The most profitable game for online casinos is roulette, and conversely it is the most profitable for professional gamblers. That is it attracts many amateurs - it is easy to understand and play. However what sets amateurs aside from professionals (apart from the bankroll) is their use of strategies and a deeper understanding of how the game works.

In roulette, the odds against you are pretty standard for every bet on the board, at a somewhat nasty 5.26% house edge. This means the house will win 5.26% more of the bets on the table than they lose. A few places offer single zero European roulette. This lowers the edge on every bet and end up as 1/37, or 2.70%

For prospective professional online gamblers, this statistic is some what of a turn off. However, by firstly taking advantage of European tables, and using some lesser known tips of the professionals, the odds can be significantly reduced, and in some cases turned in your favour.

The only way to completely remove the house edge is to have a good understanding of how online casino software works. In order to avoid situations in which players might doubt the randomness of the roulette wheel, those developing the game made it certain that specific events were programmed to never occur. Using this knowledge and the knowledge of where to put it to use, it is possible to reverse the casinos odds and take advantage of the design of the game.

This information is discussed in greater detail at http://www.roulette-edge.com/strategy.html

The poker game has been a part of card games competitions for more than two hundred years already. Undoubtedly, poker has charmed the majority of the planet, starting from poker rooms on river boats and in bars on the Wild West in the past and up to modern card rooms with a huge amount of tables and luxurious casinos all over the world. Be it the USA, Europe or even Latin and South America, poker has become a super popular game of the 21st century. But even now there is a ″new horizon″, which will be actively conquered in the forthcoming years, in order to move poker to the new stage of its popularity among dozens of millions of new players.

This ″new horizon″ is a continental Asia. One billion people lives in China, one more billion is the population of India, and one more billion is spread over the remaining part of the continent. Considering such an amount of potential poker players, this market is a ″gold vein″ for organizers of the game. Only recently this horizon started to be developed (with or without the assistance of local governments). The new horizon can become the last one for poker, meaning that it will completely conquer the whole world. Organizers of poker assure that by the end of 2007 many Asians understand perfectly well what is ″blind″, ″turn″ and ″river″.

For a long time on-line companies have been interested in the possibility of entering Asian markets (particularly, Chinese market), but governments of Asian countries prevent on-line or traditional gambling industry from full-scale development. The government of India, for example, does not actively support the idea of the gambling industry (though there are six casinos in this country). China, which will host international Olympic games-2008, the government gradually weakens the control over the Internet. This is very good news for the representatives of the gambling industry, who have already prepared to launch a large-scale acquaintance of Asia with poker.

Steve Wynn, the owner of hotels and casinos all over the world, is ready to bring his brilliant and glamorous style to the Asian market. “Wynn Macau”, the complex of casinos and hotels, was opened on September 5 in Macao. It familiarizes the Asian continent with the luxury of Las-Vegas. It includes hotels of 600 rooms and casinos, which undoubtedly offer gambling and poker games, just like the other Steve Wynn’s institutions do all over the world. The 20-storeyed hotel will be an exact copy of the hotel-casino “Wynn Las Vegas”. The company plans to arrange further spreading of table games throughout the continent.

TV has also brought poker tournaments onto the Asian market. The most popular world poker tournament (World Poker Tour or WPT) has recently granted a license to TV stations in Macao and Singapore for them to show the first season of WPT games to the Asian audience. But the continent is getting ready to organize its own outstanding poker tournaments. The organization entitled “PanAsia Poker Tour” has recently declared that the debut of this new championship will take place in November, and it is for the first time in history that the official championship will take place in Manila, Philippines.

The event called “PAPT Philippine Open” will take place on November 3-5 in “Airport Casino Filipino”. Its final tournament will incorporate free Texas holdem poker game with the prize fund of $2500. It is expected that the tournament, which got the official permission of Philippines State Corporation for Control over entertaining and gambling industry (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation or PAGCOR), will attract celebrities and professional poker players who would attempt to win the title of the tournament champion. There are plans to film this tournament to be shown in the future on Asian TV. This means that the spectators of the Asian continent want to watch games, which are played on their own land.

However, the poker tournament entitled “PanAsia” does not stop at arranging one event. Leaders of this organization have adopted plans to arrange in 2007 a tour across the continent with ten stops. The latter are planned in Macao, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Australia and the Philippines. If the tour appears to be successful, it will be able to attract millions of new poker players to the poker community.

