Online Casino Lobby

Posted on July 1st, 2009

Gambling online is so easy these days due to many informative sites available to anyone who is looking to get a little play in.  Online Casino Lobby is a good example.  Full and thorough reviews are provided for each available online casino out there.  You can find what the payouts are for each casino along with their bonus amounts and URL’s.  Golden Casino is amongst the best listed online casinos on the site.  You may check out a detailed review of others such as Rushmore casino and Roxy Palace.  These casinos also fully accept US players, so Golden and Rushmore Casinos are highly recommended.  A thorough tutorial on how to play every game offered is also provided.  If you want blackjack, all you need to do is click on it and read all about this game.  It is very informative for anyone who is interested in playing online instead of a land based casino.  Other benefits to playing online versus land based casinos is the percentages of the payouts.  They are much higher when playing online, given there is no infrastructure cost and having lower overhead also helps.  Plus, why get in the car, drive to a land based casino, spend money on gas, when you can sit at the comfort of your own home, wearing sweats and playing online.  It cannot get much better than that.  Online casinos offer a variety of different games which you may chose from right in front of you.  So there is no room for boredom.  Be also sure to check out Casino Gambling Guides at DMOZ for more information.  Good Luck !

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Tips to Improve Lottery Odds

Posted on March 12th, 2010

Unlike poker and blackjack the lottery is a pure game of chance and no special skills are needed to play the lottery. This does not mean that lottery players can’t use some logic and reason to increase their chances of winning that huge Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot. There are many websites that claim to have the ‘secret’ to winning the lottery but most of these are based on new age mysticism or outright superstitions. Other lottery websites may claim to have discovered various algorithms to pick winning numbers. The hard cold facts are; there are no ‘lucky’ numbers and lottery numbers are usually picked by some sort of random number generator. There are some strategies that can increase your chances of winning the lottery and here are seven ways to improve your chances of winning.

Avoid playing numbers that have recently been drawn. It is highly unlikely that these numbers will be drawn again. Statistics show that most big lottery winners had their numbers picked by a random number generator at a lottery retailer.

There is no such thing as a so called ‘lucky’ number. While playing your birthday dates may be fun it is highly unlikely your birthday date will be drawn. In addition birthday numbers are limited to six or eight digits and most lotteries require the player to pick more digits than a birthday date can provide.

Since lottery draws are totally random using number sequences is a poor strategy. Sequences such as 2-4-6-8-10 should be avoided. Since lottery draws are random it is best to mix odd and even numbers.

Play lottery games with better odds. While the payout will not be as big lottery games that require the player to pick 3 or 4 numbers offer players significantly better odds. Most lotteries publish the odds for the various games they offer.

Avoid using patterns on the lottery playslip. While some patterns may look pretty cool on the lottery slip they will not in any way improve your chances of winning.

Many savvy lottery players check previously drawn numbers and will pick what are known as ‘neighbor numbers. One lottery expert says that players should check the 10 most recent drawings for numbers that have been drawn frequently.

Watch for repeating numbers. Put simply these are numbers that have been drawn more frequently than others. Thanks to computer technology it is easy to check past winning numbers.

One expert says that three and four digit lottery games run in trends. He points out that a number that has not been drawn during the past ten games is a ‘due number.’ He also suggests checking for frequent numbers and to use a combination of due numbers and frequently occurring numbers.

In the past people have spent a considerable amount of time researching various ways to improve the odds for players but the fact remains; the lottery is still a game of pure chance.

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Online Lottery Tickets-An Idea Whose Time Has Come!

Posted on March 9th, 2010

Recently the state of Illinois announced it was looking into the possibility of facilitating the sale of online lottery tickets and many other states are also considering online lottery tickets as a way to boost flagging ticket sales. Since the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling enforcement Act in 2006 federal law regarding online lottery ticket sales has been unclear. Last year it was reported that one credit card company rejected lottery ticket transactions due to confusing regulations. While the legislation does not actually prohibit online gambling it does forbid financial institutions and banks from processing gambling related transactions. Most banks consider the enforcement responsibilities to be an unfunded mandate and have taken a blanket approach to any and all ‘gambling’ transactions.

Most lottery experts believe that online lottery tickets would result in increased lottery revenues and would attract a younger generation of lottery players. As anyone who plays the lottery knows; when Powerball or Mega Millions jackpots are in the hundreds of millions of dollars lines at lottery retailers can be long and buying a lottery ticket can take an annoying amount of time. Most lottery players say they would appreciate the convenience that online lottery tickets offer. Players could log on to a lottery website and purchase tickets with a click of a mouse using credit or debit cards.

