Caesar’s Palace just made my day with this story. Unfortunately it costs them a quarter of a million dollars in fines, so I’m not sure they think it’s worth it. But heck, it’s getting them in all the news and gambling blogs so maybe they can just think of it as a marketing expense.

The offending event took place back on October 10^th, so almost a year ago, at the high limit baccarat table. Now high limit baccarat is supposed to be one of those fancy games at the casino. You know the one that’s roped off and often has tougher dress standards. The place where you go to play if you want to wear a tux and feel like “Bond, James Bond.” Not the type of game where you’d find a player, who was perhaps a bit over the “happy” limit, dancing on the table.

But dance he did. Caesars Palace has admitted that a player climbed on to the high limit Baccarat table three times on October 10^th and celebrated with a few dance moves. He even placed a bet while standing on the table itself. He also stood on his chair and is reported to have occasionally sat down in the chair.

Well, Nevada gaming regulators aren’t known for their sense of humor and apparently aren’t convinced that “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” They’ve determined that the casino’s security staff should have kept Mr. Happy Feet off the tables and fined Caesars $250,000. The casino has paid up. There’s no news on what sort of winnings Mr. Happy Feet danced away with.

Despite the European Union and the supposed promise of unified gambling laws throughout Europe, every country has been off pursuing its own specific gambling legislation. And without much opposition. In Holland, the Dutch Ministry of Justice had a committee review the country’s online gambling laws and report back. The report supports the legalization of online poker, but states that other online gambling, such as casino games and sports betting should be illegal in the country.

While this is good for online poker, or maybe if the country does pull what France did and restrict players to only playing on sites operating within the country. Since poker is essentially a social sport where players are expected to compete against one another, restricting play affects poker players more than it would slot players or blackjack players.

But this proposal to legalize poker but not other gambling games isn’t sitting well with those in Holland. Sports betting and lottery are already allowed in the country under existing laws and managed by the state owned monopoly DeLotto. So, the report would have the country restricting sports betting which is currently legal and which I’m sure has as many fans as poker. Since it seems that sports betting would still be allowed and controlled by DeLotto, this is criticized by some as offering the state a monopoly on the popular form of gambling.

So, once again, online gambling comes under debate in Europe. Though right now there’s no indication that anyone will act quickly on the committee’s report. After all, politicians elsewhere have proven that they’ll ignore a committee report in favor of gambling if the politicians aren’t in favor of gambling.

Coffee Quote: A morning without coffee is like sleep.  ~Author Unknown

Yeah, I know, people tell me that they’re against online gambling because they want to protect me from my uncontrollable need to gamble because apparently online gambling is so addictive, it’s amazing I can stop long enough to write this blog post. And I’m spending money I can’t afford to lose because these kind people apparently have access to my bank account. Look, all money you spend on “entertainment” is optional money that could be spent elsewhere. How much would you save if you dropped your cable TV subscription? Aren’t you spending money you can’t afford to lose for cable TV shows that run when you aren’t even in the house? I may watch a couple of hours of TV a day. But cable doesn’t give a discount for that. But online casinos don’t take my money when I’m NOT playing on them. Besides, I have a basic philosophical problem with people trying to control what I do. Next they’ll be insisting that I drink decaf!

But let’s look at a little online gambling legislation debate coming out of California, where I think there might be a state tax on breathing. The Commerce Casino in California is the world’s largest real world poker room. But the casino refuses to support federal gambling legislation that would allow for legal online gambling. Because they want to protect me. Nah, because they want state legislation instead of federal legislation. That way the Commerce Casino can become the online poker room for California players. If you live in California, you’ll only be able to play on California casinos and only against California players. Who does this protect? The casino. Not the player. Don’t let them fool you.

Coffee Quote: Decaffeinated coffee is the devil’s blend.  Author Unknown

Now, let me start this off by saying that I like Las Vegas. It’s a great city that provides wonderful vacation experiences for adults. And where we don’t have to worry about hoping the kids will like it. Frankly, Las Vegas lets us indulge in a little adult greed now and then and we need that. Because then we can go back to work and kids and school drop offs without going insane.

