Earlier this year, the U.S. state of Pennsylvania made the move to legalize table games in the state, allowing some slot parlors to offer blackjack, roulette and other casino games. The result has been a dramatic increase in customers and revenue from the establishments who were able to obtain licenses. Now, only one license remains.

When the gambling expansion legislation passed, it gave the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board the power to hand out a limited number of permits for table games. Now that only one such license remains, resorts across the Keystone State are fighting for it.

By the end of the year, the Board will decide who gets the remaining blackjack license and they are looking for a resort that is might likely to draw tourists to the area. The license will allow the winning resort to add up to 600 slot machines and 50 table games.

How much would obtaining that license help the business? Table games were only approved in the middle of July and despite that, Pennsylvania casinos reported an 18% increase in slot revenue from the previous year. Since they already offered slots, that increase in revenue shows an increase in customers, likely because of the new table games. While 18% was the average, some Pennsylvania casinos fared considerably better. For example, the Sands Casino reported a 25% increase in July slot revenue from the previous year.

Soon the August numbers will be in and with a full month of blackjack tables and other table games, we will get a more accurate picture of the benefit of table games to Pennsylvania casinos. For that reason, those remaining in contention for the lone unused license should be that much more eager to win it.

I like loyalty points because they make me feel appreciated. It’s the online casino saying “hey you, I’m glad you decided to visit our website today and play some of our games. We won’t forget that. In fact, here are some points as a token of our appreciation.” When you don’t have many points, they don’t really mean much other than that, but all of that changes when you get enough loyalty points to cash out for a casino bonus. Then it’s the casino saying “hey, you’ve been here a lot lately. Why don’t you have some free cash to play with? Go ahead, take it. It’s on the house, as a token of our appreciation for your business.”

Other businesses do that kind of thing as well. I love delis that punch your card whenever you get a sandwich and eventually you earn a free lunch. The place where I get my hair cut is the same way. Anyway, Villento Casino offers loyalty points for all wagers that you make and when you have enough, you can cash out. Right now, though, they are sweetening the deal with a special casino promotion.

The promotion is the Triple Play-Triple Pay deal. Starting yesterday, August 30 and running until Thursday, September 2, the online casino will give you triple loyalty points on a select group of online slots. Those featured online slots are Loaded, Lumber Cats, Mayan Princess, Polar Bash, Pure Platinum, Scoop the Cash and the popular Thunderstruck II. Players who are Silver, Gold or Platinum members receive triple loyalty points during the promotion.

To take advantage of the deal and receive triple loyalty points from playing any of the above online slots, visit Villento Casino.

I’m not really surprised. Last week, the North Gauteng High Court ruled in favor of a ban on online gambling throughout the nation of South Africa. With the new legal decision on their side, the Gauteng Gambling Board (GGB) vowed to combat online gambling operations in the country and prosecute any that remain in operation.

As a result, most online gambling operators based in the country have shut down. One, however, Piggs Peak, said that they would not back down. Stating that they are challenging the ban in court, they said that they would not shut down “until the appeal has been heard and the outcome determined.” It was tough talk, but when threatened with jail time, you can’t blame a company for giving in. On midnight August 28, the online casino stopped operating, though they are still appealing the online gambling ban.

Piggs Peak is based in Swaziland, South Africa and operates legal brick and mortar casinos in the country as well as online casinos that are now deemed illegal. Though their initial response sounded like defiance, the Operations Director, Lew Saul Koor, now says that it was a misunderstanding. He says that he was under the impression that Piggs Peak would be allowed to operate the business as usual during the appeal process. When informed that the online casino must be shut down immediately, he complied.

He then issued a statement saying that the online casino is shut down “until our application for appeal has been heard and the outcome is announced, which we feel should take no more than a week or so.” By contacting customer service at the website, existing customers are able to withdraw money from their account if they wish to do so.

If you’re like me, every Monday morning you hate your life and contemplate quitting your job and backpacking across the world, living off of the land instead. Or maybe you just feel borderline suicidal instead. It happens. It’s why very few people use the acronym TGIM. At online casinos, Mondays usually mark the end of big weekend tournaments. At Millionaire Casino, the big month-long Slottery tournament has ended. The good news is this Monday there are some new casino tournaments starting as well.

The Head2Head blackjack tournament begins today, August 30 and runs through Thursday, September 2. The blackjack tournament is played head-to-head, meaning two players compete against each other instead of the dealer. The tournament has a $5 entry fee and players compete for a share of the pot.

For video poker fans, the month-long Augy 100-hand tournament ends tomorrow, August 31. However, a new Jacks or Better Challenger tournament begins today and runs through Thursday, September 2. The video poker tournament has a $5 buy-in and players compete for the pot.

