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!

The legal aspect of online gaming therefore depends not only on the online casino that has been licensed and registered to a specific jurisdiction; it also depends on the laws governing online gaming in the country of the gambler. North America, specifically Quebec in Canada has the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. This organization licenses a large number of online casinos and charges some $15,000 plus an annual license fee of $10,000.

The USA as a case in point

The most contentious country with respect to legality is the USA. With so much hype around measures such as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006 and the Wire Act of 1961, these concerns are fully validated. However the wording of these laws in the USA has led to even more questions. For online casinos, the USA represents a significant part of the market and these online companies are lobbying for measures aimed at easing the strict regulation currently in place.

As it stands the 1961 law has been interpreted by some, including the Department of Justice to mean that all online gambling is illegal. Subsequently US Courts have ruled against that. When the wording is further scrutinized, many are of the opinion that the phrase “in the business of” means only businesses are affected, not gambling customers. And yet others feel that the law only covers sports betting, and not other forms of gambling such as poker. Indeed the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Wire Act does indeed apply to sports betting and not to online gambling.

As a result of the UIGEA, many online gaming operations registered outside of the US ceased their operations in US cyberspace especially following the Kentucky state seizures of domain names in 2008. But there are moves to liberalize online gaming activity, and Representative Barney Frank (D- Mass) is fighting to overturn the ruling. The reason being is that such measures impinge on the universal freedoms of Americans to engage in their preferred form of entertainment.

Online gaming has always been shrouded in issues of the legality of its actions. While it cannot be unequivocally stated what the end status of online gaming, especially in the United States, will be, there are several encouraging moves in the pipeline suggesting an easing of current US restrictions on this global enterprise.

The EU and the USA

In the case of the European Union, EU officials have taken a pro-online gambling position. Several member states have even attempted to legislate on online gaming activity. Banning online gaming is generally prohibited and is contrary to EU law, which must feature conformity across the Union.

In the United States several attempts have long been made to legislate against online gambling. These attempts have often been made on a state-by-state basis, focusing on different regulation regarding online gambling.

Card playing

Much can be credited to the China of old. Owing to the fact that the Chinese used paper currency, it is said that they had much experience shuffling paper money in 900 A.D – a possible prelude to card shuffling. Many cultures and religions can lay claim to adding their contribution to card playing. It is not only the Chinese, Japanese, Indians, Greeks, Egyptians and Romans who were actively involved in gambling, but many other nations along the way.

Twists and Turns

Throughout history gambling has gone through periods of regulation, prohibition and close scrutiny. King Henry – an avid gambler – banned gambling; Native Americans embraced gambling; Revolutionary Americans played federal lotteries but gambling survived and always prospered. Today the USA lays claim to Nevada and Atlantic City among others and indeed the world sports many bricks and mortar casinos.

Online gambling gains traction

The e-boom of the 1990s gave rise to online gambling. By 1994 Antigua and Barbuda passed the Free Trade and Processing Act which essentially legislated to allow gambling licenses. Soon thereafter Microgaming was born – a world leader in hi-tech leading gaming software for poker rooms and casinos. As early as 1995 Microgaming’s Gaming Club opened and in 1996 InterCasino was launched as was the Kahnawake Gaming Commission in Canada. The latter regulates online gaming from the Mohawk territory of Kahnawake.

The late 1990s were marked by strong revenue growth in the industry. And around the same time, Intertops became the first online sports book, licensed under the gaming laws of Antigua. Today they cater to tens of thousands of daily wagers in almost 200 countries. Of all the online gaming attractions, online Poker is tops. Party Poker, Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and other notable brands have become household names in this big-revenue industry. Many of these companies list on leading stock exchanges where they trade as blue-chip enterprises.

Amidst ongoing moves towards regulation and the USA’s Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), online gaming is still in flux. While the US market has limited participation via payment processors to outside and unregulated online casinos, the world market for e-gaming is growing at a healthy rate. eCOGRA provides for safe online gaming practice and there are moves to regulate gaming in the USA. Such measures could generate much-needed tax-revenues and greater control over the industry. Big name operators such as 888 Holdings, William Hill, Bwin and Playtech are navigating the waters and operate under European and other licensed operators. The industry is expected to generate in excess of $20 billion by 2010.

