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This past Thursday saw the New York Senate Finance Committee approve a bill that is taking the Empire State one step closer to legalizing online poker. The bill, S5302, was introduced by Senator John Bonacic in May of 2015, and it has taken over a year for it to get to this point. Fortunately, it was approved by the Committee in a 20-8 vote, and it will now continue on to the Senate for future consideration. Not Celebrating Just Yet While the approval by the New York Senate Finance Committee is certainly a necessary step in the right direction, online gaming supporters are not breaking out the champagne just yet. This may be partially due to recent reports that the sponsor of the bill himself, Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, is “pessimistic” when it comes to legalizing online poker. It also may be due to the conspicuous lack of public hearings, which signifies that this issue isn’t really at the forefront of lawmaker’s agendas. A More Pressing Issue At the same time that the New York Senate Finance Committee approved Bonacic’s online poker bill, it also approved his Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) bill, which would regulate the industry in the state. DFS was shut down in New York earlier this year due to issues of legality, and Bonacic’s bill would seek to reintroduce it under careful regulatory laws. Some pundits think that the New York Senate won’t approve an online poker bill until the issue of DFS is resolved. And because New York has a June 16 deadline for legislation, online poker might get pushed to the backburner in favor of tackling DFS. Others think that there’s no reason that the two issues can’t be handled together, as they are fairly intertwined. While it’s hard to tell which school of thought is correct, we will all know soon enough. The clock is ticking.
It has been all Penguins this series, except for one overtime victory by the San Jose Sharks. Pittsburgh is on their way to their fourth Stanley Cup. They are the faster, stronger and better team, led by Sidney Crosby, whom took the Penguins to their third Stanley Cup in the 2008/09 regular season. They could lock it all up tonight and hoist the trophy at home in front of a capacity crowd, unless the Sharks can start to bite. In Game 4, the Penguins beat the Sharks 3-1, which was the first time this series that a game was one by a deficit of more than one goal. Despite a late surge by the Sharks in the third period, while the game was still 2-1, the Penguins put the nail in the coffin by way of a goal from Eric Fehr in the last two minutes of play. The Penguins are winning games because they get the early advantage, but the Sharks are able to play on the same level and they will need to start soon. Many of the Penguins have never been in a situation like this before. The only remaining players from their Stanley Cup victory in 2009 are Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Chris Kunitz, Marc-Andre Fleury and Sidney Crosby. Having such talented veteran players on the ice will help the younger roster, but the Sharks will undoubtedly pressure every line that the Penguins put on the ice tonight. Penguins Slight Favorites in the Odds The odds race for tonight's game was won by the Penguins, as bet365 Sports has them out in front at 1.43, while the Sharks aren't too far behind at 2.90. bet365 Sports will be offering live streaming of the game and live in-play odds for punters to bet interactively throughout the game, which is a chance for lucrative winnings throughout all three periods of NHL action.
Enchanted Garden is a popular fairy tale themed slot machine from Real Time Gaming. They have recently announced the launch of Enchanted Garden II, which ups the ante with 3D visuals and some extra bonus rounds and online casinos such as Jackpot Capital Casino, Grande Vegas Casino and Diamond Reels Casino will feature the new game from mid-June. About Enchanted Garden II While the original version was already a quality slot, the whole game has been redesigned from the ground up and the difference is immediately obvious. Symbols now look like they have come from an animated movie and literally seem to pop out from the reels as the game plays. Fairies, mushrooms, frogs and spellbooks reward players with prizes when they line up across the 5 reels and 25 paylines, while wilds and scatters trigger extra features. The Fairy wild symbol substitutes others to complete winning lines, doubling the value of the payout when she does so, and the Garden scatter symbol multiplies wins when it appears in at least 3 spots at once. There are 2 special free spins rounds, each enhanced with further bonus features. The Firefly round sees 7 free games play out, with all wins tripled throughout, and a Firefly that awards extra spins whenever 3 land anywhere on the reels. The Fairy Queen spins begin when the Garden appears on reel 1 and the Princess lands on reel 5 at the same time. 10 spins are triggered, and again, wins are tripled and the Firefly will award further games. Should the Fairy Queen make an appearance during this round, she will add extra wilds to the reels for even more winning chances. Enchanted Garden II is a big step up from the original game, and anyone who enjoyed it in the past will certainly want to try out this version, which comes in desktop and mobile compatible formats.