India is also a part of Asia; the world outlook of Indians in many aspects reflects the peculiarities of Asian or even Eastern philosophy. Gambling games and casinos in the Indian society are usually condemned (though many Indians want to change this), while poker sites, which are not prohibited here, encounter difficulties in spreading deeper into the continent. It is interesting that some activities of the on-line poker companies take place particularly in India. For example, the company “PartyPoker” has a branch office there with 900 employees, the company pays taxes here, as well as in Gibraltar, where its headquarters are located. Nevertheless, India will be able to display its real interest to poker during the first tournament in the history of this country, which will take place in 2007.

Asian poker championship in India - Asian Poker Classic - with the guaranteed prize of one million dollars will take place on March 1-3, 2007, in a major resort Goa (Grand Resort Goa) in the hotel “Intercontinental”. It is expected that more than two hundred players will take part in the tournament. The admission fee being $7500, this competition is to attract some of the best poker players from all over the world and many celebrities. Its organizers hope that the poker site (and the tournament sponsor) “Maharajah Club” that has earned a reputation a long ago will help to attract many players to this competition.

Perhaps, the organizers themselves will give the best account of the tournament. This is what the tournament director and the respected director of the championship ″European poker tournament″ (European Poker Tour) Thomas Kremser said about the event. “Nothing similar has ever happened in India before. Undoubtedly, the tournament will be impressive. The striking beauty of the Goa resort, splendid hotels and absolutely unique character of this tournament will become its unsurpassed scenery. It will be the poker tournament of the year!″

Asian poker players have already inscribed their names into the history of the game. From Johnny Chan to Men ″The Master″ Nguyen and Can Kim Hua, Asian players made their contribution to the game, and today their impact is felt in any tournament. Upon arriving onto the Asian continent, poker will conquer the new and the last geographic horizon and give birth to a new generation of champions from Asia.

© Copyright 2006-2007 www.bonus-map.com

Gladiators . Mathematical developments of the game pioneers and creation of simple and efficient counting systems incited the appearance of a great galaxy of professional players and experts of blackjack.

Revere invented a new simple counting system and first described the method of reducing the current score to the real one. Stanford Wong amplified and improved Hi-Lo system, and also developed the Halves system. Lance Humble, Brison, Gordon, Harvey Dubner, – all these giants made a great contribution to the development of the methods of the game.

In late 70s the professional gambler Al Francesco, probably created the first blackjack team in history. He hired the enthusiasts, taught them Lawrence Revere's counting system and sent them to play. He invented and put into practice the principle of ″BIG PLAYER″ – when the part of the team is humbly playing low and some drunken and wealthy fish makes high bets on the given signals.

Ken Uston also belonged to this team. Uston was the vice president of fund stock exchange at that time. However after meeting Revere he quitted the stock exchange and changed his strict outfit for magnificent bush of hair, golden chains and silk shirts with huge collars in the style of that time.

Uston played for Francesco's team for quite a long time and with varied success, but his ego did stand it under the pressure of his own ego. He had a very high opinion of himself and wanted to be the first in everything. He left Francesco and wrote several books about his adventures. The books simply exploded the gambling world.

The book ″BIG PLAYER″ revealed the secrets of team game. The Book ″Million Dollar Blackjack″ is stuffed with unbelievable stories in intervals explaining the technical aspects also presents different cards counting systems. Uston made people believe that one can beat casino playing blackjack. Win a lot. Millions of dollars. Also everyone found out how casinos react to the professional gamblers – slams, insinuations, blacklists, crooked gambling, false accusations. Uston was in the blacklists all over the world, having won with his several teams about 8 million dollars.

By the way, Al Francesco and many other players are still dissatisfied with Uston's actions who decided to publish the methods of the game which were then available only to the few. But Uston would not be himself if he had not done it.

The next outburst of his popularity was in early 80s, when Ken won the case against a casino in New Jersey (Resorts International Hotel Inc.). Since then no casino of this state (unlike, for example, Las Vegas in Nevada ) is not eligible to prohibit playing to person who can count cards. On the other hand, this verdict made the rules in Nevada much worse than in Vegas.

The next wave of the struggle between the casino and counters relates to Uston's era. The casinos understood, that well-financed team of pros can cause great losses. And then the multidecked games, frequent riffle were coming into fashion and several good rules just died away. There appeared special detective agencies who spied on the professional players, collected the necessary information about them and distributed it among the casinos.

