New laws passed in a bid to ban online card games

If you are a card game fanatic who has enjoyed a dabble in online gambling, your days of playing real money card games online may be numbered thanks to changes in Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act (IGA) which were passed in parliament in March 2017.

The Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill was sold as a way of protecting online players, but the reality is the new laws will make the Internet a lot more dangerous for card game enthusiasts hoping to enjoy a casual punt on their favourite blackjack or poker game every now and then.

Under the existing laws of the IGA, it is illegal for any Australian operator to advertise or provide gambling services to Australian players. Until recently, the IGA was full of all kinds of loopholes that meant Aussies were free to play at any online casino that was legally licensed by an offshore gambling jurisdiction, leaving us with plenty of choices when it came to finding a reputable casino site to have a flutter on a wide range of real money card games.

The 2017 IGA amendments aim to close those loopholes, with the new legislation now clearly stating that any online gambling service is “prohibited from offering services to Australian players unless they hold a license from an Australian state or territory”.

At first glance this doesn’t sound too bad, but the kicker is that no Australian state or territory has approval to distribute online casino licenses, so the IGA amendments will essentially make all forms of real money online card games illegal to Aussie players.

While these changes are spruiked as a way to protect players, the IGA amendments actually hold the potential to make things more dangerous. The new laws will focus on the casino vendors themselves, with nothing in the legislation to prosecute or punish players who continue to service offshore casino sites. This means players who choose to play online may be forced to frequent offshore casinos with dubious licensing and no player protection programs in place, leaving them vulnerable to all kinds of scams and unsafe gaming environments.

Many believe the smarter thing to do would be to take inspiration from the United Kingdom and regulate the online casino industry in Australia so we can benefit from the gambling revenue instead of sending it overseas, while also protecting players with our own gambling helplines.

It’s no surprise that politicians opposing the IGA amendments have been embraced by card game enthusiasts, especially Senator David Leyonhjelm who disputed against the IGA changes. Senator Leyonhjelm argued that card games like poker and blackjack require a certain level of player skill and should therefore be exempt from the laws which should focus on luck-based games like the pokies which are designed to be addictive.

Leyonhjelm said, “Despite the current lack of regulation – or, should I say, loophole of regulation – there is no evidence that online poker and blackjack causes more harm than the other services this bill seeks to regulate rather than prohibit, like online sports betting.”

He said that players who are determined to play online card games will continue to do so, with the increasing popularity of VPN (virtual private networks) making it easy for Aussies to access any website without having to reveal their location.

Until the IGA amendments are in full force, it remains unclear which offshore casino operators will pull out of the Australian market. Some of the biggest and most trusted names in online gambling, 32Red and Roxy Palace, have already exited from Australia.

Guts Casino adds new Mac poker client

Thanks to its extensive variety of card games, user friendliness and constant stream of great bonus offers, Guts Casino is always at the top of our list for real money online card games. But just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, the team at Guts.com has gone one step beyond our expectations by becoming the first online casino to launch a Mac friendly client for the Microgaming Poker Network (MPN).

Guts Poker Casino gets Mac supported clientThis is big news, with Mac users being shunned in the past by the MPN poker client that was only compatible with PC software. The catch is this is only a trial run. The new Mac poker client will only be available at Guts Poker for two weeks starting from October 6th 2016, so it’s important you get in quick if you’re a Mac user who wants to make the most of this software trial.

Guts is welcoming players to provide any feedback or issues when using the new Mac poker client to [email protected]. To celebrate this new advance in technology, Guts Poker has launched the Mac Client Tournament, with buy ins starting at $5.50 where the winner will also score a brand new MacBook Pro. Even if you’re playing on a PC, you can still enter the Mac Client Tournament.

Guts online and mobile poker welcome package bonusIf you’ve never played at the Guts Poker site before, now is a great time to join. Firstly, sign up for an account at Guts Casino to receive up to $400 in welcome bonuses to play the wide range of card games, table games and online pokies. Then head to the Guts Poker site and sign up for a poker alias to automatically receive a $1,000 welcome bonus, which will be released to your account in batches of $5 every time you make a real money deposit of $25 or more and comes with no wagering requirements.

Guts Poker runs off the acclaimed Microgaming Poker Network, which can be accessed via instant-play directly over your Web browser but offers a much higher gaming experience when playing via the downloadable client. You’re able to choose from a variety of poker variants, including:

  • Texas Hold’em No Limit
  • Texas Hold’em Fixed Limit
  • Omaha Hi
  • Omaha Hi Lo
  • Razz
  • 5-Card Stud
  • 5-Card Draw
  • 7-Card Stud
You won’t find the MPN Mac client anywhere else, so get on over to Guts.com as soon as possible, head to the Guts Poker site and download the Mac client to enjoy the full extent of the Microgaming Poker Network.

