Casino Bonuses Explained

Casino Bonuses – what is the truth behind it?


There is a lot of competition in the online gambling market today. Each day, new casinos form, old ones regroup and change owners, and the supply is nearly endless.

When a player is looking to choose in which casino to play, he (or she), has many different factors to consider:
• Do I like the look of the casino?
• Does it have the games I’m interested in?
• Do I know anything about the Casino?
• Did someone recommend it to me?
• Does the customer support efficient and offers around the clock help?
• But most importantly I ask myself – what’s in it for me? What do THEY offer me to play at their casino of all places?

This is where the Bonuses come into play.

You will not find anywhere online a casino that does not offer some sort of bonus.
Some offer first time deposit bonuses, some offer loyalty bonuses, some offer 2nd and 3rd deposit bonuses and some have invented all sort of tricks and treats in order to attract the player to their casino.

We will now try to make a little order in the ever growing world of casino bonuses, and try to explain what they mean.

First deposit bonus:
This is a bonus a player can collect only once, when making the first deposit. Usually it is the biggest bonus he casino offers, and you can find places offering bonuses of up to 1000$.
In order to claim the bonus, you have to deposit a specified amount, usually close to the bonus amount (or sometimes even more), and play with a certain amount of money before you are allowed to cash out.
The standard is between 4 times and 12 times the amount of the bonus or combined bonus + deposit. (For example – if you deposited 100$ and received 100$, you will have to wager at least 800$ (4X(100$+100$)) in order to cash out. This means you can put the 200$ on the roulette, win, put another 400$, win, and now you have played the due 800$ and you can cash out.

Read the fine print in the term & conditions for each offer, there you will see what is the amount needed, and if there are games banned from the bonus play.

Second, Third etc. deposit bonus:
Same rules apply here – but every player can enjoy the bonus – even an old timer at the casino, provided it is their 2nd or 3rd deposit. (or more –depending on the casino).

Monthly bonus:
Some casinos will give you a bonus for the first deposit of each month.
Same rules apply here – read the T&C.

Players club or Comp points:
Most casinos will reward players with credit for money spent, and allow them to receive money back for a predetermined amount of points. Read each casinos rules concerning the exchange.
Some places will let you use the points you earn to get merchandize or enter special private tournaments.

Bonus when using different depositing methods:
If you are using services like NETeller or Citadel or any of the sort, some casinos will offer you extra 10 or 15% bonus. This is in order to advance new methods, and reduce the dependency on credit cards.

Your loses back or extra winnings:
This is a bonus that is rarer than the others, but it allows you to get some of your loses back (usually about 10% back), and if you are a winner, the casino adds to your winnings (usually about 1%).

VIP Clubs
Most casinos will have some sort of VIP program, allowing veteran players and high rollers to each more Comp points, have better exchange rates, play in private games and more.

These are the most common bonuses today. Some times a casino will add something special, a little extra, a promotion for a special occasion (Christmas, Halloween, etc.), and details on each one you can always read in the home page of each casino.

Before you start playing, there is one thing you need to know, and that is how to play – after that you’re on your own…

Casino bonuses: Jackpots In Online Casinos. Part Two.

The lucky winner was a gambler of InterCasino with a nick "Obaesso" - middle-aged factory worker, who plans to travel around the world (before he had not left his native town further than 50 kilometers). However, the winner has not received all the money, but just a modest part of $5,9 mln., another $2 mln. remained in the game. But in this case, there was no need to wait for long months - the jackpot was again broken in a couple of weeks, and moreover at a pound casino, so the prize equaled 2 million pounds or about 4 million dollars. This is how the online casinos added another couple of people to the club of millionaires.

Probably video poker is the second game with often occurrence of jackpot. Jackpot can be added to various versions of game as payment for picking up royal flash. Jackpot is usually paid only in a game of 5 coins and starts at 800 -1000 bets. However, jackpots are seldom happened greater in video poker, usually they range from $1-7 thousands (depending on the value of coins - 25 cents or $1).

Jackpots are nonetheless popular in another poker game - Caribbean Poker. A player can make an extra bet of exactly one dollar for jackpot. If he gets royal flash, then he takes the entire accumulated sum, if he gets street flash, then he wins 10 % of a jackpot. The sum of the jackpot in this game usually amounts to $100-$200 thousands and the record won sum equals to $720000.

Jackpots in slots, video and Caribbean poker can be found in most casinos, other games offer jackpots quite more seldom, though, in fact, jackpot can be "adjusted" to any game.

Microgaming casino offers roulette jackpot. You can win quite good money of several hundreds thousand dollars, if you win the bet at the same number five times in a row. Progressive blackjack also exists in Cryptologic casino and OddsOn casino. In fact, jackpot can be added in any case - the main condition for that is the demand for the game.

As we see, jackpots manage to fulfill their task and allow some players to win a lot of money, but does it mean that it is worth chasing down the jackpots? In most cases - no. Unfortunately, the casinos use the popularity of jackpot slots and set lower payment percentage for them. As a result the risk of losing considerably increases. I've already written in one of my articles, that in fact, the jackpot games can be of positive mathematic expectation for a gambler. Unfortunately mathematic expectation cannot be computed for the slots. So we can only hope that jackpot is big enough to take risks. In video and Caribbean poker mathematic expectation can be calculated at the given amount of jackpot. When the game has the player's preference, there is an opportunity to have such amount of jackpot. In this case, you can enter the game, though you should not rely on winning too much. The chance of winning the gain does not increase with growth of the jackpot.

