A cool story about Justin Bieber caught my eye this week involving the star and an online casino. Apparently, the young man – that of the recently shorn locks – made a surprise visit to the Ellen DeGeneres show and gave her one his locks as a souvenir birthday present.  Justin told Ellen that she could sell the hair and give the money to her favorite charity and without hesitation, she decided that the money would go to The Gentle Barn – a non-profit organization that helps farm animals and needy kids.

Ellen put the hair up for auction and there was a lot of bidding activity – after all, think of how many hysterical teenage girls would love to have a lock of their idol hidden in a locket around their necks…  But – and I’m sorry to burst the bubble here – the hair was eventually awarded to Golden Casino online casino site which offered to pay a whopping $40,000 for it. 

You may remember that Golden Palace Casino is fantastically famous for buying weird and wonderful items in a bid to attract publicity. Once the site purchased a grilled cheese toast sandwich in the shape of the Virgin Mary, while another time it picked up Britney Spears’ pregnancy test. And so, it came as no surprise that Golden Palace Casino REALLY wanted to get its hands on the Bieber hair!  The online casino realized the huge monetary potential in owning such longed-for locks and has promised to put the hair out on their very own tour – with all proceeds going to charity of course!

So, no, I won’t be flying down to Rio and I’ll have to settle for second best (but no less fun) at my favorite online casino sites.  Through some awesome games, I can bring the  Carnival right to my fingertips and join in the excitement. What’s more, I’ll probably be able to win myself a pretty penny at the same time.

In honor of the party atmosphere, here are a couple of slot games that will get you right into the vibe:

Carnaval

This five reel, nine pay line game was created by Microgaming and is a bright and colorful slot game for carnival lovers. Drums and bells in the background set the mood, and images such as trombones, flags and masks don’t let you forget a minute about the theme of this game. The five Carnaval logos pay out a 5,000 coin jackpot to lucky winners.

Carnival

A super 5 reel, 24 pay line slot game by Grand Virtual. This slot game pays tribute to the traditional festival that takes place in Venice before Lent and features images of costumes, masks and other party paraphernalia. Three or more Gondola scatters trigger the free spins bonus round with a five times multiplier! Carnival also boasts a gamble feature that allows you to double your winnings!

Vegas Party

OK, I know this isn’t carnival related, but I couldn’t help slip it in because it’s just so much fun and, hey, it still has a party theme, right? Vegas Technology’s five reel, 20 pay line slot game has a super Vegas Strip theme and lots of bonus features to make you want to return again and again. Try your luck with 15 free spins and put yourself in line to win a maximum 9,000 coin jackpot!

Take the tale of Gonzalo Garcia-Pelaya, a down and out Spanish record producer who became fascinated with the game of roulette. This Spaniard was absolutely sure that roulette wheels were not 100% random due to wheel bias in some casinos, especially those who were not taking advantage of technology to monitor randomness. In the early 1990′s, Garcia-Pelaya decided to test his theories and, together with his five adult kids, hit the casinos in his hometown of Madrid to check to see which roulette tables could be counted on to produce better odds than others.

The family used a computerized system to keep track of the results as they continued to play roulette in Madrid, and then further afield, including Las Vegas. Using this system, Garcia-Pelaya managed to turn roulette from a game with 5% house edge to one that gave him and his family a 15% player edge!  Translated into money, that meant that the family managed to earn around EUR 2 million!

Spanish casinos soon got wind of this roulette mathematician and, although they didn’t realize how he managed to win so much in the beginning, they sought to ban him from their casino floors. Garcia-Pelaya’s system was soon revealed and he was then taken to court and charged with cheating. However, Spanish courts, including the Supreme Court, ruled in his favour and the casinos were told that he had done nothing illegal. It was basically a matter of casinos not having used the available technology to ensure that there was no bias on their wheels… and being forced to pay the price!

Garcia-Pelaya fought a long and hard battle for the right to continue to play in Spanish casinos, and he eventually won that one as well. However, casinos quickly fixed those wheels that were offering better player odds and the roulette wizard’s winning streak soon came to an end!

Currently, a brand new 4,500 slots only casino is being built at the Aqueduct in New York, after the then-Governor, David Paterson, reached an agreement with Genting New York. The $385 million project will bring much awaited gambling entertainment to residents of the state and each bit of progress is seen as a cause for celebration.

However, a few weeks after signing with Genting New York, Paterson then went on to provide permission for a Wisconsin based Indian tribe to build a casino in the Catskills – a 90 minute drive from the Aqueduct.  It is thought that he gave the green light on this project to settle land disputes.

