by Hillary LaClair, Senior Editor December 2, 2008
Online casino operator 7Spins has announced the addition of four new games, including Electronic Roulette, Baccarat and video slots “Tea Garden and “Grand Tour”. The games are still in the development stages, and are scheduled for release in upcoming months. With high resolution graphics are the key selling points, 7Spins promises to deliver a real casino gaming experience.
“We are pleased to announce the production of these great new games and are sure gamblers will be delightful to play them as soon as they will be released. It’s a fascinating phase for us to deliver these unique games to all players. We’re bringing something new something, something that captures people imagination and I’m glad we’re breaking industry’s limits so often,” said Peter Huxley, Operation Manager for 7Spins.
With the addition of Electronic Roulette, players will enjoy a lifelike experience similar to that of a land casino. Players will begin the game choosing chips between $1 and $100, followed by the number combinations they wish to wager on. Baccarat will be offered in classic format with an “elegant table interface.”
The “Tea Garden” game will be a five-reel, 25-payline video slot with ancient and modern Japan as its theme. The ‘wild’ symbol will be represented by a Samurai, and the ‘scatter’ symbol by a dragon. A bonus game will be triggered when three or more dragons appear, which will qualify the player for up to ten free spins.
“Grand Tour” will be a five-reel, 15-payline video slot allowing the player to circumnavigate the globe, with a game for nearly every country. The game features national flags and coins.
“At 7Spins Casino, we pride ourselves in having some of the best customer service in the industry. But this is the moment I must say we top every video slot machine in the industry with our unique games and style,” Huxley continued.
7Spins offers a variety of casino games – 19 classic slots games, 21 progressive slots, 5 table games, 4 video poker games and Keno. Other video slots offered include Black Diamond 25-payline, Fantacy Nuts 25-payline, Glamour 9-payline, Lucky Number 20-payline, Morpheus Dream 15-payling, Ocean Fantasy 25-payline, Shia Safavids Treasure 20-payline, Slotsctuctor 25-payline and Treasures of Pharaohs 15-payline.
7Spins is self-owned and operated under the jurisdiction of Costa Rica. They offer a VIP Club with master gamer services, 100% match bonus of the first 5 deposits of $100 and a $7 free no-deposit bonus. Players from all countries are welcome.
Following the Kentucky domain seizure, Microgaming has made a major decision in pulling its online casinos from the U.S. market altogether. The decision to exit the U.S. has sent shockwaves through the industry, and some believe it is a political ploy by the company. While this is disheartening for many U.S. players, Real Time Gaming and Vegas Technologies expect to gain a great deal of customers.
Real Time Gaming powers such popular online casinos as Cherry Red and Rushmore Casino, while Vegas Technologies powers Online Vegas and Golden Casino among others. Because casinos that use Microgaming will no longer accept U.S. wagers, the American market will have to move somewhere.
The Kentucky ruling had only made the stipulation that the 141 internet gambling domains block Kentucky residents. Microgaming initially blocked the several U.S. states that have criminalized gambling, but have made the final decision in exiting the whole market.
“With this new administration coming into power in the U.S., the online gambling issue will be one that will be reviewed. The likely scenario is that current laws are changed to include legislation to regulate the online gambling industry. Microgaming might feel that by pacifying the U.S. today, they will position themselves for licensing in the future,” commented Bradley Strench, an internet gaming analyst from the United Kingdom.
Real Time Gaming and Vegas Technologies have not said one way or the other whether they will follow in exiting the U.S., but they stand to benefit a great deal from the loss of Microgaming.
“I think that other software companies can really take advantage of this situation. The customers are there, it is just a matter of how much these companies want to push the envelope in America,” Strench continued.
Another online gaming consultant, Brian Avelent commented, “With everything going on in America right now, any company who takes the stance of continuing to accept new U.S. customers could have it pay off in a big way. The government is in transition and the new regime will be focused on reform, not conviction.”
Microgamin has won several awards over the years, including Best Software Supplier by Casino Player Magazine in 2001, Best System Provider by Gaming Express Magazine and Gambling Online Magazine’s Players Choice Award in 2002, Gambling Online Magazine’s Top Casino Software Award in 2003 and Gambling Online Magazine’s Top Casino Software and Editors Pick Awards in 2006.
