Warning: Leaderboard Promotions often
just show the biggest spenders!

One of the things that makes playing at mobile and online casinos so great is the regular promotional events on offer. Prizes range from free money and casino credits to real world prizes like phones, TV’s, fashion items and more. Not to mention the fabulous casino cruises and trips that are often up for grabs.

If you’re playing and spending money anyway, online casinos promotions can be a great way to get something back. Still, not all promotions are created equal, and if you’re not careful it can be very easy to get swept up in trying to win the grand prize, and you may end up spending more money than it’s all worth.

This is especially true of Leaderboard type promotions. For example, one casino’s current Race to Vegas promotion which is offering players the chance to win a 6 night trip to Las Vegas for two, with accommodation in a 5 star hotel, £2,000 in spending money and a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon (including a champagne picnic) – all valued at £10,000. Sounds amazing right?

All you have to do to be eligible to win is opt in and play slots or other casino games in order to accumulate loyalty points. The higher your points, the higher up you’ll be on the Leaderboard, and of course, the top player wins.

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Sounds easy enough right? And it is, but for any kind of chance of winning the top trip prize you have to be prepared to spend heavily at the casino, and generally on the high rollers can play enough to reach the top spot on the Leaderboard.

Let’s examine the Roxy Palace promotion to see why. At the time of writing this article, Simon G was at the top of the Leaderboard with 227880 points. The casino in question’s promotions page states that for every €10 that is wagered at the casino on Slots and for every €20 wagered on all Roulettes (excluding American Roulette) and/or Table Poker you will receive 1 Loyalty Point.

Of course slots are the game to play in this type of promotion because you get more points for your money. So let’s assume that Simon G is playing slots, in order to get 227880 points at €10 per point, the turnover on his game play would be £2,278,800. And if we work on a 5% house edge, the losses are over £100k!

If you’re a high roller or are prepared to spend enough to be classed as one, it may be par for the course on any given day, and that’s fine. But high rollers are more the exception than the rule and spending that amount of money to win a £10k prize is really not worth it.

So while Leaderboard promotions can be a great deal of fun, they are generally the preserve of those who are able to spend large sums of cash. If you’re not able to do so, then opt instead for promotions where your game play earns you tickets into a draw for a trip – these do exist and really serve to even the playing field a bit because you still stand a chance even though players who spend more will have more tickets in the draw.

Promotions are a great deal of fun, but don’t get caught up in them “chasing” the prize, only to find that you’ve spent ten times its’ value doing so. Play smart!

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The online casino industry has always been a highly competitive one, but as the markets have changed in recent years, with some countries banning online gambling and others opening up the markets through licensing and regulation, so we have seen competition increasing amongst software providers and casino operators alike.

While those working in the industry have been dramatically affected by mergers and acquisitions as well as increased competition for market share as the online gambling landscapes continually shift, players are seeing great benefits. Here’s why.

A range of options & better access

Even though some online casinos have been forced out of certain markets due to online gambling laws, or regulation, there are still a number of properties in each of the licensing jurisdictions for each market. This means that players can pick and choose where they want to play, and now more than ever online casinos are competing to win their patronage.

In this fierce battle, online casinos are continually improving their offerings so as to attract new players and retain the loyalty of regular players. In this type of environment the player will always benefit.

Another great thing about the competitive arena casinos find themselves in is that they are continually striving to outdo one another, this means more features and development in the area of expanding their offerings than ever before. In just a few short years we have seen online casinos expanding into mobile offerings which means that you can play from anywhere in the world from your mobile or tablet device.

Faster Payments

Gone are the days that players have to wait weeks for payouts to be processed and for the cash to arrive in their bank accounts or e-wallets. Nowadays in a bid to remain competitive, you’ll find that some online casinos cashout your winnings in minutes.

Increasing Number of Awesome Slots Titles

As part of their strategies to entice players to their various operators’ casinos, casino software developers continually strive to bring fresh, new content to their games offering. This has never been more evident than in the last year or so and particularly in the last few months where we’ve seen the major players vying for some huge bragging rights in terms of licensing agreements for slots titles.

Playtech has announced a partnership that will see it produce four new DC Entertainment brands including Superman I and II, Man of Steel and Green Lantern Slots, these in addition to the eagerly awaited Top Gun Slot. Microgaming will be releasing the Jurassic World slot as a sequel to its smash hit Jurassic Park slot (and this on top of Terminator and Bridesmaids in recent years). NetEnt is also not being outdone with a Rock Slots trilogy planned that includes the recently launched Guns N’ Roses slot that will be followed by Jimi Hendrix and Motorhead slots in their forthcoming games line-up.

