Lucky LeoVegas Player Wins $4M Jackpot

LeoVegas is one of the leading online casinos in the gaming world today, thanks to its wide range of online slots games, generous promotions and life-changing jackpots. This week, one lucky player scooped a $4 million prize from this online casino while playing the Joker Millions progressive slot from Yggdrasil Gaming.

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!

New Monopoly Branded Online Casino from GameSys

There are some brands in the online casino world that are very popular among players. Monopoly is one such brand, which is why we tend to see so many online pokies based on the classic board game. Now, GameSys is taking things one step further by launching a whole new casino based on Monopoly.

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.

Quickspin Acquired by Playtech in Multi-Million Deal

Playtech is one of the biggest online gaming providers in the online casino world, and it just keeps growing. This week, the company has announced its plans to purchase online slots developer QuickSpin for over $55 million.

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.

 

 

Co-Founder Leaves Zynga

Another one bites the dust at Zynga. For the past few months, several executives for the social gaming site have left for greener pastures, and now co-founder Justin Waldron has decided to take his leave as well.

“I am grateful to have had the chance to help build a company that touched so many people,” reads a statement from Waldron. “Thank you to everyone who has been a part of it

Waldron joined Zynga six years ago when the social gaming company was just an idea in founder Mark Pincus’ head. He was approached by Pincus for help with the development of an online poker game with unique social gaming elements. The result of their teamwork was Zynga Poker, one of the company’s best-selling titles.

This week, Waldron announced that he would be leaving Zynga to pursue his personal business interests. He has not yet announced what his future pursuits are, but we anticipate that he will either continue in the social gaming market or work on his investment portfolio, which include Delectable, Instant Cab and Red Hot Labs.

New Pokie Grant Reforms Introduced

In New Zealand, local politicians have introduced new reforms that will change the way pokie grants are distributed. For the past few years, several pokie trusts and pub owners have been caught misappropriating funds, and local politicians want to cut back on these crimes.

“We have examples of conflicts of interest that are at the root of some of the current investigations that are going on so there’s many examples without specifically naming individual ones,” says Chris Tremain, Minister of Internal Affairs.

Many different types of pokie grant fraud have taken place over the years. Many clubs and trusts provide pokie funds to individuals that are not eligible for grants while other organizations withhold their funding altogether. The goal of the new reform will prevent this from happening by making the system more transparent. Since more information about these transactions will be made public, pub owners and trusts will be more reluctant to circumvent the system.

At the moment, few details have been revealed – but we do know that these reforms will be implemented along with the Harm Reduction Bill. As more details about the legislation are introduced, we will keep you updated.

100 Billionth Hand Promotion at Poker Stars

Yet another milestone is coming up at PokerStars, as the renowned online poker room prepares to deal its 100 billionth hand. Leading up to the milestone hand, PokerStars will be providing players with the chance to take part in a wide range of promotions that offer up generous prizes.

As was the case with all other milestone hands at PokerStars, the company will be awarding promotional prizes to players involved in every millionth hand leading up to the milestone – starting at 99,700,000,000. Every player that takes part in these hands will earn a generous prize, and Poker Stars is ready to hand out $1 million.

An additional $1 million will be split among the players in the 100 billionth hand. The winner of the hand will earn at least $100 000 while the remaining players will earn $10 000 and additional cash for their VPPs.

Players can increase their chances of taking part in a milestone hand simply by playing more hands and multi-tabling. It may take some dedication, but if you end up in a milestone hand, it will certainly be worth the hard work.

Zynga Plus Casino and Zynga Plus Poker Now Live

Popular social gaming developer Zynga has finally made its move into the online casino market. After being live for over a month, ZyngaPlusPoker.com and ZyngaPlusCasino.com are now hosting a wide range of online gambling activities for players to enjoy.

These new online gambling websites will revolutionize the market. Real-money casino operators have launched Facebook apps before, but this is the first time that a social gaming developer has ventured into the real-money gambling word. It is a new era for the gambling market.

At Zynga Plus Casino, many of the games are exclusive to the site. Some games are based on existing Zynga titles, such as the new Farmville slots games, while others feature familiar characters, such as Intensive Scare. There are also some exclusive branded slots, like Sin City and Knight Rider. With an impressive selection of online slots and table games, Zynga Plus Poker will certainly attract a wide range of players.

Zynga Plus Poker is likely capitalizing on the company’s existing Zynga Poker fan base. The play-money Facebook app has millions of users, many of which have likely made the switch to Zynga’s new real-money poker application.

Currently, the websites are only accessible by UK players. We hope that they will expand to other markets in the near future.

SkyCity Auckland Player Faces Fines for Cheating

In casinos, millions of dollars are passed from player to player on a daily basis. So, it is no wonder that some casino staff and players feel the urge to take more than their fair share. Fortunately, New Zealand casino operators like Sky City are equipped with the sophisticated technology required to catch cheaters and their accomplices.

These sophisticated systems threw a wrench in the plans of Bo Du, a casino dealer that had worked at SkyCity for more than six years. She was only allowed to scam $50 000 from the casino by the time the casino operator discovered that she had been accepting cash gifts from patrons in return for manipulating the outcome of roulette games. She ensured that the ball dropped just before the betting ended, allowing her accomplices to wager on the correct outcome.

It did not take long before management discovered the operation. Du and several casino patrons were apprehended for their crimes. The former casino dealer was placed on house arrest and has been ordered to pay SkyCity $20 000 in damages. She has also been blacklisted from working at any other casino venue in the world. The penalties that the patrons received have yet to be announced.

New Live Dealer Games at InterCasino

InterCasino online casino is one of the top online gambling websites out there today. It is well-known for meeting customer demands and knowing exactly what it takes to keep players interested and engaged. This month, the casino operator has decided to appeal to a different audience with the launch of its new Live Dealer selection, which will certainly attract more players to this world-class website.

If you’re not already familiar with Live Dealer games, these are online casino games that are played with real dealers rather than computer software. Rather than having a random number generator determine the outcome, a dealer (broadcasted via webcam) shuffles the cards or spins the roulette wheel.

At InterCasino, there are a number of benefits for its new Live Dealer selection. Players can select which dealer they would like to play with and they can chat with them while the game is taking place. Each table has different betting levels, so players with a wide range of bankrolls can take part in this innovative gaming offering. Players should also take note that there is a wide availability of live dealers, so you will never be waiting very long for a table!

Microgaming Introduces Blaze Poker to Mobile

Fast-fold poker is the latest trend in the online gambling world. Offering players the chance to instantly receive a new hand after folding, these types of applications are popular among poker players with a taste for fast-paced action. Now, players can take their fast-fold gaming with them on the go. PokerStars recently launched Zoom Poker on mobile and now, Microgaming has done the same with Blaze Poker.

Blaze Poker is Microgaming’s own fast-fold poker application. Once players fold their hand at one table, they are taken to a new table and dealt a new hand. Players can take part in hundreds of hands per hour, multiplying their profits.

The application has led to a 33% growth in profits over the course of the past few months. So, it seems only natural that the operator would want to expand its reach. Mobile Blaze has yet to hit the mobile market place but Microgaming is enthusiastic about the venture.

“Microgaming is gearing up for the imminent launch of Blaze Mobile, which will offer its popular fast fold poker game variant to players, and soon-to-be introduced Mobile Bingo,” reads a statement from the company.