Casino News Archives - Page 13 of 16

Crown Resorts to be investigated by Australian officials over gambler visa fast-track claims

August 5, 2019 by Admin

Officials in Australia have begun investigations into Crown Resorts after it was recently alleged that the company gave preferential treatment to Chinese gamblers. Christian Porter, Attorney General, has made parliament aware that a probe will be taking place against Crown following numerous reports, along with other allegations, which surfaced within the media around visas being specially expedited for gamblers from China.

Further Investigation

Over the past few days many reports claiming that Crown Resorts employed travel agents known for their connections to drug trackers in order to bring gamblers from China to Australia have surfaced. The firm stands accused of money laundering at its casinos and fast-tracking the visas for the Chinese gamblers.

The allegations against government officials have been sent by Porter to the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity for further inquiry. The group is responsible for anti-corruption and the investigation of federal agencies. They will decide whether or not the allegations are worthy of investigation.

Reuters Reports

Commenting on the allegations Porter stated: “It is my view that there are sufficient concerns raised at least to warrant further investigations.”

Crown Resorts has firmly rejected the allegations, stating, however, that they will assist with any investigation. In a statement issued by Crown, the company holds that these allegations are ‘ill-informed and an attempt to smear the company.’

According to the report, Porter stated that if the Australian Commission finds no merit in the allegations and don’t find a need to investigate Crown, then the agency will have to provide him with clarity as to the reasons such a conclusion was reached. Upon receipt of this information, Porter will make the conclusion open to the public.

Losing Revenues

The venues of Crown Resorts in Australia have been losing revenues as a result of the crackdown on Chinese authorities which has seen wealthy Asian gamblers making sure to avoid foreign casinos. Crown Perth property saw a massive decrease in baccarat revenues in 2018. The company’s annual totals were down 57%. which is thought to be due primarily to gamblers from China no longer visiting the property.

The company has also seen a drop in shares by 3.6% since the allegations surfaced, and the company may see more damage if players are concerned about bringing their business to the brand.

Aussie Slots Studio Rebrands Itself

August 2, 2019 by Admin

Formerly known as Chance Interactive, the Sydney-based operator announced recently that they’ve rebranded the company as ReelPlay. The name change takes effect immediately.

The Australian games studio was founded by experienced gaming professionals in 2014 who promise to continue creating fresh and entertaining content under their new moniker, stating, “The refresh to ReelPlay best represents where the business is today and where it’s headed.“

Recent Slot Still a Winner

Having started off exclusively with Swedish mobile gaming company LeoVegas, one of the operator’s earliest titles, Buster Hammer Carnival, continues to enjoy enormous popularity in the regulated online iGaming space.

The Australian company has affirmed that beyond their re-branding, nothing in terms of the quality and of their digital content will change. They promise to deliver the finest online slot games to regulated casino operators across the globe. Underlining this the firm has said, “overflowing with passion, ReelPlay creates everything from the ground up, in-house.”

A Studio with Many Talents

Added to its highly entertaining slots portfolio, ReelPlay has also ‘’ developed and integrated hundreds of games on to many different platforms for both land-based and online operators’’. Moreover, it is able to create custom slot mathematics to match partner studio’s vision with multiple RTP variations.

Goal Remains the Same

When asked about the operator’s rebranding, Chief Commercial Officer for ReelPlay, David Johnson, had this to say: “The refresh to ReelPlay best represents where the business is today and where it’s headed. The goal remains the same as it ever was – ReelPlay author the best in online digital gaming content as well as incubating select competitive collaborators, providing for a powerhouse of established and independent B2B satellite software studios. ReelPlay is the mothership”.

“Our business growth will continue to be underpinned by leveraging long-term partnerships with the world’s leading operators, collaborators, and aggregators. Overflowing with passion, ReelPlay create everything from the ground up, in-house. Carefully, surely, thought out and proud to put our name to it – as craft as craft gets in a digital world. With the re-brand, we are building on solid foundations whilst adding a little nitro,” he explained further.

117,000-ways-to-win slot On Its Way!

It doesn’t stop there for ReelPlay. The company has developed a slot game that will give gamers an incredible 117,000-plus ways to win. This new game is due to be unveiled in August as an exclusive pre-release with a premier online operator before being entered into a wider market.

