Business Is Booming for Yggdrasil Gaming

Yggdrasil Gaming is new to the online casino market, and has experienced plenty of growth in a very short amount of time. This week, the company posted its first quarter financial results for 2016, and it seems that things are going very well for Yggdrasil.

Overall, the online slots developer saw a 519% surge in revenue up to $767 million. Bet turnover increased by 1085% to $600 000. This is one of the most successful results that we have seen for any new gaming operator. This is very encouraging for the company, and we are eager to see what comes next from Yggdrasil, based on this impressive growth.

Yggdrasil’s gaming growth has been attributed to its new deals. The company has signed a content supply deal with bet365, one of the web’s leading online casino providers, and has gone live on six different UK online gambling sites.

“Yggdrasil has kicked off 2016 with strong, mainly organic growth from existing customers and a number of exciting deals, launches and award,” says Fredrik Elmqvist. “We are already live with six operators in the UK and there will be more to follow in the coming months. It is certainly a very competitive market, and it is still early days, but early indications are encouraging.”

The company has also released 3 new games that have attracted plenty of attention from players around the world. Incinerator, Golden Fish Tank and Seasons all bring new themes and innovative gameplay features to the online casino market. It is no wonder why online gaming operators are so eager to work with Yggdrasil, as the company provides them with content that players are eager to try out. There is certainly more success in Yggdrasil’s future, and we can’t wait to see how the company grows in the coming year.

Full Tilt Now Migrated to PokerStars Platform

Full Tilt players will now be playing their favourite online poker games on PokerStars’ software. This week, the company completed its migration to the PokerStars platform, so both player pools will be combined for bigger prizes and better game selection.

All Full Tilt players who attempt to login to their accounts this week will be required to update the software. From this point on, the will be playing poker on PokerStars’ software. The lobby will look just like PokerStars and feature all of its games. Players will still be able to access Full Tilt’s Rush Poker, but it will just be a re-skinned version of PokerStars’ Zoom poker.

When players enter the games and tournaments, things will be much more familiar. The operator has decided to keep the in-game look like the original Full Tilt platform. So, players will have access to avatars, customisation options for the look of the room and the ability to play The Deal side game.

Rational Group, which owns both PokerStars and Full Tilt is exciting about the migration, as it means that the company will be able to focus on one platform instead of two. This means they can concentrate more on bringing new innovations to the one platform that will offer players newer ways to play their favourite poker games online.

 

“It will also make us more nimble as we can focus our technological innovation on one platform, rather than two, so we will be able to innovate more quickly and enter newly-regulating and existing markets swiftly,” says Rational Group CEO Rafi Ashkenazi.

Another major benefit is that there will be a wider player pool. This means that players will have a better game selection and access to large prize pools in tournaments. This is an exciting time for Rational Group, and the migration could really boost business.

Generous Holiday Giveaways from Casino.com

Casino.com is an online gaming site that always offers players the chance to cash in on amazing prizes both inside and outside of their casino games. There is always a generous promotion on at Casino.com, and currently the site is running two great holiday giveaways.

The Dubai Dreams promotion offers players the chance to win a trip to Dubai, one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations. It is a prize draw giveaway where players receive one entry for every $30 the deposit. The more players deposit, the more entries they will win, and their chances of winning will increase. Players have until 2 June to earn their entries, and the prize draw will take place the next day. The winner of the draw will win a six-night holiday to Dubai for two.

The Lucky Break promotion offers players the chance to win weekly bonuses worth up to $2000, and the opportunity to win a holiday of their choice. This is a leaderboard promotion in which players receive points every time they play games at Casino.com. There will be a new leaderboard every week, and the winner each time will receive a $2000 prize.

At the end of the promotional period (2 June), all players who took place in the leaderboard promotion will be entered into a prize draw for a holiday of their choosing. There are different holidays available to players at different loyalty levels:

–          VIP Elite players: A $10,000 holiday

–          VIP players: A $7,000 holiday

–          Bronze, Silver and Gold players: A $3,000 holiday

If you win, where you spend your prize holiday will be completely up to you! Learn more about this online casino and opt-in to the promotion here.

Harawira would ban pokies in poor areas

The MP of Te Tai Tokerau has spoken of a radical plan to reduce gambling problems in New Zealand’s poorer communities… He believes that banning pokies altogether would be a simple way to eradicate the problem. Mr Hone Harawira thinks that the NZ$3.7m lost by gamblers in the Whangarei area, from April to June alone could have been kept in the poorer elements of the community and helped feed school children who are going hungry.

However, this was not a problem restricted to the Whangarei area, figures from the department of Internal Affairs show that in the three months from April to June lost nearly NZ$90k a day on pokies in the Northern region of the country.

The figures also show that gambling problems are becoming a big issue for women – nearly 50% of those seeking help for gambling issues are now female. One of the problems that Mr Harawira has with pokies in the region is that the money is often taken by the government and spent elsewhere in big cities like Auckland.

The full story can be found in the Northern Advocate.

Imigrants to NZ can have gambling problems

Simon Tam, a councillor for the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand (PGFNZ) has said that immigrants from Asia who find it hard to adjust to life in New Zealand, can be susceptible to loneliness and can turn to life in casinos by way of forging a life in the country.

