The big question going around the water cooler at Nevada-based casinos is, “Are we back?” The state just published official documents showcasing its annual revenue for 2011 and it is the second year in a row that it has gone up. Analysts were also quick to point that these results are not just reliant on Baccarat play, the popular casino game that lifted this industry’s performance throughout the recession.

Throughout the state, the casinos collected over $10 billion in casino gaming revenues in 2011. This is a 2.8 percent increase over the total in 2010, as well as the biggest jump for the Nevada industry in four years.

On the Las Vegas Strip alone, casino gaming revenues went up by 5.1 percent. These casinos made $6.068 billion. It was the first time the casinos along the Strip made over $6 billion since 2008.

Subtracting the Baccarat figures from the mix, casinos throughout Nevada had a 2.4 boost in casino gaming revenue, which has not been seen since the year 2007.

Michael Lawton, a senior research analyst over at Gaming Control Board said that this is a very broad recovery. While it is not double digits, it is steady and gradually climbing, which is what casinos want to see.

The highest amount of revenue earned in 2010 did not come from Baccarat but actually slot machines. In 2011, casinos in Nevada saw their revenues increase by 1.5 percent from all slot machine wagering. In 2010, revenues from slot machines were actually down by 2.7 percent

So the question is again, is Nevada back on the scene?

Chad Beynon, a gaming analyst for Macquarie Securities said that these numbers are a very good indication that spending is growing. Joe Greff, a gaming analyst for JP Morgan noted that it is the belief that JP Morgan’s Nevada casino gradual recovery thesis will remain intact going into 2012.

All avid online casino enthusiasts know that April 15 signals Black Friday in the industry. It was the day that Full Tilt Poker was almost completely decimated by the United States federal government along with other online gaming websites, including PokerStars, Ultimate Bet Poker, and Absolute Poker. While PokerStars and Ultimate Bet Poker have been able to rise from the ashes of that day, Absolute Poker still remains closed and Full Tilt Poker hangs in complete limbo with no assurances which way it will go.

However, according to some of the latest news in the industry, Groupe Bernard Tapie, a French investment company, is going to be purchasing the assets from Full Tilt Poker for approximately $89 million from the United States Department of Justice. Looking to the future, if the Alderney Gambling Control Commission does decide to issue Full Tilt Poker a gaming license, it could be back up and running as early as the first of March of this year. The commission was the one that originally suspended the license after Black Friday had occurred in the United States.

One of the latest things to hit the news with this store is that a number of professional poker players that had sponsored the website, including Phil Ivey and Barry Greenstein, and owe money to the online poker room are making threats to sabotage Groupe Bernard Tapie acquisition of the website. Groupe Bernard Tapie is not looking to acquire the debt, even though a few people have stepped forward to pay what they owe. This has in effect stymied the acquisition. Laurent Tapie has stated that the majority of the money that is owed by professional poker players needs to be paid off for the acquisition towork. Furthermore, players in the United States will only be refunded if the takeover is complete.

Looks like another standstill in this never ending drama.

Online gambling requires talent because it is large and unpredictable. Players need to look at their own online gambling behavior and adjust their skill sets to meet any resistance they may have to winning. Here are five elements that if improved, can help at the online casino room floor.

Track all casino money outcomes

If a player begins on Monday with $300.00, they need to record what they do every day and how much money won and lost. By Friday, they can see where there are any fluctuations. A 25 percent fluctuation is normal. Having $375.00 or $225.00 by the end of the week, or some amount between these two, means it has been a successful online gambling week. If losses are within this margin, it is possible to improve and increase.

Support the bets

It is important to support a bet – using a technique that will tilt a losing bet, such as doubling, reducing, alternating, or closing down the next bet.

Percentage planning

Percentage planning is often overlooked as a tool for online gambling. It is forcing a playing to only play a certain number of bets. It provides support to the player’s overall gambling ambitions, hinders bad decisions, and only allows for direct strategy.

Create an income

The main objective of online casinos and the primary force behind it is the ability to create an income. Players need to plan tactics and revise efforts. Remember, the best results are not from the winners, but from players who can handle a game no matter if they win or lose. The primary growth for an online gambling hobby is to improve a bankroll by 20 percent in a week. While it is not a lot, it is easy to do without major odds again them.

