Archive for February, 2010

Inter Casino Using Twitter Quiz to Give Away Free Bonus Cash Online

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

Wanna Follow Inter Casino at Twitter?

Wanna Follow Inter Casino at Twitter?

Using Twitter for business networking certainly isn’t a new concept. In fact, I believe Twitter gets more social networking action than both Facebook and Linkedin these days. However, using Twitter to give away exclusive online casino bonuses, well, let’s just say that’s a little more of a novel approach to sending out the Tweets. As for online casinos using Twitter, I can probably count them on one hand. Ya, I use my fingers to count, so what!?

One of these Twitter-centric online casinos is the highly rated, UK-based Inter Casino, which happens to be a familiar name on the reviews pages here at OCS. Come to think of it, Inter Casino is pretty familiar name period. I wouldn’t necessarily say a household name (what casino is?), but a familiar one at least! In business since November of 1996, Inter Casino is arguably the oldest online casino in business today, and has certainly been around the block a few times.

On one of these recent laps around the block, Inter Casino noticed Twitter – or at least decided it was night time to put the social networking service to the test. Judging by their tweets, it looks like they started using the service less than four months ago. Impressively, they already have over 70 followers, and as of yesterday (that I know of), have begun giving away free no deposit cash bonuses as part of a tweetin’ quiz promotion. Now, 70 followers may not sound like much considering there are tweeter with thousands of user’s. But the fact is that many people use Twitter just to gain a large following, but don’t even listen to the Tweets. Inter Casino seems to be taking the approach of building a steady and community of followers who are either in the business or love to gamble online.

As for their latest tweet quiz, the first person to have tweeted back the answer to how many months Inter Casino has been online was given £10 free. And considering they actually reveal the month they were launched, anyone who can do a little math will know the answer. Read the OCS Inter Casino Review for more information.

More Exclusive Online Casino Bonuses Offered Through OCS Player’s Gambling Forum

Monday, February 15th, 2010

Use exclusive casino bonus claim code CS25XOCS for $25 FREE & Join our Forum 4 More

Use exclusive casino bonus code CS25XOCS for $25 FREE & Join our Forum 4 More

For the second time this week, Online Casino Suite has posted an exclusive bonus offer available to…well, anybody who read’s this and pays a visit to our new player’s gambling forum! As part of the new forum launched just a couple of months ago, OCS is maintaining an Exclusive Bonus sub-forum where we announce new bonus promotions offered…well…exclusively through Online Casino Suite. Our first offer was an additional 100% on top of an already large 200% bonus at Pure Vegas Casino. Now, popular U.S. online casino, Crazy Slots, is giving away an additional $25 on top of their current 100% bonus exclusively through OCS.

Like I said, in order to claim the bonus, you must go through the link posted in the forum thread. Think of it as a nice way to get a taste of our forum, which I’m sure you will have no choice but to join being blown away by all that it has to offer. In addition to exclusive promotions, OCS hosts a Complaints forum and a Help forum. Both forums pretty much speak for themselves, and interestingly enough, the complaints forum is the busiest one of all so far. The good news is that the vast majority of complaints we have received are regarding online casinos not approved and listed in the OCS online casino reviews section. In fact, many of the properties being complained about are already on our blacklist.

Needless to say, it’s a good idea to go check out our online casino blacklist while your checking out the free exclusive casino bonus threads in our forum directly, or you can see the latest exclusive casino bonuses listed on our main bonuses page in addition to a large collection of what we, and many players, consider to be the best ongoing promotions being offered right now.

Now, about this bonus through Crazy Slots. It takes a minimum deposit of $25 to claim. So, if you make a $25 deposit, you will have $75 to wager with – it’s that simple. Since this is an attachment to the regular sign-up offer, all wagering terms and restrictions apply. In this case, it means you can receive up to $777 free (plus the additional $25), and a very low 10x wager requirement for slots, keno and scratch games. Remember to contact customer service through the software platform within 48 hours of making your deposit in order to claim the bonus. Be sure to give them the exclusive casino bonus code, which is CS25XOCS.

