Online casinos have changed how we look at table games. Rather than feeling the felt or hearing the authentic spin of a roulette wheel, we now hope to get through as many hands and spins as possible in the shortest period of time.

That said, there are distinct differences between in-person and online roulette. If you’re a fan of the game, especially in person, and watch to venture into the real casino versus a live casino, you may be wondering how the wheels are made. Check out the process below.

Materials and Regulations

For the most part, modern roulette wheels are made of wood, just as their early counterparts were. Wood is reliable and gives the wheel that vintage, classy look. A polish is applied to give it a smooth look, though the center is typically made of metal or plastic.

All roulette wheels have a 32-inch diameter. Most weigh about 100 pounds, though that can vary depending on size and the materials used. The number of pockets can vary depending on the style of roulette being played. European and French roulettes have 37 pockets while American roulette has one more for the double zero.

Production

When the wooden frame has been completed, sandblasting and polishing are performed. Painting follows, though the wooden texture is largely kept. If anything, the side and edges of the wheel get painted.

The metal wheel is then put into place with numbers put in their proper positions. If it seems like they’re random, they aren’t; proper placement ensures balance. Divider pockets then go on top of the numbers so that the ball will stop on one number. Finally, a handle is picked and is then installed in the middle of the wheel, completing the production process.

Testing

As is the case with any other product, any good roulette wheel will go through rigorous testing. The goal is to make sure that the win spins smoothly and that there are no issues or irregularities with it. Each of the pockets is measured to ensure space between them.

The best (and most expensive) wheels are built to last a long, long time. Some of the best roulette wheels on the market can last for a couple of decades before they are ultimately worn down and need replacing.

Conclusion

When all is said and done, the end result is a beautifully crafted, fun piece of casino equipment. More elaborate wheels go through a bit more fine-tuning and detail, but the overall process is generally the same. All to create the excitement that only roulette can deliver.

The post How Roulette Wheels are Made appeared first on Casino.com Blog.

Source link

Las Vegas can be expensive, especially if you’ve brought the kids. Luckily, there are plenty of fun cheap things to do in Vegas.

I’ve compiled a list of the 19 best activities to do in Sin City for under $35. We wanted to make it under $20, but you know, inflation.

After all, I wouldn’t want you to miss the thrill of the Mob Museum or the view of Las Vegas by night from the Eiffel Tower over a few bucks. To balance it out, I’ve also thrown in some great free things to try.

1. Gondola Rides At The Venetian ($34pp)

The singing gondoliers of The Venetian have been entertaining Las Vegas visitors for more than two decades now. It’s quite the photo experience and not to be missed. It’s one of the most popular cheap things to do in Vegas during the day.

If you don’t want to spend the $34, discount tickets or coupons are usually available in coupon books handed out on the Strip, or you can watch and listen for free along the promenade.

Inside the Venetian hotel, 10am to 10pm.

2. Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas Sign ($0)

The first thing you can see as you enter the Las Vegas Strip from the South is this Las Vegas sign, which has been featured in visitors’ photo books for more than sixty years. It’s one of the most popular cheap things to do in Las Vegas.

Over the past couple of decades, though, much work has been done to make it easier to get that snapshot. More parking and safer, easier access to the median where the sign sits have been added.

5100 Las Vegas Boulevard, 24/7.

3. Pinball Hall Of Fame (Bring Quarters)

Just a block from the Las Vegas sign sits the Pinball Museum. With hundreds of Pinball and amusement machines still in working order and ready for you to play, you could spend hours out here for just two bits if you’re some sort of Pinball wizard.

Otherwise, you’re probably going to need a more reasonable $5 or $10 per player. It’s one of the best cheap things to do in Vegas with family – keep the kids entertained for hours!

4925 Las Vegas Boulevard, 10am to 9pm.

4. Big Apple Roller Coaster at New York New York Hotel ($25+)

Race above New York and plunge right through Lady Liberty on this thrill ride featuring a 200-foot-plus drop at over 65 mph in a New York City cab.

This one is excellent day or night, and with several loops and drops as it races around the casino, it’s bound to get your heart pumping. More than 1.5 million riders a year can’t be wrong. Plus, it’s part of one of the best arcades in Vegas, featuring over 200 games.

New York New York Hotel, 11am to 11pm.

