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Brave the infernal in Yggdrasil and Peter & Sons’ new Xibalba pokie

January 21, 2022 by Admin

iGaming global powerhouse, Yggdrasil and its partner studio Peter & Sons invite you to descend into the Mayan underworld in their new pokie release, Xibalba.

Get ready to face the 12 demon lords of Xibalba alongside a squad of intrepid adventurers. The game plays out on a 5×3 reel set that expands upwards with every winning spin. The expanding reels are accompanied by a progressive multiplier that increases by +1 with every victory. Winning combinations are spirited away, allowing new symbols to fall in their place, thanks to the cascading reels mechanic.

Special growing wild symbols remain on the reels during cascades and turn every symbol that appears above them into a wild. The Gigantor feature comes into play when two scatters land on the reels, setting off a respin where the reels with the triggering scatters will spin in sync and hold oversized symbols up to 3×3 in size. If you land three or more scatters, you could claim up to 15 free spins, enhanced with an infinite multiplier that does not reset with every spin.

Xibalba is Peter & Sons newest contribution as a member of the YG Masters program, following the release of Monster Blox Gigablox.

Stuart McCarthy, the Head of Product and Programs at Yggdrasil said,

“Xibalba marks another fantastic addition to our portfolio by Peter & Sons. With increasing ways to win, cascading symbols and a lucrative bonus round, it yet again highlights the strength of the studio as a member of the YG Masters program.”

Yann Bautista, the Business Development Manager at Peter & Sons added,

“We continue to churn out exciting new hits as part of the YG Masters initiative and Xibalba is one of our most exciting yet. Uniting our unique art style with huge win potential and a dynamic reel set, we’re extremely pleased to release this game across Yggdrasil’s network and look forward to seeing how our fans react.”

Dive deep with Pragmatic Play’s new Wild Depths pokie

January 18, 2022 by Admin

Pragmatic Play invites you to an adventure below the waves in the developer’s brand new aquatic pokie, Wild Depths. Encounter colourful cartoon fish in their watery home which is adorned with dazzling coral and waving anemones. Catch a winning current with amazing bonus features to help you hook the game’s top prize of 5000x your bet!

The title adopts a modern CG animation-style theme and features a brass-lined 5×4 reel layout with 40 paylines and a generous RTP of 96.48%.

Beneath the Surface

The game’s watery theme is vividly reflected in its paytable with the higher value symbols being represented by vibrant starfish, seashells, and multi-coloured fish.

The wild symbol is a Bubble that appears on every reel except the first and stands in for any other symbol, except the scatter, which is a clam holding a massive pearl. Aside from bridging gaps to create winning combinations, the bubble wilds also come with 2x multipliers, which are multiplied by each other and applied to your total win if more than one is involved in the winning combo.

The Roaming Wilds feature activates when more than one wild symbol is involved in a winning combo. The wilds will remain on the reels and ascend upward with every successive spin, until they fall off.

Landing at least three of the clam scatters gets you into the bonus round with up to 12 free spins up for grabs. Land at least 3 more scatters while the feature is active to gain a cash prize and retrigger the round with five extra free spins. If a wild symbol makes an appearance during the bonus round, it will trigger a respin sequence with a progressive win multiplier.

Yossi Barzely, the Chief Business Development Officer at Pragmatic Play stated that Wild Depths is meant to ring in the new year with “as inclusive of an experience as possible” that appeals to as wide an audience as possible.

“The jovial underwater theme is reinforced by a rich collection of exciting features,  each enabling the player to land a big catch,” he said.

Making Waves and Friends

In addition to delivering engaging pokie titles, Pragmatic Play has also recently released new Baccarat and Speed Baccarat tables to its live casino baccarat offering and secured a lucrative content deal with Locosbet, a Latin American operator.

With the launch of its recent undersea game, the developer has now released two new titles in January with Magician’s Secret arriving earlier in January. As if that wasn’t already enough action to kick off the New Year, look out for the glint of precious metal on 20 January when Pragmatic Play reveals its new Gold Party pokie.