Uston created new methods of the game, used makeup, recruited more and more people in his teams and started playing abroad. He also was writing new books, was starring on TV, was writing new articles, was developing new counting systems. By the way Ken, wrote the book on optimal game strategy for Pac-Man (arcade video game). It's a video game not for money, he was just interested in it.

One of the most scandalous Kenny's projects was creating the team against the casino with using the computer. They used hidden on the body and in the shoes micro chips that calculated the current situation in the game more precisely than any other ″human″ strategy and gave the necessary signals to the player. His teams almost broke several casinos, but in a while they were caught, arrested and accused of fraud, the computer was confiscated. However, the experts including FBI experts, proved that there was no fraud and the accusations were withdrawn. In two weeks the Supreme Court of the USA of Nevada State made the usage of computing devices in casinos illegal….

Kenny was a good guy, the heart of the company, first class jazz musician, loved by women and press. He had great plans on making a film, writing new books, arranging one more trial, and surely new projects on blackjack. His life was suddenly interrupted in 1983 and the version that casinos are privy to his death is not cast back yet.

© Copyright 2006-2007 www.bonus-map.com

In the ongoing battle of Internet poker and online casino gambling, the state of Washington passed a law banning online gambling making it illegal for any resident inside of the state to participate in online casino play.

If you are a resident in the state of Washington, and you are caught in the act of online wagering, you could face a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. The legislation, Senate Bill 6613, has turned online gambling into a Class C Felony. This severe type of felony is generally reserved for the prosecution of sex offenders who fail to register with the state.

Poker players across the state are angry, confused, and even slightly offended about the passage of the legislation. The state of Washington has 65 casinos and card rooms spread across the state, and even a state lottery, yet online gambling has been axed. There is much confusion and debate revolving around the fact that the state has both brick and mortar casinos and a state lottery.

Things seemed to move very quickly when the bill was put on the fast track and sent up to the governor, Democrat Christine Gregoire. The House received the bill on February 16th, and a mere few weeks later, it was passed by a vote of 93 to 5, and put into effect. In addition to banning online wagering, the bill also put a halt to the effort to allow the state lottery to be offered online.

Overturning the legislation probably won’t be easy. To overturn the bill and get the law changed would require a 60% majority vote by both houses of the state legislature, which would not be easy. Both residents and onlookers from other states feel that the ban of online gambling is a ban on freedom of choice and is an insult to poker players everywhere.

The issue of banning online gambling has been floating around Congress for a while now, but it seems that Congress decided that these types of decisions are better suited for government control on the state level, as opposed to the national level. In the past several weeks, a handful of well respected professional poker players have gone before Congress and stated their arguments in terms of supporting online gambling for any American who wishes to participate, whether it be for recreation or on a more serious level.

The thought of online poker players in the state of Washington receiving the same punishment as sex offenders is extremely offensive, not to mention absurd, and it’s causing a stir in the online poker community. There are plans in action to attempt to overturn the legislation, but, as of now, the bill has been passed.

Since the oldest times man has been searching for entertainment - a way to have fun, relax and unwire. He invented different games and ways to escape from everyday reality. Making money has always been a purpose for man and a way to feel good also because being wealthy means having power. So, man invented gambling: a way to play with money. Many years later, technology blossomed and the Internet appeared. If you mix these three things together you get an online casino.

Exactly like the name says, an online casino is a place where you can play an online casino game. An online casino game is not very different from a real life casino game; the only difference is that it's played online. The advantage of an online casino is that it doesn't have to have a limited number of games like an ordinary casino. In a real casino a certain game can be played by a number of players at a time, so there is a chance that you won't find an empty seat at the table you want. If you want to play an online casino game you won't have to worry about that because you will always find a place.

If you decide you want to play an online casino game, first you must have an account on the site. Then you have to deposit an amount of money in that account so you can bet while playing an online casino game. Online casinos usually give a casino bonus whenever you deposit money in your account on that site. A casino bonus is an amount of money you receive for the deposit. Before you register an account on a site you should look for the best online casino bonus. Why look for the best online casino bonus? It can make a huge difference because bonuses can be either a certain unchangeable amount or they can be a percent of the amount you deposited. The best online casino bonus is the one estimated in percentage. This type of casino bonus can range 5% to 100%. So, naturally you may think that the best online casino bonus is getting a 100% bonus. Well, that is not necessarily true. You can not just deposit a lot of money, get a huge bonus, then play a little and cash out - procedure which would put a lot of money in your pockets. If you get a bonus there are a couple of requirements you have to fill in before cashing out. The requirements are different for each online casino, but it's natural that the bigger the casino bonus is, the harder it is to meet the requirements for withdrawal. This means that the best online casino bonus isn't the largest one or the most attractive at first sight. The best online casino bonus is the one that fits your needs - usually the one that gives a pretty high percentage, but doesn't have very high requirements.

