NewWorldRecord

Important Information about Online Casino Licensing Jurisdictions · May 17, 2012

The majority of the time you can tell how trustworthy an online casino is just by finding out where it is licensed. Unfortunately, it seems as though some of the online gambling licensing jurisdictions hand out licenses to the highest bidder, without really imposing strict controls on the actual operators.

At the other end of the scale, you have the licensing jurisdictions that make it incredibly difficult for operators to obtain an online gambling license. The online casinos that are licensed in these jurisdictions are generally some of the safest, most secure and high tech gambling portals online today.

If you ever experience some kind of dispute at an online casino and you have tried contacting the support only to find that they are being unresponsive or unfair in anyway, you can then seek help by contacting the licensing organisation.

Every single complaint will be taken seriously, especially when trying to get in touch with the UK Gambling Commission, the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (UK Channel Islands), the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission or the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority, which are all widely recognised as being in the top tier of most respected licensing jurisdictions.

Complaints will be handled seriously within these jurisdictions and an issue will almost always be resolved. Players can therefore gamble safe in the knowledge that they are in fact playing in a secure online gambling environment where player protection is paramount.

As we move down the licensing bands, we come to jurisdictions such as the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (Canada), the Lotteries and Gaming Authority of Malta, the Curacao Internet Gaming Association (Netherlands Antilles) and Antigua.

Although many reputable online gambling sites are licensed in these jurisdictions, the controls are not as strict as the top tier controls. This doesn’t mean to say that these portals cannot be trusted in any way, it just means that they have slightly less standards of regulation in place. Most of them that do operate from these jurisdictions are perfectly safe but it’s always worth carrying out your own background research into an online casino prior to signing up.

The last notable licensing jurisdictions include Costa Rica, Panama, Belize and Comoros/Anjouan. Players should always be wary when visiting an online gambling portal that holds a license from one of these jurisdictions. More rogue casinos tend to operate from these jurisdictions than from anywhere else, which is why players should always check just to see where their casino may be licensed.

These online casinos tend to offer very little player protection should an issue arise, as no proper controls are in place to regulate and monitor the operators. This means that these ruthless operators often get away with ripping players off. If you are ever in doubt about where your online casino is licensed, contact the actual licensing website and it will give you a list of companies they have on their books and the types of regulations that they have in place to protect you as a player.

What action can you take if your Online Casino doesn’t pay? · May 10, 2012

Fortunately it doesn't happen very often where an online casino doesn't pay out, but it isn't totally unheard of and some unlucky players have fallen victim to this inappropriate behavior. These rogue online casinos usually get found out soon enough, but that doesn't really help the person who has lost his or her money.

If the online casino has offered you a welcome bonus or similar offer and you haven't received any of it, the first port of call is the customer support. You need to try and contact them as soon as possible to find out what's going on. It could be that you haven't fully read and understood the terms and conditions of the promotional offer and this will be made clear to you by the support.

If you have read and understood the T's and C's and you still think that you have been cheated in some way, again you must contact the support because this is what they are there for. You can generally get in touch with them by telephone, plus most of the online casinos today now have a live chat feature which will also put you instantly in touch with a member of the support team. If the issue is less important, you can simply send them an email and wait for a response that way.

Only in a fully licensed and regulated online casino will you have some kind of legal backing if they are holding your money back unlawfully in any way, or if they haven't come good with one of their advertised promotions. This is why regulations and governing bodies are put into place, for the purpose of player protection. If you have lost your money to an unlicensed/unregulated online casino, you may never see your cash materialise so the sensible thing is to cut your losses by deactivating your account and never visit that online casino ever again.

To avoid disappointment, you should really try to research as much as possible into an online casino prior to signing up with them. There are various review sites and forums that list the rogues where this sort of situation is likely to happen. Try to aim for a reputable gambling portal that has trusted operators within the gambling industry.

Being conned by a rogue thankfully isn't that common, but many people are still duped into signing up with them for their unbelievable offers that generally don't materialise. The main advice is to do your background checks and look out for the official seals of approvals that they should display somewhere on the homepage. Check for these credentials before they even have a chance to rip you off.

Three Cardinal Rules For Surviving in the Casino · May 4, 2012

If you are a relative newcomer to online casino gaming, you may not be as expert at playing the games, or doing anything else for that matter, as you would like. You are getting a lot of entertainment value out of your virtual trip to the casino, no doubt, but you also don't want to be knocked out of action before your time. Sometimes, as you're looking to have some fun, it's also a matter of survival.

