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.

Friday, October 15, 2010

New 'Win a Fortune' Wheels Add American TV Game Show Fun to New Slot Machine

Bonus Round Doubles Winnings and Fortune WheelGives Extra Wilds with up to 5x Multipliers
WinADayCasino.com has launched a new online slot machine that brings the thrills of America’s favourite television game show to an exciting new one-of-a-kind slot machine. The new Win A Fortune has a nail-biting double-or-nothing Double Bonus Round and a Fortune Wheel that gives additional Wild symbols with up to 5x multipliers. As it does every time a new game is launched, the unique online casino is giving players extra bonuses to take the new game for a spin.

Everyone that logs on to WinADayCasino.com during Win A Fortune launch week (October 16 – 22) will automatically get $10 added to their account just to try the new game. Everyone that plays at least 10 rounds is automatically entered in a free draw for another $2500 in bonuses with one lucky Win A Fortune player winning $1000. The 20 players that wager the most on Win a Fortune next week will split another $2500 in prizes with the Best Better receiving $500. Contest and bonus details are available by clicking Promotions on the site.

Win A Fortune is a 5 reel 15 pay line slot machine that’s really three games in one: the classic slot machine game, the Double Bonus game and the Fortune Wheel. A Double symbol on the rightmost reel triggers the Double Bonus Game where players can double the last spin’s winnings, and continue doubling them until they reach the top level of the flashing jackpot ladder.

Inspired by the popular American television game show, the Fortune Wheel above the slot machine reels has two wheels. It is triggered when the Fortune Wheel symbol appears on the fifth reel of the slots game below. The outer wheel determines which symbol will be wild in the main game and the win from the last round on the slot machine is re-calculated using the new Wild symbol as soon as the Fortune Wheel stops turning. The Inner Wheel gives the multiplier up to 5x.

Whenever one or more Chest symbols appear anywhere on the pay lines, a Treasure Chest opens to reveal additional symbols that when combined with the reel symbols can create winning combinations.

5 diamonds on one pay line with at minimum $5 bet wins the WinADay progressive jackpot that’s currently over $125,000.

After adding the mystical Jackpot Jinni slot machine only last month, Win A Fortune now makes 19 one-of-a-kind slot machines, video poker, multi-hand keno and roulette games at the unique instant-play online casino.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Jackpot Pool Now Over $5 Million at US-Friendly Slotastic

US-friendly casino has four progressive jackpots each worth over a million dollars and offers the largest jackpots available to American players.

The US-friendly online casino, Slotastic.com, has four progressive jackpots currently over a million dollars and a total jackpot pool now over $5,000,000. Although million dollar payouts do not happen every day, Slotastic online slots players are regular big-money winners.

Slotastic.com is the home of the largest online progressive jackpots available to American players. The massive Jackpot Piñatas jackpot, now over $1,600,000, is the biggest. The Aztec’s Millions jackpot and the jackpot tied to both the Mid-Life Crisis and Shopping Spree slots are all over $1 million and could make some lucky slots player an instant millionaire on the next spin of the reels.

Current jackpots (selection)*:
Jackpot Piñatas -- More than $1,650,000
Aztec’s Millions -- More than $1,230,000
Midlife Crisis/Shopping Spree -- More than $1,000,000
Cleopatra’s Gold -- More than $300,000
Shopping Spree II -- Almost $200,000

Slotastic Online Casino not only provides mind-boggling, continually changing jackpots, but also more than $500,000 in fun games with smaller jackpots. For example, Crazy Vegas, with its $12,000 jackpot, can easily pay for a trip to Sin City and the 3 Stooges jackpot at over $20,000 is more than enough to upgrade a home entertainment center.

“While a million dollar jackpot would be nice,” said Slotastic casino manager Oliver Smith, “I’ve never heard a winner complain about winning ten grand!”

Some recent winners include Jarrod P. who won $7,000 on Coyote Cash, Kay F. who won $6,000 on Mermaid Queen and Thomas P. who won $4,200 on Video Poker – Bonus Poker.

After cashing his check Jarrod P. said “I love the games. They are really, really great. But nothing can beat the joy I had winning this jackpot!”

Jackpot Piñatas is the Progressive of the Month for October, so players can get a 100% deposit bonus (up to $100) to take their shot at that $1.6 million jackpot. The coupon code is POMPARTY. The Slot of the Week from October 11th to 17th is Funky Monkey and another 50% deposit bonus (up to $100) is available for playing this game using coupon code SOWMONKEY.

Slotastic.com is a full-featured US-friendly online casino with games and promotions designed especially for online slots enthusiasts.

*Jackpot values as of today, subject to change. Live jackpots tickers with current values are available at http://www.slotastic.com/en/games/jackpots.aspx