Online Casinos

c o n t i n u e d  b e l o w

Play Blackjack Online Here

As with any business, there are some venues that play by the rules and some that try to bend them (and break you in the process!). Armed with the information outlined on these pages, you should be able to bypass the suspect sites and just hit the casinos that are on the up and up.

As the legality of gambling is still a subject of hot discussion in the United States, online casinos are currently all based offshore in locales like Antigua and Barbuda. These nations welcome the casinos for the boost they provide the local economy; casinos must pay ongoing taxes and a pretty hefty licensing fee (up to $100,000). Additionally, the casinos must comply with regulatory procedures as determined by that particular governmental body. For example, many casinos are required to submit their gaming software to the government for approval; use an intermediary bank located within the country of residence; post bonds of cash or insurance; and be guaranteed by one of the "Big 5" international accounting firms (Arthur Anderson, Price Waterhouse, KPMG Peat Marwick, Deloitte and Touche, Price Waterhouse Coopers).

Legitimate online casinos make use of an approved random number generator to determine wins and losses in their offered games (craps, poker, blackjack, etc.). It doesn't behoove online casinos to use systems that are not random as they could:

1) get a bad reputation and lose business; and

2) get beaten at their own game by players who figure out how to turn the system to their advantage.

Additionally, online casinos have no overhead and are therefore able to offer players better odds and comps than their land-based counterparts. Read on to find out how to get started playing blackjack or your favorite casino game at a legitimate Internet gambling site.