Online gambling grew by 50% in 2021 when compared to 2020. That’s incredible when you consider that 2020 kept everyone indoors with nothing to do.

As things started to open back up, so did the casinos. Yet, people continued to gamble online. New states like Michigan and Connecticut allowed online casino games to begin.

States are getting in line to offer more online gambling options to their clients. That’s great news for you because you have so many more options to find fun and exciting online casino games.

There are popular casino games to try and other ones that don’t get the billing they deserve. Read on to find out which online casino games to play and how to find them.

Find a Legitimate Casino

Your first step is to find a casino that won’t rip you off. This seems like a simple task, but it’s become harder to do thanks to COVID-19.

Gamblers turned to online gambling because of lockdowns. People who were curious about online gambling decided to sign up to try it out.

Well, that raised the profile of online gambling. It also got the attention of scammers, who sensed a big chance to make money off of unsuspecting gamblers.

Your main job is to find an online casino that’s registered to operate where you plan to gamble. For the vast majority of people, this will be where you live.

You’ll have to check with your state’s gaming commission for a list of registered casinos. They’re the ones that can legally operate in that area.

Out of the list of online casinos that you find, you’ll want to check out each one. They offer different sign-up bonuses and online casino games.

Sign up with the casino that offers the best casino games and bonuses.

Finding the Best Odds of Winning

There’s a trick that professional gamblers use to find the best odds of winning. They do a little bit of research.

Since the gaming industry is heavily regulated, they have to report everything to the state’s gaming board. The gaming board compiles this information and makes it publicly available.

In Pennsylvania, casinos report the total revenue from interactive slots, the amount won by players, and the revenue earned.

This gets broken down by casino, so you can see which online casinos offer the best odds of winning by dividing the amount won by the amount played. The higher the percentage, the better the odds.

Each state has its own version of this report, and you may be able to find a breakdown of online casino games. This gives you powerful information to decide which casino games to play.

The Difference Between Luck and Skill

Casino operators do what they can to bring the in-person casino experience to the virtual world. They do a great job of that in so many ways.

One of them is when you walk into a casino and experience a few moments of overwhelm from the chaotic activity. You can easily be overwhelmed once inside an online casino because you have so many options to choose from.

The place to start is to divide your options into two categories. There are games based on luck and games based on skill.

Online casino games based on luck involve a random number generator (RNG). This is a program that runs through series after series of numbers and generates numbers on a completely random basis.

Online casinos use pseudo-random number generators. This creates a long series of random numbers based on a smaller series of numbers.

With online slots, numbers get assigned to symbols. This is what you see when you play an online slot game. It is very difficult to hack RNGs.

That makes games that use a random number generator a game based on luck. Online bingo, slots, baccarat, and roulette are examples of games of chance.

Skill-based games require some strategy and skill in order to win. Blackjack, poker, craps, and sports betting are examples of skill-based casino games.

Beginner gamblers can test out online casino games by playing games of chance first. This lets you get a feel for playing at online casinos. You can then move up to skills-based games later on.

Check the Online Casino Game’s Reputation

There are hundreds of different games of luck. You learned how to find your odds of winning at a particular casino.

Now you can find your odds of winning at slots and other games of chance. They’re ranked according to RTP or return to player. It measures how much of the game’s revenue goes back to players.

Volatility measures the amount of risk. If you’re the type of gambler that enjoys playing big bets on long shots, you want to find a game with a high volatility score.

Low volatility tells you that you’ll have frequent, smaller payouts.

Games also have a reputation for having a big payout. Online gamblers take the playability and enjoyment of the game into consideration.

Online reviews provide tips and insights into particular online casino games. They help you locate the best online casinos, too.

Some reviews are in-depth, such as this review of Bovada Casino. You’ll learn about the sign-up bonuses, customer service, and games available.

Finding Easy Online Casino Games

What are some of the best online casino games? It depends on the type of online gambling you want to try. You can try your hand at games of skill or games of luck.

Either way, you’re bound to have a fun time and find ways to win at the best online casinos.

If you enjoyed reading this guide about online casino games, you’ll love the other articles on the blog. Check them out today!

