Elextra & Jero Online Casino Guide

Archive for the ‘region’ Category

The casino in the United States has a long and often illustrious history. Gambling plays a part in American history from the beginning of the colonies, in the lore of the Wild West, in the history of the underground bars during prohibition, and more. Laws concerning gambling have changed over time, with growing prohibitions against gambling followed by a relaxing of laws.

Attitudes toward gambling varied in the early American colonies. Puritan-founded colonies, not surprisingly, disapproved most strongly of all forms of dice, cards and gaming. Colonies founded by the English were quite tolerant of gambling, and it was treated as an innocent pastime. By the early 1800′s, gambling, and even gaming houses, or casinos, had evolved in the newly founded United States. New Orleans, in particular, was a center for gambling, and casinos and saloons in New Orleans evolved games we still link with the old west, including poker and blackjack.

During the California gold rush, gambling was both legal and widespread, as government offices regulated and licensed the saloon and the casino. Faro, bluff, and dice games were popular. While New Orleans had been the gambling capital of America forty years earlier, San Francisco replaced it as the main site for gambling and casinos due to the free flowing gold of the California gold rush.

During the period between the late 1850′s and early 1900′s, California progressively criminalized gambling. It remained legal in Nevada until 1910; however, the casino never reached the glory in Nevada that it had in San Francisco. Gambling was also criminalized elsewhere in the country during this period. Needless to say, gambling did continue, but it was a phenomenon kept behind closed doors. During the era when gambling was widely illegal, casinos remained in operation in speakeasies, private clubs, and more.

Gambling once again began to be legalized in 1931, starting with Nevada. During the 1930′s, some 21 states legalized racetrack gambling. Gambling continued in Nevada, and with low stakes bingo elsewhere. Casinos began to spring up in Atlantic City, NJ in the late 70′s. In 1987, the Supreme Court made a fundamental decision allowing gambling on Native American reservations, and in the years since, casino gambling has spread throughout the country with modern and thriving casinos in many states. Riverboat casinos began to spring up on major rivers in many states during the same period, bringing gambling full circle to its early roots with riverboat gamblers on the mighty Mississippi in the early 1800′s.

Asian gambling is now on the rise and increasing by the minute. The government of Asia has relaxed gaming rules, realizing that it brings in tax revenue and funds for the infrastructure. Casino operations are seriously looking into areas of Asia to invest in and develop.

In Asia, gambling is a very unbalanced industry. There are big, commercialized ventures in places like Macau, as well as thousands of tiny, corrupt gambling dens all over Southeast Asia.

It is estimated that the $4.1 billion casino industry will grow 6% every year for 20 years, as legal gambling increases every day throughout the continent. One thing that is causing the rise in gambling is the relaxation of traveling rules in China. In China, there is a large middle class with disposable income. This middle class majority is constantly growing.

Macau is considered the model country for casino operations in Asia. Recently, two new casinos were opened in Macau–Wynn Resorts and Galaxy Casino. Both are headed by Las Vegas casino operations. The Macau casinos are making huge profits, making businessmen and Asia as a whole take notice.

In Japan, gambling is very limited, with horse racing and a game called pachinko being the only legal forms of it. The Japanese have been pressuring the government to lift the casino ban, but this request has yet to be fulfilled.

The Philippines is one of the only Asian countries to allow casino gambling. They are now in the process of developing a hotel-casino in their country.

In central Asia, there is also gambling that goes on, both legal and illegal. The biggest casino in the area of central Asia is called Grand Casino. This operation is located in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. In central Asia, there are casinos in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, and Russia.

As discussed above, there are not many legal casinos in southern Asia. Nepal is one of the few areas that has had legal casinos for a long time–since 1968. Nepal now has six casinos in operation. Sri Lanka and Goa in India also have legal casinos running in their countries. In Goa, there are currently six legal casinos in operation. Cruise-based casinos that pass by coastal India are also quite popular.

