Archive for September, 2006
The US senate passes a watered down version of the Internet Gambling Bill in the last session of the term – by attaching it to a completely unrelated bill on Port Security.
To summarize what was passed, this bill is designed to prevent the use of payment instruments (credit cards, fund transfers, etc.) for certain forms of online gambling that are defined as “unlawful Internet gambling.”
The bill requires financial institutions to identify and block payments related to so-called unlawful Internet gambling transactions. If there is a violation, the government may file a lawsuit (known as an injunction) to prevent or restrain the violation.
The bill provides a special exemption for three types of Internet gambling:
(1) horse racing under the Interstate Horseracing Act (IHA), so OTBs and account wagering systems can remain in business,
(2) Indian gambling that takes place on a reservation or between two reservations; and
(3) Internet gambling that occurs solely within a state’s own borders, referred to as Intra-state gambling.
… the President will sign this legislation within two weeks, but it allows 270 days before it is regulated and enforced.
—————–
OUR COMMENT :
The methods needed to get this bill to pass are a travesty – and the fact that the bill could not pass any other way speaks volumes for the lack of integrity in this process and the content of the bill.
This does seem to fly directly in the face of WTO ruling on foreign internet gambling – basically you cannot lockout companies if you are allow internal gambling …
But since when has President Bush even considered outside influences eh?
September 30th, 2006
LEGACY is one of the latest online slot machine game releases from the undisputed leader in online casino software – Microgaming. Legacy is sleek, simple, elegant and great for high roller bets!
Here’s a screen shot. It’s hard to quibble with the sheer simplicity and sexy design of this 3-Reel, 5-Payline Classic Slot.
With a bet range of 1.00 to 25.00 per payline, a First Class Jackpot of 60,000 can be won from a maximum bet of 125.00. In addition, an elegant letter ‘L’ is Wild – 1 Wild and winnings are doubled, reveal 2 Wilds and winnings are quadrupled.
Top job Microgaming – keep them coming guys!
You can play LEGACY Slot for real or for free (with a rechargeable $1000 play money balance) at the following reputable online casinos:
- Ruby Fortune Casino (a long standing industry player and part of the Palace Group owned by Fair Ground Gaming plc UK)
- Dash Casino (a new casino launched July 2006 but part of the 32Red stable of online gaming sites. UK owned and operated, an another publicly listed company)
Both sites are fully licenced by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, Canada – and regulated ‘first world’ companies.
Links to the casinos:
>>TO Ruby Fortune Casino
>>TO Dash Casino
Links to the casino reviews on these sites at CasinoLabRat.com
>>Ruby Fortune Casino review
>>DASH Casino review
September 29th, 2006
Chocolate Factory Slot – so much for the diet!! And while it doesn’t come with a health warning those with dodgy blood sugar levels should perhaps avoid this new Microgaming slot machine!
I could have done without “cute” kids in my chocolate experience however – yeah I know the Wonker story but to me chocolate is a purely adult experience. A very sensuous indulgence. MMmmmm. Great choc graphics. At least the Microgaming designers built in some irony with the 2 kids in the slot both with dental issues.
Anyway – what’s good about this slot:
- There are 2 bonus games depending on which bonus icons come up. The BonBon Box Bonus gives you up to 2500 coins and through the Dunk-a-treat Bonus you can win up to 4375 coins. The whole game has a jackpot factor worth 40,000 (on top of the bonus game prizes).
What’s bad about this slot:
- Its easy to become mesmerised by the chocolates whizzing by….hard to stick to your diet and no matter what will end up either hungry or eating while you play!
You too can indulge in the new Chocolate Factory slots game – for free or real money – at any of the following 3 reputable CasinoLabRat.com tested online casino sites. (You can also play any of the SIX other new Microgaming Casino Games just released today). Spin Palace, Ruby Fortune and Jackpots-in-a-Flash Casino are Microgaming Casino sites that are safe and secure with proven payout records and great press for player promotions, etc.
>>VISIT Spin Palace Casino
>>VISIT Ruby Fortune Casino
>>VISIT Jackpots-in-a-Flash Casino
Here’s links to our most recent CasinoLabRat.com reviews on each of these recommended online casino sites:
>>READ Spin Palace Casino Review
>>READ Ruby Fortune Casino Review
>>READ Jackpots-in-a-Flash Review
Good luck (and try not to drool on your keyboard!)