Before playing a casino game you must make choices. You have to do the same before playing an online casino game. The policies of online casinos are very different, even if they look similar at first sight. Before choosing an online casino you should look for a lot of things. First of all you should know what online casino game you are most interested in, then you should look for a casino which has that game and plays it the way you want it. A very important thing you should know is the kind of licenses the casino has. If it doesn't have a license or if the license is expired you shouldn't play there. The security measures are very important also because you will provide the casino with personal banking information and if the site isn't safe your information can be in danger. If you play just for the money, you should analyze the withdrawal method used and the best online casino bonus.

A thing every online casino must have is an online guide, a guide for every online game so the player knows what he's doing. Even if it looks easy, a casino game has a lot of insides that one must know about before playing. Naturally everyone appreciates information about the place/the site where he will spend time. How long has it been in business and what licenses does it posses? – These are questions one should ask before starting to gamble. The introduction should also talk about each casino game: the name, type and what casino bonus you get when depositing money.

If you play just for fun it doesn't mean you shouldn't be mindful of the financial aspect because you can really win through gambling, but there is the possibility of becoming addicted and losing a lot of it also. So, whatever you do, you should have in mind that games are for fun, but money makes them worthwhile. An online casino game gives you the possibility to choose whichever you want.

The online gambling fan has received a great database of information from the new site that is Latest Casino Bonuses. Attractive gambling bonuses offered by online gambling websites are a great way to magnetize visitors to play in their casinos. When the web is full of lucrative casino bonus offers it is hard to pin point the best deals. One needs to be careful of not getting trapped in any gambling scams and also not to miss out on the top gambling bonuses. We at Latest Casino Bonuses are committed to bringing you the greatest gambling offers available on the net.

The site is updated regularly with the finest gambling bonuses to suit you. There are impressive offers for every game, be it Blackjack, Poker, Slots, Craps, Baccarat, Video Poker, Roulette, Sic Bo, Bingo and many others. Each top gambling bonus is reviewed constantly to bring to you the premium offers on each game from different websites. Bonus offers are constantly changing with respect to the amount given the frequency of the bonus and its wagering requirements. There are different limitations with respect to whom casino bonuses apply, but the popularity of this scheme is here to stay.

There is an endless list of online bonuses, some of which appear to be quite lucrative. But most proposals are not as profitable as they seem at the first sight, one needs to analyze the fine print carefully and check the many clauses attached to the offer. Since there are various wagering requirements and withdrawal limitations linked to bonus offers by online gambling casinos. On our site we do the tedious homework of searching and analyzing numerous bids available online and bring to you only the finest and most profitable deals.

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Slot machines are the most attractive game for the first timers of the casino world. They are in fact a hot favorite among both novice and veteran casino players. Slot machines are so popular that almost more than half of online casino revenues come from these games. Hence there is a huge downpour of bonuses offered for slots. We regularly review the latest slot bonuses offered by different websites and bring to you the foremost deals for your ultimate gambling pleasure.

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It would take some doing, but if Jarhead manages to lose the Las Vegas Hilton SuperContest in the 17th and final week, he will, as Ricky said to Luci, have a whole lot of ″splainin’″ to do.

Ask Dave Zenor, a Gold Sheet contributor and perennial Hilton entrant who took a comfortable lead into the last week one year in the ’90s, needed only a couple wins to clinch all the marbles, got skunked and finished out of the ″big money.″

He’s still splainin’ years later and the story has become part of Sin City sports gambling lore.

As Murphy’s Law decrees: Anything that can go wrong will.

Jarhead, a nickname common to members of the United States Marine Corps, has ruled the SuperContest roost since Week 8.

He takes 54 1/2 points and a 2 1/2 game cushion over SID into Week 17.

The two players each took Washington plus 2 1/2 over the New York Giants on Saturday as one of their five weekly NFL selections, reducing the affair to a four-game competition.

The Redskins also are the week’s top consensus play by a 102-30 margin.

Overall, entrants preferred seven favorites and nine underdogs on the Saturday-Sunday New Year’s card.