However, the federal goverment wasn’t too charmed with this idea and yesterday I read that it had said no to the Wisconsin Stockbridge Muncee Community Band of Mohicans for the idea of a fully fledged casino in the Catskills.

Naturally, gamblers would have loved to have two great new casino facilities, and IMHO, their reasonably close proximity would’ve done wonders for prices and competition. Unfortunately, nobody’s listening to my opinion, and many are actually rejoicing that the federal government vetoed this decision.

The New York Gaming Association, which represents racetrack casino operators in the state, issued a congratulatory statement, praising the federal government for stepping in and rejecting this “ill-conceived compact”.

“We are extremely pleased with DOI’s decision and look forward to working with Governor Cuomo and the state legislature to develop a gaming policy that maximizes revenue, creates jobs and keeps the racetrack casino economic engines turning,” they said.

In all events, I’m quite looking forward to when the new casino at the Aqueduct, to be known as Resorts World, finally opens its doors to the public.

Raymer got a taste of gambling at a very young age. Her father, a serious gambler, apparently used to send his seven year old daughter to the kennels to examine which greyhounds had done their business, the theory being that a dog who had a full stomach ran slower than one who had defecated.  Raymer graduated from college, before turning to exotic dancing, boxing and waitressing. It was as a waitress that she met Dinky Heimowitz and she became a cash-runner for him, learning all she could about sports betting and online gambling.  In the book, Raymer chronicles her life as Dinky’s gofer, peppering the tale with stories of low-end hustlers and misfits that she meets along the way.

Willis’ taking on this role will be a definite step away from his usual action-packed movies. After his Die Hard 5 received lukewarm reviews, I think it’s time Willis shows us that he is a good actor by taking on a more serious role.

Rebecca Hall (of Vicky Cristina Barcelono fame) has been signed on to play the role of Raymer, while Stephen Frears (Dangerous Liasons, The Drifters) will direct. It has also been rumored that Catherine Zeta Jones and Justin Timberlake will take part in the movie.

Gambling-themed movies are certainly nothing new, but they continue to attract huge crowds, which is why I believe that Lay the Favorite will be a big hit. The fact that such high profile actors and a top-notch director have agreed to be part of this project speaks loads for the potential hit of this movie.

The Cosmopolitan didn’t leave the common man in street (er, that’s me) out of the celebrations, however. The resort beamed images of the party and concert onto the hotel’s marquee, meaning that passersby could see what was happening inside and feel the thrill.

So what has the German Deutsche Bank owned Cosmopolitan Resort have to offer visitors?

• Nearly 3,000 rooms featuring oversized space, private terraces and amazing interior designs by renowned architects. Each room features state of the art technology, including plasma screen TVs, wireless internet, sound systems and more. Bathrooms boast unbeatable luxury through special touches such as marble floors, rain showers and even Japanese soaking tubs!
• Incredible dining experiences through some of the country’s top chefs. Names thrown around include Eric and Bruce Bromberg, Jose Andres, David Myers and Scott Conant.
• No less than three diverse pool environments.
• A casino boasting over 100,000 square feet of floor space and hundreds of casino games.
• Nine retail boutiques for some serious shopping.
• A nightclub and a day club.
• A spa and Turkish hamman.
• Incredible views of the Las Vegas Strip from almost every spot in the resort.

 Las Vegas was electric with excitement with the launch of the Cosmopolitan resort last week, and  I really hope that opening is a sign of good things to come. We’ve seen enough years of economic depression and lagging tourist numbers. It’s time that the city gets pulled out of its slumber and it’s believed that the Cosmopolitan will play a huge part in this process.

Anyway, to get back to the story, I hurried to check out the new online slot game and that’s when I got a shock! Microgaming has opted to do away with the traditional images of Robin Hood and has, instead, portrayed all the characters as birds! OK, I guess I should have expected something after reading that the subtitle of the game is “Feathers of Fortune”, but still…  It felt weird seeing all my favorite characters bedecked in feathers and sporting wings….

I didn’t know quite what to make of this new game, which was released by the software giant as part of its monthly unrolling of new games to partner sites. But I decided that, in all fairness, the game deserved a shot and decided to give it an objective go.  And was I glad I did!

Robin Hood: Feathers of Fortune doesn’t disappoint in the very least. The game is an impeccable example of Microgaming’s absolute genius when it comes to creating original, entertaining and high paying casino games. There are plenty of features to make sure that you will be coming back for more, not least because of the massive 243 ways there are to win in this game.  There are also stacked wilds which increase your winning potential quite significantly, as well as scatters that unleash even more bonuses. A second screen bonus round sees bags of gold fall right into your lap, while you can also stand in line to win free spins and up to 15 x multipliers.

