Issue N52, 2012

December 26, 2012

Mega Fortune Progressive Slot Passes €14 Million Mark

One of the online casino industry’s hottest slot games, Mega Fortune progressive, has seen its jackpot climb to the highest sum ever recorded in the industry, and, at the time of going to press, the prize pool stood at a whopping, eye-watering €14 million! The world record for a progressive slot payout was also won on Mega Fortune slot last year, when a 20 year old from Norway won €11.7 million.

This time, the progressive jackpot has climbed literally millions HIGHER than the world record, and players are flocking in droves to try their luck on this 5 reel, 25 line game. There are plenty of bonus features to keep players happy while they try their luck on Mega Fortune slot, including scatter wins, wild substitutes, amazing graphics and more. Players who land three or more scatters on the reels will automatically see the free spins feature activated, where winnings could be multiplied by up to 5! Now is the time to head on down to Net Entertainment powered online casinos to try your luck on this fantastic video slot game.

Sportingbet Acquisition Deal Moves Forward

William Hill, the UK gambling giant, has essentially agreed, together with its partner GVC Holdings, to acquire the shares of the rival sports betting operator, Sportingbet for the price of £485 million. William Hill will therefore be paying 56.1 pence per share, less than what was originally offered. The offer was changed after Sportingbet posted disappointing financial numbers, and Will Hill took advantage of this to lower its price. William Hill is after Sportingbet’s Australian business which continues to perform excellently, and it will also be seeking to take on the group’s Spanish interests. GVC Holdings will take over Sportingbet operations in unregulated regions.

The Chief Executive Officer of William Hill, Ralph Topping said that all sides were very satisfied with the deal, which was offered a number of extensions by the London Stock Exchange as negotiations took place. “We look forward to working with the management and employees of Sportingbet in Australia and Spain to combine our joint experience and expertise to create additional value for our customers and shareholders,” he said in a statement issued by the group when news of a deal being reached broke on Thursday night.

Senior Level Changes at Paddy Power

Paddy Power, the Irish sports betting company, has announced a number of changes at senior executive level, following the retirement of the Head of Irish Retail, Jimmy Mangan. With Mangan’s departure, the group will combine the management role of the retail operations for Ireland and the United Kingdom and Andy McCue, who currently heads UK Retail, will head the new combined department. According to Paddy Power, the reorganization will enable the group to leverage the scale of the retail platform across the board. In addition, UK Retail and UK Irish will have new heads appointed, and both will be overseen by McCue. Charlie Kelly will run Irish retail, while Dan Thomson will run UK Retail.

“Andy has delivered outstanding results with the team in UK Retail since 2006 and brings extensive strategic and operational expertise to this broader role, while Dan's experience positions him very well for the continued development of the UK Retail business,” said the Chief Executive Officer of Paddy Power, Patrick Kennedy. “Charlie will leverage his broad experience in Retail to drive the business forward. I believe these appointments will further strengthen and support the Group's growth.”

be what it is today. We thank him for his exceptional contribution and commitment.”

IGT Signs Lucrative Deal with Ladbrokes Casino

Players at Ladbrokes Casino will be able to complement the excellent existing software platform with new games supplied by International Game Technology through its interactive arm, WagerWorks. Thanks to a deal struck between IGT and Ladbrokes Casino, players will now be able to enjoy new titles such as Monopoly Plus, Elvis: A Little More Action and Star Trek: Against all Odds, to name just a few.

“I am sure that our players will appreciate the extra quality we are bringing to Ladbrokes.com and we will be undertaking a comprehensive promotional campaign to launch the games,” said the Head of e-Gaming Casino and Games Product at Ladbrokes, Richard Poole.

The deal with Ladbrokes follows close on the heels of another agreement signed between IGT and Paddy Power. Earlier this month, IGT announced that it would provide a range of mobile games to the Irish sports betting group, bringing some of the best branded slot games to the fingers of gamblers on the go.