George Bernard Shaw said: ‘In gambling the many must lose in order that the few may win’. Best way to be among the few? Play the lottery! The chances of you winning are indeed a lot smaller than when playing roulette or blackjack, but once you win, you win big. This is why I still believe that lottery is the best form of gambling and now, with the development of the Internet, you can get tickets, play and win online, without even having to leave the house.
There are many countries where people can simply buy and fill their tickets online, using nothing but their credit or debit card. This way of playing the lottery is both convenient and practical, not to mention that your chances of winning may be higher, depending on the type of lotto that you play. Take Ireland, for example, where you can take part in one of the 3 draws: Lotto, Daily Million and EuroMillions, according to irishlotteryonline.co.uk.
In the UK, the lottery is state-franchised by the Camelot Group, which has first received a licence back in 1994. The National Lottery is licenced and regulated by the National Lottery Commission, also established the same year by the Prime Minister John Mayor. Brits also have the option of playing online or by purchasing tickets from their local shops. You will be surprised to learn that only 45% of the ticket sales will be handed as prizes, but I assure you it is for a good cause, since no less than 28% goes to different charities and so do the unclaimed prizes. The latter will be kept by the National Lottery for 180 days and, if still unclaimed after this period expires, the prizes will also go to charity organizations.
In the United States, the lotteries are operated at state level. There are two near-national games – MegaMillions and Powerball. The latter hit the record for the largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history – $1.5 billion for the January 13 draw. This comes as no surprise, given that it is legal to buy Powerball tickets online from everywhere in the world. Powerball’s minimum advertised jackpot is at a staggering $40 million, definitely a game changer for anyone who hits it. So what is there to say about their record jackpot? I can only imagine – or, should I say dream, how that amount would change my life. So, here my friend, lies the truth and the real king of gambling – lotto! I mean, you have to agree with me that playing lotto online is both fast and convenient and you could be a millionaire with a single click. The record-breaking jackpot was divided between 3 winners, one from California, the second ticket from Tennessee and the third one in Melbourne Beach, Florida.
Magazine
What To Look For When Playing Roulette Online
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – roulette is THE casino game for me. I know that a lot of people like to associate casino with slots, poker or blackjack, but my mind will always drift to roulette as the game that represents casino the best. Why? Because it encompasses what casino gaming in general is all about – using gambling skills and a little bit of luck in order to beat a supposedly unbeatable system. And I’m not alone in this belief – roulette has gone from its humble beginnings as a game played in pubs and taverns during the French Revolution to one of the most popular casino games in the world, with millions of roulette tables spread across the globe. I don’t have concrete stats for this, but I can guarantee you that somewhere right now, at this very moment, a bunch of gamblers are looking at a spinning ball and hoping it’d land on 22 (hope you caught that reference).
Considering the game’s popularity, it’s no wonder that literally every single online casino has a version of it in some form or another. Now, keep in mind that, overall, most casinos use the exact same versions of the game, created and supported by game providers such as NetEnt or Playtech. On the other end, some casinos like to develop their own version of roulette, or commission one that’d be exclusive to them. As such, there really is no such thing as “choosing the best casino for roulette” – instead you should be looking for the best version of the game, one that may be shared between several casinos. As such, I can’t give you any particular recommendation – if you’re looking for those, I recommend this showcase of online casinos that offer a wide variety of roulette games. I can, however, tell you what to look for! So, without further ado, let’s examine what you should be keeping an eye out for!
Variety
Sure, every casino has a game of roulette, but the best ones have up to 10 versions of it! Just like with chocolate, they’re not super different, and maybe you can substitute one version for another, but let’s face it – while some won’t admit it, everyone has a favorite version of Roulette. Whether it’s American, French, European (wait, isn’t France in Europe? Ah well), multi-wheel, multi-player or, my favourite, Super Mega Hyper Ultra Roulette: Extreme Edition 2 (you should really try that one out). So if a particular casino doesn’t have your preferred version of Roulette, whatever that may be, you can be absolute sure that another casino will. Make no compromises!
Style
“What do you mean, style?”, you may be asking. “Style” refers to the overall presentation – graphics, feel, smoothness of animation, angles, all that good stuff. Does the game look and feel good? Now, obviously this is rather subjective – a certain game may appeal to a lot of people, while others might find it below their standards. And vice versa – some might be looking for a more simple experience which prioritizes speed and efficiency over good looks. Again – find the roulette that looks best to YOU, and, as I said before, don’t compromise – the online casino business is competitive for a reason. If a certain casino isn’t good enough for you, there’s at least one or two others that are, maybe more depending on where you live!
Live Roulette
Even if you prefer playing against the computer rather than against a real live dealer and a physical roulette, the sheer presence of a high-quality live roulette at your casino of choice is usually a good standard of quality. Life casino in general tends to be pretty expensive, way more than just supporting games controlled by algorithms, so it’s usually only the best of the best that have a live casino. And besides, even if you generally prefer to play against AI, it doesn’t hurt to try a live roulette every once in a while, right? Who knows, you might end up enjoying it a whole lot more than you originally thought you would!