Online gaming is known to do a lot – waste time, provide entertainment, help people double their monthly income, but it is also known to reduce levels of stress as well. A study done at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada stated that online gaming may actually be good for people’s overall health. This study demonstrated that after playing some online games, which included online casino games, individuals were a lot less stressed. In fact, cortisol levels, the hormone responsible for inducing stress, fell by 17 percent on average. For a number of behavioral scientists, this is strong proof that there is a correlation between online gaming and reducing stress levels.

There have been other studies to prove the same thing as well. A study done at Eastern Carolina University that lasted for six month and had 134 subjects found that online gaming can reduce stress and elevate one’s mood. A study at Oxford University also revealed that online gaming may be beneficial for those suffering from PTSD – post traumatic stress syndrome.

An online casino also recently conducted their own informal research study using Blackjack players. In this informal study, it was noted that 74 percent of all the players in the study felt that online casino games were a great way to have an enjoyable time as well as reduce stress. Those players that said that online casinos did not help reduce stress levels played online casino games with much higher stakes involved. Another survey, this time using Roulette players demonstrated the same thing – approximately 77 percent said that online casinos were a great way to reduce stress.

So, if someone is having a bad day at work or at home, take a minute to play a few online casino games and watch as the stress melts right off!

The Isle of Capri Casinos Company is currently being sued by an 87 year-old woman from Illinois after she hit a $42 million jackpot playing slots, which was actually nothing more than a computer malfunction.

This occurred on July 2, 2011 when the woman was playing on the Miss Kitty slot machine at the Waterloo, Iowa-based Isle Casino. While she was playing, the bells and lights started going and the staff came over to congratulate her on her win. But, it was soon after that the staff noticed something was not right because the top payout of the slot was only $10,000 but it had said she won $41,797,550! The casino informed her it was a computer error and she would not be winning any money.

These errors are quite rare. The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission noted that they only investigate maybe one or two of these slot malfunctions every year across the entire states. There have also been stories of other players around the United States thinking they won big but it was only a malfunction in the slot machine. One recent one was Bill Seebeck who was playing at the Tampa, Florida Seminole Hard Rock Casino and the slot said he won $166 million, which in fact, he did not.

After the incident at the Isle Casino, the casino sent the slot machine to Gaming Laboratories International to be analyzed. It was then noted that it was “highly likely” that it was a communication board error causing the false bonus.

However, this is not stopping the woman from Iowa. Just last week her attorney filed suit claiming consumer fraud and breach of contract. The attorney is also preparing the argument that the Isle Casino did not regularly act upon any of the programming updated that were available for this slot machine.

On Friday, January 27, a floor collapsed at the site of a brand new casino being erected in Cincinnati, Ohio, sending a number of workers sliding into the ground. There is at least one worker with serious injuries and more than a dozen more who were hurt.

The floor collapsed before 8:00 A.M. as the crew was starting to pour some concrete into a section of the floor of what will be the Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati. The co-developer Rock Gaming LLC, Steve Rosenthal, mentioned that this incident occurred weeks after an accident of a similar variety occurred at a casino being built in Cleveland by the same exact developers.

At the time of the news conference, Rosenthal said that they were not able to determine what was the cause of the floor collapse and was still investigating.

Inspectors from OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) are working alongside with local investigators to see what caused the accident. Developers are saying that work will not resume on the construction site until all the authorities are saying that it is safe to go back to work.

This new casino is under development by Rock Gaming LLC in a partnership with developer Caesar’s Entertainment. This is the same exact team that was supported a casino project in Cleveland when the garage on the site partially collapsed mid-December. A section of the garage’s parking deck gave way as concrete was then being poured. Luckily, no one was injured.

Rosenthal is stating that there is no connection what-so-ever between both collapses, other than both taking place in Ohio. The construction management companies on the projects are different; as well there are different contractors as well as different areas and sites. Also, the concrete pouring as on schedule and there was no acceleration within the schedule.

The United States Senate Committee on Economic Development, Technology, and Agriculture is currently in discussion in regards to two bills that will enable casino gambling on all three islands in the United States Virgin Islands. One bill would allow for casinos to be built in the territories of St. John and St. Thomas, while another one would allow a free standing casino to be built in Christiansted on St. CroixThe one bill would amend the current Casino and Resort Control Act to allow casino gaming on the islands of St. John and St. Thomas. Senator Carlton Dowe, the sponsor of the bill said that it is now time for the United States to explore new sources of potential revenue.