And the year has only just begun…we’re sure to see a number of exciting branded slots deals going down in addition to these thrilling games.

Better Overall Offerings & Service

With the web’s most reputable online casinos investing multi-millions in the acquisition of players, and competition being so tight, keeping players loyal and playing is a major concern to casinos. This means that customer support teams work extra hard to resolve any issues that may arise and players are generally treated to better bonuses, promotions and offers than ever before.

As you can see, there has never been a better time for you to play online, and with the way things are going, players will keep on benefitting.

Spending time playing at casinos is a great deal of fun and can be quite lucrative, leading many people to fantasize about becoming a professional gambler and leading what they perceive to be a very glamorous life.

As any professional gambler will tell you, gambling for a living is not as mysterious and luxurious as people imagine, in fact it takes a great deal of time, dedication and hard work to make it happen.

So if you’ve ever thought about becoming a professional gambler but never really knew how to get started, and you’re willing to invest time and effort into achieving this goal, then check out the steps to help you achieve just that.

Select your game

While it’s tempting to think that you can jump from one casino game to another in an attempt to earn money, while some professional gamblers have managed to become skilled at multiple games, to begin with you should select a single game to focus on.

If you already have a favourite casino game that will make getting started much easier. If however, you are new to gambling and you haven’t really played many casino games before, then do your research by heading off to a reputable online casino where you can use the “free play” mode to try out a variety of games without losing any money.

While skill games like blackjack, video poker and poker offer lower house edge’s if you are a slots fanatic there are still ways that you can make these work for you by using an advantage method of play. This generally involves a team of players who play together to find a progressive jackpot slot that has grown so large that it is offering positive expected values.

No matter what game you ultimately choose to play, the key is to identify the advantage play method and use this for your own financial benefit.

Begin to learn strategy

Once you’ve selected a casino game, you will then need to learn and perfect the associated strategies of the game in order to generate long term profits. The amount of time that you will need to invest in acquiring the right skills will depend on the game that you are playing and how quickly you learn.

The internet is full of information, advice and training videos on how to perfect game play strategy for almost every game, so spend time doing your research, learning and practicing, it will definitely pay off later.

Join Player Forums

Learning game play strategy and winning tips is an excellent way to begin your journey to making money at casinos but in order to take your game to the next level, then joining a player forum is a must. Player forums give you a platform to discuss game strategy with other players and you will pick up a great deal of valuable information from skilled players who are willing to share their experiences and tips. If you have strategy questions you may get some valuable answers too.

Forums also facilitate player networking, so if you want to form a playing team, these are good hunting grounds.

Choose your stakes and manage your bankroll

Proper bankroll management is exceptionally important to any gambler but it is critical if you want to be a professional gambler as your bankroll is your livelihood. You will need to carefully select the stakes that you are willing to play and manage your bankroll accordingly.

The nature of the casino game that you play will have a big impact on the stakes you wager and the bankroll management required, so make an effort to read up on the optimal stakes and bankroll management techniques for the game you play.

Practice, practice, practice and then begin to play

The old adage goes, practice makes perfect and this is true for skill games in gambling. Before you run out and start to play for real money where errors cost you dearly, practice what you have learned extensively at online casinos using their “free play” mode or if you intend to play at brick and mortar casinos arrange practice sessions with friends.

Once you have mastered your game of choice to your satisfaction it’s time to put your skills to the test and play for real money. Keep in mind though that you’ll endure both winning and losing streaks, and you will need to remain level headed at all times and practice optimum bankroll management principles. If you ever feel like you are struggling, drop your stakes or take a step back until you’re ready to play again. This will ensure your sustainability as a professional gambler.

With the online casino industry being so popular across the globe, you may wonder why online casinos need to offer players bonuses and promotions at all. After all, land based casinos don’t give away money to their patrons, so do their online counterparts really need to incentivise people who clearly already want to play? And if so…why? Is there some kind of catch for the player?

The answers to these questions are quite fascinating and require a look back in time to the inception and evolution of online casinos over the years.

In the early 2000’s only two online casino groups existed so there wasn’t much in the way of competition, yet the owner of the Golden Palace Group decided that it would be a good idea to differentiate the group from the competing English Harbour Group by offering players incentives to play at their online casino instead.

Of course the English Harbour group wasn’t going to take the new angle lying down and they countered with an offer of their own and so began a competitive tradition. Ever since, online casinos have offered players a welcome bonus of some kind or another.

