by Hillary LaClair, Senior Editor January 28, 2009
It seems that Canada may mirror the U.S. in banning online casino gambling. Rival Gaming has had to announce to all of its players and affiliates that it will exit the Canadian market as of February 1st. The loss of Rival Gaming is unfortunate for Canadian casino gamblers, who will no longer have to pleasure of betting at Davinci’s Gold Casino, Pantasio Online Casino, Superior Casino, Cocoa Casino, Paradise 8 Casino, Sloto Cash Casino, Mayan Fortune Casino or This is Vegas Casino.
Rival Gaming powered casinos have been a hot commodity in the internet gambling industry, offering unique features such as the i-Slots series. I-Slots are multi-reel, multi-line slots games that have been enhanced with a more interactive platform, complete with an “unfolding story.” The beginning of each i-Slot includes an animated video of the gamblers character, or avatar, and as they move ahead, so does the character. The slots games are complete with a multitude of unique features, including interactive mini-games.
They have received multiple rave reviews for their originality and the storylines involved in their slots games. Pre-existing accounts will have until the end of February to continue playing with Rival Gaming, before Canadian wagers and withdrawals will be declined. U.S. players, however, will still be welcomed at Rival Gaming online casinos.
A statement sent to affiliates from the online casino group reads, “Unforunately as from 1st February 2009 Rival powered casinos will no longer accept residents of Canada. The Image by Rival Powered Gaming
decision was made by our Software Provider “Rival Powered Gaming” due to pressure from their Canadian suppliers to cease accepting Canadian residents.”
The notice leaves affiliates with a modicum of good news, explaining that its Sloto Cash casino is now available in eight languages: Dutch, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, Japanese and Greek. Rival Gaming is downloadable to Windows or Mac with real time remote access to reports via Blackberry. Rival Gaming also provides website hosting, assistance with gaming licenses for operators and comprehensive training programs.
by Hillary LaClair, Senior Editor January 20, 2009
While thousands of online casinos in existence and many with hundreds of games, sometimes gamers still can’t find the perfect casino. That is why the Online-Casinos.com group, headed by Jan Balslev, has released a do-it-yourself program that uses a no-download flash based program to create customizable slots games. The easy-to-use service is at no cost to internet casino gamblers, and includes a how-to turtorial.
Online-Casinos has implemented graphics from various online casinos to create makeslots.com, where users may receive embedded codes to post on their home websites. “Makeslots.com allows normal websurfers including website owners to make their own custom slot machines,” Balslev commented. “They can then either play their unique creation on the MakeSlots site, or they can choose an option which provides the finished product in code form which they can export to their own website for use… all completely free of charge.”
Players name their slots games, choose color schemes and reel symbols and can incorporate custom images. Additionally, the online casino gambler will decide the “starting cash,” which ranges from $199 to $1,000 or 3,980 coins to 19,980. The player chooses the paylines, the coins to bet, the coin size and the number of spins. Audio files are included in the casino.
For webmasters, makeslots.com can be used to create a themed slot, whether it is gambling-related, political or a promotion of a product. “The permutations and subjects that players, affiliates or webmasters can use are limited only by their own imaginations. This was a project on which we had a ton of fun whilst developing the concept, and so can everyone who tries out the finished product,” said Balslev, “Whether you use celebrities, sports, gaming elements or personal graphics, you can produce a unique and highly customized instant-play slot that’s entertaining and practical in application.”
The do-it-yourself program may be of particular interest to online casino affiliate programs as a means of making a website look more professional, without the hassle of creating a program themselves. The concept was thought of when a number of U.S. online casino gamblers complained of the lack of websites that cater to the country, and the idea of being prosecuted for using them.
“…The closer is that users need absolutely no technical skills – we’ve done it all for you and everything you need, even a few suggesting to get you going, is right there in simple animated guide form on the MakeSlots website.”
Players may access makeslots.com to review a number of examples of customized slots that range from baby pictures, kittens, fish, spiders and fruit themes to scantily dressed women(nudity is forbidden, however). Players are restricted from uploading explicit, racist or copyrighted themes, and are asked not to remove a “little blurb of text” in the generated code that links to MakeSlots and its sister site, Online-Casinos.com
by Hillary LaClair, Senior Editor January 17, 2009
The online casino community showed a great deal of skepticism when Hop-On Inc announced its live interactive mobile gambling software late last year. Many have discredited this company after it released what it called a “disposable cell phone,” that later turned out to be Nokia phones with a different plastic casing around them.After a change in brand name and management however, Hop-On assures its customers that it is legitimate.
