How Can Play at an Online Casino Prepare You for First Brick and Mortar Experience?

You might have a desire to visit a brick-and-mortar casino and get in on the action. All the flashy lights, buzzing sounds, and players chasing big wins can create quite a memorable atmosphere. But at the same time, if you’ve never been, you might be worried about what exactly to expect and how to go about it without messing anything up.

Luckily, you don’t have to go into it completely unprepared. These days, there are many online real money casino sites out there that can help prepare you for your first actual casino trip. Here, we’ll share a few tips on how to best use your time at an online casino to achieve this goal.

Familiarize Yourself With Game Rules

Even the most experienced of gamblers had to start somewhere. If you don’t know the rules of casino games, an online casino is a perfect place to learn them at your own pace, without worrying about other players.

These days, most gambling sites will even let you play for free, so you can join electronic blackjack, poker, and roulette tables and learn all the different rules with no risk. When you feel ready, you can make a deposit and transition to real money play without any problems.

This will give you as much time as you need to get comfortable with the games you like and learn everything there is to know about them. That way, when you do take the plunge and finally walk into a brick-and-mortar venue, you’ll know exactly what to do when you walk up to a table.

Join Some Live Dealer Games

Modern online casinos also offer live dealer tables. These are games featuring actual dealers, real cards, and casino tables, so the experience is very similar to what you’ll get to experience at a real venue. That said, these games are usually not available in a free play mode.

So, once you learn all the rules and feel comfortable enough playing for real money, you can move over to these live games and place some real bets.

You’ll get to experience what it’s like to communicate with a casino dealer and how you need to handle your bets when there is limited betting time. Even if you make a few mistakes along the way, you’ll at least be doing it from the comfort of your home, safely seated behind your screen, so you won’t have to feel ashamed or uncomfortable.

online to live casino

Test Your Money Management Skills

It’s no secret that things can easily get out of hand when gambling. If you’re new to it, it’s hard to say how you’ll manage the money side of things and if you’ll be able to walk away when things go south, and you lose the money you had planned for the visit.

Playing at an online casino will give you a better insight into what to expect in that regard. You’ll know if you might have a bit of a problem controlling your impulses, which will help you plan for your trip. If you notice that you might have a tendency to make rash decisions, you can limit the risk by only taking a fixed amount of money and making sure you don’t have access to any more while at the casino.

The Gay-Friendly Casinos Around the World You Should Know About

People in society have this misconception that many industries, including the casino industry, cater more to heterosexuals. This is however not always the case and many gay-friendly casinos around the world cater to the LGBTQIA+ community. If you are part of this community, this blog will help you out by listing some of the most popular gay-friendly casinos around the world. Keep in mind that there are plenty more casino spaces that accommodate the LGBTQIA+ community that is not mentioned below. If you’re looking for a starting point, these are a few spots that you should keep on your radar.

Online casinos

Before we introduce some of the most popular gay-friendly land-based casinos around the world, we have to mention online casinos, which are a great option for those who do not want to go out but want to enjoy their favorite casino games. All you need to access an online casino is an internet connection and a mobile device. Before signing up with a casino, you should do your research to determine if the casino you are interested in is reputable. Asian Casino Club provides an extensive list of the most trusted and reliable online casinos, and you can take it a step further by reading their reviews. Generally, online casinos are better than land-based casinos because they are convenient, portable and you have access to a lot more games. They are not as social as physical casinos. However, most online casinos now have live casino games as well as VR technology that allow players to experience something very immersive and life-like.

The Empire Casino, London

The Empire Casino is a Vegas-style casino situated in Leicester Square in London. The casino opened its doors in the spring of 2007 and rapidly became the largest casino in London. There are no hotels in this casino; however, it is conveniently situated in Central London so there are plenty of hotel options close by. At The Empire casino, you can enjoy 127 slot machines, 50 table games as well as a poker room that hosts frequent poker tournaments. Leicester Square is considered one of the gayest known areas in London where you will frequently find gay people attending pubs and nightclubs in this area. This casino is always buzzing and after you’re done gambling you can enjoy a night out in one of the bars and nightclubs nearby.

