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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The game is changing in Las Vegas. There are still plenty of incredible ways to enjoy the place if you’re a high rollers, but now the low rollers are arriving in droves. They love to party and hit the clubs, but they’re really not into gambling that much. Time has a story focusing on the new trend.

Vegas is packed again, but the casinos aren’t making the gaming revenues they saw in past years. We’ve discussed this many times, as the trends have been obvious.

One issue is that the casinos don’t cater to serious gamblers like before. The new corporate entities are so obsessed with maximizing every inch of the casino that they are flooding them with slots. Blackjack doesn’t get the attention we saw in the past, but this is one of the games that attracts people who like to gamble. The casinos have played with the rules way too much.

It’s harder for a group of guys who want to gamble as a group to find a table in the best casinos that will satisfy everyone in the group. Limits are too high, so while a casino might not want guys who play the $10 tables, their friends might be the ones who bet $100 per hand.

I think casinos need to think about catering to guys who love to gamble, and that will help create environments that attract more high rollers.

Things have been changing for years in Las Vegas.With so many options on there for the gambling fan, Las Vegas is no longer the only viable option out there. This is true whether you’re a high roller or a casual one-armed bandit. For example, you can go to these sites if you’re a high roller, so now there are more options to meet your needs. Sure, high rollers love junkets to Las Vegas and all of the fringe benefits that go along with it. But many guys just love the rush of gambling and the thrill of winning, and now people can get that whether they go to Vegas or not.

Las Vegas is now selling the overall experience and entertainment just as much as they’re selling gambling. You can see that with new spots like the Cosmopolitan which is the latest hot spot where the beautiful people like to congregate. It can be fun as hell, but that also affects the gambling crowd. It seems like the casual gambler is much less educated these days, so the casino plays around with the table games offered. They haven’t messed with craps much, but games like blackjack are manipulated with the decks and the odds. Ignorant gamblers don’t know any better, so they’ll sit down at a one-deck game thinking they have an advantage, but not realizing that the altered blackjack payouts are screwing them.

This is less prevalent in the high roller areas, as those gamblers are usually much more educated. But the casinos have been messing with the formula on the casino floor for so long that they’re chasing away the guys who aren’t quite high rollers but will come to Vegas with a $1,000 bankroll. If you mess with them too much, you lose them to other outlets, like online options or the casinos around the country. It will be interesting to see how the gambling experience continues to evolve.

Here’s a photo of the new VIP lounge at the new Horseshoe Casino in Cleveland. Bullz-Eye.com has a review of the new Cleveland casino that is located in the heart of downtown. There are plenty of perks for high rollers, so if you’re in Cleveland make sure to check it out!