The company seems to have made good on its word, having provided critics with a live demonstration of its mobile casino at the 2009 International CES in Las Vegas. Attendees at the convention were able to see the platform in action, finding the booth under a banner which read “WebCasinos.com.”
“We will be showcasing our Interactive Gaming software,” said Peter Michaels, CEO. “The focus will be on the software, as we could not get Flash to work at its best on the Android platform yet, and Java does not provide the quality that I am looking for.”
The Andriod platform that the software uses is powered by Google – lending a credible name to Hop-On. Using Android applications, users may access mobile device functionality through standard API’s, and easily embed HTML and Javascript on the web. Applications can run in parallel with notifications for each and every program running.
“Once we complete the Android OS, we will be going after the Apple OS and Windows OS for cell phone. The Live Interaction, the Real-Time gaming and the ability to chat with other bettors online while getting your cards from a live dealer will be what our software is all about,” Michaels concluded.
The mobile casino will be offered in Europe online, in compliance with some geographic restrictions, and will be licensed and regulated.
by Hillary LaClair, Senior Editor January 16, 2009
Casino gambling software provider, Progressive Gaming International Corp., has found itself in a pickle after missing a foreclosure sale deadline that was scheduled on Thursday. Despite the fact that Progressive’s software can be found in offline, mobile and online casinos internationally, the company has failed to pay a $17 million debt to one of its lenders
According to a number of undisclosed sources, a “major slot machine manufacturer” attempted to purchase Progressive’s software patents and radio frequency identification systems. When asked Ed Rogich, a company spokesperson for International Game Technology (the company to which Progressive Gaming owes the debt), said he was unable to comment about the casino provider’s failure to pay.
A good portion of the management team at Progressive Gaming left the company as it went under. Attempts to get a comment from the management have been met with an automated recording which stated that the headquarters were closed. Executive Vice President, Bob Parente, declined to comment on Thursday.
IGT is not the first to bring litigation against Progressive Gaming, however, as Hasbro Inc. filed an affidavit on Wednesday. Progressive allegedly owes the toy company $1.7 million, after one of its slot machines featured a Hasbro product. The court ruled in favor of a $2.7 million settlement, and Progressive has not paid more than $1 since.
Additionally, Progressive was forced to pay $20 million to a gaming provider in 2007, in a federal antitrust lawsuit. The company has since been forced to place its assets up for the highest bidder, after reporting in September that it would not make its quota.
Online bingo players will be eager to learn the results of this year’s WhichBingo UK Awards. The 2008 ‘Site of the Year’ and ‘New Site of the Year’ have been announced, after a vigorous search through hundreds of bingo websites.
Online UK bingo rooms of all caliber were put through the test, allowing “minnows” the same opportunity to win as the leading websites in the industry. In the end, the results came down to a vote in December, where bingo players were given the chance to voice their opinion. A total of more than 240 UK websites were included in the voting process, as well as international bingo rooms.
As a result, WhichBingo UK has awarded Jackpotjoy the honor of ‘UK Online Bingo Site of the Year 2008. Bingo Playground received the ‘UK New Online Bingo Site of the Year 2008’ award, and Bingo Billy, the ‘International Online Bingo Site of the Year 2008.’
“WhichBingo Site of the Year 2008 – it’s a fantastic achievement – I’ve got a brilliant group of people working for Jackpotjoy and the best chat hosts in the business. We are delighted with this award,” said Noel Hayden, Jackpotjoy CEO.
The WhichBingo awards are the longest-running in the industry. 2008 marks the sixth year of this tradition, as well as the highest voter turnout. “2008 has been a remarkable year for online bingo. Our annual awards give players their opportunity to tell bingo sites who they think is delivering the best in entertainment, value and prizes,” said Phil Fraser of WhichBingo. “Congratulations go not only to our winners but to all the sites that came in the top 10 of each award.”
Casinomeister.com has added another rogue online casino to its list. Microgaming powered Grand Prive has been labeled untrustworthy because it has taken its leave from the U.S. market. All Microgaming casinos have exited the U.S. following the Kentucky domain seizures. The difference with Grand Prive is that is has abandoned its affiliate programs.