Up until its decision to leave, Microgaming was home to thousands of U.S. players. Online casino operators such as the Carmen Media Group, Fortune Lounge Group, Ladbrokes, 32Red, Fairground Gaming, Vegas Partner Lounge and Golden Star Lounge are among the many who use Microgaming software.
Robert Foote, the lead attorney representing Kentucky in the domain seizure case cited Microgaming on more than one occasion, and this could be the reason for its exit.
“He has it out for Microgaming,” said Joe Brennan Jr. of iMEGA. “Nobody seems to know why they keep bringing them up.”
The latest addition to the online casino gambling industry is Bringit.com, a website which enables its users to gamble on video games. What’s more, because video games are classified as games of skill, it is a completely legal betting affair.
Probably the most innovative internet gambling site, Brintit.com invites video game fanatics to put their money where their mouths are. The website has launched in a beta format, and allows its users to gamble on who will win in a video game match. Whoever wins the game, wins the money.
There is much success expected for this website, as multi-player online video games create one of the most competitive atmospheres in the industry. Instead of spending hours insulting opposing team members, now players can “pwn” the competition and win some money while they’re at it.
“BringIt is going to transform the video game landscape by allowing individuals to compete online for bragging rights and real money through skill-based gaming,” says Bringit CEO and founder Woody Levin. “Gamers have shown great interest and support for competitive gaming, so we are please to offer BringIt as a player-driven service that quickly connects gamers, allowing them to play legally for cash while getting a more intense competitive rush.”
The BringIt service is compatible with any gaming platform that allows players to sign onto the internet to play. Those using an Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, or the Wii with be able to access BringIt. During the Beta period, the website is featuring popular games like Madden NFL 2008, Madden NFL 2009, Gears of War 2, FIFA 2008, FIFA 2009, Halo 3, GuitarHero 3: Legends of Rock, Rock Band 2, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, Mari Kart, Call of Duty 4, NBA 2k9, NBA Live 09, NCAA Football 09, NHL 09,Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 and Euro2008.
The website reads, “BringIt provides four easy methods for setup, enter, or accept a challenge. Both players must agree to participate in the challenge and have the option to create a specific set of rules to govern the challenge. These rules must be stated in the comments section and clearly define the particular details. If a rule is not stated in this section prior to gameplay, it is not considered in any process of review.
“When the game is completed, both you are your opponent must report and verify the results. The first player to report will indicate the winner and it is up to the second player to verify or dispute the results of the game within one hour of the first player’s report. If the second player does not verify the report within one hour, the results are considered final.
“If a game is not played and goes unreported within 24 hours of its scheduled start time, it will be considered cancelled. The respective entry fees will be returned to their respective accounts, less the 10% service fee.”
Levin assures the online gambling community that there will be repercussions for gaming online.
RummyRoyal.com introduced an internet casino to the industry just one year ago, and already has seen a huge success. The company which held the biggest online Rummy tournament, with a guaranteed prize pool of $10,000 reports that they expect to be around for some time.
Rummy tournaments are rare to the internet casino industry, and this greatly contributes to the success and future longevity of the website. The game has a variety of versions, including Gin Rummy, Kalooki, Rummy500, Mahjong, Rummikub, Traditional Rummy, and so forth.
RummyRoyal.com was released in the second half of 2007, and has since gained an enormous consumer base and popularity among the gaming community. The company offers an advanced multi-player gaming platform for its players and is designed according to the poker standards. Like most poker rooms, the site features a number of Table tournaments, single and ring.
Shachar Schalka, RummyRoyal CEO commented, “It was not clear to all where Rummy would fit in with all of the poker, casino, backgammon and bridge sites, but today we can say with confidence that Rummy is the closest product to poker from all of the multi player games available in the market, with the perfect combination of skill and luck. The fact that it has only gained in popularity over the years and that the players are familiar with the games makes Rummy the next big market in the gaming world. After one year online it is apparent that the Rummy room will withstand the test of time.”
RummyRoyal offers many variations on the game, including Gin Rummy, Traditional Rummy, Oklahoma Gin, Kabooki 40 and Rummy 51. Two to four users may play a game at a time using two decks with jokers.