Tam states that life in East Asia and the Indian sub-continent is very different to a life in NZ – with the big cities in Asia being busy and bustling, whereas life in NZ can be much quieter – this fact coupled with not having friends, family and also not always speaking the language can lead to finding refuge in the casinos.

Gambling venues are seen as places where Asians meet other Asians or places where they will go and invite their friends along. Frequent casino attendance can obviously lead to an addiction to gambling, however, Tam says that because of the shame and stigma attached to problem gambling many Asians decide not to seek help – which he added – was the worst attitude to have…

Organisations like the PGFNZ can offer help to problem gamblers, however, they cannot pay off debts created by gambling, which is sometimes what people go to the organisation expecting…

Wairarapa area to have a poker machine review

The Wairarapa Times-Age reports that as many as 500 people in the Wairarapa area could be problem gamblers – it based on the stat that 1.8% of Kiwis are reported to be problem gamblers.

It’s an interesting figure, given that spending on lotteries, pokies and casinos have dropped in New Zealand over the past 12 months… In fact it’s only sports betting (helped by the rugby world cup) and TAB Racing that have risen in the past year.

The number of Pokies in Wairarapa has been reduced since 2003 from 260 to 242 this summer. However despite this reduction there was still over $7million spent on pokies in the last 12 months.

As a result of these heavy losses concillors Lynn Pattrson and Chris Peterson have promised a full review of the area’s gambling policy – changes are expected to be made in the areas of number of gambling machines (no more to be allowed) and consideration is to be taken of the social and economic affects of gambling on the area.

Online gambling companies pay commission to third parties for new players

Originally Posted on Tuesday Aug 16 9:19:00 BST 2011

There is an interactive and online gambling inquiry in Australia at the moment, and no doubt interested parties in New Zealand are keeping a watchful eye on proceedings.

The Chief Executive of Sportsbet, which is based in the Northern Territory in Australia, has revealed that it is standard practice in the gambling industry for companies to pay commission to third parties for referrals to their sites.  Sportsbet has admitted that it pays up to £4 million a year in commissions.

The issue is that the people being referred do not know that others were getting remuneration for the introductions, and this may breach legislation.

This news has prompted an independent Senator to amend an online gambling bill which he is working on, so that it would outlaw such commissions being paid in the future.

Whilst online gambling around the world continues to become more popular, some countries, including New Zealand, have remained adamant that internet casinos should not operate within their shores, but this only prompts people who want to use interactive

World Cup inspires online gambling

Originally Posted on Saturday Sep 17 16:19:00 BST 2011

TAB has reported that the World Cup has seen record numbers of punters placing a bet.

Gambling, particularly online, is easier than ever before. The number of people with access to smartphones and computers has never been higher, and a touch of a button will give live updates on odds, enabling punters to make a bet at any stage of a game.

Young people seem to have been inspired  by the World Cup, and some gambling help groups worry that this may leave youngsters with a taste for online gambling once the event is over.

TAB is encouraging new punters by offering $20 credit for those betting on an All Blacks game, and have seen a massive rise in the number of people placing bets through their phones, with major sporting events such as this often attracting many people who have never placed a bet before.  There is some concern that there will be more emphasis placed on the gambling than on the event itself.

It is unlikely that TAB have been targeting young people in particular, and certainly no-one will know any time soon if first time gamblers will continue to gamble after the World Cup is over.

Smoking in pokie machine areas

Originally Posted on Thursday Sep 1 15:55:00 BST 2011

The New Zealand Gambling Commission surprised many people recently by allowing the Auckland and Dunedin casinos to have pokie machines in smoking areas.

Critics of this move say that allowing people to smoke while playing the machines will increase gambling problems.

On top of this Auckland’s SkyCity casino is set to build a covered area with protection from the weather.  The area will allow smoking and it is hoped to move around 70 pokie machines into the area.

When smoking was generally banned in pubs and clubs, gambling revenue was seen to drop quite dramatically, so this ruling may be seen as a way of redressing this problem.

However, with an estimated 58% of problem gamblers also being smokers, having to go to another area away from the pokies to smoke, may have deterred some from returning to the machines.

The precedent that was set last year when the gambling commission allowed pokies to be located in a smoking area in a Wellington pub, has been quickly followed by these moves by casinos.

Online pokies can be accessed from a home computer and are very realistic, so any hopes of keeping smoking and gambling apart is a hopeless cause, when punters gambling at home can do exactly as they wish with regards to smoking.

Interactive gambling scene in New Zealand

Originally Posted on Monday Aug 1 15:11:00 BST 2011

The online gambling scene in New Zealand is developing in a similar way to any unregulated market, with many people feeling that it is out of control. Although online gambling is against the law in the country, there does not appear to be any move afoot to either regulate or legalise it.

As mentioned in the last blog this has not stopped the Lottery Commission from launching new ways to gamble on the internet.  This has been met with considerable concern by many who feel it will only perpetuate problem gambling.

Although much discussion has been generated by this latest move by the Lottery Commission, the bigger issue of the regulation of online casinos has not even been touched on.

It is well known that Kiwi players gamble on offshore online casinos, with some even accepting New Zealand dollar deposits.

As the world has become a much smaller place as a result of the internet it is hard to see how any such regulation could be very effective.