We’re supposed to be all about the glitz and glam but honestly, we’re like a bunch of grannies gossiping about who’s going out with whom. Hot in the bingo blog world this week is the rumour that the Rank Group, owner of online bingo site Mecca, is in talks with Gala Coral discussing the potential acquisition of Gala’s casino business.
The Rank Group, which also owns Grosvenor Casinos and Bluesq betting firms, is seeking to buy Gala Casinos for a reported £250m. The deal would make the online bingo and casino operator the largest in Britain and accelerate plans to have 45 Grosvenor outlets by the end of 2015, as Gala already owns 24 casinos. There are currently only four Grosvenor casinos inside London. Read more…

It seems like slot machines were the subject of fierce debate last week, with both Australia and America divided over whether or not they’re a good idea. Predictably, casino blog writers will probably in favour, issues blog writers will probably be against. And the government is tying itself up in knots trying to find an amenable solution for all.
The argument against goes something like this: slot machines contribute to the likelihood of developing a gambling addiction, which in turn destroys families, and the financial hardship that addicts can undergo contributes to crime like theft and drugs.
The argument for goes something like this: people have a right to spend their money in whatever way pleases them, they have a right to make their own choices, and trying to outlaw slots and gambling is a blatant violation of personal freedoms. Read more…

A friend of mine asked me the other day, “If I love to play at online casinos does that make me addicted to gambling?” Personally I don’t’ think so, the problem lies with the way gambling is viewed by society. We are made to feel guilty about indulging our pleasures and taking a chance because the government want us to spend our money on taxable items. The fact is most online casinos are based in offshore tax havens, such as Gibraltar and Malta and that’s not going to put the casinos in the government’s good books.

The issue we really need to address is people’s attitudes to gambling. The majority of the population play the National Lottery, but because it is state franchised in the UK, (John Major set it up in the Nineties) it is pushed as a healthy and acceptable thing to play. In essence this is pure hypocrisy. In reality there is no difference between playing casino games and buying lottery tickets and we should not be made to feel guilty about our favourite past times because the government are not generating as much revenue as they’d like to by it. Read more…

We have all seen the gradual growth of SkyBet in the UK to be one of the most trusted and well known brands for online betting. SkyBet is owned by British Sky Broadcasting Limited – BSkyB and is licensed in Alderney. The site only uses the best of breed with regards to software and products and has close partnerships with established companies like OpenBet, Betgenius, BettorLogic and Boolabus.

Naturally, SkyBet offers some unique promotions to stay ahead of the rest. New players to the site just need to register, and £10 worth of free bets are immediately credited to the player’s account. I can’t stress how great it is to be able to have a couple bets as a new player, knowing that there is no risk involved and every chance of increasing my account balance! Read more…

Casino blog sites report that William Hill has lost its appeal against the trademark infringement case brought against it by rival 32Red.
After releasing a casino called 32Vegas, the online casino games giant was taken to court by 32Red for infringement of the ‘32Red’ and ‘32’ trademarks. 32Red has built its brand around the number, offering a £32 casino bonus also styling themselves as Red32. The trial took place in October 2010, and the High Court found in favour of 32Red. Read more…

The William Hill betting site does not only offer the best with regards to range of sporting markets and competitive prices; there are lots of other products that are designed to keep their customers happy and content. For all those keen football fans, Hills has one of the best Fantasy League products online. Players can form their own Private Leagues and control every aspect of it.

The prizes to be won are well worth the effort. Prizes range from a top of the range home entertainment system, featuring everything a player needs after they have done their betting online and ready to immerse themselves in the sporting event; to Apple iPads and iPods. In addition to this, there are free bets to won up to a value £200. And it does not stop there, as there are monthly free bet prizes awarded for Manager of the Month and Most Improved Manger of the Month. Read more…

After an exciting weekend of football, online betting prices have now confirmed it is indeed a two horse race for the Premier League Title. Although, no one can never really be certain, as there are still a few tricky games for Manchester City against Manchester United and Arsenal (at the Emirates); it does look like City will have to lose it, as opposed to any other team winning it.

I know for sure that the Man United faithful will still be confident that there is still a long way to go; and fingers crossed, the title will remain at Old Trafford. Sports betting wise, Tottenham and Chelsea will have to be satisfied with a Champions League spot; which is not the end of the world, when reviewing Man City’s performance to date. Read more…

If you’re a bit of a music buff and you won’t to share your passion and make some money at the same time, have you thought about online bingo?

