Issue N50, 2011
December 29, 2011
Betfair Moves Further into German Online Gambling Market
The giant online gambling group, Betfair Casino, is making its presence felt in the German online gambling market through a new sponsorship deal signed in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. Betfair will sponsor the inaugural Multi One Design (MOD) 70 Sailing Event next September, reinforcing the group’s objectives to make a “sustainable and significant investment in the regions in which it operates.”
According to the Managing Director of Betfair, Germany, Peter Reinhardt, “be it through sponsorship or corporate social responsibility initiatives, it is our aim to help support and bring benefit to local communities and sport, which is why we’re so pleased with the signing of this deal.”
Schleswig-Holstein will be introducing new online gambling legislation from 2012, with licenses available to an unlimited number of gambling operators under new laws approved by the European Union. The state will nab a 20% gross profits tax from operators and will limit them to sports betting and exchange sites, as well as certain poker and casino games. Operators will not be allowed to offer blackjack, baccarat and roulette.
The other fifteen German states have opted to amend the current State Lottery Treaty, which has not been met by the approval of the European Commission.
Grande Vegas Casino Running New Year Slots Tournament
Grande Vegas Casino, one of the most popular online casinos around, has announced that it will be holding a superb new slots tournament from the beginning of 2012. Players will be able to start registering for the $2012 add on tournament from today, and enter the event which will run from January 1st to 6th.
The Real Time Gaming powered online casino will award the prize pool to players who achieve top scores on the leader board. Grande Vegas Casino issued a statement to the industry this week where it said: “It’s fun to compete against other players for prize money and it’s nice to know in advance that the most you’ll spend is the buy-in fee. Tournaments give players a chance to win big money without risking much. They’re especially sweet when we add to the prize pool like we’re doing for this one.”
To win part of the prize pool, players need to compete against other Grande Vegas Casino players and see how high they can climb the leader board within the promotion’s dates. Players will pay a small buy in to the tournament and they will then receive starting credits to use towards building their score.
New Slot Game at Sky Vegas Casino
Sky Vegas Casino, which continues to attract online gamblers as one of the premier gaming destinations in the business, has added a brand new slot game to its collection of titles. The five reel, 20 pay line Rainbow Riches by Barcrest casino software provider is the latest game to join the portfolio of games at Sky Vegas Casino, and has the potential to keep players entertained for hours.
Rainbow Riches is based on the land slot game of the same name, which has attracted an almost cult-like following of players. The game is graphically stunning, and carries a fun Emerald Isle theme, complete with the resident leprechaun!
“Players won't need the luck of a four-leaf clover to stand a chance of claiming those Rainbow Riches available,” said the online casino in a statement. “Three fantastic bonus rounds ensure that there's more than likely to be a hefty pot of gold waiting at the end of this rainbow every time you play. Entitled Road To Riches, Wishing Well and Pots Of Gold, the three bonus rounds will allow players to multiply their winnings and take a shot at winning the massive £200,000 ultimate prize.”
Boyles Sports Launches New Online Casino
Boyles Sports, the industry leading online sports betting site, launched a new online casino arm which will be powered by Playtech casino software provider. Boyles Casino will offer a full range of Playtech games, including slots, card and table games. The games will be downloadable from the site, or they can be played instantly in Flash format.
The Chief Executive Officer for Boyles Sports, John Boyle said: “I am delighted to have launched BoyleCasino.com with Playtech's cutting-edge technology. We’re in a strong growth phase at Boylesports and the launch of our new casino is testament to our constant innovation and development.”
The Head of Gaming for the group, Ruairi Boyle said that the group was constantly reviewing its offering in order to maintain a best in class product offering “across all verticals” and said that with the new casino product, he was sure that Boylesport could confidently state that it had a “truly fantastic product range, user experience and interface that will help us to keep growing and moving forward.”