Yggdrasil and ReelPlay get a festive start to the New Year with Money Mariachi Infinity Reels.

January 15, 2022 by Admin

If you’re a fan of the Mexican Day of the Dead or “Dia de Los Muertos”, Yggdrasil and ReelPlay have created a brand new slot just for you bursting with festive energy and featuring a skeletal Mariachi band playing spicy tunes that could rouse the dead.

The 3×4 reel game is enhanced with the Infinity Reels mechanic, which adds an extra reel to the grid with every successive win, accompanied by a progressive multiplier.

Bonus Features

If you manage to add 12 or more reels are added in a single spin, the bonus prize of 888x your bet is yours. You can secure this spectacular bonus during the base game or while the LevelUp respins feature is active. If you’re curious about this feature, it is triggered when three Shrine symbols appear on the reels, which trigger a bonus game where you collect skull symbols to ascend through levels and boost your bankroll. The shrines will stay locked where they landed on the reels while the respins kick-off. If further Shrine symbols or special symbols appear, they will also become sticky and reset your respin count to 3.

The Shrine and special symbols get ‘levelled up’, increasing their value when enough skull symbols attach to them with each respin and the shrines can also eventually transform into special symbols.

The modifiers that come with these bonus icons can increase their value with each respin, freeze your respin count, or decrease the number of skulls required for an upgrade. In certain jurisdictions, players can also progress straight to the bonus round through the Buy Feature.

Optimal Collaboration

This new title is another product of the YG Master programme that has already produced a wealth of engaging iGaming content. The game was brought to realisation using GATI, Yggdrasil’s innovative technology that empowers partners with a preconfigured, regulation-ready, standardised development toolkit to create leading content and achieve rapid distribution.

Stuart McCarthy, the Head of Product and Programs at Yggdrasil said,

“A fun-filled theme, huge win potential and the ever-popular Infinity Reels™ mechanic, Money Mariachi brings so many exciting gameplay elements to fans. Another exciting release through the YG Masters program, the title marks another milestone in our relationship with ReelPlay.”

David Johnson, the CEO at ReelPlay added,

“Money Mariachi Infinity Reels is ReelPlay’s first bonus round collectable slot and we’re very proud of it. The entire package of art, sound and math really sets the bar for 2022. With Infinity Reels ™ there are infinite possibilities and in this case, a bonus game that can go on and on with ever-increasing prizes across an extending reel set.”

Celebrate 2022 with a duo of premium pokies

January 11, 2022 by Admin

While the fanfare of welcoming the New Year may have faded, there’s no reason to stop the party now, thanks to two thrilling January pokie releases by Pragmatic Play and Play’n GO.

Pragmatic Play’s new title, Lucky New Year adopts a Chinese New Year theme, with all the vibrant colours and brilliant visuals of the eastern nation’s celebration.

The game runs on a 5 reel, 25 payline format with citrus fruit, drums, firecrackers, lanterns, and a New Year dragon mask appearing as symbols. The wild symbol is a golden dog with a money tree filled with Chinese lucky coins acting as the scatter.

If six or more Lucky Lanterns land on a single spin, you will activate a bonus feature where you try to collect as many collecting lanterns as possible to claim huge prizes worth up to 1000x your stake. Landing three money tree scatters will award you five free spins where the central reels merge to display giant 3×3 symbols and landing 3 more scatters retriggers the feature, for potentially unlimited free spins.

The pokie’s vibrant, Asian flair creates an authentic celebratory atmosphere, just the thing you need to welcome 2022.

Moving into more traditional territory, Play’n GO’s New Year Riches features a New Year’s theme with a more cosmopolitan appeal, with golden reels set against a glittering night-time cityscape.

International monuments like Big Ben and the Statue of Liberty feature among the high-value symbols and a Champagne bottle alongside a filled glass is the wild symbol while the scatter is represented by a clock dial.

