Admin, Author at BestCasinos.co.nz

New BLAST! engine explodes into action with Relax Gaming and LeoVegas

September 21, 2021 by Admin

Relax Gaming has announced a thrilling development that sees it team-up with premium online casino operator, LeoVegas. The two have come together to release an exciting new slot mechanic with game-changing capabilities.

The innovation is named BLAST! And it has been designed by the developers at Relax Gaming to boost player engagement.

BLAST! answers a need that was likely on the tip of many players’ tongues. The mechanic allows slot enthusiasts to skip animations and normal spins of the reels while simultaneously running multiple games on auto-play. So all you need to do is choose your bet level, hit BLAST! and watch the system take care of the rest.

Gaining access to the new engine only requires you to open a game and select the BLAST! icon situated at the top of the screen. A lobby will open that contains all available games with the feature integrated.

Once the game has been chosen, you will choose your number of auto spins and decide on your bet. The BLAST! progress bar will show how the game is doing as it runs in the background and notifications pop up whenever a bonus round is triggered.

At the moment, you will only be able to experience this feature is in selected Relax Gaming titles at LeoVegas Casino.

Explosive innovation

Simon Hammon, CPO at Relax Gaming followed up the announcement with his own comments, saying,

“BLAST! is a fantastically innovative feature, and it really is an exciting step forward in iGaming, we’re delighted to be working alongside such an innovative partner.”

“We’re always looking to offer the best and most pioneering ways possible for players to consume our content, and working with a top-tier operator and respected name like LeoVegas has provided us with that opportunity,” he added.

Sam Leggott, Head of Strategy and Business Development at LeoVegas, conveyed the operator’s excitement at the release of the new feature and the new partnership. He emphasised that the casino endeavours to provide its players with “the greatest gaming experience there is, and to do so, we continue to innovate.”

“By adding our BLAST! feature to Relax top-performing titles, we will offer LeoVegas players a thrilling new way to enjoy their favourite games. We’re delighted to have worked with Relax on this project,” Leggott said.

Christchurch city council tightens Sinking Lid policy amid pokie concerns

September 17, 2021 by Admin

The city of Christchurch has decided to retain its restrictive policies regarding poker machines following requests from anti-gambling campaigners and gambling addiction groups for local authorities to continue its suppression of pokies.

The City Council made no changes to its existing policy that regulates gambling and TAB venues. This means that the allowed number and location of non-casino gambling facilities remains as is. Christchurch’s current gambling policy was created in 2004 with mandated regulatory reviews every three years.

The City Council’s choice to leave the existing rules has not gone over well with all involved. The Gaming Machine Association of New Zealand has continually requested that Christchurch authorities consider relaxing gambling machine-related legislation.

Jarrod True spoke for the organisation, asking the City Council to conduct public consultations before settling on sticking to the current rules. True requested that the Council replace the current sinking-lid policy with a more liberal approach, with fewer limits on machines. He additionally asked for local authorities to allow operators to move their poker machine licences between different sites.

The 17-year-old sinking lid policy prevents competent authorities from supplying new operating licences for gambling in local clubs and pubs, as well as prohibiting the movement of existing poker machine licences to different locations within the city.

At the moment, there are 82 club and pub gambling venues in Christchurch, with 1291 operational pokies in total. The current number of poker machines in the city is far less than in 2004 when 2158 pokies were operating and the number of gambling was slashed by half over the same period, from 164 to 82.

An official City Council report advises that while the number of gambling venues and poker machines in Christchurch has fallen significantly, the pokies per capita in the city is still higher than the national average. The report further reveals that there are 3.3 machines per 1000 residents in Christchurch while the cities of Dunedin and Wellington both toe the national average of 2.9 pokie machines per 1000 residents, while Auckland comes in at 1.9 per thousand.

Further concerns raised were that many Christchurch residents have sought out problem gambling treatment. With the city representing 8% of the total population of New Zealand, a concerning 10% of the people in the country under treatment for gambling addiction in 2020 came from Christchurch.

Pro-gambling groups, for their part, have asserted that the rapid growth of online gambling means that the strict limitations placed on poker machines are only truly affecting recreational players and not gambling addicts.

