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Game business in America

Game business in USA developed so that only Macao can be compare with it, where gamble industry became the life`s base. But to please moral principles and politics power Americans can forbid casino easy.

Game business history in USA has two important “critical” stages, it is reach of forbidden periods and permissions of gambling but so long as there are quite a lot states and each of them has a right to regulate a part of laws by itself it was always happened that even in one-two states gambling was permit.

The history of casino on the border of America and Mexico can be considered as especially full and long one. Not far away from this border, in Nevada desert appeared casino-city Las-Vegas called world gambling capital till nowadays.

One interesting research tells about how much Americans love gambling. It appears that gambling stands on third place by Americans` costs after audio, video, computer and publish periodic. And it spends on casino playing no less than on all mentioned types of leisure.

However it can`t be said exactly that costs on gambling really bring up this three. Taking into account that lotteries, bingo, stockbrokerage and other types of getting adrenalin can be rate as gambling too results will change appreciably.

Since long ago there are confrontation in country between supporters of prohibition and gamble games` permission. Everything is clear with game permission – game institutions` owners yearly give more than half of their profit as taxes, and it means that casinos were and stay “milk cows” of state.

And gambling opponents appeal Christian norms and life`s foundations in society, remind about high crime in states where game business prospers, cite statistics according to which a third of country`s population consider gamble game as absolutely amoral occurrence. Their protests have real force – in some states billionaire Steve Winn in 90th years of past century couldn`t build new casinos though he spent many millions to prong his interests.

This confrontation evidently will be long and vain for both sides. On the one part in USA casinos paying taxes wouldn`t be close. On the other part slowly but correctly moral`s upholders win over span by span of former liberties. For example quietly and peacefully on America`s territory online casinos were prohibited as offshore registered enterprises not bringing money to treasury.

Real casinos are no danger yet however any priorities fluctuation in state`s internal policy can immediately affect on gamble sphere. Alas, politic system in USA is too populist and trying to draw attention from vital problems the government can well make pompous war with gambling once.

Bank check in online casino

Of course the handiest way of getting means from casino is remittance to your plastic card. However they will offer you this handy variant far from always. Once you`ll have to face with bank checks inevitably.

I want to notice right away that in Russia for example checks are evil… and unfortunately inevitable evil. And there are some other countries, where it is very hard to use bank checks from online casinos. Why I don`t like them so much? The matter is checks will writing out not with famous in your country bank (if you are not American) but most likely with any Bank of America, the nearest branch office of which is situated not in neighbor district as you can understand. That means that you can cash this check with local bank-agent only by taking it to encashment and spending for this unpleasant procedure from 2 weeks to 3 months.

“Check (brit. cheque) is monetary document of established form, containing order of account in credit institute owner`s about mentioned sum paying for check bearer”.

 On ordinary check you can see information on the face side which is need able for bank employees where you`ll take this check to encashment.

The other side of check is empty usually. In the part of it there is a form for transmission note – endorsement.

Cashing check from online casino

So let`s pass to the main – getting money procedure exactly. Among not American banks there are some “foremost in industry” introduced such a necessary service as accepting checks for encashment.

“Encashment (ital. incasso) is bank operation when bank on a commission from client gets due money amount on the ground of monetary-trading or calculating documents”.

Most likely if you live in not very big city you will not have big choice and you`ll have to pay about 7$ for cashing each of your checks.

Anyway you`ll have to come throw or call to all city famous banks and to ask if they take registered checks from foreign banks for encashment.

Of course every bank levies commission charges for this service, sizes of which are different too. Bank`s commission charge is usually taken as a percent from check`s monetary nominal with defined minimum if such commission. And commission charges can be levy with whole amount of shown checks or with each of them separately. Bank`s service is usually cost from 1 to 5 percent from amount mentioned in check. The will give you a hint in bank how to complete application form and other formal documents.

