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Here is our News section where you can keep updated with all offers from gambling industry. Online casino news with bonuses, exclusive coupons, jackpots and much more !
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02/22/2007 gambling news:
Ladbrokes Still Considering Online Casino Purchase
Leading gaming company Ladbrokes has confirmed that it is still in discussion with online casino giant 888 over a possible takeover bid.
It noted that the negotiations continue to be 'complex because of the current conditions in the US.'
In November 2006 Ladbrokes was deliberating over an offer for 888 that was intended to bolster its Internet gambling division. Ladbrokes is currently in a very favourable position to expand its business interests with the announcement that its annual pre-tax profit saw a significant rise after the sale of its hotel unit and bumper World Cup winnings.
Pre-tax profit rose to £669.8 million for the year ending 31 December 2006 compared to £394.0 million in the previous year. Gross win, or the amount won from gamblers, rose 9.9 percent to £1 billion.
'2006 has been a good year,' said chairman Ian Robinson in the company statement. 'Management has successfully established Ladbrokes as a market leading, standalone betting and gaming company.'
Players Confident Online Casino Will Party on Post-UIGEA
Various stock market rumours have prompted a spell of tentative purchases in online gaming company PartyGaming, increasing share figures from to 41½p to 45¼p at the close of yesterday’s markets.
Confident buyers hedged all their bets on the company amid reports that veteran Congressman Barney Frank, Democrat chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, wants to repeal the US’s anti-gambling ruling and has called for a two-year reprieve.
Last March, Frank explained, “Adults are entitled to do with their money what they want to do.”
Other factors that may have caused an increase in share interest is reported takeover talk and indications that full-year figures on March 1 will easily exceed estimates.
Sportingbet also saw a recovery from its weakest position last year that saw the September arrest of the company’s former chairman Peter Dicks followed by the sale of its US gaming division for the token sum of a dollar after the introduction on the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
The hint of a US amnesty left the stock 5p up at 40p on a generous turnover of £13.8m, a sharp increase on Tuesday's figure of £983,000.
NGameAccount Pulls off New Card Trick For 2007
Skills game site GameAccount.com has announced that it will host the 2007 Online Rummy World Championship.
The card game that acted as a practice ground for legendary WSOP Champion Stu Ungar and was made famous by screen legend James Bond in the movie Goldfinger is set for a revival. The game, that has been dubbed 'Thinking Man's Poker', is reportedly so easy to learn that it can be mastered in just 90 seconds.
GameAccount.com is the first global site to meet the needs of both amateur and professional gin players, having hosted over 100 million hands of gin rummy for stakes ranging from £1 to £1,000 per game. Every month, millions of pounds change hands between members of this growing community of keen gin players.
The 2007 tournament will take place this summer, with the prize fund being announced over the next few weeks.
Kevin Dale, GameAccount.com CEO believes that, 'Serious card players are looking for a fresh new buzz or adrenalin rush that is similar but not identical to poker... The 'Gin Rummy World Championship' will be a rewarding experience akin to other competitive online tournaments.'
Latest Online Casino Win is Out of this World
Popular online casino, Everest Casino has announced that a lucky player has scooped a $31,850 cash prize in a single pull on its Space Ace online video slot machine.
Space Ace is just one of over a dozen high-tech video slot machines offered by Everest Casino. The game offers fast play and large prizes for all its players, and is designed to appeal to science fiction buffs with the games background comprising of symbols such as galaxies, planets, stars, and comets.
'We're always happy to see a player get a big payout like this,' said Eduardo Santos, Everest Casino property manager.
Space Ace players can also benefit from bonus rounds that allow players to earn free spins and the chance to double and even quadruple their prize funds.
'Everest Casino's video slot machines are designed to bring the true casino experience home for our players,' Santos added. 'We're constantly updating the machines and our online experience to offer our players a touch of excitement each time they place a wager.'
Punters Bet on Britney One More Time
Leading online betting exchange Sportingbet.com has been inundated with a surge of punters jumping at the chance to back odds relating to the current erratic behaviour of teen idol Britney Spears.
Bettors turned out in their droves to back 20/1 odds that the US pop star would become a nun within the next month and bets were also placed on the chances of Spears becoming the face (and head) of hair removal cream Veet.
Sportingbet are so confident that Spears will have a roller coaster of a year that they have also made the following odds available:
Announce her pregnancy 11/2
Appear on the Oprah show 13/2
Announce her engagement 8/1
Present an MTV music award 10/1
Announce getting back together with Kevin Federline 12/1
Be arrested 16/1
Announce a lesbian relationship 16/1
Appear in a TV comedy or drama 25/1
Become a scientologist 20/1
Undergo cosmetic surgery 20/1
Release her autobiography 25/1
Appear in a cinematic film 33/1
Shoot a hair product commercial 33/1
Enrol in college 50/1
New Mobile Scratch Card is a Real Gem
WinOne, a Finnish supplier of cash games for mobile internet, announced the release of the first personalised scratch card available on mobile phones.
The java-based scratch card, featuring a horoscope theme, comes in twelve different forms, each corresponding to an astrological sign and the sign’s precious stone.
Instead of using a 5-pence piece to uncover their winnings, GemScope players will use phone keys to “scratch” their star sign and win vast range of cash and other prizes.
The game boasts a unique special feature, which allows players to continuously be put through to a second stage providing a personalised horoscope, giving them a fresh experience each time they play - win or lose. Further personalised stages are also available, without buying a new ticket.
“With this type of game mobile players feel they are getting much more value,” commented Rufus Miles, WinOne VP of Business Development. “Of course they have the chance to win a big prize – but even if they lose, they still get personalised content. We think this is unique in the mobile money gaming market today.”
US Internet Gambling Dispute with Antigua Heats Up
Antigua & Barbuda’s Minister of Finance and the Economy, Dr. Errol Cort, revealed that the Caribbean island had presented a complaint with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) over reported leaks from U.S. officials on what was deemed to be a confidential preliminary report by the WTO.
The final report of the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body on the a four-year-old legal battle between Antigua & Barbuda and the United States on America’s restrictions on internet gambling, a key source of revenue for the island, is due to be released tomorrow.
Antigua & Barbuda first brought their case to the WTO in 2003 arguing that US laws blocking the placing of bets across states lines by electronic means infringed WTO rules.
“The WTO had specifically said to all parties that… no party should say anything in respect of the matter. Unfortunately the US has gone and they have said a lot of things and we have protested,” remarked Cort.
“We’ve written to the WTO that while all parties were asked to remain confidential in terms of the interim report, we have kept our side, but the US has not.”
Cort added that the WTO has since reiterated its request to both parties that the report remain confidential until it is published.
Online Casino Free Spin Offer Written in the Stars
Zodiac Online Oasino, part of Casino Rewards group, is giving its customers a unique, deposit free offer of 50 free spins on a slot machine without the hassle of handing over credit card details or making an initial purchase.
The offer is available on the new Starscape Video Slot, a 5-reel, 25-Line, multiple-coins video slot, which contains a Pick Until Match Off Screen Bonus Game. The inclusion of a Wild symbol also doubles wins when substituting.
Once players have registered on the site, they’ll receive a confirmation email within an hour with details of their free spins. Customers then sign into their personal casino account, open the Starscape Video Slot game and get ready to play to win.
Zodiac Casino is accessible to players worldwide including the USA, with the exception of players residing in Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington or Wisconsin.
Online Casino Games Will Fly High in New Partnership
Budget airline Flybe has announced an online gaming deal with PAF, a charitable gaming operator and prominent iGaming company, to give passengers access to online gaming services while booking their flights, car hire, hotels and insurance on flybe.com.
A wide range of games from bingo and keno to casino games such as blackjack and roulette will be available on the site giving customers a chance to indulge in some light entertainment while organising the finer points of their holiday.
The new service will also benefit Flybe’s chosen charity, Make-A-Wish Foundation, with a donation of 20 per cent from every play.
Mike Rutter, Chief Commercial Officer of Flybe, said, “The online gaming facility will enable us to generate revenue ensuring that we continue to provide passengers with the lowest possible fares, while simultaneously offering customers compelling entertainment and a more enjoyable browsing and booking experience overall.”
Online Casino e-Wallet Founders Await Their Fate
The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has made a firm decision to extend the deadline on whether to indict NETeller founders Stephen Lawrence and John Lefebvre.
The owners of the leading gambling e-wallet were charged with transferring billions of dollars in illegal gambling earnings earlier this year, but will now not face court until March 16, 2007.
The pair was arrested on January 15, 2007, immediately after the FBI froze all of Neteller's US customer's accounts in a swift move designed to retain the accounts as evidence in any prospective charges against the company.
Customers of the online gaming world’s most high-profile payment processor will now have to extend their reserves of patience for at least another month before the process of recovering their money can begin.
A posting on the company's website said, “As a result of the restrictions placed by third parties, court-ordered seizures and related legal concerns, Neteller is unable to make payments to U.S. customers.”
Things Looking Up For Online Casino
There were encouraging signs this week at Gibraltar-based online gambling group 888.com that the loss of its U.S. business has been offset by aggressive expansion into other markets.
The group saw revenue from gaming rise by 7% in 2006, despite the U.S. shutdown. 888.com revealed that net gaming revenue for the 12 months to December 31 reached $290 million (£148 million) compared with $271 million the year before.
888 said it was diversifying geographically in the wake of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, the U.S. law which effectively banned internet financial transactions with online gambling sites.
Revenue from non-U.S. operations rose 28 percent to $157 million. However, after suspension of 888's US business in October 2006 average daily first time depositors fell by 37 percent. Nevertheless, the online gambling giant reported solid growth, with 3.6 million members now betting online, and a 35 percent increase in real money memberships in its final quarter results for 2006.
'We are encouraged by the strong current trading and remain confident for a successful full year outcome,' Chief Executive Officer Gigi Levy said in a statement.
Shares of 888 have dropped 24 percent since September 29th, the last day of trading before the U.S. law was passed.
Arsenal Odds Slashed After Cup Replay
Arsenal has been shortened to 4/1 to win the FA Cup after a thrilling extra-time victory over Bolton in the 4th Round replay on Wednesday night.
Bolton’s Abdoulaye Meite scored his first goal for the club in injury time to put the match into extra-time. Freddie Ljungberg put the Gunners in front and with a minute of added-on time left, Emmanuel Adebayor took advantage of some tired Bolton legs to make the tie safe.
VCbet make Arsenal 4/1 now, in from 6/1. They remain 3rd favourites behind Chelsea at 2/1 and Manchester United at 5/2.
The 'big three' are packed closer together in Betfair's market - Arsenal are available at 4.5 with Chelsea 3.6 and United 3.75.
Arsenal, winners of the Cup 4 times since Arsene Wenger arrived at the club, will play host to Blackburn in the last 16 on Saturday. Chelsea entertain Norwich on the same day, while United face Reading at Old Trafford.
Germany Opens Doors to British Online Casino Players
The Casino Wiesbaden in Frankfurt is set to offer British online gamblers a unique experience: playing live roulette from the comfort of their own homes.
Registered players will be able to place his or her stakes on the roulette table via their computer. They then keep track of the ball and the croupier via 2 webcams.
Casino Wiesbaden's is Europe's only state-licensed and permanently state-controlled casino to offer online roulette. The game operates daily from 11:00am to 3am local time on two tables and with authentic wheels.
'Everything about our online roulette is real! The only difference is that the player is sitting at home at his or her PC instead of being here at the Casino's playing table', said Thomas Freiherr von Stenglin, the CEO of Casino Wiesbaden. 'We're very excited to be able to welcome game-enthusiastic guests from the United Kingdom via the Internet.'
Woolie Thinking For Online Casino
The Gibraltar-based gaming network operator St. Minver has signed up UK high street retailer Woolworths for a fully operated and managed online bingo site.
The retailer has additionally hinted that it intends to extend the range of games in its latest bid for Internet revenues.
A spokesman for the retailer said the new venture would give Woolworths customers a new and entertaining service from a brand they knew and trusted.
Jim Ryan, formerly the head man at Excapsa, recently joined St. Minver as CEO of the white label provider, which now has some 20 licensees. The company has revealed that its involvement in Russian poker and Swedish bingo markets has been through the Ramblas.ru operation in the Russian market and the CaliberBingo.com and Lyckobingo.com bingo operations in Sweden.
“The St. Minver network is experiencing rapid growth in Sweden as more and more people switch on to online bingo,' said Alison Digges, MD International for St Miniver.
Since its launch last year, Ramblas Poker has recorded significant growth in player registrations with thousands signing up to the site every month. Ramblas Poker is part of the poker network operated by St. Minver, which claims it has one of the fastest growing networks in Europe with 35,000 players visiting per day and 8,000 players at peak times. Ramblas players can compete with players from all over the world in tournaments run by the network, which currently pays out over $1 million in prizes every day.
Bluff Europe Offer Free Rooms For Asian Poker Classic
Do you have the winter blues and a bad itch to play poker? Then Bluff Europe has just the tonic for you, in the shape of a guaranteed US$1million poker tournament with a $250,000 Guaranteed Add-In at a luxurious five-star resort in exotic Goa, India.
BLUFF EUROPE MAGAZINE is offering all readers four night complimentary accommodation to players that register for the Asian Poker Classic (APC) from this website. The APC is held March 1-5 at the five star all-suites resort, at the five–star Intercontinental The Grand Resort Goa. Buy-in is $5,000+$300 and there is a Guaranteed $250,000 Add-in.
To register, players can email APC with promotional code BLUFFGOA to get your free accommodation support@asianpokerclassic.com
To buy your seat direct, please email your request to team@asianpokerclassic.com or fax the registration form to +44 (0) 208 181 6555 or to + 44 (0) 870 608 9198.
To win your seat to APC via satellite tournaments at MaharajahClub.com Poker: You choose which level suits you and start you on your path to Goa and a share of US$1million maharajahclub.com/Poker/EN/Info.aspx?path=infopages&page=poker
For more information on Asian Poker Classic or for travel information to India, please visit www.asianpokerclassic.com or email team@asianpokerclassic.com
Asian Poker Classic (www.asianpokerclassic.com) March 1-5, 2007. The InterContinental Grand Resort, Goa is straddled between two rivers giving the resort a unique advantage of both seawater & fresh water recreational opportunities. It overlooks the largest golf course in Goa and the Arabian Sea and it offers an 880-meter long exclusive beachfront.
(APC Registration Form APC: http://64.38.200.103/ads/APC Application - Info.pdf)
Bluff Europe Offer Free Rooms For Asian Poker Classic
Do you have the winter blues and a bad itch to play poker? Then Bluff Europe has just the tonic for you, in the shape of a guaranteed US$1million poker tournament with a $250,000 Guaranteed Add-In at a luxurious five-star resort in exotic Goa, India.
BLUFF EUROPE MAGAZINE is offering all readers four night complimentary accommodation to players that register for the Asian Poker Classic (APC) from this website. The APC is held March 1-5 at the five star all-suites resort, at the five–star Intercontinental The Grand Resort Goa. Buy-in is $5,000+$300 and there is a Guaranteed $250,000 Add-in.
To register, players can email APC with promotional code BLUFFGOA to get your free accommodation support@asianpokerclassic.com
To buy your seat direct, please email your request to team@asianpokerclassic.com or fax the registration form to +44 (0) 208 181 6555 or to + 44 (0) 870 608 9198.
To win your seat to APC via satellite tournaments at MaharajahClub.com Poker: You choose which level suits you and start you on your path to Goa and a share of US$1million maharajahclub.com/Poker/EN/Info.aspx?path=infopages&page=poker
For more information on Asian Poker Classic or for travel information to India, please visit www.asainpokerclassic.com or email team@asianpokerclassic.com
Asian Poker Classic (www.asianpokerclassic.com) March 1-5, 2007. The InterContinental Grand Resort, Goa is straddled between two rivers giving the resort a unique advantage of both seawater & fresh water recreational opportunities. It overlooks the largest golf course in Goa and the Arabian Sea and it offers an 880-meter long exclusive beachfront.