Here are three cardinal rules for staying alive in the casino:

1. Learn the Rules of the Game - Someone might ordinarily assume that when you play in a casino, you already know the rules of the game you're involved in, but experience has taught us better. A lot of people play a game that they aren't altogether familiar with, and they could miss out on opportunities to do something that could have saved them, or made them, some money. What's even more dangerous is thinking you know how to play a variation of a game you are conversant with, but not knowing it at all. It only takes a couple of minutes to read the rules to these games, even if they are slot games.
   
   
2. Always Bet in Moderation - This, in theory, makes sense to a lot of people, but really, how many put it into practice? You need to be in a position where you can manage your risk, and if you have taken a certain amount of money into your session; indeed, if you know how much you have in your casino account, you will be able to set a very reasonable maximum bet level for yourself. If you can "max out" at 1/40th of your total bankroll, you won't be in horrible shape. Remember, however, we said "maximum." That doesn't mean your average bet, because you could get knocked out very quickly on a slot game that way.
   
   
3. Find the Value Out There - Everybody wants to get the most for their money. That's why it is going to be well worth your while to look for value. That encompasses many things. When looking for a bonus situation, find out where you can get the most money matched on your deposits, where it can work to your benefit. That also involves taking a long look at the wagering requirements that the various bonuses carry, because those requirements indicate how much money you have to literally bet in the games in order to ultimately qualify to cash the bonus. If you are not a slot player, you'll need to look at how much credit you'll get toward the bonus for playing the other games. This contributes to the overall value you get out of the games.

Three Important Factors In Choosing An Online Casino · May 3, 2012

What should you look for when you are scouting for an online casino to join? Well, there are probably a lot of factors to consider, but if you wanted to boil it down to a few of them, these may be at the top of the list:

• Reputation -- This may be the factor that outweighs the others, and we say that for a very legitimate reason. The online casino world is one where much fun can be had, but unfortunately, because of all the opportunity in it, there are going to be some outfits that operate in a manner that is less than scrupulous. It doesn't matter how good the games are, or what kind of bonus offer you get, if you wake up one day and everything is gone out of your account. We would advise you to lean toward operations that have been around for a number of years, satisfying players, or if they're relatively new, go with an operation that has received some solid recommendations from people. That is the safest way to go.
  
  
• The Bonus Structure -- Does the casino offer a welcome bonus? Can it convert to real cash, or are there some "hoops" to jump through in order to get it? These are a couple of the questions you have to ask yourself. Obviously there are some bonuses that are better than others. If you have a welcome bonus that works on the first five deposits you make, that is better than one where it happens only on the first deposit. If you are getting 200% in a match bonus from one online casino, that is generally better than if you get just 50% from another. You want to look for value when you put your money into an online casino.
  
  
• The Games -- It is obvious that once you have deposited money in an online casino, the next thing is to be able to play the games. Your experience is going to be different, according to which casino you visit. That is because the quality and selection of the games may be different. Even if two casinos have the same software provider, one may have many more games from that developer than the other. A customer getting bored is the death knell for any casino. That's why the game selection had better be robust, or if it isn't, it had better have games that are interesting enough to keep you playing. make sure that a casino has the games you want to play, and enough of them.

The Differences Between Poker and Blackjack · May 2, 2012

Poker and blackjack are two games in which many people think they can change their chances with skill. Even if they don't gain an edge in these games, they can certainly reduce the chances of losing. There are people who have played both games who are somewhat split on which one they prefer. I guess it just depends on how you want to handle the concept of volatility and what you're looking for out of each game.

There are certain versions of poker where you can play against the house, but if you're in table poker, basically you're in a situation where the best player in the game is going to be the biggest winner in the long run. The same basic principle might be at work in blackjack, in that if you are a string player, you're going to have a chance to win no matter what. However, there are certain factors that could change the dynamic in a poker game; namely, the caliber of opposition one might be playing against. There are really no concerns like this in blackjack, because once the set of rules is established, it remains the same for player and dealer, and simply doesn't change. The casino is a stationary target in blackjack, while a given game of poker, and all the factors around it, could be ever-changing.

