Issue N7, 2010
February 17, 2010
888 Launches New Games to Online Gambling Industry
888 Holdings believes that variety is the spice of life – especially when it comes to the release of new online casino games. This gambling operator, which is known to provide its millions of players with quality games and software, announced this week that customers will be able to find new games spread across five gaming categories at www.888games.com. Players will be able to find new arcade games and scratch cards, as well as a new poker game, a keno variant and an exciting video slot game.
The stellar quality games will join 888’s already superb collection of games that continue to keep players highly entertained. The video slot game, Amazon Wild, is a five reel, 100 payline game with plenty of winning potential through wild and scatter symbols and a fantastic bonus game. SlotBox also promises to keep players enthralled with its classic arcade puzzle and fixed odds features. Poker Fives is also a new addition that will reward top prizes to players who manage to correctly guess the outcome of five cards. Keno 10 is a new addition to 888’s keno section, while multiple scratch card titles complete the new games release.
Playtech Makes Major Leap into Online Bingo Realm
Virtue Fusion, the quality online bingo software provider, which powers big name bingo brands such as Mecca Bingo, the award winning Ladbrokes Bingo and William Hill Bingo, has been acquired by software giant, Playtech. It has been reported that Playtech paid £36 million for the bingo provider, of which £29 million is payable upon acquisition. “The acquisition places Playtech in the leading position in international online bingo markets, complementing our leading position in poker and casino and, following the GTS acquisition, as a content provider,” said Mor Weizer, the Chief Executive Operator of Playtech.
"We are delighted to be part of Playtech,” added the Chief Executive Officer of Virtue Fusion, Bob McCulloch. “This deal will ensure our operators continue to benefit from the market leading VFA Bingo product and in addition can now profit from Playtech's greater international reach and access to a wider games portfolio.”
Virtue Fusion’s fleet of 20 licensees will undoubtedly provide Playtech with the push it needs to reach the frontline of elite software groups who power the online bingo industry. Bingo players will also be exposed to Playtech’s superb collection of online casino games, thanks to intertwined platforms.
UK Couple Bags £56 million in EuroMillions Lottery
A thrilled but still visibly stunned West Country couple in the UK have vowed to help a long list of friends and relatives after winning a staggering £56 million on the EuroMillions lottery this past weekend. The couple, who have three children, had their win confirmed by Camelot, the national lottery operator in the UK, after the winning numbers were announced. The money is half the share of a £112 million jackpot – the other half of which was won by a player in Spain.
Nigel Page, who bought the winning ticket, found out he had won after checking his computer on Saturday morning. The announcement that he was £56 million richer literally popped up onto the screen, and he had to call his partner to the computer screen to make sure that he wasn’t dreaming. The couple’s children have modest requests after the win – ponies and a tarantula, but Page is already dreaming of a new car and his partner has her eyes on a five bedroom house with a pool. The couple has said they will stay in their area and simply find more upmarket accommodation – now that they afford it!
New EU Market Commissioner Plans to Address Online Gambling Dilemma
The new Internal Marketing Commissioner of the European Union, Michel Barnier, has promised to address the matter of regulation in the European online gambling market by drafting a green paper on the issue. Barnier’s efforts will concentrate on ironing out stark differences between two camps among member states – those, such as Malta, who believe that online gambling should be regulated by existing laws that govern free movement of services; and those that believe that online gambling should be controlled by existing state monopolies – if they are permitted at all.
The European Union has already started a consultation process among member states and stakeholders to properly analyze the situation. The green paper should be made public by next autumn. While the EU’s general policy is to introduce infringement procedures against states that do not open their borders to free trade among casino operators, little progress has been made to actually prosecute them through the European Court of Justice. Countries such as France and Portugal have taken steps in recent years to limit competition and monopolize their own markets and have done little to heed threats made by the European Commission against them.