Online Casino Questions

Why do the payback figures show close to 97% payout month after month, surely there must be hig hits to the margins from big winners. If the games were truly random then this would result in much larger swings in the payback on a month by month basis?

You have a very good point there! As a UK Fruit Machine player myself such a result would be expected if a 'percentage controller' was used, such as in our Fruit Machines. Clearly this would imply games going into 'suck' mode if a few big wins were dropped. The question would be is the balancing taking place across the casino as a whole of just on the game that has paid. Microgaming casinos do not release stats on a game by game basis, only by game type. There have been many discussions on casino forums about Microgaming going on these 'suck' or 'take down' modes. I have experienced these myself, but Microgaming can also go on what amounts to a 'streak' too. All casinos I have questioned about examples of such oddities assure me that it is just bad/good luck, and that everything is random. Incidentally, I was told that each casino is served with the random numbers from Microgaming servers, and do not generate them themselves - so the behaviour is likely to be a result of how the software converts the random number into the game experience. There is another factor too, the progressive jackpots are paid for by a 'deduction' from the playing of the normal game. For slots this is easy, as the result is unaffected by player choice. In other games, such as 777 Blackjack, the side bet, usually £1, goes into the progressive jackpot, thus inflating the house edge for the normal game, so the payment of the progressive will simply cancel out the additional house edge from the normal game play. In fact, I have checked the factfile for Aztec Riches, one of my recommendations, and although the overall payback stays within 1% to 2% of 97%, I notice the slots in February 2004 paid back 101.33%, so it seems that if enough big wins coincide with a reporting month the figures can be affected significantly. It should be remembered also that the big jackpots can drop very infrequently, so it is rare for them to cluster in one calendar month. Other games don't have big enough jackpots to change the figures by more than 1% or so. The more players a casino has, the more likely the figures will stick close to the expected house edge. Casino Action publish all wins greater than around £3000 in the winners section, and the factfiles for all 5 are available on this site. This leaves this question open to proper analysis by those who fancy a bit of maths practice.

I have the bonus, but it comes with a wagering requirement. What is the best way to approach this in your recommended Casino Action Casinos?

This is going to be one of the perks of joining these casinos through my site. I am currently doing mathematical analysis of various scenarios at these casinos and will present a guide based on long term expectations. I refer to a very useful website www.wizardofodds.com which is produced by a proffesional mathematician specialising in games of chance. The site has a wealth of helpful guides, and is well worth a visit if you want to look into this type of thing in greater depth. My own guide for beating the wagering requirements of Microgaming casinos can be found HERE

Do you have a vested interest in us joining through your site, and does this affect the deals WE get as a player?

In a nutshell, yes. The casinos offer referral incentives to webmasters who host their banners. The rewards vary, however, I have personally played at all the casinos featured on my site, and have received my cash-ins. Their customer service is also pretty good. I think that receiving your due winnings is the most important criteria when selecting a casino to play, without that, the rest is 'useless'.

As a player you will NOT get a worse deal by joining through my site. You will benefit from the casino guides for the casinos and games, particularly my strategy for tournaments and bonuses. Currently, I cannot offer a better deal by joining through my site, but some of the larger webmasters, such as 'Casinomeister' do manage to negotiate special deals for their players. Intercasino provide the facility for webmasters to invite players who join through them to take part in special tournaments by invitation - I would consider this if I had sufficient interest in the future. Players can also E-mail me from the link on the homepage if they would like further information when considering taking up any offers in the casinos on my site.