The winner is 21-year-old Chris from Olso, Norway, who had been playing at the online casino on his mobile while his girlfriend was grocery shopping. He had placed a small wager of just $1.25, and was shocked to find out that he had triggered the grand prize worth $4.2 million.

“We are delighted that this jackpot was won by one of our customers who was playing LeoVegas on his mobile phone as a means to keep himself entertained,” says LeoVegas Head of Casino, Karolina Pelc. “This truly shows what LeoVegas stands for – number one in mobile entertainment”.

Chris is thrilled with his winnings and is already planning how to spending the money. While he is still only young, he has some sensible plans for the windfall, as he hopes to invest in property. His main splurge will be a trip to the Maldives with his girlfriend.

This is the third time that the Joker Millions progressive slot from Yggdrasil Gaming has paid out its top prize since the game was released in 2015. The two previous jackpots were worth $1 million (September 2015) and $670 000 (December 2015).

As it turns out Joker Millions is a very generous game that pays out its grand prizes quite frequently. So, you can expect to see the next big win from this lucrative online pokie within the next few months!

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An affiliate site called Casino Listings has taken a stand against the games developer by publically exposing the developer. The site published several blogs, explaining the ways in which BetSoft games have been fixing their jackpots so that players are unable to cash in one the most generous prizes that are supposed to be on offer.

Towards the end of 2015, a user named BlackjackAA posted on the CasinoListings forum about the suspicious jackpots that he had come across on a BetSoft title called Greedy Goblins. He noticed that he was unable to trigger any prizes despite having played thousands of rounds – so, he decided to investigate.

What he found was a number of inconsistencies in which certain bet levels never paid out jackpots. Immediately, Casino Listings took over the investigation and started monitoring the games. Within months, the site’s owners noticed the same pattern: several bet level were unable to trigger jackpot prizes. Additionally, a number of Betsoft jackpots saw their payout frequencies change at exactly the same time. They noticed this suspicious activity right away, and published a warning for players.

While there is no official investigation of the issue, players are being warned about being careful while playing BetSoft slots. We wouldn’t go so far as to say stop playing them altogether, but it is important to be aware that there has been some very suspicious activity surrounding the developer’s jackpots.

The post BetSoft in Hot Water Over ‘Unfair’ Jackpots appeared first on Online Casinos NZ.

It has been a week since the games have been pulled from online casinos – and, we still know very little about the issue. The only information that we were provided with was an affiliate email which read:

“THE DARK KNIGHT has decided to pack his bags and renounce his old life. Sources tell us that he’s trading in his superhero lifestyle for a quieter, more serene one, where there are no bad guys to defeat and no damsels in distress to save. For the indefinite future, he has vowed to live in the countryside with the birds”.

Industry insiders have spectated that the games have been pulled due to licensing issues. When the first Dark Knight slots game was launched, it was in 2014. So, it is likely that the agreement has come up for renewal and Microgaming was unable to renegotiate. This would actually be the second time that Microgaming has experienced licensing issues, as the company had to pull its Lord of the Rings slots series due to a dispute with the estate of JRR Tolkien.

While players will certainly miss The Dark Knight series from Microgaming, there’s no need to fret. The developer releases plenty of exciting new games on a regular basis. For example, some of Microgaming’s hottest new releases include: Win Sum Dim Sum, Pretty Kitty, Bar Bar Black Sheep and Shoot! There are always plenty of new games available from this developer; so you’re sure find a great replacement for The Dark Knight series soon.

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The acquisition of Funtactix is yet another strategic move by Playtech to get further involved in the casual games market. The company first started making moves in 2014 when Playtech acquired YoyoGames. Since casual gaming is becoming a hugely lucrative industry, it is wise that Playtech has aimed to strengthen its position in this sector.

“The Playtech casual games division has a clear strategy and direction and we’re very confident it will continue to go from strength-to-strength,” says Shimon Akad, COO of PlayTech. “The acquisition of Funtactix, in addition to Plamee and YoYo Games, enables us to offer a complete suite of content and software to players, designers and third parties including some of the largest studios and brands in the world.”

Funtactix will work together with Playtech in a unique partnership. Even though the company is being acquired, it will still publish and develop games under the FTX Games division. Funtactix will also continue to form partnerships with entertainment brands and property owners. So, it is likely that we will see more online slots and pokies from Playtech that are based on pop culture brands like movies, television shows, cartoons, video games and comic book characters.

This is a very exciting time for Playtech. All of these new acquisitions will really boost the company’s ability to offer up fresh and innovative new online casino games. As such, the online gaming industry is eagerly watching Playtech’s next moves to see what the company has in store.

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The Jackpot Poker by PokerStars app was originally launched in December 2015, and it has become a hugely popular game among Android and iOS users. However, the company felt that it could be doing more to satisfy its players, so PokerStars has made the decision to launch social slots the application.

“Players have told us they want the ability to play slots while enjoying our jackpot tournaments and cash games,” says Lloyd Melnick, PokerStars’ Director of Social. “We will continue to add the features and capabilities our players want.”

Teaming up with Imperus Technologies, PokerStars will provide a range of Akamon slots games to the Jackpot Poker app. They will be available as separate games and side games for social poker players. This is a great opportunity for poker players to give a new kind of game a spin, especially well-known slots like those developed by Akamon. In the first rollout of social slots, three games will be released: Fire Wheel 7s, Monte Carlo and Salsa Nights.

“The agreement not only illustrates the popularity of our slot game titles but also shows our enormous potential to the rest of the industry as a way to increase social gaming market share,” says Vicenç Marti, President of Imperus Technologies.

