Using Prepaid Cards at Online Casinos
Prepaid cards are one of the latest options that can be used to fund online casino accounts. They are fast gaining in popularity and more and more online casinos are allowing the use of prepaid cards. The reason for this is that prepaid cards exhibit all the advantages of credit card and at the same time counter the major disadvantages of credit cards. Prepaid cards operate the same way as credit cards do. They have a unique string of numbers that are keyed in at the Cashier section of the online casino in order to transfer the funds. Players have to log into their casino account and go to the Cashier section. There they choose the appropriate prepaid card option and entered the number code. The transfer of funds is instantaneous as in the case of credit cards. Credit card transactions are often rejected because the player has exceeded the limit allowed to him by the credit card company or for some other default. This problem cannot occur with prepaid cards. In the case of prepaid cards the issuing organization already has the players money and therefore there is no reason for it to block the transaction. Prepaid cards are much safer to use than credit cards or debit cards. Despite all precautions taken by online casinos credit cards and debit cards can be subject to identity theft. Unscrupulous hackers have a motive in stealing credit card information because they can then use the credit available in the credit cards to make purchases. Similarly they can use the balance available in the debit cards to make purchases. However
the prepaid cards are issued for fixed amounts. The moment the player enters the prepaid card number at the online casino the entire amount gets transferred to the player’s casino account. Therefore there is nothing left to steal and the prepaid card number is meaningless. Prepaid cards are not linked to the player’s bank account number or to any other sensitive information. Hence players are totally at ease when entering prepaid card numbers at the online casinos. Most prepaid cards can be purchased at retail outlets for cash. Hence the player is not required to use a bank account at all. In the case of credit cards the payment is usually done through a bank account. E-wallets are commonly funded using bank accounts or credit cards. In all these cases there is an ultimate documentation of having made a payment to online casinos. This is totally avoided when prepaid cards are purchased for cash. Hence players who want to avoid documentation of their online casino funding transactions find it very convenient to use prepaid cards. Prepaid cards are an important tool in the prevention of problem gambling. Players can purchase prepaid cards for exactly the amount that they can afford to spend at online casinos. Once that amount is transferred to the online casino account the prepaid card becomes useless. No matter how great the temptation to continue wagering may be
the player cannot use the same prepaid card again. The player has to go through the process of purchasing another prepaid card and this acts as a brake. In the case of credit cards it is much easier to give into temptation and transfer more funds and thus take the first step to problem gambling. Prepaid cards are very common in the United States where they have a further advantage. Because of the UIGEA the organized financial services system is wary of transferring funds to online casinos. Prepaid cards purchased using cash enable the player to bypass the organized financial services providers. Articles from Casino Advisor
Pennsylvania Legislators Evaluates Approval of Casino Games
Legislators in Pennsylvania are still reviewing on whether or not they will allow casino in the state. Lawmakers are still not decided on the licensing cost and tax rate for the casino games.
Florida Pari-Mutuels to Offer Casino Table Games Themed Machines
Florida pari-m
utuels can now offer machines that are patterned after the casino games like blackjack. This is the result of the agreement between regulators
Gulfstream Park and Bally.
Pennsylvania Legislators Continues to Discuss Casino Gaming Proposal
The debate for casino gaming in Pennsylvania continues to be a heated one as officials continue to clashed on some of the provisions. Legislators hope that gaming revenues will help solve the deficit.
Florida Legislators Petitions National Indian Gaming Commission to Stop Seminole Gaming
Florida lawmakers petitioned the NIGC to order the Seminole tribe to stop offering casino games. House Speaker Larry Cretul said that it is impossible to negotiate a deal with the tribe.