Over 250,000 players registered an account at RummyRoyal this year alone. According to reports, the highest concentration of players is from the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Romania, Spain and the Netherlands.
Gaming consultant Marco Felice Baranzelli has released the results of his latest study in the global gambling market, which show that internet casino gambling will produce a higher average annual growth than that of land casinos by the year 2012.
In 2007 internet gaming showed $328.5 in revenue as compared to the $309.6 billion in 2006. By 2008 online gambling represented a mere 4.8 percent of that total. However, the offline market is estimated to grow 2.2 percent per year until 2012, whereas internet gambling will show growth rates of 10.3 per year. The total revenue of internet gambling from now until 2012 is expected to reach $24.4 billion, 6.3 percent of the overall market (including online lotteries).
Baranzelli explained the online gaming has shown a significant growth rate over the last few years, and is anticipated to continue this pattern over the next five years. Because there are no geographical boundaries to an online casino that is constantly accessible to users, the market will continue to grow rapidly.
The study shows that the total online gaming revenue will increase 13.5 percent per year until 2012. More specifically, online poker will increase 16 percent per year, online casinos will increase 15 percent per year and online sports betting will increase 11 percent per year. Most internet gaming establishments are comprised of one of these three types of wagering, with sports betting as the largest segment, followed by online casinos and then online poker. This excludes skill games and internet lotteries.
In 2007, the online sports betting market saw revenue of an estimated $4.8 billion, a 19 percent growth rate per year since 2007. Outside of the U.S., still the largest sports betting community in the world despite its legal difficulties, the sports betting market was an estimated $3.4 billion in U.S.. This shows a 17 percent increase from the year 2006. Of the 11 percent increase in global online sports betting over the next five years, Europe will see a 23 percent increase.
The online casino market resulted in an estimated $3.2 billion in 2007, a 28 percent annual increase from the $.06 billion in the year 2000. While U.S. internet casino gambling has decreased 24.7 percent in 2007, Europe showed a strong 34.3 percent increase in 2007 from the year prior. Online casinos are expected to grow 15 percent per year from its current $1.9 billion in revenue to $3.8 billion in the year 2012.
Online poker made an estimated $3.0 billion in 2007, a substantial 107 percent increased from the values reported in 2004. According to Baranzelli, online poker has grown more than any other type of online gambling. Europe showed a 38.4 percent increase in the year 2007, and is predicted to increase 47.9 percent in 2008.
Baranzelli notes that the leading gambling websites have remained the same for several years, with only a few achieving a mass consumer base. Despite various anti-gaming legislations, leading websites have not changed. When the UIGEA was passed in 2006, the U.S. market made up nearly 50 percent of the global internet gaming market. By 2007, the U.S. market had diminished to 36 percent.
Although it has yet to be confirmed publicly by the Microgaming network, BelleRock online casino and poker group is the next of its gaming websites to close its doors to the U.S. market. A number of Microgaming licensees have left the U.S. following the Kentucky domain seizure case. With the software company’s website still unavailable to players, American internet casino users have had to rely on the affiliates to receive information regarding their welcome.
With the lack of communication between MGS operators and their users, affiliates have begun to relay messages to players when directly e-mailed by their programs. The latest from affiliates is that BelleRock is due to exit the U.S. market. An e-mail from the company explained, “In the short term players will be able to continue placing wagers, however the long term view is to become 100 percent independent of US purchases and play, with our focus being solely on the rest of the world, where we are already getting the majority of our business.”
Another affiliate posted on a message board an excerpt from a ReferBack affiliate program e-mail which read, “Please be advised that, with immediate effect Referback, representing Belle Rock Entertainment, is withdrawing from the USA and will no longer be representing any casinos or poker rooms in that market.”
Another e-mail read, “We regret any impact that this decision may have upon you, and would like to reassure you that the decision was not taken lightly. Recent experience has seen the USA becoming less and less profitable as market conditions have become ever tighter, to the point that continued activity in the USA has become decidedly unattractive to ReferBack. At the same time, ReferBack has seen very substantial growth in their marketing efforts beyond the USA.”
The absence of direct communication from either Microgaming or website operators has become a great source of frustration in the industry, showing a lack of responsibility or concern for its players. Any further information remains to be provided second-hand from Microgaming affiliates.
