Empire City Casino Begins Offering Video Blackjack
August 25th, 2015 by Site Admin
The Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway in New York City has begun offering video blackjack to their customers, satiating a long-standing desire for punters to get in on the action.
The game is able to be offered following a provision that passed in April that allowed racinos in The Empire State to offer games of skill like blackjack and three card poker, provided those games are supplied through electronic gaming machines.
The games went live last week, with the first two terminals providing 24 seats for blackjack players to get this action on. Another 12 machines went live on launch day, and one week after the casino is expecting to have 98 blackjack machines live. The casino’s goal is to eventually have 500 machines, providing players with an alternative to traveling to New Jersey to play blackjack games.
Currently there is a lot of competition for the gambling dollars of New York players, as New Jersey has recently begun offering online gambling within their borders, and Pennsylvania has launched several land casinos, causing a lot of money to leave the borders.
Commenting on the release of the games, Empire City Casino Floor Manager Ryan Munroe said, “Every day on the floor I get a question. Now I have somewhere to send them.”
The game has also proven to be popular among players, who have already begun pumping big money into the machines.
Pro Poker Player Banned From WSOP After Blackjack Card Counting
April 7th, 2015 by Site Admin
Professional Poker Player Joseph Stiers has been banned from all of Caesars Entertainment properties after he was accused of counting cards at a blackjack table last December, putting his career in jeopardy as he can no longer compete in the World Series of Poker tournament.
Stiers was playing at the Horseshoe Baltimore Casino last December when he won $350 playing Blackjack. Casino staff became suspicious of his activity, accusing Stiers of card counting and asking him to forfeit his winnings and leave the casino. The 630th ranked player in the world thought the matter was settled, but was escorted out of the Casino on December 27th during a poker tournament. Casino staff accused Stiers of trespassing, telling him that he was banned from the casino as well as other Caesars properties.
The move potentially could put a huge ding on the pro’s career, as he will be unable to participate in the 2015 World Series of Poker following the blacklisting. The WSOP is an annual poker tournament held each year on Caesars property, awarding millions in prizes for those who cash-in.
Commenting on the matter a Caesars representative said, “[Caesars allows] highly skilled players to gamble provided they don’t engage in any activity that violates applicable regulations, undermines the integrity of our games or unfairly disadvantages our other guests.”
Vice Media CEO Wins $1 Million at Blackjack
March 23rd, 2015 by Site Admin
The CEO of online news organization Vice Media had an insane run of luck recently, winning $1 million while playing blackjack at the Bellagio in Las Vegas in January.
Shane Smith ended up going on the huge run at the Bellagio in January, and then ended up hitting up a steak dinner inside the resort property, dropping $300,000 on the meal with some other guests. The announcement wasn’t made by Smith or his associates, but rather by MGM Resorts International, the owner of the Bellagio property. Management revealed the run of luck and the large meal during an earnings call.
The large win of Smith and the amount he spent afterward are being hailed as a sign of economic recovery for the Silver State, as MGM CEO Jim Murren said, “It tells you there is a release valve that has opened. That isn’t a trend, but it’s a sign people are ready to spend money again.”
Shane Smith is known for his large-lifestyle. Prior to the gambling run, he gave out $1 million bonuses to Vice employees as a Christmas gift, and has become known for his partying lifestyle. He founded Vice back in 1994, and has overseen its growth into a multi-channel media company that has garnered attention for its coverage of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as alternative culture. It is estimated that he is worth $400 million.
It is unknown what style of blackjack Smith was playing at the Bellagio, but Blackjack Online will update this story should we come up with any further details.
Proposal for New Casino Outside of Atlantic City
July 14th, 2014 by Site Admin
What advocates hoped for when online gambling became legal in the state of New Jersey last year was increased profit for Atlantic City Casinos. Proponents are not hopeful after Atlantic Club closed in January, Showboat due to close in August and Revel Casino is next unless a buyer is found in bankruptcy court.
New Jersey is one of three states that have legalized online gambling along with Nevada and Delaware with several other states due to follow.