Jarhead used New England, while SID took Tennessee in their only head-to-head confrontation.

Minnesota, Seattle and San Francisco round out Jarhead’s picks.

SID’s remaining plays include Chicago, Pittsburgh and Miami.

The leader has a 3 1/2-game advantage over Sportsbookside.com 2, Tony Soprano 2 and Win Big, each with 51 points.

Sportsbookside.com 2 has Washington and St. Louis minus 2 against Jarhead’s Vikings; the player’s other selections are Pittsburgh, Detroit and Cleveland.

Tony Soprano 2 and Jarhead both tabbed the Patriots, but their other games differ.

Soprano’s four additional choices were Buffalo, Atlanta, Oakland and Arizona.

Win Big and Jarhead have San Francisco as a common pick.

Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Atlanta fill out Win Big’s card.

The SuperContest originally drew 416 participants who paid $1,500 each.

They have made pro picks weekly for 17 weeks.

The consensus is 121-111-5, not including games on which opinions evenly were divided.

Best bets are 11-5.

Twenty places will cash and, aside from the five pacesetters, 25 players have between 47 1/2 and 50 1/2 points.

First will pay $249,600, second $99,840, third $49,920 and fourth $31, 200.

Fifth through 10th is worth $21,840 and 11th through 20th $6,240.

A $10,000 aggregate bonus awaits any entrant(s) with more than 67 percent winners.

Another aggregate $10,000 will go to the winner of a three-week mini-contest that wraps Sunday along with the main event.

The Raven currently leads that competition with a perfect 10-0 record.

The Steelers, Saints, Raiders, Seahawks and Chargers are Raven’s Week 17 picks.

Six players are tied in the mini-contest at 9-1.

Remaining consensus selections, all Sunday games, are Buffalo, 46-27 over Baltimore; Chicago, 71-33 over Green Bay; Pittsburgh, 68-40 over Cincinnati; Dallas, 44-25 over Detroit; Houston, 58-26 over Cleveland; Indianapolis, 30-28 over Miami; Kansas City, 71-32 over Jacksonville; St. Louis, 63-35 over Minnesota; New Orleans, 55-30; Oakland, 48-22 over the New York Jets; Philadelphia, 57-38 over Atlanta; Seattle, 67-19 over Tampa Bay; New England, 59-33 over Tennessee; San Francisco, 50-20 over Denver; and Arizona, 41-12 over San Diego.

What is it about roulette that makes it such an addictively entertaining game? This is a question that has vexed and perplexed gambling students for many moons. There's just something about that wheel and the ball bouncing around it that seems to serve as an apt metaphor for life in general. In fact, many cultures view the process of birth, life and death as a massive wheel that keeps turning in karmic/cosmic harmony. Going a bit further with this analogy, you could say that we humans are just little white balls being tossed around on the rotating wheel of fate, riding out the rough spots and praying we don't end up on the old double zero.

Maybe this spiritual fable doesn't really illuminate the appeal of roulette, after all. It would probably be more judicious to look at the aspects and strategy of the game itself to determine the source of roulette's universal appeal.

First of all, everyone with any level of gambling skills understands and respects the difficulty of winning at roulette. Albert Einstein himself, who most people agree was not exactly a garden-variety moron, is reputed to have stated, "You cannot beat a roulette table unless you steal money from it." He also said, "God does not play dice with the universe," so it's just possible old Albert had games of chance on the brain. Is it possible the man who devised the theory of relativity was a hopeless gambling addict? Let's not go there. We should get back to the matter at hand.

First of all, there exists among many people a common misconception that green numbers are "house numbers" and that by betting on them one "gains the house edge." Hogwash. It is true that the house's advantage comes from the existence of the green numbers (a game without them would be statistically fair) yet once we remove this fact from the realm of theory and test it out in the world of reality, we will discover that green numbers are no more or less likely to come up than any other number.

The numerous even money bets that are available in a game of roulette have tempted more than a few players over the years to try to beat the game by using one or more variations of what's known as the "Martingale" betting strategy. With this approach, the gambler doubles the bet after every loss, so that the first win would recover all previous losses, plus win a profit equal to the original bet. Yet many reputable expert will tell you that this betting strategy is fundamentally flawed and can only lead to an empty wallet. (Yours, not the casino owner's.)

