Live Dealer Casino Software a Major Concern for Vegas Casinos

San Jose, Costa Rica – Streeq.com Online Live Dealer Casino and Digital Casino

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 15, 2008

Back in 1995, online casinos began appearing on the Internet. In little more than a decade they have become so abundant that casino players are staying home to gamble on their personal computers rather than driving hours to play at casinos located on Indian reservations, riverboats, or Atlantic City.

Land based casinos have been closely watching this technology. Las Vegas is already finding it tough to meet financial expectations with the current economic climate, and with high prices of gasoline combined with the possibility of a recession, some of their players may decide to play at home rather than take a trip to the desert.

They have every right to be concerned, as growth has been slower than expected during the past year for most U.S. casinos. In some cases, like Atlantic City, casinos have actually dropped in growth by 7.5%. This stunt in growth has become a rising concern for Las Vegas casinos, especially in light of the 9.8% upward growth per year for online casinos that are now catering to approximately 9 million U.S. based clients.

Industry insiders agree that growth would have been even higher for online casinos if it weren’t for the fact that a portion of the public is skeptical about the game’s results being determined by digital casino software, also known as Random Number Generators (RNGs). That skepticism may be put to bed very soon as some online casinos are offering Live Dealer Casino games, the newest software innovation in online gaming.

Internet casinos are predicting healthier growth for 2008 and beyond as players begin to trust the industry’s newest technology, known as Live Dealer Casinos. “The reason why online casino growth has not grown by the expected 16% is mainly due to the fact that players still remain cynical about the possibility of digital casino software affecting the outcome of games, “ said Mike Miller, director of operations for Streeq.com. “However, with the addition of Live Dealer Casino software, players will no longer have to worry about being cheated by digital casino games since the outcome is determined from a real deck of cards actually being dealt in our casino. It’s simply the best chance for a player to win online since the results are not generated by a computer!”

While Live Dealer Casino software offers the most honest outcomes and results, it is also the most realistic gaming experience available on the Internet. Players can actually watch a real person dealing and shuffling the cards in real-time streaming video. Up to now, most Live Dealer Casinos only offered four basic games, BlackJack, Roulette, Baccarat and Sic Bo. Of course, Live Dealer BlackJack is the most popular game by far. Streeq.com currently offers five Live Dealer games, but will soon be offering new games to their players. “Streeq is very proud to announce the availability of new games like Red Dog Poker, Let it Ride Poker, Casino War, Three Card Poker, Red Dog Poker and Rummy 777,” added Miller.

In addition to the new games, Streeq.com will offer Live Dealer BlackJack Elimination Tournament Software. When asked about the new software, Miller excitedly stated, “Our Live Dealer Casino puts all the action right in front of the player, it’s like they’re playing right at the table. Our streaming video technology allows real-time gaming, so our clients hear the cards flip, the dice roll, and the Roulette ball spin. We’re excited to be the only company offering players Live Dealer BlackJack tournaments and feel they’ll be the next big thing in online casinos!”

Let’s start with Kentucky Derby favorite Big Brown; I’ve heard many people say that he is a one dimensional horse and needs the lead.

This is 100% FALSE.

In his second lifetime start, he raced against a small field of 5 horses and sat off the leader until the far turn. In fact, jokcey Kent Desormeaux sat like a statue on this horse and the horse never pulled at the bit until Kent let him loose down the stretch. Most of these comments started AFTER Big Brown went wire-to-wire in the Florida Derby. However, he drew the outside 11 post that day and his connections were confident that they had the classiest colt in the field and decided to send him right to the front, rather than getting a wide trip or shuffled back by the inside traffic.

Second, other’s point to the DRF interview with Brown’s trainer, Richard Dutrow, who made comments that Big Brown is “bullish” and when he worked with Diamond Stripes they wanted to rate him behind and then have the two stars battle head to head (so both horses got something out of the work), but he acted “bullish.” However, plans changed when Big Brown broke ahead of stablemate Diamond Stripes and Dutrow was quoted as saying, “he wouldn’t let him by.”

FALSE!

