Where did it all start?

Long before online betting came betting shops. High Street bookmakers operated in any way they could, circumventing the law, in order to grow their businesses. At that time, you could only place a bet when you were at the racecourse or over the telephone to the same bookies, nothing else was allowed. Bookmaker’s runners passed bets between punters and bookmakers, usually in the urinals of your local pub.

When in 1961, with the introduction of the Betting and Gaming Act, bookmakers were finally allowed to open up their own premises on your local high-street, a few large book makers were very vocal in their opposition to opening up betting shops due to the extremely high cost of getting them up and running, to the required standard. The most successful of the early few adopters were Ladbrokes, Coral and the Tote.

The inside a betting shop during the 60’s was a far cry from what we see today. The front windows were clad in steel mesh and upon walking into the building you were greeted by the racing pages of newspapers attached to the walls and massive black boards listing the odds for each particular outcome. Punters stood transfixed staring at the “blower”, an Extel wire service that provided horse racing commentary live the modern day TV.

In 1986 further legislation was passed that improved the punters experience further. Seats, televisions and hot drinks (coffee machines) were introduced to provide a bigger draw for the already booming bookmaking industry. By then The Tote, the bookmaker owned by the state, was due to be put up for sale and companies were starting to merge to create massive corporations. Mecca merged with William Hill and Ladbrokes merged with Hilton Hotels. By 2004 William hill was listed on the FTSE 100, making bookmakers not just a legal enterprise but a massive part of the country’s economy.

When the National Lottery was launched in 1995, along with its scratch cards, it hit the bookies hard. They simply couldn’t match the sums that were possible to win on the lottery and more and more people began leaving the bookmakers behind. This was until further gambling legislation reform in the past 20 years that completely cut the tax on individual bets, instead taking the tax from the bookies overall profits. Alongside that the rules regarding football bets were changed from multiple bets only to allow single bets on a single game. Alongside the growth of the Premier League this catapulted the bookies back into our consciousness.

Paddy Power was formed in 1988 and in a short space of time has become a massive player in the betting industry with its viral marketing campaigns and catchy bets. In 2015 Paddy Power merged with internet betting exchange company Betfair to create Paddy Power Betfair.

How to find out about the latest Slots Games

There are lots of great slots games out there but there are also new ones coming out a lot as well. This means that it can be quite difficult to keep track and if you like to know what new games are available and like trying them out then you may not want to be left behind. You may be always thinking about what new games might be coming out and hoping that you will be one of the lucky ones that gets to try them out really early on.

You may find that there are some websites which will give details of new slots games as they come out as well as where they can be played. These can be really useful to check regularly as you will know what is new. If you do a search, you will be able to find out which sites do this and it is worth taking note of several of them. Until you are really familiar with them, you will not know which ones are the most likely to release the news the quickest and provide the best reviews, links etc. Continue reading …

The State of Online Bingo in 2016

Online gambling has been a controversial topic in politics, and sometimes for good reason. But recently evidence emerged showing that it is completely wrong to regard online bingo games in the same light.

While it has always been the case that bingo has never been viewed by reasonable audiences as being a serious problem, many anti-gambling legislators and lobbyists have accused bingo of contributing to gambling addiction and many other similar claims.

It illustrates the problem of what happens when somebody is championing a cause. There can be a tendency to jump to unfounded conclusions, or even to fabricate evidence in support of the view they are trying to push. Such things are both foolish and potentially harmful.

Of course there is no denying that the bingo industry is huge and makes well over the equivalent of a billion dollars each year in the UK alone, but that has to be seen in perspective. Merely considering the size of the industry and how much profit it makes isn’t a fair test of whether it is a good or bad thing for the public in general. Looking at a site such as luckycowbingo.com shows very clearly just how silly it is to view these sites as predatory. Participants usually see their activity on sites like this as harmless fun, and perhaps also exciting due to the possibility that they may win a big prize. Continue reading …

The Truth About Gambling Winnings and Tax

If you’re trying to win big at gambling, you might wonder whether or not any of your winnings would be subject to tax. You’ve heard of players getting visited by the tax man before…but does that apply to you? Not necessarily.

What you need to realize is this: as a citizen of the UK, you would not have to pay any tax on any of the winnings you gain. Not a single one, and that’s why a lot of people breathe easy as they explore a new path in gambling.

However, if you end up becoming a professional gambler that makes any type of media appearances for money, or sells books on the topic, you could have to pay taxes on those things. If you’re really that worried, we suggested that you speak with a qualified accountant and/or a solicitor for more information.