Crown Melbourne, Melbourne

The Crown Melbourne allows visitors to experience a wide range of exciting games including poker, slot machines, blackjack, baccarat, and roulette to name a few. Apart from the casino, you can also enjoy premium restaurants, hotels, spas, private dining rooms, and many entertainment options, which include live theatre, sports events, and live music. In Australia, Canberra is the true gay and lesbian capital. However, Melbourne is also a gay-friendly and fun destination where you will find enjoyment.

Holland casino, Amsterdam

Amsterdam holds the title as the most gay-friendly city in Europe, and the Holland casino is a great place to enjoy your favorite casino game in a safe environment free from discrimination and homophobia. The casino is contemporary and sleek with slot machines, table games, multi roulette as well as a bar and a brasserie where you can enjoy food and refreshments. The location is great for exploring some of Amsterdam’s hottest locations. Other places that you will enjoy are the popular districts Kerkstraat, Reguliersdwarsstraat, and Kerkstraat to name a few. All of these locations are LGBTQIA+ friendly.

MGM Grand, Las Vegas

The MGM Grand is one of the largest casinos in the world and the biggest in Vegas. This casino has a 171000 square foot gaming space and is also home to one of the biggest boxing events as well as night shows by David Copperfield who is a famous illusionist. You can also enjoy their gorgeous hotel which is actually the largest hotel in the US. There is no shortage of things to do here with things such as outdoor pools, waterfalls, rivers, convention centers, shops, nightclubs, restaurants, and many more. There is an endless amount of fun that can be enjoyed and this casino resort is listed as one that is gay friendly.

Gay friendly online casinos

It’s no secret that we also love online casinos. But as with many other hobbies we have, they are not all gay friendly. That is why we want to let you know which casinos to go to when you feel lucky. The best way to go about it might be to look for a casino that is from a very gay friendly country, like the Netherlands. One example of this is the Rainbow Casino, that was advertising all over the last gay parade that took place in Amsterdam. After this day, the casino noticed a strong increase in gay players.

More discretion

Maybe you are a more discreet gay, or you haven’t outed yourself yet, and you are looking for a casino on the low. In that case you can look for a casino portal online. We suggest you go with a Dutch one, as these are more gay friendly in general. Even if they are not obvious about it. Just look for Online Gokken In De Beste Online Casino’s. This means online gambling in the best online casinos. Search these terms on Google and you’ll find the best online casinos in no time. Because besides being gay friendly, the Dutch are also very efficient.

Rainbow Casino

But back to Rainbow Casino. We are huge fans of this online casino and not just because of the bonuses. This is a big part of it though. It starts off right with the Rainbow Casino welcome package. This consists of a no deposit bonus of €10, right after registering. Then, after your first deposit, you’ll receive a bonus of 100% up to €300. The two deposits after that will get you bonuses of 50% up to €500. This is much better than you’ll get at many other online casinos. And we haven’t even mentioned the regular bonuses yet. On Mondays you’ll receive the Be a Queen, Don’t be a Drag bonus that consists of 25 free spins on the Drag Queen slot machine. Then on Wednesdays you are entitled to the Gaga’s Monsters Bonus of 100% up to €200. And on Fridays you are entitled to the Queer Cachback of up to 75% of your losses. In addition to that, there’s a Be Here, Don’t be Square loyalty program with 13 levels. In this program you start as a closeted gay and you end as a drag queen. All of the levels come with their own benefits.