Get cashback on losses or winnings every weekend at Guts Casino

Guts Casino live dealer rebateGuts are offering real money players 10% cashback on all losses or 5% cashback on any winnings.

This counts towards any live dealer casino games you play play from Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and Guts.com will credit a bonus of up to $100 for losses and up to $50 for wins.

It is important to note these games need to be played prior to the Monday and during the qualifying times which runs on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). You do need to wager your rebate at least five times, for example if you receive $100 for your losses you will need to wager it five times (to the amount of $500) before it is cleared as real cash.

You can do this on live dealer games – we detail their contribution amounts to the wagering requirements below.

In order to qualify for this promotion you do need to register – so you may or may not be able to claim your losses, or winnings from this weekend – by simply sending your full name and Guts username to [email protected] via email.

It is also important to note the only titles which qualify for this rebate promotion are powered by Evolution Gaming.

Live dealer card games at Guts online casino

Guts online casino have a huge live dealer casino catalogue, including an array of live card games.

  • Baccarat
  • Baccarat A
  • Baccarat B
  • Baccarat Squeeze
  • Baccarat VIP
  • Blackjack
  • Blackjack A – I
  • Blackjack VIP A – I
  • Casino Hold’em
  • Three Card Poker

There’s also an array of live dealer roulette titles which count in the promotion.

You can play these titles on your smartphone, tablet, desktop, or laptop with the titles contributing to the wagering requirements, as follows:

  • Live blackjack and live roulette bets count 10% towards the wagering requirements
  • Live baccarat and live Casino Hold’em bets count 5% towards the wagering requirements
If you aren’t a member of Guts.com yet, sign up now by following our links so you can qualify in next weekend’s live dealer Blues-Be-Gone rebate on your favourite live card games.

Guts.com officially opens new real money poker casino

Guts.com opens new poker siteGuts Casino has launched its brand new poker platform, and it looks to seriously rival other top online poker operators, such as 888 Poker and PokerStars.

Register a poker alias with Guts.com and you will automatically receive a $1000 welcome bonus, which is released in $5 batches. Additionally, for every $25 you contribute towards the rake, you will earn a $5 bonus. The released bonus money is paid in cold, hard cash – no wagering requirements.

Enjoy a host of fresh promotions and tournaments when you take part in this high quality, immersive and interactive live poker experience. Some of the most anticipated and exciting promos and competitions include:

  • The New Player Tournaments (includes freeroll and low entry buy in games)
  • Bad Beat Jackpot
  • $10K Sit ‘N Go Challenge
  • King of Hearts
  • The London Cash Game Festival

You will also automatically start earning Guts Poker Loyalty Points when you play real money cash games and tournaments. This Loyalty Program rewards players the more they play – work your way up the loyalty ladder from the Silver tier (1 to 499 points) to the Gold tier (500 to 999 points), then the Platinum tier (1000 to 2999 points) and finally the Diamond tier (3000 points plus).

The higher your loyalty membership level, the more points you will be able to convert to cold, hard cash (track your status and points amount in the poker lobby. Earn $1 for every 30 points you accumulate. Once you hit the right amount of points for the next tier, you are upgraded instantly.

  • Receive 10 per cent cash back at the Silver tier
  • Receive 15 per cent cash back at the Gold tier
  • Receive 20 per cent cash back at the Platinum tier
  • Receive 30 per cent cash back at the Diamond tier

There are eight classic poker titles to enjoy, and they include:

  • Texas Hold’em No Limit
  • Texas Hold’em Fixed Limit
  • Omaha Hi
  • Omaha Hi Lo
  • Razz
  • Card Stud
  • Card Draw
  • 7-Card Stud
  • Players can opt to play instantly via their Web browsers (known as instant play) or download the poker client for the ultimate gaming experience.

    The interface itself showcases a neat and slick designed, with all sectors of the poker client easily accessible and easy to manage. Browse through the list of cash games and tournaments, tailor the games to your desires, check out the rules to all the diverse poker titles and conduct all your banking securely through the Guts banking tab (ample deposit and withdrawals options, and all globally trusted).

    Contact the Guts poker support team

    If you need to get in touch with the poker support staff at Guts, you can do so via one of several methods:

    Emails will be responded to as soon as possible (within 24 hours).

