Issue N34, 2013

August 22, 2013

Skrill Sold to CVC Capital Partners

One of the most popular forms of payment for online gamblers, Skrill, has been sold to the private equity group, CVC Capital Partners for EUR 600 million.Skrill was formerly known as Moneybookers and is one of the biggest players in the market, competing with other big names such as PayPal.The British online payment group was sold by current owners, Investcorp, who will maintain a minority share in the group and a place on the board.Skrill boasts 35 million account holders from around the world and earned Investcorp its investment costs six times over.

“Skrill is a high-quality business that has demonstrated its ability to grow rapidly into a market leading provider of online payments serving the online gaming, gambling, digital media and e-commerce industries,” said Peter Rutland, who has the role of senior managing partner at CVC Capital Partners.  “We are pleased to have the opportunity to invest in Skrill and support its management team as they continue to grow their range of online payment options across the globe.”

Earlier this year, CVC Capital Partners was involved in negotiations to take over Betfair online gambling group but the talks fell through after the groups were not able to reach an agreement.

New Net Entertainment Mobile Casino Game

Net Entertainment, the Swedish online casino software group, has rolled out another slot game to its growing mobile platform.Net Ent's Touch platform welcomed Reel Rush Touch slot, bringing gamblers on the go one of the most innovative games released by this group.

Reel Rush mobile slot features 3125 ways to win, as well as lots of bonus features such as wilds, re-spins and free spins.Players get to win up to five re-spins which change the shape of the reels, and when they reach a specific goal, the free spins are triggered.

The animations in this game are second to none and make for a highly entertaining new product on a fast growing mobile platform.

Simon Hammon, the Chief Product Officer of Net Entertainment said about the expansion of the group's mobile gaming platform: "Developing Reel Rush Touch for mobile was the logical move after the positive response we have had from players enjoying the video slot. The mobile sector continues to grow at a fast pace and Net Entertainment meets the high demand by continuously growing our innovative mobile portfolio."

Mega Moolah Jackpot Reaches £3 Million at All Slots Casino

Mega Moolah progressive video slot game, one of the top paying games in the Microgaming network, is set to pay out GBP 3 million or more to a lucky player at All Slots Casino.The site announced that the jackpot on this game passed the magical milestone amount and is now growing fast as more and more players flock to the site to try their luck.

The five reel, 25 line Mega Moolah video slot is one of several progressives available at this site.

"With the launch of the All Slots Casino mobile app, players have more ways to win than ever before," said David Brickman, the vice president of player affairs at All Slots online casino. "It would be incredible if one of our players managed to win this huge jackpot."

This is certainly not the first time that Mega Moolah has made headlines. The game paid a very lucky winner from the United Kingdom an eye-watering GBP 5.88 million last December when he made a mere 30 p stake.Players need to play the maximum number of coins to put themselves in line to win the Mega Moolah jackpot, or any other progressive jackpot at the site for that matter.

Full Tilt Poker Payout Date Nears for US Players

It's a day that Full Tilt Poker players from the United States never believed would come; but it's official:The organization commissioned by the Department of Justice to handle the disbursement of funds to US players, Garden City Group, has announced that the process is underway to begin paying out players, and has called for all those who believe they are eligible for funds to file a petition through the official site.Players have 60 days to submit their petitions, beginning on September 16th and ending November 15th, 2013.Players will be sent emails which contain instructions on how to begin the process, while the same text will be found at the official claims website set up by the Garden City Group, FullTiltPokerClaims.com.

The group also said: "If the forfeited funds available for distribution equal or exceed the aggregate FTP Account Balances for all eligible Petitioners, each eligible Petitioner with an approved claim will receive the entirety of his or her FTP Account Balance. If the aggregate FTP Account Balances for all eligible Petitioners exceed the funds available for distribution, payments shall be made to eligible Petitioners on a pro rata basis."