Article 17 – Is online poker bouncing back?
Ask an online casino industry analyst what they think of online poker and odds are you will get a diatribe about how the industry is dying. Problems had become rife in the United States, with three of the world’s biggest names being raided and subsequently shut down on the other side of the Atlantic. Profits headed south and membership levels justly did the same. Many had written off the industry entirely, with poker being labeled as more as a novelty within an online casino rather than a necessity. But statistics show that online poker is currently in the midst of a turn around, so was the industry written off too soon?
Depending on whom you listen to, the industry has tailed off more than 20%
…show more content…
In many ways this caused several to lose focus with regards to the direction of their business. The approach in 2015 has been to streamlined and get back to basis. Many high-profile mergers have taken place, while operating costs have been cut dramatically in order to push forward increased growth. Europe is experiencing the largest amount of growth in the field of online poker, as while 85 nations around the world offer up online poker, 40% of the world’s online gaming revenue comes from the continent. According to the latest report from the European Commission, the online gaming industry is now worth a staggering $14.7 billion with Europe. In fact, the resurgent in online poker player has helped contribute to the 15% growth within the EU betting sector. The United Kingdom is now the leading gambling market in the Europe, with many other countries slowly seeing their business turn around. It seems while the brick and mortar industry has struggled on European shores, the online casino gaming industry has managed to find its feet.
For the past several years the online poker industry has been the ugly duckling of the online casino landscape, just visit any casino portal to see truth of that. After being a mainstay for years, increasing regulations in the United States meant that the game fell out of favour. But after entering a state of recovery,
…show more content…
But unlike other operators, 888 Casino has truly gone back to the drawing board. Breaking down their usual online casino offering and rebuilding it with Arabic players in mind, it now represents something of interest to that part of the world. Not only that, but they’ve also readdressed the sign-up bonus (to the joy of online casino portal users) to make sure there are plenty of incentives on hand to draw in new players. With a market-targeted platform, big bonuses, and plenty Arabic inspired games, 888 Casino is making viable play to become the number one online casino in the
For years, casino gambling was portrayed in the media and Hollywood as being associated with criminal activities and the mafia. Now with proper scrutiny and government regulations, casino gambling has become a lucrative business, with casinos stock even trading on Wall Street. Casino gambling is an increasingly popular and legal activity in many states throughout the United States. “The term gambling or ‘gaming’ as the industry calls it, means any legalized form of wagering or betting conducted in a casino, on a riverboat, on an Indian reservation, or at any other location under the jurisdiction of the United States” (National Gambling Impact Study Commission Act). States that allow casino gambling benefit vastly by re-incorporating the taxation of commerce gained from casinos and tourism associated with the casinos back into the state and local communities.
To any sports fan, names such as Babe Ruth and Joe Namath are synonymous with gods, geniuses and pioneers in their respective sports. However, amongst poker players; the name Doyle Brunson can often be referenced in the same manner as the Lord in Church. Brunson, now an old man with gray balding hair and more money than he could count, is still to be found at one of the many poker tables in the oasis in the desert we call Las Vegas. In fact, Brunson is so good, about twenty years ago he wrote a book to strengthen his competition. The book "Super System" is considered to be the poker bible as well as the foremost learning tool used by professional poker players. To this day it is the greatest publication on No Limit Texas Hold `em Poker.
As the room fills with smoke from cigars and cigarettes, I look across the table at the last guy in the hand. I think to myself, “Why did he just raise me?” I just raised the pot $25 on two pair. The other guy re-raised the pot another $25. My heart is beating like a freight train racing down the tracks, I’m doing everything in my power to stop from sweating and I’m trying to keep my face stone cold straight as to not give myself away. I’m pretty sure at this point that this guy is trying buy the pot, but it still makes me nervous. I decide to call his raise and when the cards are turned over I realize that I had just made the right call. I won the pot and fought off his bluff.
