Every now and then you need make some changes, freshen things up. This is not a bad thing. In fact it can be fun. We here at onlinecasinosuite.com enjoy keeping tabs on the top online casinos in the industry and bringing to you the latest and greatest changes they are making. Right now the spotlight is on the Bodog Brand of online casinos and their latest freshening up changes are certainly fun.

First we will start with Bodog Asia. The latest and greatest to come out of Bodog Asia is their new live dealer studio. Once the studio is complete players will have a whole new live dealer experience for enjoying their favorite online casino games. The new live dealer program is designed to give players even more control over their live dealer games. New features will allow players to make decisions to tailor the tables to themselves, other players or a player group they are in; choose their favorite live dealer from all the live dealers available; allow for random bonuses. And naturally the live dealers will feature beautiful women. It would not be Bodog if it did not.

But that is only what is happening with Bodog Asia. Over in the western part of the world there is an overhaul happening to the online casino lobbies of bodog.co.uk, Bodog.ca and Bodog.eu. In an attempt to move the entire industry forward, Bodog is changing their lobby so that players can find their favorite online slots game easier using a search bar and simply navigation. Also to be included is an overview of the games, including their features. The hope is that this new online casino lobby format will take off, become popular and usher in a new era of online casino lobbies.

Full Tilt has been in the news a lot lately. First it was for Black Friday; then it was the snafu with paying their players back—which players are still waiting for—so they can have their money; then it was the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) suspending their license; following that was the hearing in London. Yesterday we here at onilnecasinosuite.com brought to you that the hearing has been delayed until the 15th of September. So what is the delay for? The AGCC is giving Full Tilt the opportunity to complete a sale before that time with an investor.

This brings up the question of why would an investor want to buy an online poker site that is floundering at the moment and who is in trouble with the United State’s Department of Justice? Sure, in the short term it might seem like a slightly odd thing to invest your money in, but in order to see the real appeal you need to look at it from the long term perspective.

Full Tilt was one of the top two online poker sites. It had a huge following in the US market as well as overseas. The potential still exists to rebuild the site, the company and its reputation to bring it back up to its former glory and position in the online casino industry. Then there is the US market itself to consider. It is widely predicted that it will not stay closed forever. In fact, the regulation of the US online casino market is gaining momentum and many foresee it becoming regulated and opening up in the next couple of years. And when the US market opens, even if it only allows regulated online poker, there will be a fast move to try to gain holding in that market.

As a site that gained a large following before, it is possible for Full Tilt to gain such a following again under new management. Furthermore, even if a new owner does not wish to move into the US market when it opens up in a regulated form, it is still a large site with lots of members and it would do well in the overseas market under new management. But the US market is too big of a draw and most of the industry will want in; all of the heavy hitters such as Playtech and 888 Holdings will position themselves to enter the US market and enter it on a strong foot. A new investor could also enter on a strong foot after reinventing Full Tilt. In short, Full Tilt has serious revenue potential.

Over the last several months, Italy has shown up in the online gambling news. There has been a slow but steady progress to move the Italian online casino market from being a small, state-run operation to expanding into the wider industry at large. There was some speculation as to whether the Italian market and its expansion would gain a following from the wider online casino industry, but that question has now been put to rest. The well-known online casino company 888 Holdings has just received its Italian license for operation.

The fact that 888 Holdings has applied and been awarded an Italian license is a big step for the Italian online casino market. They are a large, well-respected real money gambling online company. The interest of 888 Holdings is a sign to the wider online gambling industry that the Italian market is truly expanding and it entirely viable to operate in. To date they are the first major name to be awarded an Italian gaming license.

The license that the Amministrazione Autonoma dei Monopoli di Stato (AAMS) has issued to 888 Holdings will allow them to operate freely within Italy, thusly allowing 888 to offer its software in a downloadable format was well as in a flash format. Potential plans for 888’s offerings in the Italian market include offering friend sign-up referral bonuses, 3D games, freeroll tournaments, the 888 PokerCam and Welcome Bonuses.

With 888 Holdings working on their own expansion and now being on board in the Italian market, there is little doubt that there will be an increased interest in obtaining licenses in the Italian online casino market. This will be a benefit to the AAMS and the Italian market as it will bring in more interest from other online gambling operators—and that means more revenue for Italy.