5. Eiffel Tower Experience at Paris Hotel ($24.50)

46 stories above the Las Vegas Strip is a view along the deck of the Paris Hotel’s half-scale replica of the Eiffel Tower. Best seen at night, it’s a breathtaking spectacle of all of Sin City, laid out in front of you in all her neon glory. The Las Vegas skyline has never been so la la la.

Even the ride to get there is stunning, and there’s probably no more romantic spot in town. Possibly one of the best cheap things to do in Vegas for couples. There are also discounts for seniors and locals.

Paris Hotel, Las Vegas Strip, 12pm to 12am.

6. Neon Museum ($20-$45)

This isn’t some hike through a sign graveyard. Well, it isn’t JUST a hike through a sign graveyard. They’ve got tour guides and augmented reality displays, and at night, they turn the neon on and light up the desert. It’s probably one of the coolest cheaps thing to do in Vegas.

You can even get a helicopter tour over the museum at night to see it all from above. The Neon Museum is really unlike any museum you’ve been to before. And it’s beyond Instagrammable at night.

There are several different prices depending on which tour and add-ons you like. It’s gotten so popular you may want to get tickets in advance.

770 Las Vegas Blvd North, 2pm to 10pm.

7. Skypod at the Stratosphere ($20+)

Skypod at the Strat is a two-level observation deck at the top of the 1150-foot Stratosphere hotel tower. The $20 is just for the view, but if you’ve ever wanted to bungee jump from 1,000 feet up or asked yourself wouldn’t it be great if there was a roller coaster wrapped around the top of this enormously tall building, the Strat has answers, albeit pricey ones.

There’s also a restaurant and bar up there, so you can make a several-hour stay out of it if you want, and really get your $20 worth. The view of the Las Vegas skyline is simply breathtaking.

Strat Hotel, 10am to1am.

8. Food Trucks (Varies)

Food, like everything else in Las Vegas, is expensive and overhyped. But some fantastic food trucks with great food and reasonable prices are hidden right off the Las Vegas Strip, or scattered downtown.

Try out some of the best ones like Buddy’s Jersey Eats in the 3000 Block of Las Vegas Boulevard. Or track down the daily setups for local Las Vegas favorites like El Taco, AntidoteLV, or the world-famous fried mac and cheese egg rolls at Stripcheeze. Though simple, it’s still one of the best cheap things to do in Vegas.

You can see locations and daily menus on Instagram or Facebook.

9. Mob Museum ($35)

One of our favorite Sin City spots, this downtown Las Vegas museum relives the sordid past of the organized crime families that ran Las Vegas for decades.

It’s not just a display of blood-splattered mobster clothing and pictures of hits gone awry. This state-of-the-art museum has a firearms training simulator, a Crime Lab that shows how Medical Examiners process bullet-riddled crime scenes for evidence and, of course, a Prohibition Era Distillery tour. There are even whispers of a password-protected speakeasy somewhere in the building.

300 Stewart Avenue, 9am to 9pm.

10. Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art ($18)

Home to a priceless art exhibit, this relatively small museum has hosted exhibitions of Picasso, Degas, and Faberge, along with many other modern art masterpieces. Since exhibits revolve, you may want to see what they have on display when you arrange your tickets.

Sadly, the $130 million Picasso, La Reve, that former Bellagio owner Steve Wynn accidentally put his elbow through, has been repaired and sold off. An oopsie like that would be hard to pass up.

Bellagio Hotel and Casino, 10am to 5:30pm.

11. The Las Vegas Strip ($0)

There is no place like the Las Vegas Strip at night. There is an energy, a distant hum, that gets in your head. It’s the desert air, the billions of dollars in neon, and the people. Mostly the people. There is no better place to people-watch than the Las Vegas strip just before Midnight.

Wander out and see the whole cross-section of America, heck, the world, mixed along just a few blocks of one of the most famous streets in the world. You may be unable to describe or even capture it in pictures. But you will never forget it. It will always remain one of the best cheap things to do in Vegas.

Desert Inn Road to Tropicana Avenue, nightly.

12. Ethel M Chocolate Factory ($0, Chocolate Extra)

This factory is named for Ethel Mars, the mother of Forest Mars, who introduced the world to M&M’s and dozens of other one-of-a-kind American chocolate bars and treats. It’s where Forest came after he retired from the Mars company and started a new business dedicated to craft, small-batch chocolate.

Just minutes from Las Vegas in Henderson, you can tour the factory, visit their renowned three-acre cactus garden, and, most importantly, taste some of this award-winning chocolate.