Online Casino Games

If you thought that the bonuses at Rainbow Casino were over the top, wait until you see the games. Of course, Rainbow Casino offers the slot machines that you can also find in other online casinos. Don’t worry, NetEnt, Microgaming, Quickspin and many other big providers are gay friendly and don’t mind to be seen at this casino. However, it’s the live casino where the fun starts. Besides games by Evolution Gaming and Pragmatic Play live that you can find in many other online casinos, you’ll also find games by Rainbow Live Games. These are live games presented by gay live dealers. Some are discreet, some are even still in the closet and others are completely over the top. And the best part? They present all the best games, from roulette to blackjack, baccarat to casino poker and much more.

The Campaign

There are some changes made if we take a closer look at the entertainment industry. No surprise I would say, since gay people are quite entertaining and fun themselves. Like literally, there is no great party without any gays around. First of all, we are always happy and second of all; we really love to dance! You can find us everywhere, especially within the entertainment industry. Just take a look a drag queens, they have made their populair position in night clubs and even stripclubs. Drag queens are the best and i can only show nothing but love to them.

There are so many countries that are supporting gays and transgenders. It still seems like it’s growing by day, which is amazing for everybody who is seeking for their freedom. In some industries it’s still hard to feel comfortable around other people, especially in the world of sports. They are still not accepting gay people that often, which is such a shame. However, we have noticed some changes within the casino industry. Gambling is also a part of the entertainment business, so we shouldn’t forget to mention it either. Recently, one really big casino published a hilarious gay supporting advertisement, what went viral immediately. The image that they used for the advertisement contained two kissing man who just won a slot machine jackpot. You could really saw their happiness, which was amazing!

The advertisement went all over the world through the world of social media and it was a major hit. The advertisement was a part of a gambling campaign called ‘Online Gokken In De Beste Online Casinos‘ and it was found to be the best campaign of this year. It was mainly sponsored by various gambling specialised companies including and meer informatie over blackjack vindt u hier if you are interested. I’ve noticed so many good and positive reactions to it, especially because they had won the jackpot (wish it was me). This was just a start and the first advertisement of the fully campaign. I’ve been searching on the internet, because I had to know when the second advertisement would be published. It was all over the news, so finding more information about this ad wasn’t that big of a deal. I think i’ve found more than a 100 articles dedicated to this news topic, just hilarious don’t you think.

On this online magazine called Muuler they have wrote that the expected date will be around December, which made me so excited! They even said that the casino has made an announcement that the image will be even more scandalous. Could you imagine? This will be the most badass Christmas campaign that I have ever seen. Just think about it, gambling has an extremely bad reputation. Also gays can be found very provocative, so this is the ultimate combination to shock viewers. I really feel I have to support this casino, just because of the way they use their marketing on a global base. There aren’t really a lot of companies around who would actually dare to do this, that’s why I would like to thank them so much. With these companies, we can make a difference and shock people even more until they got used to this situation. Gays will always be gay, even if you like it or not!

49 Portraits Project

Q: How and why did you decide to do this for the families of the Orlando shooting victims?
A: I was inspired by a similar project done on a much smaller scale for the victims of the Charleston Emmanuel AME church attacks.  When I heard about it, I wished I could have been able to participate.  After the Pulse attacks, as well as other violence occurring in this country and around the world, I felt so helpless and overwhelmed like so many of us, and was searching for a way to do something. Also this attack targeting the LGBTQ community was especially hard to take, as is an attack on any marginalized group already struggling to feel safe and acknowledged for their full humanity.  And I knew finding 49 artists to do portrait might be difficult but I thought that if I could pull it off it would be incredibly powerful and meaningful.  The project touches on all the most important things to me: having the courage to move towards pain as a way to heal and bring people together, and the need for art (representational art in particular) to be made and seen to help us process our lives and find beauty in the midst of tragedy.
 
Q: Why did you choose to do portraits rather than some other medium?
A: I am a visual artist, and I made a portrait too.  I love painting portraits.  When you paint/draw you look at things with an attention and care that you would never otherwise do.  So there is an experience for the artist of really lovingly taking in a face and considering a life.  So making the portrait for me and for each artist involved is a way of feeling and reckoning with the loss.  And putting love into the void left by horror and tragedy.  And it offers that same gift to all the viewers, which is so clear because we all respond so differently to these portraits than the snapshots that were publicly shared.  I also love the way the portraits transcend politics.
 
