Archive for July, 2010

The Canadian provincial government for British Columbia will announce a significant expansion of its online offering this week, regulating and legalising online casino games in a first for North America, the Vancouver Sun reports.

The newspaper says that Minister of Housing and Social Development Rich Coleman, who oversees the B.C. Lottery Corp., is expected this morning to announce 75 new online games for the corporation’s website, PlayNow.com.

The games will be broken into separate categories, including bingo, lottery, sports betting and casino games. The casino-style games are expected to include blackjack, roulette and poker, among others.

The B.C. Lottery Corp.’s website was taken down Wednesday, and a message on the site said both BCLC.com and PlayNow.com would relaunch as of noon North West Canadian time Thursday.

The online expansion follows a move by the B.C. Lottery Corp. last August to dramatically increase the weekly limit for players on PlayNow, bringing the cap to $9,999 a week, up from the previous limit of $120 a week.

At the time of that increase, the corporation raised the possibility of casino-style games going online, adding they may be designed so players could access them not only from computers, but also from portable devices, such as an iPhone, BlackBerry or iPad.

The corporation has previously said only registered members whose ages and addresses have been verified will be able to open an online account.

One of the benefits of expanding online gambling cited by government is to provide a provincially regulated alternative to private websites.

The new PlayNow website is expected to include visible links to support programs for people who may be seeking help with a gambling addiction or related problem. There will also be safeguards in place to ensure proper online security and reminders about responsible gambling.

According to the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch, gambling in B.C. generated revenues of about Cdn$2.52 billion dollars in 2009-10. After expenses, including prize payouts and other costs, government revenues from gambling for that year were about Cdn$1.07 billion.

The announcement also comes on the heels of news that the B.C. Lottery Corp. is working with other Canadian provinces to create what could become a nationwide online gambling network.

In May this year, a gambling consultant working with Atlantic Lottery said that organisation and Loto-Quebec would be launching a common online platform this fall, and that he expected other provinces to follow suit within about 18 months.

Loto Québec has since confirmed it is partnering with GTechG2 and Openbet in opening up online gambling operations later this year.

The Gibraltar-based online betting and gaming firm 32Red has reported record revenues with total gross win of £7.8 million in the half-year to end-June (H1,2009: £5.8 million).

The performance was underpinned by good results at the company’s flagship operation, the 32Red Casino, which has continued to flourish in the first half of 2010.

Trading stepped up once again during H1,2010 with casino operations experiencing strong levels of performance across all disciplines:

• Gross win £6.8 million ( H1,2009: £5.2 million)
• Active casino customers 19,497 up 35% on H1,2009
• Casino player yield £353 (H1,2009: £360)
• New Casino players 12,289, up 26% on H1,2009
• Casino cost per acquisition: £86 (H1,2009: £89)

Poker revenue followed a general industry trend and was down 14% at £400,000 and Bingo revenue declined 3% to £100,000.

Management reported that the encouraging performance both in terms of player numbers and revenues reflects the effectiveness of marketing activities and supports the company’s belief in the strength of the 32Red brand, reputation and operational expertise.

32Red continues to take steps to protect its Intellectual Property Rights and litigation with William Hill remains ongoing with a trial date set for October 2010.

On 15th February 2010, the Company announced the acquisition of the assets of two European-focused online casinos, Nedplay and Golden Lounge, both purchased for nominal consideration. Both casinos have been fully integrated and have generated £500,000 in revenues from the period since acquisition up to 30th June 2010. Players of both Nedplay and Golden Lounge have responded well to direct marketing and the company is assessing the marketability of both brands going forward.

The group chief executive, Ed Ware, commented: “Our strong first half performance is particularly pleasing given the challenging economic conditions in the United Kingdom, which remains our core marketplace.

“We believe that the 32Red brand and its core values continue to provide us with the tools to penetrate the online and mobile casino market successfully.

“Another period of strong recruitment at reduced cost per acquisition rates since the end of 2008 gives us optimism for the prospects of the business going forwards.

“The group has further strengthened its balance sheet and, having repaid all outstanding bank debt, will increase marketing spend during the second half of the year. While the focus remains in the UK, the Board continues to monitor regulatory developments in Europe and the rest of the world with a view to expanding into new markets should attractive opportunities arise.’