In British Columbia the provincial government has established a pilot program that would allow players of Lotto 6/49, BC/49 and Lotto Max to use debit and credit cards to purchase tickets for these popular Canadian lotteries. At the present time retailers must use a complicated system to ring up lottery tickets and lottery transactions must be processed separately from other purchases. Although the new system does not facilitate the sale of online lottery tickets most industry observers say that the new policies are a precursor to the sale of online lottery tickets.

Some European lotteries have sold online lottery tickets for years and European players appreciate the ease and convenience of online lottery ticket sales. New Zealand has one of the best systems for the sale of online lottery tickets. Kiwi players can even have their lottery winnings deposited automatically into their bank accounts. The UK National Lottery sells online lottery tickets and sales have been consistently brisk. American lotteries would be wise to imitate their European counterparts and allow US players to purchase online lottery tickets. In the US congressman Barney Frank has sponsored a bill that would eliminate most of the regulations blocking the sale of online lottery tickets. It is time for state lotteries to join the 21st century and go online!

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Canadian Lotteries to Offer Online Poker

Posted on February 24th, 2010

Canadian lottery players will now be able to play one of the most popular online games—poker. Some Canadian lottery corporations are starting to offer players safe and regulated online poker. Once confined to the shadowy world of online gaming online poker has gained some measure of respectability in recent years. Loto-Quebec is the latest lottery to announce the addition of an online poker website that will launch in the fall. Loto-Quebec says the new website will counter the many illegal gambling websites and expects to make about $50 million by 2012.

The new website will be launched by Loto-Quebec and Atlantic and B.C. lottery corporations. The Atlantic and B.C. lottery corporations already have their own online poker operations. The Atlantic Lottery Corporation has operated an online gambling website since 2004 and allows players to purchase online lottery tickets in addition to poker. The B.C. lottery website offers online poker allowing players to bet as much as $9,999.per week. The B.C. lottery website also sells online lottery tickets. The industry expects big bets to translate into big profits for the lottery corporations

Some Canadian provinces are taking a wait and see approach to online poker and gaming. Kevin Van Egdom, with the Western Canada Lottery Corp stated, “Nothing has been written off forever, but we have no plans to do that.”  The Western Canada Lottery Corp provides lottery services for Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Van Egdom further stated, “We’re responsible for offering lottery games and selling lottery products through authorized retailers, where you buy them in person. Each region makes its own decision and Quebec’s doesn’t play into ours.”

Ontario Gaming and Lottery Corp. is also taking a wait and see approach. The company says it has spent a “considerable amount of time” investigating the possibility on online gaming and online lottery tickets. Ontario Lottery spokesman Rui Brum said that “No decision has been made,” and that it would be up to the new board of directors whether the lottery will offer online gaming.

John Kennedy FitzGerald, the CEO of the Vancouver-based Interactive Gaming Council says he hopes that government sanctioned lotteries offering gaming is a step towards regulation of the online gaming industry and not a step towards a government monopoly of  the online gaming sector. FitzGerald stated, “It’s a natural progression for governments to be more involved. At least we have the government saying they recognize the industry and know it’s here to stay.”

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UK Lottery Winner Conceals £10 Million Win From Girlfriend

Posted on February 20th, 2010

A UK lottery winner went to great lengths to conceal a £10 million pound lottery win. ($15,471,999 USD) Lottery winner Joe Johnson had been stung by gold diggers who only wanted him for his money and decided to conceal his newfound wealth from the woman who would eventually become his wife. Joe’s wife Lisa treasures a relatively inexpensive ring he gave her as a Christmas present during their fledging relationship. Future wife Lisa had no idea that Joe was a big lottery winner. About the ring Lisa says, ‘I could see Joe didn’t have a lot of money,’ she recalls. ‘So for him to spend what little he had on such a thoughtful gift was lovely. It meant the world to me — it still does.’

Joe went to great lengths to conceal his winnings. During the beginning of their relationship Joe said ‘I would drive to meet Lisa in an old, dirty Land Rover,’ says Joe. ‘I dressed down, took her to a £20 noodle bar for our first date and let her pay half on all our meals out. When I did take her home, I pretended I was house-sitting for a rich friend. Our first holiday together was a £200 budget break in Tenerife in a two-star hotel. I forced myself to carry on deceiving Lisa because I wanted to ask her to marry me - and I had to know for sure that she was saying yes for the right reason.’

