One concern that a lot of gamblers have is whether or not they are inevitably going to lose everything at the local slots parlor. The bottom line with gambling is: money. Casinos build themselves on the premise that no matter what you do, or how lucky a few patrons get, the House is going to walk away with the majority of the money and end up the long- term winner. This is a formula that has worked for hundreds of years and most likely is not going to change any time soon. You have to be aware of how the odds are always stacked against you when you go to a casino, especially if you are wagering on games of luck. For example, if you are wagering in the slots parlor the general result is going to be that you are going to walk out with nothing. You may bring $500 one night, and $250 another night, but most likely the casino is going to be $750 richer as a result of your visit. Sure you may win a small bonus prize here or there, but most likely it is not going to compare to your $750-worth of wagers. For example, let’s say the casino has one promotion that is worth $2,500 for one lucky winner and they sell $1-per buy tickets for it. If 10,000 people make buys to win, then the casino is still up by $7,500 and only one player benefited with a return.

The very nature of a casino is swayed directly into their own favor and that is something that you are going to always have to contend with. If you are a fan of wagering on the slots, then you are working with a game of pure luck. That means you can’t do anything to influence the outcomes of the games. You have to just watch your bankroll closely and keep on wagering at your own pace to extend your gaming time. You can also be sure to take advantage of the various different bonuses that casinos offer and make sure that you combine as many as you can to increase your overall casino returns. Slots and casino gambling is a lot of fun but no one is going to watch your money if you don’t learn how to do it yourself.

New studies are showing that players at the slots parlor may be in more trouble than ever. The games are fun and that is causing a new market to evolve. Many players admit that they don’t know when to say when. Developers are building games that are more fun than ever and stocked with added features to enjoy. You can find a good slots parlor in every state that has a premiere slots parlor filled with games that have inner bonus games, wilds, multipliers, scatters and progressive options to them. The purpose of course is to make the gaming experience that much better, but it also is creating a temptation that some gamblers cannot walk away from. For example, some gamblers come to the casino with a strict bankroll but once they see the possibilities, that goes immediately out the window. You can’t really blame them though. If you are an avid slots player then you are going to see more possibilities than ever in a casino. Even smaller slots parlors make it a point to create as great a gaming experience as possible for their wagering visitors. Part of the problem with casinos is that they are making it easier than ever for gamblers to take out more money. Just look at the possibilities: ATMs, credit cards, cash withdrawals at the cash cage. You can see that casinos are trying to make spending a effortless as possible to the average gambler. They want to create as streamlined a process as possible because they know the more cash customers wager with, the more money they end up getting.

If you are going to a slots parlor there is only one person with your best interests in mind- YOU! You have to be strict with what you want and what your limits are. The casino is not going to help you. You have to set a strict bankroll and pretend the ATMs and your credit cards are not with you at all. In fact, that is what some gamblers are opting to do- leave their credit cards at home or at minimum, in the car.

Part two coming next.

If you are concerned about online slots play then be sure that some gaming companies are working with third-party regulators to come up with ways of regulating online casinos. One company that does just that is eCOGRA. This is a company that reviews casinos to make sure that they are acting fairly and transparently with gamers. The company is an independent standard online authority. It is non-profit but works hard to make sure casinos are acting upright with gamers. Remember that the online market is relatively new and there are still some operators who are not acting the way they should. Of course this was a problem a few decades back. When the world of online gambling first began, it was hard for people to find games to enjoy and still get the payouts on time. For the most part the online world is anonymous. This means that a company can start up, take your money and disappear relatively easily- especially with the free global market. Companies can set up shop in some back office of a far away country and then pull the plug when they are expected to pay out. It was common a few years ago that people were scammed, but now things are changing.

Thanks to organizations like eCOGRA there are considerable changes in the market. The company is one that looks at online slots casinos and makes sure they are dealing with customers the right way. If a gaming company for example wants to be certified by the eCOGRA company it has to allow the regulator to scrutinize its gaming practices, payouts, office procedures, customer service, performance, future goals and visions, and customer practices. It takes a while for the company to look at all of this. Once an online slots parlor earns the eCOGRA seal though you can be assured that most likely you are dealing with a good company and you are going to get what you pay for. The eCOGRA website also helps to settle disputes with gamers and the companies they wager at. This is just one of the watchdog companies in the market right now and it is doing a great job at making gaming that much safer for people who want to play slots games online.

