By Jerry Whittaker

It is not only fun to play at online gambling casinos when you win, although this does make it much more exciting. It is also just as exciting to play for low stakes and while away a relaxing hour, possibly feeding the slots. This is an industry which has built up in a response to a huge demand, and is certainly here to stay, if the customer has any say. Long before real money games were offered online for financial incentive, playing internet games was big news, and this popular gaming activity has carried through to the online gambling genre. The user decides what their poison is, chooses a site which is safe and secure, then never knows what might happen if Lady Luck or sometimes skill comes through.

A whole slew of games can be played, through classic pub fruitie slots, to the most sophisticated of video slots, which are fast becoming a marriage of slots and arcade skill games. While these games are pure entertainment, and there are also great chances to win, there is not much to offer in terms of testing our skills at predicting a winner. There are some players who don’t like the slots – not many, but some – and for these players, desiring the thrill of the live casino may keep them from playing at online gambling casinos. Denying themselves these games is no longer necessary, and every site worth its salt today is now offering a ‘live’ online casino.

Live casino games online are in the table games genre. This means games such as roulette, blackjack, baccarat craps and even others. As technology becomes more sophisticated and there is more demand, we see more and more gambling options on offer. For example let’s look at live blackjack. This is brought to players through live video streaming, filmed from a TV-type studio. Just like in real live casinos, the gambler gets to choose to play at the table with their very own beautiful dealer. This form of ‘high-tech’ online blackjack has attracted and retains massive popularity. It is a stunning game which is endlessly exciting, because of its simplicity.

Playing live blackjack is simple, just download the application (if you are not already a member of a site), the online casino provides you with the link, and the aim of the game is the same. Just beat the dealer to win, by getting closer to 21. The dealer is a ‘flesh and blood’ croupier in this instance, and they deal the cards to the players at the table seated in ‘virtual’ seats. So it is a marriage of online blackjack and the live game, brought to players in real time. Unlike online gambling casinos which are open 24/7, 365, live dealer games might only be open at certain times. Check out the schedule at your favorite site, then why not give it a go?

By Jerry Whittaker

We cannot stress enough, how vitally important it is for newbie real money gamblers to use an online gambling guide. While the remnants of the US online casino industry is basically in tatters, the UK and European marketplace is faring very well and still growing in popularity. More new markets are opening, particularly in the EU arena, as with Italy and France, and regulation is in place for various new licensing jurisdictions. Although the UK industry is still licensing the majority of its business offshore, this may all change quite soon. However, and this is a big however; online casinos licensed in jurisdictions such as Malta, Cyprus, Isle of Man, Alderney and Gibraltar, are compelled to fall in with EU law, and this means they are both regulated and safe (in the majority).

A good online gambling guide is worth a Kings ransom to the new player, particularly if the player lands up at a winning site. These casino listings provide us with tons of useful (and some useless) information, comparisons, news, reviews, strategies, tips and tricks, and all of this data comes free. Any informed gamer will fare better than the uninformed!

There are very many variables which factor when playing at an online casino, and quite honestly we prefer the big brand or well-known names. The reason for this is quite simple – in a word – “recourse”. The player has recourse to dispute resolution mechanisms such as eCOGRA follow-up, and this essentially means even safer and more pleasant play. Websites in the big brand category are not going to cheat their members, they know on which side their bread is buttered, and they never fall into the class of rogue casinos.

Payment and withdrawal methods are tried and tested, encryption technology is used to secure sensitive information, and random number generators are tested for fairness. Sound customer service infrastructures are in place, and payout percentages are also independently audited. In essence all the steps are in place to ensure a fair, equitable and fun online gambling experience. An online gambling guide, provides all of this information and more, and they are there for a very good reason, not only to act as affiliates for the casino website.

Certification from socially responsible – problem gambling associations also lend an air of responsibility to a site. It means the business has been assessed for self exclusion and under age gambling checks. These are all very important variables which need to be taken into consideration. Surfing from site to site, checking out all of these details and more is an incredibly time-consuming, as well as tedious task. Let the online gambling guide do this for you, it cuts out tons of trouble and effort, and also makes sure that the site or sites where you choose to play will be fun, free from hassles and hopefully winning too. Now that the important boring stuff is out of the way, it is time to have some fun – race you to the casino, let’s play!