Online Gambling: The Best (And Worst) Of 2007

2007 was a difficult year for those with a stake in the online gambling industry - the players, the operators and the gaming licensors alike. From the UIGEA to the UK White-List, very few online gambling operations were not effected in some way or another.

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), passed by the US in late 2006, took it's toll on the industry. The majority of today's most respected online casino and online poker rooms were forced to close their doors to the US market. This left US players struggling to find an online gambling site that would accept their deposits and allow them to gamble online.

The UK White-List was introduced, cutting off online gambling operators in many jurisdictions from advertising in or to the United Kingdom. In fact, the only online gambling operators allowed to advertise in the UK, as of August 2007, were those with a gaming license from the governments of Alderney and the Isle of Man, or any country within the European Economic Market (EEA). Gibraltar has since been added to the UK White-List, along with Tasmania, (effective after January 31, 2008).

A host of new online casinos and online poker rooms have opened their doors in 2007, finding success in the acceptance of US players. These relatively small operations would no doubt have failed had it not been for the UIGEA - a positive aspect in the opinion of such online gambling companies.

All of these factors were weighed heavily when 'Casinomeister' put together 31 categories, taking nominations from players, to release the 2007 Casino awards. From best to worst player experiences, user-friendly software and quality of customer support, Casinomeister is one of the online gambling industry's top trusted references in regards to the best online casinos.

There are too many awards to list here, but among the top picks of 2007 were:

"Best" Awards...

• Best Casino of 2007: 32Red Casino (5th consecutive win for 32Red)
  
• Best New Casino 2007: 3 Dice Casino
  
• Best Customer Service 2007: Club World Casino
  
• Best Software Provider 2007: Wagerworks
  
• Milestone of 2007: UK Gambling Commission (for 'progressive', 'responsible regulation' of the industry)

"Worst" Awards...

• Worst Casino Group 2007: Virtual Group (powered by RTG)
  
• Worst Player Experience 2007: Hippo Jo Casino (powered by RTG)
  
• Worst Software Provider 2007: Futurebet