The chances of your Doctor recognising or even asking about chronic gambling problems is pretty remote according to the Royal College of General Practitioners which means that symptoms such as depression while possibly being linked to debt problems are not being linked to the cause. The vice chair of the college, Dr Clare Gerada, thinks more could be done and is being backed by the gambling charity GamCare who think that less than one percent of problem gamblers are getting help. A case in point is that of Mr Ian Semmell who says he thought of gambling as a way of making money but realised that compulsive gambling is a way of creating debt and losing houses, jobs etc. We hasten to add that we are talking serious addiction here and not someone who enjoys the odd flutter on the horses or controlled gambling at an online casino. He says that on numerous visits to his GP he was often asked about drugs or alcohol but never about gambling. Ian is one of the lucky ones and was eventually put in touch with GamCare who referred him to a residential centre. Andy McLellan who is the Chief Executive of GamCare also thinks that GPs are lagging behind in their approach to the problem; “They themselves are not particularly aware of the issues to do with problem gambling, and perhaps the connections with some of the symptoms they may be seeing” He also suggested that some GPs would not know what to do even if they discovered a problem. As a responsible online casino site we would encourage anyone who thinks they may have a problem to get in touch with GamCare but we hope the vast majority of our readers are in it for the fun and if a jackpot falls then well done, but don’t expect it to but enjoy the thrill of “maybe”.

One of the most popular ways of attracting new customers to online casinos or online bookmakers is to publicize huge bonuses for signing up, usually in the form of an initial matching bonus but also sometimes for second or third deposits but even though we all like to get something for nothing it can sometimes be difficult to get your bonus. We recently saw a casino (not one that we recommend so it shall remain nameless) that had a headline joining bonus of up to €7200 so we investigated only to find that joining bonuses were up to €600 and to talk about the €7200 bonus you had to phone them. We didn’t do that as we can do without the sales pitch but the point is to investigate fully what is being offered and the terms and conditions attached to the offers. It is not uncommon for bonuses to be credited only after  your deposit has been played through a number of times and even then you may find that not all games contribute to the play through in equal ways. It is very usual for games such as roulette or blackjack to count for only 50% or 25% or sometimes not at all. Generally speaking the higher the advertised bonus the more difficult it will be to get your hands on it; we came across another one the other day which said in the small print that the bonus would only be paid when your account was empty which means to us that you have lost your initial deposit. The best joining bonuses are the simple ones but always read the terms and conditions and never select your casino based purely on the joining bonus. Remember the bonus is a one off but a good casino can be good for a lifetime.

It would have been the best of both worlds with the magnificent beaches, music  and atmosphere of Hawaii coupled with a bright shiny new casino in which to amuse yourself until the small hours but it is not to be. Only two US states currently have no legal gaming  and that includes casinos or lotteries and they are Hawaii and Utah and with the Hawaiian budget  forecasting a deficit of more than $1 billion dollars brought about in part by the reduction in tourism it was proposed to build a casino along Waikiki beach to generate some income. Proponents of the idea suggested that such a move might bring in $86 million in taxes and would help regenerate the tourist industry but despite this, the bill to issue a 5 year gaming license was rejected. The State lawmakers suggested that public opinion was strongly in favour of rejecting the bill and as might be expected, the Honolulu Police Department and the offices of the Attorney General were also opposed. The Police department quoted as reasons for opposing the bill that a casino would increase crime, consume tourists money that might be spent elsewhere and would not fit in with the family friendly image that the state has. So for the time being at least it seems that Hawaii will remain a casino free zone.