(APC Registration Form APC: http://64.38.200.103/ads/APC Application - Info.pdf)
Full House for 2007’s Casino Affiliate Convention
Ticonderoga Ventures, a US company that organises conferences for niche markets worldwide, has announced that its annual Casino Affiliate Convention (CAC) and Gaming Marketing Conference, held this year on May 3-5 at Amsterdam’s NH Grand Krasnapolsky Hotel, has sold out months in advance.
For the past five years CAC has successfully provided a marketing and advertising platform for leading figures in the European casino, poker, bingo and sportsbook industries and is now billed as the largest convention and exposition on gaming marketing and advertising.
Since the introduction of UIGEA anti-gambling law in the US in 2006, the gambling industry has cast a spotlight over Europe, and attendance at the 2006 CAC soared to over 250 European affiliates.
Topics expected to be up for discussion at the 2007 event include poker marketing and mobile affiliate marketing amongst other subjects.
The event, which boasts sponsorship from major players such as William Hill and Ladbrokes, is currently putting potential exhibitors on its waiting list.
Play Your Valentine’s Cards Right at Online Casino
Get21.com, the home of multiplayer blackjack tournaments online, is offering a $2,500 guaranteed prize pool for a special tournament to be held on February 14.
Avid players can buy their seats on the tournament for a total of $36.30 and pit themselves against fellow players to vie for the big cash prize that could be lavished on that special someone in their lives.
The promotion is just one of many currently offered on the site in February which include a $500 action point free roll for 4,000 Action point buy in on February 21 and a $1,000 action point free roll for 8,000 action buy in on February 28.
Managed by a group of dedicated gaming professionals with over 50 years of accumulated experience in online gaming, Get21 is the only place online where blackjack fans can bet against each other in the bustling atmosphere of an absolute multiplayer blackjack tournament atmosphere.
Online Casino Sends Temperatures Soaring
Sun Vegas Casino, part of the exclusive Vegas Partner Lounge chain of casinos, has introducing a sizzling new promotion that gives players a no strings betting handout of $1,000 and an hour to spend the money in.
'We are knocking the socks off our industry rivals by offering free money for all new players,' claims Austin Green, casino manager of the prestigious Sun Vegas Casino brand.
Prospective players can use the $1,000 in Sun Vegas Casino’s 'free play promotion' to make as much money as possible by playing a host of online games in a 60 minute time slot.
Players can choose from any number of games on the site’s flash casino lobby such as Blackjack, Poker, Slots, Roulette, Baccarat, Video poker and even Casino Craps.
The promotion will be aimed at markets including Europe, Australia, Africa and Asia and with the help of multiple languages such as: English, Dutch, Spanish, Japanese, German, French and Turkish, is bound to send shockwaves throughout the entire online gaming industry.
Welcome to the Sweeter Side of the World Series of Poker
Leading chocolate manufacturer The Hershey Company has teamed up with Harrah’s License Company, an affiliate of multi-casino owner Harrah’s Entertainment, to offer consumers the chance to win “Sweet Seats” to the World Series of Poker Main Event.
Harrah’s also gave the deal a further sugar coating by naming Hershey’s products the Official Chocolate of the 2007 World Series of Poker. Hershey will launch a unique consumer promotion presenting two “Sweet Seats” to the World Series of Poker Main Event along with secondary prizes including trips to Las Vegas.
The promotion is set to hit in-store displays from April through to June of 2007 US-wide.
Hershey will have the right to use the World Series of Poker name, logo, image and design in promotions in television, radio, print, Internet and other advertising, as well as on sales-collateral and on-pack materials, premiums and other promotions.
London Gears Up For Gaming Investor Conference
The dates and venue have been announced for Clarion ATE's 2nd Annual Gaming Investor Conference. The event will be held at Guoman Tower in London on May 25.
Gaming Investor will be offering the opportunity to meet with peers from across the field of gaming investment. The event organisers are giving the opportunity for Directors of Corporate Finance, Heads of Gaming, Leisure Analysts, Heads of M&A and key members of gaming and leisure teams from the investment industry to meet, so that those attending “can gather together under one roof for a single day of networking, case studies, fresh ideas and new contacts.”
The annual event is set to attract figures from investment banks, private equity houses and other financial institutions with interests in the gaming industry. Key issues affecting the industry will be addressed, including the many changes in the European market, the best opportunities for investment over the coming year and the relative merits of online and offline markets.
In addition, there will be a CEO panel during the evening’s drinks reception where delegates can hear from and meet some of the most senior gaming professionals from across the land-based and igaming sectors.
Online Casinos Favour Mirren for Oscars
Dame Helen Mirren is now 1/25 with most of the online bookies to win the Oscar for Best Actress after picking up the same accolade at the Baftas.
The 61-year-old, who played Elizabeth II in The Queen, beat off competition from Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada) and Dame Judy Dench (Notes On A Scandal) and the trio will now clash again in Los Angeles at the end of the month.
The latter two actresses are both 14/1 at Stan James for Academy Award glory.
Forest Whitaker picked up the Bafta for Best Actor for his role as Idi Amin in The Last King Of Scotland and he is also long odds-on (1/5, William Hill) to double up at the Oscars.
Veteran Peter O'Toole (Venus) is now 10/3 with Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed) a 14/1 chance.
Martin Scorsese remains a 1/5 favourite at Ladbrokes for his first Oscar as Best Director while The Departed is 11/10 market leader for Best Picture with the same firm.
They then bet 9/4 Little Miss Sunshine, 7/2 Babel and 10/1 the rest.
Best of British to Report Profit
Internet gambling and football pools company Sportech is set to announce healthy profits for 2006.
Sportech’s operating profits for the year to January 5th were predicted to come in at £18.4 million and the firm gave an optimistic trading update on its online gambling and football pool action.
Due to its European gambling base, the firm has not experienced the same problems with the UIGEA in the United States as other British gaming firms.
New management at the online businesses appears to be making a difference. Online bingo has added 5,500 customers in a year and online casino and poker have continued their recovery from the first half of 2006 and increased turnover and profitability, reversing an under-performing 18-month trend.
CEO Ian Penrose says these improvements are “part of a wide-ranging plan to get the basics right, dispose of unprofitable interests and build a strong backbone, with the new IT system on schedule. Sportech is now much more cash generative, netting around £680,000 of free cash flow per month during 2007, and this has helped reduce net debt 17 percent from this time last year to £90 million.”
Penrose is planning a big marketing push and analysts are speculating that this could lift pre-tax profits for the year to December 2007 to around £13.6 million.
Sportech shares jumped by almost a third following the news.
Monsters of Belle Rock
A Portuguese online casino player, known only as Alvaro C, became half a million Euros richer last week by winning River Belle Casino’s Major Millions Progressive Jackpot.
Elsewhere on Belle Rock’s host of casinos, other players struck it lucky.
During December and January, Belle Rock Entertainment ran a promotion whereby players could win a luxury sports car to the value of $45,000. Seven finalists were drawn and an online draw took place to determine the overall winner. Brit Paul T drove away the lucky winner after playing at The Gaming Club Online Casino.
Players at the French, German and Spanish Jackpot City Online Casino recently participated in the 'Let's Cruise' promotion. All players needed to do to enter this promotion was to accumulate as many payouts as possible during December 2006 and January 2007. Sibylle S, from Germany, was pronounced the lucky winner and won a Mediterranean cruise.
'We are so pleased with the recent news of our three lucky European players. The huge win at Major Millions, the spectacular Mediterranean cruise and the win of the luxury sports car are just testimony of how important our players are to us,' said Tim Johnson, Chairman of Carmen Media Group, owner of Belle Rock Entertainment.
Online Casino Players Break Da Bank
Online slot Break Da Bank, supplied to a whole raft of online casinos by Microgaming, has become one of the most popular online games on the net.
Break Da Bank is a slot game primarily made up of a 3 reel, 5 coin, and 5 payline machine. You can use five different coins varying from $1.00-$25.00 in order to activate each of the paylines.
Break Da Bank features a wild and multiplier symbol. This means that the wild symbol can replace all the other types of symbols in order to create the winning combinations. The Break Da Bank symbol also serves as a multiplier of the jackpot. If one wild symbol shows up on the payout line, the value of the prize is doubled. But if two wild symbols show, you multiply the value by four.
You can also get three Break Da Bank symbols at the same time. Should this happen, you are entitled to a certain jackpot although its amount is not multiplied. The variety of features, including the wild symbol and huge prizes have propelled Break Da Bank to the top of most punters’ must-plays.
Break Da Bank is available at many online casinos including Ladbrokes, Spin Palace, and Mummy’s Gold.
Bluff Magazine Launches the Coolest Thing Ever
The Coolest Thing Ever, a new detailed tracker service and poker information tool, has launched on the newly designed www.BluffMagazine.com website, and is revolutionising the way online poker players track, interact, and satisfy their cravings for all things online poker.
The most important aspect of the tool is thepokerdb, the most comprehensive online tournament database in the world. With results stretching back as far as 2004, thepokerdb has tracked hundreds of thousands of tournament results.
And with a name like The Coolest Thing Ever, this tool has certainly had to live up to its name with a new Buddy List that allows players to track friends online, see where they are playing, and view their up-to-date results on a customisable personal dashboard. Best of all you don’t need to be glued to a computer screen to benefit from the poker service as new Buddy Alerts will notify you when your friends reach the table via a text message as well as live on your PC or by email.
The service also uses a real-time Custom Tournament Directory so that players need only enter their tournament requirements and they’ll be directed to a tailor made slice of the action.
CryptoLogic Goes Dutch with Holland Casino
CryptoLogic, a prominent software developer in the online casino market, has announced an exclusive three-year licensing agreement to provide both poker and casino software for Holland Casino - the Dutch government licensed casino operator in the Netherlands.
The new site, run by Holland Casino on behalf of the Dutch government, is expected to debut in June 2007, and will be only be accessible to residents of the Netherlands.
“At CryptoLogic, we're focused on strengthening our competitive advantage in Europe, and our new relationship with Holland Casino achieves this - in spades,” said Lewis Rose, CryptoLogic's President and CEO, who was in Amsterdam for the signing.
Holland Casino operates 14 land-based casinos across the Netherlands, including those at several upmarket tourist resorts and the new deal marks its first foray into the online gaming world.
“We're excited to develop and launch our online gaming site, which includes a comprehensive responsible gaming program, with a respected provider who can deliver a unique experience to our customers,” said Ron Goudsmit, Holland Casino's Vice-President Business Development.
Poker Million Winner Hits Second Online Casino Jackpot
After a £63,000 in the Betfair Casino, Rajesh Modha, a 44-year-old pharmacist from Northampton, thought his luck had already been spent.
But just two days later he scooped another £25,100 playing the online slot machine, Cash Inferno, that had secured him his first win.
“The odds of the same player winning these two jackpots are more than ten million to one,” said casino spokesman Oliver Bowen.
Modha, who is a keen sports bettor and poker player, was laying his bets on the Super Bowl when his first big win rolled in. “I was just sitting there watching the game. I never thought that I would win this much, I’m thrilled to bits,” said Modha.
“The second win was unbelievable. I’m just riding the crest of the wave at the moment,” he added.
Modha, who also won the Ladbrokes Poker Million V tournament back in December, has already ordered a new BMW with his winnings, which arrives next week.
Poker Million Winner Hits Second Online Casino Jackpot
After a £63,000 in the Betfair Casino, Rajesh Modha, a 44-year-old pharmacist from Northampton, thought his luck had already been spent.
But just two days later he scooped another £25,100 playing the online slot machine, Cash Inferno, that had secured him his first win.
“The odds of the same player winning these two jackpots are more than ten million to one,” said casino spokesman Oliver Bowen.
Modha, who is a keen sports bettor and poker player, was laying his bets on the Super Bowl when his first big win rolled in. “I was just sitting there watching the game. I never thought that I would win this much, I’m thrilled to bits,” said Modha.
“The second win was unbelievable. I’m just riding the crest of the wave at the moment,” he added.
Modha, who also won the Ladbrokes Poker Million V tournament back in December, has already ordered a new BMW with his winnings, which arrives next week.
Online Casino says Konichiwa to the Far East
Japanese players can now play at FastWin Casino in their own language after Kiwi Gaming launched a Japanese version of its ever-popular online casino, shortly after releasing two single-player versions of the traditional Chinese game of Mahjong, in both the World Mahjong federation and Japanese rules.
Mahjong players are presented with a ready hand (one tile away from a win), and have three chances to complete a winning hand by selecting a tile from a collection of 24 that are face down.
FastWin Casino has a dazzling array of features from traditional table and card games to a wide selection of slots, video poker and arcade games, many of which have bonus rounds and sizeable progressive jackpots, which Japanese players can now indulge in, in their native language.
FastWin Casino also boasts the very first real money online version of the popular Japanese slot game pachinko, where players win money for every ball that falls in the catcher and the power dial is used to control the release force of the balls. When a ball falls into the catcher it triggers a slot game where players can win up to 1,500 times their bet.
FastWin Casino is a member of the six-year strong Kiwi Gaming (www.kiwigaming.com) family licensed in Antigua & Barbuda and offers new players a figure of over $3,000 in bonuses in their first year.
Online Casino Sets Sweethearts a Valentine’s Day Challenge
Everest Casino has announced its February promotion, aptly named the Sweetheart Challenge for the most romantic month of the year. Fourteen of the online casino's most popular games are available in the competition that gives players a chance to win their share of $5,500 in cash prizes.
“We're very excited at the opportunity to offer our players this sort of competition,” said Eduardo Santos, Everest Casino's property manager. “Not only do they get additional cash prizes for their participation, but their name is placed on our leaderboard for the world to see.”
Current Everest Casino slots club members will automatically be signed up to the promotion and each time a player places wagers on any of fourteen casino games, they will accumulate more points.
“By incorporating a broad variety of games, from video slot machines to traditional casino games like roulette and blackjack, we're making it as easy as possible for the maximum number of players to participate in this one-of-a-kind event,” Santos added
Five Poker Stars Heading for Asian Poker Classic
Five of the world’s top poker stars have been confirmed to take part at the televised Asian Poker Classic, the largest poker tournament ever staged in India, in the coastal resort of Goa from March 1-5, 2007.
The $1 Million guaranteed jackpot combined with a minimum $250,000 overlay makes this tournament one of the richest in the world. The line-up for the tournament, sponsored by Maharajah Club now includes:
Ram Vaswani – a member of the London-based Hendon Mob, Vaswani’s live tournament winnings exceed $2.3 million. The 36-year-old is the only player to have made three final tables on the European Poker Tour (EPT).
Arshad Hussain – Hussain topped the European Rankings in 2006 after a series of remarkable performances. The 33-year-old from Accrington in Lancashire came second in the EPT Grand Final Event at Monte Carlo, winning $644,825.
Surinder Sunar – The Wolverhampton-based player earned $822,631 when he won the Paris Grand Prix on the World Poker Tour (WPT) in 2004. Sunar is famed for his poker face – he has an inner calm and shows absolutely no emotion at the table.
Lee Nelson – New Zealander Nelson has been the top-rated player in Australia and New Zealand for the past seven years. He was 2006 Aussie Millions champion, earning him more than $1 million.
Mel Judah – UK-based Aussie player Judah won bracelets at the WSOP in 1989 and 1997 and was 2003 Legends of Poker winner, collecting $579,375. He made the final table of the main event at the WSOP in 1997.