But I also enjoy online gambling. Because it’s convenient. All I do is turn on my computer and it’s right there. I don’t see online gambling and a trip to Las Vegas as the same thing. Just like watching the Travel Channel isn’t really the same as going to Disney World. But casinos in Nevada have this fear that if we can all gamble online, we’ll stop visiting them all together. (Disney meanwhile just buys lots of ad space on the Travel Channel.)

But Nevada casinos are worried because Nevada senate leader Harry Reid has said he’s in favor of Barney Frank’s gambling bill HR 2267 (Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, how’s that for a name). Now Reid has said that he’s only in favor of the bill as far as legislating online poker. Online poker rooms are just a tad less controversial in Las Vegas since the casinos only make a profit on the “rake” (a percentage of the pot) rather than on a house edge. A poker game takes up more space and time than other games and just aren’t as profitable as say a floor filled with slot machines. Also, there is debate that poker is more a game of skill than luck and therefore doesn’t fall under the same gambling rules as slots.

But none of this is reassuring Nevada casinos who see any form of online gambling as a way to open the door for full fledge online gambling. But supporting the desires of the brick and mortar casinos means offering fewer choices to the American public. Who, frankly, are already gambling at online casinos. Which no one in Vegas or Washington seems to be able to figure out.

Coffee Quote: I’d stop drinking coffee, but I’m no quitter.  ~Author Unknown

I wonder if dealing poker would count as a lab class. Remember those in college? You had to take a certain number of credit hours as a “lab course” to graduate. They were usually courses like chemistry, physics and biology. But can you imagine what would happen if colleges actually offered “poker dealer” and “blackjack dealer” as a lab class. Considering the current economy, they might actually be the classes most likely to get students a job.

Colleges, particularly community colleges, in Pennsylvania where table games are now going to be added to the local casinos. The popularity of the dealer training is still a bit iffy and doesn’t really count toward a 4 year degree. So, drat, no taking poker dealing as a lab course. The cost of the training may be putting some job seekers off. Training classes are running near the thousand dollar mark in some cases and unfortunately those who need the new jobs are probably least likely to have the money. Jobs dealing in casinos have a fairly low base pay, but dealers can bring home a couple hundred bucks in tips each night. So for the right person, it could be the perfect job.

But the online courses have me baffled. Sure, you can play poker and blackjack online. I certainly do. And yep, you can take college courses online. But can someone really learn to be a poker dealer in a real world casino through an online class? Keep in mind that someone doesn’t just walk into a dealer position at a casino by flashing a training certificate. They have to audition. And that goes beyond just knowing the rules. They have to be able to handle the cards, count chips, handle chips, even handle disgruntled customers. An online class leaves a student without any real world help in handling chips and cards, something that could be practiced on other students in a classroom.

Coffee Quote: In Seattle you haven’t had enough coffee until you can thread a sewing machine while it’s running.  ~Jeff Bezos

Okay, this is just weird. I may need more coffee before I’m ready to deal with it in the morning. And it’s a good thing that camera only works one way because I’m not ready to be seen yet. One way viewing of online gambling may be a good idea. I haven’t decided yet. But two way viewing would probably be downright scary.

Okay, here’s how it works. Palace Casino has launched palaceslive.com (which can be accessed from within their regular online casino). Palaces live lets players take part in certain games, such as blackjack and roulette, while viewing a live table and live dealer in the real Palaces Casino in Great Britian. It’s sort of a virtual casino trip to England.

The effect is accomplished by combine streaming video with 3D technology. The trick is that though it’s easy enough to stream you video of a roulette table in action, it’s a bit tricky for you to reach through your monitor and put a chip on the real table. (Don’t try. You’ll only bruise your knuckles.) So while you see the real dealer and actually view the real roulette wheel spin, you actually place your bet on a virtual 3D table. There is also an option to chat privately with the dealer, so you can have a conversation if you have a question. (I wonder how many people are going to start asking the dealers to wave just to prove the feed is live.)