Some gamblers may be worrying if the casino is able to pay them such great amount of money, if they manage to break the jackpot. If it is a small casino with unknown software, and which promises jackpots hundreds of thousands of dollars - I doubt if jackpot can really be broken there. But you should have no doubt if you deal with casinos of the famous software producers. The software producer himself provides for jackpot and he pays the gains. The funds are created in advance and there are no problems with the payments.

If you hope to get rich with the help of jackpot - play in the famous casinos from the famous software providers and good luck to you.

Casino bonuses: Jackpots In Online Casinos. Part One.

Whatever the gamblers might be claiming about their wish of mere having good time in casino and about skirmish of wits in the name of the game, still absolute majority is attracted by the opportunity to win plenty of money putting up a little. There is unlikely a gambler who does not dream of winning thousands or even millions, betting a few coins. Progressive jackpots are created just for such category of gamblers.

Initially the term "jackpot" referred to poker, according to one of its rules - the parlays to the pot increased, if none of the players collected at least a couple of jacks (the word originated from English words jack and pot). Now the word "jackpot" is often accompanied by the word "progressive" which means accumulation of a prize in the game until certain terms of this jackpot are fulfilled. A certain share of all the bets forms the jackpot, as a rule the share is not that big - basis points, but the probability to win the jackpot is very small, approximately 1 to 10000 and perhaps even 1 to several millions and as a result quite a considerable sum of money is accumulated.

Generally the sum of jackpot is thousand times more than the stakes. If we are dealing with online jackpots, then we should note that jackpots are accumulated not in one casino but in all the casinos of a common software provider. It contributes to tenfold increase in jackpots.

Which games are the best for making so much money? - Various games. Jackpots are mostly used, of course, in slot machines. It is a classical version - jackpot is used instead of high fixed gain for the rarest combination. If we speak about classical slots, then jackpot is paid for the gain in the last line. In video slot machines there are quite many more opportunities - in some games, it is enough to have the same symbols on one of the lines; in others, on the contrary, you should win a special game. The sum of jackpot usually starts from thousands of bets, but in some slots it starts from hundreds of thousands. There are not very big jackpots ($10-$30 thousands) which are broken virtually every week. But there are also monsters that are accumulated for months and then offer jackpots of millions.

The slots with such jackpots have relevant names:
"Major Million"(slot and video slot in microgaming casino, maximum gain is about $1,8 mln.).

"Golden Rally"(slot in Casino Playtech maximum gain is about $2 mln.).

"Rags to Riches" (slot in Cryptologic casino maximum gain is about $0,5 mln.).

But slot machine "Millionaires Club" in Cryptologic casino has become the main newsmaker at jackpot front lately. The amount of jackpot of this slot machine (there are two versions - classical three line and video slot - nine line) with a special game exceeded the previous record $2 mln. by the beginning of spring. At its best this sum grew daily by $30-$40 thousand, the jackpot reached $3 mln., than - 4 mln, 5 mln. and so on. By 15th of May the sum almost reached 8 million US Dollars.

California Hotel In Las Vegas

Las Vegas is full of action. There are many hotels & casinos to choose from. Many tourists end up on the Las Vegas Strip. However, “downtown” is where the action used to be. And it's still a good spot to hang out.

The California Hotel is one of my favorite downtown casinos. It's easy to spot and it's been around for decades. One thing you notice is the friendly and smaller gaming floor. Most of the more recent casinos require an atlas to navigate through. The California Hotel is smaller and easy to find what you want. No worries about getting lost here.

It has some nice restaurants and some shops upstairs. Parking is a bit interesting. There's valet (recommended) and self-parking. If you park it yourself, there is a parking garage. You can also park on the street in metered spots, but I don't recommend it. Valet is free-just throw them a tip of a buck or two.

As mentioned, the second floor has some shops. These are little specialty stores-even a place to get yummy ice cream. There's also a corridor to another casino if you want to take a stroll. Upstairs is my favorite place to grab a quick mean. It's a Hawaiian place and the teriyaki rice bowls are the best in town-yes, really. This place is almost always packed.

You'll notice a lot of Asian and Hawaiian people here. The California Hotel usually does a lot of promotion in Hawaii and runs flights back and forth. It's really the “Hawaiian Hotel” of Las Vegas. They pride themselves on having that aloha spirit and it shows. If you're interested in staying at the California Hotel, they have about 800 rooms and the prices are very reasonable. It's within walking distance to all the other downtown casinos too-Plaza, Horseshoe, Golden Nugget, etc. And you'll be able to catch the Fremont Experience shows.

If you want to take in the Las Vegas Strip, no worries. You can hop in a cab (or drive) and be there within about 10 minutes. Let me recommend a cab. Driving on the Las Vegas Strip isn't fun at all. If you're a public transportation enthusiast, there are buses. The CAT bus is the general one and now there's a double-decker bus called the Deuce. It's great. If you take a cab, get out somewhat near where you want to be and take a stroll. No need paying to sit in traffic and there's a lot of see on the Strip anyway.

For downtown action, the California Hotel is definitely a fun place to check out. You'll notice the difference in atmosphere right away.

California Casinos

The state of California, located on the west coast of the United States, is by far the most populous state in the country. There are also a number of California casinos operating within the legal jurisdictions of its Native American owned lands. Because they are located on Native American land, many California casinos are located in out-of-the-way places. When visiting a California casino, it is advisable to call ahead and get specific directions.