Casino Software Online Is More than Games
When leading online gaming software providers offer their software to casino operators the package includes more than the software required to run the casino games. It includes the administrative functions required to conduct real money wagering at the online casino. The first action performed by a player at an online casino is registering and opening an account. The software comes into play from that action. The software maintains a separate account for each player and till the player closes the account the software records each and every move made by the player. This includes every wager placed on every game and also the outcome of that wager. The software provides for the player to access this information so that the player can refresh his memory or analyze his game play at leisure. Carrying out financial transactions is an important function of the software. The software contains the required protocols and safety measures to ensure a secure environment for sending and receiving funds. The software also provides an interface with the various financial services providers
be they credit card companies or electronic wallet companies. The player’s account is automatically linked to any game the player may choose to wager on. The amounts won or lost playing that game reflect in the player’s account. The software allows the player to access his financial transactions history in the same manner as his gaming transactions history. In order to remain competitive online casinos have to offer a number of bonuses. A number of conditions are attached to the bonuses. The software keeps track of whether these conditions are being met in the case of all the players. An important factor here is the wagering requirements. The wagering requirements are not the same for all players. Players from certain countries have to meet higher wagering requirements. Therefore the software maintains the link between the player
his country and the wagering requirements for that country. The software keeps track of whether the wagering requirements have been met and if a player requests a withdrawal before meeting the wagering requirements then the software has to be able to block that withdrawal request. The situation can become more complex in the refer a friend bonus in which the software has to keep track of the link between the player and the referred friends and also keep track of when the referred friends complete their obligations so that the bonus can be awarded to the player. Many online casinos offer tournaments on a regular basis and this requires an independent and different set up in the software. Usually a player is allowed to participate only once in an online tournament and the software incorporates a check to ensure that the same player does not enter the tournament twice. The scores of the different players have to be stored and compiled on the leader board. As fresh players participate in the tournament the leader board has to be continuously updated. All these capabilities are built into the software. Players will realize that the software has to perform an enormously complex functions and it is natural for them to wonder if the software is really competent to do so. In order to ensu
re that there is no flaw in the software
the online gaming software providers arrange to have the software evaluated by independent expert agencies so that they
their licensee casino operators and the players are satisfied beyond doubt of the capabilities of the software. Articles from Casino Advisor
Special Symbols in Online Casino Slots
Gone are the days when symbols on the reels in online slot games only served the purpose of deciding line payouts. In the feature rich contemporary slot games there are special symbols that serve multiple functions. These symbols are common across the slots launched by the different online gaming software providers and hence it makes sense for new players to acquire an understanding of these symbols. These symbols are wild symbols
scatter symbols and bonus symbols. The symbol most appropriate to the theme of the slot game is usually designated as the wild symbol. Often it is just the logo bearing the name of the slot game. Wild symbols are those symbols that can be used as any other symbols in order to make up winning combinations. They are very much like the Joker in video poker games. Therefore such symbols are also known as substitute symbols. Usually wild symbols do not substitute for other special symbols
but only for symbols involved in line payouts. Wild symbols increase payout opportunities and are therefore very important. In contemporary slot games while symbols serve other functions as well. Very often they act as multipliers. In such cases when wild symbols assist in making winning combinations they multiply the payouts as specified in the rules. Sometimes