Q: How will you get these portraits to the families?
A: Right now the plan is to exhibit the work in Orlando at a the Terrace Gallery in City Hall in the Winter/Spring and then present the work to the families near the anniversary of the attacks.  I have gotten the help of the office of the Mayor of Orlando and a LGBT community center there as well to reach the families.
 
Q: When do you think you will be finished with this project?
A: I have nearly all the portraits, I believe I am just short a few at this point so hopefully in the next couple of weeks or so.
 
Q: How do you hope this will help the victims’ families?
A: I hope they feel all the love that went into them and that they are first deeply moved by the efforts of a stranger for them.  Then I hope that for the rest of their life they feel the presence of their loved one in the piece.  But I think the impact of the work and the project is not just for the family and friends of those lost, but for anyone and everyone who needs it.  We are creating a permanent website gallery for the portraits as well.

DC Area Shocked: Four Transgendered Assualts This Summer

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While the summer months always see a rise in assaults in the District of Columbia (DC), the transgender community fears that it will be a particularly violent summer for them.

The latest attacks happening just this past weekend, a high number of trans women have been attacked within the city.

The two most recent attacks happened on June 29, within an hour of each other. At 3:30 am in the East Corner neighborhood, a trans woman was offered a ride and then was sexually assaulted by an unknown male.

At 4 am that same night, in the area of 5th and K streets NE, two adult males attempted to rob a trans woman, then shot and left her. She was taken to the hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Two days earlier, on June 27, again in the East Corner neighborhood and at 6 am, a trans woman was assaulted by two men, and then shot in the buttocks. The suspects in the cases are different, and police have a surveillance video posted and are asking for public assistance to identify the suspects. This area was near the location of several anti-trans women attacks: a double-murder of Stephanie Thomas and Ukea Davis, July 2011’s fatal shooting of Lashai Mclean, and the February 2012 fatal stabbing of Deoni Jones.

The one that began the summer has been the most brutal. On June 21 in the Fort Stanton neighborhood, around 1 am a trans woman was stabbed around 20 times, was sent to the hospital, treated for her wounds, and has since been released. She was treated for a collapsed lung and severed tendons in one hand. While the police are still looking for suspects in the other cases, police have arrested their main suspect here—23-year-old Michael McBride—and have charged him with assault with intent to kill.

Another two victims, identifying as lesbian and gay respectively, along with the trans women victims, have been making the last few weeks very tense for the DC lgbt community. One day after the stabbing, June 22 in the Barry Farms neighborhood, 35-year-old Malika Stover was found by police suffering multiple gunshot wounds. She was taken to a local hospital, but died of her injuries.

To end the weekend, on Sunday June 23, a drag queen was attacked at a pizzeria north of Logan Circle.

In response to the violence against the lgbt community, activists met to discuss ways to respond to the violence and to keep those in the community safe. The most recent assaults came less than a day after the meeting, and was a blow to the positive momentum built up. None of these crimes have been classified by the police as hate crimes, and there are members of the DC community trying to get their classification changed.

Hopefully this will not foreshadow worse violence to come. With a country so overjoyed with the strides in gay marriage law, it’s difficult to see that indeed, more work needs to be done, especially for the transgender community.

Supreme Court Delivers Gay Marriage Victory

BREAKING NEWS:  Supreme Court Delivers First Gay Marriage Victory

Profound Victory for basic human rights as the Supreme Court issues rulings on Gay Marriage.

