All posts by Olivia

Fresh Horizons: New Games

September 2, 2015NewsOlivia

Just as it is absolutely brilliantly to note the continued growth and appreciation of many of the world’s most traditional gaming formats, there is revel to be had also when looking more densely at the present and indeed the future.

New casino Games

The internet age has ushered in an entirely new range of possibilities as far as games development is concerned. Sure, there has been a pretty consistent population of video gaming consoles in the land-based casino business for the past few decades (or maybe even longer?) – though in comparison to what is offered online now, and as a result via the in-casino machines in this day and age, they were clunky, unfriendly old things.

Perhaps most evident since the online platforms started to weigh up to the traditional land based casino format, is the unprecedented rise in popularity of slots games, or ‘pokies’ as they are referred to by our friends in Australia.

At first, these consoles were pretty slow off of the mark. Looking back, it is rather easy to see why. After all who is going to trust their hard earned cash in the hands of a virtual bot? The bug-trap theory was rampant within the first few generations of online slot gambling. However, time does heal all things and soon enough a trusting relationship was built between the increasingly competent (and impressive) games development firms and their increasingly open consumer base.

New video slots are put out there almost every single day of the year. The demand for them seems to be never ending, and the turnover they are noting for the industry as a combined entity is astronomical.

The Best Time of Year for Baccarat

July 28, 2015BaccaratOlivia

There are no patterns in the gambling game of baccarat. All games of baccarat are pretty much the same thing as tossing a coin. This is what makes the game different from the other card games inside of casinos. However, there is an underlying system to the amount of money a casino can make from baccarat. It’s true! There is a certain time of year the game of baccarat is bringing in loads of money for casinos all over the world. Do you know what time of year it is? It is Chinese New Year.

the best time for baccarat game

Why does Chinese New Year bring a surge in baccarat playing? The reason is simple. It is because Asian cultures generally love the game of baccarat. You need to remember that the game of baccarat is governed completely by fate. Asian cultures often have a strong belief in fate. Baccarat taps into a cultural need at the gambling table for many Asians. Naturally, large amounts of people with Asian heritage are going to hit the casinos for Chinese New Year. This means that baccarat always does well this time of year.

Do you need evidence of this? Look at the month of February in 2010. This month brought in over $206 million in baccarat revenue for all of Las Vegas. The month of June in 2010 only brought in $18.5 million in baccarat revenue. What was the difference between the two months? Chinese New Year was in February. The difference between those two months is incredible. It has great drawing power for baccarat tables. If you are looking into playing a baccarat game with lots of people, remember the correct time of year to do it! Look up the next Chinese New Year. You can then book your tickets to Vegas!

Grand Mondial Casino

May 5, 2015NewsOlivia

It’s very rare for a new online casino to possess a reputation which is truly beyond its age. It’s also very rare for a new online casino to have already carved out its own place in the vast and highly competitive landscape that is online gaming, this early on its existence.

Yet, Grand Mondial Casino appears to be legitimate living proof that both of these seemingly impossible feats are in fact possible in an industry which everyday becomes home to more and more hopeful big players!

Grand Mondial Casino has established a good reputation through the years

One way to quickly assess the salt of any online casino is by taking a look at the bonus and promotional offers it has available. Like most online gambling forums, the Grand Mondial offers a highly attractive rolling range of bonus offers which are intended not only to entice new players into the realm, but keep them content once they are in there. However, upon scanning over the facts and figures on the Grand Mondial homepage, it very quickly becomes apparent that these guys aren’t messing about.

With a welcoming bonus offer which magnifies initial deposits by 400%, there is very little question at all as to why this casino has come so far in such little time.

As for the games on offer, all of the usual suspects are well represented here. With traditional table games sitting alongside some of the modern sensations doing the rounds these days, the casino provides a very worthwhile platform for gamers of all generations, tendencies and tastes.

What’s more than all of this is that by all accounts the team behind the website are extremely capable when it comes to dealing with their clients’ requests, not that many issues will arise given the state of the art software Grand Mondial employs on all fronts.

Big Time Boxing Match Equals Big Payday for Hollywood and Vegas

March 10, 2015NewsOlivia

The Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather created a buzz in the boxing community.

The boxing match between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather provided a much-needed jolt of energy to the boxing community. The match, considered by many to be the most important boxing bout of this era, has also provided the casino industries in Las Vegas and Hollwood with a plenty of additional revenue, too.

MGM Grand Hotel & Casino’s Big Payday

The MGM’s public relations team released a report indicating that room prices for fight weekend were $750 more than room prices on an average night. The fight was held at the MGM Grand, where standard rooms eventually reached prices of $1,600 on the night of the fight. Prices for a standard room at the MGM Grand are $270 per night.

MGM Grand, in conjunction with the fight promoters, settled on a price of $100,000 for a ringside ticket to the fight. Tickets for nosebleed seats reached upwards of $4,600. The purse for the fight was estimated at over $300 million.