It have to be note here that for bank employees themselves this procedure can be new and then you can become a witness of unpleasant performance when all personnel try to understand what do you want of them and then you`ll wait for a solid hour when young teller will assimilate this new knowledge – accepting checks for encashment. Unfortunately, such is our actual…

After all you`ll get a receipt about accepting of your check with bank and information about when you can wait for payment coming of your check. It is usually (depends on “advancing” of bank and city) from 2-3 weeks to 1-3 months in small cities.

After defined time you have to get notify letter to your post address (showed when you took your check to a bank) or they`ll call you from bank with happy news about coming of your legitimate means.

Problems with checks from online casinos

As I`ve said checks are rather inconvenient thing. Besides mass of time spent for getting means they are fraught with some other snares:

  • Check can reach you in defective appearance,
  • Checks have their own limited “using date”,
  • They can easy don`t cash your check.

If they sent you defective check (even with little defect like uneven tear-off line) you can try to take it to a bank of course. But bank employees will let you know that if such a defective check couldn`t be cash on its “native land”, you wouldn`t get back paid commission. There is no need to panic. Just write to casino`s support service and explain the situation. They`ll send you new check and apologize for inconveniences and just make this defective check invalid. You can leave this funny paper with filigrees as a keepsake, but don`t try to cash it! I had the same story with one of my first checks.

Checks` due date is half a year (180 days) usually. You can find it out in each concrete case as necessary by writing a proper request to casino.

I never had cases of payment renunciation but bank employees like to frighten with it especially when you have some little defects in your check. In general this outcome is hardly probable happily.

So, what have you to know about bank checks from Internet casino:

  • Check delivers with ordinary post to your post box and reach during one-three weeks.
  • Encashment procedure can take from two weeks to two months.
  • Banks offer very different conditions for taking checks to encashment.
  • Bank check has its limited “expire date” and open to mechanical injury.

Internet casino on self-production platform

Indeed there are no successful and popular Internet casino with have self-devised base and which don`t give license to other casino sites remain till nowadays.

“The last of Mohicans” was Global Player Internet casino which firstly passed to BossMedia soft in May 2007 and then closed at all after half a year.

Of course I don`t even consider all these thousands of pseudo-casinos with WM prefix flooded Internet.

So, what is “Internet casino with its own soft” as I understand? It is online casino which has gaming platform in one copy or has network of no more than five different (popular and fail-safe) online casinos.

About three years ago there were rather a lot of similar casinos, I cited the e first example, but the main example was Casino-on-net then famous as 888.com else. Its soft famous with names Cassava and Random Logic was represented only in this casino. However as the company itself, brand`s owner, applied a lot of efforts to its publicity campaign, it is no wonder that soon first licensees appeared represented by Lucky Ace Casino & Poker. And in 2008 such world-famous and very respectable brand as Littlewoods passed to this soft.

What are preferences and peculiarities of this type of casino? They are already nothing, I`ll say if one is to judge. If earlier for bearing a competition with mega-monsters like Microgaming on-net casino had the lowest wager (it had to stake deposit and bonus sum twice only!), it is not so appreciably now and however it is one of the lowest yet

From special advantages I`d like to mark out presence of unique authentic games which you can find in one or two similar casinos only and, however strange it is, but always high technical service level.

In tote, similar casinos don`t inferior in safe level and reputation now to “mass” platforms, and somewhere even excel them.

