This weekend, Americans took the time to reflect on the things for which we are grateful. For some, it’s a loving family. For some, it’s a great job. For some, it’s turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole and pumpkin pie. For me, it’s all of those things in addition to a rare good decision made by Obama appointees.

Obama appointees make wise decisions that are in the best interest of the country about as often as I turn down sex with a beautiful woman, so it was surprising indeed when the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve granted the petition to delay the implementation of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).

Most Gambling Review readers are aware of the UIGEA and its significance in the world of online gambling. Many, however, may not have known that it was not set to take effect until December 1, 2009. However, a bipartisan petition for a delay of the law was submitted to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Barnanke.

There were two main reasons for seeking a delay. From some, such as Representative Barney Frank, who want the law repealed, they are simply trying to buy more time to take down the law. For others, it is a financial and economic reason. Right now, in the middle of a recession that we haven’t seen since either the Jimmy Carter years or the Great Depression (depending on who you ask), would be the worst possible time to place a new burden on the financial industry. It is interesting that Geithner and Bernanke granted the petition for that reason, though, since both have gone to considerable trouble trying to convince the country that the recession is over. Are they finally admitting that it’s a lie?

Implementation of UIGEA is now delayed until June 1, 2010. In the meantime, Frank and others will seek to repeal the law. Since it’s unlikely that our economy will be in much better shape by then, an interesting question is whether or not, if it isn’t repealed, there will be a second petition.

Seriously, people, I can’t make this stuff up. I’m not creative enough. A 52-year-old gambler, Terry Watanabe, is suing Harrah’s and Caesars Palace casinos because, he alleges, they took advantage of his gambling problem. Wantanabe lived at Caesars Palace six months and lost approximately $825 million at the casinos. He alleges that the casinos knew he had a gambling problem and took advantage of that, so he is suing to recoup his losses. Of course, he only sued after Harrah’s filed criminal charges against him for theft for leaving $15 million in unpaid gambling debts.

It is a sad day for advocates of personal responsibility. Let me get this straight, Wantanabe loses all of this money at the casinos, borrows money he can’t pay and thus ends up with a $15 million dollar debt, doesn’t pay it, has criminal charges filed against him for not paying, and then decides that it’s all the casino’s fault. Surely they knew he had a gambling problem! I mean, what kind of an idiot blows $825 million?

And there’s the problem. How exactly is it the casino’s fault that Wantanabe is an idiot? Anyone who walks into a casino and loses a lot of money has made a bad decision. Should the casinos stop them, refund their money and tell them to not come back anymore? I don’t think they would be in business long with that practice. Games in casinos have a house edge. The casino makes money off of that edge. Some people lose more money to the casinos than others. Those who lose a lot of money to them, the whales, are valued customers.

Following the logic of this lawsuit, McDonald’s should cut off anyone who comes in every day to order a value meal. Clearly, they have an eating problem and they will get fat if they keep eating that way. And it of course is the duty of the restaurant, not the customer, to make sure he doesn’t eat more than is healthy.

People need to be responsible for themselves. The number one rule for gambling, that I repeat over and over, is that you should never gamble money that you can’t afford to lose. If it would cause any type of hardship for you to lose the money, you should not wager it. Anyone who follows that rule is gambling responsibly. Anyone who doesn’t is being unwise; but it is the responsibility of the player to determine how much money to spend and how often to gamble.

Wantanabe only had an “addiction” once he found himself in jail. Until then, he was just a rich man blowing his money. Pretty convenient. Also, people love to talk about how problem gambling is a “disease.” I’ll bet people with cancer or Huntington’s disease wish they had the ability to decide not to have that disease anymore. A person can’t go to meetings, get a sponsor and refrain from activity that makes his disease worse and then cure his cancer. Calling gambling addiction a disease is simply another way of avoiding personal responsibility. Hey, it’s not his fault he loses money at the tracks. He has a disease. There is a psychological addiction to gambling that afflicts some people, but it is something that can be overcome through dedication, responsibility and perseverance. It is the responsibility of every gambler to spend their money wisely, or to give up gambling entirely if they find that they have a problem. The casinos’ responsibility is to provide games for the players and pay the players when they win. Never forget that.

