An article on MSNBC states that there is a bill that would legalize online gambling in Iowa on the table right now. The Senate sub-committee started working on the bill about a week ago, and it is slated to get passed to the full committee very soon. The supporters for online gambling in Iowa know what this could do for the state’s financial state and would like to cash in on it. The ones opposing this bill are concerned with gambling addiction cases.

Currently the Racing and Gaming Commission board has been dissecting this issue to come up with the best solution for the state. Currently only Las Vegas has legal online gambling, but many states such as Florida and New York are not far behind. Gambling in general has been blowing up for many states in the past year. Ohio will finally see the first of many casinos, as well as New York. The industry is a positive community addition, and that will be proved in due time.

If you don’t want to spend any money, and don’t mind some advertisements then ‘Craps Casino’ is your game. It simple and very true to the craps format.

If you have an extra dollar lying around then ‘Craps University’ and ‘Craps Deluxe’ are your games. ‘University’ has a great feature that simulates the actual throwing of the dice as you shake your phone. And ‘Deluxe’ allows stickman calls. I would say both are worth the dollar in my book, that’s why I have them both!

Two dollars will get you the highest rated craps application: ‘Aw Craps’. This game will literally take you to Vegas, after your download is complete. Feel free to stop at any moment and return to your game later.

Applications are a huge market right now so I will be back with reviews on blackjack, roulette and slot apps.

According to csmonitor.com global online gambling is now worth around $30 billion, with $6 billion of that just poker wagering. This is great news for “cash-strapped” states that are trying to leverage revenue from online gambling.

Not everyone is happy about this though. Many critics see it as another way America is becoming demoralized. Along with these rewrites, though, Congress is being prompted to pass laws aimed at addiction prevention and child gambling prevention

Nelson Rose, a law professor at Whittier Law School blogged that “My bet is that Congress will continue to do nothing, while Internet gambling explodes across the nation, made legal under state laws.” Do you agree with this? I do, to some degree.

The only type of gambling that is actually outlawed in the US is “real money” poker, which has been since 2006. In April three large online poker companies were indicted under fraud and money laundering charges. The Justice Department said Friday that the new interpretation of the law “will not undermine the Department’s efforts to prosecute organized criminal networks. The significant majority of our current and past prosecutions concerning internet gambling involved cases where the gambling activity is part of a larger criminal scheme.”

So therefore the Justice Department is placing a significant amount of responsibility on the industry to keep it safe and legal. All members of the industry will be held accountable whether you are an operator for an online casino for real money, or an avid online casino player.

Based out of the Isle of Man since 1994, Microgaming has been creating top of the line casino software since it began.

Currently providing software for over 100 different online casinos, Microgaming is also credited with the development of the virtual blackjack table, multi-player poker table and the progressive slot machine. Almost all of my favorite casinos online use Microgaming software.  My all time favorite would have to be WinPalace though. This is for many reason, but mostly because of their Tomb Raider slot game. This game’s setup and graphics make it one of the best slot games to play on the web.

Microgaming software is also one of the best casino software companies because it comes equipped with Random Number Generation. Every casino you play at with this software will be completely random and fair. This is a good thing to consider because not only do you want your wagering to be safe but you also want your game to be fair. Playing at a microgaming casino is safe and fair and you are assured that because any casino with RNG software is audited regularly by the TST (Technical Systems Testing).

You can check to be sure you are playing at a Microgaming casino by looking at the affiliates at the bottom of the casino’s homepage. Have you played at a Microgaming Casino before? Did you enjoy it?

Step one: Try to avoid the American wheel at all costs. The European wheel lacks the double zero that that American wheel has. This small difference actually makes a very big margin as far as house edge is concerned.

Step two: I know it is going to be tempting but do not place single number or split number bets. These have the worst odds and are simply not worth it.

Step three: Only use bets that the payout is in close proximity to their odds. The best options for these bets are outside bets. Even, odd, red, black, high and low are the best bet on the table. These have around 50% odds and the payout is 1:1.

Keep in mind that the European wheel is very easy to find online but not that easy to find in actual casinos so when you are play roulette online be sure to take advantage of the option.

So much money is leaving the US annually that these bills not being passed is really upsetting a lot of people. Not only revenue but regulating online gambling will create jobs, money for charities, and let’s not forget the overall entertainment factor.

For as many advocates there are promoting the regulation of online gambling in the states, there are many more opposing this bill. Groups such as Focus on the Family feel that putting a Federal stamp of approval on gambling will basically lead to the destruction of mankind as we know it.