The future of online gambling is already here, with online casinos of all creeds and colors. Now you’re invited to read about the history of the games.

Busting the myths

• Payback percentages are not lower when there is greater demand for a particular slots machine
• Winning slots machines are not necessarily placed where they are most visible including online
• Playing a machine that hasn’t hit a jackpot isn’t going to bring you any closer to winning one
• If a slots machine has recently recorded a big jackpot win it can still generate more winnings

So what are the techniques for playing slots then?

• First choose a reputable and licensed online casino
• Make sure you read and understand all the fine print
• Find out the payout percentage rates of the online casino
• Choose a game whose rules you clearly understand

It’s good to remember that slots machines can account for up to 80% of all casino revenue. This means it’s serious business and players should know what they’re doing. Many popular online slots games are 5 reels, 25 payline video slots. They often offer progressive slots options – meaning the jackpot mounts exponentially as you get deeper into the gaming.

How you would play

A typical video slots game requires you to hit a button for your preferred number of paylines. The more paylines, the more the spin costs and the greater the likelihood of your hitting a jackpot. Many video slots offer from 5 to 50 paylines and sometimes more. Some slots even accept $100 wagers per spin.

Everything from fabulous Marvel comics superheroes to weird and whacky games are available in today’s slot machines.

Here are some tips:

• Remember to game responsibly
• Play the maximum number of paylines
• You may want to stay informed of special promotions on slot machines
• Always go for higher-bonus slots
• Go for online casinos offering first time sign-up bonuses
• Work off your budget and don’t exceed it

Symbols and graphics

Features common to all modern video slots are wild and scatter symbols. Wilds are substitutes and scatters trigger winnings across various paylines. But there’s even bonus rounds where players get to add to their winnings as they move into a separate screen and rack up some bonus credits. Online slots have the added advantage of simulating real-life casinos replete with superb audio and graphics and some of the best animation around. Companies such as Playtech and Microgaming are world leaders in this field.

Jackpots

Today’s online slots machines can pay out figures in the millions. There are multiple smaller jackpots which are being won on a daily basis so it’s certainly worth a try.

There are a handful of strategies to implement allowing players a better chance at recognizing the way the game can be enjoyed and taken advantage of. If you follow the rules, learn the main strategies and implement them with a cool head – you’ll have greater success in this exciting game.

Getting Started

After you’ve received your stash of chips, place your bet. Next up, the dealer gives you 2 cards and 2 cards to himself or herself. But one of the dealer’s cards is face down. Now it’s time to make decisions.

Blackjack playing terminology

After you’ve received your cards and seen the dealer’s face-up card, you can make decisions:

Hit – This means you are asking the dealer to give you another card.

Stand – This means you don’t take any more cards.

Double Down – Doubling down doubles your initial bet and you will receive only 1 more card. You will have to stand after it has been dealt.

Split – This occurs when you have 2 cards of equal value. You now play 2 separate hands and place a wager equal to your original bet while splitting your cards. The dealer will give you 2 more cards.

If your hand is simply not worth playing you’ll have the option to throw in your cards and you’ll receive 50% of your bet back.

Cards and values in blackjack

All numbered cards are worth their value. Jacks, Queens, and Kings are worth 10. Aces are either 1 or 11 depending on your hand. That’s it. Typically a game of blackjack is played with 1 – 8 decks of cards. A hand without an ace is a hard hand while one with an ace is a soft hand.

What you need to know

Naturally there are loads of technical points that can give you better chances such as Insurance Bets which safeguard you in the event of a dealer’s Ace up card being dealt.

But more importantly, is knowing when to hold and when to fold – here’s a simple example:

A blackjack table will state that a dealer stands on 17. Or a dealer hits on soft 17s. This means that until a dealer has 17 they will hit or draw until they reach 17 or go bust.

Read the rules

Like every game, there are rules. Understand exactly what it is that you’re getting involved in. For instance wagers – do you know the max and minimum bets that you’re allowed? Because if not you may find yourself at a high roller table with big minimums. The house advantage in blackjack is roughly as follows:

• 7% without a basic strategy
• 0.5% with a basic strategy

And that’s it, in a nutshell.