If you could turn your passion into a career, would you want to? Apart from artists, very few people can say that they truly love their jobs. However, in today’s digital world, producing games pays off and with the right set of skills, you could also make a living out of designing, testing, or presenting games. In this piece, we are digging deeper into the topic of gaming jobs with the help of iGaming expert Auli Wälkky.

How to make a career in gaming?

The gaming industry is growing exponentially. Microsoft estimates that there could be as many as 2 billion gamers globally. These include serious gamers who use top-notch consoles, PC and laptop gamers, and people who play mobile games. Gaming is popular in the developed and developing world, with the figures expected to see a rise. 

Apart from gaming, gambling is also on the rise. In Finland, over 20% of people play at online casinos, and even more, play on physical slot machines placed in establishments all over the country. Online gambling has many advantages, for example, Finnish players can often get nettikasino bonukset when they deposit at a new casino. 

You can get a great number of jobs related to gaming or gambling depending on what skills you have. A typical gaming career salary is, in general, higher than average, so it makes sense to choose this industry for your career path. 

Gamer career options

If you are into computer gaming and have coding or designing skills, you can pursue a career in:

  • Game programming
  • Game design
  • Game testing
  • Game coaching or reviewing

Programmers and designers are always thought after to satisfy the growing need for new computer games. 

Even if you are not a programmer or designer, you can have a career in playing games. As we have seen plenty of evidence of it, esports can bring in big bucks if you are good enough at it. You will need to have a deep knowledge of the game, endless hours of practice behind you, and excellent hand-eye coordination and reflexes. Professional gamers sometimes become brand ambassadors of games and can get serious money for advertising. 

A mobile gaming career is also a possibility. As you will always see on LinkedIn, companies are on the lookout for game testers all the time. These jobs can often be done remotely and are often project-based, meaning they are not full-time jobs. 

Gambler career

If casino games are your thing, the career opportunities overlap with those of gamers. You can expect a higher-than-average salary should you choose to venture into designing and coding, which are obvious choices. However, there are lots of online gambling career options that don’t require any skills or expertise and can be learned during a short training. Your gambler career options to consider are:

  • Game programmer
  • Game designer
  • Game tester
  • Game presenter (live dealer)
  • Customer support/admin staff 

As we mentioned before, gambling is super popular in Finland and online casinos are always on the lookout for Finnish-speaking staff. A great side of getting a career in gambling is that most online casinos are run from sunny places like Malta, Gibraltar, Costa Rica, and Curaçao! You could start up in customer support and make your way to loads of administrative departments such as payments, fraud, anti-money laundering, content writing, and even finance. 

Brick and mortar casinos, of course, also need staff, so if you are confident and love being the center of attention, you could become a croupier at a land-based casino. The career path from a croupier position typically goes to supervisor and pit manager. Casino staff are normally well paid, and they will often get hefty tips from lucky punters. 

Conclusion

There are plenty of career opportunities in the field of gaming and gambling. If you have the right skills such as programming and design, you can expect a well-above-average salary. However, some people can make a living just by playing or testing games too. Loads of admin positions are available at online casinos, and you may even get a job at a land-based casino!

Barcelona’s embarrassing 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League in August was a low point in the club’s entire history.

Even if you are not an avid soccer fan, and instead have just set out watching the sport, the chances are that you will have heard of FC Barcelona. They are one of the largest clubs on the planet and have the biggest stadium in Europe. They arguably boast the best player of all time in Lionel Messi, but haven’t properly built around him in recent seasons.

Ultimately, getting thrashed and conceding eight goals, admittedly to a remarkable Bayern Munich side, is simply unacceptable. As a result, changes have to be made but they won’t be happening in the boardroom, with the elections now called for March 2021.

With that in mind, we look at two things the Catalan giants have to do now to ensure they are genuine contenders when it comes to assessing which club can win the Champions League next season; they are currently +1600 in the football betting to land the top prize in European football. For Barcelona to recover, they will need to look to the future and make big changes to reach the heights they once easily achieved.

Invest in youth

A major reason for Barcelona’s failings has been their atrocious record in the transfer market, with far too many big-name recruits not making an impact.

It means the key players in the team last season were still the same from the side that won the Champions League five years ago; Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Gerard Pique.