In 2018 the privately-owned business’s team was given a major boost with the appointment of Chief Executive Officer, Scott Smitt and CCO Johnson, who are both seasoned captains of the gaming world.

New Study Finds Punters Unable To Detect Pokie Machine Payout Percentages

July 25, 2019 by Admin

The notion that casino patrons can detect pokie payout percentages has been proven to be a myth. After a nine-month study with two pairs of pokie machines under scrutiny, researchers in Australia have all but shattered this long-held belief.

Sydney Investigation

According to a report published in Phys.org, an investigation led by the University of Nevada conducted in a suburban ‘locals’ casino in Sydney took a closer look at matching Tokyo Rose and Dragon’s Fortune X games. The report includes an experiment that varied the amount of player cash kept by the machines between 14.93% and 7.98% before calculating each unit’s ‘T-win’ value.

‘Pars’ and ‘T-win’

‘Par’ is defined by researchers in the report as what an individual cash machine keeps over a certain period, while the multiplication of this value by the unit’s coin-in rate is what defines as the investigation’s ‘T-win’ assessment.

Led by Anthony Lucas from UNLV’s William F Harrah College of Hospitality and former gaming industry operations analyst, the investigation reveals that this value is of special importance to casinos that may be looking to optimize their real money pokie revenues.

Lucas is reported to have stated, “I think some operators are naturally and understandably cautious of new information that challenges traditional industry practices. But we must consider how we know what we know. This is where our work takes on a Moneyball-like aspect; questioning the wisdom of widely held beliefs when data shows that a new way of thinking may be better.”

Virtually No movement

The report in Phys.org goes on to explain that Lucas had been assisted in his probe by San Diego State University’s Katherine Spilde. Together, they found that the difference between ‘low’ and ‘high’ games was virtually non-existent. This indicated that there is no statistically significant indication of play migration. Furthermore, any lowered ‘par’ had been alleviated by higher ‘T-win’ rates.

Lucas goes on to state further, “Casino operators should take note of the substantial increases in ‘T-win’ as they are responsible for optimizing revenues, not coin-in.”

Rise in Revenue

What the outcome of this inquiry might mean for casino operators in the long run, he explains, is that they will now be able to continue to meet the needs of players, while optimizing its own revenues, adding, “Ultimately, operators are responsible for optimizing slot revenues, which is no simple task. Knowing which ‘par’ will produce the greatest win is most helpful but the optimization issue becomes more complex when the possibility of player detection is introduced. Put simply, our results suggest that greater ‘pars’ produce greater revenues without the risk of brand damage resulting from ‘price’ detection.”

Tabcorp ordered to pay A$14,000 for offering illegal inducements to gamble relating to UFC bout promotion

July 22, 2019 by Admin

According to recent reports, Tabcorp Holdings, the prominent gambling entertainment firm, has been ordered to pay in fines and costs an amount in excess of A$14,000 (US$9,826). The fine is the result of the firms’ offering of an illegal inducement in the South Eastern State of New South Wales (NSW). The Sydney Downing Centre Local Court issued the fine after the Australian sports betting operator admitted to breaching gaming laws in the state.

The Sydney Morning Herald Report

The firm’s illicit acts were discovered following an investigation into the promotion of a match, which appeared on Tabcorp’s mobile app on October 4, 2018, between the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight Champions, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and former Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight and lightweight champion, Conor McGregor.

UFC ad-related fine:

Reportedly, The Tabcorp advertisement which put them in hot water read: “HEAD TO HEAD SPECIAL – KHABIB VS MCGREGOR – if your fighter loses by decision, bonus bet back up to $50.”

Regardless if individuals were a registered gambler or not, anyone who had the app on their mobile phone could read the ad.

New regulations:

It is an offense under the NSW Betting and Racing Act to lure individuals who aren’t already registered gamblers through advertising to participate – or participate frequently – in any gambling activity. This Act came into effect in July last year, and further states that promotions such as these can only be directed to an NSW registered betting account holder.