    Sign up with Guts Poker Casino today and enjoy a host of free promos and bonus, and entry in to some fantastic tournaments and competitions. Play with your mates, and chat with other poker enthusiasts from across the globe.

Bag free spins and bonus cash in Guts Casino’s January Sales

Guts.com January Sales promotionThe post-Christmas sales may be starting to slow down, but at Guts Casino things are just warming up.

Guts is hosting a huge January Sales promotion, where all kinds of bonuses must go before the month is through, giving card players the chance to pick up some pretty sweet bargains to help fund your casino accounts.

The January Sales promo is running all through January, with a different bonus up for grabs every day. To stay in the loop of the current sale offers, sign up and make sure you’ve opted in to receive promotional SMS and emails, or alternatively, click the ‘promotions’ tab on the Guts homepage to see what today’s bonus brings.

Prizes vary every day, and while not all bonuses apply to card games (like free spins which are only eligible for the pokies) we’ve already seen some great offers that will hugely benefit blackjack, poker and baccarat players.

For example, there’s been numerous matched deposit bonuses on offer, where Guts will match any money you deposit up to a specified amount. There’s also the chance to win extra loyalty points, tickets to exclusive raffle draws and we’ve even heard whisper that some real world prizes like gadgets may be up for grabs.

All you need to do to take advantage of these great January offers is to be a registered member. Guts has a great range of real money card games to choose from, so any bonuses you manage to pick up throughout the January sales can be used towards fuelling your bank roll on such popular card games as:

  • Multi-Hand Atlantic City Blackjack
  • Blackjack Pro
  • Pontoon Pro
  • Pirate 21
  • Super 7 Blackjack
  • Blackjack Classic
  • Double Exposure Blackjack Pro
  • Multi-Hand Perfect Pairs
  • Casino Hold’em
  • Pai Gow Poker
  • Oasis Poker Pro
  • Texas Hold’em
  • Cyberstud Poker
  • Baccarat

If you’re unfamiliar with any of these card games, you can try them for free at Guts.com in demo mode so you can get a hang of the rules and practice your strategies before moving on to risk any real money.

When you decide to place a real wager, Guts will reward your first deposit by matching it by up to $400 plus giving you 100 free spins to try your luck on the popular pokies game, Starburst.

There’s less than two weeks left of January, so scoot on over to Guts.com today and bag yourself a bargain.

Have you been Naughty or Nice? Royal Vegas Casino will find out

Regardless if you have been a naughty or nice blackjack player this year, Royal Vegas is offering you the chance to win a share of $200,000 this Christmas.

Sign up at www.RoyalVegasCasino.com and play your favourite blackjack titles, all of which are powered by Microgaming and offer favourable player rules, to participate in the Naughty or Nice promotion up until December 31.

To take part you need to earn loyalty points which can be done via the blackjack title of your choice. As you accrue the points, the Naughty-O-Metre or Nice-O-Metre, depending on which you were this year (or which option you choose), will slowly fill up and as it reaches each of the markers on the metre you will unlock a prize.

You can unlock an array of prizes by playing every day and once the metre is full you will win a cash prize. The best part is, you can fulfil the metre quickly by playing the blackjack title of your choice.

Royal Vegas Rewards program

In order to earn loyalty points and fill the Naughty or Nice O-Metre you need to play real money games. Since blackjack and other cards are our game of choice we need to know how much we need to wager on each game to earn a point.

The following Microgaming games available at Royal Vegas require the following amounts to be wagered in order to earn one loyalty point;

  • High Streak Blackjack Gold – 20 credits
  • Premiere Blackjack Hi/Lo – 20 credits
  • Double Exposure Blackjack – 20 credits
  • Spanish Blackjack – 20 credits
  • European Blackjack Gold – 20 credits
  • Vegas Single Deck Blackjack – 20 credits
  • Big Five Blackjack Gold – 20 credits
  • Atlantic City Blackjack Gold – 20 credits
  • Super Fun 21 – 20 credits
  • Multi-Hand Blackjack – 20 credits
  • Vegas Strip Blackjack – 20 credits
  • Classic Blackjack – 100 credits

While Classic Blackjack requires 100 credits per loyalty point, if you play the perfect strategy you can get the house edge down to 0.13%, which is quite favourable to you as a player and will allow you to continue to play and earn those points to receive a naughty or nice Christmas bonus.

What’s more is you will earn 2500 loyalty points when you make your first deposit, so if you are a new player you will fill the metre in no time.

Sign up to www.RoyalVegasCasino.com now if you haven’t already and you can also opt in for the new player welcome package of up to $1200 matched over three deposits and as many as 200 free spins to use if you want to try out the site’s extensive range of slots.