Elle
September 27th, 2006
If you’re looking for something fun to play tonight while waiting for the new Microgaming slots games due out tomorrow at our top 3 recommended online casinos (Spin Palace Casino, Ruby Fortune Casino and Jackpots in a Flash Casino) – what about playing What on Earth?
I gotta admit I was first put off this new-ish Microgaming slot by the distorted fruit-UFO images (released May 06). It did not quite gel. Just a bit try-hard. However after you’ve played this 5-reel, nine payline (forty five coin!) slot machine for awhile it really does grow on you! The sounds are pretty cool – sort of early Trekking years space tones. The bonus games and combination of extra add-ons you can find within the base slots game itself are just great!
The What on Earth ‘Beam ’em Up Bonus Game’ can:
- award you a bonus muliplier
- activate either the ‘Beam ‘em Up Contest’ Bonus Game
- activate the’Destination’ Bonus Game
In the What on Earth ‘Beam ’em Up Contest’, you chose an alien and it competes on your behalf with other aliens to beam up the most earthlings possible within the given time. Earthlings range from pot plants, cats, policemen, rapper-style gangsters…trike kids, TV slobs and even a shower babe (for the most bonus points of course).
The ‘Destination Game’ results from your chosen alien beaming up a globe. You then get to chose a destination (Cairo, London, NY, etc) and beam up an earthling for your final multiplier.
Quite fun. Quite lucrative too with x200 multipliers. Full marks to Microgaming for entertainment value and variety – ‘What on Earth’ has been added to our favourites list of top slots games.
Play What on Earth slot for free (no download no registration and with $1000 in play money at this link – other free games are also featured on this page).
To play for real these are the best Microgaming casinos:
>>TO Spin Palace Casino
>>TO Jackpots in a Flash Casino
>>TO Ruby Fortune Casino
For reviews of these sites visit the CasinoLabRat.com reviews via these links:
>>READ Spin Palace Casino Review
>>READ Jackpots-in-a-Flash Review
>>READ Ruby Fortune Casino Review
A quick comparison of the latest casino joining bonuses and offers is available here.
Good luck at the slots machines!
Elle
September 27th, 2006
OK, so you like Roulette – it’s extremely popular and is an easy to play casino game. Roulette’s another game, like Craps however, that we feel doesn’t quite achieve a successful transition from in-the-flesh casino play to online play.
There are 3 basic types of Roulette. European, American and French.
- European Roulette (sometimes called English Roulette, no doubt by the Americans!) only differs from American Roulette in that it only has a single zero.
- American Roulette plays with 0 and 00 and therefore slightly different player odds and 38 slots on the wheel.
- French Roulette plays on a completely different table layout – and unfortunately we can’t find a single version of French Roulette with a sultry French-accented dealer! (Come on casino marketers!)
Some online casinos also offer a Bonus Roulette game (Roulette with a progressive jackpot) – try Jackpots in a Flash Casino if you want to try your luck.
Our 2 top recommended sites for online Roulette play are:
Ruby Fortune Casino (The new Microgaming Gold Series European Roulette is very sexy indeed. Ultra-realistic and very smooth running)
Bet365 Casino (Playtech based and seriously sharp – you can choose to play either European or Amercian Roulette in single player, multiplayer or even make up a private table)
Here’s 4 basic rules for roulette play from the CasinoLabRat.com team:
- There are NO winning strategies for Roulette. Nope. None.
- Spread your bets – you have more chance of winning.
- Don’t bet with money you can afford to lose (and that goes for all online gambling)
- Quit while you’re ahead. Bet, enjoy it – if you win get out of the game pronto!
Here’s the links:
>>TO Bet365 Casino
>>TO a review of Bet365 Casino
>>TO Ruby Fortune Casino
>>TO a review of Ruby Fortune Casino
>>TO Jackpots-in-a-Flash Casino (for the progressive bonus roulette)
>>TO a review of Jackpots-in-a-Flash Casino
September 24th, 2006
If you’re like me and hold out each month for the new Microgaming casino games releases you’ve not got long to wait!
Here’s the latest update from Ruby Fortune (one of the leading Palace Group online Casinos).
