Yesterday we explained how legal sports betting continues to gain popularity, but even with these trends, there are tons of illegal gambling websites out there. The problem with these sites is that you really have no idea which ones are legitimate, and you have little recourse when things go wrong.

This article by Richard N. Velotta in the Las Vegas Review-Journal shines a light on the problem. Velotta explains how the American Gaming Association has made it a priority to encourage the public to bet responsibly with licensed operators and avoid illegal offshore websites. Despite this, illegal gambling websites continue to operate and can be difficult to track down and shut down. He describes the case of a Canadian gambler who has been unable to collect his winnings on a $225,000 jackpot he won playing blackjack on BetOnLine.ag, an internet domain in Antigua. Read the story and you’ll see the details.

Why do betters still use illegal gambling websites?

There are plenty of reasons why these sites are still in business.

Firstly, you have to consider that betting hasn’t been legalized everywhere, so many betters are still shut out of the legal betting market depending on their state of residence or jurisdiction.

Secondly, illegal gambling websites often offer better odds and higher payouts than their legal counterparts. This can be attractive to bettors looking to maximize their winnings, even if it means breaking the law. This also applies to local bookies.

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We’ve all been there. You’re playing blackjack and some idiot at the table keep making idiotic decisions. And sometimes those decisions negatively affect your hand. If you’re betting big dollars, that can really hurt.

More often than not, someone at the table will get really pissed off at the novice player, and that often leads to silly shouting matches.

Avoid being the angry player at all costs.

This scene from the television show “Entourage” offers a good example of why you shouldn’t get angry.

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If you love poker, you probably enjoy the characters you meet along the way as well. Also, all the different setting from back room games with friends to upscale private settings. It’s part of the fun. Unless you’re one of those players who can’t control him or herself. High stakes poker, like any form of high takes gambling, can crush souls and ruin lives. The key is to enjoy the thrill of this intoxicating game without letting it destroy you.

In “Molly’s Game” we get a glimpse into the world of private, high-stakes poker games in Los Angeles and New York. It’s a world filled with celebrities, athletes, beautiful women and plenty of booze and drugs. It’s a target-rich environment if you’re a smart and disciplined player. But for many others it’s a seductive trap that can often lead to a spectacular crash.

Warning: spoilers will follow.

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If you love the Super Bowl and you crave the ultimate high roller experience, a Super Bowl in Los Angeles is pretty damn enticing. LA is the ultimate destination spot for high end parties in a town filled with celebrities, and now they have a stadium venue that lives up to the glitzy LA lifestyle people want to experience when they visit this amazing city.

Check out this video for a cool overview of everything SoFi Stadium has to offer in terms of luxury for VIP visitors. Yes, you’re going to break the bank to party there, but what’s the use of being a high roller if you’re not going to spend it at events like the Super Bowl. SoFi Stadium is a $5 billion project that has set new standards for luxury in sports stadiums:

Kroenke built 260 luxury suites and more than 13,000 premium seats — and that official count seems low when you’re wandering through its seemingly endless succession of posh, shiny areas.

In keeping with the Southern California theme, a three-story “Beach House” club area is connected by an Instagram-bait staircase. Several large, connected suites called “Bungalows” sit just beyond the end zones, enticing rich fans with the chance to be a few feet from a receiver catching a touchdown pass.

And then there’s the Executive Club, a 75,000-square-foot corridor circumnavigating the field underneath the stands. It has everything from marble-paneled elevator banks and gorgeous lounge areas to four separate bars focused on a single beverage: champagne, tequila, whiskey and wine.

If you consider that you’re not getting into this place for the Super Bowl for anything less than around $5,000 for a ticket, you can imagine how much you’ll be dropping for the VIP experience. If you want a VIP Suite at SoFi for the Super Bowl, you’ll be dropping a whopping $1.2 million for the experience!

Of course, having the Los Angeles Rans playing in this game, in their home stadium, raises the stakes even higher. The celebrity community always loves a party, but having the star-studded home team in the Super Bowl adds even more excitement to the weekend. You could hardly come up with a bigger contrast between the Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals. There were stories of how few Bengals fans were making the trip to LA for the game, but that shouldn’t be surprising given what we’ve covered here. Not many people can afford this crazy experience, and watching the game on a big screen TV with all your friends is still and damn good experience.

Still, Joe Burrow has some of the Hollywood flair that would fit this event. He comes from small-town Ohio but his Joe Cool image fits this Super Bowl like a glove. He’ll be lighting up a nice cigar if he wins the game. But the Rams are loaded with high-profile players, and the after parties will probably be even better than the pre-game parties if the Rams can pull this off.

The key of course is finding you’re way to the right party. What are you looking for? Celebrities? NFL legends like Joe Montana? We would lean towards all the LA hotties, model and actress wannabe’s and sugar babies that flock to La La Land. But that’s just us . . .

It’s hard to imagine any city topping LA for a VIP Super Bowl experience, until of course the Super Bowl arrives in Las Vegas!

Part of the fun of being a high roller is just the ability to let go and enjoy the ride. You can bring a big stack to the casino and life isn’t going to change at all if you blow it. The same goes for the ordinary gambler who wins a big parlay early in a casino trip and then lives like a high roller for a while with those winnings.

The key of course, as with most things in life, is knowing when to stop. This may be tricky, as we can all get a little wild when we’re in the zone. But there’s a difference between wild excess and sheer stupidity.

Which brings us to the latest example of high rollers taking things way too far. This story takes us to the historic city of London where one can find plenty of ways to enjoy your vices. A 62-year old gentlemen went on a 72-hour gambling bender which resulted in separating himself from £3.9 million of his net worth. That’s around 10% of his claimed net worth, so naturally this one stung a bit. Can you imagine losing that much money playing baccarat? It’s absurd.

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