Friday, January 28, 2011

Electric Word’s iGaming Business Concludes Deal to Acquire Affiliate Media’s Interest in iGB Affiliate

28th January 2011, London, UK -- iGaming Business the leading magazine, event and research provider for the online gambling industry, has announced via its parent company Electric Word plc that it has now concluded the deal to acquire Affiliate Media’s interest in its iGB Affiliate events and publishing business.

Affiliate Media is a leader in online publishing focused on the affiliate marketing niche and the parent company of CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com & PokerAffiliatePrograms.com. In 2006 Affiliate Media and iGamingBusiness began a joint venture to publish CAP magazine and, in 2007, the CAP Euro London Affiliate Conference. In 2009 iGaming Business took over full responsibility for the business and the magazine and events were relaunched under the iGB Affiliate brand.

In an effort to consolidate and simplify the business, iGaming Business' parent company, Electric Word plc, will take over Affiliate Media's remaining interests and responsibilities in the business in exchange for an all-cash consideration. Affiliate Media will continue to operate its other businesses independently.

Julian Turner, CEO of Electric Word plc, commented “Our partnership with Affiliate Media has been very successful for both partners and, we believe, our customers. We have been running the operational side of iGB Affiliate magazine and events entirely within Electric Word since 2009 and this completion of Affiliate Media’s exit will further simplify the business. Since 2009 in particular, Affiliate Media have been a supportive and reliable partner, but both parties have agreed that it is now appropriate that the business should become fully independent. In the meantime we are delighted to be discussing ways of working with Affiliate Media on other projects in the future.”

Warren Jolly, CEO of Affiliate Media commented “It gives us great satisfaction to have co-founded this business with Electric Word and watch it turn into the leading conference series and magazine publication for iGaming affiliates. The sale of our interest allows us to focus on and expand our online publishing business while continuing to explore synergies between Electric Word and ourselves. We’ve built a strong foundation together for many exciting opportunities that lie ahead in the future.”

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

WinADay Player Hits $174,139 Jackpot Thanks to Wife That Loves to Shop

Massive Slots Jackpot Won on Shopping-themed 'Reel De Luxe'

One lucky WinADayCasino.com player is glad he let his wife choose which of the online slots site’s one-of-a-kind games to play last week since he hit a $174,139 progressive jackpot playing her favourite, the shopping-themed Reel De Luxe slot machine.

John R., who’s been playing at WinADay for a couple of years now, said he and his wife often play WinADay’s whimsical slots and video poker games together. Although his own favourite games are the new Egyptian-themed Pyramid Plunder and Lucky Leprechaun (the little green elf that dances across the screen always makes him smile), he let his wife pick the game when the couple sat down to play together earlier this month.

“My wife loves to shop so naturally her favourite game at WinADay is the Reel De Luxe,” he told WinADay. “Usually her shopping costs me money but after this win she can shop as long as she likes!”

The Reel De Luxe is an easy-to-play 5 reel, 25 pay line online slot machine with luxurious jewellery, hand bags, perfume and designer shoes spinning on its reels. It has wild symbols, 2 special bonus features and a bonus game. Its “Present Bonus” feature awards up to 500x the bet and there’s also a special Cash Bonus Game with prizes up to $1500. For shoppers that look for the best deals around there’s a “Discount Bonus” - a discount from total bets on 3 spins up to 100%.

“We are planning to spoil ourselves with a vacation but haven't decided where to go yet,” said the winner, still in shock after his win. “We will most likely donate something to a good cause and the rest we will invest in our future.”

All of the slots games at WinADayCasino.com are tied to the same progressive jackpot. Launched just over a year ago, the Reel De Luxe is one of the newer games at WinADay but this is already its second major jackpot win. Last March a retired widower hit the online casino’s biggest jackpot ever when he won $224,420 playing the popular game.

“Around Christmas time we started to get a feeling that the jackpot would be won any day,” said WinADayCAsino.com manager Michael Hilary. “I said at the time that I thought it would be cool if it was won on the Reel De Luxe since everyone was thinking about shopping at the time and lo and behold it was!”

After adding eleven new games last year, WinADay.com now has a total of 21 very unique games: 13 slot machines and 5 video poker games as well as a keno game and two kinds of roulette. The site, operated by Slotland, is known for its exceptional customer service, whimsical games and loose progressive jackpot.