The Asian government has said it will allow overseas investors to come and open casinos on their land. The only thing investors must have in order to do so is $500 million up front.

Albania casinos have been in the news non-stop since 1994, when the Hyatt Regency opened the first and only casino. While this area of East Europe is very picky on gambling, poker houses were always more common than actual casinos. When the Hyatt opened the casino in 1994, citizens were delighted to have a legal and safe place to play all the games that they were only able to play for fun before. The casino has been a very popular place for both citizens of the area, as well as those that travel there on business or pleasure. Gambling has a long history in this area of Europe, so there was no doubt that Albania would be successful with the Hyatt casino located in Tirana.

While the casino has been a raging success, there was news in the fall of 2006 that Hyatt was threatening to close the casino. The reason for this is that the taxes on the slot machines keep climbing higher and higher, and they have now gotten so out of hand that Hyatt is threatening to close the casino. Chances are that a deal will be made to keep Albania casinos open for business, but taxes will always be an issue. Since the casino has been open since 1994, however, it has become a large contributor to the economy, guaranteeing that Albania casinos will have a permanent place in the country’s culture. If the Hyatt Regency can no longer keep the doors of the casino open, chances are another hotel or casino owner will come along and there will be one to take its place.

Albania casinos compete with many of the poker houses, because poker has long been the favored game in the area. While blackjack, roulette, and slots are popular, all the variants of poker remain the most popular. No matter where you go, it seems that there are poker lovers in attendance. The young, the old, and everyone in between knows the game of poker; it seems to be something that is handed down from generation to generation. Those that do not play poker in the Hyatt casino play in the poker houses, and those that do not want to play for money play for fun with friends and family.

Other than the issues with taxes, there is no doubt that Albania casinos have a place in the future of a country that has a rich history of gambling.

Alaska is better known for extreme climate over much else. Touting an environment that goes from extreme winter weather to harsh, dry, summer climates, many of the activities in Alaska are centered on the great outdoors. Wildlife is abundant, whale watching and Alaskan cruises have become the stuff of dream vacations, and the resources found in Alaska are known for being unrivaled. Make sure to choose casino bonus to have better winning possibilities.

There are close to 650,000 residents living in Alaska, which is the largest state in the U.S. There are at least 365,039,104 acres of land in Alaska, and much of it is devoted to primitive, wilderness areas. This is part of the reason that being outdoors is an important aspect of Alaskan culture.

However, indoor fun is not to be discounted in Alaska as Alaska casinos provide quite a bit of entertainment around the state. Many of the Alaska casinos are owned and operated by Native American tribes. Alaska casinos are spread out all over the state and most offer a break from the outdoors for some fun and excitement inside.

The Atka Ira Council is a casino in Alaska, located in Atka. The casino specializes in bingo and also boasts a bed and breakfast as well as a loaded snack bar.

CBJ Bingo, run by the Tlingit and Haida Indians, is another large bingo facility operating in Alaska. This Alaska casino is located in Juneau and has one of the largest bingo operations in the state.

Other Alaska casinos featuring large-scale bingo operations include: Klawock IRA Pull Tab Shoppe, located in Klawock and Sitka Tribal Bingo in Sitka. These casinos serve the needs of the community around them by offering entertainment in the form of the easy-to-learn, lucrative game of bingo. Bingo is the draw and focus of most Alaska casinos.

One of the more unique Alaska casinos is the Shoonagac Tribal Bingo, located in Kodiak. This Alaska casino features total slots as well as bingo.

While there are not an abundance of Las Vegas-style casinos located in Alaska, there are a number of medium-scale Alaska casinos specializing in gambling ventures like bingo, which are low-profile games, but fun and exciting just the same. The laid-back attitude of Alaskans can be demonstrated in the laid-back vibe of Alaska casinos. They are just as much fun as their large-scale, flashy counterparts and perfect for the population of this large, but low-key, state.

