Gambling Friendly Bills to Legalize Online Blackjack in New Jersey
December 2nd, 2010 by OBO-admin
New Jersey now has two new gambling friendly laws that will bring plenty of blackjack into the state. The senate has approved Ray Lesniak’s bill, which legalizes online gambling in New Jersey and allows foreigners and New Jersey residents to place bets on blackjack in casinos that use sophisticated gaming software as long as the servers are in the casinos of Atlantic City. The bill won by a majority of 29 – 5, and an amendment made to it provides for 15 percent tax on gross gambling revenues.
The bill permits online gambling establishments to provide online casino games including poker, baccarat, roulette, craps, blackjack, mini baccarat, slots, big six wheel, pai gow, red dog, and sic bo or any composites or variations of the above-mentioned as long as these composites or variations are offered online. Unfortunately, the bill prevents players from all other US states, except New Jersey, to stake in New Jersey based online casinos.
Another blackjack friendly bill has also been passed permitting the establishment of smaller 200-room casinos in New Jersey. Previously, hotels needed to have a minimum of 500 rooms to offer gaming services.
Governor Chris Christie still has to sign these bills, but Lesniak says there is no reason why he will not sign them.
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New Blackjack Boat to Launch on Thanksgiving Day with Blackjack Switch Tables.doc
November 29th, 2010 by OBO-admin
After the UIGEA was passed, blackjack players in the US found it extremely difficult to play their favorite games as they were barred from transacting financially with international gaming enterprises. However, since casino gambling is permitted in international waters, a boat from the state of Florida has been turned into a casino and will soon be settings ail into international seas.
The Jacks or Better boat, a special blackjack vessel that will feature an array of casino games and blackjack tables is scheduled to set forth on Thanksgiving Day, the 26th of November, which is also known as Black Friday.
Blackjack players will be thrilled to know that the Jacks or Better boat casino will sail twice a week on Wednesday and Sunday and will host a variety of games, including more than a 170 slot machines and blackjack games with 3:2 odds. The boat will also feature Blackjack Switch a much loved variant of the game.
The blackjack boat will depart from Mayport, Florida and will venture into international waters to be free from the gambling restrictions of the United States. This boat was once a 500 passenger carrier and was recently renovated for a sum of 1 million dollars. The boat is currently under inspection and will only be allowed to set sail if it passes muster by the Coast guard. The idea is to move into international waters where the federal gambling laws and state laws on gambling will not apply.
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Maine Residents Vote for Construction of New Blackjack Casino
November 25th, 2010 by OBO-admin
The people of Maine voted for the establishment of a blackjack casino recently, as a result of which a gambling center with several casino games including blackjack will be added to the slot halls of the state.
The officials of Maine have informed the Board responsible for controlling gambling in the state, which the tax paying citizens of Maine will have to wager as much as a million and a half to facilitate regulations and a proper system to manage the gambling activities in the newly constructed blackjack casino.
It is believed that such a regulatory system will be essential towards creating a strong set of regulations for the table games and parlor games that will be hosted by the new casino. Panel members have already started studying the regulations in other states. A portion of the duties collected from the taxes will be spent on new employees, including an officer of the law and 8 inspectors who will supervise happenings at the new Maine casino.
Anne Jordon, who functions as a public safety official for the state, claimed that Maine would be expected to bear such expenses till the casino starts generating income.
Meanwhile, staunch opponents of gambling want the votes to the counted again, a month-long process. Black Bear Entertainment, which has been contracted to construct the new casino, has reported 4000 job applications from Maine citizens desiring to work at the casino. In spite of the opposition, the people of Maine are happy about the recent developments.
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IGT Subsidiaries Merge to Create More Mobile Blackjack Games
November 21st, 2010 by OBO-admin
The two subsidiaries of International Game Technology (IGT), a company listed on the NYSE, will merge to form a single unit with its headquarters at San Francisco in California. This significant merger is expected to give rise to a large number of mobile casino games, a number of which are sure to be blackjack variants.