If you are a regular reader here at Online Casino Suite you most likely read our post to you about why we removed Rushmore Casino from our best online casinos list. We would like to take this time to discuss a bit about being a US citizen and playing in online casinos for real money.

Many of you have been following the movements on Capitol Hill in regards to online gambling, especially the last few months since the Black Friday indictments. The question has been asked even before that if it is legal for citizens of the United States to even play in an online casino. This is what we would like to discuss today. However, we do not make any legal statements and nor are we advising players in the US how to handle their own entertainment in regard to online gambling. We simply want to remind US players to be very cautious when investing their money in a player account at an online casino.

Many of you are well aware of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) that was signed into law in 2006. The law did not go into effect until June 1st of last year. What the UIGEA prohibits is that financial institutions are not allowed to knowingly process transactions to or from online casinos. The UIGEA does not ban individuals from playing in the US. However, without financial institutions on the US side being capable of processing transactions, it might appear like this makes online gambling illegal.

But since the UIGEA does not specifically ban US citizens from playing in an online casino, it is possible to play as an individual. However, you do so at your own risk. Think of it as being similar to going swimming in a pool with a sign that states ‘No lifeguard on duty. Swim at your own risk.’ This is how online gambling is to the individual in the US. If you try to play you do so at your own risk. This does not mean that there is no way to play in real money online casinos. This just means that players should approach playing with caution at this point in time as they would be playing without the regulatory protection of the US. Research any online casino that you are considering very carefully. We here at Online Casino Suite are all about supporting our players, which is why we have provided reviews of the best online casinos to aid players in making an informed decision in where to play.

At the core of this we say to our readers to play in a real money online casino with caution. Online gambling is already risky in its nature, which we all know and accept—for some it is that thrill that draws them to their favorite online casino. But at this point in time and in the current political climate, it is best to approach your playing with caution and foresight.

Online Casino Suite is pleased to announce the inclusion of two new listings in our comprehensive directory of the best online casinos in operation today. Introducing Mr. Green Casino and Go Wild Casino.

Now, you may have very well gotten wind of these two casinos already, as they were approved and published on OCS at the start of the month. And it’s not like they are new faces either. Both casinos have been in business for over one year, and have already earned solid reputations with players.

Having proven themselves to the online gambling community, so to speak, OCS has granted both sites top billing on our UK Online Casinos and Euro Online Casino pages. Needless to say, both casinos hold the proper regulatory credentials befitting a safe and fair wager. Go Wild is powered by renowned Microgaming Software, Mr. Green is powered by an integrated platform using Wager Works, Net Entertainment and BetSoft, while both online casinos are licensed and regulated by the top-tier, UK-whitelisted jurisdiction of Malta Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA).

Unfortunately, neither site is open to U.S. players at this time. However, if and when online gambling is liberalized in the State’s, rest assured both Mr. Green and Go Wild will have the means and credentials to make a stake in the competitive U.S. iGaming industry. Write your Congressmen and Congresswomen if you want to see changes more sooner than later .

As for everybody else, let’s just say that both casinos are more than ready to have you open an account with them. As is to be expected, there’s lots of incentive to deposit real cash. As mentioned in the OCS Mr. Green Casino Review, new players are entitled to 100% up to 250 Free in the form of a games bonus, while Go Wild wants you to go wild with a “Wild Welcome Package” consisting of a four consecutive deposit bonuses awarding up to 1,000 in free bonus cash and 175 free spins on Microgaming’s popular Hitman and Break da Bank Again video slots.

If you’re looking for a wide variety of the most innovative no-download, Flash casino games and low-risk, high paying tournaments, Mr. Green is the place to be. If it’s live dealer casino games you’re after, Go Wild has you covered with one of the most innovative live dealer platforms available today.

There is much concern about an increase in problem gambling if the United States moves to regulate online gambling, as well as concern for underage gambling. The feeling is that online casinos will give those who already struggle with problem gambling easier access to gambling, worsening their condition. There is also a feeling that online gambling will create more individuals with a gambling addiction. To those with such concerns I point you in the direction of Finland.

In Finland there is a site, called Pelimaailma, whose purpose is to teach online gambling responsibility. This is an online gambling site that helps those with gambling addictions to control their playing. Those who play on the site have the power to limit how much time they spend playing; they can also choose to suspend their playing if they feel that they are playing too much.

