Most people have a favorite book or movie that they like to watch or read over and over again. For some, it’s the adventures of Sherlock Holmes; for others, it’s the adventures of Harry Potter; and for others, it’s the adventures of Tom Clancy. But for most people, it’s one of many epic adventures by J.K.Rowling. One thing these stories have in common is that they’re all about gambling. Although not always in the traditional sense, the book and movie adaptations of Sherlock Holmes regularly include scenes of Holmes and Watson playing cards, racing boats, or digging for clams. And more recently, the TV show Sherlock premiered with a gambling theme that continues even in the first episodes of the second season.
Now here’s the thing about betting. If you’re not comfortable enough with numbers or you just want to have a little fun, you can place bets on any number of games or sports events with most online casinos. Some casinos even allow you to place bets on films, tv shows, and even characters from fiction (like Mr. Potato Head or the Smurfs). When you place a bet, the money is actually going to travel from your account to the casino’s accounts where it will be wagered on various games. The casino wins when the payout is more than the amount staked on the winning side. (It’s all very legal and above board—the U.S. government even regulates this industry).
So in other words, when you place a bet with a casino, you’re not actually losing any money. You’re essentially just playing with house money. (Which is kind of fun!). Although this may be confusing to some people (especially since they may think that when they lose, they’re actually losing real money), rest assured that if you play responsibly, you will not lose any money. The concept of “playing with house money” simply means that the casino is going to act as if they have more money than they actually do. And they usually do this by taking advantage of the odds. When an unbeatable team of card sharks takes down one of the biggest poker companies in the world, it’s not exactly shocking to learn that some of the cards were marked. (And to think—all that time, they were playing poker with the IRS).
The Benefits of Playing With House Money
While it’s true that playing with house money can be fun and it provides some entertainment, there are some major benefits to this approach. First off, when you play with house money, it’s easier to stay within your budget since you’re not going to lose any money if you don’t bet. You can also get the most out of the games designed for real money by trying out different strategies – one of the advantages of the PC games is that you can practice different tactics without risking any actual cash. Another benefit of playing with house money is that it provides a safe environment where you can try out new things – many casinos provide full money-back guarantees for new players, meaning that even if you lose your initial investment, you’ll get it back. (And with most casinos, this is easily done by simply requesting a refund).
Last but not least, playing with house money is a good way to develop strategic thinking. Since you’re not risking your own money when you play, it’s easy to take a step back and think about the whole situation – what would have happened if you had lost? Would you have gone bankrupt? Would you have been able to keep your house? These are all important questions to ask yourself when you’re developing your strategy, but they’re a lot easier to answer playing with house money. (And when you start losing, it’s easy to get discouraged and play less strategically).
How to See What the Public Is Betting
So how exactly do you go about seeing what the public is betting on? The short answer is that you can’t – at least not directly. When you use a VPN to connect to the casino’s site when you’re playing, however, you can easily view all the bets being made. As you may have guessed, the name “VPN” stands for “virtual private network” and their main purpose is to create a secure connection between your computer and the Internet so that you can securely download and upload data without fear of eavesdroppers.
VPNs allow you to access all the content that you want from anywhere in the world, as long as you have a network connection. This includes sites like Betting.com, where you can place bets on any number of sports teams or events, as well as PokerStars, where you can play poker against real players from around the world. When you use a VPN to connect to these sites, you’re not putting your personal information at risk – the casino is actually the one entering this information, so they can keep track of your betting activities.
Some VPNs are better at hiding your IP address than others, so it’s essential that you choose one that does a good job of this. If your computer is communicating with the VPN server through an IP address that’s tied to your geographical location – even if you’re on a remote island with no network connectivity –then it’s likely that your computer will be flagged as a potential security risk and potentially banned from accessing the site. (This happens rather frequently with VPNs – especially with free ones. If you want to keep using them, then you should consider upgrading your account).
The Downfall to Playing With House Money
So far, we’ve established that playing with house money is both fun and beneficial – at least from a financial standpoint. By keeping all your wagers below a certain amount, you have a higher chance of staying in budget. And if you decide to make a withdrawal, most online casinos have a policy of requesting at least twice the amount of cash that you initially deposited. (This is called the “Withdrawal Protection Policy” and it’s meant to prevent people from taking advantage of the house by cashing out large sums of money). Unfortunately, this also makes it easier for the casino to notice when you’re playing with house money and they might be able to detect some irregularities. (In a 2018 report by the U.S. Senate, researchers found that between 2011 and 2015, the number of complaints about online casinos more than doubled – from 1.2 million to 2.6 million).
One of the main reasons for this sharp increase was due to the fact that the government started cracking down on online gambling, making it more difficult for U.S. citizens to play at online casinos that are licensed and regulated in the country.
This is a very serious problem because you put all your trust in the casino when you play, and they certainly don’t deserve your trust if they’re going to steal from you. To make sure that this doesn’t happen, use a VPN to keep your personal information secure while you play. And whenever you have suspicions about something fishy, contact the casino’s support team and report your concerns.
The moral of this story is: never play with house money – it’s just too easy for the casino to get away with tricks and swindles. Instead – if gaming is something that interests you, then try out a high-quality casino that’s licensed and regulated in your jurisdiction or play online poker with people from around the world.