All we have heard from the online gambling industry is how hot business is and how they can’t seem to keep up with the action that they players are bringing to the online casino. Well it seems that things are changing slightly, its hard to tell whether the online casinos are slowing down or there is just so much competition that companies are stealing business from one another but overall, companies are reporting a slot start to the fall season.
 
This is the season that is full of promotions and normally one of the busiest seasons for online casinos but it seems not quite so from the words of the companies in the industry.  Companies are saying that players are making smaller deposits and not visiting as frequently or staying for as long as duration of time as they would in the past.
 
It is hard to judge in the online casino industry for such a small amount of time because patterns can change on a daily basis but it is interesting to see what develops and if this information is relevant to all online casinos and gambling companies or just some that are newer or smaller players in the industry.
 
We are just as curious as you to know what the future has in store for online casinos and the other companies in the industry so we will keep our eyes and ears open to try to get just as much information out to you as we can and will be back with an update shortly!

There is a poker player that has been playing professional poker for a little time now and he is known as “the Magician”. Antonio Esfandiari got his nickname because of the many card tricks that he would always show off with at the tables as well as the amazing poker tricks that he pulled on various players that ended up getting him to be one of the best poker players as well as one of the most well known. Not to mention a big hit with the ladies, partially due to his boyish good looks.
 

Online casinos have been hunting for this player to join one of their elite team members for quite some time and rumour has it that he may be close to making a decision on joining an already star studded poker pro team. Unfortunately the exact name of the online casino poker site has yet to be disclosed but there are many suspicions on who the company can be.

 
Online casinos love to have top players representing them and their brand at tournaments as well as throughout random games in order to create brand awareness and generate more interest and create more membership at the online casino in question.

 
There are many poker sites that have this technique as one of their main advertising and marketing campaigns. It will be very interesting to see what online casino will land this player as part of their portfolio. Once a player signs with the online casino they are linked to that online poker site for a certain duration of time and must sport outfits that showcase the company name on all occasions possible.

One of the best features about online casinos is their chat room feature, which gives players a chance to open up to each other and discuss strategies or simply get to know one another. Previously, it was not a popular option, but with the huge social media boom, many online casinos are pushing their chat rooms on their customers.
 
The most important function that online gambling chatrooms provide is that they give players the chance to discuss strategies. In land-based casinos, asking someone for tips can be a little bit awkward but online, there is less of a competitive environment; people are much more willing to share strategies and help out newer players.
 
It also gives you the chance to get to know new people. Walking into a land-based casino can be intimidating. Especially in casino capitals like Las Vegas, where everyone is dressed to the nines, you may not be very inclined to talk to the man at the poker table who’s wearing an Armani suit or the woman with the 200-carat diamond bracelet playing craps. Unless you go to a casino with a group of friends in tow, the guarantee of a socially-valuable experience seems unlikely.
 
Online, you can speak to everyone and anyone. You’re all in the same boat, and no one seems better than anybody else. This opens up a much bigger possibility for social interaction. Would you believe that people have found their soul mates at online gambling websites? Well, it’s true. In online casino chatrooms, you’re bound by a common interest, which makes things infinitely easier.

Online gambling is an interesting industry. There are so many online casinos out there, it’s getting difficult to tell who’s honest and who’s not. Even marketing for reputable casinos can seem “spammy”, so how do you know which casinos are going to give you fair shot at winning cash and which ones are just out to take your’s?
 
All the information you need is on the casino’s “About Us” page.
 
Step 1
Simply check out that page and look for their software provider. Reputable casinos will always have software designed by reputable companies. Look for the names:
- Orbis OpenBet
- Cryptologic
- Vegas Technology
- Rival
- RTG (Real Time Gaming)
- MicroGaming
- PlayTech
- Boss Media
 
With some online casinos, however, you won’t find any of these providers, because there are a few that design their proprietary software. Take 888 and Party Gaming, for example. If that’s the case, move on to Step 2.
 
Step 2
Look for the name of an auditor, such as PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Reputable online casinos will go to great lengths to prove that they are reliable. If they casino does not state on their About Us page that they are regularly audited, then it’s best to move on. Many fake casinos will claim to be audited, but only the reputable ones will provide an outbound link to the auditor or to the audit report itself. If you can’t find a link to either of these things, that’s a bad sign.
 
Step 3
Now, you have to leave the About Page and hit up Google. Just do a quick web search for the name of the casino you’re suspicious of. If the casino is, indeed, a scam, then you will most likely find negative reviews and message board topics about it. If you’re still not sure, however, sign up to a message board and make your own post. This way, you’ll get honest reviews and opinions.

Hold up, wait a minute!
 
Remember a few weeks back, when there was a huge announcement that American Express was now being accepted at online casinos as a deposit method? Well, forget what you heard. Apparently, it has just been announced the AmEx is NOT accepting transactions from online casinos; the announcement was a false alarm. AmEx has stated that they will continue to restrict online casino customers from depositing money using their American Express cards.
 
Online casinos were actually only claiming to offer American Express, without the companies permission. It has be speculated that they were processor casino transcations under a guise, claiming the funds were for another service.
 
In a statement issued recently, AmEx said: “It has been a long-standing policy that American Express will not or cannot be accepted as a form of payment, both on and offline. If found to be doing so, merchants will be terminated immediately”.
 
But, don’t worry. This doesn’t change things for other payment processors, like PayPal, that have just hopped back into the online gambling industry. PayPal’s move even makes me thinkg that this could even be seen as a bad move by American Express. Maybe they should reconsider?
 
Many operators and companies that offer services that could be valuable in the online gambling world (such as software providers and payment processors) have piped up recently, because the American government seems closer than ever to online gambling legislation. If online gambling does, indeed, become legalized, this opens up a whole new market, and these companies stand to make some huge profits.