Archive for the ‘Blackjack News’ Category

Blackjack Dealer Not Discriminated Against, Rules Court

Friday, July 26th, 2013

The West Virginia Supreme Court has upheld a lower court ruling that a Madri Gras Casino did not discriminate against an overweight blackjack dealer.

Andrew O., who weighs 540 pounds, had sued the Madri Gras Casino, which had employed him for two months in 2010 before firing him.

Andrew has a medical certificate showing that he has been suffering from obesity ever since he was 12. Moreover, he also had arthritis.

Court documents say that 22-year-old Andrew worked part time at the casino and was required to button his shirt at the wrists and tuck it inside his black pants, but was fired because his weight made it difficult for him to do so.

But the casino provided him special facilities such as a separate break area and a blackjack table with a wheelchair.

Andrew had complained that the casino had discriminated against him because of his weight, but a local court ruled that the casino did not discriminate against him, but had “legitimate and non-discriminatory reasons” to fire him. The Supreme Court upheld that ruling, stating that the West Virginia Human Rights Act does not specifically protect obese people. It also pointed out that the casino had provided special facilities to make life easier for Andrew.

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Twin River Casino Launches Table Games Including Blackjack

Tuesday, July 23rd, 2013

Twin River Casino, located in Rhode Island, has finally launched table games such as craps and blackjack. The casino organized an official ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the launch, and state legislators, along with Governor Lincoln Chafee, attended the event.

Speaking on the occasion, Chafee said that the casinos goals will always remain the same—jobs for residents and revenue for Rhode Island. The casino, which has installed 65 new tables, has recruited around 400 new croupiers. John Taylor, chairman of Twin River, said that the casino’s workforce is now between 1,400 and 1,500 employees, adding that the casino is proud of generating employment for Rhode Island residents.

However, everybody in Rhode Island is not happy about it. Randy Noka, a representative of the Narragansett Indian Tribe, said that his tribe is not at all happy about the developments that have enabled Twin River Casino to launch blackjack and craps games. The tribe had been making several unsuccessful attempts to establish an Indian casino in Rhode Island for the past six years, but the proposal was rejected by former governors.

In November, Twin River Casino’s proposal for expansion from slots parlor to full-fledged casino with table games was approved. Besides table games, the casino now offers around 4,500 slots.

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Gaming Board Penalizes Mohegan Sun in Pocono Downs

Monday, July 22nd, 2013

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has penalized Mohegan Sun in Pocono Downs, Plains Township, for violating the state’s gambling laws.

The board discovered that the master list of slot machines submitted by Downs Racing had several discrepancies. Besides, the casino had shredded several essential documents. The board stated that it had slapped a fine of $90k on Down Racing.

The Bureau of Gaming Laboratory Operations, an arm of the board, had inspected the casino’s slot machines in August and had compared its findings with the information on the master list submitted by the casino. They found that the settings of six machines were different from those mentioned on the master list.

The casino also had to pay a fine of $35k for permitting essential documents to be shredded. The law requires the casino to preserve these documents for a period of five years and make them available to auditors. In case of accidental destruction, the casino was required to inform the board, but had failed to do so.

Ever since 2007, the casino had paid fines for permitting underage gambling six times, and this includes a fine of $80k that the casino paid in December 2011 when it permitted 3 underage customers to play blackjack on its premises.

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PKR.com Releases 3D Blackjack App for iPhones

Wednesday, July 17th, 2013

When blackjack was first played on PKR.com, nobody thought that the three-dimensional online poker room would one day become very popular for its casino games. Greatly encouraged by its online blackjack success, the online poker room has now made its 3D blackjack product available on the iOS mobile platform.

PKR’s mobile gaming apps are so popular that, so far, more than half a million players from all over the world have downloaded them on their mobile devices.

According to a PKR.com spokesperson, PKR.com players are used to high standards of gaming, owing to which the company wanted to make the app really good before releasing it for iPhones. Referring to blackjack as one of the “coolest” games in the PKR portfolio, he said that PKR.com’s 3D version of blackjack was made especially for mobile gaming.

He further said that players might not be able to complete a poker tournament during one bus ride, but they can definitely finish a game of blackjack.

Blackjack enthusiasts can download PKR.com’s 3D mobile blackjack app at the App Store. The app, which works with all iPhones, version 4.3 and above, features regular giveaways, free chip bonuses, interactive blackjack lessons, EXP points that can be used on PKR.com, and achievement levels.

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Factors Responsible for the MIT Team’s Success as Entrepreneurs

Monday, July 15th, 2013

Bill Aulet, who moderated the MIT Blackjack Team’s reunion panel at the XSITE conference held by Xconomy, has given six reasons why the members of the team later became entrepreneurs.

The first reason was they functioned as a team, which could accomplish things unimaginable, and entrepreneurship works best for those who function as teams, not as individuals. Second, the team never played random-risk games such as slots and roulette, but only those games, the outcomes of which they could control by implementing strategies. Successful entrepreneurs take risks only after making sure that the odds can be bent in their favor by sheer hard work.

Third, they had more confidence in their long-term vision than in short-term outcomes. Wins and losses at the blackjack table tend to affect blackjack players, making them play emotionally. But the MIT team was sure that they will ultimately succeed if they stuck to their plans. Their ability to “think long term” made them successful blackjack players and successful entrepreneurs.

Fourth, they loved the challenge of beating the house. Fifth, they enjoyed creating their own set of rules, which is what entrepreneurs are proud of doing. The sixth reason why they became successful entrepreneurs was that they were a disciplined and highly focused team.