Players have the ability to control how much time they spend gambling by setting their accounts to allow only X number of hours of gambling per week. Once those hours are used up, the player is denied access to the online casino games offered on Pelimaailma. At the beginning of a new week, the hours are reset; no rollover hours, folks. For those who struggle with problem gambling this is a good way to curb their play time since they cannot play anymore once their time for the week is used up. Also under player control is the ability to suspend their access to the online casino games to also help learn how to gamble responsibly.

There is talk in every state and on Capitol Hill about how to control problem gambling should online casinos and online poker be regulated in any of the states or in the US as a whole. Perhaps Americans should consider the Finnish site is doing, maybe so far as to make such features mandatory in US-facing online casinos or mandatory for US player accounts. These are features successful on the Finnish site; the Internet operations director of RAY, the Finnish slot machine association, Kari Hyttinen, has said, “It has done exceptionally well.” Given the Finnish success of such features to control problem gambling and teach responsible gambling, the US should consider them as a part of the regulation infrastructure if they move to legalize online gambling in the US.

Online gambling is spreading throughout Europe. It is not a rampant spread, but a slower, more plodding along sort of pace; kind of like the tortoise from the Tortoise and the Hare Race. Slowly but surely European countries are adopting online gambling. Some are doing so because so many of their citizens are gambling online already that it only makes sense to regulate and tax it. Others are moving to regulation because they already have some form of online gambling (think Spain), be it sport betting or tournament poker, and are wanting to expand their offerings. And finally others are hopping on the band wagon simply because they need the money.

But with regulation comes the issue of servers. Every country that is moving to regulate online gambling in their country all want one thing: to have servers located within their borders. The purpose is so that they can not only increase their revenue through online gambling, but through also offering new jobs to their citizens. Hey, someone has to man the servers.

So on one hand online casino operators have got to be thrilled to see so much happening in Europe. But what I am wondering is what are they going to do about all of the servers that they would need? The way I see it is they have a couple of options. They could expend the money and house servers in each and every country that is issuing licenses for online poker or online casinos. It would likely cost them a lot of money to do so when you consider the cost of facilities, employee payment and of course the servers themselves. Or if they do not want to set up servers in each and every country, or the cost is too high, they could always be selective of which countries they seek licenses in.

At this point it kind of makes me think of online gambling in the US, should that come to pass. Imagine for a moment that most states decide they want online gambling, but each state wants servers located within their own state. Going along with the thought that servers in every state is not an option, online casino operators have to be selective of who they seek licenses with. As a result you wind up with a country in which citizens are not likely to be playing in the same online casinos. There is the issue of borders. It would be so much easier for online casino operators to apply for a federal license.

Now take that and apply it to Europe. It might be easier and more sound in the long run to have online casino operators apply for license to a committee set up by the European Union, and then EU countries receive access to those online casinos with an EU license. Then again this is pure pondering on my part. After all we are talking about countries vs. states.

It has been in the online gambling news for the last month and a half. First three online poker sites and now ten more online gambling portals have been seized. The executives of these thirteen online poker and online gambling sites have been indicted on charges of bank fraud and money laundering. Oh, and operating an illegal online gambling business—cannot forget that one since that is high likely to be the driving force behind the Department of Justice’s desire to prosecute.

So the terms money laundering, as well as the charges, have been bandied about without anyone really looking at what was actually happening. So we are going to take a look at how some online gambling industry favorites got busted.

Online gambling operators do not operate in the United States. Instead their base of operations is located overseas in Europe, Central America or the Caribbean. They are located overseas because it is illegal for them to set up operations and be based out of the US. It is hoped that once the federal government gets its head out of the sand and moves to regulate online gambling that operators will be able to establish a branch of operations in the US.

Okay, so online gambling operators are overseas. With the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in place to work as a wall between them and their player’s money, they have to find a way around the UIGEA wall. Enter payment processors and associates in the US.

Online gambling operators, according to the DoJ, would have associates in the US open bank accounts. Players’ money that was deposited into one of those US bank accounts that the associates opened under a fake business name. The payment processor would then take the money from the US bank account and transfer it to an overseas bank account for the online poker or online gambling operators. At this point operators would keep their profit and then transfer money back through the payment processor to the US bank accounts in order to pay players their winnings.

And that is how the money laundering charges came about. As much as we all love Poker Stars, Full Tilt and the other eleven online gambling operators, it is sad to say that they did commit money laundering for all intents and purposes. But on the other hand they were willing to take the risk in order to help US players play the online casino games they love.