Royal Panda’s custom Megaways title goes live

September 14, 2021 by Admin

Iron Dog Studios has created an exclusive Megaways-enhanced online pokie for Royal Panda Casino. The title offers a fast-paced gameplay experience on a 6×7 reel format with thrilling features and a top prize of 40 000x your stake. The brightly themed pokie featured tailor-made graphics to match the casino’s aesthetic.

Get into the game

Royal Panda Megaways features engaging mechanics as well as free spins, multipliers, wilds, and locked reels to name a few.

Immerse your senses in the game’s richly constructed visuals and novel reel grid that guides you along a road bordered by extravagant buildings and palm trees. The smiling royal panda stands beside the reels and an upbeat soundtrack keeps the energy light. The pokie’s high volatility and above-average RTP complete the package to create a compelling gaming experience.

The Megaways mechanic generates up to 117,649 ways to win, creating an exciting pace of gameplay. The game’s betting options are designed for broad appeal and accessibility and it is fully optimised for mobile, including iOS and Android devices.

A regal history

Royal Panda was founded in 2014 with the stated purpose of providing an exceptional online casino experience. The operator holds a Malta Gaming Authority license, guaranteeing players a safe and trustworthy gambling destination.

The online platform offers a large selection of premium games and players have their choice of video pokies, table games, and live dealer options with numerous promotions and tournaments available, as well as the generous Royal Panda welcome bonus.

Lucky player lands multimillion WowPot Megaways Win

September 9, 2021 by Admin

Videoslots online casino recently played host to a life-changing event for one lucky Ancient Fortunes: Poseidon WowPot Megaways player who claimed a huge jackpot win of $3 898,637.78.

The anonymous Swedish player claimed this prize with the top WowPot jackpot on 23 August 2021, a mere four days after the pokie went live with operators on Microgaming’s progressive jackpot network.

The mythology-themed game was created exclusively for Microgaming by Triple Edge Studios and integrates Big Time Gaming’s proprietary Megaways mechanic and the WowPot progressive jackpot, which made its first appearance in February 2021.

This recent WowPot win marks the fourth millionaire crowned by the progressive network and is the second-highest in the jackpot’s history but still, a mere morsel compared to the $17,529,047.11 prize which was claimed on 14 April 2021.

In 2021, Microgaming’s progressive jackpot network has paid out 2.6 million wins across all jackpots, tiers and games, coming to $143 million in prizes, pushing the total paid out to date over $1.45 billion.

Microgaming’s CEO, John Coleman said,

“It’s amazing to see another massive WowPot win dropping just days after Ancient Fortunes: Poseidon WowPot Megaways was released network-wide to our customers. Congratulations to Videoslots on this impressive payout, and to their player in Sweden.”

The Head of Commercials at Videoslots, William Ahlberg, added,

“We’re thrilled to provide our players with access to many of Microgaming’s legendary progressive jackpot slots – and even more so that one of our players has taken home the latest WowPot win, becoming a multi-millionaire!”

September gets supercharged with Microgaming’s release roster

September 7, 2021 by Admin

A fun and exciting September is assured thanks to Microgaming’s monthly release line-up. Experience thrilling gameplay and lucrative features, courtesy of the iGaming giant’s studio and content partners.

Track your quarry with no mercy on 7 September in Cossacks: The Wild Hunt by Foxium. Three heroic Cossack raider heroes invite you to brave the wilderness with 46,656 ways to win. The bonus features include free spins, cascading reels and WonderWays. The randomly-activated ‘Release the Wilds’ feature causes blades to smash the reels, transforming symbols into wilds. Arrows fly true and land on the grid to create six-symbol winning combinations when the ‘To Arms’ feature activates at random.

Join the Greek deity Hephaestus in his fiery forge on 9 September in God of Fire by Northern Lights Gaming. Get up to 60 million ways to win with the Ultraways mechanic to get you closer to the pokie’s top prize of over 18,000x your stake. Exploding Wilds obliterate themselves to uncover single, double, quad or Blue wild symbols. The unlimited free spins feature integrates multipliers, wilds and upgrade bonuses to boost your winning chances. A loss can be a win when you rack up sixty near-misses. When this happens Super Free Spins will activate where you claim a bonus on every spin.