Microgaming is one of the biggest online casino software providers and the driving force behind countless online casinos listed her at CT10.net. In the 16 years it is in business this casino giant now has realized a gigantic $280,000,000 in cumulative jackpot winnings.

Microgaming Jackpot Games
Microgaming first released an online casino back in the year 1994, and has grown drastically over the years and is currently based on the Isle of Man. The Microgaming jackpot games have been the source of multiple massive winnings, with the $6.4 million Mega Moolah jackpot win as a prime example.

The Microgaming jackpot counter recently surpassed the $280,000,000 mark. The future promises even more frequent and bigger jackpot pay-outs, as Microgaming keeps expanding its online and mobile casino network.

Microgaming Progressive Jackpots
Currently some of the Microgaming progressive jackpots are chock-full with dollars, with the epic Mega Moolah standing at a very juicy $3,617,678. The King Cashalot Jackpot is filled with almost $700,000, and the Major Millions Jackpot mounts up to $290,700.

You can win these progressive jackpots at the best Microgaming online casinos like the well-liked Casino Splendido. Sign up through CasinoTop10.net and you will profit from the best bonus deals the web has to offer.

 The online casinos have gained the amazing popularity they enjoy nowadays for many reasons, variety of games offered being one of the most important. Any reputable online casino today will offer its customers all the essentials – from table games, such as blackjack and craps, to slot machines, keno and other specialty games. But one thing has been fact from the birth of the online gambling industry until present day – at the online casinos the slot machines are the king.

 It's true that blackjack does offer the best odds against the house and many of the online casino patrons regularly enjoy playing a few hands at the virtual blackjack table, but the lack of "multiplayer" gambling is really preventing the game being just as big of a hit as it is at the brick-and-mortar casinos. There is no way one can sit on at the online blackjack table with other people and experience the same result as it would at the local casino. But the lost machines online are just as fun and even more than their offline equivalent.

 Since the slots at the online casinos have the ability to utilize computer graphics and complex algorithms better than the slot machines at the land-based casinos, gambling at the slots online is truly an unmatched experience. Very complex and entertaining slots are available at the popular online casinos, such as "Crazy Slots", "Slots Plus" and "SlotoCash", all online casinos basing their theme around the most popular gambling game online. Big bonuses are being offered to players who choose to gamble at the 100+ different slots these online casinos offer, which is one more reason people today prefer the slot machines at the internet casinos over any other game, including video poker. In the end, who would not prefer to play a slot machine which not only offers amazing graphics, the chance to win big while wagering little, but also gives you the chance to win 15 free spins with 3x multiplier?

 The bonus feature is certainly the main reason the majority of the online casino customers prefer the slots over any other casino game. Take for example Cleopatra's Gold 5-reel 20-line video slot, which you can play at the Slots Plus online casino. You can not only win big from one of the payline combinations, but also win a free-spins which triple your winnings and you can accumulate the free spins during the bonus round virtually forever. And to top it off, there is a random jackpot – a lucky player gets a jackpot at random at least once a day. With big winnings on the line like those, no wonder the slots are still the king at the online casinos.

By now, Paul the Octopus has become a household name, and for good reason.  With Spain winning the 2010 FIFA World Cup (they were early 3/1 favorites coming into the tournament), Paul’s World Cup predictions stand at 100 percent (including his pick that Serbia would beat Germany). 

By the time the final rolled around, punters were literally placing their bets based on Paul’s predictions. 

British bookmaker William Hill made its own prediction Sunday, that Paul’s picks would have yielded punters around a half million in winnings.

 "There has been a remarkable amount of interest in Paul the octopus and I would be very surprised if there were not some lucky punters celebrating after the final," Graham Sharpe, a spokesman for William Hill, told the Daily Telegraph.

The odds of all of his eight forecasts being correct, including the final, was put at 3,000-1, by bookmakers William Hill.

Paul The Octopus’ fearless prediction was watched by millions around the world and was almost as big a spectacle as the Lebron James "decision" from this past week in the States. 

Paul sat for only a few minutes before grabbing a mussel from a box marked with the Spanish flag and devouring it, thus his indication that Spain would win the World Cup.

It was the first time he’d been tasked to pick a game in which Germany wasn’t involved.

Paul first developed his abilities during the 2008 European Championship in which he predicted five out of six games involving Germany correctly.

The Gambling911.com website was one of the first to begin covering Paul The Octopus earlier in the competition. 

Ean Lamb, Gambling911.com