Issue N9, 2012
February 29, 2012
Microgaming Powered Brand Enjoys Success in Danish Gaming Market
With the regulation of Denmark’s gambling industry, a number of brands are doing better than others in the growing market. One of the more successful brands is Prima Networks, which is powered by the online casino software giant, Microgaming. All in all, Prima Networks incorporates 34 different sites onto its platform, all of them using Microgaming’s software, among them the sports betting groups Unibet and Ladbrokes.
Prima Networks operators were among the first in the industry to start offering their games and services to Danish players when changes came into effect at the beginning of the year. Today, Prima Networks makes up a quarter of the number of licenses which were issued to online gambling operators by Denmark’s gambling authorities.
The Director of Prima Networks, Loraine Schoevers said about the group’s situation in the Danish market: “The regulation of the Danish market is great for gamers and operators alike. As new markets like Denmark are regulated, our reliable, flexible solutions, combined with a steady stream of innovative and entertaining content, make us a very attractive proposition.”
Danish players are able to play across multiple gaming platforms thanks to the Microgaming driven Prima Networks, including download casinos, Flash casinos, poker sites and Quickfire games. The director also revealed that by this summer, players will also be able to enjoy instant Flash poker offerings.
Bodog Domain Seized by US Officials After Ayre Indicted
The US Department of Homeland Security seized the bodog(dot)com domain recently, despite the fact the online gambling group long departed that domain for the safer .eu domain. Bodog has stated that the seizure of the Bodog.com domain will have little impact on its operations as its brand is licensed to international operators outside of the United States.
The domain name seizure was revealed on Tuesday after Baltimore federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment against the founder of Bodog, the billionaire philanthropist, Calvin Ayre and three other Canadians. Forbes.com first broke the story, showing that the indictment accused Ayre and the others of operating illegal gambling businesses in the sports betting world, and conspiring to commit money laundering.
“For years Ayre taunted and dodged U.S. law enforcement, specializing in offering online sports betting and casino games to U.S. gamblers. He was the subject of a 2006 Forbes cover story titled Catch Me If You Can, in which he said 'we run a business that can’t actually be described as gambling in each country we operate in. But when you add it together, it’s Internet gambling’,” wrote Forbes yesterday.
Japan Could be Moving Towards Online Gambling
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal highlights the fact that Japan may be moving towards an expanded gambling industry in a bid to keep up with competition from other Asian countries that have seen success in this field in recent years. Japan is also under pressure to meet American gambling interests.
The publication stated that online gambling could become an eventual reality in Japan, however, this may take several years. According to the Wall Street Journal, a group of 150 lawmakers “in a rare sign of cooperation”, embraced legislation that will kick start the process of legal gambling within a couple of years in Japan. Plans are in motion to submit the bill before the current parliamentary session is due to end, according to leaders of the ruling party.
At present, the Japanese are very limited when it comes to gambling options in their country. Pachinko is one of the games allowed in this Asian nation, and it is considered a national pastime. In addition, gambling on restricted forms of racing is also allowed under Japanese law.
Intertops Running Superb Poker Promotion this Month
Intertops Poker will be running a great new promotion beginning the month of March, where prizes to the tune of $100,000 will be handed out to lucky winners. A total of four weekly points races will be run throughout March, and each one will give away cash prizes worth $20,000. The top 350 competitors will enter a monthly competition where a final $20,000 will be shared among them.
“Intertops Poker players earn frequent player points just by playing,” read a statement from the online poker room. “Four weekly races will pay the top 350 point earners a share of $20,000 and up to $1,500 every week. All four weekly race points totals will be combined for the monthly race where the top 350 will earn a share of the final $20,000. A total of 1,500 cash prizes will be awarded in March.”
In order to keep tabs on their progress, players can view the leader board at Intertops. This will allow them to see where they stand in comparison to other players in the competition and try and improve on their performance.