Clearly, that isn’t good enough at all and they shouldn’t be reliant on the same figures to the extent they are. Whilst there are some talented youngsters emerging from the famous La Masia academy, notably Ansu Fati and Riqui Puig, more investment needs to be made at bringing the age of the squad down and finding quality operators who can enter their peak years in Catalonia.

Even in the worst-case scenario without Messi, Barcelona would still be an attractive option and they have revenues that dwarf many rivals. After years of awful decisions in the market, the club needs to ensure they get things right. That means identifying a sporting director, signing players who are desperate to prove themselves, reducing the average age of the squad and bringing down the wage bill.

Rediscover a clear style

 

Incredibly, despite their history with Johan Cruyff and his passing style of play, this Barcelona side doesn’t have an identity and have lost their way. Although, that’s probably understandable given the way they’ve changed managers.

They switch between formations, can sometimes sit back and counter and often look weak defensively. That has to change under new boss Ronald Koeman, and even if it’s not the tika-taka football that fans want to watch, Barcelona need a clear style that can help bring them results.

When you look at other superpowers in Europe, such as Bayern Munich, Manchester City and rivals Real Madrid, there is a plan on the pitch, even if the latter two didn’t achieve their goals in the previous campaign.

Worryingly, Barcelona seem to be a long way away from the top of European football and their humiliation in Lisbon will live long in the memory. But, it’s about bouncing back now and swift action clearly needs to be taken.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a beautiful, staggering, and sprawling game. The world of Red Dead 2 has some complex activities to complete, from horseback riding to hunting to general no-good. In actuality, it’s a bit overwhelming, which is why it’s nice to have challenges that help you direct your passion and skills into something productive.

The truth be told, these challenges are somewhat tricky but quite satisfying to complete, requiring that, say, shoot flying birds from a moving train or kill some enemies without dismounting. On the other hand, the game also has challenges like double down and win the hand 5 times at the Blackjack table. And while it may sound simple, it’s actually quite to solve.

Keep reading to learn how to complete the Blackjack challenge in the least painful way.

It takes forever

When playing Red Dead Redemption 2, the minigames are pretty good as they don’t waste much of the player’s time. For instance, Five Finger Fillet and Poker allow players to skip the betting sequence of other players so that they can directly play their own hand.

Not so with rdr2 Blackjack.

You’re forced to watch the move of every player at the table. The croupier has to reset his animation after every hand, and the amount of general dull work isn’t easy to tolerate.

It’s purely random

Many players don’t play Red Dead 2 for the realistic recreations of card games. Instead, they are there to shoot birds, kill animals, and wear them as hats.

According to many avid players, the absolute fastest way to blow through the Blackjack challenge is the double down on every single hand with the minimum betting amount. At times, you may lose almost all of your money, but the betting amount will be so small that it won’t matter much.

The number of statistically appropriate double down opportunities is so small that you’d be there all day if this were realistic Blackjack that involves the use of real money. But this isn’t the case. So, in order to get through the challenge, you can just hit the double down option and hope for the best.

This is in contrast to the Poker challenges, which are quite easy to solve if you play them in the way they’re meant to be played.

The best way to complete this challenge

If you’re playing Red Dead 2 on PS4 and happen to have a Vita, plug it and use the Remote Play option. Of course, the Remote Play controls aren’t that good, but they’ll work fine for the card games.

And while the game never forces you to complete these challenges, they do have an impact on your stats, with the gambling challenges rewarding more Deadeye experience. Also, you’ll need to complete all of them in order to unlock the Legend of the East Outfit, which gives Arthur the look of a straight gangster.

Whether that’s worth all the suffering, well, it’s totally up to you.

When gambling online, the best way to optimise your payouts is to play casino games with the best odds. Many novice players think that the outcome of any casino game is purely a matter of chance. However, the truth is that it’s also based on statistics and probability.

You will have a good chance of winning casino games with a lower house edge, and therefore better odds. As such, here is an overview of games that offer the best odds.

Blackjack

In the game of Blackjack, all the players at the table are playing against the dealer. In short, you need to get closer to 21 than the dealer without going bust. The same rules apply to the dealer, so if the dealer goes bust, all players (who have 21 or lower) win.