Alabama is a southern state located in “the Heart of Dixie”, with a rich history dating back to the Civil War. It is known for its Magnolia trees, lush gardens, grand old historic homes, and southern hospitality. Alabama, with a population of over 4,500,000, is adjacent to Georgia, Mississippi, and Florida. The capital of Alabama is Montgomery, which was the first capital of the Confederacy.

Alabama casinos are for the most part bingo casinos, which are run by Native Americans. Casinos can only be run on Native American land, since there is no legalized gambling as such in the state of Alabama. The revenue from the Alabama casinos, as a result, is not taxed by the state of Alabama, since Native American tribes own them. The majority of gambling in Alabama can be found at the horse racing tracks and dog races, in addition to a few slot machines, video gambling machines, and pull-tab cards at these locations.

There are three Alabama casinos, all located within 20 minutes from the capital of Montgomery, that do a thriving business. The Creek Entertainment Center in Atmore is open for gambling Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 12 Midnight, and Friday and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. There are 1,000 bingo seats for live games, 200 electronic bingo machines, a number of pull-tab card selections, and one restaurant at the Creek Entertainment Center. The largest of the three Alabama casinos is the Tallapoosa Entertainment Center in Montgomery. The Tallapoosa is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for casino gambling. There are 480 electronic bingo seats in 21,000 square feet of gaming space, with a full bar and grill for added convenience. The list of Alabama casinos also includes the Riverside Entertainment Center, located in Wetumpka, which is run by Native Americans as well. The Riverside casino is open 24 hours a day, Monday through Saturday, from 12:00 Noon to closing time, and Sunday, from 1:00 p.m. to closing time. This Alabama casino has 16,000 square feet of gambling area, a large selection of over 530 slot machines, and an onsite restaurant.

Alabama could profit enormously from having casinos located along the Gulf Coast, both onshore and on riverboats. This would encourage competition between Alabama and its neighboring state, Mississippi. The revenue to be gained from legalizing Alabama casinos and the boost it would provide to the economy may hopefully spur the state government to open Alabama to legalized gambling in the near future.

Africa casinos are easily found on this continent, with twenty-nine African countries that house casinos, and a few that offer horse and dog racing. Africa depends heavily on tourism for much of its economic success, and offering casinos where people spend money adds considerable appeal to the tourism industry.

Though casinos can be found throughout the countries located on the African continent, a significant number of casinos are located in South Africa. Cape Town, South Africa is where you will find GrandWest Casino and Entertainment World, the largest casino facility on the continent. At this casino you will find sixty casino gambling tables that feature such games as blackjack, roulette, and craps, as well as over two thousand slot machines. The casino also boasts 10 restaurants that serve a variety of multi-ethnic fare and an on-site luxury hotel. This is only one of the many full-service Africa casinos that can be found, and with the success that Africa is seeing in the gambling industry, many more are being built each year.

Countries in Africa are also taking advantage of the growing popularity of poker and poker tournaments, and especially in South Africa, national poker tournaments are becoming more popular. Many of the Africa casinos are now making it a point to provide special accommodations for poker players and poker tournaments.

Most of the African countries that offer casino gambling have developed organizations that set rules and regulations for casinos, a big selling point for tourists who may be concerned about the Africa casinos in which they are gambling. Most of the representatives of the casino gambling industry within the continent of Africa have signed agreements where they pledge to adhere to a gambling code of conduct. Tourists who are visiting such countries as South Africa, Egypt, and Morocco can rest assured that they will be treated fairly when visiting casinos. Although in the African gambling industry there are some casinos who comply with regulations better than others, gamblers can still feel confident that most of the casinos that they visit will be reputable.

With the growing success of the gambling industry in many African countries, many people are starting to take notice, including casino owners in other countries. Successful casino chains are becoming more interested in investing in the casino industry in Africa, which can prove to be a win-win situation for everyone involved. Predictions for the future of the gambling industry in Africa are good, and Africa casinos may even some day start to compete in popularity with other tourist attractions in Africa, such as safaris.