Trigger the New Year Free Spins round by landing three scatters and you will be awarded 10 free spins with a multiplier that starts at 2x and increases by 2 with each free spin, up to a maximum of 20x. If more scatters appear during free spins, you will receive up to 6 respins, prolonging and enriching your bonus game experience. Party hard and take home the pokie’s maximum prize of 5000x your stake.

Toast the New Year with Microgaming’s sparkling release schedule

January 8, 2022 by Admin

The new year always brings about opportunities for excitement and discovery and Microgaming is delivering that in spades. The global leader in iGaming has prepared a thrilling array of engaging iGaming content to help you ring in the New Year in the best way possible.

Get hooked to Gameburger Studios’ Fishin’ Pots of Gold releases on 25 January with the cheerful leprechaun angler, Lucky Lad Flynn. Travel below the surface of the water and watch out for Flynn on the reels as he grabs all the fish prize symbols in view to pay you out handsome prizes. If you’re lucky, Flynn could also net one of the fixed jackpots that pay out up to 5 000x your stake. If 3 or more scatters appear on a single spin, you will launch the free spins feature which causes the reels to expand to a 5×5 formation where Flynn increases the multiplier on fish symbols.

Agent Jane Blonde is back on another daring mission on 18 January in Agent Jane Blonde Max Volume by Stormcraft Studios. Follow the spy action with a multiplier trail that could boost your winnings by up to 100x and fixed jackpots with up to 100x your stake in the base game and an astonishing 10 000x your stake during free spins. You can trigger the bonus round with a scatter on each reel and choose from 3 free spins options with varying volatility.

Pull off the perfect crime in Just For The Win’s The Bandit and the Baron on 5 January. This Wild West-themed pokie takes place in a busy saloon where you join a wily thief who hopes to outmaneuver a pompous baron and make off with his riches. The reel is filled with tempting treasures like cash and gold, but the expanding Baron wilds are particularly useful when you want to complete winning combos. If you’re 1 short of the 3 scatters needed to trigger the bonus game, the game will hand you a respin to get the job done. The Bandit Bonus feature starts you off with 3 respins where any non-blank symbol resets this count to 3. Upgrade symbols multiply the value of cash symbols by up to 10x and key symbols release locked positions to give you all the winning chances you could possibly get.

Find riches beyond your wildest imaginings in Bank Vault, the new SpinPlay games pokie that releases on 11 January. Your screen is filled with signs of wealth like gold, cash, and jewellery that appear as symbols on the reels. Special diamonds award you scatter prizes of up to 2500x your stake when you land enough of them on a single spin. Activate the cash wheel bonus to claim free spins, cash prizes, and multipliers up to 4x.

On 27 January, it’s time for some new stripped-down pokie action with 5 Star Knockout by Northern Lights Gaming. The game’s classic style accompanies creatively crafted features that give you amazing chances to win big. As special star symbols appear, they will fill up the Award Boards, and reward you with free spins. Once you get the free spins going, you can collect further star symbols which help you remove symbols from the reels and gain even more free spins. There are even more winning chances with the Win Spins feature that keeps generating respins as long as you land wins.

Go wild on 6 January as Gong Gaming Technologies unleashes a stampede of winnings with Buffalo Ways. North America’s impressive wildlife is on full display with buffalo, raccoons, eagles, and deer appearing as symbols. The vibrant graphics are accompanied by an atmospheric soundtrack and the chance to claim 100 free spins when you land 6 scatters on the reels. Wild symbols that land while this feature is active come with multipliers of up to 5x and you could trigger even more free spins if more scatters show up as you spin.

Dr Wildshock: Mad Loot Lab by Gold Coin Studios on 13 January lets you see what happens when a mad scientist goes insane. The game features Rolling Reels and a multiplier trail for exciting progression. The Exploding wilds feature adds up to 4 random wilds to the reels and landing a minimum of 3 wilds on the same spin will trigger free spins.