Nearly all California casinos are open 24 hours a day. California casinos are allowed to offer electronic gaming machines, blackjack, and other card games. Unfortunately, the games of craps and roulette are not permitted, but some California casinos offer modified forms of these games that are played with cards rather than dice or roulette wheels. Slots, video poker and video keno are the most popular electronic gaming machines you’ll find in California casinos. Some of the card games frequently played in California casinos include blackjack, baccarat, poker (including pai gow, Caribbean stud and three-card poker), Spanish 21, and Let it Ride. Many California casinos also feature bingo, casino war and OTB (off track betting) options for gamblers and casual players.

In addition to traditional gambling games, many California casinos offer some exciting and unusual amenities. For example, the Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino in Lakeside has a full 18-hole golf course and a wedding chapel. Visitors to the Konocti Vista Casino Resort & Marina, also in Lakeside, can take in a marina with 80 ships. The Win-River Casino in Redding features a comedy club and an entertainment center. Relax at the Cache Creek Indian Bingo & Casino in Brooks with a full-service spa. California casinos are as varied and colorful as the residents of California themselves, and many of them are full of surprises!

Several California casinos allow overnight RV parking for the traveling gambler, so if you’re planning a California casino trip you can make quite a few stops and stay a while. Age restrictions at California casinos are 18 and up except where liquor is served, in which case it’s 21 and up. Other California casinos include the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, the Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, the Mono Wind Casino in Auberry, the River Rock Casino in Geyserville, the Palace Indian Gaming Center in Lemoore, the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, the Black Bart Casino in Willits, the Lucky 7 Casino in Smith River, and many more!

Biggest Casino Winners

Just who are some of the biggest casino winners in Vegas? The answer might surprise you. It's not the professional poker players or the people that are paying the $100 slots that are winning big. It is people just like you and me that are just keeping the seat warm and taking a chance on the slots. The biggest winners on record are all winners of the Megabucks jackpot. The jackpot starts at $7 million and goes up from there until there is a mega winner.

For one lucky man, lightning or rather a jackpot has struck twice. At the age of 92, Elmer Sherwin won his second Megabucks jackpot. Mr. Sherwin won $21 million almost 16 years after his initial win of 4.6 million in the same jackpot game. Both of Mr. Sherwin’s jackpots were won in Las Vegas and were part of the Megabucks network of progressive slot machines. He will receive his winnings in annual installments but said that he had plans to donate his winnings to victims of Hurricane Katrina. His first jackpot win had allowed him to travel the world, now he wanted to give back.

Another big winner was Amy Nishimura from Hawaii. At 71, Ms. Nishimura was visiting Las Vegas on vacation and hit the $8.9 million Megabucks jackpot at the Freemont hotel after spending about $100 on the slots. Ms. Nishimura was another winner of the Megabucks network that is linked to over 150 casinos across Nevada. More players mean a higher payout for the lucky winners. She said that she had had dreams about her win before she hit the jackpot.

The largest jackpot ever won in Vegas was $39.7 million and was won in March of 2003 at the Excalibur casino. The lucky winner was a 25-year-old man from Los Angeles that turned a $100 stint at the slots into the biggest win ever recorded. The instantly wealthy man was visiting Vegas for the NCAA basketball tournaments and just sat down at the slot machine to play for a while. He walked away with a whopping 1.5 million dollar payout for the next 25 years.

While we can all dream, the big winners are all just like you and me. They decided to sit down and take a chance and lady luck was on their side. As Mr. Sherwin has proven, lady luck doesn't always only strike once.

Beware Gambling Can Increase Your Debt Problems

Are you the type of person who likes to take a gamble from time to time on things such as the result of a horse race? Would you say that you have an addiction to gambling? Do you lose more money than you win when gambling? Are you in debt? Are you hoping to reduce your debts by gambling? In this article, I write about a friend of mine who tried to gamble her way out of debt, however she was not successful and ended up with an even bigger debt problem.

My friend is called Emma. She is not exactly what you would call good with money and I am often amazed at the amounts she spends when we go out shopping together. Emma earns a fairly good wage but many people would probably expect that she earns three times this amount by her attitude towards money. If there is a store card available, Emma will sign up for it. I have often tried to advise her that she could find herself in a nasty position if she does not take more care with her finances, but she would never listen and thought that I was just too careful and even tight with my own money.

About a year ago, Emma confided to me that she was in quite a large amount of debt. She had bought a lot of items on her credit cards and had been unable to make all of the repayments. Emma also had a car loan which she also found hard to pay back, she of course had to drive around in the best car. Emma said that it was not a problem as she was looking into ways of reducing these debts and had read many debt consolidation articles on the internet, which had provided her with some useful information.

Six months later, Emma confided in me again. She now stated that she was in too deep and that she had been stupid as she had tried to gamble her way out of debt. I could not believe it, however tried to remain positive for her sake. I asked her to explain what had happened. She replied that she had started to play poker on the internet. Originally it was only for a bit of fun and in the first two months she was up around three hundred dollars. Emma then thought that this was a possible way to help her to reduce her debts and started to play for much higher stakes. Her winning streak was not to last and she ended up losing a lot of money.

Emma is still finding it hard to pay back all of the money she owes various people and companies, but has realised that gambling is not a form of debt solution for her.

Best Casino Movies

Las Vegas and its casinos have always been an inspiration for filmmakers looking to inject excitement and intrigue into their movies. One of the most famous movies with a Las Vegas backdrop is 1960’s ‘Ocean’s Eleven’, which sees the members of the original ‘Rat Pack’ – Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis – planning to rob five of the top casinos in Vegas in just one night. Things go according to plan – at least until after the heists.