There are hundreds of bingo sites out there but a few specialize in providing you with a totally unique experience, that fuses your favourite pastimes and hobbies with bingo. Sing Bingo is one of these unique sites, which is aimed at bringing together anyone who loves music and giving them a chance to share their passion while playing online bingo.

They offer a variety of music based bingo rooms, such as Rock N’ Bingo, Disco grooves, Karoaoke Nights and many more. What’s more when you play Sing Bingo’s Rockin’ TFI games every Friday night from 9pm, you’ll be in with a chance to win Sony Hi-Fi’s, Mini Jukeboxes, and Bose Headphones. All you have to do is be the first person to bingo on the Music Note pattern and you’ll be sent a new sound system for you to listen to all your favourite classics in surround sound. Read more…

How much would you reasonably spend on an online bingo site in a year? £100? £1,000? £10,000?
If you’re anything like Lucienne Mainey, it could well be far beyond that. The 41 year old mother stole £76,081 from her company to fund the habit she developed following the breakdown of her marriage. As a trusted member of the accounts administration team for a company run by a family she had known for a long time, Mainey paid herself small amounts throughout the year and wrote them off as payments to suppliers. The theft was eventually discovered and the company says the amount is closer to £87,000 when you consider VAT. Read more…

“The cardinal sin in poker, worse than playing dud cards, worse even than figuring your odds correctly, is becoming emotionally involved.” Katy Lederer, A Girlhood Among Gamblers

Katy Lederer is an American poet who is the sister of two of the world’s best poker players, Howard Lederer and Annie Duke. She moved to Las Vegas in the mid Nineties to study poker with her siblings, but rather than become a full time poker player, she took what she learnt from poker strategies and used it as inspiration for her writings. Her memoir Poker Face: A Girlhood Among Gamblers is pretty much required reading for anyone who plays online poker regularly and wants to get an insight into the lifestyles of those at the top of their game.

The expression Poker Face is popular for a good reason, simply because appearing totally unemotional is one of the best poker strategies around. It is genuinely important that you don’t express delight or frustration, but remain apathetic, especially when you are playing a live game. Read more…

Fulham have Newcastle United at Craven Cottage at 3pm this afternoon. Both teams have players missing; in the case of Fulham, Dembele and Orlando Sa are injured and Newcastle will be without Tiote, Demba Ba and Cisse due to the Africa Cup of Nations. I would  say that sports betting punters would view the game to be quite open.

The home team has a solid record at home, as they have won three of their last four home league games – two of which were against Liverpool and Arsenal. Fulham have also won the last two meetings against Newcastle; and the last time The Georgies have won at The Cottage was in December 2007. Hence the reason why online betting for a Fulham win is evens at SkyBet. Read more…

Once you start to play online casino games, there is one site that cannot be ignored – Mummys Gold. The site is part of the Palace Group, with software from Microgaming, and all licensed by the Lotteries and Gaming Authority of Malta. New players can benefit from the unique promotion of being awarded £500 and one hour free play; so you have 60 minutes to make as much cash as possible; and if you don’t win anything, there is a Welcome Bonus of up to £50 on the first deposit! No losers here for sure!

Compared to all the other online casinos out there, Mummys Gold has an impressive range of games to choose from; 21 Progressive Jackpots (one of which is in excess of £3.2 Million), 47 Table Games, 41 Video Poker, 32 3-Reel Slots, 8 5-Reel Slots, 4 Megaspin and over 60 Feature Slot games. Plus a generous loyalty program, so whilst you get through all the games, points are easily accumulated. Read more…

In the beginning, there was a fruit slot machine.
I’m not entirely sure who thought it would be a good idea to place fruit, bars and bells on the reels, but if you check out the casino slots of today you’d think barely any time at all had passed. Just like most things, what was once popular has become cool again – the fruit machine is experiencing a new popularity.
You’d think with all the video slots online that Marvel or movies would be the most beloved, but the truth is that people still love to play the classic slot machine with cherries and the lucky number 7. The Incredible Hulk might amuse you with his giant fists, and the Fantastic Four might stun you with their skills, and Gollum might be oddly charming in Lord of the Rings, but at the end of the day the punters love the good old fruit machine. Read more…

The nephew of the late Ayrton Senna has signed up with Williams for the 2012 season; and replaces 40 year old Rubens Barrichello. From a sports betting point of view, it does not really change any thing with regards to who are the main contenders for the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Titles; with Red Bull and McLaren still way ahead of the rest. However, it does show Williams thinking for the future.