The worlds of baccarat and football collide in Switch Studios’ innovative title, Match Day, on 20 January. Get the best of both worlds and win prizes worth up to 6250x your bet.

It wouldn’t be a Microgaming monthly update without some brilliant contributions from the company’s content partners who have a duo of exciting content for you. Play with some profitable produce in Hacksaw Gaming’s King Carrot on 6 January or dive into the mythical depths of Book of Poseidon by Booming Games on 20 January.

SkyCity gets a bigger slice of the digital pie

January 4, 2022 by Admin

SkyCity Entertainment Group and Gaming Innovation Group (GIG) have bolstered their existing partnership with a 25 million euro equity deal for GIG’s acquisition of France-Pari/Sportnco, a business-to-business online sports and player account management provider.

GIG, a European online gaming platform provider and media services operator has enjoyed a lucrative strategic partnership with Skycity, since the opening of the SkyCity online casino in August 2019.

Through a Sale and Purchase Agreement, GIG is aiming to acquire 100 per cent of Sportnco for 70 million euro, with Sportnco standing to gain an additional earn-out payment if specified profit targets are met.

Sound Investment

SkyCity’s CEO, Michael Ahearne stated that the company is thrilled at the opportunity to broaden its strategic partnership.

“GIG is an established online operator who we have come to know well since partnering in mid-2019 to launch the SkyCity online casino. The partnership has provided SkyCity with access to a complementary and high-growth gaming category and has enabled us to pursue an omnichannel strategy,” Ahearne said.

“The combined GIG/Sportnco business will be licensed or certified in more than 20 jurisdictions, including growth markets such as the US, Canada and Latin America. We are delighted to support GIG in the financing of the transaction, becoming a major shareholder and helping GIG execute on its strategic vision through representation on the Board,” he continued.

Ahearne further advised that the equity investment represents significant growth for the company’s digital capability while strengthening its “strategic alignment” with GIG.

GIG’s COE, Richard Brown shared his thoughts on the announcement, saying that his company was thrilled at the evolution of its relationship with SkyCity.

“Both companies’ outlook and focus around the ever-evolving digitalisation of gambling is expected to enable strategic gains, with SkyCity benefiting from first-hand digital experience that GIG holds, and new opportunities brought about by the transaction with Sportnco,” he said.

NZ Vaccine Mandates

In addition to acquiring new assets, SkyCity Entertainment is seeking to preserve the health and safety of customers and staff at its New Zealand venues once they reopen. CEO Michael Ahearne spoke at the company’s annual meeting, stating that New Zealand’s new traffic light system had paved the way for the reopening of the operator’s larger casinos and hotels.

“Accordingly, our intention is that all SkyCity properties in New Zealand will operate as vaccination-only venues when the new framework comes into effect, a decision that has been made with the health and safety of our staff and customers in mind. As one of the biggest entertainment venues in New Zealand, and a significant employer in New Zealand, we need to take measures to help keep Kiwis safe,” Ahearne said.

The vaccine mandate would affect all 2900 New Zealand employees, as well as any customers, contractors and visitors.

NetEnt goes on a jungle jaunt in Silverback Gold pokie

December 17, 2021 by Admin

NetEnt’s most recent online pokie release, Silverback Gold, transports you to a lush and vivid jungle environment where exotic animals award you amazing prizes.

The reels are made of intertwined vines and surrounded by dense tropical greenery. The game’s symbols depict a variety of ferocious jungle creatures, including gorillas, snakes, crocodiles, birds, and jaguars with higher-value golden symbols of each that appear during the bonus round.

The action plays out across a 5×4 reel format and special features like Golden Silverbacks, free spins, the Silverback Attack feature are on hand to help you reach the pokie’s top potential of 45 000x your bet.