Lisa was a single mother who was struggling to make a new life for herself and her five year old son. Joe frequented the café where Lisa worked and finally asked her out on a date. On their first date Lisa recalls, ‘Joe picked me up from the two-bedroom flat I rented in Clayhall, Essex. He was dressed in jeans and an old top and he asked me if I liked Chinese food. I was delighted. I imagined a lovely little restaurant with a quiet table for two. Instead, Joe took me to a cheap noodle bar. I was stunned. The bill came to £20 and I asked Joe if he wanted me to pay half. He thanked me and took my money.”

Lisa described a hellish vacation at a cheap hotel on Tenerife. ‘The hotel was awful. Our door had a padlock on it, because they had problems with security. The curtains were dank, horrible and the bed had an old mattress which sank in the middle. I nearly cried when I saw the bathroom — it was filthy.’ Finally the relationship progressed and Joe decided to fess up. Joe recalls, ‘The previous few months had been agony, because I loved Lisa so much and I was lying to her every single day. When she came home from work exhausted, all I wanted to do was tell her she didn’t have to go back.’

Joe finally told Lisa about his £10 million lottery win. Lisa’s first reaction was anger but when Joe explained what he had been through the couple decided to tie the knot and the rest is history.

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Virginia Lottery Goes Online

Posted on February 18th, 2010

The Virginia state lottery has dumped its daily televised drawings in favor of internet drawings in an attempt to cut costs and move into the 21st century. The Virginia lottery finally realized that most lottery players now check their numbers online. In January the Virginia lottery started internet only video streams for its daily drawings and its popular twice-a-week Win for Life drawings. Lottery officials expect the move online to save more than $1 million dollars in operating costs during the next fiscal year. Virginia is trying to deal with a $4 billion budget deficit. While the move online is primarily a cost cutting measure the lottery recognizes that most players now rely on online sources for lottery information. Virginia Lottery Executive Director Paula Otto stated, “The Internet is actually a more popular way of people getting their numbers now.”

Lottery officials report they have received a few complaints about the new policy, mostly from older people with no internet access or computer skills. An informal survey done by the Virginia lottery revealed that most states now use a combination of televised drawings and online feeds for drawings and most state lotteries also have lottery phone hot lines and email alerts for players to check lotto numbers. The executive director of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries said that most state lotteries are looking for ways to cut costs and operating expenses. Executive director David Gale stated, “State budgets are a mess. Forget about lottery budgets because they’re probably holding their own to tell you the truth.” Most states use lottery revenues for education, senior citizens, wildlife and tourism. Council of State Governments fiscal analyst Sujit CanagaRetna says he is not surprised by Virginia’s move. CanagaRetna stated, “States are looking at every possible way to corral some dollars together just to improve their bottom line. If you do a whole bunch of these little things, it could potentially add up to something significant.”

Lottery players, especially younger players, depend on the internet for information and are rapidly shifting to web based programming. The shift to online technology could mean that online lottery tickets may be the norm in the very near future. Illinois and Iowa are exploring the sale of online lottery tickets. At the present time Federal law prevents the purchase of lottery tickets online but that is expected to change soon. Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank has sponsored a bill that would clear the way for the sale of online lottery tickets. Its about time lotteries embraced 21st century technology!

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Iowa Lottery May Offer Online Lottery Ticket Sales

Posted on February 17th, 2010

Recently it was announced that the Illinois lottery is looking into the possibility of allowing players to purchase lottery tickets online. The Iowa lottery is considering a similar move. One of the chief roadblocks to online lottery ticket sales is current federal law. The law prohibits the processing of gambling related transactions by banks. To comply with the law some banks even prohibit customers from using bank issued credit and debit cards to buy lottery tickets. The anti gambling federal law is very unpopular with the public and a recent poll shows that 91% of Americans think internet gambling should be legal.

The Iowa lottery is exploring the possibility of online lottery ticket sales. Players could also buy lottery tickets from their cell phones or mobile devices. The head of the Iowa lottery told state legislators that purchasing lottery tickets online of via cell phones would be possible once the technology is in place to weed out illegal sales and the federal law is changed. Iowa Lottery Chief Executive Terry Rich told the Iowa legislature’s Government Oversight Committee that the federal government may loosen interstate regulations and allow the use of credit cards for online gambling. Rich believes that online lottery ticket sales would create new opportunities for the Iowa lottery. Rich stated, “I think of all the things for the future, the electronic landscape is the key. It’s not adding new games but doing it in a way people 21 to 35 are actually purchasing and doing things.”