A competing strategy that's gotten some juice over the years is the Fibonacci system. In this structure, bets are calculated according to the a complex numerical sequence. Hate to let the air out of the balloon again, but current knowledge states that regardless of specific progression, no such strategy can ever overcome the casino’s advantage. Players trying this angle will inevitably fail over time.

So as you can see, the appeal of roulette remains an inscrutable mystery. It has yet to be proven that any particular strategy will ensure success against the roulette wheel. And if you don't believe me, just ask Einstein.

Casinos have been the subject or backdrop of many a program or film throughout TV and cinema history. From the early days when black and whites ruled the cinemas, to the latest blockbuster releases such as the soon to be released Casino Royale, we have seen many a top actor portraying a smooth criminal, a dashing here, or hopeless romantic trying their luck or attempting to change the direction of their life and fortunes over a roulette wheel or blackjack table.

So what is it about casinos that provide such a good backdrop and subject for a film. Well, the first thing that springs to mind is the atmosphere. A busy casino radiates vibrant colours and sounds. As you enter a casino you can feel an air of expectancy, an aura of hope, intertwined with feelings of anguish, as many sit around roulette wheels and in front of slot machines trying their luck and hoping for that all important spin of the wheel or roll of the dice.

But this is not the most important ingredient that makes casinos a healthy subject for films. The all important ingredient that has been at the forefront of most peoples lives and something that we all aspire to, and many try various methods to get their hands on is MONEY!

Money, while the root of all evil, is also the cause of elation. It provides the chance to change ones life and obtain the many luxurious offerings we are confronted with each day. It also provides a great opportunity for filmmakers to build a plot around. Bank robbery, crime, racketeering, they all have an ultimate end goal, MONEY! Casinos have money in abundance. Unfortunately, casinos also have the stigma of being mafia related, due to the large amount of money involved, and the feeling that wherever there is a lot of money, there is usually a lot of crime. But for sure, wherever there is money, there is a story to tell.

So for whatever reason a film has been based around a casino or gambling, there have been many a great screen related casino moments. Here is a list of my top 10 moments in casino related TV and films. Not all will recall, or agree with the order, but nonetheless you may agree they are all worth a mention.

1. The whole of the Simpsons casino episode (How I stopped worrying and learned to love legalized gambling, 1993).

2. Daniel Craig having two teeth knocked out while filming Casino Royale (2006).

3. Dr. No (1962). Where Sean Connery first uttered those immortal words "Bond… James Bond".

4. The heavily armed Elvis impersonators in 3000 miles to Graceland (2001).

5. Casino (1995). There are many moments from this film that I would like to add to this list, but the slick filmwork showing the flow of money from gamblers hand to the bank is worth a mention. Cannot mention the death scenes in this article.

6. The fight scene in a seedy casino from French movie District B13 (2004).

7. La Baie des anges, 1963. The seductive and alluring relationship between Jean Fournier and Jackie Demaistre in this casino and gambling related movie.

8. In Owning Mahowny (2003), Dan Mahowny is in denial. When confronted by his girl friend about his gambling, he tells her ″I don’t have a gambling problem. I have a financial problem.″

9. Gilda 1946, Rita Hayworth performs sexy striptease but only ends up removing her gloves in this casino related movie.

10. Every time William Macy's character positions himself at a roulette wheel, and the love scenes from The Cooler (2003).

In the eWorld of online gambling, casino reputation is King.

eCOGRA is a non-profit, non-partisan and totally international

organization, that allows legitimate players to feel comfortable

playing at casinos that have agreed to operate within certain

higher standards in order to receive and retain an eCOGRA Seal.

It provides participating casinos with a set of player-sensitive

regulations that are checked by independent inspection and

enforced by ongoing monitoring.

Established in 2003, with the first seals awarded in early 2004,

eCOGRA has demonstrated that it is a serious vehicle for

enforced, self-imposed regulation and quality assurance, despite

initial player apprehension about the ″independence″ of its

directors. A visit to any ″watchdog″ forum can confirm that by

and large eCOGRA measures up to its mission ″ . . . to be an

independent entity that provides important player protections to

consumers, including that operators are honest, games are fair,

monetary deposits are safe and winning bets are paid in a timely

manner.″

Andrew Beveridge, eCOGRA’s CEO, has taken the time to discuss

eCOGRA, player advocacy and the online gambling industry with

us. Thank you and welcome, Andrew.

CGP: Andrew, what gaming software platforms (other than the

giant Microgaming) have been approved by eCOGRA?

