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Accessing Information Online
The impact that the Internet has made on our lives, and the world we live in, is impossible to understate. Originally created in the 1950s by the U.S. government as a method of transmitting data between universities, it has since evolved into a global network which has profoundly changed the way we access information.
Gamblers can particularly benefit from the Internet, not only because it affords them the convenience of playing from home—which for many is reason enough—but also because of a special group of sites stored among its pages: gambling portals. A remarkable by-product of the developing online gaming industry, gambling portals act as doorways, starting points for gamblers whether they’re seeking to improve their game, test their skills, or play their favorite casino game for serious money.
In this article, we’ll examine the different types of portals and gaming web sites, and discuss their value to both online and traditional gamblers.
Portals Galore
Although the definition of “gambling portal” has come to signify any site that acts as a gateway to online casinos, portals often differ drastically in terms of their purpose and usefulness to the gambler. Below is an overview of the features found among the most common types of gambling portal, as well as some suggestions for sites you may want to visit the next time you venture into cyberspace.
General portals
In an effort to capture the largest possible gaming audience, many gambling portals offer a wide range of content. They might provide information on numerous gambling topics, strategy tips about a wide variety of games, original articles written by experts, extensive reviews of online gaming sites, and more. For example, one section could be dedicated exclusively to casino gaming, another to poker and still another to sportsbetting. In effect, the site is providing gamblers with a “one-stop-shopping” experience that they hope will keep players coming back time and time again.
CasinoCenter.com: An excellent resource for gamblers of all tastes, CasinoCenter.com is the online home of both Casino Player and Strictly Slots magazines. The site features detailed articles on a variety of gambling topics as well as an extensive “Learn to Play” section that offers basic and advanced strategy tips for a host of games including poker, craps, blackjack, video poker and roulette. In addition, gaming sites listed here are among the Internet’s most reputable.
WinnerOnline.com: One of the most extensive gaming portals, WinnerOnline.com offers information related to casino gambling, sportsbetting, poker, bingo and various contests. The site’s best features include detailed site reviews, bonus listings, gaming news, rules and strategies for a variety of games, and listings of the biggest jackpots.
Casino.com: A perennial favorite for both traditional and online gamblers, Casino.com features one of the largest collections of gambling articles on the ‘Net. Topics range from general casino gambling tips to advanced strategies for poker, blackjack, craps, roulette, video poker, lottery, and bingo. The site also features dozens of site reviews, the latest gaming news, and special travel deals.
Specialists: On the opposite end of the portal spectrum are the specialist sites. With specialist or “niche” portals, the main objective is to provide extensive information about a relatively limited scope of gaming topics, such as poker or slots. While this type of portal may not offer the diversity of a general portal, they do tend to go into greater detail on their subject. Where general portals may offer a handful of articles about poker, a “poker only” portal will provide dozens of articles on the game, expert strategy tips, discussions of tells and bluffing technique, listings of worldwide poker events—just about anything of interest to poker players. They’re very effective at this, since they’re willing to devote 100% of their time and efforts to a limited number of topics.
Because there are so many different types of specialty sites, it’s impossible to list the top portals for every conceivable gambling category. To give you an idea of the level of diversity that’s out there, below is a brief overview of a few of the best portals in their respective fields.
Poker Portals
Homepoker.com—Features information specifically designed for the home poker game.
ThePokerForum.com—Offers extensive poker news and information as well as rules, trip reports, book reviews, and tournament schedules.
Womenspokerclub.com—A poker portal dedicated exclusively to female poker players. Offers, articles, reviews, poker lessons and a peer mentoring program.
Sportsbetting Portals
Covers.com—Provides in-depth statistical analysis on a variety of professional and amateur sports. The site also features an extensive forum, free picks and sports news.
Madjacksports.com—A handicapping and sportsbook discussion site which features news, lines and opinions from experts.
Horse Racing Portals
DRF.com—The Daily Racing Forum (drf.com) provides detailed news and information geared for aficionados of the sport of kings. Top features include past performances, handicapping features, breeding info, video replays, and expanded race coverage.
Racing-index.com— Provides links to horse racing related web sites, including tipsters, horse racing systems, online bookmakers, form ratings, race courses and racing authorities.
Bingo Portals
BingoBugle.com—The online home of the Bingo Bugle, the world’s largest bingo publication. The site features information about a wide variety of games as well as bingo news, predictions, sweepstakes, books, and listings of top online bingo sites.
Dot-Bingo.com—A comprehensive bingo resource, the site features bingo news, reviews, tips, bonus information, a site directory and a chat room.
Watchdog sites: In an effort to help keep the largely unregulated online gaming industry honest, some dutiful webmasters have created watchdog sites. These sites serve as online guardians, trying to reign in potentially corrupt sites looking to take advantage of players. They do this by presenting unbiased information about gaming sites, and often provide forums where players may relate their own experiences—both good and bad—to assist fellow gamers. In addition, some watchdogs may intervene on behalf of their patrons, especially in situations where a site is acting inappropriately or possibly pulling a scam.
CasinoMeister.com: CasinoMeister.com is one of the oldest and most respected watchdog sites. The site’s primary objective is to provide information and news about online gambling, online casinos, player issues, and industry events, as well as to inform players about both reputable and dangerous sites.