If you are a proponent of more of a "scientific" approach, blackjack may be the preferable choice for you, because it is essentially all math and science when it comes to the raw outcome of games. Not that poker does not depend on its share of math, but there are a lot of "human" factors that probably combine to carry more weight. Remember that when you are playing poker, it is against other opponents, while blackjack, as it is played online, is strictly a matter of you against the house.

In an online casino, you're probably better off with poker, because the entirety of the cards is shuffled at the end of each round, leaving you with little opportunity to exercise anything more substantial than a Basic Strategy. In poker, the house does not have any stake in whether you are the winner or the loser, and there is a much better chance for you to be a long-run winner at the game. Also, as you gain more experience, one of the things that is an important component - reading the opponent - can be developed by way of observation.

Five Reasons to Play in Live Casinos · May 1, 2012

Live casinos have become hot in the online casino world, and those casino websites that offer it are reaping the benefits. In a live casino, you are literally playing through your browser while looking at someone who is dealing the game live to you from a remote location. They come from all over the world; some of them are located in various countries in Europe, while others are located in places like Costa Rica. It's completely legitimate, and it is happening in real time.

Is this simply a novelty to be easily discarded? We think not. Here are five reasons why you should strongly consider playing in live casinos:

1. They Are a Brand-New Experience -- Playing against live dealers adds some excitement to the game, in that it brings a human element into the proceedings. At the very least, it is a useful change of pace in the midst of playing in an environment that may, to you, appear to be a little too robotic at times. Live dealers bring a certain "personal touch" to the game.
   
   
2. You'll Get a Better Deal -- What we mean by this is that if you are playing blackjack, for instance, you will stand a chance of receiving an actual deal out of shoe, as opposed to that which you get when the random number generator (RNG) is employed in the other blackjack games in an online casino. In a game like this, the deck or shoe is shuffled after every round is dealt. With the live dealer, that may not be the case. This could give you better odds on the game, and if you are using a Basic Strategy, it will allow you to employ it better.
   
   
3. You Can Bet More If You Want --  The live casino games generally carry more of a minimum than their "regular" online casino counterparts. That means you'll be able to bet more at the high end as well, if you like. This is something that will undoubtedly be more alluring to the high-roller.
   
   
4. You Can Take Advantage of Special Promotions -- Many of the casinos that have a live component have been known to construct promotions as a way of attracting players to try what they have to offer. This could mean a more creative bonus than usual, not to mention as schedule of casino tournaments that might add value to what you are doing.
   
   
5. The Dealers Are Generally Very Attractive -- Hey, can't we be just a little superficial about the whole thing?

Ten Things You Won't Have to Worry About in an Online Casino · May 1, 2012

You know that playing in an online casino is different than being in the land-based, "brick and mortar" version of a casino because...well, because you've experienced it already. But maybe you didn't think all the way through about those differences.

Well, let's take a look at some things you might have to think about in a land-based casino, but can throw out the window when you're playing online. And excuse us for being a little tongue-in-cheek.

1. You don't have to worry about what you look like. At some of these land-based casinos it's like a fashion show; concerns center around who has the smartest clothes, or the best jewelry. When you're playing online you can be decked out in nothing but your BVD's and you'll be just fine.
   
   
2. You have no concerns whatsoever about tipping the dealer, because there ARE no dealers! Think of the savings!  And on top of that, you don't have to endure one of those dirty looks from a dealer who just watched you split four ways and win on four doubles and had to go without a "toke."
   
   
3. You don't have to suffer through the embarrassment of looking bad because you didn't know the rules. This brings some dirty looks too. All you've got to do when you're online is stop playing, and pull out a help file, or use any other device that is in the casino software that explains the proper etiquette and procedure to you.
   
   
4. You won't have to get into a drink-throwing contest with another player at the table who is angry at you. The worst that could happen is that you could get trash-talked through the chat apparatus.
   
   
5. You will not encounter the little old lady who takes 25 minutes to decide what to do with their hand. And in fact, when you have your own "little old lady" moment, and are sitting there not knowing what to do, no one is going to get on your case.
   
   
6. You can put everything on hold and go to the refrigerator, and you won't have to worry about losing your seat at that "lucky" slot machine.
   
   
7. You don't have to use a crayon to play keno.
   
   
8. You don't have to park your car and walk a mile and a half from the garage to get to a casino game.
   
   
9. You can smoke all you want without bothering anyone. Or if you don't smoke, no one will bother YOU with it.
   
   
10. You can curse all you want at the "table" and no security guard will ever through you out!