Now, if you’re from the U.S., you might also want to consider using a prepaid online gambling gift card to make a deposit, depending if your credit card goes through or not. Doing so will entitle you to a 100% bonus up to $600 Free (minimum deposit of $50) on your first deposit. And here’s the kicker: You can use this bonus on top of any other bonus, in effect giving you $777 + $600 + $25 = $1,602 in bonus money on your first deposit. Furthermore, all future deposits made with a gift card come with an automatic 10% bonus, which can also be used in conjunction with other reload bonuses.

Also, if this is your first time playing at Crazy Slots Casino and you are a fan of slots, be sure to take advantage of four free slots tournament entry coupons, given to every player who claims a welcome bonus.

ZY001A – Free Entry to Tournament of Your Choice #1
ZY001B – Free Entry to Tournament of Your Choice #2
ZY001C – Free Entry to Tournament of Your Choice #3
ZY001D – Free Entry to Tournament of Your Choice #4

Needless to say (just check out their Tournaments page), Crazy Slots tournaments are some of the largest online. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are guaranteed every month, with this month’s tally guaranteeing a minimum of $425,000 in tournament payouts. Both a $50,000 and $75,000 slots tournament are scheduled before the month is out, so if you are reading this and the March winds haven’t arrived yet, what don’t delay. But like I said, this is the norm at Crazy Slots every month, so either way, checking out their tournament calendar is worth the mouse click. Heck, you can even click a couple of more times to add tournament events to your Outlook, iCal, Yahoo or Google calendar – that’s how they like to do it over at Crazy Slots – nice and user friendly.

So what’s up with all this praise about Crazy Slots? Well, anyone who is willing to offer OCS readers an exclusive bonus offer is definitely on our good list – all things considered. And considering their reputation, ownership and licensing credentials, they get a two thumbs up from us. The only reason they don’t get 10 out of 10 star (currently at 8.8) is simply because of the fact that Crazy Slots hasn’t been in business as some of its closest competitors. My prediction is there will be many years of good business to come.

Online Casino Slots Jackpots Payout Huge With Microgaming Today

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

Although predicting when an online casino progressive jackpot is going to hit is a difficult thing to do (some will even say blind chance), it is a widely believed that the longer a jackpot goes without paying out big, the sooner the day of reckoning will come. Sounds like a pretty universal law, if you ask me. You  know, the more you put into something, the more you get out of it? Only in the case of online gambling, it’s not always the player who spends the most who wins the most, which I suppose is like life as well!

Nonetheless, the larger a jackpot gets, the more action it gets, in turn causing it to grow even more, and consequently, increasing the chances of a big win (man, I don’t think I’ve ever used that many commas in one sentence – I need a drink now). It’s also very interesting to note that oftentimes when one online casino jackpot breaks the bank, several others soon follow. It’s as if everybody gets “jackpot fever”, which like any fever, can spread really fast. And since this is the World Wide Web, aka “information highway” we’re talking about, things spread faster than a venereal disease in a Las Vegas brothel – okay, maybe not the best analogy, but you get my point!

Case in point of all this jackpot fever, or better, jackpot madness (referring to the Microgaming’s Jackpot Madness online casino jackpot network), was a recent string of big wins this weekend. Actually, it has all taken place today, which for anyone reading this right now, it’s still not too late to buy your lover some chocolates and flowers. Or, if you happen to be one of the big winners today, perhaps a new car or diamond earrings will suffice.

Taking the first place prize today was a huge jackpot win on the popular King Cashalot video slot worth a whopping $475,208. Let’s just call it half-a-million dollars, shall we? This was followed by a $100K win on Treasure Nile, while two other slots – Lotsa Loot and Mega Moolah – each paid off jackpot wins as well. Being that all of the jackpots were progressive, it has not yet been announced which Microgaming powered online casinos hosted the jackpots.

King Cashalot Online Casino Slot Review

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

Gettin' Medieval with Microgaming's King Cashalot Casino Slot

Gettin' Medieval with Microgaming's King Cashalot Casino Slot

Following the recent half-a-million dollar jackpot win on Microgaming’s King Cashalot progressive video slot, I thought it fitting to give the good King Cashalot himself a closer look and all-out review. So, like I said, King Cashalot is Microgaming Software’s doing, and in fact, is one of Microgaming’s oldest progressive jackpot games. Launched in 2004/2005, King Cashalot has paid out some big wins over the years. The default jackpot is $100,000, and only gets bigger from there. It is not uncommon for the accumulated progressive jackpot to exceed $1 million. In fact, the largest win to date is $1.2 million and average jackpot win is $500,000.