In 5-4 ruling, U.S. Supreme Court justices overturn Defense of Marriage Act, saying it is unconstitutional. DOMA is unconstitutional as a deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment. Roberts, Scalia, Alito, Thomas issue Dissents. Chief Roberts and Scalia believe there is no jurisdiction. Opinion is by Justice Kennedy, joined by the four liberal Justices — Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan. Kennedy states, “DOMA singles out a class of persons deemed by a State entitled ot recognition and protection to enhance their own liberty.”

In plain terms, same-sex couples who are legally married will be entitled to equal treatment under federal law such benefits include income taxes, social security benefits and over a thousand other federal laws and programs. The Court explained that by denying recognition to same-sex couples who are legally married, federal law discriminates against them. This decision means that same-sex couples who are legally married must now be treated the same under federal law as married opposite-sex couples..

In Proposition 8 ruling, court dismisses based on standing. Gay Marriage Ban in California is struck down. From Chief Roberts “”The Court does not have before it, and the logic of its opinion does not decide, the distinct question whether the States . . . may continue to utilize the traditional definition of marriage.” The Ninth Circuit was without jurisdiction to consider the appeal. The judgment of the Ninth Circuit is vacated, and the case is remanded with instructions to dismiss the appeal for lack of jurisdiction.

In plain English because the State of California would not defend the law, proponents of the ban filed the suit challenging the ninth circuit courts decision.  The supreme court has ruled that the suit had no standing as the proponents have no legal rights to bring the case.

At 10am the Supreme Court and it’s nine justices convened to issue rulings on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which limits the definition of marriage to being specifically a male/female relationship for the purpose of federal benefits, and a California state law banning gay marriage AKA proposition 8.

Both cases, which were argued in March, could shape the debate profoundly on weather gay men and women have the right to marry their same-sex partners. The cases come before SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States) at a time when opinion polls show growing support for gay marriage.  While only 12 (13 with California) states recognize gay marriage, there are still over 30 states that prohibit it with many more with laws that try to provide some rights to gay couples while not officially calling it “marriage”.

The DOMA case before the court was brought by Edith Windsor of New York who was married to a woman, Thea Spyer, legally at the state level in New York, but was unable to get the federal estate tax deduction available to heterosexuals when their spouses die due to the 1996 DOMA law.  When Spyer died in 2009, Edit Windsor was forced to pay federal estate taxes in the amount of $363,000.  Windsor case files suit against the federal government seeking a refund of the same amount.

While the Obama administration once defended the law, Attorney General Eric Holder said the law was unconstitutional in 2011. The administration asked the Supreme Court to strike the law down. making Obama the first sitting president to support gay marriage.

The California case, Proposition 8,  was a state ballot measure that was approved by voters in 2008 just months after the California’s supreme court ruled in favor of gay marriages. A federal judge struck the proposition 8 law down two years later in 2010 as a violation of the US Constitutions guarantee of equal protection.

Boyscouts to end ban on gays

Breaking news:  No details as of yet, but a spokesperson for the Boyscouts of America indicates it will end the restrictions against gay youth from joining their ranks.  The organization has come under increasing pressure after activists such as Zach Wahls, an Eagle scout with two lesbian mothers. Wahls founded the organization Scouts for Equality, which collected more than 1.2 million signatures opposing the anti-gay policy.  Scouts for equality includes 3,151 other Eagle Scouts within its roll. Details to follow.

Week Before Election, Pitt donates $100K

Brad Pitt has donated $100,000 to the Human Rights Campaign in support of marriage equality.  The superstar actor’s donation could not have come at a more critical time with Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington State all voting on the issue next Tuesday.

Pitt said in an email to HRC supporters, “If you’re like me, you don’t want to have to ask yourself on the day after the election, what else could I have done?” He and Angelina Jolie have been huge supporters of gay marriage … going so far as to put their own marriage on hold until gay marriage is legal on a national level.

Pitt joins other super stars like Russel Simmons, Cyndi Lauper, Mayor Michale Bloomberg and dozens of other celebrities in giving to the marriage equality cause this past year. In fact, dozens of celebrities have appeared in videos supporting the HRC.