‘Ocean’s Eleven’ was remade successfully in 2001 by Steven Soderburgh, who cast George Clooney in the leading role of Danny Ocean and Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Elliott Gould as gang members, amongst others. The 2001 version updated the storyline while still putting across the same glamorous image of Vegas as in the first movie.

Nicolas Cage visited Las Vegas in 1992 for his film ‘Honeymoon in Vegas’. This comedy tells the story of Jack Singer (played by Cage) who decides to wed his long-time partner Betsy (Sarah Jessica Parker) in Vegas. However, when they arrive, Betsy is spotted by a high-stakes gambler who decides he wants to spend a weekend with her. He engages Singer in poker games in an attempt to wrestle her from him. With Cage acting his best as the love-struck bridegroom, James Caan as the sinister gambler, and a number of parachuting Elvis impersonators, ‘Honeymoon in Vegas’ offers plenty of laughs.

Matt Damon is Mike McDermott, one of the world’s best poker players in the 1998 film ‘Rounders’, who has given up the game in order to concentrate on finishing law school. When his old friend Worm (Edward Norton) is released from prison, he persuades McDermott to return to the game in order to pay off some bad debts he’s accrued. McDermott consequently finds himself playing in a series of poker games where the stakes are forever increasing and the tension is forever building.

Finally, a list of casino movies is incomplete without a mention of the 1995 Martin Scorcese movie ‘Casino’, which is considered by many to be the definitive casino film. This tells the true story of Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein, a mobster who moves to Las Vegas and becomes the operator of the Tangiers casino. Robert De Niro makes the lead role his own, as Rothstein copes with marriage to a drug addict (played by Sharon Stone) and friendship with Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), a fellow mobster slowly spiralling into a world of violence.

Atlantic City Casinos

New Jersey, also known as the Garden State, is located on the east coast of the United States of America. Its capital is located in Trenton. It is the fourth smallest and most densely populated state. Named after the Island of Jersey in the English Channel, it was settled by the Dutch in the early 1600s. New Jersey's per capita income is the highest in the nation. Nine of its counties are in the wealthiest 100 in the country. New Jersey's main agricultural products are horses, vegetables, fruit and nuts and is particular known for its cranberries and blueberries. Hammonton, in the southern part of the state is considered the blueberry capital of the world.

Tourism is a major part of New Jersey's economy, with New Jersey Casinos making up the lion's share of the tourism dollar. Atlantic City is famous the world over for excellent casino gambling. The east coast's answer to Vegas and Reno, Atlantic City has a rich history. The Boardwalk in Atlantic City is world famous and is a source of nostalgia for millions. Atlantic City is home to at least 13 major casinos including the luxurious Borgata; home to the World Series of Poker and several Trump establishments.

Trumps Marina Hotel & Casino starts the list out of New Jersey Casinos. With it's on site marina and regular shows, this is one of the showcases of New Jersey casinos. Complimenting the Marina Hotel and Casino are the Trump Plaza and Hotel Casino and the Trump Taj Mahal casino Resort. The Taj Mahal is a truly amazing site and the gem in the Trump Atlantic City casino empire.

The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is considered one of the finest casinos in the world and a world-class destination for gambling and entertainment. Caesars Atlantic City is one of the highlights of New Jersey Casino gambling and entertainment and has been a cornerstone in the state for many years. Along with Harrah's Casino Hotel, the Sands Hotel and Casino and the Tropicana Casino and resort, Caesars represents the old guard in casino opulence.

Rounding out the gambling and entertainment opportunities in New Jersey Casinos are the Showboat Casino, Atlantic City Hilton Casino, Bally`s Atlantic City Casino/ Hotel, Claridge at Bally`s Atlantic City Casino/Hotel and the Resorts Casino Hotel. With so many exciting, world-class casinos to choose from, New Jersey casinos stand alongside the major gambling and entertainment destinations of the world.

Atlantic City Casino Resort

If you want great casino experiences without going to Las Vegas, considering Atlantic City Casino Resort might be the place for you. Here you'll get high class gambling entertainment as you elevate your game with the best table action around. This casino resort offers some of the highest limits in town, and very few - if any - can match their personalized service.

This casino entertainment hotel has a brand new poker room, where you can play your favorites - Texas Hold 'Em and 7-Card stud. You can also play baccarat, a really elegant game that's easy to play. If you want it really simple, nothing is more fun to play than the Big Six Wheel. Your only task is bet on the number or symbol of your choice, then the dealer will spin the wheel and the number it stops on is the number that wins. Can it get any easier?

Blackjack-fans can entertain themselves with "21", one of America's most popular casino games. Spanish 21 is the ultimate blackjack variation, where the blackjack game is combined with the multiple payoffs of a slot machine. This casino resort even has five spot tables exclusive to Resorts! And of course you can play poker in many variants like 5 card poker (Caribbean Stud Poker, Let It Ride), Three Card Poker, Pai Gow Poker and Texas Hold 'Em. It goes without saying that Craps and Roulette are amongst these exhilirating gambling games, not only of chance but which take knowledge of reasoning included in this, as within every great casino.

Another interesting and entertaining game this Casino hotel has included is Pai Gow. This dominoe game originated in ancient China and is played with 32 dominoes, 11 of which are identical pairs. The purpose is to make two ranking hands using 4 dominoes, a high hand and a low hand. If your rankings for both hands are higher than the dealer's, you win!

This casino resort gave me a comfortable, classy and entertaining experience and I highly recommend that you try it for a weekend. Always remember though, this excellent advice from the resort's staff: "Bet with your head, not over it."