Jurassic World: Raptor Riches by Fortune Factory Studios debuts on 22 September. Enter the territory of ferocious fanged dinosaurs with Walking Wild Respins, free spins, a multiplier trail and four jackpot bonuses.

Aurum Signature Studios has the magic touch on 30 September with the release of Mega Moolah The Witch’s Moon. This is the latest title to be added to the Microgaming progressive jackpot network and includes free spins, multipliers and the Mini, Minor, Major and Mega progressive jackpots.

Discover what lies beneath the surface in Big Boom Riches by Just For The Win on 14 September. Dig for gold with the aid of Rolling Reels, free spins, and cash prizes.

Potential positively gleams in 4 Diamond Blues Megaways by Buck Stakes Entertainment on 16 September. This title includes the Megaways mechanic as well as free spins and multipliers with a classic Blues soundtrack to keep things mellow.

The world beyond the rabbit hole beckons in Alice in Wildland by SpinPlay Games on 28 September. Encounter the mysteriously magical Copycat Wilds, Cheshire Multipliers and free spins over two reel sets and take home some dreamy wins.

Play your cards right on 23 September in Lucky Showdown Hold’em. Enjoy a Wild West Texas Hold’em Sit & Go game in Microgaming’s new poker offering.

The Ancient-Egypt-inspired Queen of Alexandria by Neon Valley Studios gets its wide release on 2 September. Claim regal treasures with expanding wilds and the golden Pot Collect mechanic.

The land of the Nile still has more to in Old Skool Studios’ Ascension: Rise to Riches on 20 September. The EpicStrike mechanic generates rising wins in this low volatility title with a 2000x your stake maximum winning potential. Secure your pot ‘o gold with Gong Gaming Technologies in Lucky O’Mega on 13 September and test your luck of the Irish with cash respins and instant cash prizes.

Microgaming’s content partners are also ready to showcase their finest this month. Sparkling 777 by 1×2 Gaming arrives on 1 September and offers a classic fruit machine experience. Gamevy delivers a double dose of Latin culture on 9 September with the releases of Calavera Bingo and Tomatina Bingo in celebration of the Día de Muertos and Tomatinas Festivals.

Iron Dog Studio releases Dwarven Gems Megaways on 15 September and, on the same day, Book of Heroes by Golden Rock Studios gets its first release. Finish the month in quirky style with Mice N Easy by Realistic Games on 30 September.

Huge $7.2 million prize for latest Mega Moolah winner

September 4, 2021 by Admin

Revered and desired the world over, Microgaming’s Mega Moolah jackpot recently lived up to its “millionaire-maker” reputation by paying out a massive Mega jackpot prize to a winner at the Enlabs-operated Optibet casino on 6 August 2021

The player scored a massive $7,231,507.69 win which will be paid out to them as a lump sum. This latest win tops the last Mega Moolah payout of $6.5 million that was claimed in June at the same casino.

This latest news brings the number of Mega jackpot prizes paid out by Microgaming’s progressive network to 101. In April 2021 an astounding $19.4 million was claimed by an exceedingly lucky player.

The Mega Moolah progressive jackpot network has awarded Over $1.45 billion in prizes to date, with $137 million of that amount being awarded in 2021.

John Coleman, the CEO at Microgaming shared his thoughts on the win, saying,

“Huge congratulations to the winning player – we’re used to seeing massive jackpots drop on Mega Moolah, and $7.2 million is a fantastic amount to win. Well done to Optibet for claiming a second consecutive Mega jackpot on our network.”

Chris Davis, the CPO at Enlabs added his point of view, saying

“We were delighted when Mega Moolah dropped at Optibet the first time, but for it to happen a second time a matter of weeks later is remarkable. I am certain that both existing and new Optibet customers will appreciate that this situation can only be attributed to the luck of the brand.”

Gambling Harm Awareness Week puts Kiwis to the test

August 31, 2021 by Admin

Gambling Harm Awareness Week is in full swing in New Zealand and Kiwis have been pressed to examine their gambling habits against the backdrop of COVID-19 restrictions.