150 players are expected at the event, which will be held at the five-star Intercontinental hotel at Grand Resort Goa. You can still register to play in the tournament at http://www.asianpokerclassic.com/qualify.html or email team@asianpokerclassic.com for further information.
Jackpot Factory Launches Interactive Viper Casino Lobby
Leading online casino group Jackpot Factory has revealed that All Slots Casino (www.allslots.com) has launched a brand new, futuristic Viper casino lobby.
The new interactive Viper casino lobby was developed by Microgaming with the aid of substantial research and countless player interviews. The new lobby transforms the traditional lobby into a visual display of games, making, designers say, the online gaming experience even more enjoyable.
“Currently available at All Slots Casino, the new Viper lobby sets the benchmark for online casino fun” said David Brickman, spokesperson for the Jackpot Factory. “Next-generation casinos are here at the Jackpot Factory and that gives us a real competitive edge.”
“Microgaming continues to lead the way with innovative ideas and that is exactly why we are partners with them. This solidifies us as one of the world’s leading online casino groups.”
Players at other Jackpot Factory casinos – All Jackpots Casino, First Web Casino, Wild Jack Casino, and The VIP Lounge Casino – can expect to see this new innovation implemented in the future.
Online Casino Giant Marks Its Bingo Card
UK gambling giant William Hill is set to take its first steps into the online bingo arena.
WilliamHillBingo.com will allow customers to play games with a variety of ticket prices, and also enables players to chat live online with friends around the clock.
Marketing firm Prego has been briefed to handle initial brand development of the product as well as ongoing offline communications. Working closely with William Hill’s internal web team, the agency will position the new operation within the William Hill online portfolio, ensuring the offline messages are delivered consistently online.
Tony Cawood, Head of Remote Marketing at William Hill, said, “It is important for us that we position bingo to best engage with the target audience and Prego showed a clear grasp of this requirement and worked with us to deliver. We were impressed with the agency's approach and in particular their translation of a clear understanding of Bingo play and players into great creative.”
Red Devils Offer Free Money To Online Casino Players
Manchester United FC’s official online casino is offering a free money welcome bonus of £100 free to all new players - and you don't have to be a Manchester United supporter to get the free cash.
This particular online casino is especially popular with UK football fans and naturally, Manchester United supporters. However, they also attract players who support other football clubs and a wider worldwide audience in general, due in part to their reputation and the quality of their casino.
Manchester United Online Casino are welcoming all new players with a free money promotion, matching players’ first deposits at the casino 100 percent up to $100.
The casino are also offering players a bonus of 25 percent up to £50 free via the casino's monthly reload bonus scheme.
Man Utd belatedly joins the mighty Liverpool in setting up its own online casino. The Merseyside club has set up an online casino in partnership with PaddyPower.com.
Bingo Alerts Re-launches
Gaming Alerts has announced the re-launch of its Bingo portal, www.bingoalerts.co.uk.
Bingo is now taking the UK by storm with over a 100 different UK Bingo sites, and leading Bookmakers such as William Hill have already capitalised on the new upward trend through the launch of branded bingo sites.
The game is no longer the reserve of the older female generation as it has been cleverly remarketed as an online game accessible to all, with recent research by St Minver group, who run sites for major brands Virgin Bingo and Butlins Bingo, indicating that even men have been hooked on to the game but still tend to use female passwords to access the sites.
Bingo Alerts offers players the chance to be one step ahead of the game with reviews of the best bingo sites, and the latest news on the best offers and bonuses brought directly to a small window on your desktop.
Rob Noble, COO of software provider Skinkers said, “Skinkers is delighted to be working so closely with Gaming Alerts. It’s refreshing to work with such a innovative team who understand their industry and work hard to look after all of their clients.”
The site is currently offering players a free £5 for registering with leading site Bingos.co.uk, via bingo alerts, and also offering a further £15 following a deposit to the site.
Online Casino Creates a Medical Miracle
A 44-year-old pharmacist from Northampton walked away with a £63,000 cash prize after investing the princely sum of £5 for a spin on the five-reel-slot at prominent online casino Betfair.
Rajesh Modha saw his bank balance soar after a 12,599-1 payout on Betfair Casino’s Cash Inferno.
“I was just sitting there watching the game. I never thought that I would win this much, I’m thrilled to bits,” said Modha, who already has plans for his winnings starting with the purchase of a new BMW.
Mr Modha is an avid poker player and sports bettor using the Betfair Exchange but says he often keeps a window of the casino open for a more varied gambling experience. The win follows Rajesh’s recent success at the Ladbrokes Poker Million V, where he defeated an experienced field to claim the $1.2 million first prize after qualifying for just $9.
Betfair Casino was launched in October 2006 and includes the innovative Zero Lounge – a group of casino products where the house edge has been removed giving players a fair chance of winning.
PokerNews Seeks Turkish Delight
PokerNews has announced the launch of PokerNews Turkey (http://tr.pokernews.com), in what could be the first of many ventures into the Middle Eastern gambling sector, a region that has already been hotly anticipated to experience a poker boom alongside Asia.
The new site will bear many of the classic features of a PokerNews website – the latest poker news from home and abroad, reviews, resources and special local promotions for readers – written in Turkish for Turkish readers.
The editor for PokerNews Turkey is hopeful that the site will be well received in his country. “I am looking forward to providing Turkish speakers and Turks around the world with the very best in poker news coverage. Our network of sites at PokerNews.com provides excellent global coverage which is of great interest to Turkish people who, until now, have had no poker news in their own language.”
PokerNews currently provides websites for nationals of Germany, France, Italy, Holland, Russia, Sweden, Poland, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Greece, Portugal, Estonia, Spain, China, Japan, Israel, Turkey and Romania. These sit alongside the English versions from the UK, Australia and America.
Online Casino Gets GSM Seal of Approval
Spin3, the leading wireless casino system powered by online gaming software provider Microgaming, has been awarded the Associate Membership of global trade association GSM.
GSM represents more than 700 GSM mobile phone operators across 217 territories and countries of the world with over 2 billion customers – over 82 percent of the world's mobile phone users.
The move will catapult Spin3 into a host of new markets worldwide, with the mobile casino acting as an application provider for the GSM family of technology platforms.
The mobile gaming industry is already set for a bright future with Juniper Research forecasting that stakes gambled on mobiles will reach US $16.6 billion globally by 2011, with Asia-Pacific overtaking Europe in 2008.
“Gaining acceptance to the GSM Association propels us into the premier league of the mobile industry, rubbing shoulders with the frontrunners in the GSM arena,” said Matti Zinder, CEO, Spin3.
Spin3's mobile casino games are on display at the 3GSM World Congress Barcelona (booth no. 7C34), from 12-15 February 2007.
Online Casino Group Finally On the Up
Isle of Man based online gaming group betinternet.com has reported a pre-tax profit for the first time since it listed on the AIM market in 2000 and the company is now may now consider an acquisition deal.
For the six months leading up to November 2006, the group posted pre-tax profits of £182,000, compared with a loss of £599,000 for the corresponding period in 2005. The group’s turnover also grew by 53 percent to £43.6m compared to a figure of £28.5 million in 2005 alongside growth it’s sportsbook revenue which was up by 27 percent to £31.8 million.
Denham Eke, chairman of betinternet, said, “This is a significant improvement on the same period last year and shows that the strategies put in place by the new management team are working well.”
Betinternet.com has little contact with the US market and the passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006, so far hasn’t had a negative impact on it’s new success, putting the group in a favourable position to purchase non-US business from those companies crippled by the legislation, according to Eke.
Lyceum Fire & Ice a Huge Success for Sponsors and Guests
Lyceum Media has set the bar early for iGaming parties in 2007 with the largest Fire & Ice in its six-year history. With the support of sponsors, software provider CryptoLogic and games developer NextGen Gaming, guests partied the night away consumed within a Studio 54 atmosphere at the sophisticated and trendy Glass Bar and Paper Club in Central London.
Fire & Ice started six years ago when the then-fledgling online gaming industry had no parties or networking events to attend following the International Casino Expo (ICE) in London. Michael Caselli, a partner in Lyceum Media arranged an ad hoc get together for some friends in the industry, and Jodie Thind, partner at Lyceum Media, transformed it from a 60 person party into the biggest party in iGaming with over 1,000 members of the industry in attendance.
Drag Queens, Playboy Bunnies, Go-Go Girls, Break Dancers and a Bevy of Beauties entertained the 1,000 guests into the early hours at the 70s glam disco themed Fire & Ice 2007. Esther Whitehead, Lyceum Media said, “We really wanted to add that WOW factor to Fire & Ice this year. Events are a natural progression for iGaming Public Relations firm Lyceum Media, who has used the party to highlight the capability of its Events Division - their motto - if you like the way we party – then we'll do one for you.”
In addition to the annual Fire & Ice party, Lyceum Media in conjunction with iGaming Business magazine throw social events in London and Vancouver throughout the year as a way for the industry to network.
Photos from the Fire & Ice party can be found online at www.lyceummedia.com/events.
Online Gambling Alive and Well in the States
The UIGEA law prohibiting US financial institutions from processing payments to online gambling sites hasn't stopped US employees from visiting sportsbetting sites, according to cybersecurity vendor Scansafe Ltd.
Attempted visits to online gambling websites by employees of Scansafe's US customers were up 77 percent in the week between January 23 and 31.
Scansafe provides a Web-blocking service to large businesses, examining 6 billion Web requests a month.
In October, President George Bush signed into law a measure prohibiting financial institutions from processing payments to gambling sites. The US government has until mid-July to develop the processing regulations for financial institutions.
But some online gambling sites have begun telling US customers that financial institutions are already distancing themselves. On Wednesday, PokerRoom.com reportedly advised US customers to cash out.
'The remaining companies that process cashouts from PokerRoom.com to our players in the United States have contacted us to say that in the near future they will no longer facilitate these transactions,' said a message on PokerRoom's home page. 'As such, we would advise all American players that have not cashed out already, to do so immediately.'
The gambling provision, amended by Congress onto a safe ports security bill in late September, has had no impact on the number of people visiting gambling Web sites, said Dan Nadir, vice president for product strategy at Scansafe. Scansafe doesn't track whether those people completed bets, he said.
'We suspected (the law) wouldn't have much of an impact,' he said. “Some gambling sites will simply develop alternative payment mechanisms.”
Crazy Online Casino Splashes the Cash
Crazy Vegas Online Casino has announced a new offer with an instant $75 no-deposit free money giveaway for its players.
Trevor Penn of Crazy Vegas claims that to date this offer is the biggest free casino play promotion ever. “This $75 No Deposit Free promotion is only the beginning of colossal things to come, and should be an indication of Crazy Vegas Casino's commitment to their players, prospect players, as well as their board of directors to thoroughly market their online casino to a world-wide audience.”
Crazy Vegas Casino is set on expanding its business worldwide in the billion dollar casino industry. The company’s focus is on the European markets in countries such as the UK, France, Germany, and Italy where it will be actively and progressively marketing over the next couple of months.
According to Trevor Penn Crazy Vegas has had its foot in Europe since 2000 and a large percentage of its current business comes from these European countries. The online casino wants to increase its market share in Europe and is stepping up its current offerings and foreign language support for Europe.
Currently Crazy Vegas offers over 250 variations of casino games including blackjack, roulette, video poker, slot machines and the recently launched bingo as well as mobile casino gaming.
Online Casino Pockets Poker Deal with Riley’s Snooker
Leading online casino and poker room 888.com has announced a 3-year joint partnership with Rileys, the UK’s leading chain of snooker and pool clubs.
By Easter 2007, Riley’s, which owns 168 clubs throughout the UK, is aiming to host live poker tournaments running in around 100 of its clubs nationwide. The partnership between the two companies sees 888.com providing consultancy and support services for the Rileys Poker brand.
The Riley’s Poker brand will also have an enhanced profile thanks to the introduction of a new poker website; www.rileyspoker.com. Provided by 888.com, the site’s success will be boosted by 888.com’s wealth of knowledge on the online casino and poker industries.
Gigi Levy, CEO at 888.com commented, “This is a hugely exciting, unique and innovative partnership for 888.com. The co-operation between 888 and Rileys creates a unique customer offering and experience, unparalleled in the offline and online poker world, where customers are able to be part of a community of poker players that meet and play live poker both online and offline.”
The joint venture will also see the development of number of new ventures under the Rileys Poker brand including; poker leagues, regional events and a national poker tournament with a televised final.
IGCE Conference Set for Success in Mexico
The International Gaming Conference & Expo, (IGCE Europe) has now scheduled its first gathering in Cancun Mexico, May 7-9, 2007, following the unprecedented success of its two 2006 conferences in San Jose, Costa Rica and Dublin, Ireland.
Held at the upmarket resort of Fiesta Americana Condesa Cancun, the event will gather industry leaders to pose the question, ‘What’s Next?’ for the future of the gaming and gambling industries in the US and abroad.
“In a society such as ours where gambling is pervasive, lotteries are held in almost every state, there is an overflow of Indian casinos, Nevada is burgeoning and busting at the seams, wagering is a near obsessive pastime of the populace, odds are published in all of our media, the intention of the government to curtail the activity, with emphasis on the Internet, demands a multitude of questions and answers to determine what is next,” added Cynthia Pagano, Assistant Director of Conferences for the IGCE.
The IGCE has already begun mapping out countries for its future venues with Prague and Bangkok in the running to host the conference within the next three years.
Ongame On Form in Scandinavian Partnership
Ongame Network, the leading provider of business-to-business online and mobile gaming solutions, has sized up a larger share of the gaming market with the addition of Scandic Bookmakers to its poker network.
The Danish sportsbook – which until recently offered poker games through the Tain Network – has already transferred its player base, and went live on the Ongame Network on January 29 this year.
As a part of the Ongame Network, Scandic Bookmakers will offer players access the entire portfolio of Ongame Network cash games, as well as access to unique tournament formats and over $ 800,000 per week in guaranteed prize pools to Windows, MAC and Linux users.
“We are delighted to welcome Scandic Bookmakers to our network,” said Martin Lerby, Head of Ongame Network. “This deal will fuel our European player liquidity even further, whilst at the same time reinforcing our presence in Denmark.”
Online Casino Pockets Poker Deal with Riley’s Snooker
Leading online casino and poker room 888.com has announced a 3-year joint partnership with Rileys, the UK’s leading chain of snooker and pool clubs.
By Easter 2007, Riley’s, which owns 168 clubs throughout the UK, is aiming to host live poker tournaments running in around 100 of its clubs nationwide. The partnership between the two companies sees 888.com providing consultancy and support services for the Rileys Poker brand.
The Riley’s Poker brand will also have an enhanced profile thanks to the introduction of a new poker website; www.rileyspoker.com. Provided by 888.com, the site’s success will be boosted by 888.com’s wealth of knowledge on the online casino and poker industries.
Gigi Levy, CEO at 888.com commented, “This is a hugely exciting, unique and innovative partnership for 888.com. The co-operation between 888 and Rileys creates a unique customer offering and experience, unparalleled in the offline and online poker world, where customers are able to be part of a community of poker players that meet and play live poker both online and offline.”
The joint venture will also see the development of number of new ventures under the Rileys Poker brand including; poker leagues, regional events and a national poker tournament with a televised final.
IGCE Conference Set for Success in Mexico
The International Gaming Conference & Expo, (IGCE Europe) has now scheduled its first gathering in Cancun Mexico, May 7-9, 2007, following the unprecedented success of its two 2006 conferences in San Jose, Costa Rica and Dublin, Ireland.
Held at the upmarket resort of Fiesta Americana Condesa Cancun, the event will gather industry leaders to pose the question, ‘What’s Next?’ for the future of the gaming and gambling industries in the US and abroad.