2 Cactus Garden Drive Henderson, 10am to 6pm.

13. Hoover Dam Tour ($30+)

Looking for cheap things to do in Las Vegas off the strip? The best-guided tours of Hoover Dam will let you not only tour the almost 90-year-old dam and power plant, but also admire views of the dam from two points. First, from the Black Rock Canyon, and second, from the Colorado River (down-water side, looking up). This view allows you to fully understand the massive undertaking that building this 700-foot dam must have been.

Some tours will also include lunch. Depending on the type of tour, you will need to set aside at least four hours to get there and back.

14. Mount Charleston (Varies)

Mount Charleston is the high peak you can see northeast of Las Vegas. While only 45 minutes away from Vegas, most tourists and even some locals never seem to visit. It’s covered in hiking trails, and there’s both a lodge and a restaurant.

In the summer, it can be 30 degrees cooler on the mountain, and in the winter, they have a small ski resort that you can sojourn to. Tours can be pricey and crowded, but you can often get a rental car for as low as $15 a day in the off-season. It’s a great trip if you want to get out of town and see some of the beautiful nature surrounding the Las Vegas Valley.

15. Bellagio Fountains ($0)

The Bellagio Fountains cover eight acres and use more than 1200 fountain heads, some of which shoot columns of water up to 450 feet in the air. Synchronized with a soundtrack and light show, this is a not-to-be-missed attraction, especially considering the price point. Shows are every half hour but are best seen on a clear night after sunset.

Bellagio Hotel and Casino, 3pm to 12am.

16. Fremont Street Experience ($0)

Downtown Las Vegas is home to the Fremont Street experience: six blocks of debauchery shoehorned under a neon roof. While it earned the nickname Glitter Gulch as far back as the 1950s, the 50 million LED lights that cover Fremont today put the old moniker to shame. Free concerts, free street performers, cheap food and a zipline soaring high above it all make this a not-be-missed roadside attraction.

Freemont Street, 24/7.

17. Linq High Roller ($23.50+)

Billed as America’s largest wheel ride, the 500-foot Vegas Eye is a beautiful piece of machinery that lets you get a look at Las Vegas from 50 stories up. Each cabin can hold up to 40 people and generally spends about half an hour making a complete revolution. This allows you to get a good look in all directions and take pictures to your heart’s content.

Outside drinks are allowed, but no glasses or coolers. If you prefer the Happy Hour cabin, you can get a ride and free drinks for a bit more.

Linq Hotel and Casino, 2pm to12 am.

18. Dive In Movies at the Cosmopolitan ($10+)

This one is a hidden gem. Starting in May and running through the end of September, the Cosmo holds outdoor movie night every Monday at their Boulevard Pool. It’s a massive 270-square-foot screen with some curated movie experiences like Aquaman or The Goonies.

Plus, if you’re a local, it’s only $10 per person and $15 for tourists not staying at the Cosmo. Splurge and rent one of the huge daybeds or just lounge on an air mattress in the pool.

The Cosmopolitan, doors open at 7pm.

19. Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay ($29)

The Shark Reef Aquarium has 1.3 million gallons of water which is home to more than 2,000 fish and critters. Also on exhibit in this walk-through aquarium is over 200 shark species for your viewing pleasure.

This a great place to get out of that Nevada sun and spend an afternoon in a dreamy underwater world. Besides the main exhibit, you can feed the sharks or pet the stingrays for an upcharge. Plus try out their 4-D immersive video diving experience.

Mandalay Bay, 10am to 7:30pm.

As you can see, there are plenty of amazing, fun cheap things to do in Vegas, so have a great trip!

FAQs

What is a good budget for a Vegas trip?

As with so much in Las Vegas, it depends on what you want to do. A $100 a day per person would be a good baseline starting point, and then work your way up from there. If you gamble even on the penny slots for eight hours a day, you better have a large bankroll. If you don’t mind a slightly less ritzy hotel and enjoy hiking or exploring the less expensive things Las Vegas has to offer, you can enjoy Las Vegas for much less.

Is $100 a day enough for Las Vegas?

The average tourist spends more than $300 daily, so it depends on what you want to accomplish. If you’re willing to stay farther South on the Las Vegas Strip at properties like Excalibur and Luxor, which have rooms at $20 to $30 a day, dine off the Strip, and use our cheap things to do in Vegas list (or even better, our free things to do in Las Vegas list), it could be done.