Tabcorp conceded that individuals in NSW should not have been shown the ad after being made aware of it by the NSW Office of Liquor and Gaming. The operator went on to explain, according to court documents reported by the news agency, that the promotion had only been published in the state as a result of “human error.”

Court Unmoved

Chief Magistrate Graeme Henson, however, was unconvinced by the explanation and held, “It is a fact that problem gambling brings with it many social problems affecting not just the afflicted person but potentially also their families and the wider community. Further stating, “There is a moral and social obligation on the part of governments who seek to benefit from the taxation levied on this type of conduct to pursue the objective of reducing the fact of and impact from problem gambling. It is not surprising in that context that a dim view is taken of breaches of the law, whether they are deliberate or by reason of inadvertence.”

Sean Goodchild, Liquor & Gaming NSW Director of Compliance and Operations also commented on the breech, stating, “Inducements are known to increase the risk of gambling harm, so any breaches are taken seriously. Under new laws that came into effect in July 2018, wagering operators found guilty of promoting inducements to gamble face fines of up to $55,000 per offence and company directors can be criminally prosecuted.”

Repeat Offender

The company, with headquarters in Melbourne, is a repeat offender of gaming laws, having been penalized before for what was known at the time to be “the highest ever civil penalty in corporate Australian history.”

Back in 2017, due to suspicious behaviour related to unlawful activity including credit card fraud and money laundering on 108 occasions over a period of over five years, which Tabcorp failed to report to the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre Federal Court (AUSTRAC, the company was fined $45m).

During the same period, the betting site TAB, which is owned by Tabcorp, pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching the Betting and Racing Regulation. This, as a result of a promotion in April 2017 that included the distribution of jelly beans coinciding with Racing NSW’s racing event, The Championship. Tabcorp was ordered to pay A$100,000 in the legal costs, while TAB faced a maximum fine of $5500 for each offense.

Crown Melbourne Gears Up To Launch Holey Moley

July 9, 2019 by Admin

Swinging in after the launch of Juke’s, Funlab’s new karaoke concept, the Australian operators are launching its Holey Moley mini-golf venue.

Bearing the same quirky resemblance to Juke’s, the new Holy Moley is will have lovers of mini-golf thoroughly in awe at the same venue, Crown Melbourne.

The maritime, summery look and feel of the main bar, set up in an empty swimming pool is just one of the site’s many attractions. Complementing the funky aesthetic are tables fashioned as lifebuoys, a diving board and a ceiling rendered as clouds.

Funlab have gone all out on this project. The measure of the treat they’re offering can be seen just by taking a quick peek at the luxurious cocktail and food menu, which is matched, in visual extravagance, by the eighteen individually designed holes. There you will also find the cleverly named machine ‘Drop It Like Its Slot’ designed particularly for the Crown location, as well as ‘It’s-A Me, Pario!’- a slot inspired by Nintendo’s beloved Italian plumber – and ‘Do Not Go Pass’, created around the board game, Monopoly.

Despite being a world-famous brand, Michael Schreiber, CEO of Funlab, revealed that Holey Moley has surprised the organisation by just how successful it has been. This, even though Australians are among the world’s greatest lovers of mini-golf, stating, “It’s been a crazy ride in the last 12 months, we’ve taken the concept international to Singapore and New Zealand. However, we will never forget our Aussie roots, and Melbourne is where the concept really took off, with almost 760,000 rounds of golf played at Holey Moley Little Bourke Street so far”

He joked, ‘I’m surprised the sporting capital of Australia hasn’t called for mini-golf to be awarded its own sporting code”, before adding “Holey Moley is all about celebrating pop culture and nostalgia, with a dash of friendly competition and outrageous looking cocktails thrown in for good measure.”

Lottoland takes legal action against Australian Communications and Media Authority

June 17, 2019 by Admin

Lottoland Australia has initiated legal action against the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). This unprecedented move comes as a response to findings by the Australian Federal Government, whereby it was found that the operator violated gambling laws by providing services that are prohibited.

The ACMA official statement reads: “The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) investigation found that several Lottoland online jackpot betting services were games of chance which are prohibited. These included the Mon and Wed Jackpot, Tue Jackpot, Thu Jackpot, US Millions, and US Power jackpot betting services.”

