When you’re risking your bank balance on the spin of a wheel, you want to know that you’re only playing against the odds, and that the casino itself won’t be acting to make your stay as unsuccessful as possible. You also want to know that you’ll be able to withdraw any winnings you make, and that the site isn’t likely to disappear overnight, taking your funds with you. There are few guarantees in life, and fewer still in the world of gambling. But if you’re to give yourself the best chance of keeping your money, you’ll probably want to be betting with the biggest. Here are five of the largest names in online gambling.
One of two traditional bookmakers to appear on this list, William Hill has been in existence since the 1930s. One of the best-known and most trusted names on the UK market, it actually operated illegally for the first 27-32 years of its life. In 1998, it became the first significant high street name to put its sportsbook online, although it initially had to settle for the web site willhill.com, as williamhill.com was already being used by a California winery – the company has since been able to acquire williamhill.com as well. The online casino section would be launched in 2000, and poker would be added in 2003. William Hill would go on to augment its empire with significant assets – including over 500 betting shops, and, in 2008, the services of leading platform Playtech.
As you’d expect of a company of William Hill’s size, it’s pushed out a wide range of options, with live blackjack, roulette and baccarat being joined to the usual rich variety of table games and slots. Live Texas Hold’Em is a nice option for skilled card players who want to add a bit of atmosphere to their games. These are well-crafted Playtech renditions, with glossy graphics and fast operation. More games are available if you download the full suite, although you can play many of the titles through quick flash emulations as well. Multiplayer tournaments are being rolled out, with some of these available to play in for as little as 1p.
Like William Hill, Betfred started out running high street betting shops, with the Done brothers opening their first outlet in 1967. The company was relatively slow to join the online betting revolution, though, and only launched an internet site in 2004. The online casino arm would come a year later.
Like William Hill, Betfred uses the Playtech platform, and the site offers many of the same options, with live blackjack, roulette and baccarat being joined by Live Texas Hold’Em. Slots have recently been added, although these work using the Microgaming platform rather than Playtech. Software can be downloaded for the full experience, but you can try out many of the games with instant play. Branding itself ‘The Bonus King’, the site likes to be known for its special offers and strong bonuses. For example, for two days every week, you can get a 100% bonus when you deposit up to £25 (on Saturdays) or £50 (on Tuesdays) in your account. The Player’s Club gives you loyalty bonuses and rewards. Betfred also likes to make the news with large payouts, and its progressive slots have reached some impressive multi-million figures.
Gala was created in the early 90s, quickly establishing itself as a giant in the flourishing Bingo industry before moving into the bricks-and-mortar casinos market a decade later. After Gala had taken over the Coral Eurobet business in 2005, the company was rebranded as Gala Coral. It has since started to move away from land-based gaming, and a deal to sell 19 of its casinos to Rank Group looks set to be finalised in the coming months. The company’s main focus now (through its subsidiary Gala Interactive) seems to be on its online businesses.
The relaunched Galacasino.com site offers a clean and uncluttered interface. Despite this, a good choice of games (now mainly offered through the Playtech platform) give you the option of several hundred different titles, from slots to more traditional casino apps. The games are flash-based, and so don’t require extensive downloads, and free play options let you get into the swing without risking any money. The site runs a smart VIP scheme, with special deals designed to keep both new and hardened gamers loyal. Poker is also offered (through the iPoker network), and this has done very well, supplying good profits and approval ratings for Gala Coral in recent months.
Jackpot City has been in existence since 1998, making it one of the older casino and slots sites still running. Itself part of the vast and very well-established Belle Rock Entertainment empire, it uses the Microgaming platform to offer a decent but not excessive selection of games. A limited number of titles are available to play as flash versions, although you’ll have to download the full suite to tap into the entire 450+ range of games. Live dealer versions are now being rolled out, and some interesting multiplayer versions are available – multiplayer roulette, for instance, lets you look around and see who you’re up against.
The site is eCOGRA approved, and is rated as having a high 94.7% certified payout. Customer service also receives strong reviews.
Rather different from the other names on this list, SuperCasino didn’t start life primarily as a betting shop or online casino. Instead, it has broadcast its games on the television since 2005 – it still airs 24-hours a day on Sky channel 862, and also has a regular slot in Channel 5’s schedule. The web-site acts as an online extension, offering a host of extra options you won’t be able to access with a television feed. However, the fact that many of the games are themselves shown live on television may add to the experience and trustability in some eyes.
Image Source: channel5.com
The television focus also means that the company is built around live dealing. Live roulette is covered in depth – a number of different varieties of the game are offered, and it’s featured very regularly on the television channel – with baccarat and blackjack also given great live support. Other options include slots and video poker. Multiplayer roulette tournaments are put on several times a week, and the use of Playtech games means that the online emulations are slick and visually pleasing. The range of bonuses and prize draws will reward loyalty.
There’s something about the adrenaline rush of scoring a huge win on the slots or at the blackjack tables that proves irresistible to even the truly rich and famous. Celebrities who gamble aren’t really any different from us. It’s just that when your next film, television series or sporting season can earn you a seven figure sum, your speculative punt gone wrong is the equivalent of our bank-busting bad-break. Charlie Sheen had a reputation for wild gambling – his ex-wife, Denise Richards, claimed he was losing $200K a week at the time of their divorce. However, given that Sheen once bought over 2,600 tickets to a baseball game, just so that he would have a better chance of being first to any balls pumped into the stands, we’re suspecting his losses didn’t bother him much. Much the same could be said of former basketball star Charles Barkley, who seems unrepentant about having lost an estimated $10 million in gambling, including one $100K bet that he lost betting on the 2012 Super Bowl final. The losses aren’t always harmless though, and Barkley’s figure pales into insignificance compared to the $50 to $60 million that fallen golf-star John Daly claims to have lost – including $1.65 million that he lost in five hours playing the slots.
Perhaps the most high-profile poker player is movie star Ben Affleck, whose ability to take on the world’s best and come out significantly ahead has been mentioned in numerous publications. His biggest tournament win remains the $356,000 he picked up in the California State Poker Championship – gaining him a ticket to the World Poker Tour. The most successful poker player in Hollywood, though, might well be the secretive Tobey Maguire. The Spiderman star doesn’t like to talk about his poker skills, but his discreet forays into the backroom cash games of the rich and famous are rumored to have secured him earnings in excess of $10 million. Here in the UK, columnist, wit and Only Connect quiz-show host Victoria Coren has made considerable sums at poker, even winning £500K on the London leg of the 2006 European Poker Championships.
Hotshot boxer Floyd Mayweather and rapper 50 Cent (pictured)have raised this almost to an art form, photographing themselves surrounded by the piles of money scored with their latest wagers. Whether their bets are really making them profits over the long term has been questioned though. After all, if you’re betting sizable sums, you can claim to be winning very big indeed – just as long as you aren’t as truthful about your losses. Celebrities, then, aren’t really so very unlike the rest of us..