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Lightning Box Games reaches new heights with Eagle Sun video slot

May 25, 2020 by Admin

Hot on the heels of the release of its Blown Away video slot, third-party online casino game developer, Lightning Box is back with a new five-reel, 40 payline Eagle Sun video slot.

The firm issued a statement in the form of a press release from its Australian headquarters that was published by European Gaming Media and Events. The statement laid out how this latest four-row video slot is a depiction of the arid American southwest that features a respin bonus game that you can trigger by getting the game symbol on the third reel.

Tribal appeal

Lightning Box Games announced that Eagle Sun’s return to player ratio is 95.76% and that you can expect to collect ‘totem pole-sized payouts’ thanks to an array of extra wilds that you can activate by accumulating ‘the legendary Native American emblem’ during the re-spin bonus. The developer added that players would be able to ‘reach for the sky’ with an 80-payline free games feature that holds the possibility of a Super Eagle Spin if you can gather enough eagle symbols.

A first impression

Peter Causley, the Lightning Box Games CEO, announced in the press release that Eagle Sun would initially be exclusively hosted at WilliamHill.com, with a wider release for all operators planned for May 27.

Causley closed off by summing up why this new title is a must-play.

“Real money pokies Players can hit new heights on their way to massive wins in our latest game, Eagle Sun. Featuring two opportunities to collect extra wilds, it’s sure to appeal to a wide audience and the unique re-triggering mechanic means they won’t have to wait long for action.”

Microgaming’s Mega Moolah awards a mega win from the deep

May 19, 2020 by Admin

Microgaming’s Mega Moolah progressive jackpot has had its first Mega jackpot win through Atlantean Treasures™: Mega Moolah. The prize amount was a whopping $7,784,425.63, an early win considering the game was released on 25 February 2020.

The seven-figure prize was won on 8 May 2020 at River Belle Casino, adding yet another winner to Microgaming’s progressive jackpot network millionaire’s club. The network has paid out over $1.1 billion since it was first created and the $7.7 million jackpot will be paid over as a lump sum.

Atlantean Treasures: Mega Moolah is the first oceanic Mega Moolah adventure and was exclusively created for Microgaming by Neon Valley Studios. The slot has a 5×3 reel, ten-payline layout, and is fantastically costumed in an undersea theme, depicted through beautifully illustrated sunken treasures and marine life. The slot comes bundled with some great features, including expanding wilds and respins. Atlantean Treasures: Mega Moolah has had a flying start, delivering more than $14.2 million in wins over 238,594 jackpots, of which 45 were major jackpots.

Microgaming and its network of independent studios are hard at work, building up its progressive jackpot network with the constant development of new progressive titles, since the original Mega Moolah pokie. Atlantean Treasures: Mega Moolah and Absolootly Mad™: Mega Moolah (Triple Edge Studios) were just released in February and May respectively. February also saw Microgaming revealing its face-lifted WowPot jackpot as it released of Wheel of Wishes in partnership with Alchemy Gaming. This is the first title of many earmarked for addition to the jackpot and network. Sisters of Oz, developed by Triple Edge Studios will be up next on the roster.

Jean-Luc Ferriere Chief Commercial Officer at Microgaming was overjoyed at the news of the mega win and came forward to express his excitement.

“Congratulations to the winning player for hitting the first-ever Mega jackpot on Atlantean Treasures: Mega Moolah. The tremendous $7.7 million win marks another milestone for Microgaming’s progressive jackpot network, and we look forward to further enhancing our growing portfolio with additional progressive games to deliver even more entertaining gameplay experiences and opportunities to win”

July re-opening on the cards for Aussie casinos

May 15, 2020 by Admin

Australia has done well to prevent large waves of coronavirus outbreaks within its borders. The curve has been flattened, and talks between the government and the casino industry are paving the way for casinos to possibly open back up in the next few months.

Australia’s Coronavirus battle plan

Many nations find themselves battling to contain the spread of COVID-19, but Australia has somehow emerged relatively unscathed. A series of swift and decisive government measures are responsible for this nation’s successful anti-pandemic campaign.

On January 23rd, incoming flights from Wuhan, China were restricted.
On February 1st, Prime Minister Morrison banned all inbound flights from China, closing Australia’s borders to all Chinese nationals 2 days later.
A $17.6 billion stimulus package was implemented on March 12th.
By mid-March, Australia had also barred travellers from Italy, Iran, and South Korea.
On March 15th, all travellers arriving in or returning to Australia discovered that they would have to self-isolate for 14 days.
Cruise ships were banned from docking at all Australian ports.
On March 23rd, as per government orders, all pubs, clubs, casinos, hotels, and entertainment venues were closed.
From March 29th, public gatherings were limited to two people. Leaving home was only permitted for work, shopping, medical reasons, and exercise.