Promotions round-up: upcoming online poker events for October

Our favourite poker sites have some amazing promotions for players in the coming weeks, and we have everything you need to know to take advantage of them.

888 Poker Expect the Unexpected promotion

888 Poker are offering their players the chance to win a share of $1 million in cash and prizes.

Simply register at 888 Poker up until November 1 to receive three free tickets for the Unexpected Giveaway Free Tournaments, which has a prize pool of $3000. This tournament runs three times every single day until the end of the promotional period. The top 50 players during the promotional period will receive a mystery prize on top of their winnings too.

What’s more is if you make your first deposit that day of at least $10 you will receive a free spin on the Wheel of Mystery game. You can do this every day to receive some amazing cash bonuses, prizes and more.

Full Tilt’s Freerolls Fiesta

First up is Full Tilt’s Freeroll Fiesta running from September 28 up until October 18, where you can win big for free via the following events.

Fiesta Jackpot Sit & Go Tournaments

Players can enter the Fiesta Jackpot Sit & Go tournament simply by earning at least 10 Full Tilt points in a day.

You will then take on two other Full Tilt players the following day in an attempt to win a random cash prize of up to $1000.

Fiesta Satellite Free Rolls

Take part in the Fiesta Satellite Freerolls by simply earning a Full Tilt point via playing with real money, anytime within 24 hours before registration for the freeroll game of your choice, to win a share of $30,000 in buy-ins.

Check the schedule before entering, by following our links and clicking on the promotions page, so you can be sure to make your preferred satellite freeroll.

Fiesta Freebuys

Fiesta Freebuys are free to all players and run every day at 3pm ET during the Freeroll Fiesta, with a $2000 jackpot on offer and $0.50 re-buys if you luck out.

PokerStars Red Spade Open

On October 4 the $55 Red Spade Open is returning to PokerStars featuring an incredible $1 million prize pool, with first place earning $100,000 and $500 bounties placed on any PokerStars team members participating.

Players can either pay a $55 buy-in for the Red Spade Open or you can win a seat for just $1 by playing some of the satellite tournaments leading up to the event. To locate these simply follow our links to the site and enter ‘Red Spade Open’ in the ‘Find a Tournament’ field, under the ‘Tournaments’ link.

Additionally, if you are a VIP player you can spend 3100 FPPs to earn a seat into the Red Spade Open.

So if you think you have what it takes to win some amazing prizes head over to these trustworthy poker sites like www.888Poker.com and try your hand.

Win tournament tickets, bonus cash in 888Poker’s Summer SplashOut

888 Poker - Best real money online poker888Poker has been celebrating the Northern Hemisphere summer in style, running the Summer SplashOut promo since the middle of July. As all good things must come to an end, the promotion is drawing a to close on the 2nd of September but you’ve still got a couple of days to head on over and sign up at 888Poker to take advantage of these awesome offers.

Register for a new account at www.888Poker.com between July 14th and September 2nd and you’ll be rewarded with four entry tickets to selected poker tournaments. The tickets can be used on either the SplashOut Free tournaments or the All-in SplashOut Goodies tournaments, with tourneys happening around the clock 12 times daily.

There’s up to $12,000 in cold hard cash and red hot goodies to be won in these tournaments every day with no damage to your own pocket, giving seasoned poker players and newbies alike the chance to hone their poker skills and enjoy the thrill of the competitive nature of tourney play.

The daily tournament schedule for the remainder of the promotion is as follows:

  • $1,000 SplashOut Tournament – daily at 00:05 GMT
  • $2,000 SplashOut Tournament – twice daily at 12:05 GMT and 16:35 GMT
  • $3,000 SplashOut Tournament – daily at 19:35 GMT
  • $500 SplashOut Beach Towel All-in Tournament – daily at 18:05 GMT
  • $500 SplashOut Baseball Cap All-in Tournament – daily at 02:05 GMT
  • $500 SplashOut T-shirt All-in Tournament – daily at 22:35 GMT
  • $500 SplashOut Cooler Bag All-in Tournament – daily at 08:05 GMT
  • $500 SplashOut Sports Bag All-in Tournament – daily at 10:05 GMT
  • $500 SplashOut Casino FreePlay All-in Tournament – daily at 21:05 GMT
  • $500 SplashOut Sports Free Bet All-in Tournament – daily at 15:05 GMT
  • $500 SplashOut Ray-Ban Sunglasses All-in Tournament – daily at 13:35 GMT

If the free tickets don’t catch your eye, how does a luxury summer getaway for you and a friend sound? Once you’ve registered with 888Poker, keep an eye out in your inbox for an email about the Poker Holiday Challenge, giving you the chance to participate in the holiday tournament where the top two players receive a SplashOut Summer Holiday Package which includes hotels and travel expenses, valued around $2,900. (Note that the actual holiday package granted will depend on your location of residence – check the terms and conditions of the promo for full details.)