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Player Edward Baca Wins $5k Playing Lady Luck Blackjack

Wednesday, July 10th, 2013

It was just another day for Edward Baca, except that he won as much as $5,000 playing blackjack at the end of it. Baca’s decision to spend the evening playing blackjack at Ohkay Hotel Casino turned out to be one of the wisest in his life as he returned home richer by $5,000 and with a smile on his face.

A resident of Las Vegas, Baca placed a bet of $10 along with the optional side bet of $5 on Ohkay Hotel Casino’s Lady Luck Blackjack. The first two cards dealt to him were both Queens of Hearts. The dealer, on the other hand, got a blackjack. His two Queens fetched Baca a payout of 1000 to 1, which turned out to be $5000.

Congratulating Baca on behalf of the casino, Robert Gooch, director of gaming at Ohkay Hotel Casino, said that this is the type of gaming excitement that encourages guests to keep coming back to the casino.

Baca, who plays at Ohkay Hotel Casino frequently, said that his favorite casino games can entertain him for hours. Sharing his experiences at the casino, Baca said that he likes spending time at Ohkay Hotel Casino because of its energetic and friendly atmosphere.

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Ohio Charges 6 Casino Players for Cheating

Monday, July 8th, 2013

The Associated Press reports that five people, who stand accused of cheating at the new Cincinnati casino could get a prison term of up to 2 years if proved guilty.

Further, the AP report quoted Ohio officials as saying that casino cheats steal not only from the house, but also from the cities, counties, and schools of Ohio because the casinos pay 33 percent of their gross revenues as taxes to the state. The state actually feels that casino cheats who break blackjack rules are also cheating school children.

Reportedly, the cheating case was taken so seriously that a press conference was called, during which a prosecutor used the term “idiotic” while referring to the defendants.

Ohio has four new casinos in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Toldeo, and Columbus, each designed to help boost the state’s economy, but the state feels that the casinos are also contributing to a sharp rise in prison population.

The Associated Press report says that prosecutors accused the defendants of removing or adding chips to their bets when the game’s outcome became obvious. While cheating is definitely wrong, many people feel that the state has over-reacted. The maximum penalties for casino cheating in Ohio are a fine of $50k and a 2-year prison term.

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SHFL to Showcase New Slots and Blackjack Products at G2E Asia 2013

Friday, June 28th, 2013

SHFL Entertaining Incorporated will present a collection of its latest products at the Global Gaming Expo Asia 2013, which is scheduled to be held at the Venetian Macau . The company’s products will be demonstrated at booth 801.

SHFL CEO Gavin Isaacs said that the company will unveil a number of innovative new products at the expo besides displaying tried and tested products. He also said that the company’s focus is on the Singapore, Philippines, and Macau markets. The SHFL exhibition will comprise four categories—electronic table systems, slot machines, proprietary table games, and utility products.

SHFL will showcase 16 slot machine games at the expo. Some of these slot titles will be 88 Fortunes, 5 Treasures, 88 Fortunes VIP Progressive, and others. Check here for more information about online casino slots and a good place to try and play them for free. In the electronic table systems category, the company will exhibit SHFL Fusion Virtual, which enables players to switch between several table games such as roulette, sic bo, craps, and others. Besides, the company will showcase titles such as i-Table Blackjack, i-Table Roulette, i-Table Three Card Poker, and others.

The company will also display an attractive blackjack variant called Free Bet Blackjack, which enables players to split and double down free of charge.

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Blackjack Likely to Become Legal in New York

Tuesday, June 25th, 2013

New York lawmakers have proposed legislation that, if passed, has the power to legalize three Las Vegas style land casino resorts in upstate New York, thus legalizing casino games such as poker and blackjack.

Currently, poker and blackjack are illegal in New York. Only an amendment to the constitution can legalize them, and this amendment can be made only if two successive legislatures approve it and a referendum is introduced. If the legislation gets the approval of the second legislature, it could be put up for voting early this fall.

The legislation also includes lower tax rates of 25 percent for casino businesses. Currently, New York’s nine racinos, which are a combination of casinos and race tracks, pay over 60 percent of their revenue in taxes, the highest rates throughout the US.

If the new laws are brought into effect, no casino will be allowed to operate in downstate New York for a period of five years after the launch of the first upstate casino. Besides, casino operators eager to get one of those three licenses are required to pay a $50 million fee.

According to the governor of New York, the proposed new tax rate is designed to maximize the revenue-generation abilities of these three casinos.

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BetSoft’s ToGo Mobile Blackjack Now at Leo Vegas

Saturday, June 22nd, 2013

BetSoft Gaming, a leading developer of 3D slots games, has signed a white label deal with Leo Vegas International, a leading online gambling company in Europe. As a result, LeoVegas players can now enjoy BetSoft’s entire suite of ToGo mobile games, including slots, blackjack, and roulette.

Betsoft’s games can already be accessed on prominent online casino sites such as Party Casino, Winagames Casino, and Sky Bet.

Commenting on the latest white label deal signed between the two companies, Anthony Locke, product development head at BetSoft, said that Leo Vegas is “an undisputed leader in the mobile gaming market.” He also said that his company is proud to be associated with Leo Vegas.

Locke also said that Leo Vegas operates “one of the most user friendly mobile casinos in Europe,” making it easy for its new players to access BetSoft’s ToGo mobile casino games. Stating that Leo Vegas is the best platform for the presentation of BetSoft’s 3D mobile games, he said that his company is eager to grow to great heights as a Leo Vegas partner.

Phillip Kellin, spokesperson for Leo Vegas, stated that BetSoft’s ToGo mobile games are “amazing” and that Leo Vegas is proud to offer them to its European players.

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