It is, in a way, sad that most people who play this game are completely unaware of the history of the horse. Domino was no ordinary everyday horse used for pleasure riding; he was an American thoroughbred from the nineteenth century who was renowned in his time and later for his extraordinary speed. This speed had been inherited from his great-grandfather, Eclipse, another horse famed for his powerful legs. Since every great hero needs a hamartia, Domino had one too – he did not have much stamina. Over short distances, he was the terror of the racetrack, but if he was forced to gallop for miles on end he would tire out and give up pretty soon (quite a big disadvantage in the nineteenth century because most race tracks were at least two or more miles long). But this speedy steed has lived on past his day and become engrained in every horse race’s heart as the benchmark of speed.

While the bloodline of Domino carries on in the racetrack, one might think that his time has come to an end and he will eventually be forgotten and, if it were not for the internet that would be true! The old chestnut beast is still roaming the world in the form of an online game. Domino is one of the most popular names for various online horse racing games which have become more and more popular these days. Every few horse racing games online has a horse named Domino, and more often than not, they have no idea where this name came from. But, now having known this, such games should become that much more interesting. Most races will give you that one arch rival to give you a run for your money, just like Domino had Dobbin (his own personal arch rival). Since Domino already has a huge reputation in the real world, it is reasonable to thing that he can have the same in the virtual world, provided his jockey is experienced enough.

One thing many people seem to believe is that a horse race can only ever be about gambling and so come to these games with the intention of setting up some stakes. But this is not the reason why the virtual world has resurrected Domino. It’s not for the money, it is for the fun of guiding one of the greatest thoroughbreds of all time through a long course and actually making it out alive! There are plenty of elements to enjoy in such games as opposed to a car racing game. Give it a shot, you might actually like it.

I have never met anybody who set out to lose when they placed a wager on a ball game. However, it sure seems like the vast majority of people who gamble on sports do it almost totally blind. If you fall into that category and are sick of funding your bookies kid’s college fund then you need to make a change. You can either keep your money in your pocket or you can consider the possibility of following a professional handicapper.

I’m sure that you’re a little uneasy and I don’t blame you one bit. Their are plenty of scam artist on the net that couldn’t pick a coin toss with a two headed nickel in their pocket. What should you look for when following a pro?

OVERALL RECORD

This can be a tricky area when researching the different sites on the internet. If a handicapper brags about winning 70% of his plays and you discover that he is referring to going 7-3 in his last ten then this is worthless. A chimp throwing darts at a board could get that lucky!

If he is so good why not brag about his last 15 or 20 picks? Probably because he missed more than half of them. If your going to follow a pro you need long term results. You should always use common sense when looking at a pro’s won-loss record. If it looks to good to be true then it probably is.

HOW ABOUT A BETTING SYSTEM?

Many professionals have systems that people follow and wager on. Following a professionals system of wagering has become very popular and their are many different kinds that you can use. It’s important to remember that a high winning percentage when using a system is not the same as straight up wagering.

When a pro states that he has a 90+% win loss ratio that really means on a series of plays in his system. It’s a little bit misleading because it looks like they are implying that they hit 95% of their picks. Not to say they can’t make you money it just might take a while to build your bankroll.

WHAT ABOUT THEIR WEBSITE?

Everybody has a website these days and professional gamblers that want to sell their services are no different. Thoroughly examine their site and check out the customer testimonials. If they are any good and are really offering a reliable service then they should have positive testimonials from reputable sources. They should also offer a money back guarantee.

For these reasons, debt problems from internet gambling are on the increase. In this article I hope to clarify some of the legal issues around online gambling, as well as providing some advice on dealing with the underlying problem and the debts that result from it.

Legal Issues Around Gambling Debts

When we talk about debt from online gambling it is important to be clear about the nature of the debt, because who the money is owed to does make a difference. People are often unsure about the legality of debts from online gambling. In the UK you can gamble legally on credit and incur a debt, but this debt is not then enforceable through the law.