So, the moral of this story is that you should never dismiss something  just because it isn’t what you first expected to be. You never know what you’ll discover if you open your mind a bit!

Enjoy 24/7 Bar Services

It’s great to know that after a successful evening of casino game playing, you can walk into practically any bar and nobody will raise an eyebrow if you order a double gin and tonic at 3 am. Vegas is crammed with some amazing bars, and the vibe never fails to thrill me.

Take to a Packed Dance Floor

It was great to learn that I’m not the only one who likes to work off a sweat on the dance floor in the wee hours of the morning. Some Vegas night clubs are packed to capacity at every hour of the night, and it’s a great feeling to walk into one of these when the action is at full swing – especially when you know that the rest of the country is soundly tucked up in bed!

Eat Breakfast at 3 am

Ok, I admit. I love eating pancakes for breakfast, but when nights merge into days that merge into nights…. it’s sometimes difficult to pinpoint when my body clock is ready to ring the breakfast bell. Another thing I love about Vegas is that I can choose amazing graveyard breakfast deals at a wide range of eateries and it really doesn’t matter what it says on the clock!

Buy Booze

I’m not a heavy drinker, and even when I’m in Vegas I stick to moderate alcohol consumption. But what I find fascinating in this town is that if I wanted to get my hands on alcohol, I could do so at any time of the day or night and from practically any spot! Booze is sold at practically every grocery and convenience store around Vegas, as well as gas stations. The variety of alcohol on sale never ceases to amaze me either!

Play any Casino Game

What better feeling is there than to spin the reels of a slot machine in the early hours of the morning? Somehow, I think that the ‘anything-after-midnight-until-dawn’ time span adds that extra element of excitement to any Vegas gambling session, whichever game you choose to play.

Viva Vegas!

True or False?

Myth: You can’t trust an online casino

Answer: False, false, false! The vast majority of online casinos are highly trustworthy entities that take their businesses and reputations very seriously. Online casinos are, for the most, licensed and regulated by respected gambling jurisdictions and regularly audited by third party authorities. Casinos that are powered by top software groups such as Microgaming and Cryptologic are definitely worth checking out.

Myth: It’s worth playing at a slot machine that hasn’t paid out in a long time as it is due to do so any minute.

Answer: False! No matter how long you’ve played at a machine, you can never predict when it’s going to hit due to one simple reason – the Random Number Generator. This piece of technology essentially ensures that thousands of random numbers are generated each minute, and the reels slot spinning on a totally random basis.  You can hit the jackpot now and it can hit again in another few minutes!

Myth: Singing while you gambling brings bad luck.

Answer: False! While many gamblers believe that singing or humming brings with it bad luck, nobody has ever managed to prove this and is obviously considered an old wives tale.

Myth: Wearing red while gambling brings good luck.

Answer: Unsure. Asian culture swears by the color red as being one of luck – and who are we to argue! If wearing a red shirt at that blackjack table brings you more luck than usual, there’s no harm in doing so!

Myth: Being paid in $50 notes brings you bad luck.

Answer: False. This is another old wive’s tale, which is, unfortunately quite popular among gamblers at casinos. Many people simply refuse to get paid out in $50 and will rather opt to receive smaller notes instead.

We’ve come up with a list of some of the best casino party ideas we’ve heard:

Viva Vegas

Send out Las Vegas themed invitations, asking guests to come to the greatest casino party of the year.

Decorate the venue with travel posters of Vegas, or posters of famous performers such as Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.

Lower the lighting so that the venue takes on an intimate Vegas style casino ambience OR go the other way and string up Christmas lights for the whole bling-bling effect.

Food can be set up in buffet style with a printed ‘menu’ letting guests know what they can eat and drink.

Guests can be told to dress up in Vegas style – it’s amazing how excited adults get when they’re asked to dress up!

Hire or buy Vegas style casino games such as roulette, blackjack and poker and let loose. Chips can be exchanged for prizes at the end of the evening.

The Ultimate Bingo Party

While bingo may not fall under the Most Exciting Gambling Game category, millions of people from all over the world love playing this game, and so there is no reason why a bingo party won’t go down well with the majority of guests.

Bingo cards can easily be printed up on the computer. There is lots of software available out there to help you with the process.

Use chocolate coins as markers but keep a good supply on each table as they are sure to be nibbled up over the course of the evening.

Give out prizes for other things other than getting bingo. Ideas: The most original bingo calling names, etc.

Supplement the bingo action with other casino games such as roulette and scratch cards – as you’d find at any online bingo site today.