But most of you all can breathe easy knowing that you can make the most of your gambling winnings. But now that we got that out of the way, what’s the fastest path to make money through real money gaming?

One word: mobile. Specifically, mobile gaming. This means that you can not only take advantage of the portability factor, but you have your games at a close space.

We like slot games, because there are a ton of them and they usually translate pretty well to the phone. You don’t get a squished slot game that’s hard to see. Instead of a cramped experience, you actually get a lot of games that flow well with the small screen factor of the smartphones on the market.

Going through all of your options in the world of real money gaming isn’t easy, but now that you now you don’t have to pay taxes in most cases, it’s definitely time to see how much money you can win. Naturally, you don’t have to just play slot games only. You could always play real poker for money on the go, or just stay at home and play from a big computer screen. Either way you slice it, this is a great opportunity to make money.

Yet we couldn’t just end this guide with talking about the money. The community around the world of gambling will help you sharpen your game, if you allow them to help. Be open to criticisms and make changes to your game to see a sharp rise in making money for the long run. Check it out as soon as you can!

The five golden rules of success in online roulette

The internet is awash with websites to unlock the secret to roulette but the fact is that roulette is a game of chance. However, there are few things the high rollers do to boost those chances in online roulette.

1) The best strategy is no strategy

Some punters are convinced that you should never hit the roulette tables without being armed with a strategy or system. There are countless websites offering ‘roulette computers with a 93% success rate’. The makers of these machines claim that these computers are able to calculate the rate of the wheel and ball.

However, the fact is that the efficacy of such contraptions is dubious at best. This is especially true of online gambling, with roulette from 32red.com and other reputable online operators using random number generators to keep things clean and honest.

Some say that you can use randomness to your advantage. The theory is simple, if you lose, double your bet. If you win, halve it. For example, if you start with a £5 bet and you lose, bet £10 on the next hand. If you lose that one, then bet £20 next and so on.

The theory goes that by doubling your bet each time, you’ll eventually catch up and win. But when will you catch up? No one knows. Really, the best strategy is to just be sensible with your money. Besides, even the best strategy in the world cannot predict random numbers.

2) Choose a reputable operator

Many people question whether online casinos are rigged, which is understandable considering that operators have so much power to basically do whatever they want out of the view of punters. With this in mind, we recommend that you only play at internet casinos with a good reputation, such as the aforementioned 32Red or Golden Tiger Casino. Such operators hold full licenses and are fully regulated by international gaming authorities and independent auditors.

3) European Roulette gives you better odds

One way you will definitely improve your odds of winning is choosing French, or European roulette over the American version. This is because the US wheel has a few ‘0’s on the wheel which makes it harder for you and increases your disadvantage against the house. Whereas European and French roulette gives the house an edge of 2.7%, that advantage is almost doubled to 5.26% in the US version due to the presence of extra numbers.

4) Stick to nearly even money bets

Betting on black and red, or odds and evens will further increase your chances of winning. In fact, these are just about the best odds in any online or offline casino. And while each single bet won’t offer you the best returns, this will give you staying power and it is where the smart money is.

5) Know when to ‘walk away’

If you have £400 to bet and you lose it – walk away (or switch off your computer)! It is rarely wise to go back and try and win your money back.

Bingo – An addictive pastime

Stories of gambling addictions leading to financial ruin are not particularly rare. Usually however the form of gambling at the centre of the addiction is something stronger than bingo.

Bingo has always been considered one of the less hardcore forms of gambling, when compared to the likes of card games, horse racing or even fixed odds betting terminals.

A recent case has reminded us however that bingo can in fact be highly addictive and in rare cases, just as disruptive as the other, typically more ‘hardcore’ gabling types.

Take Jacqueline Balaam as an example, this is the story of a Finance Officer for Pembroke College who stole nearly £300,000!

The object of Jacqueline’s gambling addiction was online bingo and her favourite site was said to have been Jackpotjoy, where she reportedly spent £6 million on online bingo!

The addiction couldn’t have been any more disruptive for Jacqueline and her family, which includes to young daughters. As a result of her gambling driven theft she has been handed a 30 months prison sentence.

Over the years that she played from time to time she would win large amounts such as £15,000, but rather than taking the money and spending it on something like a holiday, she would simply gamble her winnings, and as with all forms of gambling, eventually be left with nothing.

Jacqueline’s work privileges in the finance department put here in the ideal position to be able to manipulate the books in order to facilitate her theft at the same time as covering her tracks.

It is reported that in order to obtain the money in her personal account she would change the details of suppliers in the accounting system to her own personal banking details and then switch them back so that suppliers would also be paid.