Lottoland’s lottery betting facility was deemed illegal last year, when Australian authorities clamped down on iGaming firms targeting Aussie players. The company had only just begun to offer their exotic jackpot betting product and the ACMA ruling prompted them to file legal action in the New South Wales Supreme Court as a result. The spokesperson for Lottoland justified their action against the ACMA by stating: “we believe their view on jackpot betting is wrong.”

This statement was further backed by Luke Brill, Chief Executive of Lottoland Australia, as he confirms the company has worked hard to adapt to recent changes to the law and is committed to providing exciting new products that their customers will love. “By taking this stand against ACMA, we are fighting for the rights of hundreds of thousands of Australians who enjoy the occasional flutter. We are fighting for freedom of choice.”

For the moment ACMA have chosen not to comment on the matter whilst legal proceedings are ongoing.

Surveillance upgrade at Sydney casino after croupier caught stealing

March 19, 2019 by Admin

The Star Casino will incorporate facial recognition technology as part of an ongoing $10 million security upgrade, after a croupier was caught stealing a $5000 chip while on duty.

CCTV footage obtained by The Daily Telegraph, shows how the staffer snatched one of the chips and slipped it into his sock. As a result, facial recognition cameras that will soon be deployed in high risk areas across the casino floor, and the technology will assist with matching people’s faces against previous offenders held on the casino’s database.

In addition, the prominent Vegas-styled casino will also get new door alarms, infra-red night vision cameras, motion sensors, and ID scanners, among other things.

Enhanced customer service

Surveillance chief at The Star, Catherine Clark, said they also plan to use the advanced technology to enhance visitor experience. The casino will be able to recognize frequent customers and give them an extra personal welcome, like “telling them their favourite drink is waiting at the bar.”

Ms Clark further assured that security and surveillance are a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week operation, with 150 people manning the teams on busy weekends. There has been no comment on how the casino intends to deal with the stealing croupier.

Star casino is the second largest casino after Crown Casino in Melbourne, and is owned by The Star Entertainment Group. It has partnered with Hong Kong-based multi-faceted investors Chow Tai Fook and Far East Consortium, to invest more than A$500 million into the expansion of the existing complex and the addition of a new hotel and residences tower that will include new resort amenities, enhanced food and beverage options, and a neighborhood center, among other facilities.

Push on reduced wager maximum by Australian group on Victoria Pokies

August 15, 2018 by Admin

Gambling reformers in Victoria, Australia are looking to make pokies or video slot terminals a raging issue in the coming elections in the city.

An anti-gambling group in Victoria, the prominent Australian state, is coming up with a political effort for having a maximum wager allowance on states pokies to be reduced to AUS $1 (USD $0.74 and £ 0.56), which is 1/5th of the current cap AUS $5 (USD $3.7 and £ 2.8) per wager. The launch of this campaign comes just 4 months before the general election in Victoria in fall season. The anti-gambling group is known as the Alliance for Gambling Reform (AGR) and its main motive is to address the topic of addictive gambling behavior and bring it to the forefront during the coming election campaigns. Victoria is situated on the eastern side of Australia and is a major metropolitan center of Melbourne.

The anti-pokies push by the AGR is very similar and considered almost parallel to the FOBT (fixed odds betting terminals) clash in UK. The clash in UK resulted in a massive reduction of the wagering caps for the various terminals all over the UK just a few months back. The term ‘pokies’ is considered as a contradiction and is unique to Australia. The reference is actually made for video gaming terminals or slots, almost same kinds of devices which are the center of a furor in the UK.

Along with the reduction in wager maximum, there are also other restrictions which the AGR wants to be implemented on the machines. They want reduced hours of operation for the terminals at various clubs and hotels. However, there will be no restrictions of any kind on the casinos. The group is also vouching for a daily cap of $200 per gambler in EFTs (electronic fund transfer). They also want removal of various programmed slot machine features, which are believed to be contributing to problem gambling. These include free spins, linked jackpots and losses which are disguised as wins.

Pokie reforms supported by Victorian mayors

It is interesting to see that many mayors from the different leading municipalities in Victoria are supporting the aims with which the group AGR is progressing. The anti-pokies group has been able to assemble such people as a part of the election-cycle push. The group announced their “Councils Unite for Pokies Reform” movement and asked all parties to come together and work towards gambling reform in Victoria.