The bill to build a casino in Christiansted comes from a private/public sector proposal by the Christiansted Renewal Group. this proposal calls for the building of a casino, along with an adjacent parking garage, center for culture, fine dining restaurants, and improvements in public infrastructure, such as security cameras and new lighting to be placed along the current boardwalk. The project is not looking for government funding as the developers are currently planning to invest approximately $20 million into this project. This project will increase tax revenues as well as call for infrastructure improvements and increase job opportunities. The developers will benefit by receiving financing that is government-backed for the project.

Many local businesses are in support of this new project. One boardwalk restaurant owner stated that the town of Christiansted is currently “dying” and that many businesses are feeling the pressure of a lack of tourism. It is possible that a new, thriving casino is just what is needed to bring the vibrant area back to life and entice more visitors to come to the island.

Many are saying the landscape of online casinos is looking to change throughout 2012. A number of countries have taken proactive steps to enable players to enjoy online casinos in a transparent, safe environment. To ensure this occurs, these countries are starting to develop new regulations and laws in how all operations for the poker website are to be carried out.

In the last year, several European nations brought up the fact that there needs to be more independent legislation in regards to online poker. However, there were different motives coming from different countries. A few European nations wanted to enable offshore poker website operators to provide games to players in the nation, while other nations were looking to restrict the playing of real money games to only residents living within the nation’s borders.

For instance, Kahnawake Gaming Commission, an online poker authority, recently changed some of their standards in an effort to further protect the players. This commission now provides the opportunity for players to go for self-exclusion. By doing this, individuals who have gambling problems are able to inform the commission about their requirements.

In other stories, some of the online poker websites have partnered with a number of financial service firms in an effort to establish a new system to guarantee that the funds of all players are protected. The financial service is in charge of monitoring if the poker websites have the sufficient funds necessary to repay players with real money accounts. According to many sources, more and more poker websites are going to be adopting this new system. A move like this clearly relays a message that many online poker websites are taking further steps to ensuring their dedication to protection their players all the time.

Calvin Ayres, the founder of Bodog online entertainment and gaming brand, has made a number of predictions for 2012 regarding the online gambling industry (after finding that his 2011 predictions pretty much held true). Here is a look at some of those predictions made in regards to different parts of the online gambling market.

Mobile

As widely noticed, mobile online gambling is on a rise and 2012 should see an even larger growth curve as more online gambling companies jump onto the mobile bandwagon.

Converging Online with Offline

In 2011, the primary focus was on how brick-and-mortar casinos could go and get their “digital feet wet,” as put by Ayers. In 2012, it will be the reverse – major online casino brands will be looking to start laying down physical roots. However, there is still no all-encompassing business model that aids in overcoming all the various challenges associated with combing online and brick-and-mortar casinos.

The Age of Live Dealers on Online Casinos

Asia has already popularized having live dealers at online casinos and in 2012; it looks like this concept will start spreading into other markets and forms, including Bingo.  The technology is continuing to mature and those who have experienced the live dealer say it a lot more fun. However, there is still a bit of lack of innovation and everyone is waiting for the one company that will make major inroads in getting live dealers more readily accessible.

Horse Racing is not Dead…Yet

Horse racing has been long thought of as the “sport of kings,” and while it is not yet dead, it needs a major transfusion in the form of appeal to the younger demographic or it will eventually start to wither away. This part of the gambling industry could do with some pop culture infusion and celebrity jockeys. It needs to be changed from something that is considered stuffy to something that is considered hip.

Horse races, car races, and even turtle races in some areas, nothing has more panache and some really crazy odds than the United States presidential race. With the a majority of the primaries completed, and candidates dropping out, many people are placing their bets to see who the front runner will be…and make a little bit extra cash on the side!

Currently, a majority of online sports booking websites have Mitt Romney as the favorite to challenge current president Barak Obama in the presidential elections in 2012.

Sports booking websites have Romney listed as a 1-5 favorite for the republican candidate for presidency. This puts Romney ahead of the likes of other candidates, including Rick Santorum (8-1), Ron Paul (12-1), Newt Gingrich (14-1) and recent dropout Rick Perry (50-1).

While current president Obama is the 8-11 favorite to win a second term as presidency, putting him ahead of Romney by 6-4, the odds of a Republican candidate winning the presidential elections in 2012 is now even at a number of sports booking websites.

Since the 2008 elections, there are now even more ways to bet on the current presidential election sweeping the United States. With the new inclusion of mobile gambling, more people are placing their money where their votes are, so to speak. Some sports booking websites even allow men and women to place their bets for the presidential elections via text message if they do not have internet available for their phone.

Some analysts are stating that watching how the betting works is a great way to see where people are lying in terms of who they are going to vote for in the next election. We will see!