The purpose of online casino bonuses is therefore to differentiate casinos from the pack and ensure that they remain attractive to players in a highly competitive market space. After all, the welcome bonus offer is often the first thing that attracts new players to a particular casino.

As the years have progressed, competition in the online casino industry has increased dramatically and casinos have realised that simply attracting new players is not enough, they also have to keep them loyal. Online casinos then introduced a variety of player incentives from loyalty programs, on-going bonus schemes and a variety of promotions to generous giveaways to keep players interested and playing.

Again these are more about distinguishing themselves from the crowd and keeping players playing at their casinos than anything else. So there is no catch for the player at all.

The only thing you need to be aware of is that not all bonuses and promotions are created equal, and it is essential that you read and understand all associated bonus and promotional terms and conditions so that you can correctly judge which offers are to your advantage and which to avoid.

As an online casino player, you’ve probably heard a great deal about bankroll and money management when playing at online casinos, if you’re not sure what the difference between the two is, learn more here. For any online casino player, your bankroll is the predetermined amount of money that you have allocated for gambling and playing your favourite online casino games. The manner in which you handle your bankroll plays a significant role in your success as a player.

The point of allocating a bankroll is responsible budget management and keeping it separate from your other money which is used for various household and other expenses. By setting aside a limited amount of money for gambling you have an effective strategy to protect you from financial losses that you cannot handle. Here we take a look at some easy and practical bankroll management tips that you can but to use in order to assist you in making better decisions as you gamble no matter what casino games you choose to play.

The basic principle of bankroll management is that you divide your allocated bankroll into a number of equal parts with each division representing the amount that you are willing to risk on a single bet. The number of parts you select can be as low as 50 or as high as 500 depending on the type of online casino game that you chose to play, how much you are willing to risk and whether or not losing will mean the end of your gaming experience. If your game play doesn’t last long then you can’t win big, so it’s always preferable to make smaller more frequent bets than to not be able to play at all.

From this you can see that the key to effective bankroll management is to factor everything in in order to determine the best number that suits you, the games you play and your budget. If you allocate too much to each bet you’ll be risking too much with each wager, but if you allocate too little you may end up getting bored. Casino games like slots play rapidly and require higher numbers of bets of lower values than table games like Baccarat, Craps and Blackjack that offer a bit of time between each hand or round. If you allocate your bankroll accordingly you’ll end up wagering the same amount per hour while compensating for the speed of the game.

Other factors to consider are whether or not you are able to replenish your bankroll if you lose it, the house edge of the game that you are playing and the game’s volatility. The higher the house advantage or variance on a game, the more units you will need in your bankroll.

Keep this strategy in mind next time you play and give it a try and you’ll find that you enjoy your online casino experience way more while maximising your returns.

We’ve all day dreamed about what we would do with the money should we hit that life changing jackpot while playing our favourite online casino game. In these dreams life would be perfect, but often for those who actually do experience big wins whether it be at online casinos or on the lottery, the dream fast becomes a nightmare.

Over and over again we hear of rags to riches and back again betting stories where people squander their winnings in absurd amounts of time and end up right back where they started, or worse off than before the win. This is largely due to the fact that most normal people are not used to handling unusually large amounts of money and when they come into large fortunes end up making bad decisions on how to spend or invest it.

In order to prevent this type of thing from happening to you in the event that you hit a big jackpot, we’ll take a look at a few things that you should consider and plan for even now before you’ve won anything because, after all, you never know when you’re going to get lucky!

The main thing that you should never do once your winnings have been paid out is head straight back into the casino. This is the fastest way to lose a significant portion (if not all) of your winnings. If you do want to continue to gamble, set aside a reasonable portion of your winnings to allocate to your gambling account.

Another common mistake that people make when winning a large sum of money is to go on on-going spending sprees where the price tags of items escalate. While you may not think that you are spending large amounts in comparison to your win, everything adds up more quickly than you think. When you win, it is always good to have a plan as to how funds should be spent. By all means, set aside a portion of your winnings to “blow” on luxury items, but be sure to create a type of budget and allocate portions accordingly.

In order to do this effectively, start thinking about what you would do if you won amounts of $25k, $250k and $2.5 million. Write down how you would allocate funds for each of these three brackets, bearing in mind that you should always take care of any outstanding debts first, before allocating money to fun things like buying cars or going on vacations etc.

Should you win a large sum (in the millions of dollars) you should hire an accountant and/or financial planner to assist you with investing and managing your money properly. If you know that you are not good at handling money, then you may consider setting up a trust wherein you receive a monthly “salary” instead of large sums all at once. This will ensure that you are well looked after for a long time to come.

