Online Casino News & Free Casino Online

William Hill to move telephone betting offshore.

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:10:30 +0000

Online casino operator William Hill is in the Irish casino news again after announcing that it is to move its telephone betting service offshore. You may remember that William Hill Online moved its online casino operations last year to Gibraltar blaming the UK tax regime which charges 15% of gross profit plus a levy to the horse racing industry versus virtually nothing in Gibraltar and now Ralph Topping the chief executive says “we now have a coalition government which says good things about encouraging growth, seeing business prosper and creating jobs. But the reality is that it’s just words for now. We can’t wait forever for politicians to come back with proposals on regulation and taxation”. Job losses will result in Leeds in the UK where the current call centre is located. In terms of the Irish online casino market or telephone market there should be no difference to customers experience. William Hill is not the first to complain about tax regimes and it is not only the UK that is affected but Ireland as well. Paddy Power has long been complaining about offshore competition to its Irish online casino business having a tax advantage and Ladbrokes whose online casino business also operates from offshore has closed a call centre in Aintree although still operates one near London. Although not outlining any definite plans Mr Topping also suggested that some of its high street shops were also unprofitable due to the tax situation and closures may follow. It does seem that both the Irish and UK Governments have some thinking to do if there are to be any online casino operators left on home soil.

When considering online casino deposit options also consider withdrawal options

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:05:56 +0000

People write about online casino deposit options all the time but one of the most important considerations when playing at an online casino is how easy it is to withdraw your winnings. There can be nothing more annoying than having a bit of luck at an online casino and then discovering that you have to go to great lengths and time to get your money out. The answer to this is to open and use a PayPal account. PayPal is a very simple method of payment for any sort of online activity including online casinos and the big advantage is that you can also use your account to sell items on e-Bay. We know of players who simply sell their unwanted items to fund their online casino entertainment. PayPal works like cash in a wallet except that all transactions are done electronically and hence the name e-wallet; registering an account is easy by providing a few details and creating a password and name for your account, you will also need to provide some method of funding the account such as a debit card or direct debit. PayPal does not work on credit you need money in your account to be able to spend it which ties in well with our advice not to play at an online casino with borrowed cash as you must be willing to lose even though you might not. Security of your data is guaranteed and you have the additional benefit of not having to disclose any bank or other financial details to your online casino or any other internet trader, you simply use your PayPal account number and password. Another advantage of using PayPal for online casino transactions is that it is immediate meaning no waiting time between wanting to play and actually playing. When considering casino deposit options always think about withdrawing money as well as depositing.

Craps is an interesting dice game if you want something different

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:40:50 +0000

One of the more unusual games that we see a lot on TV in casinos but rarely elsewhere is Craps. It is epitomised by lots of people surrounding a big table and shouting at each other and the dice but of course at an online casino it is a lot quieter. In an actual casino the table is large to accommodate more players and the two ends of the table are identical but the online casino version has no such need and therefore only shows one end with the possible bets (of which there are quite a number). In simple terms craps is no more than betting on the outcome of the roll of a couple of dice but the betting is far from simple and although we plan to do a page here at onlinecasino.ie explaining the rules and the bets this is not yet available. The two simplest bets which is a good starting point and which will enable you to get going are the “Pass Line” and the “Don’t Pass Line” bets. The two dice are rolled and the outcome is any number between 2 and 12. In simple terms in online casino craps a pass line bet wins if the roll is 7 or 11 and loses if it is 2,3 or 12 which incidentally is called craps. Conversely a don’t pass line bet wins if the roll is 2 or 3 but your bet is returned if the roll is 12. If the roll is anything else (4,5,6,8,9,10) the play goes to a further throws. The number that was thrown is called the point and you are now betting whether in successive throws either 7 or the point number comes up first. A pass line bet wins if the point is rolled before a 7 and loses if the 7 is thrown before the point. The don’t pass line bet is exactly the opposite. There are many more bets at craps in an online casino but if you want to give it a try you need know no more than this.