Blackjack is probably the most popular skill-based game in online casinos. The use of basic strategy for statistically adequate decisions results in a house edge of less than one per cent. Also, without a strategy, you get an average house edge of 2% to 3%.

Professional players and high rollers make use of the basic strategy to turn the odds in their favour and score more wins than losses in the long run. So, if you have knowledge of the basic rules and want to test your basic strategy, check out UK casino games website as it has games that offer the best odds.

Baccarat

Baccarat is one of the highest payout casino games in the world. Moreover, as with other casino games with high payouts, the amount wagered in Baccarat is substantial as well. So, you stand to lose a lot if you lose, just as you have a chance to optimize your payouts if you win. With that in mind, you must only wager when the odds of winnings are in your favour.

On average, online Baccarat games offer an average house edge of 1.09%. In most online casinos, the player wins about 49.32%, while the banker wins about 50.68% of the total outcomes.

Roulette

The next game with the best odds on our list is Roulette. The gameplay or Roulette is simple and it pays quite well. The aim of the game is to predict which number on the wheel the ball will land on. There are various betting options and strategies that can help you win big.

Today, there are numerous Roulette variants available online, and American Roulette and European Roulette are the most popular ones. The house edge in European Roulette is 2.70%, while American Roulette offers a house edge of 5.26%.

Craps

Basically, the game of Craps has a house edge that can be as low as 0.0% and as high as 10%. To be more specific, the Odds bets in Craps have a zero-house edge, while the Pass Line bet offers a house edge of 1.41%. Proposition 2 and 12 bets will have a house edge of 10%.

At the Craps table, the average house edge is determined by the amount wagered by the player. Most casinos offer 3x odds that brings the average house totally to 0.34% for Don’t Pass and, 0.47% for Pass Line odds.

While gambling has been a part of human life for centuries back, civilization has not always been as aware of the risks it poses. Nowadays, the situation has been greatly clarified, with a specific definition outlining the condition as gambling addiction, i.e. problem gambling.

Due to advances in technology and communications industries, this form of entertainment has become all the more available and convenient. This caused the effects of such a problem to be all the more evident and widespread, ultimately turning into a classifiable addiction. In order to help problem gamblers or those likely to become, extensive efforts have been placed in identifying the signs of the condition, the best prevention and the criteria for suitable help and treatment services.

Signs of Problem Gambling

Problem gamblers are often identified through a series of signs that indicate a certain change in their physical appearance, health, emotional and psychological state, as well as their financial and professional side of life.

Some of the most commonly recognized signs in problem gamblers include borrowing money or stealing precious items or cash, as well as an obsession with betting of any kind. Restlessness is also common in such instances, as well as lack of attention and focus in otherwise normal occurrences.

The obsession to gambling often leads to the need to lie in order to cover it up, so avoiding the truth is another key sign of problem gambling. If not detected and properly treated in due time, these signs become more evident.

Problem Gambling – Preventive Measures

The road to gambling is rather smooth and inauspicious, especially nowadays when people are practically encouraged to try out the latest tech advances and have fun in the meantime. Online platforms provide the perfect solution, and people with specific problems could get carried away.

One rather successful preventive measure identifies this form of entertainment as a relief option – people who are constantly under stress, pressure and criticism are thus most subjected to the urge to take up gambling. Should anyone find themselves under such circumstances, it is advisable to try and look for an alternative activity to relieve the anxiety. That way, even if they do come in contact to gambling practices, it won’t hold the same appeal as it once did.

Preventing problem gambling can also be done in the early stages of its development – find a suitable support group, give up a strenuous job, activity or environment, or simply reduce the time spent on casino floors. Some problem gamblers fight the urge to gamble by giving themselves a time span of 5, 10, 30 minutes per say, just so that it subsides and they are finally able to overcome it. You can read useful information about gambling prevention at netbet.co.uk.

Problem Gambling Treatment Services

Once the issue has been recognized, many services have stepped up claiming to offer the most suitable treatment to gambling addiction, especially since it works the same as substance abuse. So far, treatment has become available as residential rehab programs, cognitive therapy, group/family therapy and counseling, as well as identification and treatment for the causal disorder – OCD, ADHD, chronic depression, panic attacks etc.