HTML 5 Supported on All Slots New App

When it comes to playing at online casinos, most Apple users are out of luck. Many of the top online gambling sites run on Flash software and since Apple devices do not run this software, players are left out in the cold. However, Microgaming is looking to change that, beginning with its newest mobile offering from All Slots online casino. The new mobile casino application supports HTML 5, which means that Apple users can play online casino games while on the go.

With more and more internet users purchasing Apple devices, it is increasingly important for online gaming operators to take advantage of this market. While it may be difficult to appeal to Apple users, Microgaming has done its fair share of hard work in figuring it out. Now, the company can expect a lot more traffic, as its new offering will attract a whole new audience.

Initially, 11 games will be available on the new mobile gambling application. Slots like Tomb Raider and Thunderstruck can be played from iPads and iPhones while table games like blackjack and roulette are also available. As time goes on, Microgaming will release even more gaming options for iPad and iPhone users.

DIA To Investigate NZ High Rollers

High rollers are gamblers that spend millions of dollars at local casinos, and local gambling operators enjoy their patronage. However, the Department of Internal Affairs is not as pleased, believing that there is the possibility that money laundering and other crimes are taking place in local casinos.

The DIA has noticed a trend, which sees Asian gamblers spending very little time in New Zealand while gambling millions of dollars. While there is no proof that their activities are illegal, the authorities still believe that the activities need to be investigated.

“You have to stress that you don’t know if there was money laundering,” says the DIA’s Maarten Quivooy. “But, I think we need to get a little smarter about understanding these patterns of casino use and ensuring they are appropriate.”

Recently, New Zealand and Australian casinos have become the target of various types of fraud – from cashing bad cheques at the local casino to seeing gamblers spending stolen money. So, it is not entirely out of the question that money laundering is taking place. The team will spend the next few months investigating high roller transactions at local New Zealand casinos, and the results are sure to be very interesting.

NZ Wants to Spend $55 Million on Harm Reduction

New Zealand has been working hard on its gambling harm reduction lately. In addition to launching a Harm Reduction Bill, the local government is considering spending $55 million on a strategy for promoting safe and responsible gambling in the country.

According to a recent report in Australia’s Herald Sun, the New Zealand government wants to take a new approach to gambling reform. Rather than focusing on betting limits and prevention programs that place the onus on the player, the government wants to place an emphasis on counselling and public health.

Starting recently, gambling addiction is being treated as a public health concern. As such, local politicians want to make changes to medical services that reflect this. This would mean that more counselling and treatment services would be made available to problem gamblers and their loved ones.

Gambling research will also be a significant part of this strategy. As it stands, very little research has been done to truly understand how gambling addiction can be prevented and treated and the New Zealand government wants to change this.

The cost of the new program will be provided by casino and pokies club operators. It seems fair that gambling venues support harm reduction measures, and we hope that there won’t be very much resistance.

Less Funding for Organizations As Pokies Spending Declines

One of the benefits of having residents spend millions of dollars on pokies every year is that a large portion of the revenue goes to charities across the country. However, it is a double-edged sword, as decreased pokies spending has left many local arts, education and social assistance programs struggling to meet their fundraising goals.

From April to June 2012, West Auckland residents spent $8.31 million on pokies. This is a significant decline from the same period in 2012, when $300 000 more was spent on the games. Across the whole of New Zealand, only $212 million was spent on pokies, down from $220 million the year before.

This means good things for the concern over problem gambling, as less spending is a sign that less harm is being done. However, there is a Catch 22, seeing as many local charities are not receiving as much funding as they are used to.

While this may seem like a bad sign at first, it is simply a push in a new direction. We are certain that most of these organizations do not want to support problem gamblers; so it will mean that they will have to find funding elsewhere. It may be an uphill climb, but several sports clubs and hotels have done so, and we believe it will start a positive trend.

First-Ever Real Money Gambling App for Facebook

GameSys will become the first developer to ever launch a real-money gambling application for Facebook. Its new game Bingo Friendzy offers players the ability to purchase tickets and win real cash prizes, just like they would at any other online bingo website.

It was only a matter of time before Facebook got involved in the online gambling market. For the past year, the company has been hinting at being interested in working in the real-money gambling world, and now the time has finally come.

Bingo Friendzy offers up the same online bingo experience that you would find at traditional bingo websites, as it is operated by Jackpot Joy. Since the company already has a success online casino and play-money Facebook application, it was the perfect choice for this ground-breaking application.

