More and more online casino operators are using the tiny Mediterranean island of Cyprus as a base to run their operations.  Not only are there no laws against doing so for online casinos, these babies are expected to produce almost seven billion dollars internationally in 2010.  (All together now, Dr. Evil-style:  SEVEN BILLION DOLLARS!)

At the moment, even though old-fashioned brick and mortar casinos are illegal, Cyprus doesn’t have any kind of institutions to oversee the operation of online casino games.  However, lawmakers are starting to worry about the well-being of their citizens. “The main aim is to protect Cypriot society,” claimed lawmaker Aristofanis Georgiou.

As a citizen of the world whose well-being is quite healthy, I have to ask:  why???  Your people live on a freaking MEDITERRANEAN ISLAND!  What problems could they possibly have?  Too many gorgeous sunny days?  For the love of beaches, let your people gamble!

Apparently being a member of the European Union puts some restrictions on the exchange of services.  Since Cyprus is a member, online gambling falls into the category of things that might need to be restricted.   “Ninety-five per cent of electronic gambling services in our country operate legally because they are provided over the Internet and there is no authority where one can apply for a permit,” said Ionas Nicolaou, a local government official.  Hopefully things will remain that way.

If so, then don’t fret because help is on the way!  (At least for the first two questions.)  Any clue what this week is?  Nope, not Oscar week.  It’s National Problem Gambling Awareness Week, put on my the Problem Gambling Coalition of Colorado and the National Council on Problem Gambling.  That’s a lot of words.  That’s what happens when you have people suffering from gambling addiction.  (By the way, does anyone not “suffer” from gambling addiction?  Reminds me of the joke “Four out of five people suffer from diarrhea.   The fifth enjoys it.”)

Apparently millions of people just can’t get enough of online gambling and casino games or rather they CAN get enough.  The problem is they just can’t stop, running up losses of thousands of dollars over time.  Not good for someone’s wallet or for their mental health for that matter.

So what kind of assistance can a gambling addict receive?  By entering a treatment and research center, he or she can meet with some treatment professionals and others who are addicted as well (like the famous Alcoholics Anonymous.)  While it’s rare for someone to experience this, it’s not a condition restricted to a single socioeconomic class, race, gender, etc.

That said, I need to go.  I haven’t played online poker for ten minutes now and I have at least ten more consecutive hours before I quit.  Addiction shmaddiction!

We all know the commercial.  Some things money can’t buy.  For everything else, there’s Master Card.  Apparently if you want to get your account seized, they can take care of that too.

This just in:  Master Card has begun to seize money on its way to online casino sites through their credit cards.  Once this money is taken, the online casino no longer has access to it and it is unclear when the money will be released to the player or casino.  Well, don’t that just suck?

Online casino sites must now scramble again to locate alternative payment processors who can handle transactions made with Master Card which don’t set off alarm bells, red flags, and other things that would cause someone to be royally screwed.  Otherwise, it’s just not fair to the players who simply want to gamble and may have their money taken away.

Good to know that the important dangers to society are being focused on rather than, you know, rape, murder, homelessness, and the United States not winning the gold medal in ice hockey.  Online gambling and the associated casino games have ruined for too many lives and caused too much fun.  Thank you, Master Card, for looking out for us!

This just in:  I know it’s hard to believe but in 2010, the United States of America does STILL not allow online gambling and the transfer of money to online casino sites.  You read that correctly.  What might be slightly more shocking (if that’s even possible) is that the first state which may wake up and smell the poker chips could be…..ready?  Iowa.  IOWA.  IOWAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How the hell did this happen?  Well, it’s not like people aren’t already playing online blackjack like it’s going outta style.  With fifty thousand residents already playing casino games over the internet, apparently the lawmakers are realizing that there are gazillions of dollars to be made.  Ever since the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) was passed a few years back, billions (BILLIONS!) of potential tax dollars have simply gone up in smoke as online gambling lovers have been forced to just not gamble at all (read:  USE NON-AMERICAN WEBSITES.)

This recent effort has been led by Congressional Representative Doug Struyk and could bring Iowa an estimated eleven million bucks in taxes.  (That’s a lot of corn.)  How would it work? Rather than using online payment processors, players would have to deposit money at local brick-and-mortar casinos before logging on to the actual online casino.  Any winnings would also be collected at the same casino.

Let’s go, Iowa, make this happen.  If it works, you can be sure other states wouldn’t be far behind.  Except with the corn thing.

What’s a search engine?  Ok, if you don’t know that, we really have problems.  Porn isn’t the only thing revolutionized by the internet (just possibly the most popular).  Online casino sites have found a home through search engines, specifically Google, making sites easy to locate which feature casino games such as online blackjack, online poker, online slots, and more.  It’s a big online gambling arms race which casinos competing for the highest Google rankings.

This just in:  it’s not just Google anymore.  Microsoft has spent years trying to develop an alternative and their current version is their most successful yet.  America and the European Union recently decided to allow Microsoft’ Bing search engine and Yahoo to join forces and list joint results.  The two will now account for almost a third of the search results, no small number.  Whereas online casino sites have been trying to master Google’s search formula for years, they may begin to direct their attention to this new powerhouse.  Should be interesting!

Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s online blackjack to be played.  Gotta go do some searching….

This just in:  eGaming Review, a magazine covering the onling gambling industry, has announced their new series of awards to commend the best of the best online gambling sites and sources of online casino games.  All companies offering a B2B gambling product will be eligible to win in categories including gaming and betting software, mobile casino games, payments, networks, marketing, and much, much more.  (So much for the MTV Movie Awards being the most progressive awards out there.)

With online casino games getting consistently bigger over the last few years, there are several major players in the online gambling world and eGaming Review thinks that there’s a lot of credit to go around.  In fact, the big players have been clamoring for a ceremony and the publishing director of the magazine expects that these awards will someday be as big as the Operators awards, looked at as the Academy Awards of the online gambling world.

So when will this big shindig go down?  Mark your calendars, people:  June 14, 2010, after a big dinner in London on eGaming Review’s opening night of their conference and exhibition. All the categories will be announced in March with instructions on how nominations will take place.

Get ready, people-it’s going to be big.  The only question is who’s going to host it?  Johnny Chan, step right up!

(And now, a word from our editor.  AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!  SERIOUSLY????  DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!!!  How many freaking hours do I have to play online blackjack for to hit the jackpot?  C’mon, Lady Luck, hook a brotha up!  Life isn’t fair.  I don’t ask much.  I need to win the lottery.  Ok, sorry….where were we?)

How did this lucky bastard do it?  By sticking to bonus and feature online slots and taking home ninety thousand Euros in a single day.  How much was his biggest single jackpot?  Forty-four thousand Euros.

One company representative said, “Our players choose (our casino) for security, variety of games, quality of entertainment and chances to win big.”  And in other news, people go to McDonalds for the convenience, price, and hamburgers.  Ok, tell us something we don’t know, Mr. Online Casino Man.  The dude got superlucky, that’s all there is to it.  And no, I’m not bitter that it wasn’t me hitting it big in online slots.  (Ok, yes, I am.)

Well, let’s hope his luck spreads in 2010.  Online casino games, here I come.

Well, fear not because we at least have the Winter Olympics.  As of this past weekend, they’re underway from Vancouver, in the British Columbia province of Canada.  The games started under tragic circumstances with a luge competitor from the country of Georgia dying in an accident but, while trying not to be crass, the show must go on, so to speak.

If your love for online casino sites crosses over to sports, there is plenty to partake in.  One popular bet is which country will win the most medals.  As with anything, it’s all about the odds.  A bet on the United States won’t result in a big win although as always, they figure to be the odds-on favorite.  One popular bet on online gambling sites is sure to be which team will take home the gold medal in ice hockey, with host nation Canada expected to emerge victorious.

There are certainly no shortage of sites to place bets online with many online casino sites having expanded to handle online sports bets in the last few years.  We have about two weeks to enjoy the competition.  Fasten your seat belts, online gambling fans, we should be in for a good ride.

To our parents, these social media and networking sites might just seem like tools they have to learn but the young generation knows better.  To kids especially, the internet isn’t a tool but a way of life that they can’t imagine living without like the television was to us growing up.  And whereas online casino sites are still a bit new and crazy to some of us, to the young generation in college right now who may like to blow off steam with some online blackjack or online poker, it’s no different from ordering a book off Amazon or downloading music from iTunes.

Ever since Facebook opened itself to third-party apps, anything and everything has been available there, including online casino games.  More and more casinos are putting themselves onto sites like this and if you’re an online casino and don’t have a mobile application?  Forget it….this ain’t 2007, people.

In 2010, everything works together.  Your Twitter feeds into your Google Buzz which is accessible through your iPhone which you of course use to play mobile casino games when you’re killing time.  The more technology at our fingertips, the more the world gets smaller.  Cool stuff, huh?  Gotta run….I haven’t updated my status in 5 minutes.

The news reported that more people tuned into the Indianapolis Colts-New Orleans Saints game than any other show in history, including the finale of MASH, a record which had stood for over twenty-five years.  So it’s not a huge surprise that the big game took in millions of dollars from online sports book sites.

With Peyton Manning playing for his legacy and Drew Brees playing for the rebirth of an entire city, not to mention that two number-one seeds were matched up for the first time in years, everyone had an interest and an opinion in this game.  And the online casino sites reflected that with millions of online gambling fans logging in to put their dollars on the line.

While Vegas is always busy during March Madness and the Super Bowl, online casino sites reported a record number of registrations for new users, yet another sign that online gambling is here to stay.   And the huge number of prop bets don’t hurt either:  who will win the coin flip, who will win MVP, who can shove the most hot dogs and nachos into their fat mouths while watching the pre-game show….ok, so I made that one up.

But the total number of bets made was up fourteen percent from last year.   With the economy still down, you can bet online sports book sites will be even hotter next year.  Is it football season yet?