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Manchester's Etihad Stadium is the venue for today's tense meeting between Manchester City and West Brom (12:45 UK time). Deciding Game for City Manchester City is coming to this game a beaten team. Last year's Premier League champions lost their Champions League season in Wednesday after they were kicked out of the round of 16 by Barcelona. The Citizens also slipped in their mission to defend the Premier League title this season, having a few draws, losing to Liverpool earlier this month and then suffering a 1-0 loss against Burnley from the relegation zone one week ago. City is 6 points away from leaders Chelsea, and they have Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool breathing down their necks and hungry for blood. Today's game will be deciding for City, and they are the favorites to emerge victorious although the pressure will weigh down on them. West Brom Currently positioned 13 in the table, West Brom is not under any specific pressure like its host today and that's a strongpoint. West Brom's performance has been quite average, going down and up – they have 33 points composed of 8 wins, 9 draws and 12 losses, with a goal difference of -9 (27 for, 36 against). West Brom will be missing three key players today, Claudio Yacob, Ben Foster and Chris Brunt. They don't have a good away record and it's hard to see them winning this, but if there will be any goals on their behalf look for Saido Berahino in goalscorer bets. Odds bet365 Sports gave City 3/10 to win against 15/2 for West Brom and 9/2 for a draw. Punters can take advantage of bet365's 100% Euro Soccer Bonus that gives bonuses for placing pre-match accumulators on this match or any other from Europe's leading leagues, and although it doesn't look like the case, the Bore Draw Money Back Offer promises a refund on Correct Score, Half-Time/Full-Time or Scorecast bets in case of a goalless draw. Log-in bet365 Sports this Saturday for many pre-match and in-play markets on the Premier League games.
Online gambling is seen as beneficial to most associated with the gaming industry—from platform vendors, to gaming providers, to casino corporations, to users, all the way to the state governments that regulate online activity. Goodbye Intelligence However, the market dynamics of the online format is catching one stakeholder between the sides: the intelligent gambler. The sophisticated millennial generation savvy with tech tools and conditioned to rapid calculations should by all rights be experiencing an uptake in winnings in the new online format in games of calculated odds such as blackjack—but alas, the casinos seem to have noticed and adapted to protect their profits accordingly. The Millennial Player The rise of the digital age has paralleled another unrelated movement: the expansion of land-based casino gaming across the U.S. over the past quarter-century and the global poker boom and online gaming explosion of the 2000s. This exposed more people than ever to games of chance, accelerating the development of individual knowledge of strategy and gaming, giving rise to the millennial player generation. Recent Online Gambling Boom Brings More Players Online gambling reaches more unskilled players than ever, enabling casinos to cut losses incurred by millennial players who kept beating them. The way to cut costs was to remove blackjack and other games of skill. Bonus Round: The Hybridization of Online Skill Games Instead, online casinos have taken to offering “less-skilled” games of skill. These games have far less outcome variance between the abilities of the most and least skilled players, with the skill-based features reserved for the bonus round—in other words, every player has the same chance of qualifying for the skill round. A great example of this new form of hybrid game is Pong, based on the original video game offered by Atari beginning in 1972. The new video slot game was introduced by Bally Technologies at the 2004 Global Gaming Expo, equipped with a bonus round in which the player would play a 45-second round of the original Pong game, with the player's result directly affecting the payout. The appeal of this type of hybrid skill game was the statistical variance between the results of the best and worst player: a scant and predictable 7 percent. IGT's Centipede and GTECH's Zuma are among the games following suit with skill-based bonus features. The "Death" of Blackjack At the same time, online casinos have been adding features to their technology to eliminate their risk of loss from card counting, the key skill component of blackjack and other card games including poker. One such feature is the continuous shuffling machine (CSM), which increases user engagement by speeding up games while eliminating the possibility of card-counting. A second feature is the shifting of the odds payout on blackjack on all deck alternatives, from 3:2 payouts adjusted to 6:5 payouts, thus adding 1.39% to the house advantage. This may seem like a small figure to the player, yet represents a huge savings to the house, and an adjustment of time-honored odds payout at the cost of the skill player. The Disappearance of the Millennial Player Millennial players are being discouraged from learning and applying strategy. The target market of online casinos shrinks in share, but increases in quantity as globalization enables rapid cost-free delivery of unskilled and low-skilled games. Video enthusiasts are being attracted to replace millennial players. Online casinos will be pleased with the development; however, gaming purists will have to wave goodbye to the participation of a whole new generation of strategists. Sadly, the economic dynamics of online gambling are changing the definition of iGaming, at the cost of gambling's most enduring - and perhaps endearing - group of users.