Andrew: In addition to Microgaming, Virtual Holdings (the parent

company of Random Logic, software supplier to 888.com and

Pacific Poker) is also a founding member. A recently added

member is Ongame, software supplier to PokerRoom.com, so that in

effect we now have on board the two largest suppliers to the

online casino industry, and three of the top six suppliers to

the online poker business. In practical terms, that means that

seal operations handle well over fifty percent of the global

online casino and poker room business.

It’s important to understand that we don’t actually award the

seal to the software providers; it is the online gaming sites

that use the software of our members that are eligible to

receive the seal. However the review process does also include

probity checks on the software providers’ major shareholders and

management, a thorough inspection of the entire software

development environment and comprehensive testing for software

fairness.

CGP: When do you expect to have approved bingo and sportbooks

software and operators under The Seal?

Andrew: Ideally we’d like to be involved in the self-regulation

of this part of the industry, however it has been a significant

effort just to make sure we are adequately addressing the

regulation of online casinos and poker. Even in these areas it’s

a constant effort to make sure we stay abreast of new

developments, such as mobile technology and multi-player

casinos. With limited resources we’ll probably continue to focus

in the foreseeable future on casino and poker due to their

relative importance in the online gambling industry. In order to

maintain our own credibility and that of the approved sites, we

need to make sure our standards are thoroughly researched,

implemented and monitored, and there can’t be any shortcuts in

this process.

CGP: Are there any gaming softwares that have been specifically

disapproved? If so, what are they?

Andrew: Prior to a software provider becoming a member, we make

a preliminary assessement together with one of the independent

audit firms on our Audit Panel as to the organisation’s ability

to meet our standards. If compliance looks probable, then we’ll

proceed with the membership process which is only then followed

by the eGAP inspection. Each of our current members had to do a

fair amount of work in specific areas prior to submitting to the

eGAP inspection, and we provided guidance through much of this

process, which conceivably can take up to a year.

It’s worth noting that we’ve been approached by over 30 other

software suppliers seeking information about membership, but the

considerable financial commitment and effort required to comply

with our standards makes the membership application process a

little tougher than what these organisations may initially

anticipate.

CGP: How many Online Casinos have been denied the seal and have

any holders of the seal ever ″lost″ their seal?

Andrew: Most of the 55 approved casinos were denied the seal

following their first inspection. The process is such that the

audit firm highlights the areas of non-compliance, and the

casino is then provided with an opportunity to rectify these

areas. A follow-up inspection is then done on-site (as we

require substantiated evidence that there is appropriate

compliance) and ultimately the site will be awarded the seal

once they comply fully with our standards. These are serious and

detailed studies of every aspect of casino operation, with

particular emphasis on those that interface with the player, and

this demands both commitment and determination on the operators’

part to pass. In return, the operator gets not only our seal,

but a highly professional, independent business assessment of

the operation that can improve business efficiency and

performance.

To date no seal holder has lost the seal. Obviously we pick up

areas where compliance has slipped, but as long as the

infringement is not too material, and the will exists to address

it we provide the operator with an opportunity to rectify the

shortcomings within a limited time frame. Non-conformance

thereafter could well result in the seal being revoked, and I do

know that our independent directors who control the Seals

Compliance Committee would not hesitate to act if they thought

standards were being flouted.

Along with software fairness, information and player security

and payment standards, eCOGRA is also involved in the politics

and legalities of online gaming.

CGP: Andrew, in your opinion, what is the outlook for online

gambling legally? Is Great Britain any closer to licensing

online gambling establishments? What is eCOGRA doing politically

to affect online gambling positively?

Andrew: We’re not really active on the legal and political

front, and there are several industry trade associations whose

main focus is to satisfy the legal and political agendas of

their members which comprise software suppliers and operators.

eCOGRA is essentially about player protection, fair gaming and

responsible operator behavior. That being said though, we are

currently advising a number of jurisdictions in the area of

setting standards and the appropriate testing methodologies.

Developments in the United Kingdom are especially encouraging,

as provision has been made in the new Gambling Act for

interactive gambling, a new Gambling Commission has been formed

to draft and implement regulations, and offices have been

secured in Birmingham, England. The indications are that the new

controlling body, headed by Peter Dean who is highly experienced

in regulation is taking a consultative approach that bodes well

for the industry when it takes over in 2007.

Britain’s new controlling body for gambling will be officially

launched in October this year and is already planning to meet

the industry at the next Betting Show, scheduled for 19 and 20

October at the Birmingham NEC Pavilion.

