Games

What Does Disney’s Stance on Online Gambling Mean For The Industry?

DisneylandIf you’re anything like me, then you’re probably pretty hyped about Marvel’s new movie “Doctor Strange” right about now. And why shouldn’t we be? It’s been getting overwhelmingly positive reviews, with many calling it the best standalone Marvel movie since the first “Iron Man”, and considering that that movie jump-started the behemoth that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe (which pretty much changed modern cinema as we know it, with everyone and their mother wanting their own interconnected universe, from DC to “Cloverfield”) and also resuscitated the career of Robert Downey Jr and turned him from a washed-up ex-con into the world’s highest paid actor, that’s no small feat. If you’re also an avid gambler (which, statistically speaking, if you’re living in the UK, you might very well be), you could also be wondering when we’re getting the obligatory “Doctor Strange” slot. I mean, it sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it? That movie’s trippy, otherworldy visuals would be just perfect for a high-stakes slot machine! Unfortunately, the answer is “never”. Why? Because Disney really, really hates gambling. With a passion.

The signs had been obvious for a really long time. Despite the fact that Walt Disney himself believed that his company should cater equally to children as well as adults (he was even a proponent of alcohol being served in Disneyland, even if its presence was limited), which is not surprising considering that, as talented as he was, Walt was a man of many adult vices. Still, many years after his death, the executives running his company have done their absolute best to present themselves as child-friendly as possible. Nothing that is even remotely associated with the Disney name can be for adults, to the point where things like alcohol and gambling are severely restricted even on Disney-own resorts and cruises that are meant for adults in the first place! Their hatred for all things adult went to such an extent that when Disney purchased Marvel and Lucasfilm, all deals that those companies had to license their properties to slot developers were immediately canceled. You can still play “The Avengers” slot online, but you’re never going to see one based on its sequel, “Age of Ultron”. Disney has essentially stood in front of the entire world and said “We don’t care how much money we’re losing, we’re standing firmly in our beliefs and that’s that.”

So, what does that mean for the online gambling industry in general? I mean, Disney have proven first hand that you don’t need slot spinoffs in order to make money and be financially stable… But at the same time, prior to them pulling the Marvel license, they were a prime example of just how much money a strong brand could pull from the online gambling market. Are other major companies going to follow in Disney’s example and pull support from gambling developers? I don’t really think so. First of all, as I stated above, Disney prides itself on being child-friendly, which is a reputation that other big names in the business (like Warner Bros) simply don’t have. And second of all, while I don’t think any company that makes multimillion dollar movies for a living actually needs slot revenue to survive, it most certainly doesn’t hurt. But honestly, it could go either way. For the moment, we’ve observed one thing – now that Disney are no longer a player, the number of licensed slots has decreased dramatically. And that’s kind of alarming.

Blackjack – My Latest Craze

Win at Double Attack Blackjack by PlaytechHiya, all! It’s been quite some time since I last checked in with you. What have I been up to? Most of the time I’ve been playing blackjack. My PayPal account got red hot from transactions – and not just deposits if you know what I mean. I admit, it’s been a crazy party for me. A blackjack party!

It all started when I came across this neat website bestukcasino.org.uk. I was searching for the latest promotions and best casinos for UK players when this useful little thing came up. I was amazed at how well all the information was laid out. It’s just the way I like it – short and sweet. What that means is less time reading, more time playing. And, my friends, you know I like playing games. Casino games, that is.

If you’d like a refresher on what’s important to take into account when playing at British online casinos, have a look at the dos and don’ts presented there. For example, with all the tempting offers bombarding us from various casino sites, we all need a reminder that we should only play at casinos which are regulated by the UK Gambling Commission.

So, back to blackjack, which, as I have already told you, is part of what I call the holy trifecta of casino games, the other two being poker and roulette. I was skimming the website I mentioned when I noticed a couple of offers I hadn’t heard of. It had somehow escaped my attention that 888 Casino had so many cool promotions for blackjack fans. I started with the “21st of the month” offer and then moved on to the others. I got a real treat quite a number of times, more than I care to remember. Now, you know what to do if you want to play real money blackjack online. And, as they say, knowledge is power.

But why blackjack? Firstly, I like it that the game involves some thinking, not just pure good luck. That means you can get better at it. Secondly, I love the fact that there are people that are a living proof that one can indeed win real money playing blackjack. Case in point: the MIT Blackjack Team. If you haven’t heard of those guys, make sure you get all the info because it could make or break your gameplay.

