Clubs Campaign Against Harm Reduction Bill

New Zealand’s proposed Harm Reduction Bill has gained a great deal of support over the course of the past few weeks. Unfortunately, not everyone is on board with the idea of limiting the number of poker machines in each city, as sports clubs have started protesting the new bill.

According to a new report in the New Zealand Herald, Maori MP Te Ururoa Flavell – who sponsored the bill – states that organizations with a vested interest in poker machine profits are spreading rumours about the Harm Reduction Strategy. He states that clubs have claimed that sports organizations will not be able to apply for funding, but that is not the case. It seems that they are afraid that they will lose valuable profits from poker machines, and while their bottom line may be in jeopardy, there is no excuse for slander.

Part of the Harm Reduction Bill will cut out poker machine trusts, which distribute a portion of pokies profits back into the community. Instead of using this system, local community leaders will decide who gets to benefit from poker machine profits. This plan has been lauded by most politicians and community organizations, but sports clubs continue to remain unimpressed.

Zynga Inspires Mobile Gambling Market

Mobile gaming is a thriving industry. With a vast increase in the number of players taking part in mobile games from their smartphones and tablet computers, companies like Zynga have seen impressive financial growth. It has prompted them to enter into the real-money gambling world which has, in turn, inspired gambling operators to venture into mobile gambling.

Mobile devices have made it so that individuals have the desire to be entertained on a constant basis. As such, gaming has become incredibly popular, as mobile device users crave entertainment and activity while on the go.

Witnessing the substantial success of companies like Zynga in the mobile market, online casino developers are becoming more likely to offer their own mobile games. Microgaming has launched several titles already, but has been hesitant to expand. Now, seeing the success of mobile gaming is likely to inspire the operator to delve further into the mobile market.

Mobile betting has also served as a positive example for the rest of the online gambling world. Companies like TabCorp have noted that at least a quarter of their profits are coming from mobile activity, which serves as proof that mobile gambling is the next step forward for the market at large.

Gamble Free Day on September 1st

New Zealand’s Problem Gambling Foundation will be holding its fourth annual Gamble Free Day on September 1st, 2012. With problem gambling becoming a growing problem across the country, it is important to raise awareness about the issue. Gamble Free Day aims to ensure that Kiwis are well aware of the issue of problem gambling, providing fun activities to get the message across.

Scribe is a local rapper who has struggled with gambling addiction and has made it a mission to ensure that other young people do not follow the same path. As such, he has played a large role in this year’s Gamble Free Day. His Scribe With Us Competition encouraged young performers to write songs about gambling addiction in the weeks leading up to the event.

Throughout New Zealand, several family-friendly activities and events will be held. For example, Scribe, Tyree and finalists from the Scribe With Us competition will be performing in Auckland while other cities across the country also host live music events.

So, be sure to take your family out on Gamble Free Day this year. It is a great way to keep your children informed about problem gambling and spread the word about awareness.

25th Anniversary Promotion for NZ Lotto

A 25-year anniversary is a big even for anyone, and the New Zealand lottery wants to celebrate its quarter-century anniversary in style. This weekend, the NZ Lotto will be hosting an exciting event, giving away $7.5 million worth of cash prizes to some very lucky players.

As part of the promotion, the NZ Lotto is awarding players extra prizes. All tickets purchased between August 13th and August 25th will be entered into a special prize draw, in which several million-dollar prizes will be awarded.

“We believe it’s the biggest-ever promotion in New Zealand history, with a total of $8 million up for grabs,” says Wayne Pickup of NZ Lotto.

Three grand prizes worth $1 million will be paid out on August 25th. In addition, there will be another thousand winners, earning prizes between $2500 and $100 000. 25 instant prizes were also made available, awarding players as soon as they purchased their lottery tickets.

There is only one day left in the promotion, so don’t miss out on your chance to win big. Plenty of fantastic prizes are up for grabs, so your chances of winning are better than ever this week!

Construction on Hamilton Casino-Hotel Begins

$35 million will be spent on the construction of a new luxury hotel above SkyCity Hamilton. For months, developers have been working hard to get their plans approved and now they finally have the go-ahead. Now, the construction date has been set, as work on the new hotel will begin at the end of the 2012.

The hotel is planned to be a 4-star venue, catering to high-roller players at SkyCity Hamilton Casino. The property will house 8 duplex suites, 16 luxury suites and over 100 regular hotel rooms. Amenities will include a swimming pool, gym and sauna. As such, it will be inclusive accommodation for anyone who is visiting New Zealand on a gambling trip.

This seems to be part of Sky City’s plans to attract more high roller gamblers. Over the course of the past few years, the company has placed a great emphasis on VIP gaming, catering to individuals that spend millions of dollars. With luxury rooms and high-class amenities, the new hotel at SkyCity Hamilton most certainly aims to bring in more business from high roller gamblers with lots of money to spend.