APT London ICE Poker Championship in London Tonight

£4,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool and £1,000 to Winner’s Choice of Charity

The Asian Poker Tour (APT) has organized a £200 Turbo Tournament with a £4,000 guaranteed prize pool to be held tonight at the Fox Poker Club in London’s West End. Registrations will be capped at 40 entrants – more than 20 have already confirmed.

APT London Ice Poker Championship
Tuesday, 25th January, 2011
Fox Poker Club (www.foxpokerclub.com)
93-107 Shaftesbury Avenue, London
10pm-2am

This is a short format tournament starting at 10pm with the blind structure set for tournament completion at 2am.

In addition to the prize pool, the APT will also donate £1,000 to the tournament winner’s UK registered charity of choice.

Players can register online at http://www.foxpokerclub.com/membership/join-now/ or reserve their seat at the table by contacting Chris at the Fox Poker Club, cn@foxpokerclub.com

Jadestone Releases Casino Matrix Multi-tasking Games Grid at ICE

jadestone-1601.jpgJadestone Networks today announces the release of its revolutionary new online gaming system, the Casino Matrix. The unveiling takes place at the annual ICE gaming industry show in London. Inspired by the multi-tasking behavior emerging in today’s increasingly Internet-savvy consumers – where watching TV whilst socializing on Facebook and playing a couple of rounds of Poker whilst clearing out the last emails of the day is increasingly becoming the norm – the Casino Matrix unveils new dimensions to the online casino playing experience. The Casino Matrix is a web application that utilizes a grid of up to four windows, allowing the player to load and play up to 4 Casino games simultaneously through an intuitive user-interface.

Developed in cooperation with iGaming technology provider Play’n GO, the Casino Matrix comes fully loaded with 30+ Casino games that are blended together through the Casino Matrix interface. Furthermore, the Casino Matrix offers operators the tools to add their Livebook, Sportsbook or just about any application into the mix. Even external content such as Youtube or Facebook work well within the Casino Matrix interface. Exit the monolithic old-school online casino - enter a world where players can place a LiveBet, watch a live feed of the game and play two video slots all at the same time.

"The Casino Matrix could be called the ultimate cross-marketing tool" says, Tom Wood, Product Director at Jadestone. He goes on to add "By giving access to several games at once, operators give players the luxury to choose their combination of games or external content all from within the walls of the operators site. This means players won't have to navigate multiple lobbies or leave the comfort of the gaming site to see their favorite Youtube video or read the latest from their Facebook friends."

For the past year offline Casinos have been offering multiple window gaming machines with the aim of enhancing player immersion and fun. With the Casino Matrix, Jadestone takes this trend online and delivers a Casino experience that creates a completely new online segment.

If you’re at the ICE show, swing by booth 5105 and experience the thrill of the Casino Matrix!

Monday, January 24, 2011

GTECH G2 Previews Major Casino Software Update at ICE Featuring New Plants vs. Zombies Slots Game

New branded content from PopCap Games licensing deal

This week at ICE in London, GTECH G2 will preview a comprehensive update to its market-leading casino software featuring its new slots-based adaptation of PopCap Games' blockbuster game Plants vs. Zombies™. Sightings of plant-eating zombies are anticipated at Earls Court and at the company’s VIP gala at Fire & ICE.

Plants vs. Zombies Slots is GTECH G2’s first new game to result from a recently signed licensing deal for various PopCap games. In the new slot game developed by GTECH G2, familiar plant characters like ‘Peashooter’ and ‘Chomper’ turn symbols on the five-reel three pay line slot game into Wilds with an exciting Bowling-for-Zombies Bonus Round for enhanced player interaction and entertainment.

“Based on our experience with other premier branded games, such as Sherlock Holmes and Chippendales slot games our licensees can expect very quick pick-up on this well known title,” said Dominic Mansour, GTECH G2 VP Gaming Products. “Recognizable titles attract new players and keep existing players coming back for more. GTECH G2 has a number of additional games in development which will be launched over the coming year using other recognized brands from PopCap. In addition, our licensees continue to do well with original games we’ve developed, like Fortunes of Egypt and Mystic Island.”

The new casino release will be rolled out early spring and will include Treasures of the Pyramids, which is a proven land-based slot machine from Atronic. It is a top performing game in Las Vegas and in casinos around the world. This game is leading the way in linking the physical gaming environment to the internet world. Like last year’s success with player designed French Roulette, the new Blackjack PRO is the result of extensive input and feedback from a group of high value blackjack players. It is a new richer version of Blackjack with improved play and autoplay using the players own game strategy. Extensive game statistics and advice on the best game strategy is also available to the player.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Paf to Launch New Casino Games from Jadestone Networks

Jadestone Networks today announced that it has signed a new 2-year casino contract with Paf. The agreement expands upon Paf’s existing relationship with Jadestone to add the company’s brand new casino offering created in cooperation with Swedish iGaming solution provider Play’n GO.