7 NEW GAMES – are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, September 27th, 2006. Get ready to play…
1 NEW BONUS VIDEO SLOT:
CHOCOLATE FACTORY SLOT: Follow in Charlie’s footsteps and experience a truly scrumptious adventure in this 5-Reel, 9-Payline, Multi-Coin Slot. A mouth-watering Jackpot of $40,000 can be sugar coated with additional wins of $2,500 at Bonbon Box Bonus Game and $4,375 at Dunk-a-Treat Bonus Game.
2 NEW CLASSIC SLOTS:
JUNGLE 7s: Trek along the Inca Trail and uncover hidden treasures in this 3-Reel, 1-Payline, 3-Coin Slot. With a High Roller bet range of 0.25 to 5.00, a Tarzan size Jackpot of $75,000 can soar even higher, if Inca Gold Coins are found. Find 1 Gold Coin and wins are Multiplied x5, find 2 Gold Coins and wins are Multiplied x25!
LEGACY: We’ve rolled out the red carpet to give 3-Reel, 5-Payline Slot the grand welcome it deserves. Oozing class and sophistication, a First Class Jackpot of $60,000 can be won thanks to a High Roller bet range of 1.00 to 25.00.
4 ENHANCED BLACKJACKS:
GOLD SERIES – VOLUME 3: A collection of highly sophisticated Blackjack games, each providing a truly realistic player experience. Games included in Volume 3 are:
Super Fun 21 Blackjack Gold Spanish 21 Blackjack Gold
Double Exposure Blackjack Gold Pontoon Gold
Here’s a link to the latest review of Ruby forune Casino (with join bonuses, payment options, licencing info, etc)
Here’s a link to Ruby Fortune Casino itself in case you want a quick look.
September 23rd, 2006
The image of craps is often the image we most commonly associate with casinos – the ritzy sunken table with glamorous people all around cheering our hero tossing a pair of dice. Thanks Hollywood.
Craps in our view does not translate as well as most casino games to online casino play – which is one of the reasons we suspect that many online casinos do not offer it.
Inside Edge Magazine recently described “craps as like cricket – try explaining the rules to someone and you’ll soon find it easier to get a bat and show them“. It’s one of those games that you need to watch before joining in. So I guess in online casino terms unless you’ve had a roll at a bricks and mortar casino our recommendation is to flag it. You just won’t get the buzz.
Craps Basics:
The objective of Vegas Craps is for the Shooter (dice thrower – ie you!) to establish a ‘Point’ on the ‘Come Out’ (first) roll and then continue to throw the dice until you match the Point (the same dice total), before rolling a seven. Note: Four, Five, Six, Eight, Nine, or Ten are the only numbers that can be a Point. Re-rolling the initial Point (ie dice total) wins your bet, a seven loses and any other number does not affect the passline bet. You keep throwing the dice until you make the Point or roll a seven.
You can also chose to bet or lay (ie betting on a specific dice throw occurring or not occurring). Some bets are just crazy though with House advantage so high it’s best to avoid them!
We consider that the best site to play Craps on the net is Bet365 Casino, with Playtech-based BetFred Casino a close second.
>>TO Bet365 Casino
>>TO Bet365 Casino Review
The Microgaming version of Vegas Craps is not nearly as stylish (Spin Palace Casino, Ruby Fortune Casino, 32Red Casino, Dash Casino and Ladbrokes Casino) but is at least still highly playable but the Real Time Games (RTG) software version on offer at casinos like Canbet Casino is in our view best avoided. Primative and clunky.
Craps is not on offer at a number of recommended online casinos (for example MANSION Casino or Pinnacle Casino).
Other links that may be of interest:
>>TO BetFred Casino
>>TO BetFred Casino Review
Good luck at the tables!
Elle
September 21st, 2006
My favourite online casino to play at present is Ruby Fortune Casino. The team at CasinoLabRat.com tend to argue among ourselves in regard to awarding ‘top casino’ – which I guess is why we have a formal score sheet and specific evaluation criteria. Regardless of the maths however I consider that Ruby Fortune is actually hard to beat and it remains my #1!
Ruby Fortune is one of the stable of great online gambling sites operated by long-time leader The Palace Group. (The Palace Group was acquired by Fair Ground Gaming earlier in the year).
If you are looking for an easy, safe and fair casino – with the latest Microgaming casino games give Ruby Fortune a go. Several CasinoLabRat.com test team members have found Ruby Fortune Casino especially lucky lately and if this luck continues during our formal assessment period I am confident that Ruby Fortune Casino will win out and be declared #1 (our new quarterly ratings and reviews will be published in mid October).
