Industry Headlines Net Gambling Notes by Carey Chambers
Record Slot Jackpot at Jackpot Mania:
At $250,000 and counting, Jackpot Mania’s (www.jackpotmania.com) Rags to Riches slot has broken the world record for largest progressive jackpot ever offered online. At press time the jackpot was still waiting to be won.
Whoever wins this big payday will become the biggest online casino jackpot winner of all-time. The previous world record of $235,661.88 was won by a Texan nicknamed “Creed,” at the Sands of the Caribbean (www.thesands.com) in March.
Microgaming Terminates Tropika’s License:
Microgaming, a leading supplier of casino software, pulled the license for the group of casinos owned by Tropika (www.tropika.com), a publicly traded Canadian company. This includes Fairplay African Casino (www.fairplaycasino.com) and ten other Tropika casinos. Microgaming said they were “aware that for some time there have been player allegations that pay outs to players have not been made by Tropika casinos.”
Microgaming arranged with PricewaterhouseCoopers (Johannesburg) to receive player complaints, verify them for correctness, and advise of any amounts that should be paid.
Casino-On-Net Debuts 888.com:
Casino-On-Net (www.casino-on-net.com), the largest casino on the Internet is now available via an alternate domain: www.888.com.
Why the new domain? First, the number eight is considered lucky in Chinese culture. It foreshadows prosperity and brings added confidence. Not every Chinese person believes that eight is a symbol of good luck, but Chinese gamblers certainly do. And Casino-On-Net is counting on the 888.com domain to attract them to the casino.
The other reason why this domain was created is a little more obvious, and maybe more relevant, for the rest of the online gambling community. 888.com is easy to remember and easy to spell.
Formula 1 Driver Sponsors Casino:
Software developer Net Entertainment (www.netentertainment.com) has teamed with Formula 1 and CART driver Stefan Johansson to launch Speedbet (www.speedbet.com), a new website designed especially for auto racing fans.
Speedbet is the first Java-based (no download) casino and motorsports-betting site where players can bet on their favorite drivers, as well as play casino games such as blackjack, roulette, and poker. Bettors can wager on Formula 1, Nascar, Speedway, and CART races, using expert pre-race analysis to make smart betting decisions.
Net Entertainment says Johansson was personally involved in the design of the new web site and casino games.
New Jersey Sues Online Casinos:
The state of New Jersey sued three Internet gambling sites for offering their services to residents of the Garden State. The state has targeted 7 Sultans (www.7sultans.com), Aloha Casino (www.alohacasino.com), and Royal Club Casino (www.royalclubcasino.com), alleging that the casinos don’t do enough to prevent children from gambling online.
The lawsuit, launched in response to highway billboards advertising the sites, aims to stop the companies from taking bets from New Jersey residents.
State officials may be forced to serve legal papers by e-mail, as they are having difficulty locating company officials.
Nevada Gov. Signs iGambling Bill:
Nevada governor Kenny Guinn has signed a bill that will officially open the doors for online gambling in Nevada. The bill’s signature into law does not mean that brick-and-mortar casinos will be able to launch realmoney wagering sites any time soon, however. The Nevada Gaming Commission will first need to draft and adopt regulations governing online gambling. These regulations will deal with issues such as gambling by minors and blocking players from states where gambling is prohibited.
State officials reiterated that they would not defy a federal ban on Internet wagering, but did note that several court challenges in other states may make the gambling ban unenforceable.