Belle Rock Entertainment’s online casino brands consist of JackpotCity.com Online Casino, River Belle Online Casino, The Gaming Club Online Casino, King Neptune’s Online Casino and Lucky Nugget Online Casino.
American players may confirm that these e-mails are legitimate by logging on to the aforementioned websites. When attempting to access to download and no-download casino links provided, U.S. citizens will be directed to a page that states, “download unavailable,”although there is no notice or explanation as to why.
Crown Bingo has released a slew of new promotions to the website, the latest of which is free bingo. Every Sunday the online casino will host a free bingo session from midday to midnight, offering guaranteed cash prizes. These games will be available to users in between paid games.
The free bingo sessions will be held in Crown Bingo’s Room 2 along with two jackpots, the Cash Cow Jackpot with 25,000 Euro and the Piggy Bank Jackpot with 1,000 Euro. Free bingo will be available to all new and preexisting players and launched Sunday the 16th of November.
Kirsty Bates, Crown Bingo Promotions Manager commented, “We’re looking forward to having free bingo as part of our seven day schedule of promotions. Not only is it a great addition to the site’s features but it also gives our members the chance to play and win for free.”
Room 2 hosts daily promotions for Crown Bingo including Penny Bingo Mondays, BOGOF every Saturday and Big Money Thursdays. From 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily, Room 2 plays UK 90 Ball Bingo.
There are 6 rooms at Crown Bingo in total, featuring UK 75 Ball Bingo, Pattern Bingo, Speed Bingo and Joker Jackpot, as well as two rooms of 90 Ball Bingo.
The release of free bingo curtails a successful month of promotions in October and the award of CM team of the month. With the latest series of promotions, all Crown Bingo players will have to opportunity to win additional prizes and jackpots each month.
Julie Palfreman, 40 from Worthing, reported a win of the monthly prize draw of 500 Euro in the TV and Entertainment package, and just a week later the 1,000 Euro Piggy Bank Jackpot. “Luck is certainly going my way!! £1,000 means I am going to have a great Xmas!” she wrote.
The prize draw for November offers members £500 in retail vouchers, giving one user the chance to “Win Christmas.” The December promotions are soon to be announced with the promise of a bigger prize pool.
CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com, or CAP, has released a bi-weekly Q&A marketing advice column for online casino affiliates which will be written by Bob Rains. Rains has a certain popularity in the marketing field and is most well known for his work as the Head of Acquisition with Befair.
Affiliates couldn’t ask for a better consultant, as Rains experience includes not only his time at Betfair, but also his service as Director of Online Marketing for Everest Poker as well as other internet marketing management jobs.
Internet casino affiliates will find Rains’ column in the Learning Center of the website, a section of the domain that provides a multitude of informative articles, educational marketing techniques, SEO and web design.
“I’m looking forward to helping provide SEO, online marketing and social media solutions to real affiliates facing real challenges in these changing economic and legal times, as well as sharing my stories from my own personal experience,” said Rains in a statement to CAP. “And I can’t think of a better venue to do so than the CAP Learning Center.”
“We’re thrilled to have Bob Rains on board for this exciting new feature,” said Lou Fabiano, President and founder of CAP. “Bob is deservedly one of the most popular figures in the online gaming industry – especially where that industry crosses over with the world of online affiliate marketing, which is CAP’s jurisdiction. We’re confident that the thousands of CAP members and casual readers who visit the site each day will be directly benefited by his expertise when it comes to online marketing and SEO matters.”
Playtech has released its third quarter and 9 month results, showing that the economic crisis has not had an impact on business. While the land casino market has declined considerably in the past months, Playtech has shown another successful quarter and significant growth.
The software provider announced that all reports will be shown in Euro, converting U.S. dollar figures at a rate of $1.5777 to the Euro. Third quarter revenue showed a 67 percent increase to 28.5 million Euro, compared to the 17 million Euro in the same time last year. Online casino revenues increased 69 percent to 20.6 million Euro and poker revenues 60 percent to 7.6 million Euro.
The total revenue for Playtech’s first 9 months were 80.1 million Euro, a substantial 78 percent increased from last year’s 44.9 million. Online casino revenues have increased 75 percent to 57.3 million Euro and poker 88 percent to 21.5 million Euro.