Hollywood’s Casinos Also Benefit from Fight Night

Las Vegas-based casinos and hotels were not the only businesses that benefited from the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. Native American-owned casinos in Hollywood and San Diego also received plenty of action on fight night as well.

For example, the Morongo Casino advertised that they were holding a pay-per-view viewing party on their casino floor. The Morongo charged $75 to watch the fight on their biggest screen. The casino’s hotel rooms were completely sold out during the weekend of the fight.

Phil Cooper, a marketing director with Morongo Casino, says the excitement and anticipation for the boxing match was similar to the excitement the casino sees for the Super Bowl. A restaurant cleaning owner in Hollywood compared the boxing match to the Rose Bowl.

Asia and Mexico Next On NetEnt Radar

February 3, 2015GeneralOlivia

NetEnt Online Gaming will enter Asia and Mexico in 2016 NetEnt, the supplier of online gambling software, is planning to enter into both Asia and Mexico within 2016. This news was confirmed by Per Eriksson, the chief executive of the company. This move is expected to assist the company in its expansion after it enjoyed a large growth.

Eriksson said that it makes perfect sense for the company to enter new regions. North America, more particularly Mexico, is at the nascent stage of regulating online gambling. It means that demand for the online offering is strong. He expressed confidence about performing well in these untested markets as well.

All ready for US opening

The second quarter of 2015 will witness NetEnt opening its first American operations with a New Jersey launch. The company is awaiting for only the final approval. Eriksson has announced that his company will proclaim the news as soon as the required agreements are inked with NJ operators. To prepare for this exciting debut, the company’s Global Market Operations chief, Bjorn Krantz, has set up base in New Jersey City. Krantz also heads the company’s market operations in North America and is the managing director of NetEnt.

Europe taken by NetEnt

Spain will also witness a NetEnt launch within a few months as the designated Spanish regulator recently permitted online slots regulation. The CEO also let know that there is a possibility of agreements in United Kingdon. This will allow NetEnt to expand its operations even more.

The company at present is a supplier of games to major online gambling sites in Europe. The company’s 2015 plans include a focus on middle sized operators and at the same time strengthening relationships with major current customers.

Gambling Business Group Supports ICE 2015

January 21, 2015NewsOlivia

The Gambling Business Group (GBG) is supporting the ICE exhibition, which will be starting from February 3 to 5, 2015 at the ExCel Centre in London. It is big news as GBG, which was formed just six months ago in July 2014 can count among its members people from top gaming organisations. Not only this, but GBG also represents a wide spectrum of the UK gaming industry such as the Pub, LBO, FEC, Bingo and the Casino industry.

ICE exhibition 2015

Significance of the GBG support

ICE is a big event, which brings eminent personalities from the gaming industry from the world over under one roof. Several GBG members participate in ICE as exhibitors and many others visit the exhibition as buyers. This ICE event is a networking and showcasing grounds in favour of the UK gaming.

ICE is the perfect platform for GBG employees and members to network with the local and international gaming professionals, innovators and thought leaders. With Peter Hannibal at its helm as the CEO, GBG along with its members and partners hope to discuss challenges facing the gaming industry with policymakers and politicians and also present the best of the products offered by the industry.

Significance of ICE event

The managing director of ICE, Julian Graves has welcomed this show of strength from the GBG. The main agenda of ICE no doubt, is the new product launches by hundreds of exhibitors; he accepts that ICE is also a huge networking and meeting ground for gaming industry professionals and they welcome it wholeheartedly.

With more than 500 exhibitors and thousands of gaming industry professionals gathered together for ICE Totally Gaming 2015, the GBG support and presence can only add to the significance of such exhibitions and conferences.

Casino Gambling Games with Decent Odds

December 8, 2014GeneralOlivia

Is it ever possible to beat the house? In the short term, yes. The idea is to play the games with the lowest house edge, take advantage of any comps that are offered, and know to quit when you’re ahead. The first step is, of course, choosing the right games with decent odds. With that in mind, here are some good choices:

Video Poker – This is a game that will require you to do your homework. Each type of video poker has its own optimum strategy based on the rules and pay tables, and a simple web search will probably get you the strategy card you need for your game of choice. With perfect strategic play, some poker games will pay back over 99 percent–it’s hard to beat that in any casino.

Blackjack – Blackjack is the rare casino game that could theoretically actually offer a positive expectation, assuming you’re playing with just one or two decks of cards; the rules are favorable and you are able to accurately track which cards have already been played (counting cards). Even if you don’t count cards, playing with good, basic blackjack strategy can get the house edge under one percent, depending on the rules and the number of decks in play.

Baccarat – There’s a reason why so many high rollers play baccarat–they like to win. The house edge on Baccarat is a mere 1.06 percent if you bet on the banker and 1.24 percent if you bet on the player.

Craps – Craps offers some of the best and worst bets in the casino. To keep the house edge down, start by betting the pass line or don’t pass line, which gives the house an edge of 1.41 and 1.36 percent, respectively. After that, you can bet odds, which actually give you a zero percent house edge!