It wasn’t until January 2014 that this scandal was uncovered during an internal audit at the college. At that point the auditors discovered that she had taken £285,986.

After this point the police were brought in and the rest is history, Jacqueline now has 30 months to look forward to in jail.

So is it possible to break out of an addiction before it consumes your life? It would seem that the answer to this question is ‘yes’.

In 2014 a lady called Marilyn Jones successfully abandoned her addiction to online bingo.

Marilyn wasn’t just a small time addict either; she claims to have played bingo every day during a 10-year stretch, having started in 2004.

Thanks to excellent counselling provided by Beacon, Marilyn has been able to quit the game and regain control of her life.

It seems that it is often the case that a gambling addiction is started when an individual has some good initial wins. This was true for Marilyn and in order to try and gain even more money a person who is becoming a gambling addict will then ‘reinvest’ the winnings in order to make more money. This strategy can work in the short term, but except for very rare mega jackpot winning cases, this strategy will lead to the player spending so much on the game that the winnings don’t even dent the shortfall.

If you have a gambling problem, or feel that you’re spending too much on bingo, write to your bingo operator and insist that they impose limits on the amount that you’re allowed to spend, responsible bingosites such as Rocket Bingo will be happy to do this. Of course, it may be the best idea to give up the game altogether, in which case you should seriously think about making contact with a help provider such as Beacon or Gambling anonymous.

Bingo is no longer a game for silver haired people

The moment we hear about bingo, we start imagining : smoky bingo halls, stacks of cards, daubers,loud calls, and most importantly plenty of elderly women everywhere. This image has been set in our mind for more than 2 decades now. Thankfully, with the rise of online bingo, these stereotypes are gradually banishing.

Online bingo has been growing like a wild fire. Today with more and more bingo sites popping up almost everyday, numbers of players are increasing every hour- the game has managed to move from the so called silver haired ladies, to more and more young tech savvy generation. Thousands of people are hitting the online bingo rooms everyday with a chance to meet new people and socialize.

What is the reason behind people droving to online bingo site.Is it make money or meet new people? Well, the fact is, it is a mixture of both. Today players above the age group of 18 years are playing online bingo games. Gender and age barriers have been shattered.

These days people who are playing bingo online belong to the tech savvy generation, hence necessarily you wont expect to find silver-haired people playing bingo games virtually.

Online bingo is not always about the huge jackpots. It is more about the bingo promotions and community. Some people come online just to meet new people and have fun where as some keep an close eye on those bingo promotions which keep changing on monthly, weekly and daily basis.

On sites like New Look Bingo players aren’t restricted to talk only about bingo games. They can talk about anything which interests them, as long as they follow the chat rules. People of different age groups from all walks of life come together to play bingo. At times some people think bingo is only for the silver haired.

Technology has drastically changed a lot of aspects about bingo. If you are a bingo aficionado or know gonna be one, it’s time to give this fun version of this new age game a go!

Hit the bingo rooms today if you still haven’t and definitely you’ll have a whale of a time.

Here’s Why There’s So Much Hype About Online Bingo

Are you reading about the “hype” around online bingo? Plenty of people are talking about how bingo is this fad that is going to be done away with in a few years, but that’s not really the case. What you’ll find here is that bingo is only set to grow bigger and bigger with each passing year. More people are playing bingo because it’s a great stress reducer. Have you seen how many hours the average person works in a single week? After a big workweek like that, you can imagine how everyone wants to do something that will get their mind off things a little bit.

If you’re trying to save money, you might not think about bingo either. But bingo is the best way to save money because you don’t have to leave your house. You can just log on and play, giving you plenty of options. Options are a good thing as far as we’re concerned, and we think that it’s time to jump in and play.

You can check out my favorite free bingo no deposit site right away by clicking the link on this line. It’s a great place to test the waters because they give you a chance to play for free. While some sites want you to go ahead and jump in with your own money, this site knows that you might need some time to decide if this is something that you want to do or not. Bingo is exciting for me because I get to escape all of my normal chores around the house, if only for a little while.

If this is something that you’re interested in, it’s definitely in your best interests to get it done. Make sure that you’re looking into online bingo so you don’t miss out on all of the fun. Having a great time and winning extra money is never a bad thing.

The chance to make new friends is another reason why I strongly suggest bingo to everyone. It can be hard to make friends locally when you’re trying to go to work, go to school and get ahead in life. It feels like if you’re not working on your goals around the clock you’re going to run into trouble, but there is a time and a place for relaxation. Instead of leaving your house, you can stay instead and play bingo. What more could you want other than this? So, when you’re ready to play bingo, log onto the site linked up above and test it out!

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