Issue N20, 2011
May 26, 2011
Viva la Casino: Spain Issues its First Online Casino License
Spain has made history by issuing its first online gambling license this month. The license was granted to Casino Gran Madrid, which is Spain’s largest land based casino group. Thanks to the license received on May 17th, Casino Gran Madrid is now allowed to offer online casino games to citizens of the Autonomous Region of Spain, as well as online poker. A new law that was passed in February will come into effect in summer, 2011, and players will then be allowed to access the online gaming platform and enjoy titles by software giant, Playtech.
In 2009, Casino Gran Madrid and Playtech signed an agreement whereby the software groups would provide the games and platform as soon as Spain passed the appropriate laws to make egaming legal in the country. The casino will undergo beta testing in the coming weeks and if everything is up to scratch, players should be able to access the new site by this summer. According to the Director of Information Systems at Casino Gran Madrid, the software will undergo more than 200 million simulated plays during the certification process.
New Megadeth Branded Casino Games on their Way
Fans of heavy metal band, Megadeth, will be thrilled to note that they will soon be able to enjoy branded casino games based on this musical legend. Leander Games, which recently announced a partnership deal with Gaming Technology Solutions (GTS) and OpenBet, announced this week that it had secured exclusive worldwide rights to develop branded games for the online and offline casino industries based on Megadeth. The band, which was founded in 1983, has sold over 25 million albums on a global level.
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Leander Games, Ramiro Atucha said that providing licensed games for a phenomenal brand such as Megadeth is an exciting proposition for the group. “Drawing on the band’s staggering worldwide popularity and in keeping with their image, we have developed a game that will truly engage players on a global scale,” he said. “We have an in house team that specializes in providing the most thrilling mathematics and advanced graphics with most of the creative team specializing in 2D, 3D and motion art, therefore the Megadeth slot game player experience is unparalleled.
New Online Casino Launches
A brand new online casino site has launched, providing players with a new venue to try out super exciting games and software. The site, AdamEveCasino is actually a sister site to the popular AdamEvePoker site, and so while the site is new, the brand is not, and players can rest assured that they’ll be playing through a platform that has years of experience in the industry. The site offers over 100 premier casino games to choose from, ranging from blackjack and roulette, to multi line video slots with up to fifty lines, and interactive 3D slot games with huge payouts.
According the Manager for the new online casino, Oleg Kudlaev: “Our goal is to expand the experience of our players. We've selected the best games on the market, which, in combination with our marketing campaigns, will enable us to become one of the best casino sites on the market.” To introduce players to the new AdamEveCasino, the site is offering all new members a no deposit bonus that is worth a generous €77. “Gaming convenience and a wide range of accepted payment methods along with efficiency and quality of support services will enable all players to enjoy the games and win at AdamEveCasino.com,” noted the manager.
US DOJ Ups the Ante in Fight Against Online Poker
The United States Department of Justice has launched its second round of the battle against online poker by seizing the domain names of ten more sites that offer their services to US players. The DOJ issued a statement saying that Darren Wright and Daivd Parchomchuk of BetEd, as well as Ann Marie Puig of BMX Entertainment have been charged by authorities in Maryland with conducting illegal gambling businesses and money laundering. One of the most noteworthy domain names seized was DoylesRoom, the poker room endorsed by WSOP bracelet winner, Doyle Brunson. The other domain names seized were as follows: Bookmaker.com, 2Betsdi.com, Funtimebingo.com. Goldenarchcasino.com, Truepoker.com, Betmaker.com, Betgrandesports.com, Betehorse.com, and Beted.com.
The lengthy investigation into these companies involved a sting operation whereby the Homeland Security Office set up a bogus payment processing company in 2009 and processed over $33 million in payments over 300,000 transactions. “It is illegal for internet gambling enterprises to do business in Maryland, regardless of where the website operator is located,” said noted U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “We cannot allow foreign website operators to flout the law simply because their headquarters are based outside the country.”