Issue N47, 2010
November 23, 2010
Virgin Casino Brings the Magic of Avalon Alive
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table come alive across the five reels and 20 pay lines of the new game, Avalon, which was launched at Virgin Casino this week. Microgaming'ss Avalon boasts plenty of exciting features to make this a definite game to try out at Virgin Casino, including the chance to win over $100,000 in jackpot money through the free spins feature, two wild symbols, a Lady Luck scatter and mystery multipliers. The game also boasts a gamble feature that allows players to double or quadruple their winnings if they are lucky enough.
“This is a fantastic feature rich game which provides both excitement and opportunity for great rewards,” said the Head of Products at Virgin Casino, Warren Eloff. “The epic nature of this game is certainly a welcome addition to or extensive games portfolio, and we anticipate it becoming a favored classic in no time.”
Players can try out Avalon video slot game at Virgin Casino, along with another 200 other exciting titles in the site’s portfolio of games. The site has partnership deals with a range of software groups, including Cryptologic, Ash Gaming and WagerWorks.
Quebec to Finally Launch Online Gambling Site
Gamblers in Quebec, Canada, will finally get a legal and regulated website to play their favorite casino games online, according to an announcement made by Loto-Quebec this week. The new site, espacejeux.com, will offer poker games, blackjack and roulette and will be limited to Quebecers over the age of 18 years old who are able to prove their identity. Other restrictions on the new site will be that players will not be allowed to gamble over $10,000 a week. The Chief Executive Officer of Loto Quebec, Alain Cousineau, said in an announcement that the site is expected to generate $50 million a year.
The online casino will be up and running by December 1st, 2010 and, by Christmas this year, as many as 20,000 people could be registered and enjoying the offerings. “We have a responsibility to do this and, by the way, if that makes it so the state will recoup some of the money that is available out there, the more the merrier,” said Cousineau.
Of course, as can be expected, not everybody is happy about the launch of the new site and some fear that it will lead to greater levels of gambling addiction. However, the government has played down this threat and said that the restrictions and safe gambling strategies put in place are among the highest standards in the world.
Poker Stars Limits Chinese Players to its Site
The top US facing online poker site, Poker Stars, has taken drastic measures to try and curb collusion and scams. The site announced that it would be severely restricting Chinese players to its site, stating that – effective immediately – they would only allow one Chinese player at once at any real money ring game table. As such, if a table already has a player from this geographical region seated, no other Chinese player may join until that player folds or leaves the game.
PokerStars.com sent out a statement to its China based players last week stating: “PokerStars.com has introduced a new security feature that prevents players from certain countries playing at the same ring game table.”
“This restriction means that only one player from each of these countries is able to play at the same ring game table. You are able to play at any ring game table you wish but once you are seated no other player from your country will be able to join the table. Similarly, if another player from your country is seated, you will be unable to join that table until they leave.”
“We regret the inconvenience that this has caused you but this policy has been implemented to enhance the integrity of the games,” it concluded.
Sportsbetting Sites Gripped by Royal Wedding Fever
Ever since Prince William and his long-time girlfriend, Kate Middleton announced their engagement last week, sportsbetting sites around the world have reported a huge increase in activity in their novelty bets section. Many sites such as William Hill, Paddy Power and Ladbrokes have opened a huge variety of Royal Wedding markets, where punters can bet on anything from the date of the event to the color of the queen’s hat.
Odds fluctuate all the time as more and more announcements come out of the royal palace regarding the big day. Millions of people from around the world are expected to watch the televised wedding, which will be even bigger than the marriage of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer nearly three decades ago. With eight months still to go until the big day, bookmakers are expected to make a quiet killing as more and more punters join the betting fever on this right royal event.