The article I read at www.nytimes.com/ depicted the many different aspects of these bills that are in the works. The Congressional Committee on Taxation is trying to cope with a 1.2 trillion dollar deficit. They know that taxing online poker alone could bring in $42 billion dollars alone. This money is basically being thrown away.

Large corporate casinos have always been against the regulation of online wagering but lately many big names such as Trump and Caesars have been seeking partnership to develop their own online casinos.

For now the only thing to do is wait. Hopefully soon the Speaker of the House sees it as an actually issue. One reason it has been continually put on the back burner is because Congress feels that there are so many other important issues, including healthcare and unemployment.

Let’s start off easy, and then get into the more complicated stuff. American Blackjack is played with a shoe deck and dealer always stands with a soft 17. Almost all American blackjack games give you the option to double down on any two cards and split an ace once.

European blackjack is slightly different in the fact that it is only played with two decks of cards and you can only split once, whether it is an ace or a different card. If the player and the dealer both have blackjack the game is a push.

Double Exposure carries with it some great odds; it is by far my favorite version to play. The first two cards are dealt to the dealer face up, including the hole card, so there is no guessing what the dealer has.

Caribbean 21 is almost identical to American blackjack but a “Caribbean 21” consists of an ace and two 10 point cards, and will beat any other cards totaling 21.

Spanish 21 has unlimited double downs, rescues and surrenders. There are also no tens in the deck.

There you have it. Now this is just an overview. If you would like more blackjack information visit the aforementioned site above.

Casino Bodog will stop accepting US players at the end of 2011. Bodog is one of the largest brands in the world, and will soon be moving its license to the UK.

Currently Bodog operates under a license from Morris Mohawk Gaming, based out of Canada, although they are a UK brand. When their license expires in December they will not renew it, but rather start their affiliation with the UK Gambling Commission. Bodog is very excited about this business venture because a UK Gambling Commission license carries with it a lot of added trust and prestige.

So what does this mean for the American player? Search for a new favorite online gambling spot at: onlinecasinos.ca. 

Founder of Bodog Calvin Ayre is very excited about the change, along with the rest of his employees. Wikipedia says that he is trying to build a brand “not unlike the Virgin brand venture.” They have been expanding, and ever developed a coffee line earlier this year.

Bodog is ranked 13^th overall in online casinos, and 2^nd among casinos still accepting US players. This casino is a great establishment, one that will truly be missed. Maybe this move will force US Government to proceed with passing bills through congress to start regulation online gambling in the US, or maybe it won’t.

He has been working on assembling a group of investors to partner with when online gambling is finally moderated in the US.

Trump is a very powerful man, he was even considering running for presidency at one point. He has been aggressively lobbying for legislation to be passed, if not for his well being, but for the rest of the countries. According to CNN news, Trump claims that “This has to happen because many other countries are doing it and like usual the US is just missing out. It seems inevitable, but with this country you never if it’s inevitable.”

Although he brings up many points, I’m sure his reasons are purely selfish. Trump is no stranger to bankruptcy and lawsuits, but he feels confident that the US moderating online gambling could prove to be very successful for him, and the rest of the country. Millions of dollars a year are basically being thrown across the pond to other countries when it could be benefiting the “cash-strapped” government that we have grown way too comfortable with.

He goes on to say that “We have the hottest brand in the world according to many and we think we will do extremely well because of the Trump brand.”

In the meantime I’m going to keep playing online and checking out sites like http://www.gambling101.org/ for all the latest online gambling news.

Don’t over complicate things. Blackjack is a very simple game, adding tons of techniques and crazy strategies in your head can completely deter you from the simplicity of winning. You gut is going to be your best friend, learn to use it.

Don’t model your playing after the dealer. The dealer is only making moves based on what the casino tells them to do. They are not a professional blackjack player, nor do they have your best interest in mind. Taking any sort of tip or strategy from their playing is not a smart move.

Don’t use insurance unless you count cards. Insurance will only benefit you if you have counted the cards and know the dealer is going to win.

Don’t forget about the surrender option, if it is available. If you have a nine or ten and your cards equal fifteen or sixteen, and the dealer has a nine or ten, always surrender. But that is the only instance.

I know I said four, but this has to be mentioned. Know the rules or whatever blackjack game you are playing. If you don’t know the rules, look them up on Wikipedia. Every game is different, and you should know the rules of the variety you are playing.