Online Casino

Online casinos, also known as virtual casinos or internet casinos, are online versions of traditional ("brick and mortar") casinos. Online casinos enable gamblers to play and wager on casino games through the Internet.

Online casinos generally offer odds and payback percentages that are comparable to land-based casinos. Some online casinos claim higher payback percentages for slot machine games, and some publish payout percentage audits on their websites. Assuming that the online casino is using an appropriately programmed random number generator, table games like blackjack have an established house edge. The payout percentage for these games are established by the rules of the game.

Reliability and trust issues are commonplace and often questioned. Many online casinos lease or purchase their software from well-known companies like Microgaming, Realtime Gaming, Playtech, and CryptoLogic Inc in an attempt to "piggyback" their reputation on the software manufacturer's credibility. These software companies either use or claim to use random number generators to ensure that the numbers, cards or dice appear randomly.
Contents


* 1 Online casino types
o 1.1 Web-based online casinos
o 1.2 Download-based online casinos
o 1.3 Live-based casinos
* 2 Games offered
* 3 Signup bonuses
* 4 Fraudulent online casino behavior
* 5 Fraudulent player behavior
* 6 Legality
* 7 See also
* 8 External links

Online casino types

Online casinos can be divided into three groups based on their interface: web-based casinos, download-based casinos, and more recently live casinos. Some casinos offer multiple interfaces.

Web-based online casinos

Web-based online casinos are websites where users may play casino games without downloading software to the local computer. Games are mainly represented in the browser plugins Macromedia Flash, Macromedia Shockwave, or Java and require browser support for these plugins. Also, bandwidth is needed since all graphics, sounds and animations are loaded through the web via the plugin. Some online casinos also allow gameplay through a plain HTML interface.

Download-based online casinos

Download-based online casinos require the download of the software client in order to play and wager on the casino games offered. The online casino software connects to the casino service provider and handles contact without browser support. Download-based online casinos generally run faster than web-based online casinos since the graphics and sound programs are located within the software client, rather than having to be loaded from the Internet. On the other hand, the initial download and installation of a download-based online casino client does take time. As with any download from the Internet, the risk of the program containing malware does exist.

Live-based casinos

Live-based casino gaming allows web players to interact with games played in a real world casino environment. Online players can see, hear, and interact with live dealers at tables in casino studios worldwide.

Games offered

A typical selection of games offered at an online casino might include:

* Baccarat
* Blackjack
* Craps
* Roulette
* Slot machines
* Video poker

Signup bonuses

Many online casinos offer signup bonuses to new players making their first deposit. These bonuses normally match a percentage of the player's deposit with a dollar maximum, and almost all online casino signup bonuses require a minimum amount of wagering before allowing a cash out. Gameplay at specific casino games might be excluded from the wagering requirement calculation.

A fictional signup bonus offer follows as an example:

* The online casino offers new players a deposit matching bonus of 100%, up to $100
* The player must wager 25 times the total amount of the deposit plus the bonus before withdrawing
* Wagers on baccarat, craps, roulette, and sic bo do not count towards meeting wagering requirements

For this particular example, this would mean that a player depositing $100 would start with $200 in his account. The player must make $5000 ($200 × 25) in wagers before being allowed to make a withdrawal.

Advantage play, bonus hunting, in casino signup bonus situations is mathematically possible. For example, the house edge in blackjack is roughly 0.5%. In the example above, $5000 in wagering with a house edge of 0.5% will result in an expected loss of $25. Since the player received a $100 signup bonus, the player has an expected profit of $75.

Advantage players who use bonus offers for an expected profit may be called "bonus hunters", "bonus abusers", or "bonus whores". Some online casinos have restrictions regarding "the spirit of the bonus offer" which they sometimes use as a deterrent to what they consider "bonus abuse".

Players should carefully read terms & conditions before claiming a bonus. Some casinos have terms and conditions that are not favorable to the player, such as restricting play to slots (slots typically have one of the highest house edges of all games). Other casinos are not reputable and may pay slowly or may find excuses to avoid paying winnings.

List_of_casinos

Antigua and Barbuda

* St. James's Club Antigua in Mamora Bay
* Casino Riviera in Runaway Bay
* Grand Princess Casino in St. John's
* King's Casino in St. John's

Aruba

* Stellaris Casino at the Aruba Marriott

Australia

New South Wales

* Star City Casino (Sydney)

Victoria

* Crown Casino (Melbourne)
Queensland

* Conrad Treasury Casino (Brisbane)
* Conrad Jupiters Casino (Gold Coast)
* Jupiters Townsville Hotel & Casino (Townsville)
* Reef Hotel Casino (Cairns)

South Australia

* SKYCITY Adelaide (formerly Adelaide Casino) (Adelaide)

Western Australia

* Burswood Casino (Perth)

Tasmania

* Wrest Point Hotel Casino (Hobart)
* Country Club Casino (Launceston)

Australian Capital Territory

* Casino Canberra (Canberra)
Northern Territory

* Lasseters Hotel Casino (Alice Springs)
* SKYCITY Darwin (formerly MGM Grand Casino) (Darwin)

Bahamas

* Isle of Capri Casino Freeport in Freeport
* Royal Oasis Casino in Freeport
* Atlantis in Nassau
* Crystal Palace Casino in Nassau

Belize

* Palace Casino in Ambergris Caye
* Princess Casino in Belize City

Canada

Alberta

* Baccarrat Casino
* Frank Sisson's Silver Dollar Casino
* Calgary Stampede Casino
* Casino Calgary
* Casino Edmonton
* Casino Lethbridge
* Casino Yellowhead
* Palace Casino
* Stardust Casino
* Century Casino
* River Cree Resort and Casino