If you are looking for a new casino to test out, then consider the following. A good online casino has to be secure. Almost all are these days, but you still should skim the terms of service to make sure your information will be safe. You are going to be sharing pertinent information—your name, address, bank account, etc.—so you have to make sure the casino you pick is trustworthy. One of the easiest ways to do this is to monitor your own money wisely. A new wave in the world of gaming is to use prepaid debit cards to fund anything online. This way, you can limit the amount of money accessible to the casino, or to thieves if your information is stolen. For example, keeping a prepaid debit card loaded with $300 is much less dangerous because if your information is stolen, the thief only has access to that limit. On the other hand, if you attached your savings account to your casino account, then you are giving anyone who has access to your information free access to your life savings! This is the kind of thing you want to protect yourself from when you are wagering online. Remember that there are safeguards built into the system, but ultimately it is your responsibility to protect yourself.

The other thing you can do to keep your money safe is to always set your own limits. Make sure you understand what the bankroll is and how to gauge your own. If you have $500 in discretionary funds, you don’t want to put $450 into a bankroll for gambling and leave yourself only $50 for other activities. If you are a socially active person, you don’t want to go overboard with gambling and have nothing left over to have fun. In the end, it is your business to make sure that you are protected when you are online and working with a good casino can considerably help you to do this. Still- there are some other aspects of the casino that you have to come up with yourself. If you think that you know of a casino you want to try, be sure to do some research on it and see if it is going to truly help you to wager the right way, and protect your money. A little research and time spent with preparing your gaming life can protect you for years to come.

There are some problems when it comes to gambling. A lot of issues are coming about because of varying rules in gambling. There is no strict uniform law yet because the rules are still being written. For example, years ago New York legislators made a deal with the Seneca Tribe to allow them exclusivity in the slots market. Then they reneged and now the two groups are in hefty debates over the issue. The problem was that the state wants to maximize revenue so it allowed another company to offer slots. The tribal leaders were quick to point out that this was a direct violation of their former contract. This is an issue that has never come up and it is posing a problem for legislators. Should they maximize on money streams they desperately need? Or, should they make good with their former agreement with the Seneca tribe?

This is just one example of how the rules are still being written in terms of gambling. Another example of problems is the merging of current gambling law and new markets. For example, though gambling isn’t allowed in states and gaming companies have been stifled, other forms of gambling are allowed. McDonalds is a fast food restaurant that has an annual Monopoly board game. It has been defined as a gambling game because of its nature—you try to get the right combinations of pieces to win prizes. Some of those prizes are monetary, while others are prizes of food. It is coming up for debate though because gambling companies that want to bring their games to the market are being told no, while McDonalds is offering games that are gambling-like in nature. Why is the state government allowing one form of gambling but not the other? This too is an example of how the rules are not yet written and this is causing some tension in the market. It may take some time though for rules to be rewritten and uniform. Time is needed to sort things out but due to the huge dollars available, most likely the government is not going to say no to many forms of gambling.

You probably already know when choosing an online casino that you should check for the eCognra seal of approval as well as read the testimonials, as well as tour the casino before joining as well as check the rating, as top rated casinos usually have the seal of approval as well as follow the correct procedures and fair gaming standards. Now since you are already aware of this, are you aware of the safety of the slot machines? So often people are heard asking questions such as, “Does this slot ever pay out?” or “I wonder if anyone has won any jackpots on these slots,” and finally, “Are online slots safe?” These are all viable questions that every online gamer has to ask themselves.