The moment that football fans have been anxiously waiting for is finally here, with the first match at Euro 2016 scheduled for Friday evening. France is the host nation, so it comes as no surprise that they will play the opening match, one that they expect to win. Romania has been given the chance to pick up the first points as they will oppose the home side, but the visitors will simply try to avoid defeat. A Lot of Pressure on the Home Side It’s been a while since France won any important trophy and the team had serious problems in winning games against top teams. Now that they have home pitch advantage and the support of their fans, the Frenchmen are expected to return to their winning ways. Deschamps has plenty of quality players at his disposal and was lucky to play against less than stellar teams in Group A. France has always had great offensive talent, but this year they have so many quality strikers to choose from that some great players were left home. Griezmann is expected to be one of the most prolific scorers at Euro 2017 and he will be joined up front by Martial and Giroud. With this offensive set up, the hosts will resort to offensive football and try to claim all three points. Defensive Minded Romania in for a Rude Awakening Throughout the qualification stage, Romania excelled at defending slight advantages and settle for scoreless draws when such results were desirable. Punters are tempted to overestimate their ability to defend and that’s why the odds are so high on France to win by two goals or more. bet365 Sports offers the best value at 2.00 on France to cover the -1.5 goals spread. The odds have been dropping ever since the markets became available, so if you trust the hosts, you would be wise to place the bet quickly.
England was the only team that won all the games during the qualifying round, so the fans have high expectations from this Euro 2016. They could’ve been drawn against tougher opponents, but their group is far from being the easiest one. They will be fighting for the first place with Russia and that’s why the outcome of the opening match is so important. A Mix of Experience and Youth Upfront England looks very promising to those who check out their offensive lineup, which includes five talented strikers from some of the best Premier League teams. Hodgson has an impressive rotation to choose from and he’s expected to use a mix of young and experienced players in each game. Vardy and Rooney are probably going to play in most games, but they are unlikely to spend 90 minutes at a time on the pitch. Sturridge, Rushford and Kane are the promising players that the manager will rely on in the early stages of the competition. They have proven their worth during the regular season and have the advantage of knowing their colleagues in the midfield very well from their clubs. Back-To-Back Defeats for Russia England is the team to beat in Group B and Russia would be perfectly happy with the possibility of finishing second. Splitting points with the favorites would be regarded as a triumph for the Russians, so the starting formation will feature five midfielders, four defenders and a single striker. Zenit St. Petersburg provides most of the offensive talent, and some solid defensive players. Russia played only three friendly games this year and after winning at home against Lithuania, lost both France and the Czech Republic. That’s why punters should give England a vote of confidence and as long as the odds revolve around even value with bet365 Sports it is worth betting on them to win the first match.
Not so long ago, the Romanian gambling market was unregulated and online operators required no license to cater for local players. It all changed in 2015, when the National Gambling Regulator ONJN came out hard after unauthorized casinos, as well as individual players. Different licenses are now needed by gambling operators and software developers such as NetEnt with the latter requiring a Class 2 license. NetEnt Adapts to Regulated Markets The Scandinavian software developer has a reputation of abiding by the rules and was among the first to apply for the much-needed license. Expansion on regulated markets is a central pylon in their long-term strategy and they were quick to adapt to the changing rules. The Romanian license is just one of the many certifications they have obtained in several European countries, but it represents an important milestone. Net Ent is a leading gaming provider for many online casinos, including a few targeting Romanian players. The fact that they have secured the class 2 licenses should encourage the latter to apply and eventually obtain the necessary certifications. As for the software developer, this represents an important step forward, as it will be able to legally distribute and produce specialized software in Romania. NetEnt Joins Playtech and Vermantia The three software developers are the only ones that currently hold a supplier license in Romania, with Playtech and Vermantia securing their licenses earlier this year. The Class 2 license also covers the iGaming management and hosting facilities which indicates the fact that all three companies have high expectations from the Romanian market. The draconian measures taken by the ONJN in 2015 against players who gambled at unauthorized casinos and bookies, scared both punters and casino fans. They pay more attention to online gambling operators that hold valid licenses and tend to double check the list of accepted casinos, to avoid hefty fines. NetEnt has never had a problem in convincing online casinos to use their platform, since they offer a superior product. However competition is intense all across Europe and this license should make them more attractive for online casino players.
If you grew up in the 1990s, chances are you remember Hugo, the popular children’s television show that originated in Sweden and was broadcast in over 40 countries. The hit series spawned dozens of books, magazines, video games, and films - and now, 25 years later, Play’n GO is adding “slots” to that list. Play’n GO, a leading Swedish online gaming software supplier, will be creating the Hugo slot game based on the beloved 1990s TV troll. The children who grew up with Hugo are now in their 30s and 40s, which makes it the perfect time to release the game, which promises to be a fun and nostalgic trip down memory lane. About the Hugo Slot Hugo will be a 5-reel, 10-payline slot, and it will be released to all Play’n GO online casinos later this year. It will include animations, sounds, and special features based on the classic Hugo television show. The game will be simultaneously released in HTML5 and Flash. Play’n GO is partnering with Copenhagen-based Hugo Games, which owns the intellectual property rights to the Hugo franchise. Play’n Go’s Hugo will be the first real-money game for the company. Martin Zettergren, Chief Operating Officer of Play’n GO, commented, “We are extremely excited to work on Hugo – a character that many around the world grew up with and remember fondly. We can’t wait to bring Hugo and friends to the world of premium slots, and I’m certain that the agreement with Hugo Games A/S and RoyalCasino. dk will bear fruit for all parties.” About Play'n GO Play’n GO is a leading Swedish online gaming software developer. Their games are featured on the sites of a hundred operators in more than thirty-two languages. The company has been nominated for the EGR B2B Awards in two categories, Innovation in Mobile and Slot Provider of the Year.