As with all progressive slots, in order to be eligible for the big jackpot, a player must wager on on all paylines. Being that there are nine paylines, up to five coins per payline and a fixed coin value of $0.05, a single coin bet would cost just $0.45, while the max $2.25 wager, which is not bad at all for a modest sized bankroll, will get you even more winnings in pursuit of the big jackpot.

King Cashalot is a five reel slot themed after all the best that Medieval Times had to offer. If you consider torture, the Plague and having to wear burlap the best things to come from Medieval Times, well then, I’m sorry to say that King Cashalot will disappoint you. On the contrary, I’m talking about chivalry, feasts, sexy maidens and friendly dragons And as such, you get just that from the reel symbols. The jovial King himself is the wild and multiplier, the Jester is the Scatter, the Dragon serves as the bonus trigger, while various food items, and of course, the Queen and Maiden round out the list of colorful and sharp symbols.

King Cashalot Online Casino Slot Payout Table

King Cashalot Online Casino Slot Payout Table

All winning combinations with a single King serving as a wild will double payouts, while multiple Kings create winning combinations of their own. Five Kings is the ultimate, paying 15,000 credits on a single enabled payline and the maximum progressive jackpot if all five Kings hit on the ninth payline. Being a Scatter, the Jester does not need to land on an enabled payline in order to be in play. If two or more Jesters show on the screen a bonus credit is awarded, amounting up to 50 times the number of credits staked.

King Cashalot Treasure Bonus Round

King Cashalot Treasure Bonus Round

As for the bonus round, this is triggered when three Dragons hit on reels 2, 3 and 4. Called the Treasure Bonus, simply choose a treasure and it will reveal just how much extra you win (multiplied by the number of coins & paylines).

For a list of the top online casinos offering King Cashalot, visit the OCS Best Microgaming Casinos page of our main reviews chart for the best online casino slots.

2009 UK Gambling Commission Survey Reveals Nothing Out of Ordinary

Friday, February 12th, 2010

As the States move one step closer toward online gambling regulation – or, at least, one step closer to approving legislation to study the impacts of online gambling and the feasibility of regulation (go Barney Frank!) – the UK Gambling Commission, aka The Commission, has just released more data resulting from a series of comprehensive surveys aimed at gauging gambling habits of UK bettors, as well as overall player demographics.

In light of the upcoming release of  the 2010 Gambling Prevalence Study, which is a comprehensive analysis of gambling trends in the UK that takes place every three years, the most recent set of survey stats apply strictly to 2009, and essentially show nothing different than that of the 2007 Gambling Prevalence Study data.

Consisting of two questions – one pertaining strictly to remote forms of wagering, including computer, mobile phone and television online casino wagering, the other pertaining to all forms of wagering both on and offline – the survey engaged some 7,000 adult participants, over half of which had participated in at least one form of wagering over the past four weeks of being surveyed.

Not surprisingly, the most popular betting activity was the National Lottery, followed by scratch cards and charitable lotteries. The next most popular betting activities down the line were neither surprising to researchers, and included horserace betting, slot machines and private betting amongst close circles of friends and family. UK online casinos were not amongst the most frequented of gambling destinations.

If anything, the latter revelation regarding private wagering is most interesting. While this still shows that many bettors do not fully trust UK-based gambling operations, over 50% of survey respondents consider the UK gaming industry trustworthy as a whole (up slightly from 2008). Further revealing that gambling is being looked upon more favorably in the UK is a greater number of people (14% surveyed) associating gambling crime with addicts committing larceny, rather than organized crime and money laundering.

While this does not entirely paint a better picture of sentiments toward gambling addiction, it nonetheless shows that awareness of gambling crime is expanding and that organized crime is being effectively prevented and dealt with. Furthermore, gambling addiction is still within normal bounds, even as remote online wagering activity has seen a moderate increase of about 1%.

