Issue N36, 2013

September 4, 2013

John McCain Brings Online Poker to Syrian Crisis

An amusing anecdote to a tense week for the American Congress debating a potential attack on Syria was reported by the Washington Post:A photographer for the newspaper shot a picture of Senator John McCain – once a presidential candidate – playing online poker during a three and a half hour debate in the security cabinet.McCain made light of his online poker activities during such an important meeting, tweeting soon after the picture was published: "Scandal! Caught playing iPhone game at 3+ hour Senate hearing - worst of all I lost!"

Mcain said that he had lost "a few thousand" playing online poker and then clarified that he had only been playing with fake credits.

The good senator is certainly not the first politician to play with his iPad during important parliamentary discussions. Several years ago, an Indonesian lawmaker was caught watching porn on his iPad during a session, matching the same charges against his Italian counterpart, Siemone Di Cagno Abrrescia.

McCain defended himself, saying that while he certainly listened to the debate on Syria, he sometimes needed a few moments to break the heaviness of such sessions and online poker helped him do that.

The Dark Knight Rises Slot Launches at Microgaming Casinos

The long awaited sequel to Microgaming online casino software group's hugely popular The Dark Knight Batman themed slot game has finally launched at partner casino sites.The Dark Knight Rises is based on the blockbuster movie of the same name and offers exciting features and rewards across its five reels.The 243 ways to win online slot game sees superhero Batman and the villainous Bane fight one another, enhancing free spins and multipliers along the way.

Microgaming is very proud of the audio-visual features of the game which includes video clips from the original movie, considered the ninth highest gross film of all time.

"It is always very exciting to be launching a game sequel, especially when the first installment has become such a success," said the Chief Executive Officer of Microgaming, Roger Raatgever. "Our game development team have done an incredible job. The slot fully embraces the Batman brand and pays justice to the film whilst also incorporating a series of pioneering features to enhance the player experience. Batman fans will not be disappointed; we expect The Dark Knight Rises online slot to be just as popular as The Dark Knight, if not more."

32Red Casino to Sponsor Bologna Football Club

32Red Casino, online casino arm of the London listed 32Red Plc gambling group, has signed a two year deal with the Italian football club, Bologna to sponsor the team in the upcoming season and beyond.32Red Casino is hoping to boost its brand in the Italian market which it entered recently.The deal includes online and offline co-branding activities, the launch of an affiliate program, as well as stadium branding.The sites have not disclosed the value of the two year sponsorship deal but it is understood to be a hefty sum.

"We are proud to be partnering with Bologna, one of Italy’s oldest and best known clubs,” said Ed Ware, the Chief Executive Officer of 32Red Casino. “Our previous associations with Swansea City and Aston Villa helped establish 32Red as a trusted and leading casino brand in the UK and we see Bologna as an ideal partner to help promote the 32Red brand in Italy."

The Microgaming powered 32Red Casino is considered to be one of the most popular sites around, having won countless industry awards, including Casino of the Decade several years ago.

Playtech Chairman Retires from Post

Roger Withers, who has served as non executive chairman of the board at Playtech for the past seven years, has announced that he is set to retire in October this year.Withers will be replaced by Alan Jackson who is the senior non executive director at the group.Jackson has been with Playtech since its initial public offering.

Playtech announced about Withers' departure: "Mr. Withers, whose seven year tenure commenced with the company's Initial Public Offering in March 2006, will be retained as an advisor to the company using his extensive industry knowledge to advise on strategic initiatives in the gambling industry."

"I am delighted to have played a role in the development of this amazing company from its AIM admission to a top 150 UK Premium-listed company with nil debt and Euro 1 billion of assets," said Withers. "It has been my privilege to serve Playtech and its shareholders over the last seven years. With the success of the business firmly established and set to continue, I leave Playtech financially robust, in good hands and well placed to continue to serve its licensees, shareholders, employees and other stakeholders. I am particularly pleased that Alan has agreed to become Chairman: neither I nor Playtech could ask for a better successor."