“In a society such as ours where gambling is pervasive, lotteries are held in almost every state, there is an overflow of Indian casinos, Nevada is burgeoning and busting at the seams, wagering is a near obsessive pastime of the populace, odds are published in all of our media, the intention of the government to curtail the activity, with emphasis on the Internet, demands a multitude of questions and answers to determine what is next,” added Cynthia Pagano, Assistant Director of Conferences for the IGCE.
The IGCE has already begun mapping out countries for its future venues with Prague and Bangkok in the running to host the conference within the next three years.
Ongame On Form in Scandinavian Partnership
Ongame Network, the leading provider of business-to-business online and mobile gaming solutions, has sized up a larger share of the gaming market with the addition of Scandic Bookmakers to its poker network.
The Danish sportsbook – which until recently offered poker games through the Tain Network – has already transferred its player base, and went live on the Ongame Network on January 29 this year.
As a part of the Ongame Network, Scandic Bookmakers will offer players access the entire portfolio of Ongame Network cash games, as well as access to unique tournament formats and over $ 800,000 per week in guaranteed prize pools to Windows, MAC and Linux users.
“We are delighted to welcome Scandic Bookmakers to our network,” said Martin Lerby, Head of Ongame Network. “This deal will fuel our European player liquidity even further, whilst at the same time reinforcing our presence in Denmark.”
Online Casino Reveals What Makes VIP Players Tick
As part of the launch of 777.com's new VIP Lounge, one of the Internet’s leading gambling guides has carried out a poll to find out what it takes to make members of the online gambling community feel like true VIP players.
Currently, the majority of players who voted (30 percent) chose exclusive money bonuses as the best incentive to become a VIP player, followed by no betting limits (19 percent) and worldwide luxurious events (19 percent).
Amy Gomez, 777.com's Marketing Director, said, 'This poll shows us what players really want. And we make it our top priority to offer that to them; it's the best casinos have to offer, and we do our best to give them what they deserve.'
The VIP Lounge provides gamblers with a broad range of gambling information, including articles and reviews about the best VIP clubs on the Web and guides players to the top programmes featuring the highest online bonuses and the best selection of luxury prizes.
The gaming portal is working with leading online casinos to provide special promotions, the latest of which is a partnership with online casino 888.com to provide the opportunity to become a member of its VIP programme through 777.com's VIP Lounge. Players will also get a $1,000 VIP bonus, as well as the chance to win VIP special events around the world.
New Alerts for Best Online Casino Deals
Gaming Alerts Limited has announced the re-launch of its casino portal, www.casinoalerts.co.uk, providing a one-stop shop for players to view the best in online casino offerings.
William Hill, Casino Swiss, Casino King and Littlewoods are just some of the major players that are featured on the site and who offer visitors exclusive deals in partnership with Casino Alerts.
After a free download, players will receive up-to-the-minute desktop alerts via a small window on their PC, with details on the top new deals and bonuses and where to find them.
Powered by Skinkers, a company providing live notification platforms through email, sms and desktops, the site is currently running a range of promotional offers such as a £300 welcome bonus at casinoking.com.
Robert Noble, Skinkers’ COO said, 'Skinkers is delighted to be working so closely with Gaming Alerts. It is refreshing to work with such an innovative team who understand their industry, and work hard to look after their clients.'
Record Prize Pool Announced for Asian Poker Classic
The richest poker tournament in Asia just got richer – organisers of the Asian Poker Classic (APC) have guaranteed a minimum top-up of $250,000 to the prize pool, which means more than $1 million could be available at the first professional poker tournament ever staged in India.
The Asian Poker Classic, sponsored by MaharajahClub.com, is set to be one of the biggest events on the Eastern poker calendar. A host of top pros, celebrities, and online qualifiers are expected to turn out for the festival of poker which is being held at the five-star Intercontinental Grand Resort in Goa from March 1 until March 5.
Minaxshi Shah, Director of Events at Asian Poker Classic, said, “We expect there will be between 150 and 200 players, and with a $250,000 add-in the equity in this tournament is absolutely astounding.”
“The Asian Poker Classic is not just one of the biggest events scheduled for India in 2007 – it’s one of the biggest poker events anywhere in the world. With Goa as a fantastic location, it will be the most exciting new poker tournament of the year” added Tournament Director Thomas Kremser.
Bluff Europe magazine is offering complimentary rooms at the Intercontinental for the five-day duration of the tournament to 12 players who sign up now. To qualify for the offer, simply be one of the first 12 to contact APC, quoting the reference BLUFF EUROPE TAKES ME TO GOA!
Online Casino Ups Video Slots Ante
All Jackpots Casino, one of the world's biggest jackpot casinos, has released its first games of the year and is marking the event by offering triple loyalty points on the new the five-reel video slot games: Magic Spell and Prime Property.
The games, which are developed by Microgaming, boast superior graphics, effects and sounds, ensuring what the makers hope will be an authentic casino environment. In addition, both games offer a minimum 1-cent bet that enables players to test out the game at a minimal cost.
David Brickman, Spokesperson for the Jackpot Factory, said in a joint statement with All Jackpots Casino, 'All Jackpots Casino personifies what a premier online jackpot casino should be. We are committed to bringing our players -- new and old -- the world's best casino slot games. As such, All Jackpots is stocked with numerous, high quality slot games.'
Magic Spell is a 25-payline online slot that offers rewards of up to 100,000 coins in the base game and a further 75,000 on the generous bonus features. The game is centered on the Four Schools of Magic -- Arcane, Alchemy, Frost and Fire.
Prime Property offers 40 paylines and comes complete with a Top Wild, a Scatter, a Bonus Scatter, Free Spins, and a Bonus Game that deliver more opportunities for players.
Baccarat and Mahjong Available at Online Casinos
Kiwi Casino and Fast Win Casino have announced the release of five brand new online casino games.
The new games include three new live versions of online Baccarat including one version which offers a progressive jackpot side bet, as well as two single player versions of the classic Chinese game of Mahjong.
The two new Mahjong games are Solo Mahjong and Solo Mahjong Pro. The Mahjong games are offered in both the Japanese and World Mahjong Federation Rules.
The Live Games at these two online casinos feature real-life dealers actually dealing at the tables via a live video feed. The new progressive jackpot version of Live Baccarat uses the same rules as traditional Baccarat, except in the new version you can place a side bet towards a progressive jackpot.
Solo Mahjong requires no prior knowledge of how to play Mahjong, but new players can learn some of the basic concepts of the popular game whilst they play. At the start of the game, you'll be presented with a ready hand (one tile away from a win), and have three chances to complete a winning hand by selecting a tile from a collection of 24 face-down tiles.
Intercasino Bags Top Award
Online casino operator Intercasino has just been voted Best Online Casino 2007 and Best Casino Software.
Readers of Online Gambling Magazine voted for their favourite operators of the year and Intercasino came out on top yet again.
'We will have to find an even bigger shelf to store all the honours recently awarded to us,' said Peter Marcus, spokesman for The InterCasino Group. “Our staff is extremely honoured and appreciative of such rewards. The main focus of Intercasino is its players. Intercasino is very dedicated to providing the best experience and value to all of its players.”
Intercasino uses award-winning CryptoLogic online casino software and as a result the site has been voted Best Online Casino Software in each of the past five years.
Interpoker, also using Cryptologic software was voted Best Online Poker Room 2007 and won a gong for Best Poker Tournaments.
Sportingbet Duo in Double Departure
Sportingbet directors Mark Blandford and Bob Holt have made a surprise move in quitting the highly profitable online gaming company, that reported a gross profit of £31.7 million in the three months preceding October 2006, and the introduction of the UIGEA.
Both Blandford and Holt are rumoured to have left to pursue other business projects with Sean O'Connor, senior independent director, assuming the role of chairman of the audit committee, a position previously held by Holt.
'As the company continues to drive further efficiencies from its business we have agreed to reduce the size of the board,' said Chief Executive Andrew McIver in a rather vague company statement on the departures.
Sportingbet was one of a number of online gaming companies who suffered irretrievable losses after the introduction of the U.S. Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement act in late 2006. The company was then forced to sell its U.S. operations for the token sum of $1.
WTO Opposes US Online Gambling Ruling in the Caribbean
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has ruled against the US in a heated wrangle over online gambling with the Caribbean island of Antigua and Barbuda. The organisation is expected to find the US guilty of breaking international trade rules.
Though the ruling hasn’t been made public, Reuters has reported that the WTO has found the US guilty of not observing a 2005 order in the case.
Antigua and Barbuda had built up a lucrative online gambling industry to compensate for falling tourist revenue and took the US to the WTO over entry to the American gaming market.
The WTO’s dispute resolution panel found in Antigua's favour in 2003. It agreed that foreign bookmakers appeared to face prejudice in relation to the issue of horse race betting across state lines. It then largely rejected an appeal by the US in 2005. The WTO has now concluded that the US hasn’t made adequate attempts to stick to that decision.
The WTO has provided both sides with an initial report on its findings. Both parties can submit additional comments before a final report is published in March.
Ex-Ongame Execs Launch GNUF Online Casino
Several former Ongame executives are branching out on their own with the launch of new online gaming site GNUF.com, which will comprise of an online casino, bingo and poker room.
Under the Microgaming platform, the site offers a range of impressive features such as contemporary graphics, an area for players to host their own blogs and a discussion forum.
Licensed in Malta, GNUF will form part of the already successful Microgaming Poker Network – giving players instant access to one of the most fiercely competitive tournament schedules on the Internet and the chance to pit themselves against poker players worldwide.
The site offers both English and Swedish language Bingo – currently one of the fastest growing games on the Internet, and as such is expected to have a huge Scandinavian following.
Roger Raatgever, CEO, Microgaming said, “This is yet another great partnership announcement for Microgaming and we are obviously delighted to be part of what promises to be one of the next big success stories to come out of this industry. The calibre of the Snowmen Solutions and GNUF management team is second to none.”
Online Betting Site Gets a Five-Star Rating
Advantage Sports Betting has been recognised as the leading online gambling destination for a successful flutter, after Sports Gambling Review awarded it its highest rating of five stars.
'It's a real honour to receive this recognition,' said Advantage Sports Betting Marketing Director Steven Smith. 'While we work hard on marketing our brand, we don't stop there. We go the extra mile to satisfy and hold our current customers. The recognition from Sports Gambling Review is a testament to our hard work.'
The high rating was judged on a combination of factors including the sites efficient customer service, wide selection of betting options as well as its fast payout policy, licensing and years in operation.
'We are very thorough in our review process,' said Ira Nanson, senior editor for Sports Gambling Review. Advantage Sports Betting earned every bit of their rating. They are a great example for other online sportsbooks to follow.'
Tila Tequila to Launch Online Casino
Tila Tequila, the Queen of MySpace and a Time magazine ‘Person of the Year’ for 2006, celebrated her latest business venture – an online casino and poker room - at a party in London last week.
The TilaCasino.com and TilaPoker.com invitation-only party was held at London’s prestigious Embassy Club on Thursday night. Tila partied the night away with friends and an entourage including the sexy Tila Playgirls.
Tila Tequila, dubbed ‘the hottest thing to hit the net since Google’, has gained popularity mainly through her MySpace persona. Her edgy, rebellious attitude has made her a major player on the social scene. Her MySpace page has garnered over 54 million page views and her single ‘F*** Ya Man’ has been played more than 13 million times. In 2006 she adorned the covers of magazines such as Maxim and Rolling Stone before featuring in Time magazine.
Banking on her new-found fame, Tila Tequila has partnered with three major industry players: Playtech, the gaming industry’s leading online gaming software provider; Emphasis Services Limited (ESL), a leading online gaming management, marketing and consultancy group; and Asian Video Stream, Inc. (AVSI), who will provide the Tila gaming websites with Live Games capability.
TilaCasino.com and TilaPoker.com will officially launch in early February.
US Rumoured to be Targeting More Gaming Bosses
The US Department of Justice enforcers are about to target another online gambling executive for arrest, it has been rumoured.
Responding to a press enquiry, the Dept of Justice denied any such warrants existed.
High-profile arrests, such as the recent detention of Neteller founders John Lefebvre and Stephen Lawrence have sent shockwaves through the international online gambling business and caused damage to investor confidence.
In response to the reports, a Department of Justice spokesperson said: 'Nothing would be made public until an individual or company was charged.”
According to sources in Washington DC, the US authorities are on the verge of unsealing another set of indictments against a high-profile US-facing betting and gaming operator. However, there is currently no inclination as to who the operator or operators might be.
Online Casinos Banned In Israel
A precedent-setting ruling was delivered this week against online poker and online gambling in the Israeli court case involving Gibraltar-based online bookmaker Victor Chandler's CEO Michael Carlton, effectively banning online gambling companies from delivering any services to Israeli customers.
'A foreign company operating an online gambling site may not hide behind the fact that the company and its servers sit in another country, and it is breaking the law if does not block access to Israelis,' Judge Abraham Heiman said.
Gambling in Israel, like France and several other European countries, is a monopoly controlled by a state-run gaming board.
Israel had previously ignored the foothold Victor Chandler had established in Israel, and permitted them to operate in a legal grey area.
Last year the Victor Chandler company launched an aggressive marketing campaign in Israel, complete with advertisements on billboards and buses, and a Hebrew website. Victor Chandler had remarked that Israel had rapidly become its second-biggest market amongst the customers it serves from over 160 countries.
But Israeli authorities were becoming increasingly unhappy about the encroachment of online gaming operators into their state-run monopoly.
Judge Heiman's ruling this week has now made it clear that online gambling sites are not welcome to reach Israeli customers, either online or via physical advertising.
Wild Jack Online Casino Ups the Ante
Online casino Wild Jack Casino has announced the release of five new Blackjack games on the successful Multi-hand Gold Series line.
The new multi-hand gold variations are: Big 5 Blackjack, Bonus Blackjack, Double Exposure Blackjack, Pontoon, and Spanish Blackjack. In addition, all players will receive triple loyalty points for playing on the casino’s new games.
With five variations of the popular single hand Blackjack game, all crafted with a mix of cutting-edge technology and gambling tradition, Wild Jack hopes that the multi-hand Blackjack variants will set a new benchmark in online gambling table games.
“We are known throughout the online gambling world as one of the top Blackjack casinos. Wild Jack and Blackjack are synonymous, and that goes for our mobile casino offering, too,” said David Brickman, Spokesperson for the Jackpot Factory, in a joint statement with Wild Jack Casino.
“Pontoon Blackjack, as well as the other new online blackjack games, comes complete with some remarkable innovations that add to the ambience of the game. Better player views, an animating chip selector, an enlarged chip tray, rollover rules and ambient background music all enhance the casino feel. Wild Jack Casino is committed to Microgaming, because they continue to produce the world’s finest online casino games,” Brickman added.
Online Casino Survey Decides Best Bond
In a survey conducted by VIPLoungeCasino.com and website The Real Bond (www.TheRealBond.com), Pierce Brosnan has come out tops in a poll of players’ favourite 007.
TheRealBond.com has parodied a conflict between the Bonds through a series of videos in which Pierce Brosnan sabotages Casino Royale star Daniel Craig at the Oscars, on a photo shoot, at the poker table, underwater, and in his Aston Martin.
VIPLoungeCasino.com, the online casino with the “double O” theme, commissioned the videos as a thank you to the players of their super-agent-themed online casino. The videos were an instant hit amongst the players at the site, and were soon published across the web on social network and entertainment sites including MySpace and YouTube, causing an internet-wide controversy.
While VIPLoungeCasino.com applauds Daniel Craig’s excellent performance in what some regard as the most action-packed Bond film yet, its players have asked casino manager Christopher di Angelo to keep their classic “Double O” theme at the online casino until Craig proves himself in the upcoming 2008 Bond film, currently referred to as Bond 22.
Daniel Craig had to learn Texas Hold ‘Em for his Bond outing and Brosnan is set to follow Craig down the poker-themed road as he begins production on ‘Deal’, playing a grizzled poker veteran in Vegas.