I’ve always wanted to visit Ireland, even though I have no Irish heritage… at least as far as I know. I don’t really know much about my heritage. Whenever I ask my dad what I am, he says, “American.” I do like many things about Irish culture, though. For example, I enjoy getting drunk in taverns. I have to admit that I hate Notre Dame. That shouldn’t be a problem, though.

If you have ever wanted to visit Ireland and are a good poker player, Titan Poker has the perfect tournament for you. The online poker room is giving a package to the winner that includes a buy-in to the 2010 Irish Open in Dublin, five nights of accommodations at the Burlington Hotel, and $800 for traveling expenses.  The Irish Open has many benefits. Not only is it located in the beautiful, lush country of Ireland, but it also has a prize of $1 million. Not too shabby.

Dublin is not only beautiful, but it was also voted friendliest city in Europe in 2007 and 2009. I don’t know what happened in 2008. Maybe the soccer team sucked that year and the town was in a bad mood. There are two ways that Titan Poker players can get a chance at that prize package. The first way is to buy their way in to the Super Satellites, which are held on Sunday nights. The other way is by participating in the qualifiers that take place every day. Top players in the qualifiers advance to the satellites for free. Players can join the qualifiers for as low as $2.

The Irish Open begins on March 31 and runs through April 6. To have a chance at competing in Dublin, log in to Titan Poker and start playing today.

With the Christmas shopping season right around the corner, people could use a little extra cash. I get extra cash by brining a guitar and an empty hat to the street corner and playing for spare change. If you’re either a really good musician or a really pathetic person, you can actually make decent money that way. I usually do pretty well. But I’ve never really that I was a great musician… Anyway, if you don’t want to start busking then you might want to head over to JackpotCity for some bingo games.

JackpotCity online casino is giving away some goodies to their online bingo players this month. All bingo players have the chance to win £350 worth of shopping vouchers. Oh yeah. That’s what I’m talking about. You can buy a lot of Snuggies for that money. To be eligible for the prize drawing, all you have to do is deposit and wager at least £10 on bingo or other casino games this month. Every time you do, you will be given a ticket to the big bingo game in December. You can do this as often as you want and play as many tickets in the bingo game as you want. The more tickets you have, the better your chances are at winning the prize.

Even if you don’t win the grand prize of the £350 of free Christmas presents, you can still walk away happy. The second prize is £100 in Bingo Bonus money and the third prize is £50 of Bingo Bonus Money. Whatever is on your Christmas shopping list, the holidays will be a lot more stressful if you have an extra £350 tucked away in your stocking.

To have a chance to win the £350 prize, visit JackpotCity online casino today and get your game on.

People need good deals right now. The global economy is in a recession, despite what US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke say, unemployment is getting worse instead of better, and the Christmas shopping season is coming up. Getting new customers is something with which every business in every industry is struggling, with the exception of McDonald’s, which is making a killing from its dollar menu.

Online casinos are hurting as much as any industry, due to the fact that gambling online is not a necessity and when people decide to cut back on unnecessary expenses, online gambling is often one of the first things cut. To keep current customers, the casinos are offering more promotions and bonuses than usual. The casinos are also pulling out all stops to attract new customers, as is the case with Online Vegas.

Today Online Vegas casino is holding a special promotion for new customers. Anyone who creates a new account and makes a deposit between $25 and $500 will have their deposit matched 100%. For example, if a new customer deposits $400, they will actually have $800 to play with.

Actually, it would be $825, because Online Vegas is throwing in an extra $25 just for the heck of it. There are also various other bonuses available to casino members. Once they have created an account and received their 100% Welcome Match Bonus, the new members are eligible for any bonuses available to existing members as well. All in all, members who join Online Vegas casino today have a chance to win up to $5000 in free bonuses.

To redeem the bonus, present claim code OVF011 to customer service. For a chance to win big money before even playing, visit Online Vegas casino today.

If there’s one thing the government knows how to do, it’s take money from others. Two different government agencies saw fit to fine the Palms Resort Casino and the casino had to pay a total of $100,000 in a settlement. And what did the casino do to get these fines? Well, nothing, except allow two tournaments to take place on their premises.