Online gambling, or the lack thereof, has the tribal commission restless in California. Tribal Commission calls for Online Gambling in Cali Dave Vialpando, Chairman of the Santa Ysabel Tribal Gaming Commission, has called on the California government to legalize online gaming to pave the way for growth of the state's gambling market. GiGse Should Get Out the Message Ahead of his speaking engagement next month at the 2015 Global Interactive Gaming Summit and Expo (GiGse) in San Francisco's Hyatt, Vialpando characterized online gaming as a “natural evolution” of gaming whose continued denial would be “counterproductive to consumer demand.” Vialpando will expand on his views in an Open Space discussion on "Regulation, Policy & Public Awareness" at the high profile GiGse as part of a new meeting and networking format. This stands to be a significant boost for acceptance of online gambling, and is a reminder that online gambling does not just help those who provide it, but it helps the struggling gambling industry overall. In a time in which states need all the revenue boosts they can get, a popular and taxable new system such as online gambling seems like a welcome band-aid. Identifying Remaining Obstacles Vialpando echoes the sentiments of all online and land-based casinos interested in expanding into the online sector. At this point, outdated legislative barriers still stand as obstacles to full integration of online gambling, which looks capable of benefiting players, casinos, and the government in one full deregulation swoop. This state of California, of course, is capable of delivering said swoop with one voting session. Interest groups benefiting from outdated gambling laws also play a role behind the scenes, because those restrictive laws limit market competition as well. Next Year Almost Here Vialpando doesn't hold much hope for enactment of online gambling legislation this year, but a good showing at GiGse can certainly set the wheels in motion for full online deregulation and the opening of the market in one of America's largest and most autonomous state governments by next year.
Online gambling operators who provide their services to UK players can now sign up to the eCOGRA dispute resolution facility which will provide free and independent help for both the operator and players to resolve issues. About the Service eCOGRA is a London-based independent agency that oversees the standards and practices of gambling companies in the UK. They have now been authorised by the UK Gambling commission to provide an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), service between players and the many online gambling companies that have acquired a UK license. Should a player or operator not be able to resolve an issue themselves, eCORGA can now be approached for fast and free mediation between the parties. Accessed by the eCOGRA website, the service is headed by an experienced Clear ADR Accredited Civil and Commercial Mediator, Tex Rees. Rees and his team have helped resolve some 8,000 disputes between sites registered with the Safe and Fair seal from eCOGRA and their players, and has said of the new service ''We've included ADR in our service offering as we know how important it is to players to have an impartial mediator handling their issues with operators. From an operator perspective it is equally important that our clients can come to us for a full suite of services involving independent third parties as required by UKGC regulations.'' By using advanced software to assist in the resolution of disputes, the highly experienced team at eCOGRA aim to have issues resolved within 3 days. About eCOGRA The agency has been operating for around 12 years and helps operators, regulators and players alike. They test games, audit security procedures and help to establish best practice standards which have been adopted in a number of countries. In 2014, new legislation required any online gambling operator accepting UK customers to hold a UK license, and to date, some 246 of the biggest sites that have obtained a license have also signed up to eCOGRA and their ADR service.
March Madness is a wondrous time for online betting: 64 teams, 67 consistently thrilling elimination games playing around the clock; a huge bonus for picking the champion--the nirvana of modern-day one-click sports betting. When Madness Turns to Addiction However, to sports fans and non-sports fans alike, this amount of stimulation can also be addicting, and one has to remain careful that addiction does not overwhelm one's pocketbook. As much as the industry loves the NCAA tournament, no one wants anyone entangled in a cycle of disproportionate and costly betting. Problem betting behaviour remains an unfortunate reflection on what remains primarily a fun and safe activity. Gambling Sites Fight Addiction? Gambling and responsibility are not contradictory terms. In the online gaming industry, they are rapidly becoming synonymous, as gambling sites provide increasingly progressive support for addiction. Gambling does not make addicts. Addictive personality disorders make addicts. Gambling organizations today are putting their best feet forward to participate as equal community partners in the fight against gambling addiction, with the type of support that draws on psychological as well as behavioral science to prevent or self-detect addiction. Financial Woes for Addicts Today, gambling remains one of the most prominent, if not the most prominent, forms of addiction. Online addiction support group Lifeline Central West identifies the emergence of online gaming as one of the organization's biggest challenges for 2015. LCW says that its help line is seeing more and more calls from people experiencing financial problems as a result of online gaming. The online option brings the availability of gambling right to one's home. However, help is just as close. Ethical Online Promotion From state regulators to gambling websites, the biggest proponents of online gambling are also taking the most active roles in fighting addiction. In one of the few states in the US currently allowing online gaming, the New Jersey government recently launched a new service through its Division of Gaming Enforcement. The state's Online Gaming Self-Exclusion Registration enables citizens to voluntarily remove themselves from online gambling activities for a period of one or five years. On a smaller scale, online gambling and betting sites provide both direct support lines as well as preventative information for users to monitor their own behaviour to avoid falling prey to addiction. Further, online gambling providers such as BETAT Casino and Winner Casino offer self-test quizzes for users to determine if their gambling qualifies as problem behaviour before the addiction consumes them. Gambling sites have their own "self-exclusion" programs as well. March Support March Madness is certainly a profitable time for online sports bettors. However, those who benefit the most from gambling behaviour also serve as among the best resources for addiction support. In a perfect world efficient, responsible support from online betting and gambling providers certainly has the potential to curb addiction worldwide. March Madness is as good a time as any to self-test for addiction. Today, all gamblers can test themselves in the exact same place where they bet.