One of the merging subsidiaries is WagerWorks, one of the leading online gaming software developers, which powers 50 casinos and has an impressive portfolio of over 100 online casino games such as blackjack, video poker, roulette, and slots. Million-2-1, one of the leading providers of mobile phone blackjack games in the UK, including mobile lotteries and SMS contests, is the other.
Gideon Bierer, the executive vice president of IGT said that the merger will strengthen IGT’s status as the leading interactive gaming company. Speaking about the company’s achievements, he said that IGT has handled online wagers worth more than $10 billion in the UK alone during the past five years and processes online transactions worth $1.5 billion annually. The company’s recent move is to accelerate product innovation and develop interactive business in a bid to utilize advancing technology and meet the demands of an evolving market.
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PokerTek to Present New Blackjack Pro at G2E
November 16th, 2010 by OBO-admin
PokerTek Inc., a licensed gaming software developer, will present its new blackjack variant Blackjack Pro at Global Gaming Expo (G2E), which is scheduled to be held next week at Las Vegas Convention Centre. The demonstration can be viewed in booth number 1210 on Nov 16 – 18
PokerTeck President James Crawford said that Blackjack Pro is the traditional variant of blackjack on PokerTek’s new automated gaming platform and that the company is eager to exhibit its new product to prospective and existing customers at G2E.
Though based on the rules of standard blackjack, operators can customize Blackjack Pro to suit their requirements. The large screen at the center allows players to follow the gaming action with ease and even interact with other players. The cost-effective product with its intuitive graphics is ideal for operators who want to introduce automated blackjack into their portfolio of games.
Besides demonstrating Blackjack Pro, PowerTek will also exhibit PokerPro, especially emphasizing its attractive new Tournament Plus software, a comprehensive multi-table tournament solution, which streamlines the entire gaming process from registering an account to reaching the final table. The product also includes a leader board, which presents the latest information regarding chip stacks, player ranks, and tournament status.
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Jeffrey Ma Talks Blackjack and Business Strategy At Iowa State University
November 13th, 2010 by OBO-admin
Jeffrey Ma, the reputed blackjack player and card counter who led the MIT s notoriously successful team of blackjack players, recently addressed a gathering at the Iowa State University.
Ma discussed his opinions on business and educated those in attendance about the many financial strategies that he had acquired while playing blackjack. Ma was very much responsible for the success of the MIT team of blackjack players as it was his tips and strategies that they followed which allowed them to win millions of dollars. It was also Ma and his team of blackjack players who were the inspiration behind the famed book Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich. This team and book was also the basis for the hit movie 21 produced by Robert Luketic in which Kevin Spacey starred.
Some of the tips discussed by Ma at the event included decision making as well as not quitting when it is easy.
“The most important thing I learned from playing blackjack is that you can’t quit because it’s what’s easy. Deciding not to play and to maintain the status quo is still making a decision. Even putting off deciding is making the decision not to decide,” Ma said.
Ma compared business and blackjack stating, “There is no such thing as winning or losing streaks. It’s all about how much you put into your decision making. However, that doesn’t mean that looking to the past is a bad thing. Looking at the past is the best way to predict the future. But it can’t be your only basis.”
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Blackjack Players at the Borgata Hotel Get Lucky
November 5th, 2010 by OBO-admin
Many blackjack players who have been gaming at the Borgata Hotel and Casino, run by the Boyd Gaming Corporation, found themselves the recipients of frequent prizes which amounted to a total of $9 million. The Borgata Hotel and Casino recorded strong losses worth $9 million in their third quarter and were able to trace it back to their blackjack tables.
Paul Chakmak from the Boyd Gaming Corporation commented the issue, saying that, “the most significant factor impacting Borgata’s results was lower table games revenue, which was largely a function of unusually lucky play by our customers.”