Arkansas Casinos

The state of Arkansas is a Southern state with a population of nearly 3 million. Arkansas' capital city is Little Rock, where one of Arkansas' casinos is located. The state of Arkansas is the only U.S. state with an official pronunciation (ar-kan-SAW), and the only state where diamonds are found naturally. There are not a large number of Arkansas casinos, but visitors to Arkansas can find gambling action in several places situated around the state.

One popular Arkansas casino is Cherokee Casino in Siloam Springs. This 50,000 square foot casino is open 24 hours a day and features a restaurant and a bar with live music. This Arkansas casino boasts 813 electronic gaming machines and over 40 tables for card games, roulette, craps and more-including 19 poker tables. One interesting feature of Cherokee Casino is that they offer poker games that are played against other players rather than the house. Cherokee Casino is an Arkansas casino worth checking out.

Another Arkansas casino, located in Holiday Island, is Spinzz Casino. This Arkansas casino was closed down because of gambling law disputes but has recently reopened for business. Guests visiting Spinzz Casino can stay at the nearby Spinzz Casino Hotel to be close to the action.

Though there are not many Arkansas casinos, there is a town with a rich casino history, which also happens to be former President Clinton's boyhood hometown. Hot Springs, Arkansas, in addition to being celebrated for its naturally 140-degree mineral springs, was one of America's original "sin cities." The town was a meeting place for gangsters, but instead of shoot-outs and showdowns, crime families such as the Nittis and the Capones would come to Hot Springs to sit down and talk. Historic Arkansas casinos were rampant in Hot Springs, and despite their "illegal" designation, residents of the town insisted that the casinos were good for business. At its peak, Hot Springs served as a Mecca for gambling and tourists flocked to the colorful Arkansas casinos lining its streets.

Today there are fewer choices for Arkansas casinos. However, gamblers looking for great casino action can visit the exciting Cherokee Casino or the centrally located Spinzz Casino. Of course, online Arkansas casinos are always a great option for anyone! Despite limited availability, Arkansas casinos have a long and rich history and should not be overlooked by casino aficionados and casual gamblers. Visit an Arkansas casino today!

Arizona Casinos

Arizona casinos are located in the "valley of the sun," in the Southwestern part of the United States. Arizona is known for its climate and magnificent scenery; from the desert to the mountains, the landscape is as varied as it is beautiful. The population of Arizona is over 5,000,000, and the capital and largest city is Phoenix, with a population of over 1,400,000.

Arizona casinos were legalized on Indian or Native American reservations in the 1990's, and tribes are given "slot allotments" for the number of slot machines allowed in each casino. There are 15 cities, with Arizona casinos, run by various Indian tribes. The minimum age for gambling at Arizona casinos is 21, and the majority of these casinos are open for 24 hours. Harrah's Phoenix Ak-Chin Casino Resort, in Maricopa, is open 24 hours and has 40,000 square feet of gambling space, with 950 slots, and eight table games. Casino Arizona, in Scottsdale, is open 24 hours, with 30,000 square feet, 500 slots, and 36 table games; and the Paradise Casino, in Yuma, has 30,000 square feet, 750 slots, and 15 table games.

The largest of the Arizona casinos, Casino Del Sol, is located in Tucson and is open 24 hours. This 240,000 square foot casino has 1,000 slots, 20 table games, and six restaurants. Another one of the larger Arizona casinos is the Desert Diamond Casino in Sahurita, with 185,000 square feet of gambling area, 498 slots, 15 table games, and four restaurants. The Desert Diamond Casino is open Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and 24 hours on Saturday and Sunday. There are several other large Arizona casinos, including the Cliff Castle Casino in Camp Verde, with 140,000 square feet, 575 slots, and ten table games; and the Gila River Casino - Vee Quiva in Laveen, with 89,000 square feet, 675 slots, and ten table games.

In addition, the Blue Water Resort and Casino on the Colorado River in Parker, Arizona, offers blackjack and poker, as well as slots, bingo, and keno. One of the most popular Arizona casinos is the Fort McDowell Casino in Fountain Hills, with daily no-limit poker tournaments, 24-hour tableside food service, and the highest poker jackpots in Arizona. Some of the smaller Arizona casinos include the Yavapi in Prescott, with 6,000 square feet, 250 slots, and eight table games; and the Spirit Mountain Casino in Mojave, with 9,500 square feet and 260 slots.

Arizona casinos offer great entertainment and non-stop gambling in true Las Vegas style.

Are You Becoming a Compulsive Gambler?

Gamblers who fall in love with the excitement and "action" of gambling may, at first, be quite successful. They have fantasies of further success and of gambling becoming their personal path to wealth and power. Those who are headed for problems think they are smarter than the average bettor. They know that gambling is going to work for them because they, unlike less clever people, really understand how to beat the system.

As they become more involved in gambling, they derive an increasing portion of their self-esteem from seeing themselves as smart or lucky. Because of this, two things happen when they do incur the inevitable losses. First, they suffer monetary loss. Second, and often more important, they suffer a deflated ego.

To salvage their self-esteem, they rationalize losses by blaming other people, such as the jockey or the pitcher, or by blaming "bad luck" in cards, craps or lotteries. Or they reflect on their handicapping abilities and tell themselves they will not make the same "mistake" the next time.