It is the battle of the year, and one of the last chances for Real Madrid to reclaim top spot on the La Liga table. In Round 9 of the 2014/15 regular season, Real won a huge game at home 3-1 against their league rivals, but much has changed since then. Barcelona have been on a tear recently, winning 9 out of 10 games in all competitions. They won a huge game in the Champions League against Manchester City 1-0 on March 18, which knocked the Premier League second place team from the competition. Real Madrid have slipped up in their past 10 matches, having lost to Shalke in the Champions League second leg 3-4, but advancing on aggregate goals for/against, Athletic Bilbao 1-0 on March 7 in the Spanish Primera League and a big loss, which knocked them out of first place against their home town rivals Atletico Madrid 4-0 in February. They also tied with Villareal on the first of March and lost out on yet another 3 points in their La Liga campaign. Who’s got the Best Player? This question is the reason for arguments all over the world and every person has a different opinion when it comes to Messi vs Ronaldo. Let’s look at the facts. Lionel Messi has outscored Cristiano Ronaldo in all competitions 43-41. He has also beat the Real Madrid golden boy 21-16 in assists. Truth be told, they are both incredible and there are virtually no other player’s like them in the world right now. It was absolutely a shock to the soccer world that Ronaldo announced he will be making the move to the American MLS in 2018, but for now, Real Madrid need his feet on the pitch. Shocking Odds at bet365 Sports This could be the night to capitalize on lucrative cash with online gambling odds bet365 Sports. Real come into tonight’s match-up as severe underdogs with odds at 4.50 and a draw is just the same at 4.50. Barcelona are on winning form and are listed at 1.66 to win. Correct score odds are as high as 23 for a 0-0 draw. Don’t miss out on bet365’s Bore Money Back offer, which will get punters a 100% return on all bets in the event of a 0-0 tie. Check out their 100% European Soccer Bonus as well to try and maximize winnings. Live in-play odds are also available throughout all 90 minutes with team props, score props and much more.
Half of the total teams needed in the Sweet 16 have already made it through, as March Madness pushes on. There have been some incredible upsets to go along with the best College basketball in the world but the tournament favorite is still in complete control. Intertops Sportsbook began a $25,000 contest for the perfect bracket. It's tough to say now if anyone is still in the running but even if the perfect bracket is never found, Intertops will be dividing up the 25 large to the top 25 players with the closest bracket. Sweet 16 Online Gambling Even if you didn't happen to make the cutoff on March 19th before the second round of NCAA action, Intertops still has some of the best odds for every single game throughout the tournament. Punters that are following this year's Championship would have been in heaven last night with #1 seed Villanova getting ousted by #8 seed North Carolina State 71-68, which was by far the biggest upset so far. The odds alone would have been profitable for any bet placed on NC State, but there are a ton of games remaining and many chances to make lucrative cash. Kentucky, Notre Dame, Xavier, NC State, North Carolina, Arizona, Utah and UCLA have already won their way into the sweet 16 and the Wildcats are still looking like they will have the perfect season. The unbeaten Cats are still the talk of every town and punters are just waiting for the upset to maximize their underdog winnings $100 March Madness Free Bet If you are a serious punter and have wagered up to $1,000 by the end of the NCAA Championship regional tournaments on March 29 at Intertops, the sportsbook will sending you a $100 Free Bet bonus that can be used from March 30. In addition, Intertops is adding 20% to one deposit per customer until Wednesday March 25.
