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The idea of it throws the whole concept of gambling on its ear; funny thing is, it looks dashing that way. Playing online casino games only to give your winnings away to charity is not without precedent.

Long before online casino game rooms adopted the practice, Barry Greenstein was making a name for himself doing just that: raking in the pots in mostly Texas Hold’em poker games and distributing the money to places like Children Incorporated, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, ILoveSchools.com, March of Dimes, 999 for Kids, and The Golden Angels for Olive Crest. Well, now you too can be an online casino game philanthropist, with the help of many of your (and our) favorite online casino game rooms.

Maybe the most publicized online casino game hall that gives to charities is Golden Palace Online Casino, but their style of charitable giving is to bid extraordinary amounts on auctions for rare oddities of questionable value with the proceeds all going to charity. But this doesn’t empower you, as a player, to be the source or the object of the giving. That your online casino game room donates to charity is nice, yes. But how would you like to be the one, with your online casino game room’s help, that makes the difference?

Hollywood Poker is after that prestige, however, aiming to become the number one online poker room associated with charitable giving. In reaction to the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina, Hollywood Poker, in December of 2005, hosted an online poker tournament whereby they matched donor-player’s entry fees dollar for dollar, with all proceeds (the full $47,950) given to the American Red Cross and the International Hospital for Children.

Hollywood Poker also hosted a land-based tournament benefiting MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) in which 170 players participated in raising $69,000. This amounted to 10% of the buy-ins and re-buys.

Ultimate Bet hosts many online casino games for charity; even online poker too. Though 100% of the proceeds go to charity, the winner of each tournament does get something worthwhile besides that special feeling inside that comes from doing good for someone else: most recently, that took the shape of an Apple iPod Nano. In that particular Pro Bounty Charity Tournament, the player who knocked out poker celebrity Annie Duke also got an Apple iPod Nano. You can count on Ultimate Bet to keep coming up with innovative ways to reward you for your goodwill.

Bodog is another online casino game hall that’s been hosting charitable tournaments for years, with donations to (among others): the Fisher House Foundation, The L.A. Laker’s Youth Foundation, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Sean McCauley Hope Foundation for Pediatric Cancer, the Humane Society, and the Animal Avengers Organization. As of this writing, Bodog’s latest charitable event will be a grand-scale Casino Royale at a land-based location to raise money for Art of Elysium, a charity that brings creativity and art into the lives of ill and underprivileged children.

Royal Vegas Online Casino and Poker Room makes it possible for players to set up and host their own charitable online casino games for the charity or charities of your choice. They’ll help you promote the tournament and even match a percentage of the funds you raise (based also on the number of players that participate), so your overall donation will be even larger. Royal Vegas, incidentally, also hosts the College Poker Championship, where the players are college students and the prizes are cash scholarships to college.

There are many online casinos and poker rooms that host online casino games for charity. Find out if yours does, and make your online casino game experience that much more rewarding.

Since its inception several years ago, the online gaming industry has gone from strength to strength and attracts thousands of players all over the world every day. Although some are professional and/or regular players, many are visiting casino sites for the first time and are unsure of what to look out for. With so many casinos and even more casino bonuses like the Villento Casino Bonus to choose from it is important to do a bit of research first. There are some wonderful operators out there who operate a fair and honest business, but as with any industry, there are others who are less than reputable. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you are new to online casinos and games.

What Software does the casino use?

Once you begin visiting a number of online casinos, you will start to see the names of particular software providers appearing over and over. There are currently five main players in the online casino software market - Microgaming, RealTime Gaming, Wagerlogic (also known as Cryptologic) and Playtech. Any casino that uses these brands of software to power their games is usually of a certain standard. The software companies themselves also do not want to be associated with unreliable and shonky casinos, so often go to great lengths to ensure the legitimacy of a casino before branding them with their software. If the software the casino is using is unfamiliar, do some more research and ask questions before registering your details.

What Kind of Support does the Casino Offer?

Any casino worth their weight will provide excellent 24/7 support to their customers. This might be in the form of either phone or email support and there may even be a link to Frequently Asked Questions on their site. It is very important that you feel confident with the level of support you are going to receive as there will be nothing more frustrating than waiting for a cheque to arrive in the mail or your bank account and not having a direct way of following up your inquiry.

What are the Terms and Conditions of the Casino?

