Chalk up another bet in favor of online poker. Following suit of Caesar’s Entertainment and other big player’s in the brick ‘n mortar casino gambling industry, the operator of famed Las Vegas downtown casino, The Golden Nugget (among others), just announced that a deal has been struck with European gaming platform developer, ChiliGaming.

As reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Golden Nugget casino owner, Landry’s Restaurants of Houston (yes, the buffet at Golden Nugget is really good), will be launching a free-play poker website in the coming months, with the hope that one day online poker will be legalized and properly regulated either on a State level in Nevada or by the federal government (whichever comes first).

After having spent nine months analyzing the online poker industry, Golden Nugget Chairman, Tilman Fertitta, said he believes that regulating online poker in the United States is inevitable, and that launching a free play poker site ahead of the curve will help position itself as a formidable competitor in the U.S. sector.

The move is certainly a strategic one for Golden Nugget – and most analysts agree it’s a smart one at that. Although last month was the first overall increase in gambling revenue for the State of Nevada since 2007, downtown Las Vegas and Laughlin casinos (Landry’s bread and butter), are still experiencing a downturn. Needless to say, getting a foothold in the real money online gambling industry would do wonders for Golden Nugget.

ChiliGaming is certainly a good partner in making that a reality. Having opened an office in San Francisco, California late last year in conjunction with the launch of Chili’s free-play U.S. poker network (UIGEA compliant), the France-based company has been a big player in the European online casino market, namely through the success of it’s highly popular poker site, chilipoker.com and online casino, chilicasino.com.

Making good on it’s promise to begin winning over U.S. brick ‘n mortar casino brands, ChiliGaming’s U.S. free-play network is already gearing up to be a strong launching pad into a regulated online poker market. Optimized with social gaming features and compatible with a number of devices, including smart phones and iPads, this is going to be a solid poker network if regulations come down.

With all the talk about the U.S. State of New Jersey considering the prospects of regulating online gambling, when I first heard that the Jersey Gambling Commission is beginning to accept remote online gaming license applications, I admittedly did a double take. Last time I heard, New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie sent back the bill that would have brought online poker and possibly other forms of online gambling to the Garden State.

This thought was soon replaced with the realization that we’re talking about the Jersey Gambling Commission, not the New Jersey Gambling Commission. Officially called the Bailiwick of Jersey, Jersey is a British Crown Dependency channel island off the coast of France. Following suit of fellow channel islands – Guernsey and Alderney (the latter of which is part of Guernsey), not to mention the nearby Isle of Man – the Jersey Gambling Commission is a relatively new player in the online gambling scene, having come into force in late 2010.

And now that the Commission is up and running, currently licensing Ladbrokes and William Hill betting shops, remote hosting providers like Jersey Telecom and accredited testing laboratories the likes of Gaming Laboratories International, the stage is set for online casino operators and software developers, like Playtech, to call Jersey home.

In fact, Playtech has recently become the first operator to apply for a Jersey remote gambling license, following months of negotiations. According to Playtech CEO, Mor Weizer, considering that many Playtech licensees already have set up shop in nearby Alderney and Isle of Man, giving current and future licensees a third, competitive option makes good business sense. And being the world’s largest publicly traded online gaming software developer, Playtech certainly knows what makes for good business sense.

Online gamblers in European regulated gaming markets, should expect to see Playtech powered online casinos sporting the Jersey Gambling Commission Seal very soon in 2012.

If you’re looking for slot machines to play on the Web, there are many options available. Depending on whether you want to strictly play for fun, for prizes, real money or in tournament form, the internet has it all. Here at Online Casino Suite, we like to think we have it all too, however, every now and then, our editors come across a niche site that we think our reader’s would benefit from checking out. Such a site is Lucky Free Slots.

For the newbie who is seeking to play online slots for real money in both tournament and solo form, there are many internet casinos willing to cater. If you want both free slots to play and a good recommendation for an online casino, visit the preceding link. Sites like this provide a chance to test out the slots before opening an account at an online casino and depositing real money. Secondly, fly-by-night online casinos do exist, so it’s very important to gather research from reputable resources and choose your online casinos carefully.

For the beginner’s out there who are looking to try out online slot machines for the first time, it is highly recommended to initially do so in fun-money mode. While it may be tempting to drop a few penny spins, it’s always a good idea to familiarize yourself with the structure and rules of the game first so as to better understand your winning opportunities and overall risk associated with each game. Furthermore, software glitches have been known to happen – So be sure to learn the paying symbol combinations. FYI, if a glitch and consequent non-payout were to happen to you, grab a screen shot of the rested reels and report the malfunction to your casino manager.

Another route for newbies seeking out the best real money internet slots is to read up on the various gaming software providers. By verifying the credentials and reputation of the software platform itself (through which the source code and RNG are developed), you are one step closer to ensuring you will be getting a fair bet. For the record, Microgaming is an outstanding platform for the UK/Euro online gambler, while Real Time Gaming provides top-quality slots for the U.S. player.