Remove the mystique surrounding Baccarat

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:32:50 +0000

One of the casino games that remains surrounded in mystique is Baccarat or Punto Banco and the reason is probably that land based casinos have always seen the game as the preserve of the wealthy by putting high minimum table stakes on the game but with the coming of online casinos all that has changed and now you can play Baccarat for small stakes if you so wish. For all the mystique that surrounds online Baccarat the game is just about as simple as you can get with only three possible bets which are:- the player wins (also known as the Punto bet which could be where our word “punter” comes from), the bank wins (Banco) or a tie. The game is a card game but rather unusually only the dealer plays the cards which sounds a bit strange but when you consider that the cards have to be played according to strict rules with no exceptions it doesn’t actually matter who plays the cards. Baccarat does have an unusual way of playing and counting the cards all of which is explained in detail in our Baccarat section but strangely enough because of the strict rules you do not need to understand to be able to play but it does help if you know what is going on so we do recommend a read before you play. If you know that a player win pays at odds of 1 to 1 and a banker win pays at 1 to 1 less 5% you know immediately that there will be more bank wins than player wins and a tie pays at 8 or 9 to 1 (check the online casino you are playing) so you know that does not happen too often. It must also be the only game that allows you to bet on the bank winning so play Baccarat online at any of our recommended online casinos and remove the mystique, it really is a great game.

Looking for a particular casino game can be confusing.

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:12:42 +0000

There is a vast array of casino games available at all online casinos these days but sometimes you need to search a bit to find what you are looking for. There is unfortunately no uniform method of categorizing casino games so although most casinos online have separate sections for Poker and Bingo, some online casinos having a section called “Skill”, others simply call them “Games” and then there is always the section called Casino. In a lot of cases under the category “casino games” you can find a full list of everything including Roulette and Blackjack and even Slots which is exactly the same as you will find under the Casino section; you may even find a sub section called TV games or Scratch Cards. To add to the confusion 3 card brag is under skill games in one online casino but has its own section in another; head to head casino games such as Backgammon or Dominoes should be found under the heading of skill games but often casinos online do not have such a heading so you are left searching in the casino section where they might be under the table games heading or somewhere else. We would love to be able to give you a list of where to find your favourite game in your favourite online casino but right now that would be a big task and it doesn’t look like standardisation is close. Luckily it usually does not take too long to find what you are looking for and if you focus on just a couple of casinos you will soon get to know where to look.

Some people always seem to win at Blackjack.

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 11:10:33 +0000

Have you ever noticed that some people always seem to win when playing Blackjack and others always seem to lose? In truth of course nobody always wins and nobody always loses although it is a lot easier to always lose if you are simply reckless. In our series of articles covering online casino tips we try to increase your chances of winning and in this article we shall be covering Blackjack tips. The first thing to remember is that online Blackjack is a card game and all card games have an element of luck involved; the other tip to remember is that where Blackjack is concerned the card suits have no relevance so there are only 13 possible outcomes of card turned. It is also important to know how many decks are in the game which should be able to be found in the game rules of the online casino you are playing; the more decks in the game, the less relevant any visible cards become. Two other tips to remember are if you go over 21 you lose no matter what the dealer has and secondly as the dealer has to draw a card to 16 or less you will only win with less than 17 if the dealer goes bust. If you stand on less than 17 you are simply gambling that the dealer goes bust. From that point on it is a fairly simple game as long as we ignore splitting, doubling, insurance or surrender which you find more about at our blackjack page. If you have 17 or more you will stand and wait and see what the dealer has, if you have less than 12 you will draw a card so the only decisions come when you have 12, 13, 14, 15, or 16 which unfortunately is over 60% of the time. Now it is time for the probability calculations; if you have 12 there are 4 cards that leave you still under 17 and with a decision to make, there are also 4 cards that will bust you leaving 5 out of 13 possibilities to give you a playable hand. There are sites that have attempted to work out the percentage odds and how to play each hand and it is good online casino tip to read and understand them. Alternatively trust your gut feeling and go for it.

Roulette remains a very popular game in the online casino

admin — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 17:14:01 +0000

Whether you like high risk casino games or low risk casino games, high stakes or low stakes online Roulette is a game for all which is probably why it is the most played game in casinos worldwide. The game is simplicity itself and involves predicting where the ball will land on a roulette wheel having 37 different sections (1 through 36 and a zero). American Roulette has a double zero (00) as well but the game should be avoided if European Roulette is available. Minimum stakes in a land based casino can be quite high, often €10 or more but when playing roulette online can be very small if you choose the right online casino. A low risk/ low reward strategy can be employed by betting on red/black or odd/even giving a slightly less than 50/50 chance of winning and a payout of 1 to 1 (the zero is neither red nor black so either bet loses when the zero comes up). This bet is effectively on 18 different numbers but you can also bet on 12 numbers at a time by placing bets on columns which each contain 12 numbers or on 1 to 12, 13 to 24 or 25 to 36 all of which pay out at 2 to 1. The good thing about roulette betting is that you do not need to be clever about betting; if for example you place a bet of 12 chips on a column and you win, you will receive 24 chips as winnings but your original stake remains and can be withdrawn leaving you with 36 chips. If on the other hand you bet 1 chip on 12 different numbers and one of them comes up you will Have 11 losing bets but the one number that wins will pay out 35 chips plus your original stake leaving you again with 36 chips. There is therefore no betting strategy for roulette, decide your stakes and level of risk and go for it; it is not for nothing that playing roulette is so popular in online casinos.