There is no doubt in my mind that this will be serious and

highly professional regulation, and that is good for the

industry in Britain, which is increasingly being perceived as a

desirable jurisdiction for respectable businesses. It means more

protection for the player, and that’s a prime goal we can share.

Elsewhere, geographical jurisdictions (eCOGRA operates across

international boundaries) such as Alderney, Gibraltar and the

Isle of Man are all improving their regulatory climates and that

will hopefully encourage other licensors to follow suit and

improve controls and dispute handling.

The progressive developments in the UK are being closely watched

by other governments, and will no doubt have a beneficial impact

through this channel, too.

The United States remains, as always a confusing legal and

political climate where we are unlikely to see positive and

wide-reaching improvements in the recognition and regulation of

Internet gambling in the immediate future. But I remain

optimistic that the example set by the UK may help introduce a

more rational approach there.

The outlook in general is very encouraging in my personal view,

and we will continue to make available to others our

considerable regulatory experience should they wish to exchange

views with us. I think the growing number of large, successful

and professionally run online gambling companies that have

evolved is ideally positioned to complement this more regulated

environment, and we will see more industry consolidation with

this new maturity.

Most recently, eCOGRA has launched the Responsible Gaming

Initiative, with the full support of its seal holders. All sites

will be required to carry a prominent Responsible Gaming section

in which the dangers of under-age and problem gambling are

explained. 7 day ″cooling off,″ 6 month self-exclusion or

deposit limiting mechanisms will be provided for gamblers who

suspect they may be in difficulties. Staff will be on the alert

for playing and financial patterns that may indicate an

addictive gambler.

CGP: This seems a very admirable endeavor on the part of eCOGRA

and seal holders. Tell me a little about the new Responsible

Gaming Initiative. How do you expect it impact the industry as a

whole? Do you think the addicted or underage gambler will simply

avoid eCOGRA Seal Casinos?

Andrew: That is not our objective - our goal is to identify and

exclude underage gamblers as soon as possible, and provide

facilities whereby gamblers with a potential problem can test

themselves and then act accordingly to either give up gambling

altogether or exclude themselves for a safe period of time of

their choosing or limit their accounts. We want to ensure that

our seal casinos do not promote gambling to under-aged or

problem gamblers, and we seek to train our staff in the

professional indicators of a problem gambler so that appropriate

advice can be offered where necessary.

In short, our objective is to go considerably further than

merely placing a GA link or something similar on seal casinos,

although we recognise the excellent work such bodies do and will

continue to steer troubled players to them.

This is a complicated field, and we have followed our usual

practice of engaging with experts in our planning. We have

partnered with the specialised international G4 organisation

which has extensive experience and professional skills and is

helping us to construct policies and eGAPs, train casino

managements and introduce the diagnostic tests and Responsible

Gaming facilities for seal operations.

The bottom line here is that under-age and addictive gambling is

a dangerous element for the casino, the player and the industry;

it causes untold distress and financial hardship, it is morally

wrong to allow or encourage it and we are therefore committed to

taking serious steps to prevent it wherever we can.

CGP: What is next Andrew? Do you anticipate any standards and

seal opportunity for portalmasters and casino affiliates?

Andrew: Until now I think we’ve done a reasonably good job of

laying the groundwork for effective self-regulation of online

gaming, and I think our success is reflected in the performance

and reputation of the sites that have earned our seal.

I can’t see us setting standards for portalmasters and

affiliates as this is certainly not our area of expertise and we

need to remain focused on our principal objective of protecting

the player.

The next step is to make consumers more aware that there are

responsible organisations in this industry who are willing to

invest significantly to ensure the well-being of the players. So

the big focus in the near future is going to be on the marketing

and education front, but at the same time we’ll be careful to

ensure that our standards are continually enhanced and the seal

holders maintain compliance. Ultimately we’re aiming to

substantially improve the credibility of the industry as a

whole, and no doubt this will benefit all involved.

CGP: We have no doubt of the benefit as well.

Thank you Andrew for taking the time to inform us about eCOGRA,

its purview and its plans. Thank you especially for eCOGRA’s

continued efforts on behalf of players and improving the image

of online gaming as a whole.

Casino Gold Pages members wishing to address player issues

regarding any eCOGRA seal holder, listed below, can find the

guidelines and form here:

http://www.ecogra.com/dispute.asp

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