We all know the dangers of gambling addiction but what many may not have realized is that the youngsters of today are probably the first generation to have online casinos available at the touch of a button and computers and internet in every home all of which adds to a potential problem. Couple this with heavy advertising and televised poker tournaments and you can quickly realize the attraction to a world of excitement and the possibility to make some real money. CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company) in association with Eyesteel Film is however the first to make a documentary about the potential problem by studying three youths between 14 and 21 years old and their gambling habits. The film called “Gambling Boys” may never make it outside Canada which might be a shame. The youngest of the trio loves to play poker and if it wasn’t for his mother limiting the time he is allowed to play would be on all day and night. The middle boy is 18 and is addicted to sports betting and is reported to wager up to $10.000 per day but he got into difficulties and is now in rehab. A familiar story is that his mother was worried about drugs and alcohol but never about gambling. The oldest boy lost two years of school due to poker addiction spending all day and night playing instead of attending classes. He is now back at school taking an accountancy course but still gambles. This is a stark lesson to all parents to be watchful about online gambling by teenagers; in principle there is nothing wrong with the excitement and the challenge of winning but control is everything.

Opening an account for the first time at an online bookmaker can be a difficult step to take because we think  there are so many things to worry about whereas we would happily walk into a shop and hand our cash across the counter. In actual fact nothing could be further from the truth and once you have done it you will be glad you did. The main worry of most people is security but with any of the 8 bookmakers/casinos we recommend on this site you need have no worries. They are all well known names and have millions of customers; if security was not perfect they would not be in that position. Depositing money is also not an issue as there are many different ways of doing it; the only word of caution we would give here is that if depositing with a credit card, the credit card company will make a charge as if you were withdrawing cash. Once you have made a deposit you have an account and you can use the money in that account to play games or bet on sports or gamble on anything that particular site offers. Did you also know that the odds at an online casino are often better than in a shop? but the way to get the best odds on football or horse racing is to open accounts with different bookmakers and shop around. Did you also know that slot machines which you find in bookmakers shops or other amusement premises often have payout percentages of less than 80% whereas online casino slots are usually in the region of 95%? and of course it is only online that you can grab a really big progressive jackpot. There is also the question of whether you want to download the casino or play instant casino. Generally the download versions are better and give more choice but if you are playing on somebody else’s computer that is not going to work so the instant versions are available. It may seem like a big step to open your first account but it is one that you should not regret.

With St Patricks Day on the 17^th of this month we can expect a few unusual promotions which we shall try to keep you up to date on but the first to announce anything appears to be William Hill who have made their slot game “Irish Luck” their game of the month and are awarding triple competition points on the game. This is a 5 reel 30 payline slot with lively Irish themed music and all the usual suspects of clover, harps and horseshoes as well as pots of gold and good looking Irish beauties; the pots of gold are multipliers and there is a gamble feature. Stakes are from €.01 to €.05 per line and maximum win is 10,000 times your line stake. William Hill have also announced that they have new games coming this month from their Marvel comics stable. These will include Fantastic Four, X-Men, Elektra, Blade and Daredevil and we shall try to keep you posted. Of course you do not have to wait until later in the month to play a Marvel game as the Incredible Hulk is already up there. This is a 5 reel 20 win line slot with lots of features including smashing cars for cash or destroying helicopters for multiples or watch out for the “Hulk Rage” feature and see what gets smashed then or maybe that should be see what doesn’t get smashed. There is also a free games feature in which all wins are tripled. Give it a go at William Hill Casino.

We all like to gamble but not on this scale. MGM Mirage, probably  the largest casino group in Las Vegas has just opened the most expensive casino complex in the world at a time when the Vegas itself is going through an extremely difficult period. The complex known as “ City Center” is scheduled to cost no less than $9 billion will when opened completely cover 18 million square feet, have four hotels with 6300 rooms, 2400 homes, 42 restaurants and bars, ½ million square feet of shopping featuring top brands like Vuitton, Cartier and Gucci as well of course a massive casino. The funding for this project is not only Wall Street but interestingly enough includes Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland both propped up by the UK taxpayer as well as no less than Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai who is reportedly in for $4 billion. The project which nearly went broke once already is also over budget to such an extent that Sheikh Mohammed questioned the use of so many gold taps and Italian marble. MGM itself who also own the MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and Bellagio hasn’t made a profit for two years and is $12 billion in debt is facing the fact that rooms and casino in Vegas are empty and property values have been slashed. Head of MGM Mr Jim Murren put a brave face on it by saying “we are not out of the woods” but others who are active in the property market are less convinced, even Donald Trump described the project as “an absolute catastrophe”. Who is right and who is wrong remains to be seen but there will either be some big winners or some big losers; probably the biggest gamble Las Vegas has seen.