The Boyd Gaming Corporation was not pleased with the large loss in revenue that they incurred over the third quarter and began to look into the matter.
Keith Smith, the CEO at Boyd was eager to assure players that there was no abnormality or error in processing. “Everything is fine. . . . We’ve done all the diligence and looked at it. I think it is a function of luck. It happens in our business, where you can run for a number of months with a low hold,” he said.
Dave Coskey, the vice president of marketing chose to spin the angle of the story and announced, “We’ve always said that Borgata can be your lucky place. Our customers proved that during this month.”
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Casinos Give Players the Ultimate Gaming Experience with Blackjack Party Pits
November 1st, 2010 by OBO-admin
Casinos have now found a new way of attracting more players to their blackjack tables; this also includes the means of keeping players entertained while they play and perhaps distracted enough to lose their game.
The party pit is the latest strategy to take over the casino floor and players will find a party pit either near their table or locate their table in the midst of party pit. These pits feature scantily clad dancers and beautiful hosts. The Riviera Hotel and Casino is one such brick and mortar establishment that is bringing sexy back to the blackjack table. They have designed what is known as a Passion Pit and have filled it with curvy pole dancers. Needless to say, the tables around these pits are very crowded while players find it difficult to concentrate.
If players are ready to enjoy the whole Las Vegas experience and do not mid losing a few chips because they have not been concentrating, then they will have no problem with these party pits. However, players looking to play serious blackjack may end up losing a lot more money while playing blackjack if they happen to take their eyes of the table. It is very easy to go bust this way if players are not concentrating, and the dancers at the Riviera are sure to catch your attention. This may be a good reason for serious blackjack players to take their games online.
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William Hill Casino Releases New Blackjack Game Called 21 Duel Blackjack
October 31st, 2010 by OBO-admin
William Hill Casino, one of the reputed online blackjack game portals, recently announced that it had upgraded its game offerings. In an effort to attract more blackjack players to its website it has released brand new blackjack game called 21 Duel Blackjack. In addition, to the new blackjack games, the William Hill Casino also has a few new slots games out this October as well.
This exciting blackjack variation is very much like a classic game of blackjack but has its own quirks and features. The game of 21 Duel Blackjack is played against the dealer and the player has to try to get a hand value that is higher than that of the dealer’s hand without exceeding a total of 21 points.
Players will have to start the game off by placing an ante and then a side bet; the side bet is an optional feature in the game of 21 Duel Blackjack. The game begins when the player clicks on the “deal” button on the game screen at the William Hill Casino. Players will be given 2 cards to start the game – one will be face up and the other will be face down. The dealer will also be given 2 cards; however, both of these will be face down. After this, 2 community cards will be dealt to be used by the player or dealer.
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Playboy Bunnies Are Taking Blackjack to London
October 27th, 2010 by OBO-admin
Hugh Hefner will be taking blackjack to a new level when he combines the Playboy bunnies and blackjack games in his new casino and club in London. This casino will be an exclusive club for Londoners and will feature a host of exciting table games and parlor games including blackjack. Players can expect to be seated at tables with high limits and enjoy incredible entertainment.
This new Playboy club and casino will not be the first attempt that Hugh Hefner has made into London, as the city was once home to a Playboy club in the early 1960’s. However, despite the Playboy club being very popular, it was shut down in 1981 when the police made a sudden raid on the place.
The new casino is a collaborative effort between Playboy Entertainment and London Clubs International. The club will be located in Mayfair and will open next year with a strict entrance policy. The casino will be staffed almost entirely from its blackjack dealers to its bartenders by Playboy bunnies.
Hugh Hefner appears to be very excited at the prospect to taking his Playboy bunnies to London once again. “I look forward to our return to London and again sharing the notions that are celebrated in the magazine, the concept of good food and drink, pretty girls, and exciting entertainment,” he said.
Hefner also announced plans to open Playboy casino clubs in other regions like Cancun in Mexico, Miami in Florida and Macau in China.
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