Now, I expect this form of online casino will appeal to some people. It certainly is interesting to drop in and watch. But those who enjoy the non-personal aspect of playing only against a computer that doesn’t get impatient or wonder about your choices will probably still opt for the expected “virtual” virtual world of online casinos.

Coffee Quote: Computer, coffee, hot. In a cup this time! - Captain Janeway, Star Trek: Voyager

One day I’m going make a list of strange casino names. Now, think this one through, gold is supposed to suggest wealth. And mummy suggests that you’re dead and buried. Well, buried in a big tomb filled with gold. But still, there’s that dead part. Which may be why I never seem to have an urge to play on Mummy’s Gold Casino. So I decided, hey, I should go check this site out and reassure myself that it isn’t really a bad casino. And that being dead isn’t a requirement.

So, the Mummy’s Gold main page is done in purple. Lots of dark purple. Which is a rich color. There is a nice desert image with pyramids at the top. But mostly lots of swirly and flashy things on the page encouraging me to play with them. Up front and easy to find are the options to either download the software or use the instant play option. I often check out the instant play first. But before I do that, I better bebop over and check out the terms. I’m in the US and that sometimes causes problems with UK casinos. It’s not me they don’t like. It’s the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act). Mummy’s Gold is going to leave it up to me to decide if I can legally play on the site. And sometimes instant play isn’t. So after three browser tries and restarting Firefox…I’ve got a page where I can see the games, but no user name yet. Okay, under help, I have a register option and a can even start with a guest account if I give them my email. Not too bad, but that could have been a bit more obvious.

The slots games are in no particular order, so I’ve randomly selected one, but nothing is happening. Hmm, bouncing over to Video Poker. Okay, after clicking viciously a few times, I get Double Double Bonus Poker to load. Whoa, lots of bright reds and blues. Really not easy on the eyes, guys. Okay, it does auto holding on the cards and you might want to check your strategy card against the suggestions. Back over to slots, some vicious clicking on Chainmail makes the game finally open. Yeah, more bright colors, but that’s expected in a slots game. The table game selection looks impressive, but I’ll skip the vicious clicking and get on with the review.

Let’s see the details. Mummys Gold is part of the Palace Group managed by Bayton Ltd and registered in Malta. The site is certified fair and safe by eCOGRA, which is a good thing. And they’re running Microgaming software.

So, as far as certification and gaming software, everything is good. But I think they need to look a bit more into the site presentation itself and fix that vicious clicking issue. Because not everyone who plays is going to be over-caffeinated. If you play at Mummy’s Gold and enjoy it, don’t stop. But if you’re looking for casinos, check these online casinos.

Coffee Quote: If I asked for a cup of coffee, someone would search for the double meaning. Mae West

There seem to be a lot of free gambling related games on Facebook this days and even more games that require the player to check in at regular times and click on things to earn points. Somehow the new Golden Nugget Casino game on Facebook manages to combine the worst of features of each of those as well as the continued offer of posting notices to annoy your friends.

Now, let me explain — I haven’t just read about the game. I’ve been playing it. Like I played Yoville and Farmville and one of the many aquarium games and the garden game. Eventually the continued mouse movement to click all of these aggravated an already sensitive nerve and they literally became a pain in the neck. But because the Golden Nugget game involves setting up your own casino, I decided to give it a try.

You’ll start out with a very basic casino floor and enough money to buy a few games, like slot machines, to furnish your casino. Now, here’s the first problem. You purchase a game and set it up, at which point it runs for a specific time before you can collect your money. While the game is running, there isn’t much to do except visit friend’s casinos, but I’ll get to that in a bit. First let’s look at run times. The amount of time a game has to run before you can collect varies greatly from 30 seconds for a slot machine to a day for a poker table. Others run 2 hours or 4 hours. But if you aren’t there to collect your earnings when the game finishes running, you lose some of the profit. With the 30 second slots, you’ll spend a lot of time clicking and clicking on Facebook without getting much else done. But set up a longer game and you’ll have to remember to keep going back to Facebook to see if it’s time to collect. And if it pays off when you’re sleeping or on the drive home, well, you’ll lose some profit. Of course, this being Facebook, you really don’t have any opportunity to set up your own schedule.