These are the most noteworthy measurements taken by the government, with many others being implemented in the same period. Australia reported its highest number of cases per day at 424.and this number had dropped to 18 cases per day by April 28th. This is a truly impressive feat and other nations would do well to emulate Australia’s example.

Consensus time

The success of these efforts has lead to discussions around exactly when casinos and other gambling-related enterprises can start trading again. The government recently assembled a panel to deal with this issue. Some of the organisations represented include:

Crown Casino
Various Pubs
ALH, the Pokie Sector of Woolworths
Various Community Clubs
Assorted Pokie Companies
Australian Hotels Association
Tabcorp

This task force is combining efforts with the Department of Justice to address two key concerns, namely, when can gambling venues resume trading and what safety measures need to be implemented once this happens?

The team is collectively wary of rushing into anything so July or August have tentatively been set as the months that will see punters being able to frequent their favourite venues again.

An essential renaissance for gambling venues

When gaming facilities are eventually reopened, many operational changes will need to be made to ensure that the virus remains under control and venues remain safe. These are some of the measures most likely to be implemented across the board.

Before a customer can enter a casino, club, or pub, they’ll have their temperature taken. If they have a fever, they’ll be denied access.
To promote social distancing, every second gaming machine will be turned off and have its stool removed.
Patrons may be required to maintain a 1.5-metre distance between them at all times.
A maximum of four players will be allowed at table games, with an empty seat between each of them.
A capacity limit of one person for every four square metres on their gaming floor is likely.
Customers may be required to wear a mask and/or gloves.

Online gambling picks up the slack

The online gaming industry is one of the few sectors to find growth in the time of this crisis. The average increase in deposits has reached an estimated at 67% since lockdown measures were implemented. Google searches for terms such as “online casinos” and “online poker” have quadrupled in a matter of weeks.

Land-based casino operators are understandably concerned about this trend. In a post-pandemic world, they may well find that the brick and mortar casino is now second to the virtual pokie.

Australian gambling on the rise during Coronavirus

May 12, 2020 by Admin

Gambling is a very popular pastime in Australia with the average household wagering more money annually than anywhere else in the world. The Coronavirus pandemic has accelerated this trend, with online gambling revenue skyrocketing in the last month.

Fresh from the trauma of wildfires that recently swept the country, the pandemic has put even more pressure on the collective Australian psyche and many are looking for an escape. With access to local pubs and casinos cut off by the national lockdown, online gambling’s popularity has exploded with a projected $15 billion expected to migrate to internet sites, a significant percentage of which are unregulated or even prohibited by the government.

Gambling expenditure through the roof

The Sydney Morning Herald published the following data, which shows a breakdown of which sectors have shown growth and which have faltered during COVID-19. The data was sourced from transactions from about 250,000 Australians for the period ranging from March 30th to April 5th.

Gyms and Fitness Industry -95%
Travel -78%
Education -43%
Cafes -42%
Restaurants -13%
Retail & Fashion -6%
Groceries +15%
Tobacco & Alcohol +33%
Online Subscriptions & Retail +61%
Food Delivery +63%
Home Improvements +64%
Online Gambling +67%

Overall spending is down approximately 5% from the same period in previous years, but this is a marked improvement from the previous week where spending was down 13% from the average. The reason for this improvement likely originates from a helping hand from the government.

Government payments

The Australian government recently dished out a one-time A$750 payment to social security recipients and pensioners, a move designed to boost consumer spending. The approach was a success in some respects, but a large percentage of the money has gone towards pokies as opposed to essentials.

Grim figures

1,000 real money Aussie gamblers were recently put through a questionnaire process by Survation, a London-based polling and market research firm, and the results of this survey contain some troubling revelations.

The survey resulted in the following findings:

25% of those who regularly wager once a week were still doing so.
28% of this same group, admitted to increasing their activity.
A further 11% confessed to a significant increase in their online gambling activity.
41% of gamblers said that they had opened a new online account since the beginning of the pandemic.
Over a third of polled regular punters revealed that they felt they were spending too much and developing an addiction.

International crisis response

In response to the looming specter of increased gambling addiction, several countries have implemented various measures. Spain has restricted gambling ads during prime-time TV hours and Latvia has temporarily suspended all forms of gambling.

The full membership of the UK Betting and Gaming Council has agreed to the removal of gambling ads for at least six weeks. This move will effectively half of all advertising on radio and television in the United Kingdom.

