Understanding eCOGRA Audit Reports
Understanding eCOGRA Audit Reports
All online casinos get their games audited for fairness by reputed independent agencies. This is not only a requirement imposed by their licensing authority but also serves to demonstrate to their customers that they are operating a fair business. eCOGRA is one of the most commonly used agencies by online casino operators. Their reports are usually displayed in the public domain by the online casinos. Players who are just starting out at online gambling should take a look at these reports and understand what they imply. There are three sets of certificates that are given by eCOGRA. The first certificate is issued after to the initial audit. This certificate asserts that eCOGRA is satisfied that the games are fair
the casino operates honestly and behaves responsibly and monetary deposits are safe. The second set of certificates pertains to the Random Number Generator in the various online casino games. These certificates are issued separately for blackjack
roulette and video poker. The certificates pertain to a six month period. All the outcomes in all the games during the six month period are analyzed by eCOGRA for randomness based on standard statistical tests. The certificates state that the Random Number Generator guarantees that each card in blackjack and video poker and each number on the roulette wheel have an equal chance of being selected. The most important and useful a report is the Percentage Payout Review. This is conducted on a monthly basis by eCOGRA. The report displays average percentage payouts for various game categories. The report states “The figures reflect the percentage of total player unit winnings to the total unit amount wagered by the players in the month under review.” The data is presented for the following categories: all games
slot games
table games and poker games. The individual categories are the important ones and merit separate discussion. It needs to be first clarified that these figures are the actual average percentage payouts obtained during the month. They need not reflect the theoretical payouts of the games based on the mathematics involved on the configuration of the games. However
in games that do not require players to make decisions apart from the amount wagered the actual payouts and the theoretical payouts will not differ significantly. The average percentage payout for slot games at Platinum Play casino was found to be 95.60% in September 2009. This means that for every $100 wagered on slot games players were paid out $95.60 and the casinos retained $4.40. Given the nature of slot games
where no player decisions are required
players can expect this kind of return from slot games. The poker games referred to are the video poker games. The report indicates an average percentage payout of 99.51%. This needs further elaboration. Video poker games require strategic decisions from the players. Players who are able to make optimum decisions all the time will realize average percentage payouts that are more than the specified number. However players who are not good at video poker games may realize average percentage payouts that are significantly below the reported number. Hence new players should not blindly assume that they will be able to get the return of around 99.5% on video poker games. The table games are the most difficult to decipher. They usually include games like roulette and craps in which no strategic decisions are required. They also include games like blackjack in which players decisions play a major role in determining the average payout ratio. Hence it would be unwise to draw any conclusions about individual games from this report. As players continue to wager at an online casino they should make it a practice to check out the Percentage Payout Review and follow the trend. If nothing else it would give them satisfaction that they are wagering at an online casino that is fair to its customers. Articles from Casino Advi
sor
Oklahoma blackjack info?
How can I find out which Indian casinos in Oklahoma do NOT charge an ante? Most of them charge an ante (a small per-hand fee
typically $1 or less)
but a few have spans of hours or days every week in which they do NOT charge an ante. Can you tell me what times and which casinos these are?
Online Casino Bonuses
Is there any reason why this method of collecting bonuses from online casinos wouldn’t work? It truly seems too good to be true. Assuming you bet the minimum
what are the odds of losing money overall? Is this something that one with little gambling experience and no online gambling experience could do?
Neighbors of Zero Bet in Casino Roulette
Usually the bets in roulette are extremely simple. The chip is placed on a set of numbers and depending on the number of numbers in the set the payout table determines the amount won. However French roulette introduced a number of unusual bets called ‘call bets’ that are more complicated in nature. These bets involve a number of chips being wagered simultaneously at different places on the roulette layout. Some of these chips may cover single numbers
some may cover two numbers and some may cover even more numbers. Sometimes one chip is placed on a set of numbers and sometimes more than one chip is placed on a set of numbers. Therefore it is not immediately apparent as to what the payout will be. In fact the payout varies with the actual number called in the spin. Many new players who place wagers on call bets rarely bother about understanding them because the software does all the calculations. However prudent roulette players should be aware of the details. This article covers one of the most common call bets
the neighbors of zero. The neighbors of zero bet does not follow the layout on the roulette table but follows a continuous sequence of numbers on the roulette wheel of which zero is at the center. The full sequence consisting of 17 numbers is 22
18
29
7
28
12
35
3
26
0
32
15
19
4
21
2 and 25. However the bets have to be placed on the layout. Therefore this sequence is broken into splits (2 numbers)
trios (three numbers) and corners (4 numbers) and nine chips of equal denomination are wagered. Two chips are placed on the 0
2
3 trio; one each on the 4
7 split
the 12
15 split
the 18
21 split
the 19
22 split and the 32
35 split and two chips on the 25
26
28
29 corner. If each chip is $1
then the question that needs to be answered is what will the neighbors of zero bet of $9 payout? Splits payout 17 to 1
trios payout 11 to 1 and corners payout 8 to 1. Hence the payouts for all possibilities can be listed.