Predictions for internet gambling state tax revenues were at $180 million in fiscal 2014. After Chris Christie signed the budget last June that number was dropped to $160 million.
The state has reported $93 million at the end of May just one month short of the fiscal year. April and May have seen a decrease in revenue following March in what should be a steady upward increase.
There are currently several online Casinos available to New Jersey residents only including 888 Casino providing games for Harrahs Casino. Slots, Video Poker, Roulette and Blackjack. Players new to online gambling or looking for resourceful information regarding skilled games can find more information focused online Blackjack.
According to New Jersey lawmakers a financier wants to build a $4.6 billion Casino in outside of Atlantic City in Jersey City. The currently the law restricts Casinos to Atlantic City only and would require a major policy change.
Recently Raymond Lesniak, State Senator in a briefing said the plan for the Casino would include over a 90 story high hotel and residential tower, world’s largest Ferris wheel plus a car racing stadium that would hold more than 100,000 spectators.
Major investor behind the project is Paul Fireman founder of Reebok who is based out of Boston. Lesniak is in support of the plan after years of being in favor of allowing casinos outside of the boundaries of Atlantic City. Part of the revenue brought in from the outside casino would be used to boost Atlantic City that has struggled for years mainly due to the rise of competition in bordering states.
In order for this proposed plan to take place a state constitutional amendment allowing gambling outside of Atlantic City would be required. According to Lesniak, Paul Fireman is “the real deal” and would like lawmakers to take immediate action putting it on November’s ballot for public vote.
Libertarian Groups Raise Concerns With Online Gambling Bans
May 24th, 2014 by Site Admin
Rep. Jason Chaffetz and Sen. Lindsey Graham have introduced two bills that would restore the Wire Act and ban online gambling throughout the United States. Many groups have spoken out against the proposed bills. Several libertarian groups have recently joined the discussion and urged Congress to vote against the proposals.
A coalition of ten of the largest libertarian organizations in the country sent a letter to Congress earlier this week. The groups that signed the bill included the Institute for Policy Innovation, The Institute for Liberty, the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the Taxpayer Protection Alliance. The groups unanimously agreed that the federal government’s motion to ban online gambling was overstepping its authority and infringed on the rights of American citizens and business owners.
The letter stated that previous bans failed to deter American citizens from gambling over the Internet. They said that prohibition has allowed the black market to thrive.
Neither Chaffetz nor Graham have taken a formal position on online gambling. They said that they merely feel that the decision to legalize online gambling should be left to Congress, rather than the discretion of the Justice Department. However, the libertarians that signed the bill feared that the restoration of the Wire Act would make it far more difficult to legalize online gambling in the future. They fear that it would create extra legal hurdles for lawmakers to overcome and possibly bias them against legalizing online gambling.
The groups hope that the House and Senate Judiciary Committees will review the letter and consider it in their decision. Congress has not scheduled a vote for the proposed legislation.
Las Vegas Sands Casinos Now Paying 6 to 5 for Blackjack
May 15th, 2014 by Site Admin
According to a report by Business Insider, a small change of rules at a couple of Las Vegas casinos, owned by Las Vegas Sands, will put blackjack players at a serious disadvantage.
According to the old blackjack rules at the Palazzo and the Venetian, natural blackjack gets paid 3 to 2. For example, if a player bets $10 and gets a natural blackjack, he or she will get a prize of $15. Now the casinos are paying 6 to 5 for blackjack, which means that the player who gets blackjack will get only $12.
The change in rule will increase the house edge in a big way and players are betting off just staying home and playing free blackjack. Using a tool available at the Wizard of Odds, one can find out how this will affect blackjack players at the Palazzo and the Venetian.
The tool, which is used to calculate the house edge, shows that, in case of casinos that pay 3 to 2 for blackjack, the house edge is only 0.403 percent if players are using the proper blackjack strategies. The 6 to 5 blackjack payout increases that house edge to 1.76 percent. While in the previous case, the house gets around $4 for every $1000 bet by players, in the latter case, the house gets $18.