The monetary loss is another matter, however, and this is dealt with differently. In order to recoup the loss, many gamblers "chase." That is, they continue their betting and increase the amount of their bets in order to get even. Instead of saying, "It's lost," the chaser says, "I'll get even tomorrow." Chasing losses leads the gambler to gamble with more than he or she can afford to lose, and often to borrowing money in an effort to get even.

Many gamblers may chase for short periods, until they learn from bitter experience that this is counterproductive. The long-term preoccupation with chasing losses is the defining characteristic of the pathological gambler.

Chasing seems logical to many gamblers, as it means giving oneself a chance to get even.

If a gambler stops chasing, both money and self-esteem are lost. If the gambler continues chasing and wins, both can be regained. There is, therefore, the impetus to borrow in order to recoup losses. When continued gambling leads to still more losses, the compulsive gambler continues to borrow. The more money borrowed, the greater the commitment to more gambling as the only possible means of gaining enough money to pay off the debt.

This spiraling commitment to increased gambling often depletes family resources. Many compulsive gamblers cash in joint savings bonds, empty checking accounts, pawn joint property, and take out loans without the spouse's knowledge. In order to preserve or regain respectability in the eyes of parents, spouse and others -- and because their paychecks are insufficient -- desperate gamblers see more gambling as the only alternative.

Fearing loss of respectability, the gambler hides loans. When gamblers default on the loans, fear that the bank or loan company will tell their spouse may drive them to more gambling as a possible quick way out. The behavior that caused the problem is increasingly seen by the gambler as the only solution, as there is no other way to get the needed money quickly.

As loans come due and pressures to pay become more insistent, sometimes involving threats of exposure or of physical harm from loan sharks or bookies, desperate gamblers weigh the risks of "borrowing" (embezzling) money from their employer, making fraudulent loan applications or insurance claims, or stealing the money.

Once they succumb to this temptation, the threshold to an even greater commitment to gambling has been crossed. This is especially true if they obtain money by loan fraud or embezzlement. These kinds of crimes enable gamblers to rationalize that they are not really criminals. The money is only "borrowed" so no one is being hurt. But there is constant pressure to repay the money, and counting on a big gambling win is seen as the only hope for doing so. This extends the spiral of involvement from more gambling to more and more illegal activities -- until the gambler is caught, seeks professional help, or really does hit the big win.

Falling in love with the "action" and then chasing losses is the starting point for most men who become compulsive gamblers, but many women take a different route. While women also enjoy the "action" and chase losses, their initial motivation is often escape -- escape from memories of unhappy childhood or parental abuse, escape from troubled husbands, and escape from loneliness. Once they became hooked on gambling, however, women follow the same spiral of increasing involvement as men, often leading to criminal activity.

An Introduction To Casino Gambling

Casino gambling has been a hot source of debate among people coming from various religious and economic backgrounds.

Religious authorities generally frown on casino gambling because of its perceived social costs. This is why in highly religious countries, casino gambling (or any sort of gambling)is not allowed. Most Islamic nations specifically prohibit gambling while other nations tend to regulate it to some extent.

Most legal authorities also put some sort of censorship on gambling. The law does not recognize wagers as contracts and views consequent losses as “debts of honor” that cannot be enforced through the legal process. This leads to organized crime taking over the enforcement of large gambling debts, sometimes in a violent manner.

Since contracts of insurance have many features similar to wagers, legislation makes a distinction between the two. It typically defines any agreement wherein either of the party has an interest in the outcome of the bet beyond the specified financial terms as an ‘insurance contract.’ So the bet on whether one’s house will burn down becomes a contract of insurance, since a person has an independent interest in the security of his or her home.

Many people participate in casino gambling as a form of recreation and sometimes as a means to have more income. Before you become obsessed with casino gambling, remember that like any form of behavior, it involves variation in brain chemistry. Thus, it can lead to disruptive behavior and psychological addiction. The phenomena of reinforcement may also make gamblers persist in gambling even after incurring repeated losses.

Russian writer Dostoevsky portrays in his short story entitled “The Gambler,” the psychological effects of gambling on gamblers. He suggested that the idea of gambling or the get-rich-quick mentality may have originated from the Russians. He shows the effect of betting money for the chance of having more money in 19th century Europe. The origins of the Russian roulette fueled legends associating Russians with gambling.

Due to the negative connotations of the term “gambling,” casinos and racetracks owners often use the word “gaming” to connote the recreational activities they offer.

Alaska Casinos

Alaska is better known for extreme climate over much else. Touting an environment that goes from extreme winter weather to harsh, dry, summer climates, many of the activities in Alaska are centered on the great outdoors. Wildlife is abundant, whale watching and Alaskan cruises have become the stuff of dream vacations, and the resources found in Alaska are known for being unrivaled.

There are close to 650,000 residents living in Alaska, which is the largest state in the U.S. There are at least 365,039,104 acres of land in Alaska, and much of it is devoted to primitive, wilderness areas. This is part of the reason that being outdoors is an important aspect of Alaskan culture.

However, indoor fun is not to be discounted in Alaska as Alaska casinos provide quite a bit of entertainment around the state. Many of the Alaska casinos are owned and operated by Native American tribes. Alaska casinos are spread out all over the state and most offer a break from the outdoors for some fun and excitement inside.

The Atka Ira Council is a casino in Alaska, located in Atka. The casino specializes in bingo and also boasts a bed and breakfast as well as a loaded snack bar.

CBJ Bingo, run by the Tlingit and Haida Indians, is another large bingo facility operating in Alaska. This Alaska casino is located in Juneau and has one of the largest bingo operations in the state.

