U.S. Visits to Online Gambling Sites on the Rise
Eleven Percent Increase
There was an 11% increase in the number of unique visitors last month by Americans to online gambling sites as reported by marketing research company comScore Incorporated, who reported 16.1 million unique visits to online gambling sites in November 2008. That figure represents an increase of over 1.5 million from October’s total.
The biggest escalation reported came from online coupon sites, which saw a 32% rise to 35.6 million unique visits, which is a reflection of the current economic climate. As the holiday season began, retail sites including toys, consumer electronics and department stores held second spot with a 25% increase (19.2 million unique visits).
Sites owned by Google remained the most popular online properties with 147 million visitors followed by Yahoo! domains with nearly 144 million visitors. In third place was Microsoft with 123.5 million visitors while AOL held down fourth with 110 million.
List of the Most Popular Online Poker Casinos for U.S. Players
Absolute Poker Powered By CEREUS System
Chipleader Launches CEREUS!
If you haven’t visited Absolute Poker in a while, or if you’ve never been there, now is the time to visit!
After much hubb-bubb and industry insider talk, Chipleader.com, the company behind popular poker and online casino gaming websites AbsolutePoker.com and UltimateBet.com, has finally launched their new gaming platform: CEREUS.
CEREUS is a new poker platform that integrates the customers and features from these two leading poker rooms, creating the third largest online poker network in the world as of this writing. More importantly, Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet.com will share more players, more tournaments, and offer desirable new features and gigantic promotions.
The website update looks great, and the interface feels really good. It may turn out to be one of the best online poker experiences. Time will tell, but things are already looking pretty damn good!
Our company’s goal is to provide poker players with the ultimate online experience. The launch of CEREUS is a major step for us in achieving our goal and we look forward to making many more exciting announcements very soon.
With the proud launch of the unified network CEREUS, our company is well placed to provide significantly better value and superior service to customers of both the Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet brands.
Paul Leggett
Tokwiro’s Chief Operations Officer
Poker players on Absolute Poker and UltimateBet will be seeing a lot more of each other as they are now sharing the same tables and tournaments. The new poker platform is backed by industry-leading technology and a 24/7 security center to offer players a safe environment in which to play cards. New features include new table views, downloadable table skins, create private tournaments, rabbit cam, avatars, tools for personalization, and a whole lot more. Because of the integration of both of these already large, popular the poker sites, CEREUS instantly becomes one of the largest poker communities. Players at both sites should notice larger tournaments with more players, bigger guarantees and better promotions.
Online Casino Gaming Options
Poker Diversion
Though I’m an avid online poker player, I’ve recently made a nice discovery in the online gambling world. Actually a few new discoveries. This might be old news to you die-hard internet gamblers, but it is a new and fun discovery for me.
First off, when I’m going to bet on sporting events, I usually go to a sports book such as Sportsbook.com or Superbook.com (which, incidentally, are both operated by the same company).
Casino Games Galore
What I didn’t realize is that Sportsbook.com (and Superbook, too) offer all sorts of online casino gaming options. As I poked around the site, I ended up playing Roulette, Craps and Blackjack for hours. Time just slipped away. If you’re ever in the mood to take a break from your favorite poker games, you might want to wager on video poker… or Roulette, Craps and all the popular casino games.
One Account Unlocks All the Games
Play for real money or play for practice and wager nothing. It’s all accessible with one account. Many online gaming operators require you to open separate accounts to play their different gaming options. Not at Sportsbook.com. One account accesses ALL of them. And there are many to choose from (see below). And Sportsbook is one of the longest lasting and most respected names in the online gambling world. Your money and bets are safe at Sportsbook.com.
If you’re not sure that you want top open an account, you can still give the site a good going-over. All their games are accessible whether you’re a member or not.
Here’s what you do:
- Go to the main page.
- Look for the easy to find links to all their gaming options.
- Click the one you want, let’s say it’s Craps.
- A new window will open.
- You can open an account from this page, or:
- Look for the link under the Sign-up box (It says “Click here to play for fun”)
- That’s it! The game loads, and you’re off!
All the Popular Poker Formats:
- Texas Hold ‘em
- Casino Holdem
- Caribbean Stud
- Three Card Poker
- Showdown Poker
- Pai Gow Poker
Casino games:
- BlackJack
- Blackjack 52
- Blackjack Switch
- BlackJack 7S
- Mini Blackjack
- Spanish Blackjack
Casino Table Games:
- Baccarat
- Free Ride
- American Roulette
- European Roulette
- Mini Roulette
- Sicbo
- Poker Dice
- Red Dog
- Battle Royale
- Craps
Video Poker:
- Dueces Wild
- Jacks or Better
- Joker’s Wild
- Poker Side Bet
Slots:
- Hook Line Sinker
- Rock n’ Roll
T.V. Games:
- Virtual Derby
- Super Hilo
- Wheel of Fortune
- Touchdown Frenzy
Intertops.com Online Casino Games
Featuring Intertops.com Online Casino
Even though the name of this site is Poker-finder.com, if you haven’t noticed, there’s a lot more here than just poker. Such as Intertops Casino. We stated out that way, being online poker fans and all, but we soon realized that the main objective of this site is to hook up gamblers to sites that are worth mentioning. Of particular interest is in showing players from the USA which sites accept U.S. gamblers (since there are many that do not). It can get quite confusing, with over 2,500 gaming sites available around the world, but only a handful accept players who happen to be Americans.