The bright side

Some positives have emerged in recent weeks. The Alliance for Gambling Reform revealed that the closure of pubs and clubs has brought about a collective savings of $1 billion in less than a month. If you include casino losses, that figure rises to about $1.5 billion.

AGR spokesperson Tim Costello said, “That’s more than $1 billion that can instead be spent putting food on tables, paying for medical bills and utilities, rent and mortgages.”

Gambling reform advocate Anna Bardsley had an anecdote to share about the upside of the closure of casinos and pubs. “’ I was speaking to one woman the other day who used poker machines a lot before they closed. She said for the first time in many years she actually was able to buy Easter eggs for her children, as that money hadn’t been fed into a poker machine. I almost cried when I heard that. That’s how addictive poker machines can be; so addictive that a loving mother would effectively gamble away her children’s Easter eggs.”

Government talks could see pubs, clubs and Crown Casino reopen

May 7, 2020 by Admin

Pubs may be serving drinks again as soon as in July under certain restrictions currently being developed by a covert government-mandated taskforce that the national cabinet will have to approve.

The taskforce which includes Crown Casino and pub and community club owners has met recently to ensure the industry can recover from not trading during the lockdown, unlike online casinos.

The team was assembled in March by the Department of Justice and will soon finalize a set of anti-virus measures. These could see pubs swapping bar self-service out for cafe-style table service, dining room capacity may be reduced with condiment and water stations being removed and every second poker machine could be unplugged.

Excess stools and tables will be removed to avoid loitering and shared coin buckets may be banned. Shared gaming tables with shared chips were a common occurrence at Crown’s venues. The group is under pressure to restructure its operations but has promised future measures to ensure customer safety.

State Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation Marlene Kairouz, addressed the group on Thursday, indicating that venues may open by late July at the earliest. She further stated said Crown which has stood down 95% of its staff is an example of the lockdown’s impact on hospitality workers.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday that the national cabinet would review all restrictions on May 8. He urged the public to download the COVIDSafe app to help avoid future lockdowns.

The task force, headed by Crown’s former head of gaming, meets weekly and aims to finalize its recommendations within 2 weeks. Its proposal will be handed to the state government, which will, in turn, present it to the national cabinet. The group’s members are not seeking to apply pressure on government, seeing their function as a support mechanism for government’s measures to curb outbreaks.

The effect of the economic shutdown has hurt pubs and gaming venues alike with venues like community sporting clubs that rely on daily food and drink purchases facing bleak circumstances.

Reports suggest that an indoor limit of one person for every four square meters and a 1 to 1.5-meter distance between people may be implemented. Additional measures to secure venues may include temperature-testing at entrances and spit guards to protect staff at bars. Staff may be assigned to monitor social distancing and employees will likely be put through infection control courses offered by the federal Health Department.

Australian Hotels Association CEO Paddy O’Sullivan said his organization would “be working with the Victorian government for any future reduction in restrictions of people movement, particularly around hospitality venues”.

Tabcorp and ALH declined to comment. Community Clubs Victoria and RSL Victoria did not respond by deadline.

A spokeswoman for the Victorian government said: “Our priority is the safety and wellbeing of Victorians as we work to slow the spread of coronavirus. We will follow the advice of the Chief Health Officer to determine when it is appropriate and safe for licensed venues and casinos to reopen.”

Liam Raymond Reardon, the owner of the Rising Sun Hotel in Richmond, said a July opening date would be “amazing”.

Mr. Reardon said he would only allow patrons into his pub who could prove they had downloaded the COVIDSafe app to ensure the safety of his venue. “I’m not going to let one ignorant person shut this pub down again,” he said.

Brisbane’s Queen’s Wharf Casino will boast 2,500 Pokie Machines

May 1, 2020 by Admin

The Queen’s Wharf destination resort’s new casino is presently undergoing construction in Brisbane and is set to have more slot machines than the Treasury Casino; The Star Entertainment Group’s other gambling venue in the city.

Back in the summer of 2015, The Star, along with its Chinese partners, Chow Tai Fook Enterprises and Far East Consortium snagged the contract for the development of the Queen’s Wharf gaming, entertainment, and hotel precinct in Brisbane, Queensland. The resort’s opening is scheduled for 2022.

Geoff Hogg, the Star Queensland’s Managing Director explained that the casino at Queen’s Wharf would hold 2,500 slot machines, 800 more real money pokies than Treasury Casino.

The Queen’s Wharf resort will eventually replace the Treasury casino as the latter venue is set to close once the new one opens. With the Treasury’s license being transferred to a new gaming operation, the venue will be renovated into a department store in 2023.