Get rid of Casino on Net and try 888 casino

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 16:30:41 +0000

I you haven’t yet downloaded 888 casino now might be a good time to do it and if you are one of those with Casino on Net still on your computer, uninstall that and download the new version. There are great 888 casino bonuses available as a new player with a play through requirement of 40 times the bonus only which equates to 20 times your initial deposit plus your bonus. Casino 888 keeps offering new things to keep you amused and one of the most amusing is a 100% Deposit Match bonus every Sunday up to €65 which is a pretty good way to start the week but as with all online casino bonuses certain types of game do not count towards the play through requirement. As is normal with the online casinos that we recommend 888 offers not only 888 casino but also the full range of sports betting, poker games, bingo and other games all under different names ( 888 sports, 888 bingo etc.) but all available directly from the main lobby. The only annoying thing about 888 casino is that they require different log ins for the download casino and the instant play casinos and a different one again for 888 sports. The sooner they get that sorted the better as we have enough trouble remembering one password let alone three different ones. That said the graphics are great, the selection of games is second to none and maybe it is just us that has an issue with the passwords because we like to try everything out for you so ignore our moans and play 888 casino online for a lot of fun.

Some say all online casinos are the same but they are not.

admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:28:28 +0000

It is said that one online casino is much like any other online casino and to a certain extent of course that is true; after all they all offer a very similar range of casino games, most offer free online casino and for the most part the game rules of each game are the same; some even use the same online casino software as others. Here at onlinecasino.ie we do not believe they are all the same and we go out of our way to make sure that we only recommend those that have a full range of casino games as well as other betting opportunities; our belief is that players at an online casino often like to gamble on sports or at skill games so why not have the ability to do that without having to have a separate bankroll. Most good operators will enable you to quickly and easily switch cash between your different balances within your account. The other big difference between casinos online is size and trustworthiness of the operation; there are literally hundreds of online casinos available to you at the click of a button but many of those have simply bought a programme, created a website and sit back and wait. The problem here is that anybody playing at an online casino has a good chance of winning so if you have 5 players there is a chance that all 5 could win; on the other hand, if you have 1000 players there is no chance that all 1000 players will win and therefore the losing players will pay the winnings of the winning players. In a small casino therefore you could have a situation where there are too few losing players to pay the winning players and we cannot imagine anything worse than having a big win and not getting paid. The online casino simply disappears and probably opens up again under a different name. To avoid all this follow our links to reputable online casinos and play safely in the knowledge that you will get paid if you win.

All online casinos offer bonuses for new players

admin — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 07:50:10 +0000

Online casinos will often advertise massive bonuses for new players but don’t be taken in by the headline, a closer study may reveal that they are very difficult to achieve. We are not against new player bonuses or any other online casino bonus for that matter but we do advise reading the terms and conditions to avoid disappointment. Every online casino offers a bonus to new players and it is usually in the form of a match of your first deposit for example Bwin is currently offering a 50% match up to €200 and Ladbrokes is offering 100% up to €100 but which is the better bonus is not clear from this alone. If you are an existing customer of the online casino operator betting on sports or playing poker but have not yet played in the casino check that you are still eligible for the casino bonus by transferring funds from a separate area of your account. Another point to pay attention to is the “play through” requirement before you can cash in or withdraw your bonus; this means that you need to stake a multiple of your deposit or sometimes a multiple of your deposit plus the bonus before you can withdraw your winnings. Using the examples above, the Bwin online casino bonus has a requirement of 20 times deposit plus bonus; the Ladbrokes bonus is slightly different in that you need to play your deposit once before you get the bonus but having got it the play through requirement is only 10 times the bonus. Finally watch out for which casino games count towards the play through requirement; Roulette often does not count and nor does Blackjack and some other games may only count 10% or 50%. Having said all that online casino bonuses will always enable you to play longer and have more fun whatever the terms and conditions so there is no reason not to go for it.