This includes online casinos and poker rooms.

Now, it won’t happen anytime soon, I’m sure, but 3D online casinos could be a big step up in improving the experience for players at home. Right now, live dealers like those at Golden Palace are the closest you can get to a live casino atmosphere in your home. The addition of 3D would bring players even further into the action. Hell, add in some binaural recordings of casino sounds and players would hardly know they were still at home.

I will be pretty happy when UFC events are broadcast in 3D at a cinema near me, but I will be ecstatic when I can play in 3D at Go Casino or Full Tilt Poker while listening to 3D casino noises all around me. Bring on the future!

Now, we can’t be sure just how much he bets on a yearly basis, as he obviously keeps things secretive so that his bets don’t lose value with other punters following his lead. Regardless of the exact amount, it’s certainly substantially more than anyone else wagers, and Ranogajec’s protestations that he really doesn’t wager all that much can’t be taken too seriously.

The amount he bets isn’t the most interesting thing about his operation, though. What I find really intriguing is the way he goes about making a fortune from gambling. First of all, he has a massive staff that analyzes gambling opportunities from all over the world in order to find odds that are inconsistent with the probability of winning. Finding betting odds that are favorable to the bettor is standard for a successful gambler, but Ranogajec’s team are also able to place bets as late as possible thanks to direct connections to betting pools. This stops other gamblers from following their picks, so that the odds aren’t disastrously shortened before betting has closed. Despite the huge amounts that Ranogajec bets, his profit margins are apparently only single digits – which still means he’s making millions of dollars, thanks to the size of his bankroll and the bets being made!

You don’t need to have billions of dollars in capital and a team of analysts to turn a profit on sports betting, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. Successful betting is a lot of work, and it requires incredible self-control. You have to manage your bankroll very strictly and need be an expert on the bookmaker’s craft. If you want to become a better punter, then it is worthwhile checking out a betting exchange where you can set your own odds, or take the odds set by other users. It’s a really interesting system that can greatly reward players who take the time to research betting markets, so give it a try if you are thinking of going professional with your sports or horse racing betting.

Now, the survey had a lot of findings, including that Gen Y is as committed to philanthropy as any other generation, but we’re here to talk about gambling, aren’t we? Well, it turns out that the majority of Gen Y surveyed thought gambling wasn’t a moral issue. The kicker? Many of the respondents from other generations said the same thing.

I reckon that seeing young poker players like Annette Obrestad, Tom Dwan, and Joe Cada being so successful is probably part of the reason Gen Y are more willing to accept gambling as a healthy leisure activity. They are young, successful players who are among the best in the world. It would be hard for liberal Gen Y’s to think that gambling is wrong when looking at these young millionaires!

It’s good to see a shift from the old way of thinking about gambling, as it is just a bit of harmless fun for the vast majority of players. Playing a few rounds of craps within your limits or spending your time perfecting your poker game is just another way to relax. That a lot of other young people also see it that way points to a bright future for those gamblers who have to deal with politicians harping on in a cheap grab for more votes.

I'm thinking it'll be this with horses.

There are rumors that Michael Mann – famed director and an important part of the legendary Miami Vice – is attached to a pilot for a drama set in the exciting world of horse racing. It’s called “Luck” and it’ll be made for HBO, which usually guarantees 3 things: sex, violence and Machiavellian intrigues.

David Milch is writing it, with Mann to direct the pilot, so I really hope this is picked up. The question is: Will it get more people interested in horse racing, or will they assume that going to the racetrack means tawdry affairs and stylish violence? …Actually, I bet people would find that a compelling enough reason to start following horse racing.

If you already have a taste for horse betting, then try out BetUS or one of our recommended racebooks on our racing pages.

It created a firestorm of interest around the web and media agencies. And to be honest I’ve been a little astounded by some of the negativity and ignorance shown by some respected journalists reporting the change in direction. How do they get through life ignorant to what is happening in the rest of the world and only forming opinions based on their own little neighborhood? They couldn’t be so against Stern’s thoughts if they had done the slightest bit of research on the topic at all and seen what the rest of the world has been doing for years.

Many have derided Stern for what is simply an admission that gambling happens now anyway, so why not benefit from it? It’s logical, and forward thinking from the most respected commissioner in pro sports.

He said quite candidly that “”The betting issues are actually going to become more intense as states in the U.S. and governments in the world decide that the answers to all of their monetary shortfalls are the tax that is gambling.”

He may be the first US sports leader to think like this, but he’s still a long way behind the rest of the world. Nearly everywhere has regulated & taxed sports betting already. The US is the only developed western nation I know of where it’s citizens don’t have the freedom to walk down the street to legally place a bet on their favorite sports team – except in Nevada of course.

The Author of the piece, Ian Thomsen, had this to say; “My take, as written several times over the years, is that legalized betting on professional sports in the U.S. is inevitable for two reasons: (1) If sports wagering becomes a legal and taxable form of revenue, then governments will actively police sports betting in order to protect that revenue base, as well as to safe-guard the leagues that create the windfall of new taxes; and (2) Betting on games will create more fan interest and, ultimately, bring in more money to the NBA and other leagues.”

It’s just a pity that it has taken the lure of dollars to make more people in the USA see the light when it comes to regulated gambling on sports. Why couldn’t they have just done this already because it makes sense? The land of the free is more like land of the ‘nothing comes for free’ these days.