The AGR spokesperson Tim Costello was joined by many eminent mayors at the State Parliament press opportunity. Some of the eminent personalities included Whittlesea mayor Kris Pavlidis, Moreland mayor John Kavanagh, Yarra Acting Mayor Misha Coleman, Darebin mayor Kim le Cerf, Greater Dandenong councilor Matthew Kirwan and Hume councilor Joseph Haweil. 18 Victorian councils supported the reform program. However, Melbourne is not included in the list as it is the home of the famous Crown Casino, which fought against the efforts of AGR previously. AGR’s spokesperson Costello had previously assailed the gaming industry in Australia and Crown Casino.

Claims of rise in family violence

In a recently published manifesto, Alliance for Gambling Reform asserted that family violence is seeing a steep rise and pokies are responsible for the same. The group claims that as per reports and research, it has been seen that people who have problems in gambling are perpetrators of family violence. The numbers are much less for people who do not have gambling issues. People with gambling problems have shown evidences of physical violence on their spouses and children. Research reports have shown that there are three times more chances of family violence taking place where gambling is involved. This is a significant harm that gambling does to families where people cannot take the game in its full spirit.

Oppositions claim that there is no cited research in such matters and the claims are subject to further analysis. However, AGR claims that urgent reforms in gambling should be implemented for preventing family violence, needless suicides, frauds and bankruptcy cases. Addictive poker machines in various pubs and clubs should be controlled and random use should be prohibited to save the damages.

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Yggdrasil unveils new fan site

August 1, 2018 by Admin

Malta based Yggdrasil gaming has come up with its own fan site named yggdrasilcasino.com. In this site, players may engage in playing any title from the company’s catalogue of games without being charged. The operator partners will get traffic-driving promotions.

The reputed bingo, casino and table games provider has made a nice proposition for its partners as well as the loyal players, said the company in a recent press release. This pilot project is aimed at extending the company’s reach by promoting the partners. As per this promotion, the entire range of Yggdrasil Casino promotional activities is going to be offered at zero cost till the end of 2018 to the partners.

Fredrik Elmqvist, the CEO said Yggdrasil wants to work with its important partners to promote content of both parties. This move will help the casinos get more players traffic and boost their revenues for sure.

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World Cup Bonanza – Win Cash Prizes with NetEnt to the tune of €1,000,000

July 10, 2018 by Admin

Playing at online casinos comes with a great amount of fun as there are abundant choices on offer. There are innumerable software developers, who are developing ultimate games for excellent online gambling entertainment.

NetEnt is a well-known name in the online gaming industry. It has launched a brand new campaign so that gamblers can continue winning even during the FIFA World Cup 2018.

Daily Jackpot Wins

The Mega Million Campaign by NetEnt is to begin from the 14th of June 2018 and will continue till 15th July 2018. This is a clear indication of the fact that this campaign will provide opportunities for players to enjoy a share in €1,000,000, that too in cash prize all throughout the event of the World Cup.

Two highly rewarding progressive jackpot slots will be used for the campaign. The jackpot slots are mega Fortunes and Hall of Gods. Massive cash prizes can be won during the gameplay.

There are two sections of the campaign. In the first section, the players have the opportunity of earning up to €3,800 per day on each day of world cup game. In this section solely, there is a total of about €95,000 available in cash for prizes.

In the second section of the campaign, there is scope of adding additional € 650,000 to Mega Fortune slot games and € 350,000 to Hall of Gods. The additional cash is added to the mega jackpot pool prize of each individual game.

This is the best time when you can begin playing Mega Fortune or Hall of Gods. If you are successful in striking the mega jackpot in any of the games during the World Cup, your life can be changed.

What goes on behind the scenes?

Henrik Fagerlund, the Chief Product Officer of NetEnt opines that the main aim of creating the Mega Million Campaign was to enhance the gaming experience of the players. The hype of World Cup football games helps the software provider in pushing their jackpot games to higher and better levels.

This special campaign was announced few days after NetEnt was selected as the main stage sponsor of the Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference, which is to take place in September 2018.

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