Accessing free spins means landing three to five scatter symbols can on the reels, for a maximum of 20 free spins. Here you will first play a bonus game where collecting special tokens that will upgrade your pays symbols to increase your winning potential. For example, once you have filled the collect meter with 300 tokens, all instances of Silverbacks will be upgraded to Golden Silverbacks for the duration of the feature.

The randomly-triggered Silverback Attack feature adds 6 to 20 Silverback symbols are onto the reels, potentially triggering a huge win and a handy buy feature is also on hand in case you want to launch right into the free spins action. In exchange for 100x your bet, you will receive a guaranteed 10 free spins.

Todd Haushalter, the Chief Product Officer, Evolution was enthusiastic about the provider’s end-of-year release, saying,

“Silverback Gold will appeal to all generations of players, which is rare. It has many of the components of a great classic game but with fun new twists players are sure to love. The progression in win size in the free spins is powerful and players who convert all the Silverbacks to gold are in for the ride of their life.”

Theft and lockdowns menace local casino entertainment business

December 14, 2021 by Admin

After four incident-free decades, and Auckland-based casino entertainment business has found itself falling afoul of its previously good fortune.

Las Vegas Functions is run by owner Debbie Williams and provides casino party entertainment across the country. The enterprise got a nasty shock recently when hundreds of dollars worth of equipment were recently stolen in Christchurch. The haul that the thieves managed to make away with included a classic 1950s Las Vegas casino roulette wheel.

The theft, which involves goods valued at around $500, occurred at a property on Middlepark Rd in Sockburn where the roulette wheel and other items including hundreds of casino chips, blackjack shoes, and a selection of casino paraphernalia were being stored in an enclosed and locked fibreglass trailer.

The criminals reportedly wheeled the trailer down the drive and then broke into it, taking all the equipment that they wanted.

Williams explained that she was “gutted” at the news of the theft as the wheel holds significant sentimental value to her.

Ian Hastings, Williams’ father and the former owner said that this unfortunate incident brought an end to 42-years of good luck.

The former Auckland police drug squad boss shared his feelings, saying,

“We’ve never had anything stolen from us. I’m more gutted for Deb who took over the business and has been faced with the Covid nightmare. It hasn’t been easy for her for the last couple of years and this doesn’t help.”

Williams added that the theft was an insult added to injury following an extremely challenging year. She revealed that in pre-pandemic times, the venue would host up to five functions a night in Auckland alone over during December, but that at the moment, it only has eight bookings for the whole month.

“I’m now at the point where I’m trying to think of ways to make the business make money that [doesn’t] involve going into enclosed places with lots of people,” she added.

Williams indicated that the history behind and sentimental value of the roulette wheel was enough that she was prepared to put up a “substantial reward” for its safe return.

With a scheduled event in Christchurch coming up for the company, Williams has found herself scrambling to put together the necessary supplies to make it happen.

A spokesperson for the police confirmed that t the authorities were aware of the incident and asked that anyone who was in the Middlepark Rd area on the day of the theft please contact the police by dialling 105 or via CrimeStoppers.

Auckland casinos stage a triumphant comeback following 100-day lockdown

December 10, 2021 by Admin

Auckland’s 100-day lockdown has come to an end and businesses are trading again under the new “traffic light system” that determines restrictions based on individual areas’ vaccination rates and their level of exposure to COVID-19.

As the eye of the country’s Delta variant storm, Auckland has been placed at the red level which mandates the wearing of face masks and limits on gatherings at public places.

On its website, SkyCity Casino announced its reopening date of Friday, December 3, and specified that it would be operating under the red light level.

“All guests must present an official ‘My Vaccine Pass’ upon entry. If a guest wishes to present a printed vaccine pass they will also be required to show valid photo identification. Please note you must also scan in via QR code or our entry register and that mask-wearing is required at all times,” the casino explained.

Over 1200 New Zealanders were compelled into self-isolation following a positive COVID-19 case being recorded at SkyCity Casino, including 240 members of the venue’s staff.

Give yourself the gift of winning with Microgaming’s December releases.