Trading in the start of the fourth quarter has also increased, already showing a 10.6 percent growth in October. There are several factors that can be attributed to Playtech’s recent growth, against all odds.
Playtech signed 4 new license agreements in the third quarter, providing online casino websites to Italy and Spain through Eurobet Italia, Sisal SpA and Cogetech SpA. In the end of September, Playtech’s iPoker network added Mansion to the list, bringing in a large consumer base.
A play money online poker room was introduced to Playtech’s Italian poker network, expected to offer real money system by the end of the year.
The company has made a number of strategic moves and offerings, including its Asian P2P games, a new version of Bingo offered to Europe, Flash Poker and themed casino games such as Gladiator and Untouchables. Playtech also noted in its “Strategic Highlights” section, supplying William Hill Online with online casino, poker and gaming software products in January, under a 5 year contract.
“This has been another strong quarter for the Group in what is traditionally the slowest period of the year,” said Mor Weizer, Playtech CEO. “The addition of new licensees combined with organic growth during the period has resulted in continued growth across all business divisions. Combined with the strong November start, the Board believes that Playtech is well positioned for further growth during the remainder of the year and into 2009.”
“Notable during the period was the groundbreaking sale of certain assets and business to William Hill as well as signing this major company as a new licensee,” Weizer continued. “Playtech is excited to be working with a company with the scale and breadth of William Hill in what we believe will be a very significant deal for Playtech. The transaction is the first in a number of other potentially significant earnings enhancing affiliate acquisition opportunities. The Group continues to pursue significant business opportunities across all the regulated markets and the Board is confident regarding the Group’s trading performances for the rest of 2008 and beyond.”
Despite the increasingly desperate global economic crisis, the online casino industry has been able to take it on the chin. One internet gambling provider, Cryptologic, has released its third quarter results as well as the details of their new growth strategy.
The third quarter results showed revenue of $14 million after a net loss of $5.9 million – $4.2 million of which is attributed to foreign exchange loss. The foreign exchange loss is due to the decreasing value of the U.S. dollar against the UK sterling and the Euro. As a result, the company has transferred a great deal of its finances and marketable securities into U.S. dollars to minimize the impact of further currency market volatility.
The company remains hopeful for 2009 with a slew of new customer wins and a strategic partnership with Boss Media made to facilitate operating expenses and increase profitability. Cryptologic expects to cut annual operating costs by at least $12 million.
The partnership is the means to which the company plans to achieve revenue growth and profitability, putting more emphasis on popular online casinos and their games. The agreement will help the company to build more on its list of major casino customers and leadership in the industry.
“In a challenging year for our company and our industry, we recognize that we must do better – and that is why CryptoLogic is aggressively implementing its strategy to achieve profitability and growth in 2009,” said President and CEO Brian Hadfield. “Cryptologic’s proven casino offering is attracting new customers more swiftly than ever before, and our branded games have earned the confidence of some of the world’s biggest gaming operators. And we have already begun reducing our operating costs – a trend that will continue as we implement our new poker partnership.”
All things considered, Cryptologic has had a better year than most, reporting business opportunities such as the licensing of its games to 888.com and PartyGaming, the success of which prompted 888.com to order 10 more games.
In August, Cryptologic announced a three year contract with the Gaming Media Group Limited, a television network dedicated to gaming. Cryptologic is scheduled to develop an online casino for the company, expected to be available later this year, in 5 different languages. Another three year contract was signed with Sky Betting and Gaming who will use a selection of non-downloadable games on their website.
Cryptologic has designed a new website for Betjacks which went online on Election Day. A mutli-year licensing contract was signed with GigaMedia Limited, offering casino software across the Everest Gaming platform.
The company has also released a number of popular themed games suchs as Sub-Mariner, and Marvel Super Hero as well as 4 Deck Mult Hand Video Blackjack, a patent-pending product.
At the end of the third quarter, Cryptologic released Bonus Pack 15, a seven game lineup including Merian C. Cooper’s King Kong, Casinomeister portal, European Blackjack and an upgraded European Roulette software.
Finally, Cryptologic signed an agreement with NextGen Gaming on Novemer 7th, agreeing to work together on the development and distribution of online casino games.
