Craps is considered one of the most glamorous of the casino games, with visions of James Bond and pretty perky ladies kissing the dice for luck. You may be new to the game, but here’s a craps etiquette guide that I doubt anyone would have revealed to you before… whatever you do, never ever do these at the craps table.
1. Take the name of the craps table literally.
2. Shout “what the puck?” if you lose. It’s not original – it’s been done before.
3. Snigger at the Come Bet.
4. Snigger at the Don’t Come Bet (that’s even more childish …).
5. Offer the dealer a tip like “never eat yellow snow”.
6. Take a “Don’t Pass” or “Don’t Come” bet off the table – any muppet knows there’s more chance of rolling a 7 than any other number.
7. Force someone to kiss the dice, especially if you’ve not washed your hands after going to the toilet.
8. Bet a Pass Line and a Don’t Pass bet – that just shows you’re stupid.
9. Go off with the girl who looks like she’s from the bond movies. She probably a prostitute and not as cheap as she looks.
10.Copy this joke just to win your wager.
(1995) Starring Nicholas Cage and Elisabeth Shue
Directed by Mike Figgis
Plot: Alcoholic screenwriter Ben Anderson moves to Las Vegas to die. His wife and son have abandoned him due to his drinking, and he is fired from his job. As he spirals deeper in the world of vice, he meets prostitute Sera and they move in together. As their relationship grows, Sera tries to alter their future by getting Ben on the straight and narrow against the backdrop of the worlds biggest gambling city.
Review: Set in the seedier side of Vegas, this is a gritty and realistic film which is not for the faint hearted. There’s very little casino action, and Vegas is merely the backdrop; the bright lights and slot machines are always apparent. When it first came out it was seen as rather harrowing, but it was an Oscar winner, and it also received 25 other film awards and 17 nominations. Definitely one to watch, but with the main character’s demise its more likely to get you thirsting for the casino tables than a beer.
It’s been almost 14 years since the first gambling degrees hit higher education in the UK, but have things moved on in line with gaming industry?
The University of Salford (UK) Centre for Gambling Studies which opened its doors in 1994 offers a three year full time BA (Hons) Gambling and Leisure Management at the Salford Business School (University of Salford) which offers students travel incentives and the opportunity to learn a language. Modules also features in Psychology and Criminology, Bsc (Hons) and Business Economics, BSc (Hons), including food and beverage management, accounting, ethics, gambling operations and business studies.
The University of Hull offers a full time Electronic Gaming Systems degree and some colleges have included Advanced Diplomas in Casino Operations in their curriculum, but other than a few poker classes hitting Harvard, there seems to be little acknowledgement or interest towards gaming in education systems outside of the UK. This is particularly interesting due to the increase of gaming provision with online casino and poker companies.
Any gambling degree has links with industry professionals, and can almost guarantee a heads up in a gaming career. But does the gaming industry need people who have limited experience fresh from college? There are training establishments such as the iGaming Academy and Playtech Academy which provided specialist training in house. Is it necessary for individuals to be trained for the gambling industry or are the external training academies enough?
Does the lack of growth and interest outside of the UK mean that gambling courses are a waste of time? Or is it actually worthwhile study and the gaming world is simply being left behind?
So we all know about the UIGEA and there’s going to be mixed views on it. Although gambling has been around forever (gambling artefacts have been found which date back to around 2300 B.C in China), it still remains a bit of a taboo subject in many cultures and countries, including the USA.
Despite this, the US reportedly makes a turnover in excess of $60 billion a year, and so it’s no wonder that they would want to restrict where American citizens can play. The online gambling market opens up the globe with its huge number of online casino and poker operators, and revenues of this size don’t want to be lost. The UIGEA has continued to cause a stir since it came into effect in October 2006. Lawsuits have been filed and lengthy court battles fought, but still the situation continues.
One side of the argument is that that the restrictions assist with problem gambling - but just because there are restrictions on where the bets can be placed, it doesn’t guarantee that there’s any limits on the amount that can be bet in the accepted casinos. In addition, most followers of the gambling ban would argue that the revenue filters back into the country’s economy, helping to stabilise it. However, if you follow current events in America it is real estate and banking that is affecting the economy. Land based casinos are showing consistently stable turnover, but the fact that online gaming is banned has not had any obvious effect on the economic situation.
Those who oppose the gambling ban state that it is an unnecessary form of control that takes away a citizen’s right to choose. The common view is that gambling bans are merely concerned with a monopoly over taxable expenditure, and if there was no money involved there addicted gambling wouldn’t even come into the equation. So what are the implications?
Unsurprisingly enough, rather than being frowned upon, many other countries are starting to follow America’s lead. Just take a look at recent events in Germany and the Netherlands, and it becomes apparent that we could have an epidemic on our hands.
But is it right that governments should be able to impose such restrictions over is citizens? Is it right that we can have the world at our fingertips, only to be told we can’t use it?
We thought we’d take a look at one of our online slots this week. This mouth-watering 30-line slot machine is based around the theme of a French restaurant, and you get to watch the crazy capers of our chef as you play.
What’s Cooking! is an action packed slot machine with two bonus games on offer. The scatter bonus allows you to win extra cash no matter where the symbols sit on the reels - they don’t even have to be within your activated lines! Also up for grabs is a bonus round which offers you free spins!
What’s Cooking! Also boasts the progressive jackpot game Dollar Ball. So for major thrills and the chance to win big, why not give it a whirl?
