Betting on a Lottery Windfall?

With the news that the UK National Lottery is due to double its price from £1 to £2 this October, disgruntled lottery players have started looking for other ways to enjoy their twice weekly lottery buzz. While some players are opting to play alternative lottery games which are still priced at £1 but have smaller jackpots (such as the Health Lottery or Thunderball), some players are deciding to try their luck on lottery betting instead.

Lottery betting is not a new phenomenon in the sports betting world as UK punters have commonly used lottery betting markets to bet on the outcome of lotteries based overseas, such as the Irish Lottery. Until now however, betting on domestic lotteries has been a relatively small market.

Markets in lottery betting include first ball out (odds or evens), colour of the first ball drawn and Bonus Ball number/colour/odds or even. Betfred now offer a complete lotto betting solution, which allows players to bet on eleven international lotteries. Some sites, such as Paddy Power, even offer players the ability to bet on specific numbers being drawn. Coral has gone one step further this week with the introduction of Health Lottery betting which could see punters win £1 million – ten times more than the average Health Lottery jackpot – by staking just £1 on the game.

The game, named Health Lottery Plus, will be available exclusively to play at Coral bookmaker stores on the high street from today, according to an article in the Daily Star. Punters will be able to bet on both the Health Lottery numbers and also choose an additional “Million Pound Number” for the chance to win £1 million.

Picture of the TOWIE cast from the Daily Star

The game was officially launched by the glamorous cast of TOWIE, including Lauren Goodger, Maria Fowler and Kirk Norcross, at a Coral store in Essex last week.

While it is unlikely that betting on the lottery will become more popular than simply playing the game itself, bookies are certainly giving players plenty of options should they fancy a change from their usual flutter.

To read more about the best online Sportsbooks and to read reviews of Coral, Paddy Power and Betfred, visit Gamble.co.uk.

New Casino Finder App Launched in UK

Gamble.co.uk, a leading UK based gambling news and casino review website, has just launched its Casino Finder app which allows users across the country to find their nearest land based casino. Although mobile and online casino gaming has been booming over the last five years, sometimes the thrill and excitement of a land based casino can be hard to beat. Now, you can find the closest venue to you – complete with a review of the casino – straight from the palm of your hand.

The app can be downloaded for free directly from gamble.co.uk using either an iPhone or Android powered smartphone. The download is quick and easy, and the app has a wealth of features, including the ability to submit your own reviews of casinos you have visited.

The features of the Casino Finder app include:

• A list of every casino in the UK 
• The ability to find the nearest casino to you using your phones GPS 
• Full address, telephone, email details and interactive map so you can find the venue easily 
• Star rating and pros and cons of each casino 
• Results which can be further filtered by distance, company and rating 
• The ability to submit your own casino review for fellow players to read 

Players can also access the full mobile enabled version of the site from the app which can allow them to read a more comprehensive review of the casino they plan to visit. So, the next time you find yourself out with friends in a strange city or on business in a town you don’t know, download the Casino Finder app and head to your nearest casino for a fun, friendly day or night out.

UK Luxury Experience Website Offers Gambling Holiday of a Lifetime

UK based luxury goods and experience website veryfirstto.com and online gaming site InterCasino have put together the gambling holiday of a lifetime. Guests will visit 12 casinos in eight different countries in this four week long trip, dubbed “the most decadent gaming holiday of a lifetime”. However, this isn’t aimed at just any casino dabbler – it’s strictly high rollers only.

 For the princely sum of £96,000 per couple, the trip, named the Most Glamorous Bet on Earth, starts in London and includes business class flights between the casinos, accommodation in junior suites and £100 daily gambling credit which can be used at InterCasino. InterCasino and veryfirstto.com guarantee that 50% of all winnings from the free credit will go to the player’s charity of choice with the remaining 50% staying with the player.

The Bellagio, Las Vegas

The trip will include a visit to the world’s largest casino, the Venetian in Macau, and the world’s first casino, The Casino de Monte Carlo in Monaco. Plus of course, there will be a considerable stay in home of gambling itself, Las Vegas, where guests will visit Caesars Palace, MGM, the Bellagio and the Venetian. This will be followed by a quick trip across country to the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, followed by a visit to the stunning Atlantic Paradise in Bahamas.

Don't worry if you can’t quite stretch to this trip, as you could get halfway there by heading over to InterCasino and taking a spin on some of their casino games! You can read a full review of the online casino on Gamble.co.uk.

New Aspers Casino to Create 250 Jobs

The new Aspers Casino opening at Milton Keynes’ Xscape in September 2013 will create 250 jobs, it was reported yesterday. The four strong senior management team comprising of experienced executives from both the gaming and hospitality industry have already been appointed and are keen to start interviewing potential employees.

Over 70% of Aspers Group employees are employed on a permanent, full time basis and the company are committed to hiring from within the local community, offering training in partnership with local Job Centres where necessary. When they opened Aspers Newcastle at The Gate, the company offered eight week paid training placements to 60 out of work young people via Working Links and the Job Centre, with full time jobs being offered to 43 of the participants.

Applications are already being welcomed and interested individuals can apply by visiting the Aspers Group Vacancies website.

The casino is recruiting for a range of roles including croupiers, waiting staff, chefs, accounting staff, customer service staff, IT and marketing staff at all levels.

Meanwhile, the casino build is bang on schedule according to the official website, and you can view a video of Week 1 of the Build below: 

To find out about casinos in your area, why not take advantage of the interactive map on Gamble.co.uk which will find the casinos closest to you? This is also compatible with your smart phone, so it is great for using when you are out and about.

Gambling on a Qualification As College Offers Croupier Course

Middlesbrough College has become the fourth college in the UK to offer professional training in the art of the casino croupier. Since the first gaming academy opened in Lancashire in February 2006 a number of academic institutions have been following suit, teaching the art of dealing, calculating odds and spotting problem gamblers.

Middlesbrough College are offering three croupier courses, including a Diploma in Gaming and Retrain to Gambling, all at Level 2 NVQ. As well as schooling students in how to deal cards and provide cash desk experience, the courses also teaches students about health and safety, how to protect vulnerable people and customer service skills.

It is no coincidence that Middlesbrough was one of the towns earmarked for a large casino license in 2007 and this course has been developed in order to help get more local people into work when the casino is built. Although many casinos will offer trainee croupier positions which include 8 to 12 weeks on the job training, only 14% of the casino workforce enter the industry with no qualifications.

Having a relevant qualification from a recognised institution certainly helps would-be croupiers get their first role in what is fast becoming a competitive industry.

If you are interesting in either retraining to become a casino croupier or are due to leave college and have always fancied the glamour and lifestyle of working in the gaming industry, you can find some great information on how to become a croupier here. Plus, with most croupiers working in land based casinos for two years before heading off to work on cruise ships or in Las Vegas, you could find that one of these courses could change your life!

For details of land based casinos in your area, visit the Real Casinos page on Gamble.co.uk, which is one of the best online resources for land based, online and mobile gambling around.