Paf is one of the largest online gambling operators in the Scandinavian market and the contract will allow Paf to offer its player base the complete product portfolio including mini games and casino games. Jadestone and Paf will work closely together and rollout the content offering step-by-step during the first half of 2011.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Intertops Sportsbook Celebrates 15th Anniversary of First Ever Online Sports Bet

The world’s first online sports book still one of the most trusted and reliable

Today is the fifteenth anniversary of the day Intertops Sportsbook took the world’s very first online bet. On January 17, 1996 employees at the company’s original Salzburg, Austria office cheered when a Finn named Jukka Honkavaara placed a $50 stake on the outcome of a Tottenham Hotspur and Hereford United football match. Honkavaara collected $52 on that bet, made a $2 profit, and earned his place in igaming history.

Since then, many brands have come and gone but Intertops remains as one of the most trusted igaming operators in the world. The internet’s very first sports book continues to welcome players from around the world and is known for quick, hassle-free deposits and withdrawals and excellence in customer service.

When he participated in Intertops’ celebration of the tenth anniversary of his history-making wager, Honkavaara said “The days of sports betting and bookies having a ‘shady’ reputation are long gone, and the kind of online service that Intertops brought in the sports betting arena brought credibility to the business so that a simple family man like myself can use the service online, from the comfort of my home, without any unnecessary risk.”

As it has been since it first launched, Intertops is published in both English and German. The original Intertops web site was launched in German, to serve the many sports bettors it had been serving by mail and phone since 1983, and in English -- the primary language of the Internet and the language most spoken in America where there was and is a huge appetite for sports betting and no high street betting shops to take them.

Intertops was founded in 1983 in London with a UK Bookmakers License and relocated to Austria in 1992. In 1997, the online business moved to Antigua while the traditional sports betting business remained in Austria. 1998 saw the launch of one of the first Microgaming online casinos. Last year the company began licensing casino games from RTG. In 2001, the Intertops developed the first mobile betting application, enabling customers to bet with mobile phones anywhere, anytime. By 2003 Intertops.com began online poker operations, progressing to online skill-based gaming in under a year.

Friday, January 14, 2011

New Jersey Internet Gambling Legislation: Regulation Pending Governor’s Signature

iGaming bill expected to be signed into law within 45 days after historic vote by NJ Legislature

The iMEGA-backed Intra-State Internet Gambling bill has finally found its way to the desk of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who has up to 45 days to sign it into law.

Governor Christie’s signature would allow New Jersey’s casinos to take bets online and officially become the first state in the US to regulate Internet gambling. Atlantic City casinos would be able to provide online versions of their games to New Jersey’s 8.7 million state residents.

Bearing the co-sponsorship of Senators Ray Lesniak (D) and Joe Kryillos (R), bill S3167 was approved in the New Jersey Senate a majority of 34-2 – the vote in the Assembly was approved by 63-11-3 margin.

iMEGA, the trade industry that represents online gambling released this statement through Chairman, Joe Brennan Jr.

“Congratulations to New Jersey’s legislators on their overwhelming vote in favor of the Intra-State Internet Gambling bill. It’s clear that New Jersey’s representatives want their state to be at the forefront of the online gaming industry, and allow New Jersey’s casinos to thrive in the 21st Century”.

“With the combination of the top regulators in gaming, great information technology infrastructure, a highly-educated workforce, and the strong foundation and leadership of the Atlantic City casino industry, New Jersey is certain to lead this industry’s growth in the US, while creating high-paying, skilled jobs in the technology sector and also attracting investment to the state.”

Writing in his article, “New Jersey: the Land of (iGaming) Opportunity?”, in iGaming Business magazine, Brennan lays out the reasons why New Jersey would be “the best state in the entire US for establishing a permanent base of operations for existing firms to eventually extend their reach into the next states to permit online games.

“New Jersey, which is the second largest casino market in the US after Nevada, has arguably the toughest regulators in the gaming industry,” he explained. “The value of NJ licensure to an iGaming firm is the regulatory surety it demonstrates not only to players, but also to subsequent state governments that may permit the activity, as well as to the financial markets, which would likely place a higher valuation on NJ-licensed firms.