Andree Froude, the Director of Communications at the Problem Gambling Foundation, explained that the stressful times people are going through are likely to trigger the urge to gamble in some.

“This is a good time to check-in if you’re unsure if your gambling has become harmful to yourself or your family, so taking a quick, online anonymous test, will tell you more about your gambling. At the end of the test, you get a personalised report and the option of sharing your results and talking it over with a qualified gambling counsellor,” she said.

Froude explained that during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, many Kiwis had no choice but to take a break from gambling, but when venues were allowed to reopen, an unparalleled amount was spent on pokies in pubs, clubs and TABs.

Huge losses

Gamblers in New Zealand lost $252 million in the last quarter of 2020. At the time, this represented the highest amount ever since record-taking commenced in 2007 and this record was already broken by the April to June quarter of 2021. Department of Internal Affairs data reveals that Kiwis lost over $260 million on pokies across the country between April and June in 2021.

Froude added that the scale of post-lockdown pokie losses repudiates the Gaming Machine Association’s claims that community projects would find themselves starved of pokie funds should venues be forced to closed again.

“Surely the significant losses over 2020 and 2021 are being shared as grants now. These lockdowns are, however, a reminder that we need a transparent and sustainable form of funding for our community and sports groups rather than one that relies on vast amounts of gambling losses from poor communities and whānau where it causes so much harm. Fifty percent of pokie machines are in New Zealand’s poorest communities,” she said.

Pokies located in pubs, clubs and TABs, or Class 4 gambling, have been identified as the most harmful form of gambling in New Zealand, making up almost half of all submissions to gambling support services.

Kiwis have been encouraged over Gambling Harm Awareness Week to approach the available free, professional and confidential assistance and counselling if they or anyone they know is experiencing problems with gambling. The nationally available services can be accessed via phone, video conferencing, text, email, and live chat options.

The LeoVegas LeoJackpot is a millionaire-maker in waiting

August 28, 2021 by Admin

The new LeoJackpot, available exclusively at LeoVegas, offers you the chance to take home up to $8.5 million in cash prizes. Getting into the running for this amazing opportunity is simple and fun with a few important conditions to note.

Play to win

To get started, you will need to log onto LeoVegas and find a pokie with a LeoJackpot badge. Get playing with a qualifying wager until you activate the jackpot round.

Once the round kicks off, you will encounter a segmented bonus wheel, with four different jackpots nestled in the slots. The Mega is the most lucrative; awarding you at least $8.5 million. If you claim one of the other 3 prizes, you won’t be disappointed though. The Major jackpot alone guarantees a minimum of $17 000 prize money.

The small print

To qualify for the LeoJackpot, you will need to make sure to opt-in on participating pokies before you start playing. The minimum wager per round is set at $0.17 and LeoVegas will award your winnings in the form of real money. There are no wagering requirements that apply to these amounts and you will be free to withdraw your takings immediately.

The great news is that the jackpot prizes keep growing as LeoVegas funnels a portion of each wager to swell the four progressive LeoJackpot prizes as everyone plays. This means that if you get your timing right, you could hit the sweet spot and find yourself with millions of reasons to smile.

The adventure continues in Play’n GO’s Gemix 2

August 24, 2021 by Admin

Play’n Go recently revealed some exciting news to pokie enthusiasts with the release of a sequel to its popular online pokie, Gemix. Players in New Zealand and the world over can now jump into Gemix 2 that includes some of its predecessor’s features and also offers a range of bonuses and surprises.

The details

Gemix 2 is a 7×7 pokie with a cluster pays mechanic and meters that fill up with every avalanche win. Once they fill up, brace for thrilling and lucrative bonus features including wild multipliers and symbol upgrades.

In the game, guardians reward you with increasingly larger prizes as you ascend through a series of levels. You will encounter a valiant knight, a pretty princess, a sage wizard, and a dwarven miner. The characters are all rendered in the developer’s trademark cartoonish style that brings all the elements to vibrant life. Since this title is optimised for mobile and all other platforms, taking the experience on the road is a breeze.

Get in the game

Gemix is intuitively designed to be easily accessible for any payer and it’s quick off the mark, taking mere seconds to load up.

