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John Schappert to Join The Stars Group

August 25, 2019 by Admin

The Stars Group, known as international big-hitter in the gaming and online gambling world, has announced it has appointed industry guru, John Schappert to its board of directors. Schappert has joined the company’s international management team as an independent director and a member of the board’s compensation and technology committees.

A Long and Distinguished Career

Few can boast the wealth of industry experience Schappert brings as he enters The Stars group, having first made an impact on the industry when he co-founded Tiburon Entertainment, the video game development studio. During the early part of his career, Schappert occupied the position of Corporate Vice President Microsoft Corporation’s Interactive Entertainment Business unit in addition to serving as Chairman and Chief Executive at both EA and Zynga.

Currently, Schappert serves as Chief Executive and Chairman for the video game software developer, Shiver Entertainment, (since 2012) and as Chairman for developers, Motorsport Games, and Pipeworks Studios.

Extensive Management Reshuffling

Schappert has been appointed in the midst of a much broader shift within the top management structures of Star Group’s international division.

For example, Asaf Noifeld, has vacated his position as Director of Product and Innovation and taken over as Managing Director of Casino. Notfield has replaced Bo Wanhammer, Mr. Green Chief Executive, who has been moved into a strategic advisory position for all international business. Meanwhile, Severin Rasset, former Director of Poker Innovation and Operations, has assumed the role of Managing Director and Commercial Officer of Pokers. Also, the new President of the International Unit and now reporting directly to Rafi Ashkenazi – Stars Chief Executive – is Gino Appiotti, who, since joining the group in 2011 has occupied different senior roles in the firm.

International Revenue Dip

It should come as no surprise that The Stars Group has introduced these managerial shifts at the same time as releasing its six-month results for the period ending 30 June 2019. While these results show a 51.4% increase in revenue for the period (up to US$1.22 billion from US$804.4 million in the same period last year) the showing of the company’s international business division has been less than impressive. As the group’s principal revenue producer, which covers operations outside of the United Kingdom (Sky Betting and Gaming) and Australia (William Hill Australia and CrownBet), their 9.5% year-on-year decline to US$662.5 million can only be viewed as disappointing. Furthermore, all other sectors experienced a decline over the first half of the year, even as betting revenue increased by 5.5%.

Perhaps a managerial reshuffle is just what the firm needs to turn the fortunes of its international division around.

The Top 10 Biggest Online Progressive Jackpot Slots of 2019 So Far

August 4, 2019 by Admin

There are so many slots out there, but when it comes to choosing the one for you, which ones are the best? Literally, thousands of slots, featuring an array of different themes and features exist, but if there is one truth about the gaming world everybody is plainly aware of, it’s that it is always games with progressive jackpots that get the most attention. Progressive slots are a unique group of games thanks to its potential to yield massive, life-changing payouts. This, even when played at the lowest of stakes. The following are the best of the best of these slots; the ones that just happen to stand out from the rest.

1. Mega Moolah

Microgaming’s progressive slot, Mega Moolah, presently stands tallest among the bunch. This is largely due to currently holding the record for the biggest-ever jackpot won online – a mind-boggling €18.9 million – which one lucky gamer won in October of 2010. The slot is known for its 25-paylines and will take you through the African wilderness on a safari adventure. Mega Moolah can be triggered on any random spin and will take you to the jackpot wheel, where you can win one of four progressives: Mini, Minor, Major, or the Mega.

2. Mega Moolah Isis

Mega Moolah Isis is essentially its predecessor in a different guise. Also, brought to you by Microgaming, both games share the same jackpot pool. They also offer virtually identical gameplay options with 25 paylines across 5 reels coupled with a free spins bonus which comes with a win multiplier. The biggest difference is aesthetic. Mega Moolah Isis takes on the old Egyptian theme, with symbols such as pyramids, golden butterflies, Nile crocodiles and, of course, Isis herself.

3. Mega Fortune

Mega Fortune is another huge hit among gamers who love their progressive jackpot slots and is brought to you by NetEnt. The game once held the record for the biggest-ever online jackpot for some time after its massive payout of €17.8 million in 2013. Mega Fortune features 25 paylines and is themed around a luxury lifestyle. The game’s symbols include yachts, fancy cars, watches expensive wine bottles, etc. You can trigger the jackpot bonus by landing three bonus wheel symbols on one of the paylines.