the specified number of wild symbols appearing in a payline acts as a trigger for the bonus feature. Wild symbols are often made exciting by formulating them in such a manner that they enhance payouts. Stacked wild symbols are wild symbols that occurred in two or even all three rows of the same reel. Expanding the wild symbols when they occur spanned to cover the entire reel so that all positions on the reel act as a wild symbols. There are some slot games in which normal symbols are randomly converted to wild symbols after the reels stop and payouts are recalculated based on the new situation. Such wild symbols are known as exploding wilds. In other slot games players can choose any of the given symbols as a wild symbol. The second special symbol is the scatter symbol. In line payouts the designated symbols have to appear in an enabled payline. In the case of scatter symbols however the scatter symbols can appear anywhere on the reels. It is for this reason such symbols are called scatter symbols. This gives greater flexibility in receiving payouts. Another advantage of scatter payouts is that the payout designated in the table is multiplied by the total bet. In the case of line payouts the payout is multiplied by the line bet which is considerably lower. The scatter symbols are often used to trigger bonus features in contemporary online slots. Two types of bonus features are common in contemporary slot games. One is known as the bonus game on the second screen and the other is the free spins bonus round. If both these games are present then usually the wild symbols triggers one of these games and the scatter symbol triggers the other. However
sometimes neither the wild symbol nor the scatter symbol is used to trigger the bonus round. A third symbol is used that serves only this function. This symbol is then designated as the bonus symbol. Articles from Casino Advisor
Microgaming MegaSpin Online Casino Slots
In its slots games category Microgaming features a class of slots that it calls MegaSpin slot games. MegaSpin slots are similar to multi-hand online video poker games. A number of identical slot games can be activated with a single spin. Each slot game pays out independently. Microgaming offers four MegaSpin slot games. These are Double Magic
Fantastic Sevens
High 5 and Major Millions. Each game is a 3
-reel slot with a single payline. The functioning of MegaSpin slots is illustrated using Double Magic as an example. Preview of Double Magic MegaSpin Online Casino Video Slot Game: In Double Magic MegaSpin players can choose from four
six or nine games. Depending on the number chosen that many 3-reel and single row slot games will appear on the screen. Next the player has to choose the betting options. Double Magic MegaSpin offers a very wide coin denomination range that starts at $0.01 and goes all the way till $25.00 with several stops in between. Players can choose either one coin or two coins. The payouts for two coins are exactly double and hence there is no additional advantage in choosing maximum coins in this MegaSpin slot game. Since Double Magic offers only one payline no choice needs to be made in this regard. The total bet in credits is obtained by multiplying the coin denomination
number of coins and number of games. When the maximum values are chosen in each case the total bet per spin goes as high as $450.00. Clicking the Spin button sets the reels of all the slot games spinning simultaneously. When the reels come to rest the payout of each game is computed independently using the common payout table. The payouts from all the games are added together and constitute the win for that spin. MegaSpin slots have certain options that are not relevant in normal slot games. These are available in the Options menu and are termed as Reel Stopping Order. Players can choose from three options. The Parallel option is the fastest. In this option the first reels of all the games stop first simultaneously. Then the second reels of all the games stop simultaneously. Finally the third reels of all the games stop simultaneously. But many players find it more exciting if the slot games stop one after another because it gives them a chance to evaluate the winnings in each game in real time and also adds to the suspense. The other two options cater to such players. In the Sequential Last option the first two reels stop as in the Parallel option. But the third reel stops sequentially. The third reel of the first game stops first
of the second game next and so on. The Sequential option is the slowest. The first reel of the first game stops first
the second reel of the first game stops second and the third reel of the first game stops next. Then the three reels of the second game stop in sequence and so on. Double Magic MegaSpin has a wild symbol that doubles payouts and a highest payout of 1
600 coins. Fantastic Sevens has a highest payout of 2
500 coins. High 5 has a wild symbol
a 25x multiplier and a jackpot payout of 15
000 coins. Major Millions MegaSpin is linked to the progressive jackpot network of Major Millions. The MegaSpin slots can be played at all Microgaming online casinos. CasinoAdvisor recommends Platinum Play
All Slots
Roxy Palace and Lucky Nugget. Articles from Casino Advisor
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Prescriptions for Newbie online casino Players
Newbie players are players who are completely new to online gaming. They have probably heard about the concept from friends or have come to know about it while surfing the Internet
but have never played online games before. Such players should not rush headlong into the real money wagering but should ease themselves into the online gaming environment taking one step at a time. The first issue is of selecting an appropriate online casino and this has been dealt with in several other articles at CasinoAdvisor. The player should then engage in playing for fun till he becomes completely comfortable with the playing environment and the games. The best experience is hands on experience and the first thing that the newbie player should do after he accesses any online casino game is try out all the buttons and understand the functions they perform. There are two types of buttons. One type performs functions that are incidental to the gaming and the other type performs the actual gaming functions. Buttons of the first type would be the Options button or Help button. For example in the Options button the newbie player should enable or disable each of the options available one at a time and play the games. He should try to focus on the affect of making the change on the gaming experience. He should play the games with the sound options enabled and also later with the sound options disabled and see which works better for him. The buttons that operates the games are more important and