Dublin based online casino software and games developer Cryptologic  has announced reduced revenues and decreased profits for 2009 compared to 2008 citing the main causes as reduced betting activity across the industry, adverse currency movements particularly the $US against the Euro and reduced contribution from a key licensee. Against these factors, revenues from branded games increased and the annual recurring cost base reduced in part due to the merger of the poker network with GTECH. Mr Brian Hadfield, President and CEO said “2009 was a tough year as a number of adverse factors including a global economic downturn overshadowed the company’s progress in implementing  its innovative new strategy to reduce  costs and return to growth. We have entered 2010 in better shape with a substantially reduced cost base that will continue to be managed tightly. At the same time, new business momentum remains encouraging as branded games continue to roll out and hosted casino licensees implement new initiatives. With new licensing activity straying strong and the overall online casino/gaming market showing some improvement, we look forward to the year with cautious optimism”.

Cryptologic had a number of milestones during the year including reaching a deal with DC Comics which is a division of Warner Bros. to develop games featuring comic characters Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman as well as with Paramount to develop games with movie themes such as Braveheart.  The company also signed 20 new multiyear deals during the year including two full casino hosting contracts and including Irish based Paddy Power.

It seems that Cryptologic have not escaped the general downturn in the industry but there are fairly bullish about the future.

William Hill has announced its results for 2009 and to quote Ralph Topping the Chief Executive it has been a “rotten” year blaming as others have done “rotten” football results (which means the favourites won and the punters won, no problem there then!) and the cancellation of many horse race meetings and a general decline due to the economy. He said “While we would normally expect fluctuations in sporting results during a year, these were more extreme in 2009 than we had experienced previously. Having said that, the online side of the business which is relatively new for William Hill is reportedly up over 60% so are people really cutting back on their gambling or are they just doing more of it from the comfort of their own home. Reinforcing this argument is the fact that the bookmaker has already closed 14 shops in Ireland and is said to be reviewing the remaining 35 but as they have well over 2000 shops this is a fairly small review. Interestingly enough Ladbrokes also reported a reduction in profits for the same period. William Hill said it was looking forward to the World Cup this year as the last one generated over €5 million. We find it a little hard to feel sorry for them but that’s a personal opinion only.

If you are a Poker player then the Irish Open 2010 is a must for you but don’t let the entry fee of €3200+€300 put you off as Paddy Power are offering many opportunities to get in for much smaller stakes or even for free. The Irish Open is a No Limit Texas Hold’em event,  first organised in 1981 and is now the longest running tournament in Europe; only the WSOP in America has been running longer. It is being held this year in the Burlington Hotel in Dublin from April 2nd to 5th and satellites qualifiers are starting very soon. This year again Paddy Power have decided to run their €100,000 Sole Survivor event in which all Paddy Power qualifiers are entitled to participate with the one outlasting all the others winning the €100,000 package.

If you want to get in for free, the freeroll  tournaments are daily on Saturday through Thursday at 19:30 and 21:30 with a special on Friday at 20:00. On Mondays at 20:00 there are $10 Rebuy Super Satellites with each one guaranteeing an Irish Open seat and if you have a little more cash available there are €175+€13 freezeout tournaments on Sundays and Thursdays with the Sunday tournament offering a package that includes an Open ticket but for those who really are serious players, on March 21^st at 19:30 there are a guaranteed 20 seats up for grabs in a €300 +€20 freezeout tournament.

If you do not happen to play your poker with Paddy Power, they would like you to do so and are offering a sign up bonus worth up to $600 so what better way to get into the top poker tournament in Europe. Sign up here to Paddy Power and the best of luck.