Critics of online gambling often attempt to support their arguments by referring to the poor and underprivileged as the most common victims of the compulsion they believe is engendered by these activities. They claim that the people who can least afford to part with their sparse supplies of cash are the very ones that are most vulnerable to the lure of potentially instant wealth via the internet.

This argument has also been the mainstay of the numerous campaigns conducted across the United States and in several other countries by those who would like to see online gambling remaining banned for time immemorial and perhaps beyond. Surprisingly, the groups concerned are often supported by religious bodies who receive charitable donations from State or National Lottery proceeds in order to maintain their activities. The clear inference is that these bodies do not believe that Lotteries provide any significant threat to the poor and underprivileged and thus the proceeds of these activities may be considered untainted.

A recent analysis of statistics maintained by Lottery operators in South Carolina appears to suggest that the online gambling critics may have got it all wrong. The study results indicated that the very people who can least afford it were, in fact, the ones most likely to spend their last few dollars on a lottery ticket. It appeared at first that lottery players displayed the same percentages racially and economically as those that make up the general population. However, once adjusted to reflect the frequency with which the various groups played, the figures told a different story.

For instance although African Americans constitute just 20% of the population of South Carolina, they accounted for 38.4% of lottery players who buy tickets more than once per week. In addition, about 28% of the state’s inhabitants earn less than $40K per annum but they accounted for over 53% of the frequent lottery players.

It is well-known that the odds of even a small lottery win are incredibly small yet these games of pure chance, somehow, never seem to attract the attention of the anti-gambling set whilst online gaming with its infinitely more favourable odds seems never to be out of their firing line.

Today, many online casinos and card rooms are well known for their acts of charity and, although this is not their prime motivation, it does appear from the research that, for those with limited resources, they may prove to be a safer bet than a lotto ticket.

If there is one thing of which online punters can be certain, it is that their favourite casino will be able to offer them a fairly large selection of methods by which they may make and receive payments. Credit cards, electronic wallets, pre-paid cards abound in cyberspace wherever money changes hands and, it is likely that, today, there are hundreds of alternative, reputedly secure, means to perform financial transactions online.

That said; it seems there was still room for a new one. EntroPay, a virtual prepaid payment card and the first of its kind in Europe, is sweeping the continent and is enjoying particular success in the online gambling industry. The new card introduces a highly sophisticated transaction mechanism that is still to be achieved by rival service providers.

What is wrong with the methods currently in use and why is EntroPay so much better? In a nutshell, credit cards, e-wallets and the like all attract various service fees, require users to share sensitive personal information and often result in lengthy processing times that delay payments, particularly when making withdrawals.The launch of the new EntroPay system provides comprehensive and effective solutions to all of these problems.

EntroPay may be used in a variety of ways, acting as an international virtual prepaid card that allows players all over the world to use it for just $6. Using EntroPay, they may perform transactions online anywhere that supports the Visa brand. In addition, holders of an EntroPay card may use it to transfer money to or withdraw cash from a personal bank account in a manner similar to an ATM card. It may even be used when purchasing goods from retail stores. Perhaps the biggest plus for those who like a flutter at an online casino, is that no personal information need be supplied in order to make use of it. Finally, then, we have a payment system that can guarantee 100% safety and privacy for its users.

The system also offers benefits to service providers and especially to the operators of online casinos and other Internet gambling facilities. Its simplicity of use allows them to process transactions faster and more efficiently than ever before not just for the benefit of their players but also of their affiliates. This alone is likely to guarantee its eventual adoption by the majority of such operations.

If you happen to be planning a trip into European cyberspace to enjoy a little slots play or a few spins at the roulette table, you will find EntroPay in operation at William Hill Casino, 21Nova, EuroGrand and, indeed, at most of the continent’s leading online gaming venues.

It is possible that some of you recall the story of the amazing piece of luck experienced by a Kimberly grandmother in November last year. Marie van Wyk was playing the Beach Life video slot at African Palace and had wagered around R80 when she recorded a win, a quick glance suggested R850 which she decided to cash out after attending to a few domestic chores. Returning to her PC later, she accessed her online account to find that her win was, in fact, R8.5 million, the third biggest jackpot ever paid out at African Palace Casino.

Marie was invited to a VIP lunch at which she was presented with the traditional outsized cheque and one would have thought that was the start of a brand new life as a multi-millionaire. This was not, in fact, the case. Come payout time African Palace declared they would pay the money not as a single lump sum but in a series of six instalments.

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