Novice horse players misinterrpreted that statement. Dutrow is an experienced horseman, and doesn’t “bumb down” his comments for the general public. What he wanted you to take away after reading that article was that Diamond Stripes in an older, proven stakes winner and the inexperienced Big Brown was up for the challenge. Brown’s “bullish” behavior was a good thing- it didn’t mean he couldn’t be rated- but rather that he wasn’t intimidated. He looked Diamond Stripes right in the eye down the stretch and a very talented, older horse, with tons of racing experience could not get by him! There might have even been a little bumping, or tight quarters, but Big Brown held his ground. If he did it against an older mulitple stakes winner, no one in the field of 20 on Derby day should be able to make him loose his cool either!

I’ve heard a lot of talk about Pyro not being a route horse.

FALSE!

What??? His sire is Pulpit, who’s father is Belmont Stakes Winner (a 1 1/2 mile race and the longest of the Triple Crown) and leading sire-of-sires, A.P Indy. A.P. Indy’s dam is Weekend Surprise, sired by “Big Red” himself, triple crown winner, Secrateriat.

Pulpit has also sired Corinthian, winner of the Gulf Stream Handicap and Breeder’s Cup Mile. Purge, the Jim Dandy Winner, former Derby candidate Sky Mesa, Super Derby winner Essance of Dubai, Del Mar Oaks winner, Rutherienne, multiple stakes winning turf route specialist Stroll, and many other route winners.

This horse CAN run all day and has proven it on the track, never finishing worse than second in his 4 dirt efforts at a mile or over.

Another issue about Pyro was his dissapointing effort in the Blue Grass over Keeneland’s Polytrack. Many horseplayers have said, “if this horse was really that good, he would have run better on the Polytrack.”

FALSE- This makes no sense.

It’s common knowlede that some horse just don’t fire on certain surfaces. As a horse owner, I can tell you that I’ve personally owned horse that were Stakes winners on the turf, but couldn’t beat $10,000 claimers on the dirt. Also, it doesn’t have to be turf to dirt, or dirt to Polytrack. Some horses prefer one dirt surface to another.

That takes us to Tomcito. There’s still people who think that this horse could win a Graded Stake race in the United States!

FALSE! Listen, his form looks impressive with those 4 multiple length winning stakes efforts, but those came in Peru.

Since arriving in America, this colt has shown nothing, losing by 12-lengths in the Florida Derby (Grade 1) to Big Brown, but more importantly, by 7-lengths to the very average Smooth Air. Then returned as the Favorite in the Lexinton (Grade 2) only to never fire while splitting the field- beating 5 foes and losing to the other 5 in the 11 horse field. His best Beyer is a 92, which qualifies you to win a 2x allowance race at a major track. Jump off the band wagon already, his trainer is 0-for-16 this year and the horse is an allowance-type at best. Maybe he can talk with former Derby foreign-import Mr. Frisky after the race about how much better the racing is in the U.S. the in third world countries.

1) Pyro packs the best closing punch of the group and still owns the most consistent form of any 3-year-old in this crop, even after he failed to fire for the first time in his career in the Blue Grass Stakes. He never finished worse than third during his initial six starts, so we’re willing to toss out that poor effort as it was run over the Polytrack, while all of his previous races, and the Derby, dirt. In fact, he entered the Blue Grass in great form, earning back-to-back victories in the Risen Star Stakes and Louisiana Derby. This colt is a son of Pulpit, who was sired by A.P. Indy, the former Belmont Stakes winner and one of today’s top sires. If you’re looking to knock this favorite, it could only be that his late closing run might get him into traffic trouble when facing 20 other runners on Derby day.

2) Big Brown hails from the barn of Richard Dutrow, Jr. and has been nothing short of awesome while compiling a perfect 3-for-3 lifetime record after taking Saturday’s $1 million dollar Florida Derby. So far, he’s won on both turf and dirt and has shown the ability to rate off the pace or take his foes wire-to-wire. Probably the colt with the least amount of pedigree, sired by $10,000 stud Boundary, but that didn’t keep him from selling for a solid $190,000 at the Keeneland sales. Been working like gang busters in Florida while waiting to make his next start on Derby day. His biggest knock is that he’s lightly raced, just like the last year when we saw another unbeaten, 3-for-3, Curlin finish 4^th in the Derby only to improve with every passing start with the extra experience.

