By Samantha Williams

It is so interesting to note that the roots of the game of craps – namely the dice, is not necessarily the root of all evil as some anti-gambling lobbyist might have you believe; the dice actually date way back in time to pre-history. While online craps and gambling in general may be new, taking a wager on the dice or bones as they are called is certainly not new. The idea of calling craps dice “bones” is also not new and they have been called this for millennia, chiefly because the first dice were made of bone. Perhaps even the bones of an enemy!

People love to take a wager on the outcome of a completely random act. It really doesn’t get more random, or more exciting than the roll of two dice, each marked with 6 numbers. Taking a wager on dice, or anything else for that matter is not limited to any one culture, it is a universal aspect of culture and no-one knows who placed the first bet. Perhaps cave men may have bet their buddies that their wife was faster than another’s when skinning a mammoth. The prize may have been the wife and the mammoth of the loser; who knows?

To think that Herotodus recorded dice as far back as the 5th century BC is quite mind boggling, but craps may date back further than that. He is known as the Greek Father of History. Archaeologists have found artefacts of a similar nature dating even further back in many cultures. The Egyptians even placed dice in tombs believing that dice games were played in the underworld and the spirits of the dead loved the odd game of craps or something similar.

All classical civilizations gamble on the outcome of random events and we still do this today, so we can quite safely assume that there is a genetic pre-disposition to gamble in all human nature. The fact that we still play craps and a myriad other gambling games online is therefore human nature!

Governments have tried to ban these games time and again as they really don’t like to see money or mammoths changing hands without getting a stake or steak for themselves. So excuses that gambling games are another of mans cause of downfall is really a load of craps, excuse the pun! It is all about money, and this is why sensible Governments take a regulatory stance, so that gambling is legal and they get their pound of flesh too.

Play craps online at any one of the many online casinos and while you play you will be safe in the knowledge that this game is genetically part of who we all are on a cultural level. Gambling commissions in Government bodies often fall under Arts and Culture, or Sports and Recreation ministries and rarely under Health and Safety, so learn to play craps, it is human nature.

By: Samantha Williams

There is not really anything all that mysterious about online slots, but there are certainly a lot of myths and many monsters in this genre of game. The most popular myth is probably that players deceive themselves into believing that a discernable pattern can be tracked when playing a slots machine and nothing could be further from the truth.

Online or any other slots machine is operated by means of a random number generator, these mysterious creatures are able to generate millions of number combinations in minutes, and all are completely random. This is why one never knows when a jackpot is due, it could have just paid out a jackpot prize of $100 000 and reset the PJP at $20 000 then pay again on the second spin. Any change in timing in these machines presents millions of different combinations, and there is never any guarantee of anything.

This is in actual fact what makes playing slots so much fun, the unpredictability of the game; that and the possibility that a huge jackpot prize can be landed for very little money.

Online casinos do not determine when a jackpot prize is due to be won; this would be completely against any spirit of fairness. At online casinos a software design company is in control of the slots design and algorithms, the casino itself has no control over these. They cannot dictate this to the software company. The software company shows the design to the casinos tells them the percentage payout, perceived popularity and possible profitability and the casino either buys the game or doesn’t. They are also compelled to receive independent testing for fairness in order to tie in with licensing laws. So the theory that casinos control slots machines is another myth; and now for the monsters.

People seem to have an over-riding fascination for monsters; books, films and popular as well as ancient culture are filled with tales of monsters; and this theme proves popular with slots games too. All kinds of monster themes abound, but one of our personal favorites is the Addams family. This was a popular TV show and film; with its roots in comic books. The reason for its great appeal is the semi-normality of this ultimately monstrous family – nearly everyone has a similar family in the neighborhood, or likes to think they do.

The slots game is found at many online casinos and the International Gaming Technology version is so much fun. It is a PJP game which features the voice of John Astin as Gomez, the head of the family and husband to Morticia. He encourages players and teases them when they win, and this adds to the interactive aspect of this hugely entertaining game. If you like monsters and the Addams family in particular, you will love it. It has true gothic appeal – add this to the appeal slots have in general and you have a spot on winner.