How much money do I need to have fun in Las Vegas?

Money doesn’t equal fun, not even in Las Vegas. That guy betting $20k a hand at the Bellagio, maybe staying in a $40,000 dollar-a-night suite and eating at five-star restaurants every night, is probably having less fun than some Vegas first-timers, eating 99-cent Midway hotdogs at Circus Circus and staying in some downtown hotel for $25 a night. Vegas is what you make it.

Is $1000 enough for four days In Las Vegas?

Sure. You could put yourself together a nice itinerary with $1,000 for four days. Use the coupon books and look for deals to make the most of your money.

What is the cheapest way around Las Vegas?

The monorail is $13 a day for unlimited rides up and down the Las Vegas Strip. Busses are clean and cheap and, while a bit slow, can take you anywhere you want to go for $8 unlimited a day. You can also rent electric bikes from the Las Vegas Transit Authority for $5 daily.

Online banking and e-wallets like GCash are two of the most popular payment methods in the Philippines. This informative post will cover the differences between the two, provide information regarding any fees and finish off with the steps for performing the process itself.

Read along to learn all about the interaction between these payment methods, and feel free to use the navigation bar below to jump to a relevant section in the blog.

The Difference Between Metrobank and GCash

The main difference between Metrobank and GCash is that the former is a Filipino bank, while the latter – is a popular e-wallet in the country. Usually, when you transfer money between two e-wallets, you will most likely not have any fees.

However, while GCash is a mobile wallet that offers a convenient way to send money and shop online, it differs from a bank. As such, there will be a Metrobank to GCash transfer fee for the transaction.

In our opinion, this fee isn’t something to be concerned about, as it is standard procedure when managing transfers between a bank and an e-wallet. Thankfully, managing finances between the two platforms is very simple, as you’ll find out further in our blog.

There is a reason why Metrobank and GCash are two of the most popular payment methods among Filipinos, as they allow secure ways to deposit funds at the best online casinos for real money in the Philippines.

Metrobank – A Popular Choice Among Filipinos

The Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company, also known as Metrobank, is the fourth largest bank in the Philippines. It offers various financial services, such as regular and online banking and managing multiple accounts. There are two ways to manage your account – in the mobile app or via your desktop browser. It isn’t a surprise that Metrobank is a leader in depositing funds across the best online casinos in the Philippines.

Doing a Metrobank transfer to GCash is very simple. But, as we mentioned and as of the time of writing this post, there is a Metrobank to GCash fee of ₱25. This is normal when doing transfers from a bank to an e-wallet.

Before we delve into the actual process and steps for transferring funds between the two platforms, read along to learn more about the popular e-wallet GCash. With leading platforms such as these, making deposits for online gambling in the Philippines has never been easier.

GCash – Easy to Use & Reliable E-Wallet in the Philippines

GCash is a Filipino mobile payment service and a very popular platform in the country. At the time of writing this post, it has over 81 million active users and 2.5 million sellers and merchants in the Philippines.

The platform originated back in 2004 and offered prepaid phone credits. As the years went by, the payment became widely used among online gambling operators, and today, there are many online casinos that accept GCash. It has an extensive network of partners and is widely used in the country.

GCash also has partnerships with over 139,000 merchants, allowing you to shop at numerous nationwide stores, all within an easy-to-use, intuitive mobile app. Some of the categories include entertainment, food, supermarket goods, and more.

All of this shows that GCash is a widely used service among Filipinos, and with good reason. Its reliability, convenience and provided services are one of a kind.

Overview of the Transfer Process

We will give a brief overview of how to send money from Metrobank to GCash before jumping in with the exact steps. It is a simple process, however, please note that the Metrobank to GCash fee will be ₱25, as we briefly mentioned above.

As one platform is an online banking service, while the other is an e-wallet, you will need to have an account registered with Metrobank. You can send money to any GCash user, regardless of if it’s you or somebody else. Without further ado, here are the steps you’ll need to follow to complete the Metrobank transfer to GCash.

Metrobank to GCash Transfers in a Few Easy Steps

There are two ways to complete a Metrobank transfer to GCash. You can either use your computer and enter your Metrobank account via the browser or proceed with the mobile app. Regardless of which method you choose, you will see your account balance, and the process will be seamless.

Here is how you can perform the transfer when using Metrobank’s mobile app:

There are a few notes that we’d like to add regarding this process. When you enter the details after choosing GCash, you will have an option of entering the email address of the recipient or their phone number.