So, blackjack is not just an amusing pastime but also an opportunity to master a new skill and win some. Find a role model, whether a historical person or someone at the live dealer blackjack table. You know who I’m talking about? There’s usually someone who is on a winning streak and seems to know exactly what they are doing. Use the “bet behind” option at live casinos and learn from your role model while making some money.

I could write about BJ all day but I’ve got to dash. I’ve got a date with my new love – Double Attack Blackjack by Playtech. I actually took a screenshot for y’all to see how well I’m doing. Ah, blackjack! What can I say? I love this game. As my friend Peter from Texas keeps telling me – “It’s the 21st century, baby, we should all be playing 21”.

PayPal – The preferred e-wallet by UK casino players

PayPal - The preferred e-wallet by UK casino playersWhen it comes to dealing with online casinos, and more specifically, with withdrawing your winnings or depositing chips, there’s a whole lot of options available, and I do mean A LOT. Some casinos offer literally close to a hundred different ways in which you can deposit (though the ways in which you can withdraw are a lot more limited, due to legal issues), ranging from credit cards, direct wires from your bank account, e-wallets, pre-paid cards and who knows what else. Honestly, not even I’m familiar with all the ways with which you can deposit, so more casual players would most certainly be excused from remaining blissfully unaware of other options, such as sending money to the casino through a magical portal or selling your firstborn to a troll who’ll proceed to convert it into a deposit for your online casino account through sorcery and witchcraft.

Joking aside, though, the reason why I’m not too familiar with all methods is because I’ve only ever needed to use one – PayPal. For those of you unfamiliar with it, PayPal is a free to use e-wallet service which allows you to store money safely and securely online and then withdraw them into a bank account. As many of you may already know thanks to certain Nigerian kings who are desperately looking for bank accounts to supposedly store their money in, giving out your bank information to strangers on the Internet is a veeeeeeeeeery bad idea. Even if you’re providing your bank information (be it account or card) to someone secure, such as an online casino, all it takes is a single hacking attack to have all that information out there. I’m not saying that casinos aren’t secure, but security isn’t their main priority, they have other matters to attend to, other places to invest their budget.

PayPal, meanwhile, is literally THE safest place you can input your information. If there’s anything like a Swiss bank safe on the Internet, that’s PayPal. Dealing with money and cash is, quite literally, the only thing they do. While they’re technically a subsidiary of eBay (hence why you need PayPal for all eBay transactions), they’ve grown into their own business that particularly deals with keeping its users’ money and information safe. When you buy with PayPal, the seller (or, in this case, casino) won’t see your credit card number, only your name and PayPal address. Similarly, since all the relevant information is already stored within PayPal, you won’t need to input your credit card information every time – all you’d need to write is your PayPal username and password, and that’s that!

In case you’re worried that not a lot of online casinos support it, then rest assured – that is not the case. All casino sites reviewed by ponlinecasinos.co.uk, which is most of them, completely accept PayPal without questions asked, for both deposits and withdrawals. Depositing is free, safe for the price of the actual deposit (the fee will be taken by casino), but withdrawing might cost you a little bit. Still, you shouldn’t let that deter you – the price is less than that of a cup of coffee. So stop bothering with bank accounts and inputting credit card numbers and start enjoying the benefits of security and convenience!

The Best Online Casinos for Roulette Players

rouletteQuick question – what do roulette and the guillotine have in common? They both have the capacity to kill someone? Meh, that’s arguable and a bit of a stretch. They’re both made out of wood? Sure, but so are a whole lot of things (I’m sure that there’s at least a couple of objects in the room where you are right now which are made out of wood). Both “cut off your head”? Hardy har. No, the real thing they have in common is that they both became immensely popular around the same time, in the same place – revolutionary France! Yep, while some people were parting with their heads (a whole lot of people – 40,000 for only the 2 years at the height of the Revolution), even more were parting with their savings. As Marie Antoinette supposedly said, “If they don’t have bread, let them play roulette!”