December 7, 2021 by Admin

As the year comes to a close, the world tends to wind down and prepare to celebrate the festive season. Microgaming, however, shows no signs of slowing down with its monthly iGaming release roster as packed as ever with thrilling games that boast a varied selection of themes, features, and potential to match the tastes of any pokies enthusiast.

The fury of feline fealty explodes on 9 December with Snowborn Games’ new title, Cat Clans. This new title follows the fates of four cat tribes engaged in a constant battle for dominance. Take up your arms in aid of Clan Mac Cattus and reap the rewards of multiplier wilds and the sticky wilds in the Cat-A-Pult free spins. The Clan Battle Bonus feature brings the catty competition to its climax as special golden paw symbols spell victory and a top potential prize of 20 000x your bet.

The luck ‘o the Irish lends you its mystical powers in Amazing Link Riches by SpinPlay Games on 7 December. Find your fortune with free spins, a pick-me game, cash prizes, and the Amazing Link mechanic that is triggered by landing six or more bonus symbols. Filling all 15 reel positions guarantees you prizes worth over 5 000x your bet.

Magical winter chills and thrills are forecasted for 14 December with the icy arrival of Neon Valley Studios’ magical Arctic Enchantress title. This 243 ways-to-win pokie is infused with winning opportunities, thanks to the Link&Win mechanic, free spins, portrait wilds, and nudging wilds. A column full of Link&Win symbols means potential and payout boosts when the Column Boost feature kicks in and you can add orbs to the Enchantress’ tiara with the Win Booster feature, grating you easier access to Link&Win.

1 December isn’t too early to unwrap your gifts because Just For The Win has truckloads of wrapped delights in store for you. The developer’s new Plenty of Presents pokie presents you with e free spins, multiplier wilds, and a maximum possible prize of 25 000x your bet from a single spin. Santa appears as the game’s scatter symbols, generating up to 30 initial free spins when enough appear on the reels.

A glossy and gleaming Ancient Egypt greets your eyes on 15 December in Links of Ra by Slingshot Studios. The ancient deities, Ra, Anubis, Sekhment, Sobek and Khnum are high-paying symbols and the game’s Link&Win mechanic offers jackpots and cash payouts. Ascend to godly wealth with free spins and super-stacked symbols.

Brace for impact with Gong Gaming Technologies 6 December as you charge into the fray with its new Empire Shield pokie. Shields sit atop each reel, dishing out modifiers like double reels, expanding wilds, extra wilds and multipliers as they charge. These battle barriers can shift to different reels with every spin, expanding your winning opportunities.

Sit a spell with Santa’s better half on 1 December in Aurum Signature Studios’ new pokie, Book of Mrs Claus. Her warm welcome includes expanding symbols that are triggered during free spins and the chance to convert losing spins into maximum wins with individual reel respins.

A mythical Chinese dragon roars to life on 2 December in Fortune Rush by Pulse 8 Studios. Claim prizes worth up to 1880x your stake with the game’s Rush Symbol feature that enhances a selected symbol for 20 spins, giving it the ability to trigger respins.

Get your fishing gear ready because Crazy Tooth Studios’ Golden Hook pokie arrives on 8 December. Get your hooks into premium gameplay that includes the WiNCREASE mechanic and bonus features like multipliers and the Golden Hook bonus where you snag golden fish to land the game’s ultimate catch.

There are a whole lot more holiday hijinks to be had, courtesy of Microgaming’s aggregation partners. Discover potential-packed pixels with the classic video game-themed Space Invaders by Inspired on 9 December. Hit the track with MGA for high-octane Moto GP action in Fonsi Nieto on 6 December or sail the seven seas on a prize-pillaging voyage in Pirate Pays Megaways by Big Time Gaming on 13 December. Hacksaw Gaming gives you more than you bargained for with a duo of Xmas infused releases. The developer’s Snow Scratcher pokie goes live on 1 December, followed up by Christmas in Papertown on 14 December.