tonyq I'm sorry for your loss, but I'm not sure that there's really much point posting about it on bitcointalk - weren't they claiming to be the first licensed BTC site? Why don't you file a complaint with the licensing authority. I'm not sure who it was, but I'm sure you'll be able to look it up in an archived article somewhere.

BetVIP has already shut down, so its not like you're damaging their reputation or exercising any leverage by posting updates about it.

But that's the thing, even if they know how to do it people still aren't going to go and check the result of every one of their hands - it's time consuming, and it's a pain in the ass.

As far as licenses, I'm not sure you actually understand what it takes to get a casino license - it's not just a pay-your-money-get-your-license type of deal, there are actually standards that you have to meet in terms of the way you operate your site (relating to things like fair gaming, financial practices, problem gamblers, etc.). The games that licensed casinos offer have to go through testing and get verified by independent auditors before they will get approved. Basically what I'm saying is that yes, people do know what's going on behind the scenes because its their job to know and they're professionals. Casinos have enough of an edge as it is, why would a multi-billion dollar company like Playtech or Microgaming risk their reputation but having crooked games?

That said, you're right, not that many sites are licensed... so why trust these ones? I'm pretty sure the likes of bitcasino.io doesn't restrict any countries, and they're games are a whole lot better (Playboy live dealers!!!) than the rudimentary provably games out there.

Anonibet has been around a long time, and as far as I'm aware hasn't ever stiffed anyone. That probably counts for something with a lot of people... Sure their odds are a bit poor, but at least they have live betting and they aren't likely to go the way of BetVIP anytime soon - I bet they're still sitting on a pile of coins they accrued in the early days when they were still only worth $1 or so.

Of course you're right, but martingale is particularly bad as it is likely to lead to catastrophic losses in the long run - rather than quitting when you're on a losing streak, the strategy actually dictates that you chase your losses until you can't any more. Of course you could try card counting with live dealer blackjack, though you're probably gonna have to wait a very long time to get a significantly favourable count with the 8-deck shoes that most (all?) sites use.

It's not quite that simple - as far as I'm aware, the laws in the US don't relate to gambling specifically, they relate to transferring money for the purposes of gambling (although they're loosening these laws with respect to online gambling within your own state, which is why we've recently seen a number of states allowing it and awarding licenses to Pokerstars etc.). As long as bitcoin is not classed as a currency, then it's not black and white as to whether gambling with bitcoin is legal or illegal. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if some agency there decides to it is illegal in which case the high-profile sites like Cloudbet, Primedice, Nitrogen, etc. would likely be the ones in the firing line (assuming the government has a way to get to them).

Even for sites that do promote themselves as provably fair, I wonder how often people actually check to see that the results of their game rounds are as they should be. I wouldn't have a clue how to do it, and even if I did, I probably wouldn't bother. I would far sooner just bet with a site that is licensed (there are a few of them around now), and has syndicated games from Microgaming or Betsoft that have their games tested and accredited by independent labs. I don't see provably fair ever being anything more than a gimmick that appeals to a very small minority of players.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned bitcasino.io, along with Cloudbet they're probably the two best ones in terms of variety of games etc. They've both got live dealer casinos and a tonne of different slots (high end ones with 3D graphics and whatnot, not the crappy ones that look like they were coded by high-school students).

The reality is that unless a government has specifically said that it's illegal (as I believe the UK have now), then the legality will only be known for sure once a) someone is prosecuted and convicted, and b) those people who are convicted exhaust all possible means of appealing their conviction. The question is, do you want to risk being the first to go through that ordeal if governments/prosecutors do decide it's illegal under existing laws, and that they're going to come after gamblers (rather than only going after the gambling sites).

As far as Seals With Clubs, wasn't the main guy operating out of Las Vegas? That seems like the worst possible place to be doing something like that and drawing attention to himself - he seems a bit like the Mark Cuban of bitcoin gambling. I'm not surprised he was run out of town...

Martingale is always a losing prospect over the long run.

It looks attractive because you can go for long periods without a loss, but when you do lose (i.e. get to the end of your back roll or hit the betting limit) you lose BIG, and eventually it will more than cancel out any gains you've made. There's a reason casinos don't ban players using this system - in fact they like these players, because more often than not they're going to take ALL your money!

Why do you make posts like this? It's pretty obvious that you've got accounts at other sportsbooks that do have NASCAR, why not just go and bet there?