Depending on the chosen selection, the recipient will either get an email notification or a phone text message for the transfer completion. The daily transaction limit is ₱50,000 per source account, and the Metrobank to GCash transfer fee will be ₱25.

If you do not receive your OTP (One-Time-Password) (step 8), you can click the Resend button to try again. You will need it to authenticate that you are the owner of the Metrobank account.

When it comes to doing this process via the desktop Metrobank platform, the steps will be similar to what we described above.

The InstaPay option processes the transaction right away. And, by using Metrobank, you can send money to anyone who owns a GCash account, making things as convenient as possible.

Our Final Thoughts and Details

It is time to conclude our informative post and provide you with our final thoughts and remarks. In our opinion, both Metrobank and GCash are very reliable platforms for Filipino users. Both have been operating for a long time and have a proven reputation.

The fact that you can transfer funds from a bank to an e-wallet is not only convenient but also simple and easy. With an instant processing time, anyone who owns a Metrobank account can directly send funds to a GCash user.

This allows Filipino users to manage their funds and make money transfers whenever needed, all done through two safe and secure platforms. Transferring money has never been easier, and with the evolution of the Internet, we’re sure things will get even simpler.

Frequently Asked Questions

In the section below, you will find quick answers to the segments discussed in the blog. We covered a lot, and the most common inquiries are below – you can click on the links that will take you to the relevant section of the blog post.

Bipartisan support

The good news for Georgians who would like to wager a few bucks on their favorite team now and then: the Georgia Senate passed a bill that would legalize online sports betting in the state. The bad news about Senate Bill 386: the Senate also attached an amendment that would require a constitutional amendment to make sports betting a reality. It is that amendment that puts the legislation in jeopardy.

up to 16 sports betting licenses

The bill, which passed easily in a bipartisan 35-15 vote on Thursday, authorizes the Georgia Lottery to issue up to 16 sports betting licenses. Seven could go to gaming companies such as BetMGM and FanDuel, three would be given to the PGA, Augusta National Golf Club, and Atlanta Motor Speedway, and five would go to the state’s major professional sports teams: MLB’s Atlanta Braves, NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, and MLS’ Atlanta United.

The last license would be held by the Georgia Lottery itself.

Gross gaming revenue would be taxed at 20%. The seven licenses for the independent companies would come with a $100,000 application fee and a $1m annual fee.

Constitution amendment is a huge obstacle

That the Senate passed the bill is all well and good, but it also passed Republican Sen. Bill Cowsert’s amendment that would require a constitutional amendment before sports betting would become legal in the state. Constitutional amendments necessitate 38 votes in the Senate (two-thirds of the chamber), more than the bill received, and a statewide referendum voted upon by Georgia residents.

non-constitutional amendment law could get shot down in court

A constitutional amendment is clearly a more difficult path to passage, making many fear that sports betting is doomed to fail once again in Georgia. Cowsert pushed for the amendment because he is afraid that because sports betting wasn’t included in the 1992 referendum that authorized the lottery, a non-constitutional amendment law could get shot down in court if someone presented a legal challenge.

Other proponents of the constitutional amendment route believe it is only fair to allow state voters to decide, since sports betting was not what they voted on in 1992.

Money for education

One of the primary reasons lawmakers are eager to legalize sports betting is to fund public pre-K classes and the HOPE Scholarship program. The HOPE Scholarship, which awards partial or full college scholarships to students who achieve at least a 3.0 GPA and enroll in an in-state school, has been so popular since it was created in 1993 that the state coffers have had trouble keeping up with demand.

sports betting could contribute another $100m per year

Funds from the Georgia Lottery go toward these academic programs, but lawmakers believe that sports betting could contribute another $100m per year.

Some supporters of the constitutional amendment – Democrats, in particular – favored it because it would allow sports betting tax revenue to go to other programs other than just pre-K and the HOPE Scholarship. Specifically important to some are need-based scholarships; the HOPE Scholarship is merit-based.

The bill now moves on to the Senate, where similar bills have gone to die in previous years, often because of fights about unrelated issues. With the constitutional amendment a likely problem in addition to the usual bickering in the House, the hope is that getting it over there nearly two months before the March 28 end of the legislative session will give Representatives time to ask questions and hash out their differences.

The post Georgia Senate Passes Online Sports Betting Bill With One Gigantic Catch appeared first on Vegas Slots Online News.

Source link