Online casino affiliates are website operators that are awarded a cut of the profits when referring customers to the casino. Usually, and as was the case with Grand Prive, the casino pays the affiliate for the entire duration of the player’s stay with the casino.
“Trust is a must in this industry – and in the midst of flaccid regulators and licensing jurisdictions, self regulation is the only recourse when trust has been discarded and kicked to the curb,” reads a notice on Casinomeister. “Here we have a Microgaming powered casino group announce their departure from the US market, and closing of all affiliate groups.”
Grand Prive will cease future payments to its previous U.S. affiliates, even while their referred players are active. The company will continue to profit from the customers that came from the affiliates, and the affiliates will be out of a paycheck. “Baaaad casino practice,” says CasinoMeister. “If they are willing to do this with their business partners, how do you think they plan on treating their players?”
During the first bout of the Kentucky domain seizure case, Microgaming’s website went offline. The gaming provider began to block all U.S. residents, without giving notice. It relied on its affiliates to explain to these users that they were no longer welcome. Now, Microgaming intends to leave hundreds, if not thousands, of its business partners in the cold.
The Grand Prive Group prompted its affiliates to visit the Villa Fortuna Affiliates group, which they say is “…up, running and ready to forge a new business relationship with you.” However, the group will not accept U.S. business.
Casinomeister has listed Belle Vegas Online, Casino Grand Bay, Kasino Grand Bay, Grand Bay Poker, Lake Palace Casino, Jupiter Club Casino, Road House Reels Casino, Fortune Junction Casino, Jackpot Wheel Casino, Villa Fortuna Casino and Villa Fortuna as rogue websites associated with Grand Prive.
While Casinomeister is an online casino affiliate, it has never been a business partner of Grand Prive. The statement concludes, “I have never been an affiliate of the Grand Prive Group, so this rogue listing is not out of spite. This listing is to inform the online casino community that this sort of underhanded behavior is unacceptable.
“Avoid these casinos at all costs.”
The group is dedicated to providing internet gamblers with a comprehensive list of trustworthy and also dishonest gambling sites. It also provides its members with free arbitration when a casino is suspected of foul play.
by Hillary LaClair, Senior Editor December 26, 2008
Oggs.com, a leading online casino review website with laudation from eCOGRA, has announced a shortlist of nominees for the website’s annual Global Online Casino Awards. OGGS founder is most renowned for his work with Casinomeister, an organization dedicated to ensuring online casino users a safe gaming environment through reviews, blacklists, free arbitration and a complaint section. OGGS.com is much the same, having reviws of over 100 online casinos, noting their strengths and weaknesses.
The Global Online Casino awards encompass several categories in the industry, including the best by region, the best new online casinos this year, the best new online slots and the best online casino groups. The Award Ceremony has been an ongoing event for five years.
The nominees for Best Online Casino 2008 (US Residents) this year are Allslots, Club USA, iNetBet, Intertops and Jackpot City. The nominees for Best Online Casino 2008 (UK Residents) are 32Red, Canbet, Ladbrokes, Paddy Power and Virgin.For EU Residents, the nominees are 32Red, Bet365, Ladbrokes, Intercasino and Roxy Palace.
Casinos up for Best New Online Casino 2008 include Players Palace, Red Flush and Rushmore. The Best New Slot 2008 will go to either Cashapilla, Elvis Multistrike, Hulk’s Ultimate Revenge, King Kong, MySlot, Tomb Raider – Secret of the Sword or Triple Fortune Dragon.
Finally, the nominees for Best Online Casino Group 2008 are Belle Rock Entertainment, Club World Casinos, Fortune Lounge, Jackpot Factory and Wagershare.
The 2008 Awards promise to make for a much more difficult decision this year, with the advancements in Internet technology. These advancements account for an increased bandwith in online casinos, which provides better graphics and audio. Additionally, because three of the online casinos nominated for the best to U.S. Residents are supported by Microgaming software (which recently exited the U.S. market), they are most unlikely to make the cut.
Such Awards are sure to serve their winners well, who will be able to proudly display such an achievement on their websites. Past winners include 32Red Online Casino, Intertops and Virgin Online Casino. The recipients are voted on by top industry moderators.
OGGS.com is dedicated to bringing internet gamers the best online casino experience. As such, OGGS offers over 100 websites to choose from and an online casino guide to help one make the best choice. According to the Guide, “The online casino landscape is changing rapidly and largely for the better as the industry starts to stabilise and learn from its past. However there are still casinos to watch out for and avoid.