02/22/2007 gambling news:
Ladbrokes Still Considering Online Casino Purchase
Leading gaming company Ladbrokes has confirmed that it is still in discussion with online casino giant 888 over a possible takeover bid.
It noted that the negotiations continue to be 'complex because of the current conditions in the US.'
In November 2006 Ladbrokes was deliberating over an offer for 888 that was intended to bolster its Internet gambling division. Ladbrokes is currently in a very favourable position to expand its business interests with the announcement that its annual pre-tax profit saw a significant rise after the sale of its hotel unit and bumper World Cup winnings.
Pre-tax profit rose to £669.8 million for the year ending 31 December 2006 compared to £394.0 million in the previous year. Gross win, or the amount won from gamblers, rose 9.9 percent to £1 billion.
'2006 has been a good year,' said chairman Ian Robinson in the company statement. 'Management has successfully established Ladbrokes as a market leading, standalone betting and gaming company.'
Players Confident Online Casino Will Party on Post-UIGEA
Various stock market rumours have prompted a spell of tentative purchases in online gaming company PartyGaming, increasing share figures from to 41½p to 45¼p at the close of yesterday’s markets.
Confident buyers hedged all their bets on the company amid reports that veteran Congressman Barney Frank, Democrat chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, wants to repeal the US’s anti-gambling ruling and has called for a two-year reprieve.
Last March, Frank explained, “Adults are entitled to do with their money what they want to do.”
Other factors that may have caused an increase in share interest is reported takeover talk and indications that full-year figures on March 1 will easily exceed estimates.
Sportingbet also saw a recovery from its weakest position last year that saw the September arrest of the company’s former chairman Peter Dicks followed by the sale of its US gaming division for the token sum of a dollar after the introduction on the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
The hint of a US amnesty left the stock 5p up at 40p on a generous turnover of £13.8m, a sharp increase on Tuesday's figure of £983,000.
NGameAccount Pulls off New Card Trick For 2007
Skills game site GameAccount.com has announced that it will host the 2007 Online Rummy World Championship.
The card game that acted as a practice ground for legendary WSOP Champion Stu Ungar and was made famous by screen legend James Bond in the movie Goldfinger is set for a revival. The game, that has been dubbed 'Thinking Man's Poker', is reportedly so easy to learn that it can be mastered in just 90 seconds.
GameAccount.com is the first global site to meet the needs of both amateur and professional gin players, having hosted over 100 million hands of gin rummy for stakes ranging from £1 to £1,000 per game. Every month, millions of pounds change hands between members of this growing community of keen gin players.
The 2007 tournament will take place this summer, with the prize fund being announced over the next few weeks.
Kevin Dale, GameAccount.com CEO believes that, 'Serious card players are looking for a fresh new buzz or adrenalin rush that is similar but not identical to poker... The 'Gin Rummy World Championship' will be a rewarding experience akin to other competitive online tournaments.'
Latest Online Casino Win is Out of this World
Popular online casino, Everest Casino has announced that a lucky player has scooped a $31,850 cash prize in a single pull on its Space Ace online video slot machine.
Space Ace is just one of over a dozen high-tech video slot machines offered by Everest Casino. The game offers fast play and large prizes for all its players, and is designed to appeal to science fiction buffs with the games background comprising of symbols such as galaxies, planets, stars, and comets.
'We're always happy to see a player get a big payout like this,' said Eduardo Santos, Everest Casino property manager.
Space Ace players can also benefit from bonus rounds that allow players to earn free spins and the chance to double and even quadruple their prize funds.
'Everest Casino's video slot machines are designed to bring the true casino experience home for our players,' Santos added. 'We're constantly updating the machines and our online experience to offer our players a touch of excitement each time they place a wager.'
Punters Bet on Britney One More Time
Leading online betting exchange Sportingbet.com has been inundated with a surge of punters jumping at the chance to back odds relating to the current erratic behaviour of teen idol Britney Spears.
Bettors turned out in their droves to back 20/1 odds that the US pop star would become a nun within the next month and bets were also placed on the chances of Spears becoming the face (and head) of hair removal cream Veet.
Sportingbet are so confident that Spears will have a roller coaster of a year that they have also made the following odds available:
Announce her pregnancy 11/2
Appear on the Oprah show 13/2
Announce her engagement 8/1
Present an MTV music award 10/1
Announce getting back together with Kevin Federline 12/1
Be arrested 16/1
Announce a lesbian relationship 16/1
Appear in a TV comedy or drama 25/1
Become a scientologist 20/1
Undergo cosmetic surgery 20/1
Release her autobiography 25/1
Appear in a cinematic film 33/1
Shoot a hair product commercial 33/1
Enrol in college 50/1
New Mobile Scratch Card is a Real Gem
WinOne, a Finnish supplier of cash games for mobile internet, announced the release of the first personalised scratch card available on mobile phones. The java-based scratch card, featuring a horoscope theme, comes in twelve different forms, each corresponding to an astrological sign and the sign’s precious stone.
Instead of using a 5-pence piece to uncover their winnings, GemScope players will use phone keys to “scratch” their star sign and win vast range of cash and other prizes.
The game boasts a unique special feature, which allows players to continuously be put through to a second stage providing a personalised horoscope, giving them a fresh experience each time they play - win or lose. Further personalised stages are also available, without buying a new ticket.
“With this type of game mobile players feel they are getting much more value,” commented Rufus Miles, WinOne VP of Business Development. “Of course they have the chance to win a big prize – but even if they lose, they still get personalised content. We think this is unique in the mobile money gaming market today.”
US Internet Gambling Dispute with Antigua Heats Up
Antigua & Barbuda’s Minister of Finance and the Economy, Dr. Errol Cort, revealed that the Caribbean island had presented a complaint with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) over reported leaks from U.S. officials on what was deemed to be a confidential preliminary report by the WTO.
The final report of the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body on the a four-year-old legal battle between Antigua & Barbuda and the United States on America’s restrictions on internet gambling, a key source of revenue for the island, is due to be released tomorrow.
Antigua & Barbuda first brought their case to the WTO in 2003 arguing that US laws blocking the placing of bets across states lines by electronic means infringed WTO rules.
“The WTO had specifically said to all parties that… no party should say anything in respect of the matter. Unfortunately the US has gone and they have said a lot of things and we have protested,” remarked Cort.
“We’ve written to the WTO that while all parties were asked to remain confidential in terms of the interim report, we have kept our side, but the US has not.”
Cort added that the WTO has since reiterated its request to both parties that the report remain confidential until it is published.
Online Casino Free Spin Offer Written in the Stars
Zodiac Online Oasino, part of Casino Rewards group, is giving its customers a unique, deposit free offer of 50 free spins on a slot machine without the hassle of handing over credit card details or making an initial purchase.
The offer is available on the new Starscape Video Slot, a 5-reel, 25-Line, multiple-coins video slot, which contains a Pick Until Match Off Screen Bonus Game. The inclusion of a Wild symbol also doubles wins when substituting.
Once players have registered on the site, they’ll receive a confirmation email within an hour with details of their free spins. Customers then sign into their personal casino account, open the Starscape Video Slot game and get ready to play to win.
Zodiac Casino is accessible to players worldwide including the USA, with the exception of players residing in Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington or Wisconsin.
Online Casino Games Will Fly High in New Partnership
Budget airline Flybe has announced an online gaming deal with PAF, a charitable gaming operator and prominent iGaming company, to give passengers access to online gaming services while booking their flights, car hire, hotels and insurance on flybe.com. A wide range of games from bingo and keno to casino games such as blackjack and roulette will be available on the site giving customers a chance to indulge in some light entertainment while organising the finer points of their holiday.
The new service will also benefit Flybe’s chosen charity, Make-A-Wish Foundation, with a donation of 20 per cent from every play.
Mike Rutter, Chief Commercial Officer of Flybe, said, “The online gaming facility will enable us to generate revenue ensuring that we continue to provide passengers with the lowest possible fares, while simultaneously offering customers compelling entertainment and a more enjoyable browsing and booking experience overall.”
Online Casino e-Wallet Founders Await Their Fate
The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has made a firm decision to extend the deadline on whether to indict NETeller founders Stephen Lawrence and John Lefebvre.
The owners of the leading gambling e-wallet were charged with transferring billions of dollars in illegal gambling earnings earlier this year, but will now not face court until March 16, 2007.
The pair was arrested on January 15, 2007, immediately after the FBI froze all of Neteller's US customer's accounts in a swift move designed to retain the accounts as evidence in any prospective charges against the company.
Customers of the online gaming world’s most high-profile payment processor will now have to extend their reserves of patience for at least another month before the process of recovering their money can begin.
A posting on the company's website said, “As a result of the restrictions placed by third parties, court-ordered seizures and related legal concerns, Neteller is unable to make payments to U.S. customers.”
Things Looking Up For Online Casino
There were encouraging signs this week at Gibraltar-based online gambling group 888.com that the loss of its U.S. business has been offset by aggressive expansion into other markets. The group saw revenue from gaming rise by 7% in 2006, despite the U.S. shutdown. 888.com revealed that net gaming revenue for the 12 months to December 31 reached $290 million (£148 million) compared with $271 million the year before.
888 said it was diversifying geographically in the wake of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, the U.S. law which effectively banned internet financial transactions with online gambling sites.
Revenue from non-U.S. operations rose 28 percent to $157 million. However, after suspension of 888's US business in October 2006 average daily first time depositors fell by 37 percent. Nevertheless, the online gambling giant reported solid growth, with 3.6 million members now betting online, and a 35 percent increase in real money memberships in its final quarter results for 2006.
'We are encouraged by the strong current trading and remain confident for a successful full year outcome,' Chief Executive Officer Gigi Levy said in a statement.
Shares of 888 have dropped 24 percent since September 29th, the last day of trading before the U.S. law was passed.
Arsenal Odds Slashed After Cup Replay
Arsenal has been shortened to 4/1 to win the FA Cup after a thrilling extra-time victory over Bolton in the 4th Round replay on Wednesday night.Bolton’s Abdoulaye Meite scored his first goal for the club in injury time to put the match into extra-time. Freddie Ljungberg put the Gunners in front and with a minute of added-on time left, Emmanuel Adebayor took advantage of some tired Bolton legs to make the tie safe.
VCbet make Arsenal 4/1 now, in from 6/1. They remain 3rd favourites behind Chelsea at 2/1 and Manchester United at 5/2.
The 'big three' are packed closer together in Betfair's market - Arsenal are available at 4.5 with Chelsea 3.6 and United 3.75.
Arsenal, winners of the Cup 4 times since Arsene Wenger arrived at the club, will play host to Blackburn in the last 16 on Saturday. Chelsea entertain Norwich on the same day, while United face Reading at Old Trafford.
Germany Opens Doors to British Online Casino Players
The Casino Wiesbaden in Frankfurt is set to offer British online gamblers a unique experience: playing live roulette from the comfort of their own homes.Registered players will be able to place his or her stakes on the roulette table via their computer. They then keep track of the ball and the croupier via 2 webcams.
Casino Wiesbaden's is Europe's only state-licensed and permanently state-controlled casino to offer online roulette. The game operates daily from 11:00am to 3am local time on two tables and with authentic wheels.
'Everything about our online roulette is real! The only difference is that the player is sitting at home at his or her PC instead of being here at the Casino's playing table', said Thomas Freiherr von Stenglin, the CEO of Casino Wiesbaden. 'We're very excited to be able to welcome game-enthusiastic guests from the United Kingdom via the Internet.'
Woolie Thinking For Online Casino
The Gibraltar-based gaming network operator St. Minver has signed up UK high street retailer Woolworths for a fully operated and managed online bingo site.The retailer has additionally hinted that it intends to extend the range of games in its latest bid for Internet revenues.
A spokesman for the retailer said the new venture would give Woolworths customers a new and entertaining service from a brand they knew and trusted.
Jim Ryan, formerly the head man at Excapsa, recently joined St. Minver as CEO of the white label provider, which now has some 20 licensees. The company has revealed that its involvement in Russian poker and Swedish bingo markets has been through the Ramblas.ru operation in the Russian market and the CaliberBingo.com and Lyckobingo.com bingo operations in Sweden.
“The St. Minver network is experiencing rapid growth in Sweden as more and more people switch on to online bingo,' said Alison Digges, MD International for St Miniver.
Since its launch last year, Ramblas Poker has recorded significant growth in player registrations with thousands signing up to the site every month. Ramblas Poker is part of the poker network operated by St. Minver, which claims it has one of the fastest growing networks in Europe with 35,000 players visiting per day and 8,000 players at peak times. Ramblas players can compete with players from all over the world in tournaments run by the network, which currently pays out over $1 million in prizes every day.
Bluff Europe Offer Free Rooms For Asian Poker Classic
Do you have the winter blues and a bad itch to play poker? Then Bluff Europe has just the tonic for you, in the shape of a guaranteed US$1million poker tournament with a $250,000 Guaranteed Add-In at a luxurious five-star resort in exotic Goa, India. BLUFF EUROPE MAGAZINE is offering all readers four night complimentary accommodation to players that register for the Asian Poker Classic (APC) from this website. The APC is held March 1-5 at the five star all-suites resort, at the five–star Intercontinental The Grand Resort Goa. Buy-in is $5,000+$300 and there is a Guaranteed $250,000 Add-in.
To register, players can email APC with promotional code BLUFFGOA to get your free accommodation support@asianpokerclassic.com
To buy your seat direct, please email your request to team@asianpokerclassic.com or fax the registration form to +44 (0) 208 181 6555 or to + 44 (0) 870 608 9198.
To win your seat to APC via satellite tournaments at MaharajahClub.com Poker: You choose which level suits you and start you on your path to Goa and a share of US$1million maharajahclub.com/Poker/EN/Info.aspx?path=infopages&page=poker
For more information on Asian Poker Classic or for travel information to India, please visit www.asianpokerclassic.com or email team@asianpokerclassic.com
Asian Poker Classic (www.asianpokerclassic.com) March 1-5, 2007. The InterContinental Grand Resort, Goa is straddled between two rivers giving the resort a unique advantage of both seawater & fresh water recreational opportunities. It overlooks the largest golf course in Goa and the Arabian Sea and it offers an 880-meter long exclusive beachfront.
(APC Registration Form APC: http://64.38.200.103/ads/APC Application - Info.pdf)
Bluff Europe Offer Free Rooms For Asian Poker Classic
Do you have the winter blues and a bad itch to play poker? Then Bluff Europe has just the tonic for you, in the shape of a guaranteed US$1million poker tournament with a $250,000 Guaranteed Add-In at a luxurious five-star resort in exotic Goa, India. BLUFF EUROPE MAGAZINE is offering all readers four night complimentary accommodation to players that register for the Asian Poker Classic (APC) from this website. The APC is held March 1-5 at the five star all-suites resort, at the five–star Intercontinental The Grand Resort Goa. Buy-in is $5,000+$300 and there is a Guaranteed $250,000 Add-in.
To register, players can email APC with promotional code BLUFFGOA to get your free accommodation support@asianpokerclassic.com
To buy your seat direct, please email your request to team@asianpokerclassic.com or fax the registration form to +44 (0) 208 181 6555 or to + 44 (0) 870 608 9198.
To win your seat to APC via satellite tournaments at MaharajahClub.com Poker: You choose which level suits you and start you on your path to Goa and a share of US$1million maharajahclub.com/Poker/EN/Info.aspx?path=infopages&page=poker
For more information on Asian Poker Classic or for travel information to India, please visit www.asainpokerclassic.com or email team@asianpokerclassic.com
Asian Poker Classic (www.asianpokerclassic.com) March 1-5, 2007. The InterContinental Grand Resort, Goa is straddled between two rivers giving the resort a unique advantage of both seawater & fresh water recreational opportunities. It overlooks the largest golf course in Goa and the Arabian Sea and it offers an 880-meter long exclusive beachfront.