Players can expect to see the new selection of Akamon slots on Jackpot Poker from Pokerstars within the month. We’re sure that they will be pleased to have option of taking part in free-to-play

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Broke is about fictional rugby player named Ben Kelly. Because of his gambling addiction, he lost his home and career, and the film takes a look at his journey to recovery. The film stars Steve Le Marquand and has been directed by Heath Davis.

Luke explains why he choose to produce the film:

“This was a story that people around me had been going through as well as many people in the media. I think, in the time we were developing the concept, there were multiple NRL players going through this issue.”

Today, problem gambling is still a big issue in the Kiwi sports industry. Recently, Kieran Foran has been accused to losing $75 000 betting on sports, highlighting the fact that more action needs to be taken in order to prevent both members of the general public and sports superstars from falling victim to gambling addiction.

“It is one of the few movies that actually tells the truth about gambling,” says Rhonda Woodford, problem gambling counsellor. “A lot of movies focus on the gambler being the hero, and the girls, and being very popular — but this really tells the other side, the people who are struggling with a gambling addiction.”

So far, the film has been well-received by moviegoers with an 8.9/10 rating on IMDB.

“Writer/director Heath Davis offers a cynical but convincing portrait of a desecrated athlete against a moody, lower-class suburban backdrop,” writes Tegan Lyon for The Reel Word. “Broke is a simple story, but one that resonates”.

You can take a look at the trailer below:

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Rawiri is a 27-year-old man from Matamata, who spent $250 at an online casino to play slots. He initially won $1500, but decided to try his luck by wagering on the Jackpot round. It was then that he cashed in on the life-changing prize. He was recently awarded with a cheque in front of the national media, and he was promised that the money would be in his account by the end of the week.

“We’re all thrilled for Rawiri. It’s a life-changing amount of money and we wish him the very best for the future,” says a spokesperson at the online casino where the generous prize was won.

The lucky winner has not yet made any specific plans for his winnings. However, he does know that he will be spending much of his prize to help out his parents and three siblings.

“I still can’t believe this is real. I’ve been in shock since I won and it is literally going to change my life,” he said in an interview with Maori Television. “There is so much my family and I can do with this money and it couldn’t have come at a better time. We are so overwhelmed and happy.”

This is great news for Rawiri and his family, and we wish them all the best with their newfound wealth!

The post Maori Man Wins $10m Jackpot At Online Casino appeared first on Online Casinos NZ.

The new Monopoly Casino will be powered by GameSys and Scientific Games. It will feature a wide range of slots based on the board game, along with some table games that include elements from Monopoly. Every aspect of the site has been designed with the Monopoly theme in mind.

Even the bonuses are based on the board game, as there is a Free Parking Slot. This is a free slots game that changes every day, so players can test out a great new game on a daily basis. There are also Community Jackpots (based on Community Chest), which offer players the chance to cash in on life-changing prizes.

“We’re delighted to be partnering with SG Interactive and Hasbro to launch MONOPOLY Casino,” says Simon Mizzi, Marketing Director at Gamesys. “It’s been such a strong and successful brand within iGaming for years and the gameplay lends itself perfectly to a truly immersive and differentiated gaming experience, which is exactly what Gamesys is all about.”

GameSys’s new Monopoly Casino has been specifically designed for mobile devices like tablets and smartphones, so players can take this new gambling destination with them wherever they go. However, there is also a desktop version that players can access from the comfort of their own homes.

Monopoly Casino is currently only licensed in the United Kingdom, and we hope that it will be launched in other markets around the world soon.

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While Odobo experienced a great deal of success in the online gaming market, the company found itself unable to keep up with the rising costs of running an online gaming business. As the industry continues to rapidly expand, it becomes more and more expensive for gaming companies to stay afloat – and, Odobo experienced this difficulty first-hand. In fact, earlier this year, the company’s senior executive team was looking for someone to buy Odobo.

“We needed to recognise that the velocity with which the business was growing was outpaced by the costs associated with providing the services that Odobo offered,” reads a statement from Odobo. “As a result, we have made the very difficult decision to close the business”.

The company also ran into difficulty due to the fragmented nature of the online gaming industry. Each country around the world has its own rules for regulating online casino games. Since Odobo provided games developers with all of the tools required to operating in any jurisdiction where online gaming was legal, the differing laws around the world made it difficult for Odobo to stay on top of things.

The statement continues:

“It has become clear that marketplaces like ours require wider scale to survive in an increasingly complex and fragmented regulatory landscape”.

Odobo will cease transacting by May 31^st , and the company’s offices will be closed on June 10^th. The company has thanked the online gaming market for its support and is grateful for the opportunity it has been offered in the casino industry.

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The deal will kick off with an initial payment of almost $30 million to Quickspin, when Playtech purchases 100% of the company’s shares. The remaining payment will be based on Quickspin’s EBITDA in 2017 and 2018. Overall, the deal will be worth six times Quickspin’s income before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation.

Quickspin is a relatively new company in the online casino market – but the firm has been growing very quickly. Over the course of the past few years, Quickspin has developed over 20 games for real-money and play-money online casinos and, in 2015, the company generated profits of over $9 million.

By teaming up with Playtech, Quickspin can look forward to even more growth as its games will be able to reach a wider audience. Playtech has over 100 online casino partners, and Quickspin will certainly benefit from being exposed to even more prestigious operators in the gaming market.

“Quickspin is a fast-growing and leading supplier of the highest quality games to the highest quality operators, strengthening Playtech’s position as the leading platform and content provider in the industry,” says Mor Weizer, CEO of Playtech. “We look forward to working with the Quickspin team and to see the Quickspin brand continue to flourish within the Playtech family”.

This is yet another great acquisition by Playtech, and the company continues to look for new partnerships with leading games developers and operators. It will be interesting to see what the next year brings for Playtech.

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