And while roulette and the guillotine are so similar that they’re practically indistinguishable (really, the only way I can tell them apart is through the spelling), there is still one huge difference between them. The last time the guillotine was used for an execution was in 1977 (I remember it because it’s the same year “Star Wars” came out), while the last time someone played roulette in a casino was about six minutes ago… No, wait, make that two minutes ago. Thirty seconds ago. Geez, the spinning never really stops, does it? Indeed, roulette has become one of the most popular table games, part of what I like to call the holy trifecta of casino games, alongside poker and blackjack. But interestingly, just like the guillotine has been updated to more high-tech execution methods, such as the lethal injection (which somehow requires a complicated mechanism and at least 3 people to operate – seems like a downgrade to me, people), roulette has also been updated for the 21st century, and now resides online!

roulette gamesIndeed, while physical roulette has always been popular and will continue to be popular for the next several centuries, barring a zombie apocalypse or the inevitable robot uprising (or both), but online roulette has been gradually gaining in popularity. While it’ll probably never reach the audience that online slots are enjoying, more and more people are trying out online roulette every single day, and various online casinos are trying to entice them with good RTPs, bonuses and variations. Did I catch your eye? Awesome, because if you’re a fan of roulette, or even just mildly interested in it, you’re in for a real treat! If you’ve wanted to get into online roulette, either for a while or since you started reading this very article, but have no clue about where you’re supposed to start, then worry not – I’m here to help! I’m not going to give you TOO much information, because A) I’m not an expert, B) there are actual experts that can help you a lot more than I can, and C) I believe that it’s worth experimenting on your own in order to find the best possible roulette for you.

So, now the huge question is this – what are the best possible online casinos for playing roulette? According to casinoroulette.co.uk 888 casino is a great choice, with a lot of things going for it such as a neat and tidy interface, awesome bonuses (for both new and regular gamblers) and multiple variations of roulette. If you’ve never played online roulette before in your life, I would HIGHLY recommend that you start out with it. Why? Because it allows you to open up a demo account with £1,000 in it, which acts exactly as a real account would – it records your wins and losses and doesn’t reset unless you lose everything. As a matter of fact, you always keep your demo account separate of your real one, and can switch between them with the push of a button. Unlike other casinos there are no games (roulette or otherwise) which are unplayable with the demo account, so you can always test your luck safely before you decide to bet.

roulette-casinoAnother brilliant online casino is definitely LeoVegas, which is notable for being the biggest mobile casino in the UK, with over 300 games available on mobile right at this very moment, which is several times more than the second best. It is insane just how much dedication that casino put in its online section! Admittedly, I’m not the biggest mobile gamer – I do have a few games that I like to play on my tablet (“Marvel: Future Fight” is my current poison – make sure to send me your username if you play too so I can add you as an ally), but after checking out LeoVegas I decided to give it a shot, and boy oh boy, playing roulette on a tablet feels AWESOME! Just lay it flat on a table (or, if you’re feeling lazy, on your bed), grab a drink and spin that wheel! It’s so great, seriously! It also works on a mobile phone, but the effect is greater on a tablet, especially on a bigger one such as an iPad. Just trust me on this and give it a shot!

Last, but not least, I can’t help but recommend 32Red, which is overall one of my favourite online casinos. I’ve probably spent more time on that site than on any other (if only by a relatively small margin – I may be loyal when it comes to boyfriends, but online casinos are an entirely different story), and with good reason. 32Red tends to be the site with the widest selection of games that I have personally seen. I’m not talking about sheer number, or even just game types (though it excells at both), I’m more referring about the variety. You want licensed slots? Boom, “Game of Thrones”. You want a jackot? Take your pick! Looking for traditional slots? They live to serve! And yeah, obviously there’s a whole ton of roulette games, on top of everything else. And best of all, you can try the large majority of their games without even a registration – the only time I’ve seen this sort of thing in a UK site. So in a way, 32Red is the absolute perfect site for beginners, since it requires literally NO commitment, not even a registration!

But yeah, I promised not to say too much, and I ended up writing more than a thousand words anyway, so I think this is a good place to end this little escapade. It’s important to note that this isn’t a top 3 – all three of these online casinos are brilliant and deserve your attention. I would heavily advise you to give all three of them a shot, even if you don’t deposit any money until you’re absolutely sure you know what you’re doing. While you can’t go wrong with any of the sites I mentioned, personal preference can make or break the experience, so make sure you keep that in mind before deciding to commit financially! Playing online casino with real money can provide you with the best possible experience, but there really is no point if you just end up feeling like you wasted them. Happy gaming!