Certainly proving that online gambling can and is being successfully regulated and managed, UK Gambling Commission statistics will indeed likely serve as a comparative benchmark for US officials if and when legislation is passed to study and set forth online gambling regulations of its own.

Former Mastercard Executives Mobilizing U.S. Ready Online Gambling eWallet

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

securetradingWhen I first heard (just minutes ago) that former top-level Mastercard executives were coming up with a U.S. friendly online gambling payment processing solution in light of the recent crackdown by Mastercard on internet gambling transactions (with Mastercard’s, of course), I think I got a smile on my face as big as the time Santa gave me a beach cruiser for Christmas. No really, beach cruisers were totally rad back in the 80’s. Before I reveal my age any further, let’s just say that my smile was quickly replaced with a frown on my face as big as the time I saw a man playing with a live rooster on the floor of a moving subway car in New York City.

Okay so maybe not a frown, per say, but definitely a look of concern. As I researched further, I found out that former Mastercard executives are not necessarily cooking up some loopholed, covert payment processor that bypasses current betting restrictions in the U.S., but rather, are mobilizing a new company called Secure Trading, that will be ready to legally handle U.S. online gambling deposits and withdrawals when and if the UIGEA is overturned and online gambling regulations are passed in the U.S.

In other words, Secure Trading is yet another online gambling eWallet ready to cash in on the billions of online gambling dollars generated by U.S. citizens – As will be Neteller, Click2Pay, MoneyBookers and a horde of other eWallets currently being used by online gamblers elsewhere in world. And guess what else? So will Mastercard.

Call me a little bee-ahch, but does the world really need another eWallet that does not take bets from U.S. online gamblers! Sure, I can understand what with Mastercard in the news of late, this would seem like a relevant news bit. But isn’t this like eating a big candy bar in front of a little kid, telling the little tike in between bites that one day, maybe, he can get some candy bar too? Of course all of the eWallets and payment processors are going to jump in the U.S. market as soon as it’s regulated. They would be stupid not to.

So, my fellow U.S. citizens, let’s remember the good name of “Secure Trading”. Some day, you too may be able to use it to make a deposit with your favorite online casino.

Online Casino Suite Offers Exclusive 300% Bonuses at Pure Vegas Casino

Thursday, February 11th, 2010
Exclusive 300% Bonuses at Pure Vegas With Online Casino Suite

Exclusive 300% Bonuses at Pure Vegas With Online Casino Suite

Online Casino Suite has just announced an exclusive bonus package for players at Pure Vegas Casino, including U.S. players.  Let’s cut right to the chase, shall we? It’s a series of two 300% bonuses worth $2,400 total ($1,200 each) that can be used on Slots, Keno and scratch cards. And to make things even better, the play-through is only 15x. Now, I don’t mean to toot our own horn or anything, but that’s a seriously great bonus offer, folks. Use bonus claim code 1200SUITE1 and 1200SUITE2 to take advantage of this limited time offer.

If you are wondering what makes this offer better than Pure Vegas’ normal Slots Bonus worth $2,400 free on two deposits, it’s the percentage factor. The normal bonus is worth 200% (which is still great if you ask me), while the exclusive offer through OCS gives an additional 100%. Pretty snazzy, eh? And considering their credentials, which include a TST certified RTG software platform, a Netherlands, Antilles online gambling license, and a pretty impressive customer service track record, Pure Vegas makes for a solid place to throw down some real money wagers online.

Of course, if you’re not an avid slots bettor, these exclusive bonuses will do you no good. However, since this is Pure Vegas Casino we’re talking about here (which has been given 9.2 stars out of 10), there are several other welcome bonus offers (100% up to $2,400 Free on four deposits), as well as weekly reloads and VIP bonuses that can be wagered through at 60x the bonus and deposit on the Blackjack tables and Video Poker machines. In fact, the only game restrictions for non Slots-only bonuses are Roulette, Craps, Baccarat and Pai Gow.

Another great thing we like about Pure Vegas is the fact that they treat loyal players very well – especially those who wager a good deal. VIP players are entitled to up to ten 100% Match Bonuses up to $1,000 Free every day Monday through Friday ($50,000 in bonuses every week). Weekend bonuses (up to seven claims every weekend) are worth 200% up to $1,000 Free. VIP Players are also entitled to receive 5-12% cashback on deposits every day, as well as higher table limits. To get the entire low-down, just read the OCS Pure Vegas Casino Review.