Beyond this, the hallmark differences between slot machines of different software provicers often lies in the actual entertainment experience. The most entertaining internet slots are programmed with realistic interactive elements and accompanying story lines corresponding to one’s amount of play, often drawing out many hours, even weeks of new and original entertainment. Rival Gaming’s iSlots, for example, are apropos to leading PC video games.

Again, the best way to gauge a slot machines entertainment factor is to test it out in fun-money mode. As mentioned earlier, a great destination to play free casino slots and launching pad for real money online casinos is luckyfreeslots.com. It’s been around a long time, has a nice Facebook following and actually offers free play at cutting-edge slot, which is why this site often gets recommended by players.

If you catch the bug and become a slots fanatic (not an addict, mind you), there are several internet communities worth joining, namely, player forums and free prize tournament sites. In other words, where there are slots, there are players!

Two individuals indicted on Black Friday are seeking a dismissal of the charges. Lawyers for John Campos and Chad Elie are asking for the charges to be dropped, partly on the grounds that poker does not constitute illegal gambling. The entire online gambling world will watch closely for an answer from the court.

Elie and Campos were charged for their role in processing the payments for online poker transactions between players and Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker and PokerStars. Both defendants pleaded not guilty to charges of violating UIGEA, operating an illegal gambling business, wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy to launder money. The lawyers say that their clients shouldn’t be charged for violating UIGEA because the law exempts financial transaction providers. They also say that that the defendants were not involved in an online gambling business. As for the wire fraud, the counsel says that the statute doesn’t apply because the banks actually made money off of the transactions.

A second challenge to the indictment would have farther reaching consequences. The lawyers are also laying out a case that online poker rooms are not gambling companies at all. They say that the poker sites only collect fees to allow individuals to play poker against each other. The house does not participate in the game and players use their own skills to determine who wins. It is not the first challenge stating that because poker is a game of skill it is not gambling, but it may end up being the biggest.

Just another measly beach in Ibiza...

If you haven’t heard by now about Bodog Casino’s Summer4Play promotion, well then, I suppose it’s never too late (assuming the promotion is still running ). And that, my friends, would be a correct assumption to make, as there is one week left in this exciting promo, which has hitherto given away three weeklong, luxury vacation trips to Miami, Las Vegas and Cancun.

Up next: Ibiza. Where else would you expect from the party central destination of U.S. friendly online casinos? Indeed, Bodog is all about the party lifestyle, catering to the large demographic of twenty and thirty-something males who love to play poker, casinos and pretty girls. Yes, you read that right. I suppose I could throw in the forty-something’s too, heck even Heffner-esque high rollers, like Bodog’s founder, Calvin Ayre, who just reached the five-o milestone.

Regarded as the party island of the Mediterranean sea, Ibiza is the place to go for the largest and most raucous club dance parties in the Summer season. But that’s not all there is to do in Ibiza. Renowned for its beautiful beaches and pristine weather, Ibiza is also home to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and thus attracts a wide range of tourists year-round.

That said, whether you like to party until the sun comes up or are geared for a slower pace, who wouldn’t want a free trip to a sunny Mediterranean island? As for Bodog Casino, it’s really a place for all manner of gamblers – not just the young guns. And if you happen to be from the States, it’s actually one of the few, reliable betting destinations offering a fair and safe bet. Read our Bodog Casino Review for more information.

So, if a $200 free bonus (with no play-through restrictions on video poker), and a free trip to Ibiza sound like your cup of tea, open a free money account at Bodog today. Starting tomorrow, August 22nd, and running through the end of the month, Bodog Casino is giving away 1 free Ibiza vacation sweepstakes entry for every $100 wagered in real money online casino chips. Earn 25 entry’s – and besides the fact that your odds of winning will be that much greater – Bodog will give you a free $25 cash prize.

The winner of the trip will be notified by telephone within 24 hours of the end of Week 4, and will be offered a week long trip for two to Ibiza with up to $1,500 in plane tickets per person, $1,000 in spending cash and accommodations at a luxury hotel chosen by Bodog.

While nothing is concrete, we here at onlinecasinosuite.com have done some discussing and poking around looking for information about what happened to all of the Vegas Technology powered online casinos. So far all that has shown up in the news has been the recent announcement that the English Harbour online casino group will be shutting down all of their online casinos on August 1st. But English Harbour does not own every single Vegas Technology powered casino. So where are all of them going?

After doing some digging it may be that the root of all the Vegas Technology casinos are closing as a result of the closure of the English Harbour online casinos. Again, this is not a definite statement, just some guesswork and connecting of the dots on the part of us here at onlinecasinosuite.com.

First a little bit of background information. Vegas Technology was formally known as Odds On who entered the online casino industry scene in either 1997 or 1998. English Harbour New Ventures Gaming Inc., the formal name of the English Harbour online casino group, signed on for a partnership to have their online casinos powered by Vegas Technology, who was really Odds On. Then in 2003, entered into an agreement and merged with EHNVG. This is the key.

