What does this mean for online bingo players in the United States? Although there are many bingo sites accepting players from the United States the processing of gambling related transactions remains illegal under federal law. Although the Justice Department ruled in favor of online gambling in December the ruling only clears the way for individual states to offer legal online gambling to residents. Most states are mostly interested in providing poker games leaving bingo on the back burner. The District of Columbia had planned to offer online bingo in addition to poker and other casino games but recently the city council reversed course and players in the district will have to wait to play their favorite games online.

The commercial casinos represented by Fahrenkopf’s organization have been lobbying hard for legalization of online gambling at the federal level. State lotteries are against federal legislation and fear that competition from other gaming interests will hurt profits and sales. Native American tribes are also fighting to protect their gaming interests that have brought prosperity to many reservations. Fahrenkopf’s comments were made at the Gaming Laboratories International Roundtable in Las Vegas. Attendees included tribal and state regulators from Canada, Curacao, Puerto Rico and 32 U.S. states. Fahrenkopf said that the only way to make things fair for everyone is for the federal government to pass a law that would shut down most of the sites currently accepting players from the US. The shutdown would include many popular online bingo sites. For now it’s a wait and see situation for bingo players in the US.

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The simplest rule, which is all too often overlooked, is to choose your games carefully and to make sure that you understand the rules. Whenever people hear this they laugh as they are positive that they already understand their favourite game, but they stop laughing the instant they can’t answer a serious question. For example when you’re playing Blackjack do you know when to double Down? If you are sitting there wondering what that question even means because you Double Down whenever you can you need to learn a little more about the game. This applies to all games that you can find in the casino, no matter how well you think you understand them the truth is that there is a lot to learn in order to master them.

The next golden rule is to practise bankroll management religiously, never take anywhere near your whole bankroll to the table with you. The industry standard is 10%, some pros never take more than 5%. It takes time to build up a decent size bankroll and the successful gambler considers a 20% increase on the money they bring to the table to be a good days work. Once you have those lessons down you can start with the good stuff.

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The answer comprises close examination of several key elements, such as personal circumstances, choice of online casino, regulation, games played and state of mind.

In order to adopt a winning strategy it is important not to fall into the loser’s trap.

Personal circumstances

• Is gambling a last-ditch attempt at making some money or are you gambling for fun?
• Do you have a gambling budget or are you using borrowed money to try and make some more?
• Do you know when to stop while you are gambling?

Choice of online casino

• Online casinos are popping up just about everywhere on the Internet. Choose only an online casino which is reputable.
• Are you able to game in your preferred language and currency?
• What about rewards and bonus programs?
• What are the online casino’s payout rates?

Regulation and Responsibility

• Is your chosen casino licensed? Where? How? Which jurisdiction?
• Does the casino adopt Responsible Gaming practices?

Games played

• What games have you opted to play?
• What is your proficiency level on these games?
• Do you know the rules and have you read the fine print?

State of mind

• Once the intricacies of online casinos have been understood, the most crucial factor comes into play – your state of mind. It is advisable not to play while being intoxicated, depressed or otherwise imbalanced.

How to win

By combining all these factors with level-headedness, a winning strategy can be employed. Winning has a lot to do with not selecting a losing strategy to begin with. The answer therefore is to use common sense, gathering as much information along the way as possible and knowing your limits. The rest is up to Lady Luck!

Understanding the terms

Whether you are a high-roller (whale) or a curious novice, online gaming has lots to offer. With all the regular promotions, sign-up bonuses and tournaments on offer, it’s wise to understand exactly what is meant and how to qualify for these offers.

Online casino bonuses regularly change, but there are some commonalities that will help to define this feature more clearly. Games like craps, blackjack and even roulette oftentimes do not allow bonus money to be used. But more importantly are the wagering requirements attached to receiving bonus money.

A wagering requirement is a rule that a certain number of wagers have to be placed before you qualify for receiving your bonus money. For example you may have to bet your initial deposit plus a bonus, multiple times before you can withdraw any money from your account. How many times – anywhere up to 37 is the typical answer.

Why are there wagering requirements?

The online casinos want to make sure that gamblers don’t withdraw all their cash every time they accept bonuses or promotional offers. This is termed a play through requirement or a wagering requirement. It’s very important to note whether the wagering requirement includes the deposit plus the bonus, or simply the bonus alone.

The wagering requirement means that a player must put a certain amount of cash into play before they qualify for the bonus cash. A 10X bonus wagering requirement with a bonus of $40 would require that $400 be put into play before the bonus is awarded. Remember that these aren’t open-ended invitations; you may have to see how much time you have to do it.

Can you win with this system?

Yes. It’s a matter of time before a player understands both the game and the wagering requirements. The stats on game plays will show that after the preset number of wagers – say 37 – a normal player would break even or at least be able to win. The better a player you are, the greater your chances of taking home your initial deposit and bonus money, plus extra.

Online casinos naturally stand to benefit the longer you play but it’s free money to you if you win. Once you’ve won, it can take a while before you receive your money, but with the high payout percentages – 96% and higher – you’re assured of receiving your winnings.