As with any online gaming, players should always check out the casino website first for all the things listed above as well as asking around inside the online community casino chat rooms as there are many of them, and most online casinos have live chat on their sites, as well as customer care availability around the clock. While online slot machines are usually safe, it all depends on what you hope to get out of playing the slot machines. It also depends on where you do play the online slot machines because although it is not right and simply put it sucks, there are those online casinos, that have online slot machines that are not there for you to win and are not there for your entertainment, but rather the owner of the online casino’s pockets. It is true that there are online casinos that are not reputable, but it is up to the player to research the casino site before he or she joins and or plays on that particular site or online slot machine. The other concern is that with laws changing on a weekly basis, it is hard to keep up with what websites are going to truly protect their players and which ones aren’t. It’s up to you as the gamer to keep yourself safe by doing your own research on what games you want to play and what casinos you want to trust.

The London-based eCOGRA organization is a worldwide watchdog service that focuses on consumer safety regarding online casinos. The good thing about the service is that it acts as an impartial overseer of the gaming industry. Having the eCOGRA in the market is invaluable due to the sharp debates over legalizing online slots and gambling. If left to its own devices, the online casino industry as a whole could easily fall into dangerous situations for innocent online slots players. The reality of the internet is that it can be made anonymous by anyone who has a good knowledge of how it works. That anonymity can open up the door to cheating, identity theft, fraud and other unscrupulous activities. With the lack of open identities, it is difficult, if not impossible, to track offenders and right the wrongs they have caused.

For that reason, it is crucial that online slots casinos have a transparency to the public. They need to be forthcoming with information regarding their daily operations, goals and visions.  Transparency is the only way that people will truly be protected as they play online slots.  eCOGRA is a company that hopes to be instrumental in that transparency.  The company is an impartial entity that focuses on consumer safety and also sets the standards by which online casinos are measured. If an online slots casino earns the eCOGRA seal of approval, it is most likely a respected and trusted website. Within the industry many online casinos are pining for the seal of approval in hopes it will gain them more trust, and in turn more business.

eCOGRA gave its seal of approval earlier this year to a mobile online gambling company and that is the first time the company moved into the world of mobile gaming. With the popularity of mobile gaming gaining steam, it seems inevitable that eCOGRA will move to review more gaming platforms. In fact in some countries, like Argentina, mobile gaming is taking over the market by storm. eCOGRA has made a promise to the market to continue to provide watchdog services to the gaming community for the purpose of consumer rights and protection.

The European Court of Justice ruled that any country in the EU can restrict private players from internet slots and gambling if the rationale was to “safeguard the interests of the citizens.”  The parties involved in the dispute were BWin.com and Portuguese gambling monopoly. The debate began over Bwin.com’s sponsorship of the Portuguese soccer club Liga.  The BWin.com logo was placed on the soccer club’s website and the players’ uniforms. The state charity that possessed the rights to online betting and lottery gambling believed this to be a violation of their territorial property. The monopoly in turn fined Liga and BWin.com.

Previously, the European Court of Justice mandated that free trade could be restricted by a state if its purpose was to protect the public.  This rule was applicable in the case of BWin.com and the Portuguese because the Court deemed online gambling to involve a large risk of potential criminal activity or fraud within the society.  The winnings of players was substantial, therefore the likelihood of unscrupulous activities were heightened. 

In a press release BWin.com stated, “It is difficult for us to understand the rationale that crime is more difficult off-line than online.” The company affirmed their position that their consumer protection and fraud prevention programs were one of the best in the industry and held up well to any competitors’ programs. The Secretary General of the European Gaming and Betting Association, or EGBA, stated, “Several jurisdictions in the EU already prove that it is possible to guarantee a high level of consumer protection and have a well regulated and competitive online gaming market at the same time.”

Despite the decision, BWin.com believes that there is no evidence to substantiate the claim that online slots and online gambling are more susceptible to fraud. They issued a statement that read in part, “This judgment denigrates the online gambling industry.” The online slots industry does have some concern that the European Commission’s decision may force them to change their online policies for gambling in Europe. However, Remote Gaming Association CEO Clive Hawkswood stated, that he believes that though the court made “careless and inflammatory comments” in the ruling, nothing in it should stop the EC from dealing with future improprieties in online slots and gambling.