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Real Gambling in an
Unreal World
By
Harley Jensen
You enter the dazzling casino lobby, take a quick
peek in the guest book to see if your friends have arrived, and then decide
your game for today. The blackjack tables look inviting, so seconds later you're
seated at a table with Elvis, Jimmy, and Roxy. You chip in a $10 bet, and hit
a blackjack the first round. "Congrats!" offers Roxy as you chip in
another $10 bet in the next round. Does it sounds like you're a guest of the
Mirage on the Las Vegas Strip? Think again! Casino gambling has come to the
Internet, and it’s getting more like the real thing by the minute. This particular
casino is the new multi-player version of Gold Club Casino (http://www.goldclubcasino.com).
With the free software available for download on the Internet, players can enter
a high-class casino lobby right on their computer screens, and proceed to gamble
and socialize with friends.
When online casinos began to appear on the Internet
about five years ago, they were based on slow, single-player modules with shabby
graphics and unsightly web sites that sent even an amateur web designer into
violent convulsions. Gold Club Casino went live in 1997, and has since established
itself as one of the major players in the online gaming industry, with a reputation
for fast-playing software, stunning graphics, and secure electronic transactions.
Today, as the new millennium approaches, Gold Club Casino releases its latest
gaming creation with spectacular new features that make gaming on the Internet
even more appealing.
Although it's true that gambling in an online
casino has become similar to the "real thing," there are still some
major differences. The players at your online table may not be as they seem.
The big-breasted "Roxy" may, in reality, be Billy Bob Jackson, peanut
farmer from Alabama, or Suzuki Yamaha, Japanese car designer. You can insult
the Internet dealer as much as you like if you don’t like the cards you're dealt;
and when you get good cards, you don’t need to bother with tips. Last but not
least, you can wager more on the tables and less on travel tickets and accommodations.
On the downside, online casinos can't pass out free drinks, and you’ll have
a heck of a time finding a show with illusionists Siegfried & Roy.
Are Internet enterprises like Gold Club Casino
a threat to big, land-based giants like the Mirage or Bellagio in Las Vegas?
Yes and no. International Gaming and Wagering Business magazine estimates that
Internet gaming turnover will grow from 5 to 24.4 billion U.S. dollars by next
year. Last year, the land-based gaming industry in the U.S. had a turnover of
more than—hold on to your hats—$600 billion! The online gambling industry is
still in the minor leagues, but the Internet is still in its infancy.
As Internet access and appeal has grown, popular
forms of communication and entertainment have changed. Grandmothers send electronic
Christmas cards. Surfers shop for groceries, computers, and even cars on the
Web. People meet in virtual chat rooms and end up married with real kids, a
real house, and a real mortgage. It's not entirely unrealistic that your future
soul mate will be the person to send you a chat message, congratulating you
on your first blackjack at Gold Club Casino!
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