Play safe and play with confidence. The key to enjoyable online gambling is to find both a reputable casino to join and one that supports your habits and requirements. Many casinos have similar games, but each will have a different way of operating with their respective plus and minus points; all of which will affect your overall playing experience.”
OGGS.com welcomes input from new and experienced players. OGGS receives much of its information in this way, about online casino updates, which topics the industry wants to discuss, and how the website can be improved. Suggestions are welcomed at feedback@oggs.com
by Hillary LaClair, Senior Editor December 19, 2009
Microgaming has launched a new online slots game in the spirit of the holidays, which will provide its users with a generous amount of cash prizes. Of the four December releases, Deck The Halls features Wilds, Stacked Wilds, Scatters, Multipliers, Free Spins and Free Games in its 5 reel, 30 pay-line format.
The slots game features a number of holiday festivities, with stunning graphics that depict Christmas trees, reindeer, a holiday feast, and a fireplace complete with a yuletide log and stockings hung. St. Nicolas appears several times throughout the game, delivering the Stacked Wilds and Free Spins. When the “Deck the Halls” icon appears, users are awarded up to 2.4 million coins. 10 Free Spins are triggered when a user gets 3, 4 or 5 Christmas bells, which can be used to gain more spins. Betting prices start at $0.01 and max out at $15.00.
Microgaming has launched a series of new slots this month, with Sunset Showdown among them. In the Wild Western slot, 5 reels, 25 pay-line, the users play as high rolling cowgirls. Moneybags, boots, saddles and six-shooters provide the traditional Western atmosphere. The Wild appears in the form of Annie Calamity who, combined with other winning slots, allows for thee Free Spins. Winnings are doubles when Annie appears or reels 1 and 5.
Wagers begin at 1p to 25p per line, and betting is cut off at GBP 62.50. Sunset Showdown has a payout percentage of 97 percent. Players have a chance to win up to GBP 61,130.
Microgaming offers Reel Baron, a 5 reel, 20 pay-line video slot game. While it does not have a progressive jackpot, it offers two fixe jackpots. The first is 2,000 coins and the second is 1,500 coins. Wagers range from $0.01 to $0.50, making this slot perfect for low rollers during the holiday season. Each line has a max bet of 10 coins, making the total maximum bet 200 coins.
There are 33 winning combinations, and the game includes a practice mode for players to get the hang of the game before they wager. Themed images include iron medals, zeppelins, bombs, military helmets, goggles, brass compasses, treasure chests and barnds. The fighter plane is depicted with jocularity, including comical sound effects of bombs dropping and the moving compass.
The slot includes Wild symbols, Scatter symbols, multipliers and Free Spins. When the Reel Baron image appears as the wild symbol, it can be combined with other winning slots to activate up to 10 free spins, with a multiplier of 10. The brass compass acts as the scatter symbol, to of which can trigger an extra 100x bet per spin.
Finally, Microgaming presents the most unique slots game, called MySlot, which allows its users to customize the game, creating an environment using personal photos and MP3 playlists. A spokesperson commented, “MySlot is simple to use and allows players to be imaginative and inventive with their design, offering them an endless variety of ways to play and infinite reasons to keep coming back for more and more fun.”
by Hillary LaClair, Senior Editor December 17, 2008
Microgaming continues to raise the bar for online casino operators, now offering a mobile online casino through Spin3, a leading mobile gambling provider. Spin3 will supply All Slots Casino and Wild Jack Mobile Casino with award-winning GameWire software, and their mobile customers with the ultimate gaming experience. This is a landmark for the industry, as it’s the first time iPod and iPhone users have been able to access an online casino.
iPod and iPhone users will have instant access to Blackjack, Roulette and a Tomb Raider themed slots game, supported by the highest rated mobile gambling software in the industry. The company boasts keen graphics as well as a multi-lingual interface. No downloads, installations or upgrades are required to play because the casino application is fully hosted via the web browser. The application is not limited to the iPhone or iPod, as GameWire supports 1,200 other devices. Unfortunately, due to recent U.S. litigation, the mobile casino will not be available to U.S. players.
David Brickman of All Slots Casino announced, “The launch of a mobile casino represents an important step forward for our business strategy and a powerful extension to our brand. On both sides of the channel our customers want to be able to play casino games on the go, as well as at their computers. With our new mobile casino from Spin3, we are meeting this demand in style.