“New Jersey also has the highest IT infrastructure density of any jurisdiction in the world. This is due to the massive post-9/11 build up of capacity to support the financial centre on Wall Street, creating surpluses of bandwidth, storage and servicing firms.”

New Jersey has trumped California in the race to regulate internet gaming in the United States, experts believe that New Jersey will set a roadmap for a number of other States looking at iGaming legislation to follow.

The Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (iMEGA) is an association dedicated to the continued growth and innovation of the Internet. It was founded to foster cooperation between the online gaming industry and government at all levels, and to promote innovation, openness and freedom on the Internet.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Sportingbet Launches ParadiseBingo.com on GTECH G2 Bingo Platform

Spanish bingo site features Live Presenters and embedded side games like Chippendales: The Reel Deal

One of the world’s largest and most respected online gambling operators has chosen GTECH G2 to provide the software and network for its new bingo site. Sportingbet has just launched ParadiseBingo.com in the Spanish market offering GTECH G2 bingo and side games. ParadiseBingo.com joins G2’s International Bingo Network (IBN) whose 80 sites in Spain, the UK and across Europe make it one of the world’s largest bingo networks. Sportingbet also licenses its sports betting and poker software from GTECH G2.

The GTECH G2 Bingo client features community building features such as multi lingual chat rooms and live presenters that promote the development of a thriving social community and add stickiness. Live presenters, online from 9:30 – 12:30 (CET) every night, have been particularly well received by players. The Bingo Live! Room on the ParadiseBingo.com site is hosted by live Spanish-speaking presenters that chat and engage with players and promote upcoming big games and new features on the site.

G2 Bingo provides all popular Bingo formats to suit every market and has a multi currency feature, pooled jackpots and linked games for maximized liquidity.

Mini games provide an increasingly important revenue stream for bingo operators. Chippendales: The Reel Deal, featuring the world famous Chippendales dancers, is one of the most popular side games embedded in G2’s bingo platform.

“Like poker, a bingo site needs liquidity in order to offer major jackpots and prizes,” said Sportingbet CFO Jim Wilkinson. “The quality of the games and player management capabilities are important factors and teaming up with GTECH G2 allows access to instant liquidity through their large poker and bingo networks.”

Sportingbet also licenses GTECH G2 software for its core business, sports betting. Their sports book operates on GTECH G2’s MarginMaker platform. GTECH G2 also provides poker software and poker network for European players at Sportingbet’s flagship poker site, ParadisePoker.com.

GTECH G2 is the only interactive gaming software and services provider that can supply a complete end-to-end solution including lottery, poker, sports betting, bingo, casino, skill games, instant games and back office systems to commercial and state-run operators.

Founded in 1998, Sportingbet was one of the first and remains one of the largest online gaming companies in the world. Recently moved from AIM to the Official List of the London Stock Exchange, Sportingbet is a global brand, spanning over 25 domains across Europe, Australia, Canada, South Africa and South America. Sportingbet offers a wide range of sports betting opportunities, alongside its poker, casino and games products.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Intertops Casino Throws $85K NFL Super Bowl Tailgate Party

Football festivities include bonuses up to $500 and free Ultimate Football game

Super Bowl, the ultimate American football celebration, is just around the corner and Intertops Casino is adding to the excitement by giving away $85,000 in bonuses. In a special draw 12 players will be awarded $200 - $500 bonuses. Every week until then, 200 players will receive bonuses up to $250. To further feed the football frenzy Intertops Casino presents the classic computer game, Ultimate Football, which its players can play for free this month.

“Tailgate parties are a great American football tradition,” said the manager at Intertops Casino that’s behind all the big cash giveaways. “Just like giving away piles of money is a tradition at Intertops Casino!”

Every Monday 150 selected players will be awarded a free bonus ranging from $20-$250. Every Thursday another 50 players will get a $20-$150 bonus in their account. Bonuses are based on game-play performance; points are awarded for bets, profits and losses. Players can check their standings on the $85,000 Touchdown Scoreboard. (General Intertops Casino Terms & Conditions for bonuses apply and are posted on the site.)

Football fans will enjoy playing Ultimate Football between casino games. Ultimate Football is a classic computer game where players throw as many footballs to their teammates as they can before the clock runs out and for a limited time it’s available free at Intertops Casino.

Intertops Casino players that follow American major league sports can use their Intertops account to place bets on NFL, NBA and NHL games. One Intertops Sportsbook player will win a trip to Super Bowl XLV in Texas.