Again, if you would like to take advantage of the 300% bonuses exclusively offered through OCS, use the bonus claim code 1200SUITE1 and 1200SUITE2. And if you want to stay abreast of future exclusive bonus offers, it would behoove you to join our Online Gambling Forum, where we publish new exclusive offers in the Exclusive Promotions sub-forum (go figure). Heck, while you’re at it, you might as well view the actual thread for this exclusive bonus offer and post your comments. C’mon, you know we want to hear how you came out on top using these bonuses. :)

Despite Credit Card Hit, Online Casinos Tap Business With Alternative Solutions

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

Oy! Blocked Mastercard? Surely, you take one of these?

Oy! Blocked Mastercard? Surely, you take one of these?

The recent rise in declined Mastercard transactions at online gambling sites is definitely not just because of the Super Bowl – or at least that’s how things are looking at the current moment. Three days after the big game, bettors and online casinos alike are reporting a large number of declined credit card transactions. And to make matters worse, online casino operators are being made out to be the bad guy.

As reported by the Poker Daily News, transaction requests are still being honored by the credit card company, however, the funds are not being delivered to the player’s betting account. Instead of receiving the money, payment processors for the online betting operators (which are generally owned by the operator) are being fined by the credit card company for accepting the payment. From the player’s perspective, it looks as if the casino is stealing their money, for even though the payment is not being delivered to the player’s casino account, the credit card account is still being billed. Of course, the credit card holder does not have to actually honor the payment, but it’s nonetheless making things extremely frustrating for both players and operators alike.

According to an insider working within the payment processing sector, MasterCard is now manually intercepting transactions between payment processors and casino cashiers, for it is believed that online gambling transactions, which are automatically coded for identification purposes, were being manually uncoded so that they would not be filtered out based on having a “red flag” code. Whether or not credit card companies can actually keep this up, is very questionable.

The bottom line is that while it is convenient to use a credit card to make online gambling deposits, there are several other methods still available for players in jurisdictions like that of the USA Online Casinos in the Vegas Technology powered English Harbour Gaming Ventures – namely, Slots Galore Casino – offer bank wires for both deposits and withdrawals, and reputable third party eWallets and cash services such as UseMyWallet and QuickCash. Popular U.S. facing online casinos, Superior Casino and Rushmore Casino, accept UseMyWallet and the popular eWallet Xpress for making deposits and withdrawals. They also offer eChecks for withdrawal. Casinos such as Go Casino, accept credit card funded gift cards for making deposits, while withdrawals can be process via bank wire or certified check.

Players should note that fees are generally charged on all modes of withdrawal to a varying degree. If using a bank wire, the banks themselves will impose a secondary charge, generally for around $25. At Go Casino, the cost to process a bank wire withdrawal is 2.5% the withdrawed amount. Certified checks for withdrawal generally take more than two weeks to arrive and come with a $15 fee, while expedited courier checks via FedEx cost $35. At Slots Galore, bank wire deposits are free, while bank wire withdrawals have a flat fee of $35 ($500 minimum and $5,000 maximum withdrawal by bank wire per week). Checks and Quick Cash withdrawals also have a $35 processing fee at Slots Galore, while UseMyWallet withdrawals are free.

European Series of Backgammon to Kick Off With Online Quarterly Tournaments

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

Feel the Fung Shui of the One and Only Backgammon Board!

Feel the Fung Shui of the One and Only Euro Backgammon Board!

Me for one, I have never played online Backgammon before. But that doesn’t mean that online Backgammon isn’t doing well without me. Nor does it mean that I will never play online Backgammon. At the rate in which Backgammon is growing in popularity, and consequently, online Backgammon tournaments are dishing out big winnings, it might just serve me well to jump in headfirst, learn the rules of the game and start playing.

Backgammon, which is classified as a skill game, makes up a large percentage of the revenue that is being generated by the fast-growing online skill gaming sector. Mainly popular with players in Europe and the UK, there is absolutely nothing stopping online Backgammon from becoming more popular the world over, including in the U.S., where skill games, although still “illegal” along with online casino games, resemble poker in many regards. And we all know how popular poker is.

