Issue N48, 2011

December 14, 2011

Virgin Games Launches New Mobile Casino Platform

Virgin Casino announced that it has launched a new mobile casino offering to the industry, essentially taking some of the best games found at its online casino site to the world of mobile gaming. The new Virgin Casino Mobile will follow the group’s same policy of combining top games and titles from a number of casino software providers, with the initial games being offered by Microgaming. As such, players will be able to enjoy exciting and popular titles, including Thunderstruck and Tomb Raider on the new Virgin mobile platform. The group promised, however, that it would be adding more games by other providers over the course of the next few months.

Simon Burridge, the Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Games, said about the new launch: “Smartphone penetration now exceeding 40% in the UK, customers want and expect to be able to do on their phone what they do on their PC. With the launch of Virgin Casino Mobile we’re simply responding to this demand.”

“While the gaming industry has been on the cusp of a mobile revolution for some time, 2011 has really been the year when the planets have aligned to make mobile gaming a more attractive proposition,” he added. “For us we see it as the right time in the Company’s life, the industry’s life and the technology is ready.”

Belgium Readies for New Online Gambling Laws

The Belgium government is determined to go ahead with new laws in January which will introduce a tight and restrictive online gambling regime to the country. Under the new laws, all local Internet Service Providers such as Mobistar, Telenet and Belgacom, will have to block the internet sites that appear on the Belgian Gaming Commission’s ‘black list’. These are online gambling sites which offer their services to Belgium gamblers but are not licensed by the country’s gambling commission. This list has already been passed on to the ISP’s and the police have also been brought into the picture to ensure that the new laws are not broken.

“We already have official police reports indicating which websites are operating illegally,” said the head of the regulatory unit at the Belgian Gaming Commission, Peter Naessens. “We will see which have a significant number of Belgian players and those will be more relevant to us.”

Around 150,000 Belgium gamblers use what the commission terms ‘illegal’ online gambling sites, while around 30,000 to 40,000 play at licensed site. The government is hoping to direct traffic to licensed sites to protect consumers and lower incidents of fraud.

New Slot Game Launched by WinADay Online Casino

The popular no-download online casino, WinADay announced the launch of a brand new video slot game, Enchanted Gems, which is another welcome addition to this site’s select, quality collection of games. The five reel Enchanted Gems takes players on a mystical, magical adventure into the world of precious stones and fantasy, rewarding them exceptionally well with plenty of bonus features, including free spins and fun bonus game. The game is also linked to the site’s fast growing progressive jackpot, which has already passed the $130,000 mark.

Players who manage to land seven orange gem scatters get to trigger the Pick Me bonus game, where traditional icons are replaced by blooms and offer multiplier features to increase winnings. Players have the chance to increase their winnings by 2,000 times their last total bet! Three yellow gem scatter icons trigger the wild bonus game, which also rewards well.

Regular players at WinADayCasino.com, a sister site to Slotland.com, will be able to take advantage of a special bonus to try out the new Enchanted Gems video slot game.

Inter Casino Running New Year Promotion

Inter Casino is giving its players a great reason to look forward to 2012. The Cryptologic powered online casino is running its Countdown to 2012 promo from now until January 2, 2012, putting players in line to win up to $2,012 in cash and credits. Each day, a new top prize will be revealed, as well as extra rewards for lucky players, including cash backs and bonuses.

A statement issued by InterCasino speculated about the prizes on offer. “It could be a tasty Christmas bonus, a festive free cash giveaway or a special offer on your favourite games that would put a smile on Santa's face,” read the statement by the online gambling site. “There's a different deal every day and we promise you are going to love it. Unwrap a winner every day and start 2012 with up to $2,012 worth of cash, casino credits and prizes.”

Players can access the Intertops site to check out which promotions are running each day, and what the prizes up for grabs include. This is a great way to start off 2012 with some extra cash in your back pocket.