This merger back in 2003 meant that EHNVG was, essentially, the owner of not only their own online casinos but also of the software used to power them. Furthermore, this put EHNVG in the driver’s seat of any partnerships which would result in other online casino groups using Vegas Technology/Odds On software.

So it follows that if English Harbour were to close their doors on their operations, it would also mean that they are closing the doors the software as well. This line of logic would explain where all other non-English Harbour owned online casinos have gone. Again, this being the reason behind the closing of the other Vegas Technology online casinos is just a guess on our part. But it is a viable reason as to where some of the top online casinos of the industry have gone.

English Harbour recently announced that they were shutting their doors and bowing out of the online casino industry, saying it had gotten too sticky for them and that they were worried that their payment processors would encounter problems that would result in difficulties for their players.

Things continue to go downhill for the folks at Full Tilt Poker. Back in April, they were one of the online poker companies targeted and seized in the U.S. Department of Justice indictments unsealed on Black Friday. Last week, it was learned that their own regulating body, the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC), suspended their license. Prompted by the Black Friday indictments, the commission launched an investigation into the company and found that they were not in compliance with some of Alderney’s laws and regulations. The suspending of their license effectively shuts down Full Tilt Poker, possibly for good. Now another jurisdiction has added insult to injury.

Sources are reporting that ARJEL, the gambling regulatory body in France, has also suspended the license for Full Tilt Poker and shut down the French version of their website, fulltiltpoker.fr. According to ARJEL, the regulators asked Full Tilt to provide proof that they have sufficient funds to pay French players. Recent reports of their financial status suggest that they do not have those funds. When Full Tilt did not respond to the notice, ARJEL shut down the French website and suspended the license.

It is not known how long the suspension will last. If Full Tilt is able to satisfy ARJEL’s concerns, the suspension should be lifted. Even if that happens soon, this could be the death knell for Full Tilt Poker’s French operations. Even if their gambling license is reinstated, few French players would want to play at a site this controversial that has had its license yanked by their regulator. With Alderney, the United States and France shutting down Full Tilt, other jurisdictions may follow. Still, PokerStars, the other company that was part of Black Friday, was not disciplined by their regulator or France. That is important to note because it shows that not all online casinos and online poker sites are bad apples that are being punished. PokerStars has given out needed refunds and is still considered a safe place to play.

Everyone who pays attention to online gambling is familiar with the Black Friday scandal by now. PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker were targeted by the U.S. Department of Justice for bank fraud, money laundering and other crimes in connection with their gambling business. But does that mean the companies are shady? Not at all. In fact, their alleged crimes are the direct result of improper and possibly illegal activity by the Justice Department.

There have not been any allegations that PokerStars or Full Tilt Poker have ripped off their customers. There have been no allegations that it was unsafe for players to spend money playing online poker at those websites. In fact, the only wrongdoing was allegedly circumventing UIGEA, a poorly written, toothless and possibly unconstitutional piece of legislation passed in 2006.

There are only a few states, such as Maryland and Washington, where online gambling is banned by law. In most of the states in America, online casinos are perfectly legal. In most cases, that is simply because the activity is never mentioned in any law. But here’s the thing: In the United States, something is legal by default. It is only banned if there is a law that specifically bans it. Everything else is allowed, since America is supposed to be a free country.

Fascist Attorney General Eric Holder said that the DOJ is cracking down on online poker to give UIGEA some teeth. But that is not the Justice Department’s job. It was the job of the legislative branch to give UIGEA teeth, and they didn’t. UIGEA did not ban online poker, online casinos or any kind of online gambling. It only banned the processing of transactions related to “unlawful Internet gambling.”

Now let’s go back to what was covered earlier: In America, every activity is legal by default. It is only banned when a law specifically bans it. UIGEA bans processing of transactions related to online gambling that is made illegal by other laws. The Wire Act bans online sports betting, but none of the Black Friday companies are involved in that. Some states, such as Maryland and Washington, ban online gambling, so UIGEA could be used to crack down on companies that allow residents of those states to gamble online. If PokerStars or Full Tilt did that, they could be guilty of violating UIGEA. Otherwise, their business model was totally clean, except that they needed a way to get their payments processed.

You see, banks were unwilling to process online poker transactions for PokerStars and other companies. That is because, even though it would be legal, they were worried about getting unwanted attention from the Justice Department. That’s because the DOJ doesn’t believe that whole “actions are legal by default” thing, and they are of the “opinion” that online poker and online gambling are illegal, despite lack of a federal law banning them. Because banks were worried that when doing something legal, they would be accused of breaking the law, they wouldn’t accept transactions from PokerStars, who were operating legally. Therefore, they had to trick the banks by laundering money and committing bank fraud – activities that are illegal (due to laws banning them) in order to keep their legal business running.

See how insane all of this is? The Justice Department didn’t sit back and watch these alleged crimes happen, as some have said. They have caused them to happen. In my mind, the Justice Department is an accomplice. At the very least, they’re guilty of entrapment.