Slots – Most slots are not known for their favorable odds, although they do often offer the chance at a huge payout. Sometimes, however, you’ll find a slot that may offer payouts of 98 percent or more. These are almost always the simpler three reel games with no progressive bonus, but they are out there. When a casino offers a game like this, they will be sure to advertise the payout percentage to draw your attention, so just be on the lookout.

Mark Wahlberg as a Gambler

November 18, 2014NewsOlivia

The famous 1974 movie ‘The Gambler’ is back on the big screen with a new cast Mark Wahlberg plays the lead this time and can be clearly seen having lost quite a few pounds for the role.

The plot

After having written one novel, Wahlberg starts his life afresh as a college professor. Hailing from a wealthy family and inheriting nothing, he lives a quiet life. However, he gets addicted to gambling and in a big way. His character Jim Bennett is under heavy debt due to his addiction and owes money to Korean mobsters and loansharks. Though he is in a bad place, he receives no sympathy from other characters as he himself is responsible for all of his problems. He ends up putting himself as collateral when he figures out that there is no way to get out of the mountains of gambling debt.

Performances and comparisons

A remake is bound to be compared with its predecessor and here too it is inevitable. The 2014 version appears like a good treat for the fans of the older version. However, the film fails to recreate the magic of the 1974 version.

As far as the performances of the actors go, the supporting cast comes off better than Wahlberg’s portrayal of the main character. Just as the characters didn’t have sympathy for him; the viewers will also have little or no sympathy for Jim Bennett. Even though Mark Wahlberg lost close to 60 pounds for the role, it seems to have gone in vain. He mentioned being on a diet of just almond milk for six weeks, while continuing his workout regime and hours of daily work.

Wahlberg is known for his performances in films like ‘the Fighter’. However, this one slightly missed the mark. Shot in Los Angeles, the cinematography is quite good, especially in outdoor scenes. Under the direction of Karel Reisz, the movie has quite a few good scenes like the blackjack one. The writer James Toback has done a good job and the score by Theo Green and Jon Brion is fine too.

Sports Betting – West Brom vs. Manchester United Odds

October 26, 2014GeneralOlivia

The international break is almost over, which means that domestic European football will be back this weekend. There are plenty of great games scheduled for the next few days, with a Monday encounter also catching the eye. West Bromwich Albion host Manchester United at the Hawthorns on Monday night, with both sides looking to continue the momentum found in recent games. For West Brom, the task is to remain in the top half of the table. United will be looking to make it three wins in a row as they step up a hunt for the top four positions.

The bookies believe that Manchester United are the favorites for this game. Despite being away from home, they have been priced at 3/4 to get the win. Wets Brom are out at 4/1 to get a win, while bookies believe a draw should be priced at 11/4.

If you were to make a safe bet, putting money on Manchester United to win makes sense. The Red Devils look to have found some form of consistency in recent weeks. They fought out for wins over Everton and West Ham, while the likes of Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao are beginning to make a serious impact. They still have defensive concerns, but should be able to score enough goals to defeat West Brom.

For a better who likes to take risks, the draw is a solid bet. The odds of 11/4 are appealing, while there is a decent chance that West Brom will nick something from this game. They are usually very good at home, while United have been a little lackluster away from home. They could only draw at Burnley and Sunderland, while a 3-1 lead was squandered at Leicester where they ended up losing 5-3.

Radamel Falcao and Robin van Persie are the favorites to open the scoring in this game. They are priced at 17/4 and 9/2 respectively.

SkyBet’s New Online Casino

September 22, 2014NewsOlivia

If you’ve been searching internet gaming portals for reliable and safe online betting sites, then you will be thrilled to know about the many riches in store. As internet gambling sites grow more comprehensive with choices that include live betting, interactive video slots, and ever-increasing progressive slots, players, now more than ever are regaled with high quality options offered by renowned and secure sites.

Soar high with Sky

Well-established and popular gaming company, SkyBet recently launched Sky Casino in affiliation with Playtech games. Building on previous operations in Sky Bingo, run by gaming software provided by Playtech, SkyBet players now have access to a range of latest and hottest casino games.

Everything from table card games to progressive video slots are now available for quick and easy download on to portable and mobile instruments. Marvel-themed slot games like Iron Man 2, Gladiator, Avengers, Halloween Fortune and many more guarantee entertaining and rewarding times.

In addition, the site also offers player the thrill and excitement of live and interactive table card games. Players can now choose to indulge in classic favourites like Roulette, Baccarat, and Blackjack sessions with live dealers that feature impressive featured chat options and professional standards.

Sky is the limit

Current features on Sky Casino enable players to attempt their chosen game at their convenience. Players registered for instant play are given access to all recent web-based applications and browser software that provides easy and unhindered gaming.

Over and above, players will be given the opportunity to consult with and receive premium advice from a trained and professional team of veteran players. You can now explore the many possibilities to increase winnings, and enjoy the excitement of live table games from the comfort of your own home.

Live table games are a secure way to ensure that your bets aren’t subject to random, computer-generated numbers. Playing online live card games will give you the feeling of being in a real casino.

Applied Perception

Gambling and Betting Advice