(APC Registration Form APC: http://64.38.200.103/ads/APC Application - Info.pdf)
Full House for 2007’s Casino Affiliate Convention
Ticonderoga Ventures, a US company that organises conferences for niche markets worldwide, has announced that its annual Casino Affiliate Convention (CAC) and Gaming Marketing Conference, held this year on May 3-5 at Amsterdam’s NH Grand Krasnapolsky Hotel, has sold out months in advance.
For the past five years CAC has successfully provided a marketing and advertising platform for leading figures in the European casino, poker, bingo and sportsbook industries and is now billed as the largest convention and exposition on gaming marketing and advertising.
Since the introduction of UIGEA anti-gambling law in the US in 2006, the gambling industry has cast a spotlight over Europe, and attendance at the 2006 CAC soared to over 250 European affiliates.
Topics expected to be up for discussion at the 2007 event include poker marketing and mobile affiliate marketing amongst other subjects.
The event, which boasts sponsorship from major players such as William Hill and Ladbrokes, is currently putting potential exhibitors on its waiting list.
Play Your Valentine’s Cards Right at Online Casino
Get21.com, the home of multiplayer blackjack tournaments online, is offering a $2,500 guaranteed prize pool for a special tournament to be held on February 14.
Avid players can buy their seats on the tournament for a total of $36.30 and pit themselves against fellow players to vie for the big cash prize that could be lavished on that special someone in their lives.
The promotion is just one of many currently offered on the site in February which include a $500 action point free roll for 4,000 Action point buy in on February 21 and a $1,000 action point free roll for 8,000 action buy in on February 28.
Managed by a group of dedicated gaming professionals with over 50 years of accumulated experience in online gaming, Get21 is the only place online where blackjack fans can bet against each other in the bustling atmosphere of an absolute multiplayer blackjack tournament atmosphere.
Online Casino Sends Temperatures Soaring
Sun Vegas Casino, part of the exclusive Vegas Partner Lounge chain of casinos, has introducing a sizzling new promotion that gives players a no strings betting handout of $1,000 and an hour to spend the money in.
'We are knocking the socks off our industry rivals by offering free money for all new players,' claims Austin Green, casino manager of the prestigious Sun Vegas Casino brand.
Prospective players can use the $1,000 in Sun Vegas Casino’s 'free play promotion' to make as much money as possible by playing a host of online games in a 60 minute time slot.
Players can choose from any number of games on the site’s flash casino lobby such as Blackjack, Poker, Slots, Roulette, Baccarat, Video poker and even Casino Craps.
The promotion will be aimed at markets including Europe, Australia, Africa and Asia and with the help of multiple languages such as: English, Dutch, Spanish, Japanese, German, French and Turkish, is bound to send shockwaves throughout the entire online gaming industry.
Welcome to the Sweeter Side of the World Series of Poker
Leading chocolate manufacturer The Hershey Company has teamed up with Harrah’s License Company, an affiliate of multi-casino owner Harrah’s Entertainment, to offer consumers the chance to win “Sweet Seats” to the World Series of Poker Main Event.
Harrah’s also gave the deal a further sugar coating by naming Hershey’s products the Official Chocolate of the 2007 World Series of Poker. Hershey will launch a unique consumer promotion presenting two “Sweet Seats” to the World Series of Poker Main Event along with secondary prizes including trips to Las Vegas.
The promotion is set to hit in-store displays from April through to June of 2007 US-wide.
Hershey will have the right to use the World Series of Poker name, logo, image and design in promotions in television, radio, print, Internet and other advertising, as well as on sales-collateral and on-pack materials, premiums and other promotions.
London Gears Up For Gaming Investor Conference
The dates and venue have been announced for Clarion ATE's 2nd Annual Gaming Investor Conference. The event will be held at Guoman Tower in London on May 25. Gaming Investor will be offering the opportunity to meet with peers from across the field of gaming investment. The event organisers are giving the opportunity for Directors of Corporate Finance, Heads of Gaming, Leisure Analysts, Heads of M&A and key members of gaming and leisure teams from the investment industry to meet, so that those attending “can gather together under one roof for a single day of networking, case studies, fresh ideas and new contacts.”
The annual event is set to attract figures from investment banks, private equity houses and other financial institutions with interests in the gaming industry. Key issues affecting the industry will be addressed, including the many changes in the European market, the best opportunities for investment over the coming year and the relative merits of online and offline markets.
In addition, there will be a CEO panel during the evening’s drinks reception where delegates can hear from and meet some of the most senior gaming professionals from across the land-based and igaming sectors.
Online Casinos Favour Mirren for Oscars
Dame Helen Mirren is now 1/25 with most of the online bookies to win the Oscar for Best Actress after picking up the same accolade at the Baftas. The 61-year-old, who played Elizabeth II in The Queen, beat off competition from Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada) and Dame Judy Dench (Notes On A Scandal) and the trio will now clash again in Los Angeles at the end of the month.
The latter two actresses are both 14/1 at Stan James for Academy Award glory.
Forest Whitaker picked up the Bafta for Best Actor for his role as Idi Amin in The Last King Of Scotland and he is also long odds-on (1/5, William Hill) to double up at the Oscars.
Veteran Peter O'Toole (Venus) is now 10/3 with Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed) a 14/1 chance.
Martin Scorsese remains a 1/5 favourite at Ladbrokes for his first Oscar as Best Director while The Departed is 11/10 market leader for Best Picture with the same firm.
They then bet 9/4 Little Miss Sunshine, 7/2 Babel and 10/1 the rest.
Best of British to Report Profit
Internet gambling and football pools company Sportech is set to announce healthy profits for 2006.
Sportech’s operating profits for the year to January 5th were predicted to come in at £18.4 million and the firm gave an optimistic trading update on its online gambling and football pool action.
Due to its European gambling base, the firm has not experienced the same problems with the UIGEA in the United States as other British gaming firms.
New management at the online businesses appears to be making a difference. Online bingo has added 5,500 customers in a year and online casino and poker have continued their recovery from the first half of 2006 and increased turnover and profitability, reversing an under-performing 18-month trend.
CEO Ian Penrose says these improvements are “part of a wide-ranging plan to get the basics right, dispose of unprofitable interests and build a strong backbone, with the new IT system on schedule. Sportech is now much more cash generative, netting around £680,000 of free cash flow per month during 2007, and this has helped reduce net debt 17 percent from this time last year to £90 million.”
Penrose is planning a big marketing push and analysts are speculating that this could lift pre-tax profits for the year to December 2007 to around £13.6 million.
Sportech shares jumped by almost a third following the news.
Monsters of Belle Rock
A Portuguese online casino player, known only as Alvaro C, became half a million Euros richer last week by winning River Belle Casino’s Major Millions Progressive Jackpot.Elsewhere on Belle Rock’s host of casinos, other players struck it lucky.
During December and January, Belle Rock Entertainment ran a promotion whereby players could win a luxury sports car to the value of $45,000. Seven finalists were drawn and an online draw took place to determine the overall winner. Brit Paul T drove away the lucky winner after playing at The Gaming Club Online Casino.
Players at the French, German and Spanish Jackpot City Online Casino recently participated in the 'Let's Cruise' promotion. All players needed to do to enter this promotion was to accumulate as many payouts as possible during December 2006 and January 2007. Sibylle S, from Germany, was pronounced the lucky winner and won a Mediterranean cruise.
'We are so pleased with the recent news of our three lucky European players. The huge win at Major Millions, the spectacular Mediterranean cruise and the win of the luxury sports car are just testimony of how important our players are to us,' said Tim Johnson, Chairman of Carmen Media Group, owner of Belle Rock Entertainment.
Online Casino Players Break Da Bank
Online slot Break Da Bank, supplied to a whole raft of online casinos by Microgaming, has become one of the most popular online games on the net.
Break Da Bank is a slot game primarily made up of a 3 reel, 5 coin, and 5 payline machine. You can use five different coins varying from $1.00-$25.00 in order to activate each of the paylines.
Break Da Bank features a wild and multiplier symbol. This means that the wild symbol can replace all the other types of symbols in order to create the winning combinations. The Break Da Bank symbol also serves as a multiplier of the jackpot. If one wild symbol shows up on the payout line, the value of the prize is doubled. But if two wild symbols show, you multiply the value by four.
You can also get three Break Da Bank symbols at the same time. Should this happen, you are entitled to a certain jackpot although its amount is not multiplied. The variety of features, including the wild symbol and huge prizes have propelled Break Da Bank to the top of most punters’ must-plays.
Break Da Bank is available at many online casinos including Ladbrokes, Spin Palace, and Mummy’s Gold.
Bluff Magazine Launches the Coolest Thing Ever
The Coolest Thing Ever, a new detailed tracker service and poker information tool, has launched on the newly designed www.BluffMagazine.com website, and is revolutionising the way online poker players track, interact, and satisfy their cravings for all things online poker. The most important aspect of the tool is thepokerdb, the most comprehensive online tournament database in the world. With results stretching back as far as 2004, thepokerdb has tracked hundreds of thousands of tournament results.
And with a name like The Coolest Thing Ever, this tool has certainly had to live up to its name with a new Buddy List that allows players to track friends online, see where they are playing, and view their up-to-date results on a customisable personal dashboard. Best of all you don’t need to be glued to a computer screen to benefit from the poker service as new Buddy Alerts will notify you when your friends reach the table via a text message as well as live on your PC or by email.
The service also uses a real-time Custom Tournament Directory so that players need only enter their tournament requirements and they’ll be directed to a tailor made slice of the action.
CryptoLogic Goes Dutch with Holland Casino
CryptoLogic, a prominent software developer in the online casino market, has announced an exclusive three-year licensing agreement to provide both poker and casino software for Holland Casino - the Dutch government licensed casino operator in the Netherlands.The new site, run by Holland Casino on behalf of the Dutch government, is expected to debut in June 2007, and will be only be accessible to residents of the Netherlands.
“At CryptoLogic, we're focused on strengthening our competitive advantage in Europe, and our new relationship with Holland Casino achieves this - in spades,” said Lewis Rose, CryptoLogic's President and CEO, who was in Amsterdam for the signing.
Holland Casino operates 14 land-based casinos across the Netherlands, including those at several upmarket tourist resorts and the new deal marks its first foray into the online gaming world.
“We're excited to develop and launch our online gaming site, which includes a comprehensive responsible gaming program, with a respected provider who can deliver a unique experience to our customers,” said Ron Goudsmit, Holland Casino's Vice-President Business Development.
Poker Million Winner Hits Second Online Casino Jackpot
After a £63,000 in the Betfair Casino, Rajesh Modha, a 44-year-old pharmacist from Northampton, thought his luck had already been spent.But just two days later he scooped another £25,100 playing the online slot machine, Cash Inferno, that had secured him his first win.
“The odds of the same player winning these two jackpots are more than ten million to one,” said casino spokesman Oliver Bowen.
Modha, who is a keen sports bettor and poker player, was laying his bets on the Super Bowl when his first big win rolled in. “I was just sitting there watching the game. I never thought that I would win this much, I’m thrilled to bits,” said Modha.
“The second win was unbelievable. I’m just riding the crest of the wave at the moment,” he added.
Modha, who also won the Ladbrokes Poker Million V tournament back in December, has already ordered a new BMW with his winnings, which arrives next week.
Poker Million Winner Hits Second Online Casino Jackpot
After a £63,000 in the Betfair Casino, Rajesh Modha, a 44-year-old pharmacist from Northampton, thought his luck had already been spent.
But just two days later he scooped another £25,100 playing the online slot machine, Cash Inferno, that had secured him his first win.
“The odds of the same player winning these two jackpots are more than ten million to one,” said casino spokesman Oliver Bowen.
Modha, who is a keen sports bettor and poker player, was laying his bets on the Super Bowl when his first big win rolled in. “I was just sitting there watching the game. I never thought that I would win this much, I’m thrilled to bits,” said Modha.
“The second win was unbelievable. I’m just riding the crest of the wave at the moment,” he added.
Modha, who also won the Ladbrokes Poker Million V tournament back in December, has already ordered a new BMW with his winnings, which arrives next week.
Online Casino says Konichiwa to the Far East
Japanese players can now play at FastWin Casino in their own language after Kiwi Gaming launched a Japanese version of its ever-popular online casino, shortly after releasing two single-player versions of the traditional Chinese game of Mahjong, in both the World Mahjong federation and Japanese rules.
Mahjong players are presented with a ready hand (one tile away from a win), and have three chances to complete a winning hand by selecting a tile from a collection of 24 that are face down.
FastWin Casino has a dazzling array of features from traditional table and card games to a wide selection of slots, video poker and arcade games, many of which have bonus rounds and sizeable progressive jackpots, which Japanese players can now indulge in, in their native language.
FastWin Casino also boasts the very first real money online version of the popular Japanese slot game pachinko, where players win money for every ball that falls in the catcher and the power dial is used to control the release force of the balls. When a ball falls into the catcher it triggers a slot game where players can win up to 1,500 times their bet.
FastWin Casino is a member of the six-year strong Kiwi Gaming (www.kiwigaming.com) family licensed in Antigua & Barbuda and offers new players a figure of over $3,000 in bonuses in their first year.
Online Casino Sets Sweethearts a Valentine’s Day Challenge
Everest Casino has announced its February promotion, aptly named the Sweetheart Challenge for the most romantic month of the year. Fourteen of the online casino's most popular games are available in the competition that gives players a chance to win their share of $5,500 in cash prizes.
“We're very excited at the opportunity to offer our players this sort of competition,” said Eduardo Santos, Everest Casino's property manager. “Not only do they get additional cash prizes for their participation, but their name is placed on our leaderboard for the world to see.”
Current Everest Casino slots club members will automatically be signed up to the promotion and each time a player places wagers on any of fourteen casino games, they will accumulate more points.
“By incorporating a broad variety of games, from video slot machines to traditional casino games like roulette and blackjack, we're making it as easy as possible for the maximum number of players to participate in this one-of-a-kind event,” Santos added
Five Poker Stars Heading for Asian Poker Classic
Five of the world’s top poker stars have been confirmed to take part at the televised Asian Poker Classic, the largest poker tournament ever staged in India, in the coastal resort of Goa from March 1-5, 2007.
The $1 Million guaranteed jackpot combined with a minimum $250,000 overlay makes this tournament one of the richest in the world. The line-up for the tournament, sponsored by Maharajah Club now includes:
Ram Vaswani – a member of the London-based Hendon Mob, Vaswani’s live tournament winnings exceed $2.3 million. The 36-year-old is the only player to have made three final tables on the European Poker Tour (EPT).
Arshad Hussain – Hussain topped the European Rankings in 2006 after a series of remarkable performances. The 33-year-old from Accrington in Lancashire came second in the EPT Grand Final Event at Monte Carlo, winning $644,825.
Surinder Sunar – The Wolverhampton-based player earned $822,631 when he won the Paris Grand Prix on the World Poker Tour (WPT) in 2004. Sunar is famed for his poker face – he has an inner calm and shows absolutely no emotion at the table.
Lee Nelson – New Zealander Nelson has been the top-rated player in Australia and New Zealand for the past seven years. He was 2006 Aussie Millions champion, earning him more than $1 million.
Mel Judah – UK-based Aussie player Judah won bracelets at the WSOP in 1989 and 1997 and was 2003 Legends of Poker winner, collecting $579,375. He made the final table of the main event at the WSOP in 1997.
150 players are expected at the event, which will be held at the five-star Intercontinental hotel at Grand Resort Goa. You can still register to play in the tournament at http://www.asianpokerclassic.com/qualify.html or email team@asianpokerclassic.com for further information.