So, running the casino is basically a click and earn points type of game. You’ll be promoted to send annoying notices to all your friends about the game and you are able to redecorate the casino with your profits. You can even expand the casino. But all of this requires that you spend days actively playing the game to advance levels and earn profit. There even adding an bank where you can use your credit card and spend real money to add things to your virtual, not real money, casino. Yep, you spend money to get, umm, pixels.

So, what do you do while waiting for the tables to earn money? Well, you can visit friend’s casinos, or Ace’s Casino since he’s always there, and play games. Until you run out of chips. Then, well, you have a problem. Because when you run out of chips, you can’t use your profit to buy more. You have to wait for friends to send them to. So, if you don’t have friends on Facebook who play the game and are willing to send you chips, you don’t get new chips. Which means you can’t actually play casino games themselves unless you bug friends to play the game and send you chips.

Run out of chips and what to play video poker or slots? Well, may I suggest that you leave Facebook and check out many of the online casinos on the web. Many of them even offer a practice play option where they’ll give you as many pretend chips as you want to play the games and you don’t have to bug any of your friends. When you’re done playing, just exit the casino and it’ll be there when you want to go back. No need to check in all day long to make sure it’s still operating. Oh, and if you want to spend real money at a real online casino, guess what — you can win real money. Money, not pixels. Thanks to Facebook, real gambling actually becomes a better value for your dollar than pretend gambling.

I’ve always wanted to go on an African safari. The image conjurors up romance, adventure and even a little danger. Though the closest I’ve ever gotten in the jungle ride at the local theme park, which does have its advantage since they bring the animals in and place them conveniently for you to view. Which makes the odds of seeing a lion or herd of elephant a whole lot better. But when you leave your safari, you head off to the local hamburger joint, which just isn’t the same as the real thing. So, I’m going to have to check out the Villento Brands new Summer Safari contest.

The place to play Summer Safari is Villento Vegas, which is a great online casino. This is a contest where the more you play and the more you play for, the better your chances of winning. The object of the contest is the amass the most tokens. You have to play to do that. You’ll earn tokens when you wager, but you’ll only collect them in $500 increments. So, every time your wagering hits another $500 in money, you’ll earn 500 tokens. You’ll also earn tokens every time you cash in, but in smaller amounts. And of course you’ll be awarded tokens every time you make a deposit. Basically, there do just about anything on Villento Vegas and you’ll probably earn tokens. There will also be special bonuses and prizes awarded to give you more tokens. All of this to move you up on the Leader board.

The Summer Safari tournament is already underway and runs through November 7 so jump in now for a chance to win one of the 10 all expense paid trips on an African Safari.

Coffee Quote: This coffee tastes like mud!  Well, it was ground this morning.  ~Author Unknown

I bid one penny on that poker tournament!

A UK company - Bidibot.com wants me to do just that. It’s an interesting little site that I just found out about. Sort of an eBay for the poker player. At least most of the auction items do seem to be poker related. Okay so here’s how it works. You sign up for a bidibot account. You then can bid on a variety of poker packages, tournament entries or casino credits. The bidding period is timed and each time a bid is placed, time is added to the event. When time runs out, the top bidder wins.

So far, the bids I’m seeing on the site are going for pennies on the dollar with savings in the 90% range. I don’t know if we’ll always see savings that big or if this is because the site is fairly new and not yet tested in the wide poker community. If the values are this good, word is going to get out and the bidding is going to become more intense.

Even though the bids are great now, I’m going to recommend just a bit of caution on the site. Not because I’m seeing anything wrong with it but because I’ve seen bidders get carried away on sites like ebay and pay more of a second hand item than it sells for in the stores. And poker players are competitive enough already.

But word on Bidibot is going to get out there because the site will be live and onsite for Poker in the Park 2010 at London in September. After that, the great deals may be just a bit harder to come by.

Coffee Quote: In Seattle you haven’t had enough coffee until you can thread a sewing machine while it’s running.  ~Jeff Bezos