The resume of 2009

The resume of 2009

It`s time to make the resume of another year for game online-industry. Online poker became the main “newsmaker” last time, casino move away to the shadow; however some memorable and important moments during the year can be found in Internet casino industry too. So what did pay players` attention to in 2009?
Let`s start with international business, USA first of all. In spite of some players` optimistic expectations, serious motions in country`s law didn`t happen. Senator Barney Frank standing up for online games legalize and regulation in USA continues to collect voices for supporting his bill, but there were no other movement. They firstly talked about possible carrying out bill hearings in Senate`s economics committee in spring, after these in autumn. In the total there is nothing happened, the delay explains with the crisis and greater currency of other bills. Last news say about a possibility of spring hearings, we`ll see if it will happen finally. But even if they`ll approve the bill (and last time about one voice was not enough), that will be the first step only, after these the bill will come to the USA Parliament, where it will have to come through some hearings, get the approval of both chambers and the President`s sign. It may take for some years, so there is no excessive optimism so far. But again, it`s possible the situation when online poker like “mastery game” will be allowed and casino like gamble can stay under prohibition. So, we`ll wait and see. Meanwhile in the same America UIGEA regulations           full adoption was delay again, UIGEA is a law forbidding financial institutes to conduct transactions between Americans and online casino. It means that UIGEA operating but there is no serious influence on banks yet forbidding paying receiving from casino and Americans who wish can play calmly for a while.
A lot of countries now thinking about online games laws. Somewhere they coming the regulations way, somewhere they think about forbidding and state monopolies establishing. Italy, France, Germany, Scandinavian countries can be call among “problem” regions. They are more liberal in East Europe, so not long ago Estonians approved the law allowing online-games, but on the condition that servers have to be situated in Estonia. Some casino will try to legalize in Estonia and some will just ignore the law, here the fact of industry regulation is important but not the forbidding of it.
The situation in Russia is interesting too. As you know, all offline casinos were closed from July 2009. But offline game industry immediately found alternative variants – “lottery clubs” (the same slots, but remaking a little) and “Internet-cafes” (Internet-casino access or just computer games). Spreading of these surrogate casinos provoked authorities to toughen the law against online casino:). Instead of little changing a low forbidding such institutions finally (however nowadays they fight with them successful in some regions, the point is in political will), authorities offer to force Internet-providers to block casinos` sites. It seems to be strange for me – it`s forbidding to make online casinos in Russia only by the law, and it is not even a criminal offence. And enmity propaganda or pornography spreading is criminally liable fully, but nobody offers to block porno- or extremists sites! So that`s ok, chances for approving this forbidding are not big, to my opinion. I haven`t heard some of the movers and shakers were interested in this offer. But even if something like this will be approve a) in Russia law strictness is compensating with optionality of its` observance, b) proxy-servers and VPN can avoid any block easy. So, players haven`t to worry about, it`s easy to pass through any prohibition if you want it to.
However offline casinos closing didn`t give a sharp surge of interest of online casinos there. There became more players in Internet but for tens percent only but not more fold. By the way there is no sharp leap in the side of industry yet. Generally during 2009 there was no really interesting Russian online casino project. Small but perspective Elen Casino project appeared in 2008 and develops rather slowly for the present. One more not bad project seems to be open in the beginning of 2010. No, there were new casinos opened but on petty charged cheap soft, few casinos appeared on familiar Globo and Ensis soft, but they were clones mainly. Though changes in Va-bank fortune have to be mark, it became on last legs slowly during few last years. New team bought it now, management changed, soft developed and other changes plan. I haven`t try new version, the work is going on there, but I`ll try later and tell you about impressions.
Let`s look now what was happening in the world of leading game soft providers. After some years of loosing clients and losses Cryptologic returns to life slowly. There are no new casino they`ve got but they didn`t lose the old ones. Now they sell their slots to other casinos actively and earn not bad money. Among customers is Playtech for example. This company is ok, continues getting clients, lives not bad. They have a little caving in poker at the beginning of 2010. And new games add in casino, more Russianize casinos, in the end of year made me glad with new video roulettes – everything is ok. Cassava activated – returned to life dying Reef Club, made some casinos, signed an agreement with the biggest American offline company Harrah, it will be actually the first online casino from Vegas monster (however MGM Mirage had the unsuccessful experience). They starts to rusifize too, but soft and quantity of games don`t shine yet, but they trying, working, buying Crypts` slots. Boss Media don`t live, don`t die, they accentuate on poker. Microgaming sitting pretty straight this year, there are no many new casinos, with the Americans expulsion the business is not so cheerful, but the company is leader of softbuilding as before leaving competitors far behind. They continue to give 4 new games monthly (total quantity is more than 450 games), including such a unique thing as MySlot setting by player, videoslot without lines with 234 win variants – Burning Desire etc. In one of Microgaming casinos the online jackpot record was set up – €6,4 millions. RTG – the one among grand continues to work on American market, so they have more new casinos. But they don`t like Russians as before, so there is no sense to talk much about this soft. Not much less casinos were open under Rivel. But in spite of decent soft and Americans accepting casinos of this company didn`t win such strong players` love yet. New casinos with this soft are losing and I doubt whether they can attract many players if it were not for without-deposit bonuses. Unfortunately sometimes mistakes and glitches happen in slots, so it`s early to move Rivel to grands.
If to speak about novelties and tendencies in technique terms there are no visible breakthroughs yet. Three-dimensional casino Le Croupier appeared, but it is French one and not very friendly with other nations. In whole we can`t call this casino “first” and “unique”, we can remember Shangri La all the same – three-dimensional casino, which was closed in 2006 yet. Considering growing popularity of social networks, casinos open their channels on Twitter and groups on Facebook (Russian ones – on Vkontakte), BuzzLuck casino (RTG) produced an interactive lobby, where you can interact with people settle there (real peoples` video). Video casinos become more popular. Evolution Gaming company put their games with alive dealers this year in a whole row of big online bookmakers, two new roulettes with alive dealers appeared in Playtech, as I`ve wrote. In spite of active smartphones development  and projections about most part of Internet-serfing will come from computers to mobile-phones, mobile casinos didn`t show serious development.
Resumes of the year were made already with lots of sites and magazines. Two tops attract attention – from industry representative and players. EGR magazine named Casino on Net the best casino, Unibet (for video translations) and BWin (general operator of the year) have got their prizes too.CasinoMeister basing on the opinion of forum participants named Club USA casino the best one (RTG, don`t take Russians), plus CWC group where this casino is in – is the best casino group. The favourite CasinoMeistera casino 32 Red (Microgaming) has got the name of “casino of the decade”. By the way there are some complaints to Microgaming itself, the company got into the list of disappointments and the best soft WagerWorks was voted.
I hope, in 2010 online casinos will can make you glad :) . Good luck in game!