What’s it all about?

Online Sports Books are fully comprehensive gambling sites where a spread of bets can be made. These include intricate stats, detailed betting options, multiple sports games such as golf, hockey, cricket, tennis, football, soccer, horseracing, NBA, rugby and many more. It’s not only about winners and losers; it’s about margins of victory, rankings, matchups, placements, geographic stats and so forth.

Is it legal?

This has been the most widely debated issue regarding online sports betting. Suffice it to say that the USA has been fighting against legalizing online sports betting with measures such as the UIGEA 2006 (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) and the Interstate Wire Act 1961 (prohibiting transferring money for sports betting between states). But these laws do not specifically apply to online sports betting and herein lies the dilemma. The UIGEA prohibits Americans from transferring funds from credit cards for the purposes of online gaming. Thus the act of funding gaming is illegal, not the online gaming itself. Representative Barney Frank is currently working hard against the UIGEA.

Who was there first?

It’s generally accepted that sports betting came online when the internet came around with WSEX being one of the first offshore sports gambling online operators. The way that punters were able to finance their wagers was through channels such as Western Union. Within a short period of time, online sports gambling took off at an unprecedented rate. The NFL and the Premiership League opened up to a huge online market of eager punters and sports aficionados. Through the power of the web, communities of punters get together in online forums to share their thoughts on the games. Here they predict outcomes, make informed bets and form like-minded communities.

An important point to be made with mobile gaming is that the technology used to play the games must be present on the gaming device itself. Hi-tech internet software allows the game software to run easily over the air. There is presently widespread development in countries such as India, China, Israel and the USA to further enhance and develop new mobile gaming technologies.

How it comes together

The mobile games are downloaded through the mobile operator’s network. It can also be done via the mobile handsets upon purchase – Bluetooth, memory card, or through infrared connections. Most mobile games use Java platforms.

Owing to the limitations on the mobile gaming devices, operators rely on less detail and more gameplay. At present mobile games are on sale through network carriers and operator portals. These channels allow for limited game descriptions and rely more heavily on screenshots to promote the games.

The technology is allowing for enhanced 3D graphics plus single and multiplayer options. It’s this networking ability in the mobile gaming market that has marketing executives in a buzz as it allows for collective wireless gaming for a global audience.

At present the global wireless market has more than 1 billion users, and it is growing at 20 percent per annum. Of particular interest to the sector is the youth market. These are the people who have been raised on video gaming technology. This is the reason that device manufacturers and developers have teamed up with wireless operators to develop a range of products and services appealing to this market.

Examples in the pipeline

There is a tremendous volume of innovation going on to incorporate Artificial Intelligence into games. The goal of course is to create the most ideal gaming enjoyment possible for players. The games based on AI would learn to adapt in response to the player’s actions and various general rules.

Nokia’s N-Gage game deck is another example of technology in progress. This is a part gaming device, part mobile phone and part music player – essentially a multi-functional handset specifically designed for the tech savvy generation.

Not to be outdone are the new generation of PlayStation and Xbox consoles. These soon-to-be-launched machines will be available soon. But there are many other 3G based mobile phones that are looking more and popular as the tech age gains momentum.

There are a good many popular and reputable online bingo rooms in operation today. Some Bingo Rooms like JackpotCity Bingo offer loads of exciting promotions and both 90 ball bingo and 75 ball bingo to online gamers. Many online bingo rooms couple their bingo games with online casino games too. The best part of online bingo is the fact that no commuting to meeting halls has to take place. Everything is arranged from the comforts of home with as little cost as possible to the player.

What’s it all about?

Internet bingo is much like its land-based equivalent except for several important differences: online bingo is much easier to join and it is highly cost effective.

The way it works is simple too. A player simply chooses a bingo ticket and waits for all the numbers to be called. If your call beats out your opponents, you win. Remember that the numbers on the bingo cards are randomly generated. There are five rows and five columns – 25 numbers in total for 75-ball bingo. 90-ball bingo uses a 9 by 3 card. Match up a pattern and complete the word BINGO and you’re in the pound seats.

And betting starts really low on online bingo – unlike bricks and mortar casinos.

Hi-tech gaming

Some bingo rooms require software downloads before you get gaming, others allow for instant play. An interest component of online bingo is that it remains a social game, despite players staying home while they’re enjoying it. The reason is the chat rooms with unique bingo-lingo jargon, forums, customer support services and loads of other interactive software at work. And the numbers of online bingo players joining these chat room networks is growing at a healthy rate. Most of the required software comes in the form of Java or Adobe. All reputable online bingo rooms use random number generators (RNG)

Two popular versions

Online bingo can be enjoyed in 2 standard formats: 75 ball bingo and 90 ball bingo. The former retains the top spot as most popular bingo game with millions of players. The latter is fast gaining traction, especially in the UK. Regardless of the version played, the industry is set to grow to a staggering sum of $1 billion by 2010. In order to receive their winnings, players will first need to set up online accounts with their preferred online bingo room. There are several helpful tools to make the online bingo experience easier. One such method includes the auto-daub features – which marks the numbers off as they are called off.