However, there is an important point to make here, which is that this only applies when you are using credit extended by the company offering the gambling (casino, bookie, etc). If you use a credit card company to pay for internet gambling, that is a legally enforceable debt the same as it would be in any other circumstance, because you have borrowed money from the credit card company, not the casino. It is now against the law in the US to use a credit card to pay for online gambling.

You will find that many credit cards will regard a payment to an internet gambling website as a cash advance. This is then clearly borrowing money from the card company and the debt you incur can be pursued through legal action. If you do use a credit card to pay for online gambling this way, you should be aware that cash advances on credit cards are almost always charged at a much higher rate of interest than normal credit for purchases.

How To Deal With Debts Caused By Gambling

In dealing with gambling debts, there are two separate issues to tackle. One is the debt itself, and the other is the habit of gambling that led to the debt. Even if the debt is dealt with, it is likely to build up again if the root cause is not tackled too. Let us first consider the problem of paying off the debt.

The principles for tackling debt are nearly always the same, irrespective of the causes of the debt. To permanently deal with debt you should not be considering borrowing more money or paying anyone to deal with your debt for you. These courses of action are likely to deepen your debt in the long run.

With a little advice, you can deal with your debts yourself, by contacting your creditors and agreeing terms for repayment that you can afford. There is clearly more to it than that, but it is beyond the scope of this particular article. The process is straightforward and allows you to take back control of your finances.

Factors Leading To Internet Gambling Debts

It may help to have an understanding of why some people can become addicted to online gambling. The following are often contributory factors:

Gambling can be thrilling, leading to an adrenalin rush and feelings that we want to recreate time and again.

Many addictive gamblers think that they can win money and that this will solve all their other problems. It actually just leads to more problems by creating debt, which can then make it seem even more important to win the money, creating a vicious circle.

Addiction to gambling can actually be a mental disorder, which can lead to a compulsive need to gamble.

Being addicted to online gambling is often associated with other personal difficulties, including depression and stress.

Online Gambling Debts – The Warning Signs You may have a problem if you can answer yes to any of the following questions:

When you are not gambling, do you think about gambling and how you are going to get back to it?

Have you ever missed work because of online gambling?

Do you feel the need to gamble again after winning or losing?

Is the length of time you spend on gambling getting longer and have you ever spent longer online than you thought you had?

Are you secretive about your gambling with family or friends and do you dislike other people bringing it up?

Practical Steps To Tackle Online Gambling Addiction If you think you may have a problem with online gambling, here are a few simple steps you can take to begin to reduce or stop the habit:

Be open with friends and family and seek help with the problem.

Cancel any accounts you have with websites for online gambling.

Consider using software that blocks your access to online gambling websites.

Keep a proper, ongoing record of everything you spend – take steps to bring home the fact that the money you are using is real.

According to Princeton University’s ‘Wordnet’, a casino is ‘a public building for gambling and entertainment’. Don’t be overawed if you do go, relax and enjoy. You will most likely have the chance to play slot machines or one-armed bandits as they are commonly known and perhaps other games of chance and some skill. One major thing that you do need to be aware of, is the way that a casino will look to tilt the odds in its favour, which is more commonly known as the casino’s “edge”. However, some games such as poker are played with players versus players and in this case, the casino cannot get an advantage as it is not effectively playing. In these circumstances, the casino will take a “rake” on the bets that players make against each other.

If you have ever been to Las Vegas and gone to one of the casinos there, the first thing that you will notice is the fact that they more often or not have the slot machines (otherwise known as ‘one-armed-bandits’ or ‘fruit machines’) right as you go in. This is because they really don’t require too much understanding to play and it’s not uncommon to see people playing these machines for hours on end. The slot machine will typically involve a lever on the side (the one arm!) and three reels with patterns of symbols on, located in the centre of the machine. The reels revolve as you pull the lever and the idea is to generate rows of matching symbols to win, having paid your required stake via the slot usually on the front of the machine.

There may be times when you will play on a machine which will have extra options available for you to use, often giving the illusion that you will have more control over the reels and a better chance of winning. This may be the case over the short-term, but always remember that playing in casinos is fun, but the house always has the long-term advantage. To give you a quick example…if you were to play a game where you had to bet on what number would lie face up after the roll of a die, then you would expect to see the casino pay six times the amount bet for a win, but in fact the casino would pay five times to maintain its advantage.

