Alyssa Milano of "Charmed" and other stars turned out in Vegas last weekend for the grand opening celebration of SPEED - The Ride, Las Vegas' newest, fastest thrill coaster. The stars rode the intense rollercoaster that sends passengers below ground, through a loop and then straight up a 224-foot tower before repeating the entire experience backwards. SPEED - The Ride, which runs along the famed Las Vegas Strip, can reach speeds of 70 mph at optimum performance. It's located in the NASCAR Cafe at the Sahara Hotel and Casino.

Not exactly etched in stone, but I do hope these "commandments" give you some basic guidance if you plan to play at an online casino.

#1: Thou Shalt Know The Local Law
Sad to say, but in some places it's illegal to gamble on the Web. Know your legal status in your home state, province, territory, country before wagering cash. Online gambling laws are ever-changing and the best way to definitively determine the current laws that apply to you is by contacting your local authorities.

Read the other 9 commandments here

Ever wonder which casino games offer the worst odds? Well wonder no more. Gambling authority Gayle Mitchell has come up with a list of the ten worst casino bets and you can read it at Casino Detroit Magazine. (Hint: Keno tops the list.)

Click here for the article

Weekly Gaming Insight has rated MGM Grand Hotel and Casino's Web site the Best Overall Hotel/Casino Site on the Web.

MGM Grand's newly re-launched website allows vacationers to book rooms on a real-time reservation system, purchase tickets for shows and events at MGM Grand, buy branded merchandise and apply for casino credit. Guests to the site can also make reservations for numerous restaurants on property while viewing menus, recipes and chef bios and enjoying audio clips that express the unique character associated with each dining experience.

Players can also sign up for slot tournaments online. Tee times can be reserved for the multiple golf courses and the luxurious, award-winning MGM Grand Spa.

Check it out at http://www.mgmgrand.com

ProSportsPool.com offers you "Fantasy-free-for-all" contests with scores, standings, statistics, chatrooms and more. We provide contests for Auto Racing, Baseball, Hockey, Basketball, and Football. You can win grand prizes as well as numerous monthly prizes. Check us out!

Click for ProSportsPool.com

Q. What online gambling games are free? These are the only ones I want to play.

A. Most online casinos let you play their games for free in the hope that you'll eventually pull out your credit card and gamble away real cash. But if you want to play free casino games strictly for points and prizes, I recommend Virtual Vegas. Gamesville also has some good free games, including Quick Draw Poker and Big Easy Blackjack. Or click here to play free Caribbean Stud Poker now.

Q. Just wanted to tell you that winning on side by side slot machines happens. I won the jackpot on a black and white (nickel) machine. It was a five coin machine where you get 3 doublers lined up from left lower corner to right upper corner. 15000 nickels. Couldn't believe it. I normally don't play those nickel machines, but I was waiting for my wife in that area. While I waited for the pay-off I moved to the next machine and won that jackpot also. It wasn't quite as big, but still needed an attendant to pay it off. Pretty unusual.

A. Thanks for the info!

Sportsbetting.com, an online sportsbook, gives you the chance to win US$25,000 on each and every NASCAR motorsports race from now through November. Sportsbetting.com's "Net Speed Challenge" allows entrants to choose the top eight finishers of each NASCAR Winston Cup Series Race. If the entrant's picks are in the correct order for that race, the entrant wins US$25,000 in cash.

Guaranteed weekly and end of season prizes will also be awarded to those entrants with the highest weekly and cumulative scores. The guaranteed grand prize is a real life adventure that puts the lucky winner on the track behind the wheel of a real NASCAR Winston Cup style stock car just like the ones that helped make Richard Petty "The King". Visit www.sportsbetting.com for details.

Pai Gow Poker is a combination of poker and Pai Gow -- a game played with dominoes that originated in Ancient China. The poker version of Pai Gow, which is much more common than the domino version online, is played with an ordinary deck of 52 cards plus a joker. Players are dealt seven cards each, which they then split into two hands. One hand will contain five cards and is known as the "high hand." The second hand contains two cards and is the "low hand." The joker can be used as an ace or to complete a straight or flush. The object of the game is to win the bet by having both the high and low hands rank higher than the respective hands of the banker.

Click for detailed Pai Gow rules and strategies

Beginning next week we're giving away free hotel packages to different resorts throughout North America. It's our way of rewarding our loyal readers. Check back next week for details! In the meantime, here are the latest Vegas specials from Travelscape:

• Las Vegas - Exclusive Packages at the MGM from $75 per night!
• Las Vegas - Now the Monte Carlo is only $179 on a weekend!
• Las Vegas - Super Specials at the Luxor for $69 per night!
• Las Vegas - WOW! Hurry to Harrahs for just $139 per night!
• Las Vegas - Mandalay Bay on Mother's Day Weekend just $189!

New York Casino - Stunning graphics, multi-player action and real time wagering on all your favorite casino games!
Casino Merlin - Experience the thrill of REAL MONEY wagering from the comfort of your own home. Casino Merlin, Vegas odds and fast payouts!

Hope you enjoyed this week's issue. Keep those emails coming! I really like hearing from fellow gamblers. Your editor, Steve Johnson, .

See you next week!

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