Every casino that you visit is bound by law to publish their Terms and Conditions clearly on their site. It is worth taking the time to read these before you start playing as you will by bound by them if a dispute between yourself and the casino is raised. Privacy is probably the most important clause players are interested in and its always good to know if the casino intends to keep your details secure, or whether they might be made available to a third party (e.g.: their sponsors or advertisers).

What about security?

The Internet is a particularly hazardous place when it comes to the misuse and abuse of people’s personal and financial information. Reputable casinos will make very clear what security measures they have in place and what security software they use. This information will usually be listed in the Terms and Conditions or Terms of Use section. Bear in mind that casinos are not foolproof but they do want to secure your long-term business and will go to great lengths to get the best and latest in security software.

How do I deposit money and get paid should I win?

In the last few years many banks and credit card providers have made the decision not to process financial transactions made via online casinos. There are however a number of other effective methods, many of which are extremely reliable and secure. These mainly consist of third party ‘brokers’ who keep your financial details secure and handle all your transactions both in and out of the account. A few of the more popular providers include Netteller, Firepay and Paypal. All you need to do is register your personal and financial details along with a user name and password in order to access you account.

Some casinos will also pay any winnings direct to your bank savings account or via a cheque in the mail.

It is also a good idea to be clear on the turnaround times for payouts. Some casinos are very reliable and pay quickly, but there are some horror stories of players waiting months for payments, which is obviously very frustrating.

I’ve heard about online forums. What are they and how can they help?

One of the great things about the Internet is that it is very easy to connect with like-minded people and swap both ideas and information. You’ll find if you look around, there are some fantastic player organizations and online forums where regular online casino players meet. Many of these sites will monitor which casinos are operating fairly, while they may also contain a blacklist of which ones to avoid. You will also find lots of useful tips and strategies discussed which may be use. Keep in mind that most players have a favorite game they like to play, which means that the player organizations are usually devoted to a particular type of online game - for example, slots, blackjack or poker. Look for the one with the types of games you want to play.

There’s so many games? How do I choose which one?

The question of which games to play really is a very personal one but the great thing about online casinos is the choice between literally hundreds of games. Casino and games reviews are often a good place to start and can take the hard work out of choosing the right casino for you.

Many casinos will also let you ‘play for free’ for a short time, so if you can try out new games and get a feel for the ones you are unsure about. Offers to ‘play for free’ are definitely worth taking up and are widely available.

Probably the most important thing to remember with online gaming is that it is a form of entertainment and there to be enjoyed. Take your time to look around and work out what best suits you. Like millions of other players you’re sure to soon find out just how much fun online gaming can be!

Online bingo bonuses are a great part of playing online bingo. If used right players can sometimes even triple their money! But what exactly are bingo bonuses and how can players use them?

There are many different forms of online bingo bonuses. Basically, bingo bonuses are free money or credits players receive from the website. Players can receive these bonuses in cash or in bonus money.

A popular type of online bingo bonuses is the sign-up bonus. A sign-up bonus is when a player receives something in return for signing up at a specific website. Some sites offer free sign-up money. Others offer bonus money or credits to new players. Some sites even offer free bingo cards or play time instead of money.

Other common online bingo bonuses are deposit bonuses. Many websites offer bonuses on players’ deposits. These bonuses vary and can be anything from 50% to 200%. Deposit bonuses are not only to encourage players to deposit, but to give them something extra for their loyalty. By choosing the correct bingo website to play and deposit at, players can up to triple their money. If players deposit, for example, $100, at a site with a 200% deposit bonus, they will receive $200 extra! Some sites pay deposit bonuses in real money, others in bonus money.

A fun way of earning bingo bonuses is participating in online chat games. Many websites offer chat games where players can earn bonus money to play with. These games are usually lots of fun and anyone can play. Online chat games are probably the most liked form of online bingo bonuses.

When signing up at a bingo website, players should read the terms and conditions of that site to know the website’s policy regarding online bingo bonuses. At most websites players can use their bonuses to buy cards and to play the various side games. Players can even win real money with their bonuses! But most websites do not allow players to cash out or withdraw their bonus money, but players can withdraw their winnings they made from bonus money.

Online bingo bonuses can be used for everything players would use real money in the game. Players can buy cards and play side games with their online bingo bonuses. Finding a website that offers bonuses is really easy. All players have to do is keep their eyes open for special bonus offerings!