For online roulette players, there is no tournament starting today, but the Wheel Deal tournament is still going on. It began on August 26 and ends on September 2. This roulette tournament has an entry fee of only $2 and you play for the pot.

Though there are no big slot tournaments going on right now, Millionaire Casino has a variety of daily tournaments. Today the Play for the Pot slot tournament is played on the 20,000 Leagues slot. That slot tournament has a $3 entry fee. Tomorrow an identical slot tournament will be played on the X Marks the Spot slot. There are also the Quick Slots tournaments, which run every Sunday, Monday and Friday. Those slot tournaments have buy-ins of only $0.50.

I know it won’t do a whole lot to combat the Monday drudgery, but every little bit helps and playing in a tournament or two could brighten your mood. To take part in any of the casino tournaments, visit Millionaire Casino.

One trend that is becoming increasingly popular at online casinos is offering live dealer games. Those games can be for anything from blackjack to roulette to baccarat. Any game with a dealer or croupier has a live dealer game online now. But what is all the hype about?

Live dealer games not actually live, at least not usually. They are games that feature video footage of dealers dealing cards to you and interacting with you. It makes the games seem more like a real casino environment. However, in most cases those are pre-recorded videos. That is done for logistical reasons. The online casinos usually only have a few girls for the live dealer games and you never know how many customers are going to want their services. Also, you can’t expect those girls to be standing at the table, dressed and in makeup for the entire day. Do you expect her to look fresh and at her best when you log onto the website at 4:00 in the morning to play a live dealer game? If the video is pre-recorded, then yes.

By pre-recording videos of live dealers for a variety of situations, the online casino can help recreate a casino environment without having the dealers working around the clock. Using the video footage and combining it with the standard online casino software, it seems that the dealer is really at the table with the player and is really the one handing out the cards. It’s an illusion, but for most it’s good enough, or at least the next best thing to actually being in a brick and mortar casino.

The “live dealers” at online casinos are usually female and usually look good enough to be a model, or at least a part-time model. That certainly adds to the appeal of the games. Instead of simply looking at cards sitting on a table when playing blackjack, if you play a live dealer game, you can watch an attractive woman deal your cards. Given the choice, many men would choose the latter.

Whether you play a live dealer game or a regular version of the game, the odds are the same at the online casino. Adding a live dealer doesn’t actually affect the odds or statistics of the game. It’s simply some window dressing to make the game more enjoyable.

Yesterday I wrote about a casino bonus at Cherry Red that is exclusively for online blackjack players. That’s great if you’re into blackjack, but what if you’re not? The online casino still has you covered, as with their Video Poker Bonus.

Video poker players can receive a 200% match bonus on their first deposit, with a maximum bonus value of $1200. To qualify, you must deposit at least $25. The bonus must be wagered at least 20 times before any withdrawal can be made. It is a Play Bonus, which means it is intended to give you spending money to use at the casino, not money to withdraw and buy a new TV with. The bonus money cannot be cashed out and can only be wagered at Cherry Red Casino. However, any money you win when wagering the bonus money can be withdrawn as usual.

The Video Poker Bonus has a coupon code of WILDCHERRY. To receive the casino bonus, make you you enter the coupon code at the cashier before making a deposit or a wager. The exclusive bonuses for certain casino games cannot be combined. That means you can’t make a deposit using the Video Poker Bonus code and use that money to play online slots or blackjack. Each game has its own coupon code and its own terms and conditions.

If you are a video poker player and want some extra money with which to wager, this could be a good deal for you. As always, I recommend reading the terms and conditions of the casino bonus before opting into it. To take advantage of the Video Poker Bonus, visit Cherry Red Casino.

Cherry Red Casino has a new casino bonus and it’s an exclusive one. No slots players allowed! That goes for roulette, poker and baccarat, too. This is the Blackjack Special Bonus. As you can tell from the title of the bonus, this only applies to blackjack players, so if you’re a blackjack fan then I have good news for you. If you don’t play blackjack then I’m sorry. I guess there’s no reason to keep reading. Check back tomorrow for something more relevant to you.

Blackjack players can receive an exclusive 200% match bonus on their first deposit. The bonus has a maximum limit of $1200. The bonus must be wagered at least 20 times before you can make a withdrawal. This is a Play Bonus, meaning it is only meant to be used for wagering. Though you can withdraw any winnings you get from wagering this bonus money, you cannot withdraw the bonus itself.