Jackpot Factory Launches Interactive Viper Casino Lobby
Leading online casino group Jackpot Factory has revealed that All Slots Casino (www.allslots.com) has launched a brand new, futuristic Viper casino lobby.
The new interactive Viper casino lobby was developed by Microgaming with the aid of substantial research and countless player interviews. The new lobby transforms the traditional lobby into a visual display of games, making, designers say, the online gaming experience even more enjoyable.
“Currently available at All Slots Casino, the new Viper lobby sets the benchmark for online casino fun” said David Brickman, spokesperson for the Jackpot Factory. “Next-generation casinos are here at the Jackpot Factory and that gives us a real competitive edge.”
“Microgaming continues to lead the way with innovative ideas and that is exactly why we are partners with them. This solidifies us as one of the world’s leading online casino groups.”
Players at other Jackpot Factory casinos – All Jackpots Casino, First Web Casino, Wild Jack Casino, and The VIP Lounge Casino – can expect to see this new innovation implemented in the future.
Online Casino Giant Marks Its Bingo Card
UK gambling giant William Hill is set to take its first steps into the online bingo arena.
WilliamHillBingo.com will allow customers to play games with a variety of ticket prices, and also enables players to chat live online with friends around the clock.
Marketing firm Prego has been briefed to handle initial brand development of the product as well as ongoing offline communications. Working closely with William Hill’s internal web team, the agency will position the new operation within the William Hill online portfolio, ensuring the offline messages are delivered consistently online.
Tony Cawood, Head of Remote Marketing at William Hill, said, “It is important for us that we position bingo to best engage with the target audience and Prego showed a clear grasp of this requirement and worked with us to deliver. We were impressed with the agency's approach and in particular their translation of a clear understanding of Bingo play and players into great creative.”
Red Devils Offer Free Money To Online Casino Players
Manchester United FC’s official online casino is offering a free money welcome bonus of £100 free to all new players - and you don't have to be a Manchester United supporter to get the free cash.
This particular online casino is especially popular with UK football fans and naturally, Manchester United supporters. However, they also attract players who support other football clubs and a wider worldwide audience in general, due in part to their reputation and the quality of their casino.
Manchester United Online Casino are welcoming all new players with a free money promotion, matching players’ first deposits at the casino 100 percent up to $100.
The casino are also offering players a bonus of 25 percent up to £50 free via the casino's monthly reload bonus scheme.
Man Utd belatedly joins the mighty Liverpool in setting up its own online casino. The Merseyside club has set up an online casino in partnership with PaddyPower.com.
Bingo Alerts Re-launches
Gaming Alerts has announced the re-launch of its Bingo portal, www.bingoalerts.co.uk. Bingo is now taking the UK by storm with over a 100 different UK Bingo sites, and leading Bookmakers such as William Hill have already capitalised on the new upward trend through the launch of branded bingo sites.
The game is no longer the reserve of the older female generation as it has been cleverly remarketed as an online game accessible to all, with recent research by St Minver group, who run sites for major brands Virgin Bingo and Butlins Bingo, indicating that even men have been hooked on to the game but still tend to use female passwords to access the sites.
Bingo Alerts offers players the chance to be one step ahead of the game with reviews of the best bingo sites, and the latest news on the best offers and bonuses brought directly to a small window on your desktop.
Rob Noble, COO of software provider Skinkers said, “Skinkers is delighted to be working so closely with Gaming Alerts. It’s refreshing to work with such a innovative team who understand their industry and work hard to look after all of their clients.”
The site is currently offering players a free £5 for registering with leading site Bingos.co.uk, via bingo alerts, and also offering a further £15 following a deposit to the site.
Online Casino Creates a Medical Miracle
A 44-year-old pharmacist from Northampton walked away with a £63,000 cash prize after investing the princely sum of £5 for a spin on the five-reel-slot at prominent online casino Betfair.
Rajesh Modha saw his bank balance soar after a 12,599-1 payout on Betfair Casino’s Cash Inferno.
“I was just sitting there watching the game. I never thought that I would win this much, I’m thrilled to bits,” said Modha, who already has plans for his winnings starting with the purchase of a new BMW.
Mr Modha is an avid poker player and sports bettor using the Betfair Exchange but says he often keeps a window of the casino open for a more varied gambling experience. The win follows Rajesh’s recent success at the Ladbrokes Poker Million V, where he defeated an experienced field to claim the $1.2 million first prize after qualifying for just $9.
Betfair Casino was launched in October 2006 and includes the innovative Zero Lounge – a group of casino products where the house edge has been removed giving players a fair chance of winning.
PokerNews Seeks Turkish Delight
PokerNews has announced the launch of PokerNews Turkey (http://tr.pokernews.com), in what could be the first of many ventures into the Middle Eastern gambling sector, a region that has already been hotly anticipated to experience a poker boom alongside Asia.The new site will bear many of the classic features of a PokerNews website – the latest poker news from home and abroad, reviews, resources and special local promotions for readers – written in Turkish for Turkish readers.
The editor for PokerNews Turkey is hopeful that the site will be well received in his country. “I am looking forward to providing Turkish speakers and Turks around the world with the very best in poker news coverage. Our network of sites at PokerNews.com provides excellent global coverage which is of great interest to Turkish people who, until now, have had no poker news in their own language.”
PokerNews currently provides websites for nationals of Germany, France, Italy, Holland, Russia, Sweden, Poland, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Greece, Portugal, Estonia, Spain, China, Japan, Israel, Turkey and Romania. These sit alongside the English versions from the UK, Australia and America.
Online Casino Gets GSM Seal of Approval
Spin3, the leading wireless casino system powered by online gaming software provider Microgaming, has been awarded the Associate Membership of global trade association GSM.
GSM represents more than 700 GSM mobile phone operators across 217 territories and countries of the world with over 2 billion customers – over 82 percent of the world's mobile phone users.
The move will catapult Spin3 into a host of new markets worldwide, with the mobile casino acting as an application provider for the GSM family of technology platforms.
The mobile gaming industry is already set for a bright future with Juniper Research forecasting that stakes gambled on mobiles will reach US $16.6 billion globally by 2011, with Asia-Pacific overtaking Europe in 2008.
“Gaining acceptance to the GSM Association propels us into the premier league of the mobile industry, rubbing shoulders with the frontrunners in the GSM arena,” said Matti Zinder, CEO, Spin3.
Spin3's mobile casino games are on display at the 3GSM World Congress Barcelona (booth no. 7C34), from 12-15 February 2007.
Online Casino Group Finally On the Up
Isle of Man based online gaming group betinternet.com has reported a pre-tax profit for the first time since it listed on the AIM market in 2000 and the company is now may now consider an acquisition deal.
For the six months leading up to November 2006, the group posted pre-tax profits of £182,000, compared with a loss of £599,000 for the corresponding period in 2005. The group’s turnover also grew by 53 percent to £43.6m compared to a figure of £28.5 million in 2005 alongside growth it’s sportsbook revenue which was up by 27 percent to £31.8 million.
Denham Eke, chairman of betinternet, said, “This is a significant improvement on the same period last year and shows that the strategies put in place by the new management team are working well.”
Betinternet.com has little contact with the US market and the passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006, so far hasn’t had a negative impact on it’s new success, putting the group in a favourable position to purchase non-US business from those companies crippled by the legislation, according to Eke.
Lyceum Fire & Ice a Huge Success for Sponsors and Guests
Lyceum Media has set the bar early for iGaming parties in 2007 with the largest Fire & Ice in its six-year history. With the support of sponsors, software provider CryptoLogic and games developer NextGen Gaming, guests partied the night away consumed within a Studio 54 atmosphere at the sophisticated and trendy Glass Bar and Paper Club in Central London. Fire & Ice started six years ago when the then-fledgling online gaming industry had no parties or networking events to attend following the International Casino Expo (ICE) in London. Michael Caselli, a partner in Lyceum Media arranged an ad hoc get together for some friends in the industry, and Jodie Thind, partner at Lyceum Media, transformed it from a 60 person party into the biggest party in iGaming with over 1,000 members of the industry in attendance.
Drag Queens, Playboy Bunnies, Go-Go Girls, Break Dancers and a Bevy of Beauties entertained the 1,000 guests into the early hours at the 70s glam disco themed Fire & Ice 2007. Esther Whitehead, Lyceum Media said, “We really wanted to add that WOW factor to Fire & Ice this year. Events are a natural progression for iGaming Public Relations firm Lyceum Media, who has used the party to highlight the capability of its Events Division - their motto - if you like the way we party – then we'll do one for you.”
In addition to the annual Fire & Ice party, Lyceum Media in conjunction with iGaming Business magazine throw social events in London and Vancouver throughout the year as a way for the industry to network.
Photos from the Fire & Ice party can be found online at www.lyceummedia.com/events.
Online Gambling Alive and Well in the States
The UIGEA law prohibiting US financial institutions from processing payments to online gambling sites hasn't stopped US employees from visiting sportsbetting sites, according to cybersecurity vendor Scansafe Ltd.
Attempted visits to online gambling websites by employees of Scansafe's US customers were up 77 percent in the week between January 23 and 31.
Scansafe provides a Web-blocking service to large businesses, examining 6 billion Web requests a month.
In October, President George Bush signed into law a measure prohibiting financial institutions from processing payments to gambling sites. The US government has until mid-July to develop the processing regulations for financial institutions.
But some online gambling sites have begun telling US customers that financial institutions are already distancing themselves. On Wednesday, PokerRoom.com reportedly advised US customers to cash out.
'The remaining companies that process cashouts from PokerRoom.com to our players in the United States have contacted us to say that in the near future they will no longer facilitate these transactions,' said a message on PokerRoom's home page. 'As such, we would advise all American players that have not cashed out already, to do so immediately.'
The gambling provision, amended by Congress onto a safe ports security bill in late September, has had no impact on the number of people visiting gambling Web sites, said Dan Nadir, vice president for product strategy at Scansafe. Scansafe doesn't track whether those people completed bets, he said.
'We suspected (the law) wouldn't have much of an impact,' he said. “Some gambling sites will simply develop alternative payment mechanisms.”
Crazy Online Casino Splashes the Cash
Crazy Vegas Online Casino has announced a new offer with an instant $75 no-deposit free money giveaway for its players.
Trevor Penn of Crazy Vegas claims that to date this offer is the biggest free casino play promotion ever. “This $75 No Deposit Free promotion is only the beginning of colossal things to come, and should be an indication of Crazy Vegas Casino's commitment to their players, prospect players, as well as their board of directors to thoroughly market their online casino to a world-wide audience.”
Crazy Vegas Casino is set on expanding its business worldwide in the billion dollar casino industry. The company’s focus is on the European markets in countries such as the UK, France, Germany, and Italy where it will be actively and progressively marketing over the next couple of months.
According to Trevor Penn Crazy Vegas has had its foot in Europe since 2000 and a large percentage of its current business comes from these European countries. The online casino wants to increase its market share in Europe and is stepping up its current offerings and foreign language support for Europe.
Currently Crazy Vegas offers over 250 variations of casino games including blackjack, roulette, video poker, slot machines and the recently launched bingo as well as mobile casino gaming.
Online Casino Pockets Poker Deal with Riley’s Snooker
Leading online casino and poker room 888.com has announced a 3-year joint partnership with Rileys, the UK’s leading chain of snooker and pool clubs.By Easter 2007, Riley’s, which owns 168 clubs throughout the UK, is aiming to host live poker tournaments running in around 100 of its clubs nationwide. The partnership between the two companies sees 888.com providing consultancy and support services for the Rileys Poker brand.
The Riley’s Poker brand will also have an enhanced profile thanks to the introduction of a new poker website; www.rileyspoker.com. Provided by 888.com, the site’s success will be boosted by 888.com’s wealth of knowledge on the online casino and poker industries.
Gigi Levy, CEO at 888.com commented, “This is a hugely exciting, unique and innovative partnership for 888.com. The co-operation between 888 and Rileys creates a unique customer offering and experience, unparalleled in the offline and online poker world, where customers are able to be part of a community of poker players that meet and play live poker both online and offline.”
The joint venture will also see the development of number of new ventures under the Rileys Poker brand including; poker leagues, regional events and a national poker tournament with a televised final.
IGCE Conference Set for Success in Mexico
The International Gaming Conference & Expo, (IGCE Europe) has now scheduled its first gathering in Cancun Mexico, May 7-9, 2007, following the unprecedented success of its two 2006 conferences in San Jose, Costa Rica and Dublin, Ireland.
Held at the upmarket resort of Fiesta Americana Condesa Cancun, the event will gather industry leaders to pose the question, ‘What’s Next?’ for the future of the gaming and gambling industries in the US and abroad.
“In a society such as ours where gambling is pervasive, lotteries are held in almost every state, there is an overflow of Indian casinos, Nevada is burgeoning and busting at the seams, wagering is a near obsessive pastime of the populace, odds are published in all of our media, the intention of the government to curtail the activity, with emphasis on the Internet, demands a multitude of questions and answers to determine what is next,” added Cynthia Pagano, Assistant Director of Conferences for the IGCE.
The IGCE has already begun mapping out countries for its future venues with Prague and Bangkok in the running to host the conference within the next three years.
Ongame On Form in Scandinavian Partnership
Ongame Network, the leading provider of business-to-business online and mobile gaming solutions, has sized up a larger share of the gaming market with the addition of Scandic Bookmakers to its poker network.The Danish sportsbook – which until recently offered poker games through the Tain Network – has already transferred its player base, and went live on the Ongame Network on January 29 this year.
As a part of the Ongame Network, Scandic Bookmakers will offer players access the entire portfolio of Ongame Network cash games, as well as access to unique tournament formats and over $ 800,000 per week in guaranteed prize pools to Windows, MAC and Linux users.
“We are delighted to welcome Scandic Bookmakers to our network,” said Martin Lerby, Head of Ongame Network. “This deal will fuel our European player liquidity even further, whilst at the same time reinforcing our presence in Denmark.”
Online Casino Pockets Poker Deal with Riley’s Snooker
Leading online casino and poker room 888.com has announced a 3-year joint partnership with Rileys, the UK’s leading chain of snooker and pool clubs. By Easter 2007, Riley’s, which owns 168 clubs throughout the UK, is aiming to host live poker tournaments running in around 100 of its clubs nationwide. The partnership between the two companies sees 888.com providing consultancy and support services for the Rileys Poker brand.
The Riley’s Poker brand will also have an enhanced profile thanks to the introduction of a new poker website; www.rileyspoker.com. Provided by 888.com, the site’s success will be boosted by 888.com’s wealth of knowledge on the online casino and poker industries.
Gigi Levy, CEO at 888.com commented, “This is a hugely exciting, unique and innovative partnership for 888.com. The co-operation between 888 and Rileys creates a unique customer offering and experience, unparalleled in the offline and online poker world, where customers are able to be part of a community of poker players that meet and play live poker both online and offline.”
The joint venture will also see the development of number of new ventures under the Rileys Poker brand including; poker leagues, regional events and a national poker tournament with a televised final.
IGCE Conference Set for Success in Mexico
The International Gaming Conference & Expo, (IGCE Europe) has now scheduled its first gathering in Cancun Mexico, May 7-9, 2007, following the unprecedented success of its two 2006 conferences in San Jose, Costa Rica and Dublin, Ireland.
Held at the upmarket resort of Fiesta Americana Condesa Cancun, the event will gather industry leaders to pose the question, ‘What’s Next?’ for the future of the gaming and gambling industries in the US and abroad.
“In a society such as ours where gambling is pervasive, lotteries are held in almost every state, there is an overflow of Indian casinos, Nevada is burgeoning and busting at the seams, wagering is a near obsessive pastime of the populace, odds are published in all of our media, the intention of the government to curtail the activity, with emphasis on the Internet, demands a multitude of questions and answers to determine what is next,” added Cynthia Pagano, Assistant Director of Conferences for the IGCE.