Games include: GeesGees, Cashanova and Who wants to be a Stallionare slots games – all with bonus features games. Oh yeah, and all the new games released in September like Age of Discovery, Dolphin Tale and Witch Doctor. (Does anyone still call them slots machines these days? Google search engine stats suggest some 18,000 searches per day are for slot machines…)
The new Microgaming Gold Series table games (Blackjack and Roulette to die for!) are also on site. I just love the slinky card turns and chip shadows. Very cool. Ruby is not my favourite site for video poker (I like Pinnacle Casino best as the Blue Chip Games software just plays that bit better).
Some links below if you’re interested,
All the best,
Mike
>> TO RUBY FORTUNE CASINO
>> TO A REVIEW OF RUBY FORTUNE CASINO
>> TO PINNACLE CASINO (great video poker)
>> TO A REVIEW OF PINNACLE CASINO
>> TO CasinoLabRat.com Casino Test Method
September 21st, 2006
But wait there’s more…
Since I wrote the last item I’ve had more time to suss out the latest Pinnacle Casino offers and player promotions. Pinnacle’s marketing team have out done themselves with 3 deals on the table at present:
1. Deposit $250 or more for a 10% bonus up to $500.
(The Pinnacle Casino Playthrough requirement is only 6 times the amount of your deposit plus bonus and you can’t withdraw funds for 30 days. This bonus release compares well with other online casinos that are often sitting around a X25 playthrough!)
2. Cash back offer
Get 0.3% of all your wagers credited back to your Pinnacle Account every night. A nice-to-have addition to Pinnacle Casino’s already promising casino game payout percentages.
3. Football VIP passes
If you’re a football fan (and preferably UK based or prepared to self-fund a quick trip to the UK) Pinnacle Casino are offering you the chance to score VIP passes to the Westham v Reading game on October 1.
We suspect that Pinnacle Casino’s recent sponsorship deal with West Ham is likely to produce a repeat of this promotion later in the season. This offer is open to all Pinnacle Casino customers who deposit and play £25 (or currency equivalent) before midday on 27 September 2006.
Pinnacle Casino runs on Blue Chip Games software – Nice graphics, good instant play no download casino action.
The links again:
Pinnacle Casino
Review of Pinnacle Casino
CasinoLabRat.com Casino Bonus comparison
September 19th, 2006
Have you tried an Online Casino based on software by Blue Chip Games yet?
Pinnacle Sports Casino is the only casino we know of currently taking advantage of this great new casino software. It really is graphically attractive and quick and simple to load and play. It’s Adobe Flash based so truly instant – unlike many casinos that claim this!
Unfortunately no free play is on offer at Pinnacle Casino but it’s well worth signing up to play for real if you think you’ve seen and played it all! (…and you can always take a casino tour to suss out the games).
Pinnacle Casino has some of the highest payout rates of any online casino – and just to make sure they have a daily cash back deal where 0.3% of your wagering is rebated. Each night ‘they’ (think of ‘them’ as casino elves) total up your days play (excluding a couple of exceptions like double downs on bonus video poker and craps ‘odds’ bets) and then deposit the funds back into your Pinnacle account.
A recent and highly publicised win at Pinnacle Casino involved a single hand of Pinnacle Stud Poker worth $427,560 (August 2006). Is it your turn next?
If you already have a Pinnacle Sports betting account you’re mad not to transfer some funds across and have a flutter on the Pinnacle Casino. The blackjack is great – the video and power poker options even better… the slots are, well are interesting and certainly different! My favourite slots game is Top Secret, a 007-themed progressive slot with a bonus feature. (Think martinis, fast cars, gadgets, bullets, etc)
The CasinoLabRat.com team have been pleasantly surprised by Pinnacle Casino (and remember, we’re ultra fussy…). We consider that Pinnacle’s games offer a great play alternative to the plethora of Microgaming and Playtech-based casinos on the net.
Oh, and by the way, Pinnacle Casino is part of Pinnacle Sports (the long standing and highly successful internet bookmaker who have a really sharp pencil (top odds) and a great joining bonus at present for big depositors – 10% first deposit match to $500 Free).
Here’s some links:
>> TO Pinnacle Casino
>> TO a review of Pinnacle Casino
…and on the off chance you’re interested here’s a link to a review of Pinnacle Sports.
September 17th, 2006
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