U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass has sponsored a bill that would legalize online poker while New Jersey senator Bob Menendez, D wants many other kinds of internet gambling legalized. Should the federal laws change it would open the door for online lottery ticket sales in Iowa. The proposal has some opponents. Consumer Credit of Des Moines director Tom Coates said that expanding ticket sales to include online lottery ticket sales could lead to problems. Coates stated, “As you speed up the action, you will increase the revenue, but you will also increase the social costs. The people you’re taking that money from are primarily the people who can’t afford to buy them.” Unfortunately for Coates almost every study done on the subject thoroughly debunks his statement.

Iowa lottery director Rich sees online lottery ticket sales as a great opportunity for the Iowa lottery to increase ticket sales and provides players with better customer service. Iowa lottery players may be able to purchase lottery tickets online or via cell phone in the very near future.

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Twitter to Offer Real Time Lottery Results

Posted on January 18th, 2010

Twitter, the very popular social networking and microblogging service was created in 2006 by Jack Dorsey. Since then Twitter has grown and now has millions of users around the globe. Users send messages known as ‘tweets’ that are limited to 140 characters. Twitter has been used by political candidates, for educational purposes, emergencies, marketing and several other uses. Twitter has a demographic of older adults which means marketers can reach an affluent audience. In Europe lottery lovers and players can now stay up to date about various European lotteries. Users can also find out where to buy lottery tickets. Players who want to find out where to buy lottery tickets need only consult their cell phone or blackberry.

The European Lottery Guild is now using Twitter to make the latest up to date lottery information available to users. Winning numbers can be checked and Twitter is accessible from mobile devices and cell phones which means that lottery fans can be instantly informed about winning numbers. The European Lottery Guild offers information and tickets for the British Lotto, El Gordo, the Spanish Lottery, the Irish Lotto, the French Lotto, Euro Millions, the French Lotto, and the German Lotto.

In addition to the European Lottery Guild several European lotteries allow players to see results via Twitter. For example UK lottery players can now follow the National Lottery on Twitter and receive real time lottery results. Several national and state lotteries in the US now allow players to sign up and receive results. Some lotteries send jackpot alerts to inform players of large jackpot draws and some offer advice on picking numbers and links to lottery news and information. Twitter could easily become a lottery player’s best source of lottery news.

In addition to Twitter there are many online lottery services that are designed to help players purchase lottery tickets online. In the US some states allow players to buy lotto tickets online. In Europe players can purchase lottery tickets for foreign lotteries and most European lottery jackpots are tax free unlike those in the United States where taxes can easily amount to half of the jackpot. The ability to purchase online lottery tickets has boosted lottery revenues for several European lotteries. Busy commuters can avoid lines at lottery terminals and buy online lottery tickets from wherever they happen to be. The combination of  computer technology and social networking has made the access of online lottery tickets quick and convenient.

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Florida Lottery Winner Missing

Posted on January 14th, 2010

In 2006 Abraham Shakespeare, a truck driver’s assistant, won $30 million dollars in the Florida. Shakespeare, 43 won the jackpot after purchasing a lottery ticket at a convenience store in Frostproof Florida and said he had just given his last $3 dollars to a homeless man just before the winning numbers were announced. Shakespeare was sued by a fellow employee who claimed that Shakespeare had stolen the winning ticket from him but a Florida court sided with Shakespeare.

Shakespeare had a criminal record that included burglary, battery and non payment of child support took a lump sum payment of $16.9 million dollars. Shakespeare would purchase lottery tickets regularly in hopes of a big win.
Shakespeare took his winnings and purchased a Rolex watch from a pawn shop, bought a $1 million dollar home in a gated community and also bought a Nissan Altima. Shakespeare repeatedly said that the money would not change him. Shakespeare was besieged with requests for money from relatives and friends. His mother reported that he paid for funerals, lent money to friends to start business and gave $1 million dollars to a person known only as ‘big man.’

Now Shakespeare has vanished and law enforcement authorities fear the worst. Sheriff Grady Judd stated, “There are a lot of odd and bizarre circumstances in this case. We fear and are preparing for the worst. We’re working this case as if it were a homicide.” Shakespeare was approached by DeeDee Moore who said she was interested in writing a book about Shakespeare’s life. She also served as a ‘financial advisor’ for the lottery winner who never graduated from high school.

Records show that Moore’s company American Medical Professionals purchased Shakespeare’s home for $655,000 last January. His mother reported that the last time she saw him was shortly afterward. Police report that Moore began using Shakespeare’s cell phone to text Shakespeare’s friends and relatives in an attempt to make them believe it was Shakespeare trying to contact them. Moore also offered to give away a $200,000 house in exchange for a false report to law enforcement regarding a recent sighting of Shakespeare.