The IGCE has already begun mapping out countries for its future venues with Prague and Bangkok in the running to host the conference within the next three years.
Ongame On Form in Scandinavian Partnership
Ongame Network, the leading provider of business-to-business online and mobile gaming solutions, has sized up a larger share of the gaming market with the addition of Scandic Bookmakers to its poker network.The Danish sportsbook – which until recently offered poker games through the Tain Network – has already transferred its player base, and went live on the Ongame Network on January 29 this year.
As a part of the Ongame Network, Scandic Bookmakers will offer players access the entire portfolio of Ongame Network cash games, as well as access to unique tournament formats and over $ 800,000 per week in guaranteed prize pools to Windows, MAC and Linux users.
“We are delighted to welcome Scandic Bookmakers to our network,” said Martin Lerby, Head of Ongame Network. “This deal will fuel our European player liquidity even further, whilst at the same time reinforcing our presence in Denmark.”
Online Casino Reveals What Makes VIP Players Tick
As part of the launch of 777.com's new VIP Lounge, one of the Internet’s leading gambling guides has carried out a poll to find out what it takes to make members of the online gambling community feel like true VIP players.
Currently, the majority of players who voted (30 percent) chose exclusive money bonuses as the best incentive to become a VIP player, followed by no betting limits (19 percent) and worldwide luxurious events (19 percent).
Amy Gomez, 777.com's Marketing Director, said, 'This poll shows us what players really want. And we make it our top priority to offer that to them; it's the best casinos have to offer, and we do our best to give them what they deserve.'
The VIP Lounge provides gamblers with a broad range of gambling information, including articles and reviews about the best VIP clubs on the Web and guides players to the top programmes featuring the highest online bonuses and the best selection of luxury prizes.
The gaming portal is working with leading online casinos to provide special promotions, the latest of which is a partnership with online casino 888.com to provide the opportunity to become a member of its VIP programme through 777.com's VIP Lounge. Players will also get a $1,000 VIP bonus, as well as the chance to win VIP special events around the world.
New Alerts for Best Online Casino Deals
Gaming Alerts Limited has announced the re-launch of its casino portal, www.casinoalerts.co.uk, providing a one-stop shop for players to view the best in online casino offerings.
William Hill, Casino Swiss, Casino King and Littlewoods are just some of the major players that are featured on the site and who offer visitors exclusive deals in partnership with Casino Alerts.
After a free download, players will receive up-to-the-minute desktop alerts via a small window on their PC, with details on the top new deals and bonuses and where to find them.
Powered by Skinkers, a company providing live notification platforms through email, sms and desktops, the site is currently running a range of promotional offers such as a £300 welcome bonus at casinoking.com.
Robert Noble, Skinkers’ COO said, 'Skinkers is delighted to be working so closely with Gaming Alerts. It is refreshing to work with such an innovative team who understand their industry, and work hard to look after their clients.'
Record Prize Pool Announced for Asian Poker Classic
The richest poker tournament in Asia just got richer – organisers of the Asian Poker Classic (APC) have guaranteed a minimum top-up of $250,000 to the prize pool, which means more than $1 million could be available at the first professional poker tournament ever staged in India. The Asian Poker Classic, sponsored by MaharajahClub.com, is set to be one of the biggest events on the Eastern poker calendar. A host of top pros, celebrities, and online qualifiers are expected to turn out for the festival of poker which is being held at the five-star Intercontinental Grand Resort in Goa from March 1 until March 5.
Minaxshi Shah, Director of Events at Asian Poker Classic, said, “We expect there will be between 150 and 200 players, and with a $250,000 add-in the equity in this tournament is absolutely astounding.”
“The Asian Poker Classic is not just one of the biggest events scheduled for India in 2007 – it’s one of the biggest poker events anywhere in the world. With Goa as a fantastic location, it will be the most exciting new poker tournament of the year” added Tournament Director Thomas Kremser.
Bluff Europe magazine is offering complimentary rooms at the Intercontinental for the five-day duration of the tournament to 12 players who sign up now. To qualify for the offer, simply be one of the first 12 to contact APC, quoting the reference BLUFF EUROPE TAKES ME TO GOA!
Online Casino Ups Video Slots Ante
All Jackpots Casino, one of the world's biggest jackpot casinos, has released its first games of the year and is marking the event by offering triple loyalty points on the new the five-reel video slot games: Magic Spell and Prime Property.
The games, which are developed by Microgaming, boast superior graphics, effects and sounds, ensuring what the makers hope will be an authentic casino environment. In addition, both games offer a minimum 1-cent bet that enables players to test out the game at a minimal cost.
David Brickman, Spokesperson for the Jackpot Factory, said in a joint statement with All Jackpots Casino, 'All Jackpots Casino personifies what a premier online jackpot casino should be. We are committed to bringing our players -- new and old -- the world's best casino slot games. As such, All Jackpots is stocked with numerous, high quality slot games.'
Magic Spell is a 25-payline online slot that offers rewards of up to 100,000 coins in the base game and a further 75,000 on the generous bonus features. The game is centered on the Four Schools of Magic -- Arcane, Alchemy, Frost and Fire.
Prime Property offers 40 paylines and comes complete with a Top Wild, a Scatter, a Bonus Scatter, Free Spins, and a Bonus Game that deliver more opportunities for players.
Baccarat and Mahjong Available at Online Casinos
Kiwi Casino and Fast Win Casino have announced the release of five brand new online casino games.
The new games include three new live versions of online Baccarat including one version which offers a progressive jackpot side bet, as well as two single player versions of the classic Chinese game of Mahjong.
The two new Mahjong games are Solo Mahjong and Solo Mahjong Pro. The Mahjong games are offered in both the Japanese and World Mahjong Federation Rules.
The Live Games at these two online casinos feature real-life dealers actually dealing at the tables via a live video feed. The new progressive jackpot version of Live Baccarat uses the same rules as traditional Baccarat, except in the new version you can place a side bet towards a progressive jackpot.
Solo Mahjong requires no prior knowledge of how to play Mahjong, but new players can learn some of the basic concepts of the popular game whilst they play. At the start of the game, you'll be presented with a ready hand (one tile away from a win), and have three chances to complete a winning hand by selecting a tile from a collection of 24 face-down tiles.
Intercasino Bags Top Award
Online casino operator Intercasino has just been voted Best Online Casino 2007 and Best Casino Software.
Readers of Online Gambling Magazine voted for their favourite operators of the year and Intercasino came out on top yet again.
'We will have to find an even bigger shelf to store all the honours recently awarded to us,' said Peter Marcus, spokesman for The InterCasino Group. “Our staff is extremely honoured and appreciative of such rewards. The main focus of Intercasino is its players. Intercasino is very dedicated to providing the best experience and value to all of its players.”
Intercasino uses award-winning CryptoLogic online casino software and as a result the site has been voted Best Online Casino Software in each of the past five years.
Interpoker, also using Cryptologic software was voted Best Online Poker Room 2007 and won a gong for Best Poker Tournaments.
Sportingbet Duo in Double Departure
Sportingbet directors Mark Blandford and Bob Holt have made a surprise move in quitting the highly profitable online gaming company, that reported a gross profit of £31.7 million in the three months preceding October 2006, and the introduction of the UIGEA. Both Blandford and Holt are rumoured to have left to pursue other business projects with Sean O'Connor, senior independent director, assuming the role of chairman of the audit committee, a position previously held by Holt.
'As the company continues to drive further efficiencies from its business we have agreed to reduce the size of the board,' said Chief Executive Andrew McIver in a rather vague company statement on the departures.
Sportingbet was one of a number of online gaming companies who suffered irretrievable losses after the introduction of the U.S. Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement act in late 2006. The company was then forced to sell its U.S. operations for the token sum of $1.
WTO Opposes US Online Gambling Ruling in the Caribbean
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has ruled against the US in a heated wrangle over online gambling with the Caribbean island of Antigua and Barbuda. The organisation is expected to find the US guilty of breaking international trade rules.
Though the ruling hasn’t been made public, Reuters has reported that the WTO has found the US guilty of not observing a 2005 order in the case.
Antigua and Barbuda had built up a lucrative online gambling industry to compensate for falling tourist revenue and took the US to the WTO over entry to the American gaming market.
The WTO’s dispute resolution panel found in Antigua's favour in 2003. It agreed that foreign bookmakers appeared to face prejudice in relation to the issue of horse race betting across state lines. It then largely rejected an appeal by the US in 2005. The WTO has now concluded that the US hasn’t made adequate attempts to stick to that decision.
The WTO has provided both sides with an initial report on its findings. Both parties can submit additional comments before a final report is published in March.
Ex-Ongame Execs Launch GNUF Online Casino
Several former Ongame executives are branching out on their own with the launch of new online gaming site GNUF.com, which will comprise of an online casino, bingo and poker room.Under the Microgaming platform, the site offers a range of impressive features such as contemporary graphics, an area for players to host their own blogs and a discussion forum.
Licensed in Malta, GNUF will form part of the already successful Microgaming Poker Network – giving players instant access to one of the most fiercely competitive tournament schedules on the Internet and the chance to pit themselves against poker players worldwide.
The site offers both English and Swedish language Bingo – currently one of the fastest growing games on the Internet, and as such is expected to have a huge Scandinavian following.
Roger Raatgever, CEO, Microgaming said, “This is yet another great partnership announcement for Microgaming and we are obviously delighted to be part of what promises to be one of the next big success stories to come out of this industry. The calibre of the Snowmen Solutions and GNUF management team is second to none.”
Online Betting Site Gets a Five-Star Rating
Advantage Sports Betting has been recognised as the leading online gambling destination for a successful flutter, after Sports Gambling Review awarded it its highest rating of five stars.
'It's a real honour to receive this recognition,' said Advantage Sports Betting Marketing Director Steven Smith. 'While we work hard on marketing our brand, we don't stop there. We go the extra mile to satisfy and hold our current customers. The recognition from Sports Gambling Review is a testament to our hard work.'
The high rating was judged on a combination of factors including the sites efficient customer service, wide selection of betting options as well as its fast payout policy, licensing and years in operation.
'We are very thorough in our review process,' said Ira Nanson, senior editor for Sports Gambling Review. Advantage Sports Betting earned every bit of their rating. They are a great example for other online sportsbooks to follow.'
Tila Tequila to Launch Online Casino
Tila Tequila, the Queen of MySpace and a Time magazine ‘Person of the Year’ for 2006, celebrated her latest business venture – an online casino and poker room - at a party in London last week.
The TilaCasino.com and TilaPoker.com invitation-only party was held at London’s prestigious Embassy Club on Thursday night. Tila partied the night away with friends and an entourage including the sexy Tila Playgirls.
Tila Tequila, dubbed ‘the hottest thing to hit the net since Google’, has gained popularity mainly through her MySpace persona. Her edgy, rebellious attitude has made her a major player on the social scene. Her MySpace page has garnered over 54 million page views and her single ‘F*** Ya Man’ has been played more than 13 million times. In 2006 she adorned the covers of magazines such as Maxim and Rolling Stone before featuring in Time magazine.
Banking on her new-found fame, Tila Tequila has partnered with three major industry players: Playtech, the gaming industry’s leading online gaming software provider; Emphasis Services Limited (ESL), a leading online gaming management, marketing and consultancy group; and Asian Video Stream, Inc. (AVSI), who will provide the Tila gaming websites with Live Games capability.
TilaCasino.com and TilaPoker.com will officially launch in early February.
US Rumoured to be Targeting More Gaming Bosses
The US Department of Justice enforcers are about to target another online gambling executive for arrest, it has been rumoured.Responding to a press enquiry, the Dept of Justice denied any such warrants existed.
High-profile arrests, such as the recent detention of Neteller founders John Lefebvre and Stephen Lawrence have sent shockwaves through the international online gambling business and caused damage to investor confidence.
In response to the reports, a Department of Justice spokesperson said: 'Nothing would be made public until an individual or company was charged.”
According to sources in Washington DC, the US authorities are on the verge of unsealing another set of indictments against a high-profile US-facing betting and gaming operator. However, there is currently no inclination as to who the operator or operators might be.
Online Casinos Banned In Israel
A precedent-setting ruling was delivered this week against online poker and online gambling in the Israeli court case involving Gibraltar-based online bookmaker Victor Chandler's CEO Michael Carlton, effectively banning online gambling companies from delivering any services to Israeli customers.
'A foreign company operating an online gambling site may not hide behind the fact that the company and its servers sit in another country, and it is breaking the law if does not block access to Israelis,' Judge Abraham Heiman said.
Gambling in Israel, like France and several other European countries, is a monopoly controlled by a state-run gaming board.
Israel had previously ignored the foothold Victor Chandler had established in Israel, and permitted them to operate in a legal grey area.
Last year the Victor Chandler company launched an aggressive marketing campaign in Israel, complete with advertisements on billboards and buses, and a Hebrew website. Victor Chandler had remarked that Israel had rapidly become its second-biggest market amongst the customers it serves from over 160 countries.
But Israeli authorities were becoming increasingly unhappy about the encroachment of online gaming operators into their state-run monopoly.
Judge Heiman's ruling this week has now made it clear that online gambling sites are not welcome to reach Israeli customers, either online or via physical advertising.
Wild Jack Online Casino Ups the Ante
Online casino Wild Jack Casino has announced the release of five new Blackjack games on the successful Multi-hand Gold Series line. The new multi-hand gold variations are: Big 5 Blackjack, Bonus Blackjack, Double Exposure Blackjack, Pontoon, and Spanish Blackjack. In addition, all players will receive triple loyalty points for playing on the casino’s new games.
With five variations of the popular single hand Blackjack game, all crafted with a mix of cutting-edge technology and gambling tradition, Wild Jack hopes that the multi-hand Blackjack variants will set a new benchmark in online gambling table games.
“We are known throughout the online gambling world as one of the top Blackjack casinos. Wild Jack and Blackjack are synonymous, and that goes for our mobile casino offering, too,” said David Brickman, Spokesperson for the Jackpot Factory, in a joint statement with Wild Jack Casino.
“Pontoon Blackjack, as well as the other new online blackjack games, comes complete with some remarkable innovations that add to the ambience of the game. Better player views, an animating chip selector, an enlarged chip tray, rollover rules and ambient background music all enhance the casino feel. Wild Jack Casino is committed to Microgaming, because they continue to produce the world’s finest online casino games,” Brickman added.
Online Casino Survey Decides Best Bond
In a survey conducted by VIPLoungeCasino.com and website The Real Bond (www.TheRealBond.com), Pierce Brosnan has come out tops in a poll of players’ favourite 007.
TheRealBond.com has parodied a conflict between the Bonds through a series of videos in which Pierce Brosnan sabotages Casino Royale star Daniel Craig at the Oscars, on a photo shoot, at the poker table, underwater, and in his Aston Martin.
VIPLoungeCasino.com, the online casino with the “double O” theme, commissioned the videos as a thank you to the players of their super-agent-themed online casino. The videos were an instant hit amongst the players at the site, and were soon published across the web on social network and entertainment sites including MySpace and YouTube, causing an internet-wide controversy.
While VIPLoungeCasino.com applauds Daniel Craig’s excellent performance in what some regard as the most action-packed Bond film yet, its players have asked casino manager Christopher di Angelo to keep their classic “Double O” theme at the online casino until Craig proves himself in the upcoming 2008 Bond film, currently referred to as Bond 22.
Daniel Craig had to learn Texas Hold ‘Em for his Bond outing and Brosnan is set to follow Craig down the poker-themed road as he begins production on ‘Deal’, playing a grizzled poker veteran in Vegas.