In light of the NBA’s change in thinking, BetUS has posted odds on which sports league will regulate gambling on their games first. Of course the NBA is an almost unbackable 2/3 favorite. They’re also favorite to have an NBA team in Las Vegas first at 1/1.

I know I’d love to see the Las Vegas Kings in town! But who needs ANOTHER excuse to visit Vegas?!

In a recent vid, he answers the question “What is your biggest ever bar tab?” Here it is …

My questions are. What barns has Calvin been hanging out in? And how was the tab €33,000 before 1994 (when Bodog was launched) , when the Euro was only introduced as a currency in 1999?

Anyway, Calvin will be good for a laugh every so often, even if his uncomfortable delivery of his scripted lines is funnier than the actual material! Don’t get me wrong, I admire what he’s doing – and it is good for online gambling. But I just find it amusing how he always tries to talk big and act like such a high rollin’ pimp. He seems like a nice guy, he should just be himself more!

This past week, the US Treasury Department granted a delay in the implementation of the very ambiguous Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. Several politicians had written a letter to Treasury suggesting that a delay of these rules was needed.

I’m still amazed they can implement the rules at all considering that what is considered ‘Unlawful Internet Gambling’ is not even defined or mentioned within the act! Surely you have to explain what something is before you can legislate against it? Only in America….

Also, Representative Barney Frank announced on Tuesday Washington will begin discussing his proposed legislation that would overturn the UIGEA. After hearing the UIGEA delay announcement, Frank issued a statement saying that he would “continue to work hard to overturn the ill-advised law”.

Another piece of legislation has also been proposed by New Jersey lawmaker Robert Menendez, that would regulate online poker. Over the past couple of years, internet poker has become one of the most popular forms of entertainment for American citizens and the government sorely wants a piece of the action through taxing the online poker companies that are currently located offshore.

The USA may finally be ready to use common sense and shed the nanny state mantra of the previous Bush government. It’s unbelievable to the rest of the world that things like online poker and sports betting are not regulated in the USA. Especially considering that the USA is considered the world’s home to such pursuits via the casinos of Las Vegas & Atlantic City!

Best picture for the search 'hungover gambler'

Most importantly to me, they even have the occasional video for MMA tips, which is a welcome change from all that talk about major sports like football and hockey. I mean, who cares about football and hockey? The other bloggers here, sure… Okay, plenty of people care about football, hockey, basketball and all the other most popular sports in the world. If you’re included in that group, then BetFlix will be even more enjoyable for you than it is for me, as most of its videos cover major sports and betting opportunities.

I really like it when sportsbooks expand their coverage to more than just the odds. It shows that they value the community that visits the site, and contributes to the fun of making a pick. Obviously, I’d like to see much more MMA coverage – as much as possible – but I understand that most people like more than just combat sports. What can I say, I’m a simple creature that likes a very complex and violent subset of sports.

Be sure to check out our Strikeforce: Fedor vs Rogers preview if you want to find out more about some of the big fights on that card. Also, if you want to place a bet on any of the Strikeforce main card fights, consider joining BetUS where you can benefit from a 50% bonus on first and second deposits, plus much more.

I saw this article linked on my fav poker site and had to have a comment on it as well.

More reporters need to speak up and highlight what is currently going on in the USA with regard to the regulation of online gambling. It’s a disgrace that Obama still lets the DoJ run around doing whatever it pleases without any regard for the actual law, or the opinion of the constituency. They are doing some really bad things under instructions to never reveal that they are cracking down on online gambling, because it will further hurt Obama’s popularity as the majority of the population want to be able to gamble online.

It’s so, so strange that  sports betting is illegal, except in a couple of states. Especially when everyone knows the interest in the NFL would be a fraction of what it currently is without fans being able to bet on the games – everybody bets anyway! (It’s one of Sportsbooks.com’s slogans even)

In the rest of the world sports betting is a perfectly acceptable activity. It takes more skill than picking a lottery number or a winning horse! In the UK there are betting shops on every major street. In Australia, the sports news websites are covered in ads for online bookies. In Europe the football teams are sponsored by the sportsbooks!

Why does America insist on doing things half assed backwards? Sports Betting is never going away and they should just regulate it, like the seemingly more intelligent governments of the world have already done a long time ago to collect the tax revenue and ensure their citizens have safe places to gamble.

I’m not American, but I’d be really pissed with my government if I was! Get it together already Barry. And good on you Michael Hiltzik for speaking out about it.

The NFL season is in full swing, so too is NCAA Football, where there’s real money to be made from sentimental fans betting on their alma mater.

My other favorite sport is just about to fire up as well, with the NBA season about to tip off and the Lakers favorites to win it all again with the online bookies.

And poker’s biggest event, the World Series of Poker, is down the final table, known as the ‘November Nine’. Full Tilt’s Phil Ivey is third favorite at 4-1, behind chipleaders Darvin Moon and Eric Buchman. Ivey will be doing well to win the thing considering he is starting with some serious stack envy. Bodog has all the latest WSOP odds.

And one of the world’s biggest horse races is also coming up on the first Tuesday in November – The Melbourne Cup. It stops the whole country of Australia, but the rest of the planet is also becoming more and more intrigued by this great race and you should be too as there’s always great odds to be had as the horses run over two miles and it is often anybody’s race at the final turn.

If you’re in the northern hemisphere things are probably starting to get a little cool now, but if you’re in the tropics like me, things are just starting to heat up. It’s my favorite time of year… NFL… NBA… warm weather… more people indoors up north and playing poker… it’s all good!

Don’t hate me cause you ain’t me!