4. Jackpot Giant

Jackpot Giant has never reached the heights of popularity some of the other games on this list have. That’s due in part to its creators, Playtech, not making the games in their stable as widely available on online casinos as other operators do. Don’t overlook this game, though. It is known to have paid out one of the biggest jackpots in online slot history – a whopping $12.3 million jackpot October 2018. On the Jackpot Giant, you will see 50 paylines and an assortment of rocks and gems for symbols. To win a jackpot, players must line up five golden wild symbols on the first payline while playing the maximum bet.

5. Arabian Nights

Arabian Nights may not be the most popular in the NetEnt’s stable of progressive slots, but the game has a reputation for big hits thanks to its incredible €8.6 million payout back in November of 2012. From the slot’s name, you could guess the slot features symbols represent the Arabian culture. In order to land a jackpot, players must bet the maximum on all 10 lines and hit five wild symbols on a payline.

6. Joker Millions

The Joker Millions slot is relatively new to the universe of progressive slots. It was created by Yggdrasil, an industry up-and-comer which has been creating a lot of buzz recently. Joker Millions is a 25-payline slot, and its world is made up of classic symbols like 7s, bells, cherries, plums, watermelons, and oranges. If you to trigger the bonus round by landing five Joker symbols on the reels followed by filling the screen up with jokers, you will hit a jackpot. This may appear difficult, but several players have already managed to do it with the luckiest of them all seeing a massive payout worth €7.8 million in November of 2018.

7. Hall of Gods

Hall of Gods features the always popular Norse theme with Viking gods and heroes on the reels. Although this is an older game created by NetEnt, with graphics that won’t blow you away, Hall of Gods, a 20-payline slot, more than compensates for its lack of aesthetic charm with its amazing jackpot. Its biggest payout of €7.8 million occurred on April 2015. The jackpot can be won in the pick-and-click bonus feature.

8. Beach Life

To be honest, Beach Life isn’t as popular as it should be. Brought to you by Playtech, the game offers a simple, cartoonish design depicting things and characters you’d expect to find at a beach on an average day, but it also hides great potential on its 20-payline. If you land five wild sun symbols on the 20th payline you will hit the game’s progressive jackpot. The biggest amount paid out to date by Beach Life is €6.2 million.

9. Gold Rally

Gold Rally is an old-fashioned slot. However, it also has the potential to change your life. A Playtech creation, with its 3×3 grid and just 8 paylines, the slot’s relative simplicity will remind you of days gone by. However, if you are lucky enough to fill an entire grid with scatters (golden scales), you’ll be in for a special treat in the form of a progressive jackpot. The biggest payout this slot is known for is €4.7 million.

10. Millionaire Genie

Millionaire Genie is featured on a limited number of online casinos, brought to you by 888. Because it’s not widely found, this online slot treat can easily be missed by players so look out for it. Themed around Arabian traditional symbols, this slot features 15-paylines and a shot at a big jackpot payout. To date, the biggest amount won on the Millionaire Genie slot machine is €4.6 million.

Microgaming Skates in on Ice with New Break Away Deluxe Video Pokie

July 31, 2019 by Admin

Hot on the heels of premiering its Jungle Jim and the Lost Sphinx video game, Microgaming, the renowned online casino games and software developer, has taken to the ice for Break Away Deluxe, its latest five-reel slot sensation.

On the Back of Winning Titles

The operator, based in Isle of Man, recently announced in a press release that its newest video pokie was exclusively developed in the wake of the popular Agent Jane Blonde Returns, Fortunium, and Dragon Shard games. In this game, you are invited to have fun and win big as a professional ice hockey player.

Payline Offerings

According to Microgaming, Break Away Deluxe is a mobile-friendly version of its predecessor Break Away. The game offers ‘fast and high-volatility action’ as it employs its rolling reels to present online gaming lovers with the choice to select between 18, 38, 68 and 88 paylines.

Wilds

Global Operations Director for Microgaming, James Buchanan, used the press release to expound on the idea that higher rewards lie in wait on this game across more paylines. Furthermore, scoring in the base game is even easier with the ability to now collect super stacked wilds on reels three, four and five. Break Away Deluxe, he went on to say, offers the Smashing Wild feature where one of the three middle reels is turned fully wild for certain wins before staying in place for every roll that follows.

Bonus Features

Buchanan added that in addition to all of the above, the game gives players who land a minimum of three scatter symbols a twelve-spin bonus round featuring an octuple multiplier trail. This advance, he stated, is accompanied by Growing Wilds on reels two to five in order to increase ‘each wild stack by one wild with every spin and intensifying the excitement throughout the feature’.