Mr. Hogg said, “There has been no change to the casino’s licensing conditions” Brisbane would still only have a single casino when the new resort eventually opens.

The Star and its Chinese associates are investing over A$3.6 billion (approx. $2.4 billion) into the project. Construction work commenced last summer after a two and a half year excavation process at the construction site.

Riverside Gardens taking shape

Mr. Hogg, the Queen’s Wharf Project Director, Simon Crooks, and ProBuild General Manager Jeff Wellburn, gave local journalists a tour of the cement base for The Landing, two semi-circular gardens that will extend 50 meters into the Brisbane River, forming part of the multi-faceted resort.

The pair of cement bases will hold up over 6,500 square meters of landscaped gardens just on the river, facing South Bank.

Mr. Wellburn detailed how construction workers drilled pilings 26 meters into bedrock to ensure that the park space could survive a collision with a vessel if a flood ever occurs. Journalists further learned from Mr. Crooks that The Landing would be a standout feature of the Queen’s Wharf precinct. In contrast to South Bank’s family-friendly reputation, the Queen’s Wharf integrated resort, while still accommodating family fun, would cater more specifically to adults.

The complex will boast a myriad of features, including hotels and residential towers, a casino, multiple food/beverage facilities, retail centers, and much more. All this will be nestled between George and William Street in Brisbane.

Mega Moolah crowns another millionaire with €10.7m Jackpot

April 27, 2020 by Admin

Microgaming’s legendary Mega Moolah has handed a life-changing jackpot to yet another player with a gargantuan progressive jackpot worth €10,735,716.84.

The biggest digital progressive jackpot network in existence

Jackpot City Casino was the venue for this latest Mega Moolah win on Sunday, 5 April. The lucky player will receive the €10,735,716.84 jackpot as a lump sum following standard verification checks according to Microgaming.

Microgaming’s progressive jackpot network has paid out over €1.1 billion in prizes since its inception. 2020’s winnings account for €26 million of this amount with over 150 players winning €10,000 or more.

New Mega Moolah titles in the pipeline

In a press release, Microgaming detailed how their jackpot network continues to grow. This year has seen the releases of Atlantean Treasures Mega Moolah in cooperation with Neon Valley Studios and Wheel of Wishes, via a partnership with Alchemy Gaming. Wheel of Wishes features the WowPot jackpot which was overhauled in February 2020.

More progressive games are still on the way. An exciting example is Absolootly Mad Mega Moolah, set for a 5 May release across Microgaming’s operator network. The organization’s Chief Operating Officer, Andrew Clucas said that Mega Moolah continued to be an international player favorite.

“We are thrilled for the victorious player who struck this staggering €10.7 million win congratulations!” said Clucas, adding that more new progressive games were on their way this year.

Visit any of our reviewed casinos to try Mega Moolah for life-changing winnings.

Joint study establishes link between rise of online gambling and Coronavirus lockdown

April 24, 2020 by Admin

Analytics firm AlphaBeta and Illion, an Australian credit bureau, combined their resources for a research study to look into the state of online gambling during the Coronavirus shutdown. The study revealed a 67% overall increase in the online gambling sector of Australia over the past week alone, with definite links to the shutdown of non-essential services.

Under the hood

250,000 Australian consumers were surveyed as part of the study with the data showing that people have turned to real money online gaming for their entertainment needs while they are stuck at home. Other industries have also seen a significant rise in activity, the food delivery industry has seen a 63% increase in activity with online retail and subscription services showing an increase of 61%.

Data from asgam.com

The study does not go to the extent of breaking down the data to demonstrate how consumer engagement is split between legal and illegal online gambling. Australia has some strict rules surrounding gambling, with Wagering and sports betting being allowed but poker and online casino games technically prohibited by the Interactive Gambling Act.

The uptick in online gambling activity is an international trend. In the US, an online social poker operator, Global Poker, has noted that participation in online poker has increased by almost 40% since lockdown began in various states around the nation. First-time poker player numbers have risen dramatically by 225%

Before the lockdown, around 7% of the American population had at some point played poker live, online, or with friends regularly.

Australian casinos feel the heat of Coronavirus consequences

April 18, 2020 by Admin

The first truly global epidemic in centuries has left the planet in a state of confusion and panic. All around the world, economies are crashing leaving many businesses scrambling for survival and the gambling sector is no exception.

Australia has taken measures similar to many countries, compelling its citizens to stay at home and practice social distancing if they need to go out into public. Crown Resorts, a major gaming and entertainment corporation, has felt the effects of this with their business slowing down significantly in recent weeks.