Second Week of InterHunt Promo Begins

InterCasino has really outdone itself this time. The online casino operator launches creative promotions just about every month, aiming to keep players engaged and entertained. Normally, they require players to take part in particular games – but InterHunt is different. Players put their gambling skills and knowledge to the test in order to win cash prizes from the online casino operator.

Each week, players are presented with a new riddle. If they guess the answer correctly, then they can earn a generous cash prize. This is a totally different approach to most online casino promotions, and it has been a big hit thus far.

This week, the riddle is as follows: Travel to the Caribbean and test your skills at the table. The dealer awaits with a 52-card deck in hand.

Players must deposit $25 and then wager on the game that is hinted at in the riddle. This week, players must earn 200 comp points in order to earn up to $250 in bonus cash. It is a unique way for players to earn bonus dollars from an online casino and this week is especially beneficially for card-playing casino fans.

Week 2 of Interhunt has only just started, so visit InterCasino to find out how you can cash in.

PlayTech Introduces New Collapsing Reels Feature for Slots

The online slots market is saturated with hundreds of games. So, it is up to developers to think up new and interesting ways to reward players. PlayTech is great at doing so and, as such, its games are rich with fun bonus features that players can enjoy. The company’s latest invention is called Collapsing Reels, a feature that allows for multiple wins in a single spin.

Collapsing Reels is a bonus feature that takes place during the base game and Free Spins of new PlayTech titles. Whenever a win is made, the symbols involved in the win disappear. Then, new symbols fall into the places where they were. This could result in yet another win involving more symbols, so players could trigger multiple wins with just one wager.

If the concept sounds familiar, that’s likely because it is. IGT has similar feature called Tumbling Reels (available on DaVinci Diamonds) and other developers have created games with Cascading Reels. It is still a great feature, however – and it is about time that PlayTech adopted it.

The first game to feature Collapsing Reels is Hot Gems, a new online slots game from PlayTech. You can experience all of the fun and excitement of this bonus feature at Bet365 online casino.

iPhone Opens Up to Mobile Gambling

The iPhone was previously was one of the last few platforms that existed without offering online gambling applications – but all that has recently changed, as Apple devices now support mobile casino games. It opens up a whole new audience up to the possibilities of gambling in the digital era, allowing players to access their favourite gambling activities from virtually anywhere.

Currently, there are a number of mobile applications available for the iPhone, offered by companies like William Hill, Betfair and PokerStars. Developers have seen the immense value of appealing to the Apple gaming market and have taken advantage of the opportunity. With mobile technology developing rapidly, there is plenty of room for growth.

“This is the biggest opportunity that game developers have had since the advent of the Internet,” Christopher Griffin of Betable said in an interview with The Financial Post.

In order to offer their games via the iTunes marketplace, online casino developers must comply with strict rules and regulations, including local gambling laws. As such, you can rest assured that playing at an Apple-approved gambling website will offer up a safe and secure mobile gambling experience.

SkyCity Banks Big Win From High Rollers

SkyCity derives a large portion of its revenue from high roller gamblers, and the pursuit of their dollars has certainly paid off. According to recent reports, high rollers at SkyCity casinos across New Zealand and Australia wagered an astounding $3.8 billion.

This incredible statistic nearly doubles the wagers made by high rollers at the casino during the previous year. In 2010, high rollers spent just $1.9 billion. The increase is likely due to a jump in win rates, from just over 1% to 1.35% in 2011. Since players are compelled to wager more when they are winning, the win rate certainly worked in SkyCity’s favour.

SkyCity works hard to satisfy its high roller gamblers. VIP players are allowed a number of unique perks from the casino, including being able to rent their own gaming rooms and receiving special treatment from casino staff. The operator’s latest high roller venture was Horizon, a chain of gaming saloons and hotel rooms available only to high rollers.

Moving forward, SkyCity will be working on new ways to improve the high roller experience at its casino. For example, the company has recently had its proposal to build a luxury casino at SkyCity Hamilton, which will certainly attracting more high rolling gamblers to the casino brand.

12.6% Profit Increase for Sky City

Sky City has seen its fair share of problems lately. In addition to a failing self-exclusion program, the company has been in the news a number of times for quite a few scandals. However, this has not affected its profits, as Sky City reported a 12.6% increase in profits during the past year.

This is great news for the company. In other situation, a company whose profile is rife with scandal would suffer – but that has not happened with Sky City. Instead, the company generated over $138 million in 2011.

Much of the year’s growth was due to the 2011 Rugby World Cup. In addition to exposing a new audience to New Zealand’s top gaming operator, the games saw thousands of individuals wagering on the event. It is the same phenomenon that occurs during any big sporting event, but the Rugby World Cup was localized to New Zealand; so, Sky City was able to take advantage of the situation.

Moving forward, SkyCity will experience an even bigger profit increase. With the installation of 500 new poker machines at the company’s Auckland location, SkyCity will certainly thrive in the future.