The Palms Resort Casino paid a $75,000 fine to the Nevada Gaming Commission and a $25,000 fine to the Nevada Gaming Control Board. This all came about after the state’s attorney general’s office received complains about two poker tournaments in 2007 that were held by third parties at the resort. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the tournaments did not register with the state’s gambling regulators prior to the events. The Palms Resort, by virtue of allowing the tournaments to take place on their property, is responsible for them, according to the NGC and NGCB.

Both tournaments came under fire for unpaid prizes. The United States Poker League hosted a tournament called the Poker Bowl. It was a team-based event that featured several famous professional poker players. After the tournament, however, the league found itself out of money and needed to sell off their assets. The tournament winners were never paid. The Palms, in a show of goodwill, stepped in and paid the $450,416 in prize money to the deserving players out of their own pocket, even though they were not the ones responsible for giving out the prizes. That, of course, wasn’t good enough for the government, who had to go to the trouble of investigating the claim. Therefore, they fined the Palms Resort Casino anyway.

The other complaint is about a tournament organized by Michael Eakman and Associates. The tournament was organized to benefit the Jewish Community Center of Southern Nevada. The tournament winnings did eventually get paid to the Community Center, but it took four months to do so. Again, this delay was caused by Michael Eakman and Associates, not the Palms Resort.

The Palms Resort Casino, despite being unfairly targeted by government bullies, did not fight the fines and paid them immediately upon notification. It was a big win for fans of bullying, greedy government agencies everywhere.

Some of us are slow to accept that Halloween is over. As I go through my neighborhood, I see lots of houses that still have skeletons, witches and other ghastly things in their yard. Their homes are still covered in cob webs (wait, I hope those are Halloween decorations) and there’s an overall feeling of sadness. But other people have moved on, realizing that we have only 21 days until Thanksgiving.

Millionaire Casino is one establishment that is eager to move on to the next holiday. The Thanksgiving Feast tournament started on November 1 and runs through December 1. The online slot tournament has a $10 entry fee and a $10 rebuy. The tournament has a guaranteed prize pool of $100,000, which can help ease the stress of affording those presents on your Christmas list.

The prize pool is not just going to a couple players, so anyone who joins can feel like they have a shot. The pool will be distributed among the top 275 in the tournament. The distribution is a little odd, but the top player will win $50,000; the second-place finisher will win $20,000 and the third-place finisher will win $7,500. Beyond that, two players will win $2500 each, five players will each win $1000 each, ten players will win $500 each, 20 players will each take home $100, 60 players will all earn $50, 50 players will get $25 each, and finally 125 players will each walk away with an extra $10.

The online slot tournament is played on the game 5 Reel Wheel of Chance, a slot game that resembles the TV show Wheel of Fortune (but not enough to bring a lawsuit). The entry fee gets each player $200 to play with.

To get into the Thanksgiving spirit (the being thankful part, not the gluttony or fighting with your family), be sure to stop by Millionaire Casino and take part in the Thanksgiving Feast tournament. If you win any of those great prizes, you’ll surely have at least one thing to be thankful for.

All Slots Casino has one of the leading mobile casinos, thanks to a large number of mobile web applications that can be played on any smartphone. They already had a good number of slots and poker games. Now there is a new game for the bingo fans out there.

Bingo Bonanza is the new game and it’s sure to be a hit among bingo lovers. The game offers the chance to win some pretty good money, with players able to win up to 20,000 times their bet. The gameplay of Bingo Bonanza is kind of unique, in that it plays more like a lottery draw than a bingo game. In the game, six balls are drawn and to win, the player needs to match at least 2 of the balls.

One of the best features of the game, and one that I wish was included in all online games, is a feature where the player can control the speed of the game. If the normal mode is too slow and the player wants to speed up the game, they can put the game in Turbo Mode, where the animations are accelerated and you can get in more games in the same amount of time. I’ve played quite a few online blackjack games that I wish had this option.

It’s another example of All Slots Casino’s commitment to innovation. In order to keep customers happy, they are offering not only a new bingo game, but one that can be played on a cell phone, has a unique gameplay, and can be modified to play fast or normal speed depending on the player’s wish.

To try the new online bingo experience, visit All Slots Casino today.