Since there are quite a few sites that offer games other than poker, we thought it would be a good idea to let you know who they are, and what they offer. Hence today’s feature of Intertops Online Casino.
Win Today with Intertops.com!
Bare-bones Betting at Superbook.com
Lean, Mean Betting Machine – Superbook.com
If you’re a gambler who doesn’t really enjoy all the typical “flash” associated with gambling (think Las Vegas, flashing lights, ringing bells, “Wheel of Fortune”), there is a great alternative online gambling site that caters to your wants and needs: Superbook.com. This is a site that is dedicated to gamblers who know how to wager, and want to do it without all the flashy distractions found on most other online gambling sites. At Superbook.com, they mean business. Lean and mean business!
Sports betting, Horse Racing, Poker
On Saturday, June 21st at 4:30 pm ET, Superbook will be hosting a special NBA Finals Freeroll Poker Tournament where the Top 20 finishers will have the winnings from their largest winning spread bet on the NBA Finals multiplied by 2, 3 or 10 times! Get a 5% cash bonus on top of your deposit… Every time! The promo is good for all deposit methods, including VISA, MasterCard, cash transfers and bank wires, every day 24/7.
Online Casino, Lean and Mean!
Superbook.com Table Games include:
BlackJack – BlackJack Switch – BlackJack Super 7′s – Spanish BlackJack – Mini BlackJack – Casino Hold’em – Caribbean Stud – Three Card Poker – Showdown Poker – Baccarat – Free Ride – Pai Gow – American Roulette – European Roulette – SicBo – Poker Dice – Red Dog – Battle Royale – Craps
Video Poker:
Deuces Wild – Jacks or Better – Jokers Wild – Poker Side Bet
Slots
Hook Line Sinker – Rock n’ Slots
TV Games
Virtual Derby – Super HiLo – Wheel Fortune – Touchdown Frenzy
Horse Races, Lean and Mean!
A simple and rewarding rebate program. Superbook.com believes that every Horse Player should be rewarded for trusting in SuperBook. Therefore, they will deposit back into your account 3% of your total wagers placed. We will deposit your 3% rebate EVERY DAY! Win or lose, it does not matter, because you always WIN with SuperBook. You receive 3% back on your total wagers placed regardless of your performance.
Bet with the Best, Bet with SuperBook. That’s quite an offer. Hedging your bets has never been easier! The 3% rebate program only applies to bets placed directly with the horse wagering interface. It does not apply to matchups or other wagers made through the sportsbook login.
Lean and Mean Sports Betting
Betting on just about any sport or game in the world is available at Superbook.com
Never has it been easier to place a sporting bet than on this lean site, devoid of flashy graphics and other distractions. Perfect to the gambler who know what he or she wants and is ready to make the wager NOW!
Las Vegas Hosts Wounded Soldiers
Wounded Soldiers Hosted by Vegas Casino Mogul
This Memorial Day, a few dozen US soldiers were treated to the trip of a lifetime when they flew on a private jet to Las Vegas for an all-expenses-paid trip complete with all the high-end perks normally reserved for the wealthiest casino visitors. Billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson who runs the Las Vegas Sands Corp. paid for the trip, which had been organized by the Armed Forces Foundation.
Las Vegas icon performer Wayne Newton was on hand at the airport to greet the 40 wounded soldiers, arriving from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center. They stayed at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, hung out backstage with the performing troupe the Blue Man Group, and got to spend some quality time with casino mogul Sheldon Adelson. And to top it all off nicely, they got to stay in penthouse suites overlooking the Wynn Golf Course. A few of the wounded veterans had recently quit smoking cigarettes and they were pleased to receive non-smoking penthouse suites. No expense was spared America’s wounded fighting men and women. Welcome to Las Vegas!
Soldiers as High Rollers?
Armed Forces Foundation officials said that the Las Vegas trip was a dream distraction from the everyday life at the veterans hospitals, where the soldiers lived while recovering from their injuries. A spokesman said the trip would be the first of many, acknowledging that Adelson wanted to eventually extend the all-expenses-paid offer to every veteran who had been admitted to the two hospitals.
Casino Life
As evidenced by the happiness this special trip brought to the lives of these wounded soldiers, casino life can certainly help take away some of life’s stress and add some much needed pleasure and enjoyment. May you all live long and prosper!
Full Tilt Poker is All Grown Up
Full Tilt Poker Grows Up
A few short years ago, Full Tilt Poker was the new kid on the block. Not just new, but small, too. Well, the “kid” is all grown up today, having become one of the most popular online poker casinos in the world. Which is great news especially for US players, since Full Tilt offers an open invitation for players based in the USA to sign up for a free account.