If any of the 20 numbers not in the given sequence are called then the payout is zero and the player loses $9. If any of 0
2 or 3 are called the player receives a payout of 11 to 1. Since his wager on the trio was $2
he will receive $22 and be returned his original wager of $2. He will lose the remaining $7 of his original wager. Hence his net win will be $15. If any of 25
26
28 or 29 are called the player receives a payout of 8 to 1. Since his wager on the corner was $2
he will receive $16 and be returned his original wager of $2. He will lose the remaining $7 of his original wager. Hence his net win will be $9. If any of the numbers from the five splits are called the player receives a payout of 17 to 1. Since his wager on each split was $1
he will receive $17 and be returned his original wager of $1 for that split and lose the remaining $8 of his original wager. Hence his net win will be $9. Complicated as the neighbors of zero bet may seem
it has the same house edge as any other bet in this version of roulette. Therefore this bet is neither more favorable nor less favorable than any other bet
it is only different. The above explanations are based on a European wheel that has only a ’0′. Articles from Casino Advisor
Downloading Vegas Tec
hnology Software
Vegas Technology software can be downloaded from the lobby of any Vegas Technology powered online casino. Clicking the download link should start the download process automatically. In some cases the player may be taken to the download page of the casino web site where the entire process is explained. The player can click the download link on this page if the process had not started earlier. Downloading and Installing Vegas Technology Software Video Tutorial: Attention: In order to view our tutorial on how to download and install Vegas Technology software you’ll need to have the Adobe Flash player installed on your computer. Get Flash Player – Click Here var fo = new FlashObject(“template/v1/f/tutorials/vegas-technology-install-tutorial.swf”
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“best”); fo.addParam(“allowfullscreen”
“true”); fo.addParam(“wmode”
“transparent”); fo.addParam(“menu”
“false”); fo.write(“vegas-technology-install-tutorial”); Set of Steps for Downloading and Installing Vegas Technology Software: Step #1 On clicking the download link a pop up box appears that gives the players three options. One is Cancel
which should be exercised if the player had not intended to download the software. The second option is Save. This option saves the installer on the player’s desk top and the installer then has to be clicked to initiate the installation process. The third and recommended option is Run. This directly runs the installation process from the web. Step #2 By clicking the Run button the process is initiated. The pop up box displays the progress indicating how much has been completed and also the estimated time remaining for the process. Step #3 Once Step #2 is complete a security warning is displayed on the screen. The warning gives the name of the file and the name of the Publisher. The player is asked if he is sure that he wants to run the software. In case the player has any reservations he can abort the process by clicking on the Don’t Run button. Vegas Technology is a reputed online gaming software provider and the player should have no hesitation in continuing with the process. Hence he should click the Run button. Step #4 This creates the Install Shield Wizard. The player is again given the option of canceling the download process. However he can proceed to the next step by clicking the Next button and in the next stage he should click the Install button. Once the installation is complete the software informs the player accordingly and prompts him to click on the Finish button in order to exit the Install Shield Wizard. Step #5 Clicking the Finish button in Step #4 should directly load the online casino. In case this fails to happen then players can click on the casino icon that was installed on the desktop in Step #4 in order to load the casino software. The loading of the casino can take a few minutes depending on the speed of the player’s Internet connection. Step #6 Once the casino has been loaded the player is asked to select whether he wants to play for fun or play for real money. The registration and account opening process depends on the choice made by the player. In both cases the player has to confirm acceptance of the casino terms and conditions. The player also has to confirm that he is over 21 years of age. Vegas Technology recommends the following minimum system requirements. The operating system should be Windows of at least version 98. The processor should be Pentium with at least 128 MB RAM. The screen resolution should be at least 800 x 600 pixels with minimum 256 colors. Articles from Casino Advisor