Monday March 23rd marks the release of NetEnt's newest video slot: Spinata Grande. Mexican Piñatas Theme Built on 5 reels, 5 rows and 40 paylines, Spinata Grande is NetEnt's take on the Mexican pinata theme that is not alien to online casino players. The game takes place in a typical Mexican town, presenting players with cheery pinatas serving as symbols including a mustached fish, a bird, a bull and the obligatory donkey. Spinata Grande doesn't take itself too seriously with its theme, and the cartoonish symbols together with the upbeat Mexican music make for a fun experience that produces lots of laughs. When big wins are landed, the screen gets filled with trumpets playing as confetti falls down from the skies. Colossal Reels Spinata Grande's pinatas are filled with coins which give players chances to win some serious loot. One of the main innovations of Spinata Grande is the Colossal Reel symbols – these are symbols that are much bigger than their counterparts, covering 2x2 or 3x3 reel positions to help players land larger winning combinations. The max jackpot players can land goes up to 120,000 coins. Mini Slot Feature The Mini Slot feature is another innovation that creates an interesting slot-within-a-slot gameplay. This is triggered when players land a colossal symbol represented by a funny mustached slot machine wearing a sombrero. A bat strikes the symbol to spin the reels which only include coin and free spin symbols. The free spin mode wich takes place in a different unique screen – here the ground is set for seriously impressive mega wins, with re-trigger and colossal symbols. Available on Desktop and Mobile Spinata Grande will be released simultaneously on desktop and mobile. Look for the game once it's released at recommended NetEnt-powered online casinos like Winner Casino, Slotty Vegas and Casino Cruise.
IGT Interactive has just released their most popular titles Cleopatra and Siberian Storm in a new Mega Jackpots campaign with 20 customers across Europe. The simultaneous launch brings with it a huge possibility for some lucky players to walk away with some out-of-this-world cash prizes during the promotional period. Huge Prize Pool Throughout the month-long promotional period, which started on March 19, 10,000 of the top players of these games will receive a share of the £500,000 prize pool including 50 instant winners of £1,000. "Releasing MegaJackpots Cleopatra and MegaJackpots Siberian Storm is a significant milestone for IGT Interactive and there is even more good news on the way with additional MegaJackpots titles scheduled for later in the year,” related IGT Commercial Director of Interactive, Leigh Nissim. Mega Jackpots Pay Out Frequently Both games are available for desktop and on mobile will share pooled jackpots, thanks to extended liquidity created to boost winnings and win frequency. Best of all, players from all over the world will be able to play and win due to the multi-language and multi-currency jackpots. Mega Jackpot games are popular because they pay more than other slot games. Players will enjoy a higher RTP value, have the potential to win MegaJackpots awards on each bet, have better odds of winning and more frequently and much more. Coming from IGT Interactive, it's safe to say that the artwork and game design are second-to-none. Be on the lookout for the rest of the MegaJackpots titles to be released this year for the best chances to win some of the biggest jackpots. IGT Quality IGT Interactive is one of the leading game developers in the online gambling industry and they continue to release some of the most influential titles and large cash payouts. Look for the megajackpots at casinos like bet354 Casino, 888 Casino, and Betfred Casino.
It has been a tough week for RAWA, the Restoration of America’s Wire Act, and a good week for online gambling proponents. RAWA, the anti-online gambling bill, has been strongly pushed forward by Sheldon Adelson and would make online gambling illegal at both federal and state levels. Last week, the Democratic Governors Association wrote a letter against RAWA, saying that the bill is unconstitutional, as it would take away the rights of individual states. As it stands in America now, states have the power to legalize or ban online gambling; three states have chosen to legalize it: New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada. Other states, including California and Pennsylvania, are currently seeking to legalize it. RAWA would override any online gambling regulations passed by these states, which is completely unconstitutional, the DGA writes: "We believe strongly that the issue of Internet gaming, as has historically been the case with other forms of gaming, is best left to the states to decide and regulate. This approach is consistent with the congressional intent related to online gaming as stated in the “Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006,” decades after the Wire Act was enacted." RAWA Hearing Postponed A hearing for RAWA was supposed to have taken place on March 5, but last week it was postponed until March 25. The hearing will be held by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations, and is believed to have been strongly pushed for by Sheldon Adelson. While the delay itself does not actually mean anything, it is still another setback for the RAWA camp. Bad Press On March 18, Poker Players Alliance Executive Director John Pappas published an op-ed in the influential newspaper Roll Call, entitled “The Wire Act — Don’t Fix What Isn’t Broken.” In his article he argues that that RAWA is, in fact, doing the very opposite of what the original Wire Act intended. While RAWA may have taken some hits last week, there are still plenty in the anti-online gaming camp who will continue to push for its approval.
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