Open a Risk-free FullTilt Player Account Now
Open a player account now and start playing your favorite brand of poker. Texas Hold ‘em. Omaha Hi Lo. Stud and Draw. The choice is yours. Practice with play money for a while, and when you’re ready, Full Tilt Poker offers many convenient methods for funding your player account so you can begin wagering in the poker games and tournaments that call to you!
Play Blackjack Online at CarbonPoker.com
Top Notch Blackjack Online
Up and comer CarbonPoker.com offers much more than just poker to their players. One of the games offered is Blackjack. By the looks of it, the management at Carbon Poker mean business! They’ve done a bang-up job at creating a sleek and very user friendly interface. Click on the image below to begin playing Blackjack today!
Blackjack Game Details
- Only available in ‘real money’ mode.
- There are two game versions available – Min $1 to Max $50 and Min $5 to Max $200.
- 8 Decks in shoe, shuffled every hand
- Dealer draws to 16 and stands on 17
- Two splits allowed (3 hands)
- Double after split allowed
- Draw on split aces is not allowed
- Dealer checks for blackjack on Ace through Ten.
- The ‘Insurance’ option is offered to the player if the dealer has an Ace as their up card.
It is possible that the dealer has a Blackjack if the dealer’s up card is a 10, Jack, Queen or King. In this case, the player will lose unless they also have a Blackjack. The dealer will check whether a Blackjack is possible and will collect the losing bet immediately if they have a Blackjack.
Open a Carbon Poker Player Account Today!
It’s fast, secure, safe, and easy. Start playing Poker and Blackjack online now, (not to mention a plethora of other casino games, as well). Carbon Poker is your gateway to gambler’s paradise!
Cake Poker’s Open Policy Toward U.S. Poker Players
According to Cake Poker’s website, ever since the law changed in the USA regarding how payments are processed in the online gambling world, many online gaming sites simply stopped operating in the U.S. It’s not that they were afraid that they might be breaking any laws: they weren’t. Their concerns centered around the issue that banking institutions would not process the transactions between US players and the online casino. They were more worried about losing revenue.
Good News for US Based Online Gamblers
However, there were a few savvy online casinos that decided to stay in the US market, and found ways to insure that payments would be processed. One of these gambling houses is Cake Poker. According to the Cake website, there is good news for players based in the USA:
On Friday September 30, 2006 the 109th sitting of the US Congress passed a Port Security Bill including a rider that affected online gambling in the US. The common media description of this act called it a ‘ban on online gambling’. This is patently false. All previous attempts at passing legislation banning online gambling have failed. Instead, this act championed by Bill Frist (R-Tennessee), attempts to prohibit payments to online gambling companies from US residents via US based financial institutions.
CakePoker will not restrict access to our players from the United States. It appears that some of our competitors have decided to take this preemptive step for business reasons that are most likely related to the fact that they are publicly listed companies. In other words, they cannot be seen as doing anything that would put their shareholders in a ‘gray’ or precarious position. CakePoker N.V. is a legally licensed and privately held company in the country of Curacao, Netherlands Antilles. As a privately held company we have no such pressures placed upon us.
Cake Poker
website announcement
The Advantages of Online Poker Games
The Advantages of Online Poker
by alex anderson
Playing poker online has the edge over playing at land based Casinos. It’s faster, easier, cheaper, safer and a lot more fun.
Anywhere, anytime – The greatest advantage of playing Poker online is that whenever you log on there will be other players waiting to play against you, no matter what type of game you’re after. Compare this to a Casino room where there may only be a handful of players at any one time and card rooms are open 24/7 regardless of public holidays and festivities. As well as more tables and more players to play against, the speed of play is also quicker. There is no waiting for the dealer to shuffle the cards or interruptions for bad deals or spilt drinks. You can play at least 2-3 times as many hands as an offline game.
More comfortable – The other big advantage of online poker is that you don’t have to travel to get to the tables. Whether in your suit at work, pyjamas at home or relaxing on the beach with your laptop, as long as you have an internet connection and a few minutes to spare you can get online and play at Poker. There is no fear factor, you can’t see your opponents so you don’t need to worry about the embarrassment of making a mistake, taking your winnings and leaving, losing against a member of the opposite sex or an unpleasant man boasting various facial scars and tattoos!
Cheaper – There is always a charge when you play in a land based card room, this fee is called ‘the rake’. Though a rake is charged, it is cheaper than offline card rooms because there are less overheads such as rent to pass on. Less rake means you can make more money online! You also don’t need to worry about tipping the dealer or buying drinks for your opponents after winning that big hand.
Safer – Thought playing online was risky? Think again, playing poker online is much safer than playing live. No need to travel to the wrong end of town to get a game – play from the comfort of your own home and with new software infrastructures being implemented, cheating and collusion will become a thing of the past. One less worry, so that you can enjoy playing the game! With online Poker nobody can see your face; this means you can display your full range of emotions as you compete against fellow Poker players – there is no need to stare in the mirror practising your poker face! User friendly software makes it easier to play the game so you don’t need to worry about making novice mistakes, just relax and play poker!
About the Author
Alex is the Senior Web Designer for the online casino and poker portal Casino House
For more information about playing online poker visit www.casinohouse.co.uk
Poker-finder Twitter Feed