“Spin3’s mobile casino system gives us a huge advantage over the competition. Not only does it offer the industry’s best games and graphics, it also enables us to support one of the industry’s most exciting, popular and feature-rich handsets, the Apple iPhone. This combination of top notch technology together with our nine years of successful experience in Casino marketing will bring out the best of both worlds, and will make this the perfect offering to the end user.”
“This move is yet more evidence that the much-celebrated mobile casino industry is going from strength to strength. All Slots Casino is rightly regarded as one of the web’s leading online slots casinos. With Spin3’s help, it has been able to bring that winning brand to a whole new platform and still deliver the highest standards of game play and entertainment that its customers expect.” Spin3’s Matti Zinder added. “The iPhone offers a mobile gaming experience like no other; and one that is on a par with an online casino. As the first company to offer mobile casino games on the iPhone, this is a real coup.”
All Slots is also an award-winning casino, which currently offers its users of 350 casino games, including 21 progressive jackpots, slots tournaments and multiple table games. All Slots prides itself on leading the industry in innovation and fair gaming, as it is accredited by eCOGRA.
Spin3 recently entered into a partner agreement with Microgaming, and is a sub-division of Spiral Solutions Ltd. It leads the industry in mobile gaming platforms, offering play-for-fun casinos, flash casinos and marketing services to its customers.
by Hillary LaClair, Senior Editor December 4, 2008
With the growing popularity of the mobile gambling market, or WAP betting, Hop-On Inc. has jumped on the bandwagon. According to a spokesperson, the California-based cell phone dealer is looking to secure its place in the market, and seeking a software provider to host an online casino.
“Because of the overwhelming popularity of gambling in mainstream markets, the opportunity for mobile gambling is enormous,” said the spokesperson. “Hop-on is expanding our business beyond cell phone manufacturing and is currently seeking software distributors in Europe, Asia, North and South Americas to partner with us as casino hosts.”
Hop-on has designed an online casino that WAP bettors can access using satellites, GSM/CDMA networks and Wifi. The company will provide its users with baccarat, poker, blackjack and roulette. Card games will be offered in real time, streaming live interactive feed of real dealers. The company expects to lead the casino industry in multiplayer online games, or MMO games.
Both GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) and CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) are commonly used technologies by mobile phone networks for transmitting information.
Hop-on president, Peter Michaels, claims, “With the assistance of social networks and broadband capabilities, interactive cell phone wagering will be huge. Mobile gaming is estimated to reach 12 billion in wagers by 2010. Our casino hosts will distribute prepaid game cards to players in many different jurisdictions.”
Things may not quite pan out as expected, however, as the company has not yet received a license to legally provide the online casino games. While negotiations are in progress to obtain a license from a G7 nation, nothing is written in stone.
The casino will be launched through Open Handset Alliance, through the use of an “Android Platform” phone. The phone with the software will be sold for less than $200. OPH hosts over 30 members, uncluding mobile handset makers, application developers, some mobile carriers, chip makers. The company is headed by Google (NasdaqGS).
Michaels concluded, “We will be bringing Mobile Gaming to Europe where gaming is legal, secure and regulated. New 3G wireless technologies and phones will play a big role in the growth of mobile gaming by making it more convenient and secure. These new networks and phones will allow real-time, exciting action and player to player betting [will] be possible.
“Hop-on is committed in bringing the latest technology to the market, the Android open platform makes Hop-on competitive in the high-end mobile phone market. This will create market value for our shareholders.”
Hop-on Inc. develops and markets wireless phones and accessories for domestic carriers. They are most well known for the development of the world’s first disposable cell phone.
The forecast for mobile gaming, as reported by High Beam research, shows that the market is expected to reach $16 billion, with the total wagers increased by more than 100%. While mobile betting, or WAP wagering has become very popular, the rollout of such services has been limit to a select few markets, such as the UK.
It seems that Canada may mirror the U.S. in banning online casino gambling. Rival Gaming has had to announce to all of its players and affiliates that it will exit the Canadian market as of February 1st. The loss of Rival Gaming is unfortunate for Canadian casino gamblers, who will no longer have to pleasure of betting at Davinci’s Gold Casino, Pantasio Online Casino, Superior Casino, Cocoa Casino, Paradise 8 Casino, Sloto Cash Casino, Mayan Fortune Casino or This is Vegas Casino.