If at all possible, your jackpot win should be kept confidential, while we all want to believe the best of our friends and family, many winners will tell you how they lost money by investing in the business ideas of their loved ones or lending money to people that they never get back.

While it may seem absurd to have a plan for something that may never happen, it just might and you’ll be better off in the long run if you have a logical plan that can help you to sustain your finances over the long term.

Most of us are acquainted with the world of casinos, online casinos, sportsbooks and poker room, and perhaps even the odd private bet, but what would you bet on and how far would you go to win if it really came down to it?

A quick search of the internet reveals some rather incredible and often bizarre stories of people who have bet on some pretty crazy things. Here we take a look at some of the weirdest wagers we’ve heard of:

Wagering a spouse

Back in 2007 Russian native Andrei Karpov was down on his luck while playing poker against Sergey Brodov. After running out of cash, he decided that using his wife, Tatiana, as a wager would be a great idea. He lost the bet and Tatiana when she found out about it and divorced him. Ironically, she ended up marrying Sergey, the man who won her and is reportedly to be blissfully happy.

Breast Implants

Generally if someone offered a man $100,000 to get breast implants, it would inspire incredulous laughter and most would dismiss it as pure insanity…But there is always the exception to the rule! Canadian, Brian Zembic is that exception. This crazy character won R100k when he bet that he get and keep breast implants for a full year in 1997. Fast forward and over decade later he still has them!

The reason for keeping the implants? According to Zembic, they have made him a great deal of money over the years due to media appearances and simply flashing them in public. He has also won other bizarre bets like one for $15,000 for living in a men’s restroom for an entire month.

Standing in the sea for 18 hours

Phil Hellmuth reportedly bet his friend, former World Series Champion, Huck Seed a whopping $50,000 that he couldn’t stand shoulder deep in the sea for 18 hours. Huck took the bet assuming that it wouldn’t be all that difficult…he was horribly wrong and lost the bet when he lasted only 3 hours.

Weight-loss

Poker legend Doyle Brunson has lost pots of money betting on his own weight-loss, which never happened. Then in 2003 a group of gamblers offered 10:1 odds on a $100,000 stake that he would not be able to lose enough weight to weigh below 300lb. After years of failure they all figured it was a safe bet, but it wasn’t! Brunson finally found his willpower, lost the extra weight and won $1 million.

Everything you own

You’ve probably heard the famous story of Ashley Revell who sold literally everything he owned and travelled to Las Vegas, betting every cent which amounted to over $136,000 at the roulette tables on the 50/50 red or black bet. Luckily for him he won, doubling his money. He did not however try it again!

These are just a few of the many bizarre gambling tales from the past few years, we have no doubt there will be more to come in future because if we’ve learned anything from gambling throughout the ages, it’s that many people just can’t resist a good bet.

While both land based and online casinos are always on the cutting edge of technology and innovation in developing games and attracting players, when it comes to players using technology when visiting land based casino floors, they feel quite differently.

While camera technology has long been forbidden in most casinos across the world, several casinos across the US have begun to prohibit the wearing of newly launched Google Glass. These tiny eyeglass mounted devices are an exciting breakthrough in technology that are capable of allowing the wearer to take photos, film videos and surf the internet. Regulators on the other hand believe that these intelligent devices could be used by dishonest gamblers to cheat at the card tables.

In recent events, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement issued a directive ordering 12 of Atlantic City’s casinos to prohibit patrons from wearing Google Glass. Bans of the same nature have also been instituted in casinos in Las Vegas, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, amongst others and patrons attempting to enter casinos wearing this type of eyewear will be asked to remove them and if they are not prepared to comply will be denied entry onto the casino floor.

According to casino security, Google Glass may be worn during poker games to broadcast the wearer’s hand to a colluding group of players and even if they aren’t used to cheat, their presence could compromise the safety of the casino or lead to perceptions that something underhanded was being planned which would undermine public confidence in the integrity of casino gambling.

Google weighed in on the news of the bans stating that they were carefully considering how they design Google Glass because new technology always brings new issues to the forefront. It further added that their “Glass Explorer” pilot program would ensure that users become active participants in shaping the technology.

While European based casinos have yet to implement these types of bans, it is probably only a matter of time until similar restrictions are imposed.

So if you’re a Google Glass fundi, the only place you’ll be able to wear these is while you’re playing at online casinos. So once again, just another reason why online casinos are a more pleasurable place to play! For more on how to choose an online casino to play at, click here.