TheOPN.com: One of the most recently developed of the major gambling portals, TheOPN.com features detailed, unbiased information about a wide variety of online casinos, sportsbooks, poker rooms and more. The site also features numerous tips and strategy articles, gaming news, tournament listings, and bonus information.
Gaming news sites: Another segment of the gambling portal industry are news sites, portals that take a more journalist approach to the subject of gambling by providing readers with all of the latest industry news. Visitors can read feature articles about what’s happening in the world of poker, learn about the latest games available online, or peruse the press sections to review exciting upcoming gambling events.
OnlineCasinoNews.com: One of the best portals in this category, OnlineCasinoNews.com offers the latest information pertaining to casinos, sportsbetting, poker, bingo, lottery and more. Visitors also have access to a variety of site reviews, can read some professional gambling tips, or review unique site promotions.
Gambling911.com: Gambling911.com offers some of the most in-depth news coverage of the gambling industry. Features include headline news, breaking news, blog headlines, and industry press releases for casino gambling, sportsbetting and poker.
Banner farms: Perhaps the most transparent type of portal—if it can even be called that—is the banner farm. While most sites present at least some useful information to visitors—reviews, tips, news, or what have you—banner farms are nothing more that web billboards, ad pages designed to capture a surfer’s attention in the hope that they will visit one of their affiliate links. When a visitor clicks on one of the links and visits the advertised site, the owners of the banner farm get paid a commission. If you’re willing to pick an online casino at random, banner farms will present you with plenty of options—but our advice is to stay away. Do your homework and only visit reputable sites.
Sites for the traditional gambler
If a traditional brick-and-mortar casino is more your style, the Internet can still be an invaluable tool for setting up your next gambling excursion. Nowadays, most terrestrial casinos have web sites. While these sites vary in their complexity and the amount of information they offer, the good ones will allow you to research your trip, book your room, buy your show tickets, and make other arrangements at the click of a button.
Usually, the surefire way to find a casino’s web site is through a search engine such as google.com. Simply type in the appropriate words for a web search (for example, “casino caesars las vegas”), then scroll through the results and find the resort’s official web site.
To give you some idea of what a quality casino web site looks like and offers, I’ve included some information about several perennial favorites.
Caesars.com. Though Caesars Entertainment was recently acquired by Harrah’s, Caesars.com continues to provide news and information about the properties under its umbrella—including resorts in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Gulf Coast, Tunica, Indiana, and Reno, as well as their international properties. Once visitors have selected their preferred region, they’re taken to a page that details the regional casinos, the number of rooms in each, the types of restaurants, and other amenities. From there, you can visit specific property sites/pages that provide even more in-depth information including room availability and rates, shopping, dining, upcoming events, and special promotional offers.
Trump.com features information about each of the Donald’s casino properties, with convenient links to each resort’s home pages. From there, visitors have access to a wide variety of resources that make planning a visit both simple and fun. They can take a tour of the games (and even try some free ones online), check out the different types of rooms and suites, discover the latest promotions, sign up for comp cards, and research junkets. The site even offers detailed descriptions of each game and its rules, so new gamblers can learn the basics before they step foot in the casino.
Harrahs.com features extensive information about each of their properties across the U.S. Visitors can access the site’s “casino locator” which provides a map and links (by region) where visitors can check out the hottest upcoming events, search for special money saving deals, book rooms, plan their dining and sign-up for special e-mail promotions.
MGMMirage.com makes planning your next big Vegas trip as simple as possible. The site features detailed information about each of their stunning properties (including MGM Grand, Bellagio, The Mirage, New York-New York, and Treasure Island), with links to their individual web sites so you can check out their accommodations, promotions, gaming, entertainment and restaurants. MGMMirage.com also contains a terrific “Create your Vacation” section that allows visitors to book special packages and create “one-of-a-kind” casino vacations.
Foxwoods.com is a web site you’ll want to bookmark before making your next gambling trip to the northeast. This visually appealing site offers extensive information about the world’s biggest casino/resort, filling you in on its gaming, accommodations, special promotions, nightlife, and area attractions. Poker players ready to face off against the pros should check out their special poker section, which gives the lowdown on upcoming tournament events including the 2005 World Poker Finals and the New England Poker Classic.
Although web sites for land-based U.S. casinos don’t offer players the ability to wager real money online, they will make planning and arranging your next trip much easier. As a bonus, many terrestrial casinos offer special promotions to their online visitors—coupons, room deals, and the like. Sometimes visiting these sites pays in more ways than one, so before making your next trip to a casino be sure to give its web site a look.
Be wary when online
Before closing out this discussion about portals and casino web sites, it’s important to mention that a certain level of caution is called for when exploring new ones.
While terrestrial casinos are credible businesses using the web to help market their properties more effectively, gaming portals are typically designed to be a business unto themselves. They make money either by steering you into online casinos (the portal gets a percentage of whatever money you deposit with the online casino), or through straight advertising deals. Either way, their goal is to earn a profit and they do so by driving you to their associates. While that doesn’t negate their value—the good ones have quite a bit to offer gamblers—it does mean that you should be somewhat wary of the “glowing reviews” plastered all their pages, praising the online casinos it hopes to direct you into.
J. Phillip Vogel is an online gambling expert and the Editor of TheOPN.com. His next book, Internet Gambling: How to Win Big Online is now available at Amazon.com.
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