One of the world’s oldest and most trusted US-friendly online casino, Intertops Casino has more than 300 instant-play and download casino games to choose from including 3 and 5 reel slots, multi-hand video poker, and traditional casino favorites like Blackjack and Roulette. In daily slots tournaments Intertops Casino players can play against other players on some of the site’s most popular slot machines. Intertops welcomes players from around the world and is known for quick, hassle-free deposits and withdrawals and excellence in customer service.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

New Jersey Legislature Passes iMEGA-backed Internet Gambling Bill

The New Jersey legislature has passed the Intranet-State Internet Gambling bill, which will permit casinos in Atlantic City to offer online versions of their games to residents within the borders of the state.

The bill, S490, which was co-sponsored by Sen. Ray Lesniak (D) and Sen. Joe Kryillos (R), was approved in the NJ Senate by a 34-2 vote. The Assembly version of the bill was approved by a 63-11-3 vote.

The bill now heads to the desk of Governor Chris Christie (R) for his signature, which would enable New Jersey to become the first state to regulate Internet gambling.

iMEGA chairman Joe Brennan Jr. released a brief statement in the wake of the successful vote:

“Congratulations to New Jersey’s legislators on their overwhelming vote in favor of the Intra-State Internet Gambling bill. It’s clear that New Jersey’s representatives want their state to be at the forefront of the online gaming industry, both in the US and globally.

“With the combination of the top regulators in gaming, great information technology infrastructure, a highly-educated workforce, and the strong foundation and leadership of the Atlantic City casino industry, New Jersey is certain to lead this industry’s growth in the US, while creating high-paying, skilled jobs in the technology sector and also attracting investment to the state.”

Monday, January 10, 2011

Slots Newbie Wins $104,514 Progressive Jackpot at Slotland.com

Win will pay off the mortgage – after a little shopping spree at the mall

The new year is off to a great start for one lucky slots player at Slotland.com. Known as TWOTONEJOAN on the much-loved slots and video poker site, the novice player won $104,514 playing the Booster slot machine last week.

“I still feel like such a newbie at this,” said the winner. “I can’t believe I actually won so much! Slotland was one of the first casinos I tried and I just liked it from the start. Their games are way different than what you see at other places. Before I got so lucky on Booster I would have said that Treasure Box or maybe Reel Riot was my favorite but now I’m definitely a Booster fan!”

The lucky jackpot winner said she’d put most of her winnings toward her mortgage – after a little shopping spree for some new outfits! She said she also planned to set some of her windfall aside to keep playing slots with.

Slotland’s jackpot is won, on average, every six weeks or so, usually for $100,000 to $150,000. However, although it’s been paying out every day for many years, Booster hasn’t had a major progressive jackpot winner for quite some time. At over $168K that one was one of the biggest of the year though.

The Booster slot game is a three-wheel, single pay line online slot machine. Its BOOST symbol is wild. Whenever it appears players can either keep their current bet or "boost" it up to10x.

“Although many players like to play multi-pay line slot machines, like our new Lucky Ducts where you can bet on up to 19 pay lines per spin, lots of people like simpler single pay line games like Booster,” said Michael Hilary of Slotland.com. “Another thing players really like about Booster is that no bet is ever totally lost!”

Every bet that doesn’t win is added to the special fund and can be cashed anytime for 10% of its value – or in a special all or nothing win/lose spin, players can recover all their losing bets.

There were lots of major jackpot wins at Slotland in 2010. The first was a player who’d had many smaller wins, but never a massive jackpot like the $134,385 he won in February playing the Genie-themed Magic. Then in May the biggest jackpot of the year -- $163,476 – was won on the Golden 8. SOUTHBELLE won almost $150K on Lucky Stars in August and a Canadian won $107,064 on Wild Heart shortly after. A budget-conscious grandmother won almost $80K playing Jacks or Better video poker slot in November.

A popular online casino for more than twelve years, Slotland.com now has 19 one-of-a-kind slot machines and video poker games. A new game, vampire-themed Jewels of the Ancients, will be launched next month. Many of the instant-play games have recently been upgraded with enhanced graphics and sound effects. Six of the most popular games are also available on mobile phones and PDAs.

The jackpot at Slotland was reset to $50,000 after this win and is already over $60,000. Meanwhile at Slotland’s sister casino, WinADayCasino.com, the jackpot is over $160,000 and many players feel it is overdue for a hit.