Bruno Senna only shined at times for the Renault team; and before that his experience has been with HRT in 2010. Rubens is 40 years old, has great technical experience and proven worth; and this was brushed aside. Bruno has been chosen, as Williams is looking into the future and hoping that his potential will be realised in the next few years. Online betting markets tend to agree with this assessment.

Read more…

If you want to make money quick, I mean really quick, without even having to learn how to play, then have a go at a scratchcard and fingers crossed you’ll come out on top. There are few games which are as immediate or as instantly satisfying as scratchcards, after all they are the most democratic of casino games, because you don’t need any education or understanding to win.

If you want a quick thrill, then the scratchcard is your best bet, you don’t have to learn any confusing hand rankings or complicated odds systems before you spend your money, you just scratch away and hope for the best.

Even better you can now get a free scratchcard when you sign up to a site and you can win real money without having to put a penny down. There can be no denying the draw of money for nothing and this is one of the few actual places where that dream can happen. Of course you need some luck, but luck can happen at any time and any place; if you don’t win then, then it increases your chances of winning the next time. Read more…

We can all admit to reading at least a few online casino reviews in our time. The amount of sites out there means that the best players still need to depend on others for information and opinion. One of the sites that have caught my eye – and my registration – is Winner casino. They use Playtech software, one of the leaders in software and gaming solutions for online casinos.

The Winner casino provides its players with a comprehensive range of casino games, with new ones being released at regular intervals; like The Wheel of Light. The site definitely looks the business, with a professional layout that gives players the assurance that they are playing at the best online site.

New players will be pleased to find out that the site offers a Welcome Bonus of 100% of up to $300 on the First Deposit. But for players who are serious about playing casino games, there is a High Roller Bonus of 150% of up to $2000 on the First Deposit. Very few casinos of any reputable brand are willing to offer such a bonus. Read more…

There are upwards of 200 bingo sites out there on the web, with almost as many comparison sites to match. Talk about a saturated market, the bingo world is practically drenched to soaking point. So how can players find what they are looking for, when there are just so many sites claiming to be the most impartial and comprehensive ones out there.

Fundamentally it boils down to finding a site which is updated regularly. Most of the bingo sites out there aren’t updated on a daily basis and suffer from a lack of fresh content, that’s why it’s always worth checking how often the site you are going to is updated, and the best way to do that is by checking their blogs.

We write a blog every single day, come rain or shine, because we actively enjoy engaging with our readers and writing about the latest developments in the gambling world. There are hundreds of bingo online promotions every month and if you don’t update your site daily, it’s inevitable your readers will miss out on the latest offers and deals. Read more…

All online poker players who regularly participate in tournaments, would testify to being nagged or being looked at with hatred whilst trying to win some cash playing tournaments online. Even if your girlfriend or wife loves you, and at the start encouraged you to pursue the joy of poker; there comes a point where they soon forget and start plotting how to break the router at home so you can’t get online.

When I first started playing online poker, my wife had no objections and was actually quite happy about it. I suspect it was because of the fact that it negated the need for my friends to come over, spend hours smoking, drinking and inevitably making a nuisance of ourselves in the early hours of the morning. It also meant that she was now free to do whatever to she fancied, whilst I studied poker strategies to improve my chances of winning any cash. Read more…

If you’ve used an iPad 2, you’ll know just how fun they can be to play with, but it can be hard to figure out just exactly what you can use one for. Sure you can browse the web on it, check your email and read the Guardian with a flick of the wrist, but if you really want to get the most out of one, I recommend downloading a compatible online casino and seeing for yourself what a massive difference it makes.

To be honest, initially I was a little sceptical about the whole iPad obsession, but then my friend thrust one into my hand with a live game of Texas Hold ‘em on the go and told me to play. That was it, I was hooked. The controls were just so intuitive and responsive as my fingers skated across the screen, raising, checking and folding. The other online casino games I tried as a result, were just as good, if not even better! Roulette was just a dream, I couldn’t believe how fun it was, watching the wheel spin beneath my nose and tapping the screen to place my bet. However it really got impressive, when I explored the slots section of the online casino and started playing Immortal Romance Slots. As I tapped spin and watched the reels blur, the graphics exploded out of the screen and the cash started rolling in. It was almost like the iPad was bringing me luck! Read more…