Moore has a history of her own. In 2001 Moore tried to defraud her insurance company saying she had been carjacked and raped. Moore has also been making transactions in Shakespeare’s name. Shakespeare’s mother has been hoping her son is alive and said he had talked about getting away from the numerous requests for money. For a guy that won $30 million dollars Mr. Shakespeare has been certainly having a hard time. The investigation is ongoing. Had Mr. Shakespeare purchased online lottery tickets he probably could have avoided a lot of problems.

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Kansas Takes Action Against Lottery Fraud

Posted on January 2nd, 2010

During the past year there have been several news stories about lottery players being defrauded by clerks at lottery terminals throughout North America. In widely reported November news story out of Texas revealed that Texas lottery player Willis Willis was cheated out of $1 million dollars by an unscrupulous clerk at the convenience where he purchased lottery tickets. Willis took his tickets to be scanned for winners and the clerk took the winning lottery ticket, told Willis he had won nothing, and cashed the ticket and fled the country. In a move which could damage the credibility of the Texas lottery, officials have told Willis that they consider the thief, Pankaj Joshi to be the ‘official’ winner because he redeemed the stolen lottery ticket. Willis is considering a lawsuit.

A similar Canadian case involving the same kind of lottery fraud had a much different outcome. A Toronto convenience store-owner, Hafiz Malik stole $5.75-million jackpot using the same method used in the Texas case. A group of Canadian lottery players regularly played the same numbers and when a member of the group found out their numbers had won they hired a private investigator which led to Malik. Malik had made several purchases with his ill gotten gains including a 2002 Land Rover, a 2002 Mercedes ML3 and a million dollar home in an upscale neighborhood in Mississauga. Malik was convicted of theft and all of his assets were seized. The legitimate winners were awarded their lottery jackpot including $788,000 in interest.

The state of Kansas has been conducting ‘sting’ operations to prevent this kind of theft by lottery terminal clerks. Law enforcement agents fanned out across the state and presented ‘winning’ tickets at several retail lottery outlets. In five separate cases clerks told the agents the tickets were worthless and then tried to redeem the ‘winning’ lottery tickets. The undercover investigation led to charges of attempted theft and computer crime against five people across the state. Lottery officials across the country advise lottery players to check their own tickets.

Thanks to the internet and modern technology it is now possible in some states to purchase online lottery tickets. Lotto players can check for current results online or from a mobile device. The ability to purchase online lottery tickets is a real convenience for players; no more trips to the lottery retailer and no more standing in long lines. Purchasing online lottery tickets is a quick and easy way to avoid lottery fraud.

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Canadian Lottery Winners Share Winnings With First Nations Community

Posted on December 31st, 2009

A couple in Manitoba Canada who won a whopping $50 million (About $46.7 million USD) in a Canada Lotto Max drawing on November 6th have decided to share their newfound wealth with their Sagkeeng First Nation community. For American readers First Nations are native indigenous peoples and are the Canadian equivalent of Native Americans. Instead of hoarding their wealth the couple has outfitted a local hockey team and is considering financing a hot meal program at the school on Sagkeeng First Nation located northwest of Winnipeg. Kirby and Marie Fontaine have decided to share their winnings with their First Nation community.

Claude Guimond, who is the coach of the newly formed Sagkeeng 69s, said that Kirby Fontaine approached him after the big win and suggested the formation of a hockey team and said he wanted to hold a hockey tournament in memory of his late father. Guimond then put together a hockey team of 19 players ranging in age from 16 to 40. The Fontaines spent about $50,000 to outfit the newly formed team. Guimond, whose son is on the team stated, “The reaction was just everyone was shocked — that he was willing to outfit the team, from top to bottom with top-of-the-line new gear. Everyone was floored.”

Kirby put one condition on team members-they had to be good role models in the community and are required to be drug and alcohol free. About the stipulation Guimond said, “The only thing Kirby asked of the boys was for them to lead a good life. Make good choices. Stay away from the alcohol and drugs, and give your old equipment away.” The Fontaines have also planned other good deeds for the community. They have bought furnished homes for family members and are planning a daycare facility on the reserve. They are also involved with plans for a new youth recreation center. It is heartwarming to see the generosity of these new lottery millionaires.

Since lotteries are games of pure chance anyone can become a winner like the Fontaines. Now many states allow players to purchase online lottery tickets. In addition players can check for the latest lotto results. The ability to make an online lottery purchase is a real convenience for players. Most of these websites have a database of locations where players can purchase lotto tickets. By making an online lottery purchase players can avoid those long lines at lottery retailers. The next lottery millionaire could easily be you!

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