Crown operations suspended

Crown Resorts announced in early March that it would be adhering to all prescribed safety measures. The electronic gaming tables and slots at its Melbourne casino venue were shut down, but the casinos themselves remained open, drawing widespread public criticism.

In light of the fact that the strict measures imposed by the government to fight the spread of COVID-19 require all non-essential; businesses to completely halt operations, Crown’s decision to remain partially open drew the ire of many.

Crown Resorts announced on March 23 that it’s Perth and Melbourne entertainment divisions would halt operations completely. The company shut down its conference, gambling and food & beverage activities at these venues, however, the hotel accommodation and meal delivery arms of the business remained functional.

Crown saw fit to shut down the gaming services aspect of its business after the Victorian Deputy Chief Health Officer and the Australian government issued directives. With the futures of Crown’s 20,000 staff in the balance, the company’s CEO has advised that a lot of thought is going into mitigating the financial damage caused by the pandemic.

Crown Resorts equal to the challenge

Brick and mortar casinos inherently lend themselves to higher potential infection rates because of how many people could make contact with various surfaces and machines within. Crown resorts, despite having to weather major financial losses during this time, is confident that once the national infection rate is brought under control, it will be able to resume business and more than compensate for the “downtime”

Stay safe means stay home

Online casinos have emerged as one of the few business sectors not taking heavy losses because of the pandemic. Online operators have seen a significant increase in player enrolment in the last few weeks as players who would normally frequent physical casino venues are now turning to online real-money casinos for their gambling entertainment. Many online casinos have experienced a boom in account registration numbers as players flock to make up for their inability to visit their favorite gambling spots.

The best online casinos

The forced lifestyle change that many are experiencing may end up converting them to prefer playing at online casinos.

Choosing an online casino can seem daunting as you will be spoiled for choice, however, there are a few things to look out for to ensure that you are making the best possible choice for yourself.

A good starting point when choosing an online casino is to see whether they offer a no-deposit bonus which allows you to sign up and tour a casino without making an upfront financial commitment and sometimes you may even get a free chip to try your luck with.

The standard for online casinos is quite high across the board so there will be many different types of bonus offers to entice you into joining up with them. For the most part, you can expect airtight security measures and a wide variety of games in different categories that you can enjoy from the comfort of your home. Whether you’re after real money pokies, table games, or baccarat, there is something to cater to your tastes and desires.

Microgaming premieres Anderthals slot and other April releases

April 11, 2020 by Admin

Microgaming has revealed its April game releases in partnership with its independent studios and content partners. An exciting month is ahead for all slot enthusiasts.

From Jewel thieves to cave dwellers

Anderthals is up first on the April roster. This title is a 5-reel, 40-payline slot, created by Just For The Win, exclusively for Microgaming. This game features Andy and Annie a cave-couple and their adventures of survival and discovery. They are depicted in bold visuals accompanied by a heart-pounding soundtrack. The game boasts feature spots that are placed atop the reels, randomly gifting you expanding Wilds, multipliers, respins, and free spins. You could win a maximum of 2,219x your wager.

On 14 April, Diamond Force makes its arrival. This slot teams you up with four superheroes and their mission to protect the city. This 5-reel slot has 1,024 ways to win and was created by the minds at Crazy Tooth Studio. This title’s special features are the Team-Up Feature and Team-Up Bonus Spins will propel you to superhuman heights of winning.

Arena of Gold, from All41 Studios, arrives next and is themed around glorious Roman gladiators. This slot launches on 21 April and has 5 reels and 25 paylines, featuring free Spins, merged reels, and the Golden Re-Spins all feature.

Snowborn games have the last of the exclusive content with their slot, The Vault, which launches on 28 April. This title transports you to a prestigious art gallery in Paris and introduces you to the slot’s protagonist, a skillful jewel thief on a hunt for the ultimate heist. The game has 5 reels, 20 paylines, and a slew of bonus features, including respins, expanding Wilds, and free spins.

Seven more April titles for Microgaming online casinos

Microgaming has a selection of non-exclusive content also set to be added to their catalog this month:

Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1X2gaming, 1 April)
Cheeky Fruits 5 (Gamevy, 2 April)
Arabian Spins (Booming Games, 2 April)
Hot Cross Bunnies Game Changer (Realistic Games, 9 April)
Spinosaurus (Booming Games, 23 April)
La Mina de Oro Plus (MGA, 27 April)
Psycho Candies (Gamevy, 30 April)

Microgaming expressed their excitement at being able to add to their roster in a press release.

“Rich in rewarding features, stunning visuals, and diverse characters and styles, there is plenty of choices available for our customers this month,” said James Buchanan, Director of Global Operations at Microgaming.