Have You Tried NetEnt’s Fresh Hook’s Heroes Slot?

Hot New NetEnt Slot Hook's HeroesHey, there casino fans! The time has come for me to make good on my promise on bringing you fresh and exciting news from the iGaming industry. And boy, have I got news for you! On September 24, the renowned Swedish software provider NetEnt released their latest creation under the shape and form of Captain Hook, much to everyone’s delight! NetEnt has accustomed its fans to one or two slot releases per month, thus seriously increasing an already rich and vivid collection of games.

Their products are renowned for their mesmerizing graphics, the enticing soundtracks and let’s not forget the huge number of betting and playing options, such as the flexible Autoplay function, which can be set to stop or play as you see fit. NetEnt has recently received the ‘Digital Industry Supplier of the Year’ at the 2015 Global Gaming Awards, after adding no less than 34 desktop and mobile titles to its portfolio over the past 12 months, including its first game entirely created in HTML5.

Meet the Infamous Hook’s Heroes

The newest NetEnt slot will tickle the child in you, taking you on an adventurous journey filled with pirates and enticing treasures. Hook’s Heroes is a 5-reel, 3-row video slot that features wild and scatter symbols, free spins with different winning combinations and a special feature spin mode. During the free spins rounds, there are 3 features. With the first one – the Fairy Feature there will be 2 wild symbols placed in random positions on the reels. During the second one, The Mermaid Feature, all wins will be multiplied by 2, but if you are lucky enough to have 1 or more wilds, then all wins will automatically be multiplied by 4. And last, but by no means least, the Pirate Feature pays off according to the visible symbols, no matter how they are spread across the reels. Once you hit 3 or more scatter symbols, you can choose between the three features and your choice will also determine the number of free spins: 7 for the Fairy, 10 spins for the Mermaid and 15 free spins for the Pirate Feature. The theoretical RTP (return to player) for this slot is a decent 96.82%.

As a passionate fan of NetEnt games, I have to say that I always look forward to their new slots and this one has truly been a delight to review. The infamous Captain Hook – the enemy of the jolly Peter Pan character has obviously been a great inspiration for the Swedish software company and they managed to turn it into another jewel in the NetEnt crown. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Hungry for Casino News? You Have Come to the Right Place!

igaming
Welcome, welcome, welcome! It is my great pleasure to welcome you to what will be my blog – a fantastic source for fresh out of the oven news from the iGaming world. First, let me introduce myself a little bit and tell you what you will find here in the nearest future. My name is Isabella, but my friends call me Izzy and so can you, if you like. I am not going to tell you my age, since a lady never tells, but let’s just say I’m thirtyish and leave it at that. What it is important for you to know about me is that I really, really love gambling, sometimes with the purpose of being quids in, but sometimes just for the fun of it. This is why I used to spend a lot of time in the Genting or the Grosvenor Casino, in Manchester – this is where I am from. Granted, I loved the socializing factor and the games they had there, especially the Three Card Poker table, but over time I realised that I had gotten bored of the same games over and over again. Even the regulars became a little bit too familiar, if you know what I mean.

igaming casinoAnd then it hit me! Online casinos! Of course! And that was it! I was amazed by the number of games each site offers and the diversity was unequalled. I played around for a while, but I quickly noticed that while some casino sites were easy to navigate and had tons of games to choose from, some did really poor in almost every aspect. So, my curiosity took over and I started reading about software providers – I really love NetEnt and Plytech, started looking at forums to see what other players thought about this and that and now here I am, writing casino news on my own blog. Oh, joy! The reason for which I decided to start this blog is that most of the things I learned about online gambling, such as the biggest progressive jackpot slots, the most stable software, the best app and so on was from news sites. Also, there were moments in which I was just wondering which operator to try next and then I would stumble across an article on the latest iGaming awards and simply choose one of the winners. Not to mention the fact that sometimes casinos extend limited time offers – free spins, no deposit bonuses, cashback offers and other perks that you don’t want to miss out on. So, basically I understood the usefulness of fresh gambling news and decided to start my own blog and also try to be as useful to my users as I can. This is my promise to you, my readers, that I will do my best to bring you fresh news from the iGaming world and when covering a subjest or an operator, I will try to be as objective and unbiased as I possibly can. Of course, I am human after all, so I may like some topics more than others, but you just follow the facts and I am sure you will be happy with the outcome.