American Casinos

In the beginning of 19 century the first gamble houses appeared in USA. Firstly the New Orleans became the “center of gambles”. In the middle of 19 century in California and at the Wild West a rush for gold blazed up. Crooked gamblers and casino holders went to the West as bottom-feeders. This time gambles was popular everywhere in each saloon people played it.
Today it seems strange but before 1940 in USA were no luxurious casinos – only low-standard gaming clubs no more. It was really dangerous to visit it. Even Las-Vegas did not mark out before 1940. Casinos here were developed with help of gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Segal. In those years casinos were prohibited at the East of America and vice versa were lawful at the West to raise finance in the towns suffered from the Great Depression. Bugsy decided to use this opportunity and developed his legalized business. He built really chic casino in Las Vegas named Flamingo. Unfortunately Mafia closed casino right after opening and was disappointed that he wasted a lot of their money for casino building. However it became the base of gambles in Las Vegas.
Nowadays Las-Vegas is a world gamble capital with more than 50 casinos opened twenty-four-hour and without non-working days. Thirty millions gamers per year visit Las-Vegas usually. When the Assert Inn Casino was opened its founder threw out the key with the words: I won’t need it! And it’s true – the majority of Las Vegas casino works constantly.
To sum up I’d like to say that a lot of beautiful casinos appear in Nevada today. I recommend if you are more than 21 year old to visit it. They are always opened for you and you will get only positive emotions even if you waste all your money.