Summing up the game, Buchanan stated, “Break Away Deluxe takes all the action of the phenomenally popular original slot, layering it up with even more exciting and rewarding features. Stormcraft Studios has successfully created a high-volatility slot experience with excellent win potential up to 3,200 times the initial bet. We’re looking forward to seeing fans and new players alike immerse themselves in this engrossing update of a true Microgaming classic.”

Tesla Model 3 Giveaway with Big Time Gaming

July 28, 2019 by Admin

Breaking news! Big Time Gaming is offering you the chance to win your own Tesla Model 3.

Casino games developer Big Time Gaming are giving players at online casinos across New Zealand where their game content is featured, the opportunity to win a brand new Tesla car. That’s right! Between now and the end of November you could stand the chance to drive off in model 3 Tesla, which has a range in excess of 300 miles on a fully charged battery and acceleration of 3.2 seconds for 0 – 60mph. This awesome ride is worth just under NZ$72 000.

Between now and November BGT will track, across all their pokies and as well as all their casino partners, the biggest win multiplier every month. If you are one of the lucky players to achieve the biggest win in any of the months leading up November your name will be entered in the final draw.

Five winners (the biggest winners of each month) will vie for the top prize of the Tesla Model 3, while the four runners up will walk away with an 8k TV and 3 lots of cash prizes worth just over NZ$18600. Terms and conditions apply. Be sure to check out the leader competition leader board which will be published on Casino and Affiliate sites between now and the final draw.

Mark the date. The last day of the competition is the 30th of November, while the prize draw is all set to take place in early December.

How to enter

These Competitions may be entered online via the affiliated casino sites.
Availability and pricing of Competitions is at the discretion of the Promoter, entry to the Competitions is available via the Websites and the operator of the Websites shall have absolute discretion on whether an entry is valid and the Websites shall have the discretion as to whether to participate in the Competition.
All real money players of BTG’s slots on Websites who have a big win will be eligible to be entered into the Competition provided that the operator of the Websites provides the relevant information and agrees that they will be participating in the Competition by providing the relevant data to BTG.
In order to enter a Competition, you will need to register an account with a Website or already have one with a participating Website. You will then have to play a BTG slot and if you have the biggest multiplier win with real money play on a BTG slot you will be entered into a leaderboard. The highest placed people on the leaderboard (the players with the biggest win) which will be decided on NOVEMBER 30th 2019 will be entered into a prize draw to win a Tesla Model 3. In addition, there will 4 runner-up prizes of an 8k Samsung TV, 3x £1000 cash which will be drawn from the prize draw.
You will automatically be entered into the Completion if the Operator of the Website provides the information to BTG
The Promoter reserves the right to refuse or disqualify any Entries if it has reasonable grounds for believing that an Entrant has controverted any of these Terms and Conditions.

Good luck!

A Mobile-First Bingo Product to be launched

July 21, 2019 by Admin

A brand new mobile-first bingo has been launched by Nektan, the multi-focused iGaming platform and service, and you can now access the game across the developer’s network’s white label casino sites and play for real money.

Provided by the team at Pragmatic Play, this new product has served to further expand Nektan’s vast product portfolio for online and multiple players. The game, especially for mobile play offers a responsive in-game lobby. You will also find a broad selection of mini-games you can have fun with.

Greater Variety for Casino Players

Nektan has been working to expand its portfolio and has announced this new development in order to demonstrate its readiness to invest in its products. This, in order to support the ‘commercial ambitions of its white label operating partners’. The firm has said that the new games will appeal to all players in all markets around the world, as well as across all sectors of players and levels of preference.

Nektan chief operating officer, Jane Ryan, further noted that the launch of bingo games allows her company’s partners to gain and maintain a brand new player segment. She elaborated on this by stating that it also adds to the player’s gaming session new levels of choice and variety.

Ryan said she is confident that the mobile-first user interface and in-game lobby of the new bingo product will drive mobile traffic rates even higher as the majority of the firms’ players are mobile-based. The company is looking toward increasing its incremental gaming revenues for its partners as well as aligning itself with new bingo-focussed companies.

Reports of Slow Q3/Q4 Growth

Nektan recently issued another pre-close trading update, which revealed significant revenue growth. Even so, for this summer, the firm fell slightly short of its profit projections. In its announcement, the company stated its expectancy to deliver double-digit year on year revenue growth in the period ended June 30, 2019. In addition to this, they hope to see a significant reduction of loss in terms of EBITDA compared to 2018’s results.