During the promotional period, enter the code ‘SPLASH20’ when making your first deposit of $20 or more and 888Poker will also match it with an extra $20. This is on top of the usual no-deposit welcome package of $88, so depositing as little as $20 before the 2nd of September can get you up to $108 of free money to kick off your online poker experience.

888Poker is one of the Internet’s leading real money poker sites and is a real hit amongst international players. Games are also available for mobile play on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets so however you like to play, head to 888poker and sign up for an account today.

Become a millionaire with new promotion at 888 Poker

Omaha Hi Lo PokerKeen for a shot at becoming an instant millionaire?

888 Poker’s new promotion – The Million Dollar Money Grab – gives new players who register an account between May 14th and July 14th the chance at winning a cool one million dollars, along with other cash bonuses and tournament tickets.

Sign up at www.888Poker.com and you will be instantly rewarded with an entire day of free entry to the $2,000 Gold Chip Tournaments. But you’ll need tournament tickets to stay in the competition – when you register an account, you will receive one ‘on the house’ ticket to enter a $2,000 Gold Chip Tournament. If you deposit real money following your registration, you’ll receive another three free tickets.

Within these tournaments, the top 100-finishing players will win one Gold Chip, while the player who places first will win two Gold Chips. Earning Gold Chips rewards you with additional tournament tickets and cash bonuses.

If you manage to be the first person to finish in the top 100 in 10 consecutively played $2,000 Gold Chip Tournaments, you’ll earn yourself 10 Gold Chips and you will win the $1,000,000 prize.

Don’t fret if you happen to miss out on the top 100 placings during one tournament, though – you are rewarded with prizes and fresh tickets with each Gold Chip you collect, so you can cash them in and start again.

  • Earn two Gold Chips – gain a $2,000 Money Grab Free Tournament ticket
  • Earn two Gold Chips – $10 in cash
  • Earn four Gold Chips – $50 in cash
  • Earn five Gold Chips – $200 in cash
  • Earn six Gold Chips – $1,000 in cash
  • Earn seven Gold Chips – $3,000 in cash
  • Earn eight Gold Chips – $10,000 in cash
  • Earn nine Gold Chips – $100,000 in cash

Keep earning Gold Chips and you’ll be able to continue partaking in tournaments.

Already an 888 Poker account holder? You can still enter the $2,000 Money Grab Free Tournament promo.

Check your email for a link to the current promotion, and you can deposit cash to gain your free tickets into the tournament.

Additionally, players can gain tickets into the $2K tournament by playing in the Daily Poker Missions and the Gold Chip Spin Game, both of which are offered at 888 Poker. So there are ample ways to rack up tickets for a shot at becoming an instant millionaire.

Be part of the million dollar money grab at 888 Poker

888 Poker - online poker gamesWant to become an instant millionaire just by playing poker? Between May 14th and July 14th players at www.888Poker.com have the chance to be part of a $1,000,000 prize pool, with plenty of other sweet treats to scoop up along the way.

All you need to do is join in on one of the the $2K Gold Chip tournaments and play your way to the top 100 in order to receive a gold chip. The first player to receive 10 consecutive gold chips becomes the winner of the incredible million dollar prize.

This doesn’t mean you have to play every day, it just means you need to be part of the top 100 players in every consecutive Gold Chip poker tournament you participate in. The great thing about this is that if you don’t make it to top 100, you haven’t missed out your chances of becoming a millionaire, you simply need to start again. And with the promo running until mid-July, there’s plenty of time to catch up.

You’ll also receive cash prizes when you collect three or more gold chips, with prizes starting from $20 for three gold chips increasing all the way up to $100,000 for nine gold chips.

Earning gold chips will also grant you more entry tickets into the $2,000 Gold Chip tournaments. So millionaire or not, there are some awesome rewards to be won during 888’s Million Dollar Money Grab promotion.

There are two easy ways to enter the $2K Gold Chip tournaments. If you don’t have an account with 888Poker, you can sign up to score one free entry ticket as part of your welcome package, along with a bonus $88, with no deposit required.

The other way to enter is to make a real money deposit, where you will be rewarded with an entire day of free tournament entry tickets. The more you play, the more chances you have to enter.