After choosing your bet value from the range of $0.10 to $100.00 you can start spinning and get to winning. The cluster pays system rewards you for grouping matching symbols together and you will need to match a minimum of 5 symbols to claim a prize. Collecting 25 symbols will fill the Crystal Charge Meter and activate 1 of 4 modifiers which reward you with transforming symbols that increase your winning chances.

The pokie’s RTP is a slightly above average 96.2% and the most you can win on a single spin is an amazing 7500x your bet. Aside from the Crystal Charge Meter, the bonus features on offer include world patterns that advance you through the game’s levels, pick-a-pocket, and world wilds.

Fans of this pokie’s predecessor will note with pleasure that the game boasts increased potential and better bonuses. New Zealand players looking to get in on the action need only head over to their favourite online casino and get spinning.

Play’n Go

Gemix 2 is exemplary of Play’n Go’s dedication to creating immersive and thematically impressive iGaming content. The developer is revered as one of the best iGaming studios in the world, thanks to its carefully constructed game mechanics, payout algorithms, and thrilling, immersive gameplay.

NZ Casinos close amid COVID scare

August 20, 2021 by Admin

New Zealand has displayed exemplary performance in its fight against the spread of COVID-19. With the country’s borders closed to non-residents over the past 18 months, fewer than 3,000 cases and 26 deaths have been recorded.

However, the first outbreak in six months has seen the country revert to an Alert Level 4 lockdown as of the 17^th of August. While most of the country will endure a three-day lockdown, Auckland and Coromandel will be shut down for an entire week.

This has had expected consequences for casinos and other non-essential businesses. SkyCity has had to close its Hamilton, Auckland, and Queenstown properties. One of the newly infected individuals confessed to previously being at SkyCity Auckland.

Alert Level 4

Under the level 4 lockdown, citizens are only permitted to leave home for healthcare, work, or local exercise. Heading out for groceries and COVID testing is also permitted. All public facilities have also been instructed to close and this includes cinemas, libraries, restaurants, and museums, to name a few.

The businesses and services still allowed to operate include supermarkets, petrol stations, healthcare facilities, and pharmacies with any customers visiting these places being legally required to wear masks, under threat of arrest.

Early childhood education centres and schools have been closed and the mask mandate, which also applies to public transportation and flights, as well as a mandatory 2 metres distance from others must be maintained.

SkyCity Auckland feels the heat

One individual who later tested positive for COVID-19 had visited the main casino gaming floor of SkyCity Auckland on August 14^th from 1.15 am to 3 am. This means that 1000 customers and 240 staff members could have been exposed and have been asked to self-isolate and get tested.

SkyCity CEO Michael Ahearne commented,

“This is an anxious time for some of the SkyCity team and their whanau, and we are extremely grateful to them for their cooperation in helping us protect the wellbeing of all our people and our guests.”

The casino is now receiving a deep clean from a team of specialists as the operator eagerly awaits the end of the lockdown.

Point of entry

Following an intensive operation, the country’s authorities soon discovered how the virus made its way into the country. It was traced to a 58-year-old man from Auckland who had just returned from a visit to Sydney. His test came back positive for the Delta variant on August 7th and he was quarantined by the next day. The subject was transferred to Middlemore hospital on August 16 as his condition deteriorated.

The number of infections is expected to grow for the foreseeable future and contact tracers have discovered that, in addition to SkyCity Adelaide, the identified infected have also visited schools, churches, restaurants, gas stations, and a hospital.

Safety first

The nation’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, recently stated that New Zealand intends to keep its borders closed to non-residents until 2022.

“While the pandemic continues to rage overseas, and the virus continues to change and mutate, the best thing we can do is lock in the gains achieved to date while keeping our options open and giving ourselves choices,” she declared.

Closed borders will enable the country to more effectively execute its vaccination program. New Zealand’s vaccinations have had a slow start with currently only 20% of the population having received the first jab and only 17% receiving both doses.

When the borders reopen, only fully vaccinated visitors from low-risk countries will be allowed to move around freely in the country, while those from medium to high-risk nations will be compelled to take precautions, including self-isolation to a fortnight under quarantine.