One of the reasons why poker has fared so well online – besides the nature of the game itself – have been the formation of organized tournaments guaranteeing large cash prize pools. Online poker rooms, such as Poker Stars, have been instrumental in making this a reality. As for online backgammon tournaments, other than the likes of a few dedicated online skill gaming sites, there really isn’t that much out there for the serious backgammon player. I mean, if there is, please do comment on this post with your findings. :)

Hear Ye, Hear Ye The Decree of Everlasting Backgammon!

Hear Ye, Hear Ye The Decree of Everlasting Backgammon!

However, this brings me to the point of this post (four paragraphs deep…just my style). Introducing the European Series of Backgammon – a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Backgammon and overseeing large online and offline backgammon tournaments, with the overall aim of attracting the best backgammon players, and of course, the largest prize pools.

With this end in mind, the European Series of Backgammon has just announced the date of the first of a series of quarterly online backgammon tournaments guaranteeing a €15,000 prize pot. Tournament directors are predicting about 70+ players to participate in the first of these tournaments, for which online qualifiers at the European Series of Blackjack website (ESOB.com) are currently taking place. The championship final is slated for Sunday, March 28th. Direct buy-ins cost €220.

ESOB is also teaming up with offline backgammon tournaments, including the Zakynthos Backgammon Festival, to establish an annual European tour. By teaming up with offline tournaments, ESOB aims to strengthen the backgammon community so as to benefit both offline and online backgammon tournaments. The current offline tour includes the following, more details of which can be found at the ESOB.com website.

ESOB Offline Tour 2010

11th Annual Scope Backgammon and Bridge Tournament, 7th March 2010, London, UK

The 11th Scottish Open, 19th – 21st March 2010, Edinburgh, UK

ESOB London Open, 29th– 30th May 2010, London, UK

ESOB English Open, 4th– 6th June 2010, Hinckley, UK

The 8th Zakynthos Festival of Backgammon, 17th -24th June 2010, Zakynthos, Greece

7th Riviera and Nations Cup, 20th – 25th July, Cannes, France

ESOB Bristol Open, 28th– 29th August 2010, Bristol, UK

Party Gaming Reports Impressive Revenue Growth for 2009

Monday, February 8th, 2010
Impressive Revenue at Party Gaming

Impressive Revenue at Party Gaming

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Party Gaming’s 2009 End of Year report shows a massive 32% increase in sales revenue. Being one of the more popular names and brands in the online gambling industry, not to mention the fact that online gambling hasn’t really taken that much of a loss in spite of the 2009 recession, or rather, economic crisis, I personally would not have been surprised if Party Gaming reported even higher earnings. Such is the life of big online gambling giants, no matter if they’re in the U.S. market or not.

Party Gaming’s third quarter’s revenue topped in at $100.4 Million, while the last quarter alone saw a 32% increase, topping $132 Million. Much of the increase in revenue is being attributed to a new online bingo and online casino operator in the Party Gaming network, while the vast majority of the revenue itself has been generated by Party Gaming affiliates (no surprise there).

With the addition Cashcade Limited and implementation of what Party Gaming likes to call “effective promotions” (meaning larger bonuses) and better loyalty rewards (all thanks in lieu to increased competition), Party Gaming was able to recapture the #1 spot in the world for poker liquidity (non U.S. facing) and increased player retention levels. This was a risky move, to say the least, but ended up paying off huge, resulting in 7% more active player days from Q3 and 24% more activity than the previous year.

2010 is already looking promising for Party Gaming with the integration of Cashcade and the World Poker Tour right on schedule. Party Gaming execs also remain hopeful that the introduction of online casino games, poker and bingo in the Italian market during the first half of 2010, online gambling liberalization in France (slated for the second half of 2010) and Denmark (2011) will bring another surge in revenue to Party Gaming throughout the next couple of years.

On another note, Party Gaming has appointed former Chief Executive Officer and Director of Mangas Gaming Malta Limited, Per Widerstrom, as Chief Operating Officer. With a wealth of experience in the online sports betting sector, perhaps that is a direction that Party Gaming is hoping to ramp up even more in 2010?