The operator knows what it takes to run a successful online bingo application but also has some very creative ideas when it comes to socializing.

The application is only available to UK players at the moment, and the site will use geo-location technology to determine all players are in the legal jurisdiction. Stringent ID verification will also ensure that all players are of the legal gambling age.

New BaTourney at InterCasino

InterCasino is always launching new and interesting online casino promotions to keep its players interested while promoting its newest games. This month at InterCasino, you can take part in the BaTourney, which celebrates the launch of its new Batman online slots game.

The online casino has fantastic timing. When the Avengers movie hit theatres, the InterHeroes Assemble promotion was launched. Now, as The Dark Knight Rises dominates the box office, InterCasino has launched its BaTourney slots tournament.

Entering is simple, as always. Simply enter the bonus code BATOUR when you make a deposit of $25. Every $10 you wager on InterCasino’s Batman slot machine, will count for one comp point. As you earn comp points, you climb the leaderboard for your chance to win a portion of a $2000 prize pool.

Batman is a 50-reel online slots game based on everyone favourite DC comic book hero. The game features some fantastic bonus features and great winning potential. It has received rave reviews from online gambling critics and is highly praised by players.

First place in the competition wins an impressive $500 while second and third win $300 and $150, respectively. There is still a week left in the competition, so get spinning for your chance to win!

Developers Ready Themselves For Mobile Gaming Boom

Companies like Zynga and Electronic Arts have thrived in the online gaming market thanks to their quick uptake of the Facebook Games platform. Now, trend seems to be dying out and developers are getting ready for the next big thing in gaming: mobile.

The mobile market is currently quite popular, but it is only slowly taking over the lead currently held by social browser-based gaming. Over the course of the next few years, as Facebook and console games continue to suffer, mobile gaming will become the most popular choice for players.

According to a recent report by DFC Intelligence, mobile gaming will contribute $15 million to the overall growth of the worldwide gaming market. Although most of the games are free to download or only cost a few dollars, the vast number of players taking part makes mobile gaming a lucrative market. So, it is no wonder why so many developers are eager to get in on it.

Gambling companies are also looking forward to the mobile gaming boom. Operators like Spin Palace and PokerStars have already launched mobile gambling applications, and we can anticipate that many more companies will follow suit.

Council Meeting Highlights Unfairness of Pokies Funding

Auckland council has recently held a meeting discuss poker machine funding. It was an interesting event, as a number of shocking revelations were made, prompting the council to rethink the way in which poker machine grants are awarded.

What left council members most disappointed was that public servants were using $40 000 of machine funding to pay for a ‘rich man’s’ sporting event: The Volvo Ocean Race. Racing of this sort is not considering the type of sport that requires funding from poker machines, with youth leagues and community sports supposedly taking precedent.

The tourism board applied for the funding, highlighting another potential concern. When public servants apply for poker machine funding, they seem to be better equipped to file successful applications than community groups who have less experience with funding.

The meeting also dedicated some time to exploring the moral dilemma faced by some community groups when accepting pokies funding. Half of the organizations that receive funding would not be able to survive without it, but half of respondents also noted that there was a moral dilemma presented by taking money generated by pokies and problem gambling profits. Of those surveyed, only 10% of organizations did not accept poker machine funding.

Sky City Convention Centre Makes ‘Mockery’ of the Law

Researchers at the University of Auckland state that the deal John Key has coined with Sky City for the construction of the city’s new convention centre makes a mockery of New Zealand’s laws. The country’s Gambling Act aimed to protect residents from the harmful effects of gambling, but Dr Peter Adams and Dr Fiona Rossen state that the convention centre deal is a sign that the law has failed.

The New Zealand Gambling Act was established years ago to minimize the harmful effects of gambling. It was a step in the right direction towards ensuring that the health and social impacts of gambling were considered by politicians. However, exchanging the construction of the new convention for the addition to 500 new poker machines seems to be a huge step backwards for the country.

“John Key’s gone ahead with the casino deal without embracing any of that,” says Dr. Adams. “This occurred without reference to the public health purposes of the Gambling Act, thereby making a mockery of the years of effort put into its public health provisions.”

The new report brings to reveals that the convention centre deal is not supported by most residents. However, John Key is determined to follow through with negotiations, angering the general public even further.