unlike the earlier type of buttons
they vary from game to game. In slots the newbie player should figure out how to vary the number of coins
the coin size and the number of paylines and how toggling these buttons affects the amount wagered. He should understand how the Bet Max button functions and the judge whether it suits his style of play. In games like blackjack certain buttons come into play only in certain situations and the newbie player must know what these situations are. Becoming familiar with the buttons is a time consuming trial and error process. Reading the rules provided in the game does help but it is not a substitute for actual trials on the screen. In some online slot games wagering with larger amounts makes it more likely to trigger bonus rounds and win larger payouts. Since the newbie player is wagering with play money he should not hesitate to try wagering with larger amounts and seeing if it benefits him. This will help him in setting a proper budget when he starts wagering with real money. He will realize that in certain games it is better to have larger wagers
even if it means having fewer wagers. The next issue that newbie players should be concerned with is strategy. Online casino games like slots and roulette do not have any strategy issues. However games like blackjack and video poker are very much strategy oriented games. Optimal strategies for these games are available in very many forums on the Internet
including CasinoAdvisor. The strategies have been tabulated or are available in simple bulleted points. Online casino gaming have an advantage that players can keep these strategies in front of them while wagering. Newbie players are advised to refer to these strategies as and when required in order to ensure that their game play is optimal. In games like blackjack and video poker optimal game play can make a tremendous difference to the average payouts. Articles from Casino Advisor
Looking Into Betting Options For Online Slots
After the player selects an online slot game to wager at he has to make up to three important decisions before he can start spinning the reels. This set of decisions is known as betting options. It includes selecting the number of paylines
the number of coins wagered per payline and the coin size. Most slot games allow players to choose all three betting options. Some slot games fix the number of coins wagered per
payline
usually at one
and this choice is removed from the betting options. There are very few slots that fix both the coin size and the number of coins thus effectively freezing the line bet. Before the betting options are discussed two terms need to be clearly defined. The line bet is the amount wagered per payline and is the product of the coin size and the number of coins per payline. The total bet is the total amount wagered per spin and is the product of the line bet and the number of paylines selected. Most online slot games allow players to choose the number of paylines. However this is only a nominal choice because it makes little sense to play the online slot game without enabling all the paylines. Winning combinations
except for the scatter wins
result in payouts only if they occur in an enabled payline. The worst nightmare for a slots player can be to see five of like symbols in a payline that is not enabled. Progressive jackpot online slots emphasize the need for selecting all paylines even more pointedly. The progressive jackpot usually pays out only when the stated combination occurs in the highest payline. By selecting all paylines the total bet per spin can increase drastically
especially if the player has chosen a slot game that has 50 or 100 paylines. In such cases the player should enable all paylines and reduce his line bet so as to remain within budget. The coin size and the number of coins per payline together contribute to the line bet. Some slot games allow only one coin to be wagered per payline
but they have a larger coin size range with a fair degree of choice within that range. The slot games that allow players choose the number of coins usually have a smaller coin size range with fewer stops in that range. Either way it usually works out to the same thing. Consider the slot game Mayan Queen that offers one coin per payline with the following coin size range: 0.01
0.02
0.03
0.04
0.05
0.06
0.07
0.08
0.09
0.1
0.25
0.5
1
2.5 and 5.00. This gives a line bet range from 0.01 to 5.00 with 15 stops. There is another recently released slot game Moonlight Mystery that offers up to 5 coins per payline and coin sizes of 0.01
0.05
0.1
0.25 and 0.5. This gives a line bet range from 0.01 to 2.50 with 18 stops. Hence the coin size and number of coins per payline have to be chosen in conjunction with each other so that the player gets the desired line bet. The line bet must be decided based on the players bankroll for the session and the number of spins that he expects to play. Suppose that the player has a bankroll of 100 credits and wants to play 100 spins. Then he should go for a line bet of 1.00. In games like Mayan Queen he simply chooses the coin size of 1.00. In games like Moonlight Mystery he can choose 2 coins of size 0.50 or 4 coins of size 0.25. Both options are essentially the same. Whatever the player wins can be kept aside for another day. Articles from Casino Advisor
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