Other Alaska casinos featuring large-scale bingo operations include: Klawock IRA Pull Tab Shoppe, located in Klawock and Sitka Tribal Bingo in Sitka. These casinos serve the needs of the community around them by offering entertainment in the form of the easy-to-learn, lucrative game of bingo. Bingo is the draw and focus of most Alaska casinos.

One of the more unique Alaska casinos is the Shoonagac Tribal Bingo, located in Kodiak. This Alaska casino features total slots as well as bingo.

While there are not an abundance of Las Vegas-style casinos located in Alaska, there are a number of medium-scale Alaska casinos specializing in gambling ventures like bingo, which are low-profile games, but fun and exciting just the same. The laid-back attitude of Alaskans can be demonstrated in the laid-back vibe of Alaska casinos. They are just as much fun as their large-scale, flashy counterparts and perfect for the population of this large, but low-key, state.

Alabama Casinos

Alabama is a southern state located in “the Heart of Dixie”, with a rich history dating back to the Civil War. It is known for its Magnolia trees, lush gardens, grand old historic homes, and southern hospitality. Alabama, with a population of over 4,500,000, is adjacent to Georgia, Mississippi, and Florida. The capital of Alabama is Montgomery, which was the first capital of the Confederacy.

Alabama casinos are for the most part bingo casinos, which are run by Native Americans. Casinos can only be run on Native American land, since there is no legalized gambling as such in the state of Alabama. The revenue from the Alabama casinos, as a result, is not taxed by the state of Alabama, since Native American tribes own them. The majority of gambling in Alabama can be found at the horse racing tracks and dog races, in addition to a few slot machines, video gambling machines, and pull-tab cards at these locations.

There are three Alabama casinos, all located within 20 minutes from the capital of Montgomery, that do a thriving business. The Creek Entertainment Center in Atmore is open for gambling Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 12 Midnight, and Friday and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. There are 1,000 bingo seats for live games, 200 electronic bingo machines, a number of pull-tab card selections, and one restaurant at the Creek Entertainment Center. The largest of the three Alabama casinos is the Tallapoosa Entertainment Center in Montgomery. The Tallapoosa is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for casino gambling. There are 480 electronic bingo seats in 21,000 square feet of gaming space, with a full bar and grill for added convenience. The list of Alabama casinos also includes the Riverside Entertainment Center, located in Wetumpka, which is run by Native Americans as well. The Riverside casino is open 24 hours a day, Monday through Saturday, from 12:00 Noon to closing time, and Sunday, from 1:00 p.m. to closing time. This Alabama casino has 16,000 square feet of gambling area, a large selection of over 530 slot machines, and an onsite restaurant.

Alabama could profit enormously from having casinos located along the Gulf Coast, both onshore and on riverboats. This would encourage competition between Alabama and its neighboring state, Mississippi. The revenue to be gained from legalizing Alabama casinos and the boost it would provide to the economy may hopefully spur the state government to open Alabama to legalized gambling in the near future.

A Tour of Las Vegas Casino's

Las Vegas is undoubtedly the casino capital of the United States, if not the whole world. In every square inch of Las Vegas, you will find a casino. They are so many casinos in fact that visitors in Las Vegas do not even get to visit all of them.

Bellagio, is one of the first-class hotel casinos that you should not miss when going to Las Vegas. Operated by the MGM Mirage, Bellagio features 3982 rooms and suites. In addition to its casinos, this gigantic megaresort also features a theater, the O Theater, some lounges and bars such as the Fontana Bar, Allegro Bars and the Nectar Bar.

It also boastsgreat dining venues such as the Picasso, Prime Steakhouse, Le Cirque, Sensi, Osteria del Circo and MICHAEL MINA and six outdoor pools and a spa. One of the main attractions of the Bellagio is its Fountains, an eight acre lake that provides stunning views at night. There is also the Conservatory and the Botanical Gardens as well as the Dale Chihuly glass sculpture.

Buffalo Bill’s, which is located in the Primm Valley, is 30 minutes away from the Interstate. This hotel-casino has 1,242 rooms including the suites that are used for wedding packages. Some rooms even have wet bars and Jacuzzi tubs. Among the dining sites that Bufallo Bill’s offers are the Baja Bar & Grill, Wagon Master Coffee Shop, La Salsa Mexican Grille, Miss Ashley's Buffet, and Frisella's Roastery.

The hotel casino also has a huge entertainment venue called the Star of the Desert Arena, which has 6000 seats. This is where concerts and other shows are held. In addition to this, Bufallo Bill’s also has a movie theater and comedy bar, where tourists can relax and wile the night away. One of the main attractions that this hotel-casino provides is the Desperado rollercoaster as well as the Turbo Drop Thrill ride.

Circus Circus sits in South Las Vegas. This is the first themed resort in the city, which is operated by the Mandalay Resort Group. It has 3770 rooms, some of which have video check-out counters. Dining venues in the hotel include the The Steak House, Stivali Italian Ristorante, Blue Iguana Las Vegas, and The Pink Pony. Part of the attraction in Circus Circus is the AdventureDome indoor theme park and the circus shows in the Big Top.

Another big thing in Las Vegas is the Excalibur hotel which is also nestled in the South. Another project of the Mandalay Resort Group, Excalibur has 4008 rooms all in all. Because of its King Arthur time theme, restaurants in Excalibur are named after places and people in King Arthur’s court such as the The Steakhouse at Camelot, The Camelot, Sir Galahad's Prime Rib House, and the Round Table Buffet. There are also frequent dinner shows and comedy acts in their comedy bars. In keeping with their theme, the casinos are transformed into a Renaissance Faire complete with jugglers, magicians and troubadours.