3) Cool Coal Man was once considered trainer Zito’s “other horse,” however, after War Pass was beaten in the Tampa Bay Derby and eventually injured, he’s moved into the limelight. Sired by $75,000 stud Mineshaft, another sire by A.P. Indy, he took the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream by stalking the leaders and sweeping by on the far turn. Willing to toss out his unimpressive effort when he last started in the Blue Grass over Keeneland’s Polytrack, as this colt has done nothing but won 4 of his last 5 races on the dirt!

4) Colonel John is the toast of the west coast, amassing 4 wins from 6 lifetime racing exclusively over the Polytrack in California. Enters the Derby with back-to-back victories in Santa Anita’s Grade 2 Sham Stakes and the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby. Trained by Eoin Harty for his owner and breeder, WinStar Farm, the biggest knock against this late closing son of Tiznow is that he’s been racing on the Polytrack and now must make the transition to the dirt at Churchill Downs. May have answered those questions by working 5 furlongs in .57 seconds and change, but was that too much before the run for the roses?

5) Tale of Ekati is one of the most talented 3-year-olds in this crop, but also one of the most inconsistent.  His debut was an awesome 8-length maiden score at Belmont Park. Two races later he stepped into the Stakes division by winning the Futurity Stakes also at Belmont. Just when he started looking like the possible 2-year-old Champion, he was destroyed by almost 18-lengths by War Pass in the Breeder’s Cup. Five months later, he turned the tables on War Pass, running him down right at the wire in the Wood Memorial. If War Pass was as good as some people thought, he could win the Derby, just depends on which horse shows up.

6) Monba, like the above Tale of Ekati, is talented but unpredictable.  Grey son of Maria’s Mon, out of an Easy Goer mare, began his career with back-to-back victories, easily making the jump into the allowance 1x ranks by working out a wide trip from the 11 hole. He moved to the Polytrack afterwards, and finished a solid fourth, less than a length behind the talented Colonel John.  The wheels fell off the wagon in the Fountain of Youth, his 3-year-old debut over a sandy Gulfstream Park surface but he rebounded nicely by defeating Pyro, Visionaire, and Cool Coal Man in the Blue Grass.  Was that win aided by the synthetic surface, or has this previous dirt winner just returned to his old form in time for the Derby?

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While nothing beats a day at the races, most tracks don’t give their players much bank for their buck and don’t offer many incentives for a big player. In fact, the smaller tracks give nothing back to their patrons and your money goes directly into the wagering pool hurting the return price on your bet. Those of us that have owned and bred horses still honor live racing as the Sport of Kings needs all the help they can get now that the popular racing times of Secretariat and Seattle Slew are long gone.Wagering with the “legal” Internet sites located within the confines of the United States offers the live racing experience from the comfort of your home. No more trips to the track as you can turn on cable, or your satellite dish, and watch over 70 tracks right from your sofa and collect without ever putting on your pants. These online horse racing sites are as reliable as wagering right at the local track, as your bet goes into the actual track pools, but they aren’t allowed to offer traditional rebates like the online sportsbooks and race books can. They do offer up to the minute changes, such as live horse racing odds and jockey changes. Some form of loyalty program and reward their players with free merchandise, which can be anything ranging from a baseball cap to free Daily Racing Forms. Of course, the best place to get past performances, racing forms, or updated odds is always DRF.com, which is the Daily Racing Form home site.

The appeal of an online Race Book is that most offer their players a rebate program between 3% and 7% of their total wagers. That’s right, for every $1000 you bet with them – win or lose- they’ll refund $30 to $70 of your dollars back! While this won’t excite small players, those who wager big money each and every day know how quickly rebate money can add up. The other appeal of an online sportsbook account is the fact currently none of them are hooked into the pari-mutual pools and you can bet your horse without hurting your odds! 

If you’re like bettors, you probably wager on more then just horse racing.  If that’s the case, betting with an online sportsbook account allows you the oppertunity of football betting, basketball betting and MLB baseball betting. More often than not, these online betting sites also offer digital casino games, featuring table games such as BlackJack, Roulette, Baccarat and many types of Slots.

Betting horses online also has some drawbacks as they usually offer small betting limits, especially on the smaller tracks, and since the money doesn’t go directly into the wager pools, they actual track doesn’t get their percentage and hurts the racing industry as a whole. Remeber, the tracks are able to offer their purses to the horse owners because of the money bet on their races each day.