Cincinnati Kid
How to find a good online casino
As you know, years ago I was quite content with limiting my gambling experience to poker – offline poker at that. We’re talking about late Friday Night gatherings with 3-4 friends, each of us throwing a fifty (except for the host, who had to provide the booze and food for the event and thus wasn’t required to bet) and seeing who’d come out on top for the night, all while chatting about mindless stuff and engaging in the occasional political debate. But after I got transferred and had to move, I suddenly found myself unable to play or even meet up with my friends, at least not nearly as regularly as I used to. Gambling is in my blood, though, so I knew I had to get my fix somewhere, but real casinos were a bit too expensive and posh for my taste. I considered poker sites for a bit, but after trying them out I quit soon afterwards – playing poker with faceless strangers on the Internet just isn’t for me. But I still had to gamble somewhere, so ultimately I decided to settle on online casino games. Little did I know that there were literally dozens upon dozens of sites available to me, each looking different than the last. And while I did find a couple of guides on where to start, I didn’t find any of them particularly useful. So now that I’ve been in the midst of things for a while, I thought I’d create the guide that I wish I could’ve seen back when I was starting out.
So, how do I start?
Your first job would be to find all online casinos available in your country. If you’re British or American you’re going to have a pretty wide range of choices available to you, but if you live in a smaller country, say, Bulgaria or the Netherlands, chances are there could only be a few online casinos available to you that are either native or encompassing all of Europe. There are some pretty strict legislations when it comes to international casinos, so most sites only allow citizens of certain countries to sign up. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing stopping you from using a VPN or a proxy and signing up anyway, but you’re never going to get any winnings, so what’s the point? If you live in the UK, here is a website dedicated to help you find a good online casino. If you live in another country, just use Google and I’m sure you can find a good equivalent. Now that you’ve got your list of casinos, it’s time to start cutting it down!
What are the criteria for good online casinos?
First and foremost, you’re looking for legitimacy. Non-legitimate casinos are not only not going to pay you – they might actually steal your credit card information, which I can tell you from first-hand experience is not something that’s very fun to deal with. So, how do you tell which casinos are legal and which aren’t? Well, legal ones are usually licensed with the government – that’s how they’re legal. Every country has its own licensing commission that thoroughly researches the casino before issuing it a license verifying its authenticity. In the UK, that’s done by the Gambling Commission, while in the US it’s done by the Division of Gaming Enforcement. In either case, you can look up the casino on their site to see if they’re registered, but usually each online casino will have a link to their certificate in their footer, like this:
Additionally, you might notice that some sites have an eCogra logo as well. eCogra is an independent organization that tests out the various games and determines their RTP (Return to Player) – basically, how much they pay out. In simple terms, the higher the percentage, the more likely you are to win. While all sites are tested by eCogra (or a similar organization), not all have chosen to make the information public. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but if I were you, I’d prioritize the casinos with RTPs I can clearly see.
Alright, what next?
Next… Well, that’s up to you! You should’ve shortened your list to no more than 10-15 candidates at this point, if you’re living in a country with a big casino market (and if not, chances are you only have 2-3 choices). The rest is really up to you and your personal preferences. Do you like playing slots? Go find a casino with tons of slots! Do you usually play blackjack? Prioritize a casino with good RTP for blackjack. Another factor you should weigh in is how much of a bonus the casino gives to new players. The standard is a 100% match up to a certain sum, but most casinos tend to be different in that regard. You want your bonus to be high, but not too high, as a giant bonus usually means that the casino has little else to offer that would entice you, and once you blow through the bonus amount you’d have little reason to stay. When it comes to promotions, casinos with offers for regular players and not just for new ones should definitely be prioritized. But for the most part, as I said, it’s mostly based on your own personal preference for games. So get out there and find yourself a casino!
The Cincinnati Kid
How And Why This Blog Came To Be
Let me wish you a warn welcome to my newly-born blog and give you a taste of what you will find here. First and foremost, my friends call me Cincinnati – short for the Cincinnati Kid, after the movie. No surprise there, huh? Well, yeah, I have to admit that I am quite the gambler. Years back, my poison of choice was poker, but due to lack of time, I had to switch to casino games, which much to my surprise was a breath of fresh air. Bit by bit, I started choosing online casinos by the software platform they used, by bonus amount, by number of games, variety and so on. Choosing where to play is not always a walk in the park so I had to do my research right! Why am I telling you all this, you ask? Hold your horses, I’m getting there. The thing is at one point I would spend more time to find info and news on certain casinos than actually playing. But I noticed that if you want real, valuable and accurate information on casino operators, news sites and blogs are the best source.
So, I thought it best to create my own online casino magazine, to save you guys the time and hustle of researching and give you more time to play. This way, you can keep an eye on the renowned or new and promising casino sites and be the first to know of any exclusive offers and exciting new games. So, there you have it, friends. I hope this will become your go-to site for fresh casino news and offers. Talk soon!
The Cincinnati Kid