One day I’m going make a list of strange casino names. Now, think this one through, gold is supposed to suggest wealth. And mummy suggests that you’re dead and buried. Well, buried in a big tomb filled with gold. But still, there’s that dead part. Which may be why I never seem to have an urge to play on Mummy’s Gold Casino. So I decided, hey, I should go check this site out and reassure myself that it isn’t really a bad casino. And that being dead isn’t a requirement.

So, the Mummy’s Gold main page is done in purple. Lots of dark purple. Which is a rich color. There is a nice desert image with pyramids at the top. But mostly lots of swirly and flashy things on the page encouraging me to play with them. Up front and easy to find are the options to either download the software or use the instant play option. I often check out the instant play first. But before I do that, I better bebop over and check out the terms. I’m in the US and that sometimes causes problems with UK casinos. It’s not me they don’t like. It’s the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act). Mummy’s Gold is going to leave it up to me to decide if I can legally play on the site. And sometimes instant play isn’t. So after three browser tries and restarting Firefox…I’ve got a page where I can see the games, but no user name yet. Okay, under help, I have a register option and a can even start with a guest account if I give them my email. Not too bad, but that could have been a bit more obvious.

The slots games are in no particular order, so I’ve randomly selected one, but nothing is happening. Hmm, bouncing over to Video Poker. Okay, after clicking viciously a few times, I get Double Double Bonus Poker to load. Whoa, lots of bright reds and blues. Really not easy on the eyes, guys. Okay, it does auto holding on the cards and you might want to check your strategy card against the suggestions. Back over to slots, some vicious clicking on Chainmail makes the game finally open. Yeah, more bright colors, but that’s expected in a slots game. The table game selection looks impressive, but I’ll skip the vicious clicking and get on with the review.

Let’s see the details. Mummys Gold is part of the Palace Group managed by Bayton Ltd and registered in Malta. The site is certified fair and safe by eCOGRA, which is a good thing. And they’re running Microgaming software.

So, as far as certification and gaming software, everything is good. But I think they need to look a bit more into the site presentation itself and fix that vicious clicking issue. Because not everyone who plays is going to be over-caffeinated. If you play at Mummy’s Gold and enjoy it, don’t stop. But if you’re looking for casinos, check these online casinos.

Coffee Quote: If I asked for a cup of coffee, someone would search for the double meaning. Mae West

Problem gambling is a serious issue, but of course, not all gamblers are unable to control their instincts to wager money. Still both online and brick and mortar casinos have procedures in place to try to help problem gamblers from spending money. I’m wondering if the online casino procedures might work more effectively than the real world policies. I’ll discuss one of the online process in a later post, but this morning I’m being amused over my first cup of coffee over the lastest jackpot squabble caused by a self exclusion policy.

Now, self exclusion policies are supposedly in place to help gamblers who realize that they have a problem with controlling their gambling urges. The policies usually include an agreement by the player that the casino can force them to leave if they are spotted gambling. There can also be other policies, such as those allowing the casino to refuse to award winnings or even those requiring the player to added gambling counseling.

This all sounds good. On paper. But the latest round of lawsuits in Canada and now New Zealand seem to be revealing the problems in the policies. First, in Canada one player is suing because she was able to lose about $300,000 at a casino even though she was on their self-exclusion list. Her claim seems to show that the casino’s process for identifying and asking players to leave leaves something to be desired. At least when it comes to preventing players from losing money.

But two other players are finding the policies work very well when preventing them from claiming money they’ve won. Michael Lee won just over $42,000 on a slot jackpot in Canada. But he’d signed a self-exclusion policy three years previously and the British Columbia Lottery Corporation claims that policy prevents him from claiming his winnings. However, Lee’s lawyer is claiming the clause preventing his client from claiming a jackpot was added after Lee signed the documents. We’ll have to wait to see if he wins his court battle. But now Sothea Sinn in New Zealand has run into a similar situation with a $44,000 win at Caribbean Stud Poker. Sinn had signed his self exclusion policy six years earlier and claims that he thought it had expired. But the casino claims that Sinn never attended the counseling sessions required for the ban to be lifted.

All this just leaves me wondering — are there examples of these self exclusion policies preventing people from losing money?

Coffee Quote: A morning without coffee is like sleep.  ~Author Unknown