Casino gambling is an increasingly popular and legal activity in many states throughout America. “The term gambling or ‘gaming’ as the industry calls it, means any legalized form of wagering or betting conducted in a casino, on a riverboat, on an Indian reservation, or at any other location under the jurisdiction of the United States” (National Gambling Impact Study
Gambling has been around for more than a century, it was first developed by the Mesopotamians, then slowly gambling becomes a pop entertainment that is acknowledged and played by many different cultures as an income solution or ways to spend time with family and friends. Gambling has become a recognized social activity spanning to almost all the cultures and historical eras in recorded history (Darbyshire, P., Oster, C., & Carrig, H, 2001). Gambling was thought to be only a harmless game that everyone could enjoy, but in reality, gaming causes a lethal effect on the players, especially the younger generation that is most vulnerable to the effects of gambling. Kids are at the age where they watch and learn everything their parent does. Hence,
Literacy is like a game of Texas Hold’em; how well you play depends on how well your opponent communicates. All humans telegraph their thoughts whether it is through their body movements, their speech patterns, or their attention span and it is useful to understand these little details to figure out what would be the best course of action to respond to your opponent with. Literacy, in a competitive sense, is not only limited to Poker tournaments but is also valuable the any general field as learning about one’s opponent can also be applied to learning about one’s allies.
"Gambling Under Attack." CQ Researcher. Congressional Quarterly Inc. 6 Sept. 2012, Volume , No. 33 Pages 769- 792
Gambling has been around since 2300 B.C. It has its positive and negative effects; it also has somewhat of a positive impact on the economy. It stimulates most communities by creating jobs and generates tax revenue for state and local governments. The gambling industry in “2002 and the commercial casino industry provided 350,000 jobs in the United States” (americangaming.org). Even though gambling can bring a lot of economic growth to the economy there is still an argument going on today whether it is a great choice to legalize it everywhere.
Casinos have developed formulas to calculate the “predicted lifetime value” of any individual gambler. Gamblers are assigned value rankings based on this amount; the biggest losers are referred to as “whales.” These gamblers become the casinos’ most sought-after repeat customers, the ones to whom they market most aggressively with customized perks and VIP treatment. (Rosengren,
The Gambling industry attempts to win support with misleading information in its promotions. For example, gambling is said to help stimulate the economy by providing more jobs. According to the American Gaming Association study, "In 1995, the casino industry recorded $25 billion . . . and paid only $7 billion in wages" (Arthur Anderson). Also according to Maura J. Casey, there is high unemployment rates around casinos. (Casey 37) With people's losses and by encouraging workers to believe in cheating customers, casinos focus on gaining more and more money for their n...
people to keep playing with. Nothing less that psychological warfare is going on at casinos across the country. " The days of shaved dice, missing face cards and rigged roulette wheels are long gone. But the pursuit of profitability in the The corporate era of gambling has turned the average casino into a financial.
People suspect the growth of this competitive scene is due to the gambling aspect of gaming. In 1994, the Kiplinger Washington Letter stated, “Gambling will be the fastest growing industry of the Nineties.” This statement is very true and applies to competitive gaming as well. As soon as you enter the world of competitive gaming, it's nearly impossible to leave. The industry of competitive video gaming has been up and coming, but now it is at it's peek. The world around us is changing every day, similar to the world of competitive sports, but the world of competitive gaming is here to stay.
There is a major issue to be dealt with, which is spreading with little regulatory oversight and no effective screens against participation by the young and the vulnerable. Internet gambling represents one of the fastest growing segments of online activity with more than seven hundred web sites now providing users the opportunity to wager everything from casino games to sporting events. According to internet research firms, the industry will pull in $1.5 billion in world-wide revenues this year. That figure is expected to hit at least $6 billion by 2006. Also, a survey conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project concluded that $4.5 million Americans have gambled online and that 1 million gamble online everyday.
In conclusion, many “house advantages” exist in gaming today which makes it unfair. Gaming overall has taken a great toll on American society. Recently, gambling has been made legal in several states nationwide, this will eventually cause more issues with economy and bankruptcies all across the nation. Many factors play a role in these bankruptcies, for example probability. Many people have suffered and will continue suffering from gambling. The new laws passed indirectly encourage citizens around the nation to gamble, which will cause many future problems for our nation.
Wood, Robert. “Problem gambling on the internet: implications for internet gambling policy in North America.” New Media &Amp; Society Volume: 9 Issue: 3 (2007-06-01) p. 520-542. ISSN: 1461-4448. Retrieved February 26, 2014. https://www.uleth.ca/dspace/bitstream/handle/10133/643/2007-Internet-NMS.pdf?sequence=1