Want to find out what’s making headlines in the world of casinos right about now? Let’s take a look!

Google opens the way for online casino advertising

Ever wondered why you don’t see ads for online casinos when you’re browsing Google – particularly when you’re in the US? That’s because until now, the search engine company has had strict rules against it, effectively banning casino advertising on its website. Until now, that is. Just as the new decade is set to launch in 2020, so too are new online casino gambling rules set to launch on Google, no doubt thanks to last year’s legalization of gambling in a growing number of US states.

According to a report from EGR, the first quarter of 2020 looks set to see a new stance on gambling from Google’s side, following on from its recent updates to its gambling policy. Under its new advertising guidelines, sports betting ads will no longer be banned in Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. This lifting of the ban follows a similar update from earlier this year, when Nevada, New Jersey and West Virginia were also allowed to offer sports betting advertising online. Other countries positively affected by the update include Kenya, Nigeria and Colombia.

What does Google have to say about this? In an email to Gambling.com in August, Chris Harrison, Head of Financial Trading and Egaming offered the following: “For us, regulation is a huge signal and will be the building block of anything we do. We also take into consideration the norms and acceptance of gambling in any given state. We have to recognize customer concerns and face those as well. So it’s far from black or white in terms of opening up and allowing advertisers to use Google’s products and platforms.”

What does that mean for you, the player? Well, if you’re in one of the regions in which online casino advertising has been lifted, you can look forward to hearing more from selected gambling destinations. And even if you’re not, given how Google’s policies seem to be changing and evolving to meet growing demands, you could soon be seeing a whole new wealth of offers whenever you log on. You don’t have to look up “exciting” to know what that means!

Lucky BaoCasino player nets $388 000 CAD

There’s even more good news to report on in casino land, this time from BaoCasino, who recently made one of their players a whole lot happier with more than $388 000 CAD in winnings! What makes the story even more headline-worthy is that the total wasn’t won on just one single game, but a variety of online slots, making this player one very lucky slots fan indeed!

While it’s an exciting moment for a player to strike it rich on one slots game, to replicate that same success again and again, and in one single gaming session, is almost impossible. So how did the player do it? By hitting a number of lucky streaks on a number of games, including:

Lucky Cat Slot – $51 000 CAD
Voodoo Gold Slot – $42 000 CAD
Northern Sky Slot – $10 680 CAD

By the end of the session, the player’s account was in the black to the tune of $388 524.70 CAD – a win both for the player, and for the casino as well. Why for BaoCasino? Well, obviously if they’ve paid out once (or in this case, more than once) then chances are they’ll pay out again, which is good news both for their players and their bottom line. So if you’ve been looking for a place to play, look no further – BaoCasino is here, and it’s ready and waiting to make you its next big winner!

Roulette con artists arrested

Sure the Ocean’s Eleven series of movies is fun and thoroughly watchable, but no one actually attempts casino heists for real do they? Or do they…

That’s what we thought until we stumbled upon this gem of a casino snippet – four scam artists being arrested in the Netherlands for trying to pull a fast one in the Holland Casino. Unfortunately for them, surveillance staff spotted their scamming ways, and they were duly arrested for their efforts. But what exactly happened?

According to reports, the four men, who are believed to be citizens of Georgia, were caught trying to manipulate the outcome of an automated Roulette machine. Not a good idea, and we really wouldn’t recommend trying it in your own casino. Apparently the scam involved them breaking the glass around the Roulette machine, lifting it off, then ensuring the Roulette ball landed in the right place for a win.

It all sounds extremely complicated, and not particularly subtle, so we’re not sure how they ever thought they would escape detection. But apparently they’d successfully carried out the con in other parts of the Netherlands and around various countries in Europe as well, so who are we to judge?

Suffice it to say, their luck finally ran out at the Holland Casino, where officials caught up with them after they’d become targets of an investigation by none other than Interpol. Money and vouchers were taken away from them, and the Dutch police began their own investigation, in conjunction with Interpol, into the group’s other nefarious deeds.

Coincidentally, this latest arrest comes off the back of an earlier arrest this same year, where police in Cyprus apprehended a casino dealer on suspicion of helping a casino patron to con the gambling establishment out of €5 800. Again both criminals were caught, this time on CCTV – we’re just not sure how the dealer wasn’t aware of the security measures in his own place of work. You’d think that would have been the first thing he thought of…

So if you’ve ever wondered about what it would be like to try and pull off your own casino heist, think again – you might get away with it for a while, but your crimes will always catch up with you in the end. And why? Because the house always wins!

Happy Spinning 🙂