Full Tilt to Soon Offer Blackjack and Roulette
May 12th, 2014 by Site Admin
The Rational Group, which owns PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, two major online poker rooms, has struck a deal with Leander Games. According to the terms of this agreement, Leander Games will supply an online gaming software platform for Full Tilt Poker, which will offer a wide range of online casino games such as blackjack and roulette while retaining its original poker portfolio.
Leander Gaming has already begun integrating its LaGa casino gaming software platform. Full Tilt players can therefore expect many mobile casino and online casino games to appear soon. As many as 21 million players have already registered for real money play at Full Tilt, which is testing its roulette and blackjack apps at present. The presence of casino games at this popular brand is sure to attract many more players.
Leander Gaming CEO Steven Matsell says that the newly formed partnership is “a landmark deal.” PokerStars is the biggest online poker room in the world and Leander Gaming will greatly benefit by partnering with it. According to Matsell, the partnership will “change Leander’s position within the marketplace from ‘new kid on the block’ to a serious contender.”
He says that, although small, Leander Gaming is dedicated to developing the best online casino games.
What to Do if Blackjack Dealers Tip Their Cards
May 9th, 2014 by Site Admin
John Grochowski, who writes a weekly column on gambling for Chicago Sun-Times, is of the opinion that blackjack players aren’t wrong if they can see a dealer’s hole card. If a dealer tips his/her card so that players at certain table positions can see it, the player can use the information. Grochowski feels that it is responsibility of the pit boss, the dealer, and surveillance room staff to make sure that players cannot see the hole cards.
While admitting that he has never met dealers who habitually reveal their cards, he said that players are not in the wrong if they use this information. For instance, if a player gets 16 while a dealer has an exposed 10 and a face-down 6, he/she might as well stand and let the dealer bust.
Grochowski is not the only blackjack player having this opinion. A player said that, if he comes across a dealer tipping cards, he will use the information. According to this player, it is the casino’s job to correct the situation.
A former manager of table games said that the casino would like it if players alert them, but no player can be expected to do that as players tend to “take what you give them.”
Macau Blackjack Dealers Complain of Abuse
May 7th, 2014 by Site Admin
Macau’s casino gaming industry has been a roaring success, attracting a larger number of high rollers every year. But the blackjack dealers are far from happy. More and more of them are complaining of getting physically and verbally abused by gamblers.
Today, Macau is one of the major gambling destinations of the world, generating more revenue than Las Vegas. In 2013, the gambling city beat Las Vegas by generating as much as $45 billion in gambling revenues. Macau could become so successful because of its ability to attract rich businessmen from all over Asia.
Since Asian high rollers bet outrageously large sums of money, they are pampered by Macau casinos and treated to a wide range of freebies such as free flights, free meals, free accommodation, and unlimited credit. They are also permitted to behave as they like at the gaming tables. The croupiers have to suffer as a result of this.
Jose Pereira Coutinho, a legislator, is now urging the Macau government to pass proper laws for the protection of croupiers from abusive behavior. He says that these laws should also prevent casinos from firing croupiers who complain against wealthy gamblers as croupiers have the right to work without getting abused.
Best Mobile Casino Apps for Blackjack Players
May 2nd, 2014 by Site Admin
The mobile gaming industry has released a number of exciting apps for players who want to play real money as well as social blackjack on their mobile devices. Here is a brief introduction to some of the newest mobile casino apps players can use.
Big Fish Casino, which offers a variety of casino games including roulette and blackjack, was released by Big Fish Gaming, a leading developer of iGaming content. The real-money version of Big Fish Casino, which happens to be the first of its kind in the industry, is powered by Betable software. On the downside, the real-play version of Big Fish Casino is not available to US players.
iPhone users can download another fabulous mobile gaming app, launched by Spin Palace. The available games include popular progressive video slots such as Mermaid Millions and Major Millions along with classic table games such as roulette, Three Card Poker, and Blackjack.
The Spin Palace mobile casino app is worth using because Spin Palace is reputed for giving away the biggest progressive jackpot prizes. The app has everything players crave—a wide range of slots, a great collection of table games, and large cash prizes. It is compatible with all mobile devices, including Windows, iOS, and Android.