Nektan noted that due to slower trends in its Q3 & Q4 periods, the goal of EBITDA to break-even this year would not be achievable. Ongoing effects of strict UK regulations when it comes to player verification and gambling marketing tactics are reported to have been among the factors to have impacted its first-time deposit results.

NZ Banks Restrict Gambling on Credit

July 14, 2019 by Admin

Credit cards have long been used as a widely popular and globally accepted iGaming payment method. However, this might not be the case for much longer. It has now been confirmed that within the next few months, major banks and credit agencies across New Zealand might restrict credit card payments pertaining to gambling-related services and products.

In December last year, ANZ Group became one of the world’s first companies to have introduced a new limit on any payments made to online gambling portals using credit cards. Following this measure, the firm’s New Zealand division has initiated discussions with stakeholders in the nation’s gaming industry in a bid to implement its own reasonable restrictions on wagering on credit.

Macquarie Implements New Limits

Just last week, prominent Australian bank Macquarie banned gambling using credit cards for residents Down Under. The bank has become the first major financial institution in Australia to do so, and it is expected that more banks will follow suit over the coming months. According to Macquarie, banning credit card usage for gambling was intended to protect its customers’ best interests.

Head of Personal Banking at Macquarie, Ben Perham, further elaborated that the blocking of transactions registered under a lottery and gambling merchant code, along with putting a cap on cash advance balances, are just a few of the crucial steps his organization has taken. Perham says that these moves will support the ‘financial wellbeing’ of the bank’s customers – while presumably also protecting them from the potential harms of excessive betting.

Opposition to Credit Gaming Grows

Using credit facilities to gamble is a practice that has been widely opposed by numerous social groups across Australia, New Zealand, and various parts of Europe as well. Opponents of the practice warn that gambling on credit could encourage excessive gambling habits while forcing addicts into a situation in which they might battle to repay what they owe, let alone the interest accrued.

Across the pond in the UK, the Labour Party has recently demanded a ban on the usage of credit cards for any gambling-related payments as well, becoming part of a growing trend.

With all this said, considering that credit cards are one of the global iGaming industry’s most widely used (and widely trusted) online payment methods, players and operators alike might find themselves scrambling to find new, similarly secure and convenient options through which to make deposits and withdrawals. Luckily, numerous other reputable eWallets and systems are available to fill the potential void that credit card payments might soon leave in their wake.

Scientific Games Partners with All-In Diversity Project to Establish Global Standards in Gaming Industry

May 30, 2019 by Admin

Scientific Games, a Las Vegas-based technology company, recently announced its official partnership with the non-profit endeavour, the All-in Diversity Project. The aim of this collaboration is to ensure a population of equality, diversity, and inclusion in the tech industry workplace.

Scientific Games plan to strengthen the reach and impact of this vision by working with additional partners, likely other tech companies. But before that happens, All-in’s first steps will be to determine what the diversity expectations in the gaming industry are like. Once these factors have been decided, the hopes are that a global standard will be founded and maintained.

Gaming industry evolving at a rapid pace

Katharine Anderson, Scientific Games’ director of diversity and inclusion, said in a statement on behalf of the company that they were proud to be involved in the ‘trailblazing endeavour’ and that with the gaming industry expanding at such a rapid pace, diversity in the work environments was essential. She concluded that the purpose of All-in was to secure inclusive opportunities for every individual that contributes to the gaming world.

Scientific Games as the founding firm would regularly communicate with other members of the initiative to ensure no blind spots were overlooked, and to help keep track of progress in the global industry. Ultimately, the main purpose of the initiative would be to act as a central data resource from which all participating operators and suppliers can quickly and easily determine best practices for diversity in their own areas.

More than just lip service

Co-founder of the initiative, Kelly Kehn, also expressed her delight at how things were unfolding and heaped praise on Scientific Games for deciding to get involved. She said it was outstanding to see a gaming organization go beyond lip service to walk the talk in the challenges of all-inclusive work environments, not just in the gaming sector, but all sectors across the world.

The next step

Whether more powerhouse technology companies step up and throw their weight behind the initiative is yet to be seen. The hopes are that the biggest players will decide to partner and add real power to this bold step in the right direction towards true workplace inclusion and equal opportunity. We will hear more as the story unfolds.