your entire online casino experience relies on the quality of the software that supports your chosen site. Site layout is about the only important design feature that doesn’t directly rely on the software. A lesser package simply can’t support the sleek graphics and eye-popping animations that today’s discerning online players have come to expect. When you sit at a fantastically realized online game table, thank the software!

Speed

When you play at a live casino, the dice never stop mid-air and the slot reels never stop mid-spin. In order for an online casino to truly recreate the excitement of live gambling they must have the speed necessary to offer a real-time gaming experience. This is yet another feature that demands a fast, bug-free software platform.

Security

Good software is about more than flashy graphics and high-speed gameplay. Good software not only entertains players – it protects them. While the most respectable online casinos go the extra mile for their guests by paying for additional security measures, the base layer of a site’s safety level is the built-in encryption and protection offered by their primary software.

Fairness

It’s easy to get distracted by all the bells and whistles that online casinos offer, but at the end of the day the only thing a serious player is looking at is their bottom line. Though most casino games are chance-based, in an online casino even chance must be programmed. This is done via randomization software which is designed to mimic real odds. That said, a casino can alter those odds as they see fit to give themselves a more appealing profit margin. What makes casino software truly great is what goes on behind the curtain; in other words, a fancy casino may bring the players in, but a generous casino will keep them.

To summarize, good software not only helps online casinos to look great and play well, but it also helps them to create and maintain a high standard of security and fairness.