The Luxor is actually named after a place in Egypt, which is an tourist destination. Its building is topped with the brightest beams of light in the whole of Las Vegas. In fact, it can actually be seen when you are riding the space shuttle. It has 4408 rooms, which are divided into the Pyramid and in towers. Like the Excalibur, the names of the restaurants in the Luxor also have Egyptian flavors to them. Among the restaurants that you should try when visiting there are the Sacred Sea Room, Papyrus, Nile Deli, Hamada's, and of course the Isis.

A Safer Casino Gambling For All

Casino Gambling, ever since it has been legislated, has become even more popular all over the world. With the growth in the number of gambling sites, Online Casino Gambling will sure become one of the favorite places in the web, as far as gamblers are concerned.

We are all aware about the risks that we are taking when it comes to Casino Gambling. There's the probability that we will lose money, and all the succeeding consequences resulting from that. But the most basic of all the considerations a gambler would have to note is the security of the casino where they would be betting their money.

Going casino gambling involves a lot of security issues, aside from entrusting your money to the cashier. Most casinos, if not all, would require that you give them your name, address, credit card numbers, and other private information. We are all aware that these things could be used by some people to wreak havoc into our lives.

But in all fairness to the casinos, they have proven that the security features they employ makes their customers and visitors feel safer than ever to go casino gambling. There are several innovations that have been made. Most casinos have set-up video cameras to monitor each and every movement around a particular game table. This is of course accompanied by a team of surveillance personnel that constantly keeps their eyes focused on any mischievous actions from both the staff and customers. On-floor security officers are always on the look out for trouble. This also includes officers in civilian clothes.

Now, since we all know that online casino gambling is becoming a popular alternative to the traditional physical casino in Nevada, it is reasonable to ask about security issues regarding online gambling.

Some of the security issues facing people who go online casino gambling is, of course, the issue of whether their identities would remain a secret. This is one of the major concerns for online gamblers. Just like in the land-based casino, before you could enter a site offering online gambling, certain information would be needed in order for you to play. Information that are basically the same as the ones that they ask for in the Bellagio or Caesar's Palace. Since we all know that these information may be used by spammers, at the very least, we should take note of whether a site's security firewall is encrypted with at least a 128-bit SSL. The higher the bit of the encryption, the safer of course. This would ensure players that the site they are playing in is not vulnerable to hackers who want to steal credit card information and the like.

The next security issue that players must be aware of are the privacy policies employed by the web site they are playing at. Before a gambler should decide to enter a site, the privacy policy of that site should first be read. One has to make sure that all the text are easy to understand. Also, the policy should not contain any ambiguities. Although some policies may take a little of your time to read, doing so carefully, and looking for probable loopholes would ensure that your online casino gambling would be safer.

Finally, to ensure that the interests of both parties will be guaranteed, try to search for a site that offers a record of financial transactions before going casino gambling on that site. This would minimize the occurrence of problems that might potentially arise while playing online casino gambling. Any questions regarding financial transactions made would be easy to answer if a record of all the transactions done are readily available for reviewing. Just make sure that this is protected by SSL encryption as well.

A Crash Course on Casino Bonuses

Online casinos have been flooding the online world lately. It seems that they have been trying very hard in attracting more and more players to try their luck at online casinos. They have been have been trying to think up of different offers to catch a potential player’s attention. One such promotion is offering different types of casino bonuses to get people into playing on their online casinos.

Casino bonuses are offers being given by online casinos that would enable a player to avail of bonus betting money to wager on the several casino games being offered. The amount may differ for different online casinos. Some may give out 25 to 50 dollar bonuses for a minimum bet. There are even some online casinos that can offer a 100 percent match bonus for every deposit that the player makes. This means that if the player deposits $100 o his account, the online casino will match that amount in full, making the player acquire $200 initial betting money on his account. There are also other casinos offering bonuses next to nothing, just to have people have a taste of playing online and possibly have them hooked to play some more later on.

Although you might think that this is easy money on your part, there are certain requirements that you have to follow in order to cash in on your proceeds. Online casinos have established these requirements as a safeguard to possible abusers of their offer. One of the usual requirements is that a player should wager at least 25 times the amount of deposit and bonus before being able to cash in. There are some games like baccarat, craps, roulette and even blackjack that do not count in meeting the required wagering provisions.

Casino bonuses can really attract players into getting started on online betting. They seem to want to avail of the extra amount being offered that would provide them with more betting money. It has made many people turn into regular online players and has done well for the online casinos. But there are also some people who have taken advantage of this offer in order to cash in on casino bonuses. These players, otherwise known as “bonus hunters”, take full advantage of the offered casino bonuses by opting to cash in on their winnings after all the betting provisions are met. Whether players may like it or not, these actions are strictly prohibited by the online casinos because it has been part of their conditions that players may only play for recreational purposes only. Online casinos are always on the lookout for bonus hunters. When caught, their promotional privileges are usually revoked.

If you do not want to be labeled as a bonus hunter and have your online privileges revoked, there are certain things that you should avoid. First of all, you should refrain from maintaining multiple accounts when playing in an online casino. Also try not to cash out on your winning before fulfilling the casino’s wagering requirement. You should also try to gamble normally. A sudden increase in the amount that you bet may make the casino throw a red flag at you. And last but not the least, make sure that you have the proper credit information given and avoid having irregularities on your credit card. Wrongful information may compel casinos to bar you from playing on their site and deny you the privilege of availing casino bonuses.