This system is often found in famous casino gambling games like Poker, Craps, Roulette or Blackjack.

Blackjack has always been played in casinos because players will play their chips against the House dealer with the successful gambler being paid against pre-determined odds (ie by getting a true ‘Blackjack’ which in other words is a two card combination adding up to 21, the House will pay you 3:2, or 1-1/2 times your initial wager). If you play fair, the chances are that you may end up with a profit, but more often than not, the casino will win, unless you count the cards. Card counting is a black art as far as casinos are concerned and if you are caught, you will be blacklisted worldwide! Effectively, because the playing cards are only used once and then discarded, anyone with a good memory and a highly analytical mind can determine their own odds that a certain card will or will not appear again, tilting the odds in his favour.

Poker is one of the most played games in the world. Its popularity has grown massively over the past couple of years and many casinos would not offer a poker game due to the fact that they were limited to taking a rake (as discussed previously). You may be aware that poker is essentially a playing card game were players are dealt poker cards face down, and then take it in turns to place bets (represented by poker chips with a specific value) based on the strength of the cards that they hold, combined with other community cards placed face up in the middle of the poker table. The player with the strongest combination should win what’s known as the pot (the combined bets of all the players for that hand), however one of the reasons that poker is so popular is the element of ‘bluffing’ where a player may actually have a poor hand, but believes that he can make his opponents believe that he has the strongest combination by means of subtle psychology! This can be as subtle as staring one’s opponent into ‘folding’ his cards, or by moving his entire stack of poker chips into the middle of the table – what’s known as ‘going all in’.

Roulette is a classic casino game, whereby a croupier gently spins a perfectly balanced, wooden roulette wheel with either 37 or 38 recessed ‘pockets’ along the bottom edge of the roulette wheel. As the wheel begins to spin, the croupier will roll a small white ball the opposite way with the intention being for the ball to bounce of raised points on the wall and to finally come to rest in one of the numbered pockets. In European casinos, the wheel’s layout features pockets numbered 1 – 36 and alternate between red and black with the number one, coloured red and zero being coloured green. However in American casinos, you are more likely to see a second double-zero 00 pocket also coloured green.

Again the House pays out against set odds displayed on the cloth covering the roulette table. Typically this will offer 35:1 for single number bets where you bet on one number to win, 2:1 for any column of numbers, and evens for any red, any black, odds or evens.

Craps can be the most fun to play and certainly watch. It’s also the fastest game in the casino with often more than 60 bets per hour. Players will wager bets against the casino on the result of a roll of a die, or the series of rolls of two dice. The great thing about craps is that you don’t have to be rolling the dice to bet, you can bet on how lucky you (hope) the guy rolling is going to be, which is why it can be so entertaining. Essentially, the guy with the dice is called the ‘shooter’ and the basic bet in craps is called the ‘Pass Line’ bet, and by rolling a 7 or 11, the shooter will roll a pass line winner, and can play again. If he rolls 2, 3 or 12, these are known as craps and this is a pass line loss. Any other number becomes the shooter’s point and he continues. It really is a fascinating game with many more rules and options.

The victor is determined when there are no other players willing increase their stakes or when the banker requests the players to open their cards to find out which player holds the largest value in their hand. Poker can be really addictive so it is advisable that you set a budget or a limit on your bets before you start playing.

However, in order to make a profit out of gambling poker, you must know how the game and the betting work. You’ll be at a huge disadvantage if you are unfamiliar with the rules and strategies to win at poker. The 3 main betting systems are:

1. Progressive Betting System – This is the most commonly used among players whereby it doesn’t require a lot of money to get started. Generally, when a player wins with the use of this system, they will end up increasing their bets each game.

2. Negative Progressive System – This is not recommended for a newbie, as it is the opposite of the progressive system which means that each time you lose, you have to increase your bets against the house. However, the payout for this is extremely high.

3. Insurance Betting System – Your initial payout will be high, and subsequent bet quantities are reduced as you win.

Whichever method you opt for, make sure you do not end up gambling more than you can afford to lose.