To redeem the bonus, make sure you provide the correct coupon code for the cashier before you make your first deposit and before you make any wagers. The coupon code is different depending on your method of payment. If you make the deposit via credit card, the coupon code is BLACKCHERRY. If you use UseMyWallet to make the deposit, you need to use the coupon code of BLACKCHERRYUMW. If eWalletXpress is your deposit method of choice, the correct coupon code is BLACKCHERRYEWX. In each case, the reward is the same: a 200% match bonus worth up to $1200.

If you play other games, though, you don’t have to feel like Cherry Red Casino doesn’t care about you. They do. They care about all of their customers. The online casino also offers a Slots Special Bonus and a Video Poker Bonus. We’ll talk about those at a later time; don’t worry.

To receive up to $1200 free on a 200% match bonus, visit Cherry Red Casino.

Nederland may soon open up their online gambling industry and begin regulating private online casinos. Nederland (or the Netherlands) currently has a monopoly on online gambling, but the Justice Ministry Commission is now recommending that the nation allow several private companies to offer online poker.

Online poker is the most common form of online gambling in the world and it is popular pretty much everywhere, including Nederland. The Dutch right now are trying to get all of the online poker players in the country to visit one website, the online poker website run by the Dutch government. It isn’t working and players are spending money at overseas online casinos and poker rooms. Instead of taking the actions of Israel, Australia and some other countries and trying to block access to those websites, the Commission is recommending licensing a few online poker sites. If you can’t beat them, join them.

Currently the Commission is only recommending allowing private companies to offer online poker, not any other online gambling games, but it’s a start. I hope this is the beginning of a larger expanded online gambling sector largely free from government control, because it would give me another thing to love about Nederland. They have a thriving open economy, their language sounds cool and it’s the origin of Flapjacks, an awesome Holland lop rabbit.

Flapjacks is like most rabbits, I suppose, spending most of his time eating and pooping – sometimes simultaneously – but he has a lot of character and has remained upbeat despite the fact that his owners recently got a dog and don’t pay attention to him anymore. For that I commend him and for moving toward privatizing online poker, I praise Nederland. As you may have guessed, another think I like about the country is the word Nederland (which is why I don’t write “Netherlands”).

The kids are going back to school this week (or soon), and you know what that means. Freedom. No, I mean back to school shopping. That shopping can be pretty expensive, though, so having a little extra cash would be helpful. That’s why VIP Slots Casino is holding a sweepstakes where they are giving away money to players are random.

It is the Back to School Shopping sweepstakes. At the end of the month, the online casino will draw tickets for players at random and reward them with prize money. Players can earn a ticket in the raffle for every 500 loyalty points they redeem. That means the more games you play, the more chance you have of winning prizes in the sweepstakes. Of course, you could also lose that money, so you should hope you’re either lucky or playing a game of skill, like blackjack, where you have a better chance of winning money.

The prize for this casino bonus sweepstakes is a $1,000 cash prize. If the winning player is from the United States, the prize money will be shipped to the winner at no cost. If the winner is from outside the U.S., then VIP Slots will reward the player with $1,000 in casino credits to be used at the online casino. In that case, the casino bonus, like any other bonus, would have to be wagered at least 20 times before being withdrawn.

To take part in the Back to School Shopping sweepstakes, all you have to do is log onto VIP Slots Casino and play some of your favorite games during the month of August. For every 500 loyalty points you redeem, the online casino will enter a ticket in your name into the sweepstakes raffle.

Today is Tuesday, August 24 at at Go Casino, that means several tournaments are ending. Today is your last chance to participate in the $30,000 Guaranteed Weekend Madness tournament, which is played on the Love Bugs slot. It’s also your last chance for the $8888 Guaranteed slots tournament that is being played on the California Gold slot. If you have been laying the Blackjack Pot Percentage tournament on the Perfect Pair Blackjack game, this is your last chance for that as well.

All good things must come to an end. There is good news, though, in that there are some new tournaments starting today and others starting soon. Starting today is the $8888 Guaranteed slots tournament played on the Sumo slot. There is a $6.99 entry fee and players compete for a prize pool that is $4,444 in casino credits and $4,444 in bonus bucks. Also starting today is a $2500 video poker tournament played on the 100 Hand Joker Poker game. The buy-in is only $1.99 for the video poker tournament. Also starting today is a 25-cent tournament on the Last King of Egypt slot. The entry fee is only $0.25 and players compete for a prize pool of $750 in bonus bucks.

In addition, there is the Red-Eye Pot Percentage tournament, which is held every night (or morning, depending on your point of view). Tonight’s (or tomorrow morning’s) is played on the Funky Chicken slot between the hours of 12:30 AM and 8:30 AM.

There are also a good number of casino tournaments starting this weekend, but since this is only Tuesday, it seems a little early to tell you about those. I don’t want to overload you with information. To take part in any of the mentioned casino tournaments, visit Go Casino.