A brief search of the internet for “senior citizens gambling” provides a string of negative results, mostly related to gambling addiction in senior citizens and how casinos, bingo halls and online casinos maliciously prey on the elderly, encouraging them to spend their finances recklessly.

While there will always be unscrupulous casino operations and gambling addicts, for the majority of those concerned gambling is merely an entertaining pastime. In addition to this, new evidence has recently come to light that supports senior citizen’s gambling due to the number of positive effects that it can have on their mental and emotional wellbeing.

The majority of the elderly seek leisure activities to fill some of the many hours they have available since retirement and short trips to their favourite casino or bingo hall are a happy outing for many. Those who have mastered technology and either have difficulty getting around or no direct access to land based casinos and bingo halls even enjoy playing their favourite casino games online.

A study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania indicated that 70% of the 1,000 senior citizens surveyed had taken part in some kind of gambling activity in the past year and that many had learnt how to use a computer in order to gamble online.

Numerous studies and Neuroscience research support the fact that learning new things helps to keep the brain healthy and functioning optimally, so as these senior citizens learn to gamble they are also exercising their brains. According to Professor Stephen Robinson of Monash University’s School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, it is essential to learn new things in order to be mentally stimulated and promote better health, especially in the elderly as it assists in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Pleasurable activities like gambling also aid in the release of serotonin, the feel good hormone, which improves mood and gives a feeling of general well-being. With limited pleasurable activities available to the elderly, serotonin levels may be low and activities which help to adjust this upwards are always a positive thing.

Obviously, there a number of very concerned children of the elderly who worry that their parents are gambling away their “inheritance”. While there are legitimate concerns that an elderly parent could become addicted to gambling and recklessly spend the money they have put aside for their own general wellbeing, studies also show that senior citizens on the whole are more responsible than younger recreational gamblers who often add alcohol or drug abuse to the mix. The elderly on the other hand tend to play it safer by limiting their spending and simply enjoy the game as well as the social aspects of gambling.

To those worrying about their inheritances, we’d like to remind you that an inheritance is a privilege and not a right and stopping your parents from enjoying themselves is a very selfish thing to do. Not only are they having fun, but they are stimulating their brains at the same time…what more could you ask for?

Provided that senior citizens are able to control themselves when gambling and manage their finances responsibly, gambling at online casinos is likely to cause a happier, healthier and more alert generation of seniors.

“Is it possible to cheat at Online Casinos?” This question comes up from time to time by people who do not necessarily want to cheat at an online casino but rather that are interested in whether or not this is possible and so we’ve decided to address the issue of whether a player can in fact cheat an online casino in this article.

Over the years there have been numerous attempts by less than scrupulous players to defraud and/or cheat at online casinos. If you ever encounter an online casino operator they will be able to tell you more than a few stories of players who tried and of course, failed.

More than a few hackers have attempted to access online casino’s remote gaming servers and in the infancy of the industry there was a story about a certain player who managed to hack in and manipulate the odds of certain casino games in their favour. Obviously this caused huge issues for the group concerned and steps were taken to tighten security. Today, online casinos have state of the art security and encryption and are always improving their anti-hacking and detection systems so issues like this have not arisen again in over a decade.

There are also players who attempt to cheat the casinos by seeking out weak casino bonuses where terms and conditions are not altogether clear or present loopholes which can be abused by players. While this still happens, online casinos generally present solid terms and conditions on their bonus and promotional offerings and if issues arise, work very quickly to rectify terms and conditions that cause issues, thus closing the door on bonus abuse.

Some players attempt to cheat by alleging that the online casino software has “cheated” them. They then take screenshots of a hand of cards, modify the image in Photoshop and send the screenshot in as proof that the software didn’t pick up their “win”. Online casinos are however able to check the same play check type systems that players have access to which record every game transaction and cross check these against other systems in order to verify each hand dealt, roll of the dice or spin of the slot, thus catching out any devious would be cheats.

Extremely tech savvy players have also employed blackjack strategy bots which play a perfect hand of blackjack on their behalf in an attempt to cheat. Online casinos however employ specialised algorithms to analyse game play patterns and if they pick up anomalies, even if you are using perfect game strategy, they reserve the right to retain any winnings and ban you from playing at the casino.

In short, there are many ways that players can attempt to cheat at online casinos, but with the level of technological advancement and security employed by reputable establishments like Europa Casino, their success is almost non-existent. For every attempted cheater, online casinos have measures to prevent fraud in any shape or form.

So if someone is promising you a sure way or system to cheat at online casino games, rather keep your money and don’t waste your time.