British Columbia

* River Rock Casino Resort
* Edgewater Casino
* Gateway Casinos
* Boulavard Casino
* Lake City Casino Penticton
* Lake City Casino Kelowna
* Lake City Casino Vernon
* Great Canadian Casino View Royal
* Great Canadian Casino Nanaimo

Manitoba

* Aseneskak Casino
* Club Regent
* McPhillips Street Station
* South Beach Casino

Nova Scotia

* Casino Nova Scotia (Locations in Halifax and Sydney}

Ontario

Commercial

* Casino Niagara
* Casino Rama
* Casino Windsor
* Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort

Charity

* Brantford Charity Casino
* Casino Sault Ste. Marie
* Great Blue Heron Casino
* Point Edward Charity Casino
* Thunder Bay Charity Casino
* Thousand Islands Charity Casino

Quebec

* Casino de Montreal
* Casino du Lac Leamy
* Casino de Charlevoix

Saskatchewan

* Gold Eagle Casino
* Casino Regina
* Northern Lights Casino
* Bear Claw Casino
* Painted Hand Casino
* Emerald Casino
* Casino Moose Jaw

Casino_Night

A Casino Night (also called Vegas Nights, Las Vegas Night, Monte Carlo Night) is an entertainment event with a casino theme.
Casino Night 2007: Casino Cancun, hosted by The Residence Hall Association at Florida Institute of Technology, Campus Activities Board, and Office of Residence Life in the John & Martha Hartley Room, Florida Institute of Technology. Picture taken by User:Jamesontai on January 27, 2007
Casino Night 2007: Casino Cancun, hosted by The Residence Hall Association at Florida Institute of Technology, Campus Activities Board, and Office of Residence Life in the John & Martha Hartley Room, Florida Institute of Technology. Picture taken by User:Jamesontai on January 27, 2007

Casino Nights can be tied to a fundraiser to raise money for a specific charitable cause (such as cancer research, community services, youth organizations, etc.) by having each participant purchase a ticket for the event. Each participant receives a specific amount of fun money that can be used to purchase gaming chips at the gambling tables. When the participants have lost their chips they may purchase additional fun money, increasing the amount of funds raised for the charity. The participants engage in various casino games (such as blackjack, roulette, baccarat, craps, poker, wheel of fortune,color wheel,Texas Hold'em, etc.) in the attempt to accumulate the largest amount of gaming chips. At the end of the evening the participant who managed to win the most chips may receive a prize, which is often awarded by a representative of the charity.

When a casino night party is just for entertainment it usually works in the same way as a fundraiser casino night except that guests are given the fun money free of charge.

Casino Nights function strictly as entertainment events with no real monetary gambling involved. However, prizes may be given away in lieu of monetary gains.

Monte Carlo

Monte Carlo (Occitan: Montcarles, Monégasque: Monte-Carlu) is the wealthiest of Monaco's 4 quarters, sometimes erroneously believed to be the country's capital, even though there formally is none. Monte Carlo is known for its casinos, gambling, glamour, and for sightings of famous people. The permanent population is 30,000 (1990 estimate). Monte Carlo quarter includes, not only Monte Carlo proper where the casino is located, but also the neighborhoods of Saint Michel, Saint Roman/Tenao, and the beach community of Larvotto. It borders the French town of Beausoleil (formerly known as Haut-Monte-Carlo).

Monte Carlo is home to most of the Circuit de Monaco, on which the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix takes place; it also hosts world championship boxing bouts, the Monte Carlo Masters, fashion shows and other events. Monte Carlo has been visited by royalty as well as the general public and movie stars for decades. The quarter of Monte Carlo was served by tramways from 1900 to 1953, linking parts of Monaco. The Monte Carlo Rally is one of the longest running and most respected car rallies, and marks the start of each rally season as the first event on the World Rally Championship calendar.

Monte Carlo is one of Europe's leading tourist resorts, and has many attractions which include Monaco Cathedral, the Napoleon Museum and The Prince's Palace.

Most famous of the tourist attractions is the casino complex and the Grand Théâtre de Monte Carlo, an opera and ballet house, and the headquarters of the Ballets de Monte Carlo. In 1861 a 50-year concession to operate the gaming rooms was granted to a private individual. Since 1898 the concession has been operated by the Société des Bains de Mer, a private company, in which the government now holds a majority interest. This corporation also owns the principal hotels and clubs of the community that serve the tourist trade. The citizens of Monaco are exempt from taxes, and they are forbidden to enter the gaming rooms.

Top Casino Listing

The Copenhagen Casino was not a gambling establishment but a theatre, known for the use made of its hall for mass public meetings during the 1848 Revolution which made Denmark a constitutional monarchy. Until 1937 it was a well-known Danish theatre [1].
The Hanko Casino at Hanko, Finland - one of that town's most conspicuous landmarks - was also never used for gambling. Rather, it was originally a banquet hall for the Russian nobility which frequented this spa resort in the late 1800s, and is nowadays a restaurant.
In modern Italian, this term designates a bordello (also called "casa chiusa", literally "closed house"), while the gambling house is spelled casinò with an accent.

Baccarat casino, Edmonton, Alberta
In most jurisdictions, gambling is limited to persons over the age of majority (21 years of age in most of the United States citation needed] and 18 to 21 in most other countries where casinos are permitted)[citation needed].
Customers gamble by playing slot machines or other games of chance (e.g., craps, roulette, baccarat) and some skill (e.g., blackjack, poker) (for more see casino games). Games usually have mathematically-determined odds that ensure the house retains a long term advantage over the players. This advantage is called the house edge. In games such as poker where players play against each other, the house takes a commission called the rake.
Payout is the percentage won by players.
Playing with house money refers to the situation where a winning player is placing bets with money that has been won from the casino.