Sunday, August 29, 2010

What Australian Casinos Could Have Done

What Australian Casinos Could Have Done

If the petitioners on behalf of the online casino had used these arguments, that unsupervised electronic gaming was already available and that enhanced measures could be added to further discourage gamblers from developing deep debt or addiction, the Australian government could have changed the law with moral superiority and the appearance of working for the public’s good. Instead they ignored all reason except the pot of gold in the form of increased tax revenue and decided only to juggle with loopholes and semantics.

Can Electronic Pokie Machines Be Lucky for You?

A Talmudic proverb suggests that one who has had misfortune should consider changing one’s name: “Changing names changes fortune.” Perhaps by changing the name of these “fully automated table games,” Australian casinos can bring better luck to their players.

It’s Easy to Play Pokies at an Online Casino

It’s Easy to Play Pokies at an Online Casino

The irony of all this is twofold. Firstly, the law itself is rather arbitrary. While electronic table games were prohibited, Australian casinos were allowed to operate pokies, which are also electronic and could be equally addictive to a problem gambler. Furthermore, any gambler could go home and access electronic table games and pokies by downloading an online casino, some of which are legal in the Land Down Under.

Pokie Machines Can Defend Themselves

Secondly, while human table game dealers were trained to spot problematic behaviour, human error is a likely common occurrence. Also, dealers were likely to give undue leeway to problematic clients since no one wants to upset a potentially unstable and addicted individual by cutting him off from the source of his addiction. This could be an uncomfortable situation for the dealer. However, a pokie machine does not make subconscious, subjective, human decisions. An intelligent algorithm on an electronic pokie game could immediately spot a problematic trend developing and alert casino security to the exact terminal without the gambler noticing. These algorithms are not some concept of science fiction. Many online casinos have employed these methods for years to identify problem gamblers and encourage them to seek assistance.

Gambling Machines at Australian Casinos

Gambling Machines at Australian Casinos

How much of a difference can a name make? Is there any significant distinction between the terms “electronic gaming machines” and “fully automated table games?” Apparently, according to the Australian government, when it comes to Australian casinos – and therefore online casinos as well – there is a significant difference: illegal and legal.

How to Make Money at an Australian Casino

In 2009 an Australian casino was allowed to install 200 electronic terminals for table games like baccarat, which were previously illegal. By declaring that these were in actuality not “electronic games,” but “fully automated table games,” a surprising whiff of legality emanated from them. The law, as it currently exists, was meant to enforce that a live dealer stand at each table at casinos to spot problem gamblers and encourage them to stop playing. Obviously, no such oversight exists on a computer screen at an online casino. Also significant is that the government that approved the name change is the same government which stands to receive an extra $132 million in taxes for its efforts.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Good News for Pokies Casino Players and More

Good News for Pokies Casino Players and More

It's important to note that this decrease in disputes even includes the fact that eCogra has 11 more accredited venues than they did last year. As the Fair Gaming Advocate Tex Rees explained, "These numbers are similar, and in fact compare favorably with last year’s numbers, despite the fact that eCOGRA now has 11 more accredited venues than last year." Last year's numbers for the full year were actually more than double what we see so far for the half year, showing a total reduction in casino disputes of 9%.

Why Less Disputes for eCogra?
Looking at this data and trying to figure out why there have been less disputes, Rees has a number of ideas. eCogra certified operators have quite a few polices in place that lead to a decrease in disputes. In addition, the certified operators with eCogra have been trained to settle casino disputes at that stage, which allows for less casino disputes that come through eCogra in a formal way.

The Nature of eCogra Disputes
Looking at the breakdown of the eCogra online casino disputes and pokies disputes helps sites to know what the major issues are. There was an overall percentage reduction in cash-ins and bonus issues and in increase in locked account and other disputes. The cash-in problems at pokies and other sites were 43% of the issues, bonus issues were 21% of the problems, locked accounts were 21% and other reasons were 15%. Certainly, as Rees points out, there is good news overall for pokies sites, eCogra and the online casino industry in general. She said that, looking at how many transactions at casino sites occur each day, tier one online casino sites certainly have a low level of disputes.

Less Disputes with Online Casino Sites

Less Disputes with Online Casino Sites

Good news seems to have appeared for the online casino industry and pokies sites. eCogra, an independent player protection and standards company for the online gaming industry, has just put out their statistics for the first half of the year 2010. eCogra reports that there is a great reduction in the number of casino disputes for this period.

More Details with the Casino Disputes
The eCogra report covers January 1, 2010 through June 30, 2010. It shows that they received 376 complaints from online players of online casino sites including pokies sites and more.  It's important to know that their statistics are only for online casino sites that are certified by eCogra. Of those disputes, 287 of them were valid and all of the online casino disputes brought to eCogra were resolved within two days. 47% of the resolved casino disputes went in favor of the player.

Anticipation in the World of the Online Casino

Anticipation in the World of the Online Casino

The whole online casino world is holding its breath in anticipation of the forthcoming launch of a brand new and exciting slots and pokies game based on the book and film Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Gamblers will be able to follow the Hobbit, Frodo, as he proceeds in his plan to ensure the destruction of the Dark Lord Sauron. Lord of the Rings was a big hit in the cinema and now, it seems, it will be a big hit in the online casino arena.

Lord of the Rings by Microgaming

Lord of the Rings was created by Microgaming, the internationally acclaimed software provider for the online casino platform. An exact launch date has not been announced and only a few details about this new slots or pokies game have leaked out.
Obviously, since the theme is Lord of the Rings, all the familiar characters seen in the film will appear. Pokies and slots players will see Frodo, Sauron, Saruman and the Black Riders.
With the aid of Cinematic Spins a software program which allows movie clips to act as background for the spinning reels, some of the film's scenes showing the Ringwraiths during their attack of Aragon at Weathertop, Balrog int the Mines of Moria and Uruk-hai in the woods of Middle-earth will be seen as background for the pokies and slots spinning reels.

Lord of the Rings Features

The Lord of the Rings new online casino slots game will have five reels and will feature the relatively new Ways Win which means that there are no designated pay lines but there are 243 ways to win. Winning combinations and expanding Wild symbols will also make use of the film's scenes in place of the traditional animations.
This game, which will also appear in Australia as one of their pokies, will be graphically innovative, with images and sounds so far never seen or heard in the world of online slots and pokies.
There are sure to be other special features, but at this time they have not yet been divulged.
The Lord of the Rings online casino game is definitely something to look forward to. From the little bit we have been able to discover about this game, it seems that it will be a magnificent and attractive addition to the online casino world of slots and pokies.

Australian Online Casino

Australian Online Casino

One of the most popular developments on the Internet for Australians is the development of the online casino that appeals to Australian players. An online casino is a website that features traditional casino games that can be played for real money. The online casino is becoming one of the top online activities. It's not just that one can win real money playing in an online casino (although clearly that is a big part of the phenomenon.) No, Australians like the fact that they can play the same type of pokies as you would find in a local pub from the comfort of your own house. Actually, you can play online pokies wherever you have an Internet connection that will let you log on to an online casino.

Visit their website at http://www.allslotscasino.com/au/