Online wagering is bringing in a pretty penny in the Danish market. Online Betting Leads Figures released by Danish gaming regulator Spillemyndigheden Wednesday showed that almost two thirds of sports betting revenue in Denmark came from the online sector of the country´s regulated gambling market in Q1 2016. This breakdown came out of a total online casino market pie of DKK 975m (US $146m), representing a substantial year-on-year jump of 30% from the same period last year and a fifth consecutive quarter of year-on-year growth. Sportsbetting Tops Verticals Sportsbetting remains Denmark´s top gambling vertical with a revenue of DKK 585m. Online wagering accounted for almost two thirds of that take, at DKK 370m for a share of 63.5%. Year-on-year betting jumped a healthy one third year-on-year, with the gradual 4% growth from Q4 2015 expected to pick up again with Euro 2016 on the horizon for this summer. Other Verts As for other verticals, Denmark´s online casino revenue grew for the sixth quarter in a row, this time by almost a third, 30% to DKK 345m. Slots contributed 68% of online casino revenue, with poker percentage growth flat at DKK 45m, which still represented a DKK 5m higher than the three previous quarter totals. Land-based Operations Land-based operations in Denmark had a significant say as well, as the 25,500 slot machines in gaming halls and restaurants continued to grow, pushing up just under 3% to DKK 380m. Denmark´s seven land-based casinos brought in a cumulative total of DKK 95m, for a jump of over one quarter year-on-year. Projections Overall gambling revenue this year is expected to reach DKK 9b. If reached, this figure would constitute an 8% year-on-year improvement and a cumulative 20% gain since 2012, when Denmark’s regulated online market first launched. The most important prognostication appears to be the 5% rise in the revenue per Danish adult in 2016, indicating a relatively rapid increase in popularity among Danish players which bodes well for operators and Danish regulators alike. Outlook In Denmark, the online model appears to be working, with Euro 2016 ensuring further near term growth.
Yggdrasil casinos now have a brand new video slot called Monkey King, which is now available at the likes of Cherry Casino, Mr Green, and Unibet Casino. Current players of those sites can embark on an adventure to a mysterious mountain temple to find the Monkey King, who is known as Sun Wukong in Journey to the West, a 16th century novel from China. Monkey King has been constructed as a video slot with five reels and three rows, but the more interesting aspect of the slot is that players can win all ways. By design, this means that players can win with three or more matching symbols on consecutive reels, even if they are not next to one another. Monkey King Features The treasure chest symbol is extremely valuable in the base game, as this can release up to 100 coins or trigger free spins. During free spins, this will add two additional free spins plus the 1,000-coin payout. Watch out for this symbol on the fifth reel, as it cannot appear anywhere else. The Monkey King Feature is an outcome that will lead to special gifts from the legendary character, including the chance to keep sticky wild symbols as long the wins continue on each spin. To unlock free spins, players need to land three or more of these symbols on the screen. As a bonus, four will add 1,000 coins and five will add 5,000 coins. Incremental wilds are rewarding because a wild symbol appears on reels two or four until there are six for the sixth and final spin. The next mode gives players stacked wilds, which will add permanently sticky wilds to reels two or four for eight free spins. Finally, starting wilds be active for 10 spins, adding a sticky wild to the centre and even more wilds.
Mobile has had a place within the online gambling industry for a number of years now, but that place has grown in prominence as the technology has improved and been adopted by more and more users. Within sports betting, mobile usage can now outweigh desktop betting for major sporting events. Just recently, Kambi unveiled a report in which fresh data suggests two-thirds of sports fans will use their mobile devices to place bets during Euro 2016 matches. The sports betting software specialist also revealed that 65% of all bets on its platform occurred on mobile devices during major events. This was 20% higher compared to smaller events. When releasing its report, Kambi CEO Kristian Nylén took the time to explain that the company expects the popularity of mobile to continue its rise. Nylén also used the term “instant betting” to explain the philosophy driving Kombi’s software design, which is important if customers are to make in-game bets during the biggest games. Kambi’s Software Approach From an operational standpoint, Kambi has the capability to integrate new sports betting sites in the space of six weeks. The operators that do commit to working with Kambi will also now benefit from a specialised HTML5 client. Fundamentally, the intention behind this feature is to give operators the freedom to adjust their sites for a more customised experience. For Euro 2016, the sportsbook provider will be working with more sites than ever before. In the last four months alone, Kambi has made deals to bring Mr Green, Leo Vegas, and Rank Group on board. Kambi has also been able to bring some existing clients into new markets such as Germany, Italy, and Romania. Euro 2016 will be a busy time for sports betting sites, with bet365 Sports, Unibet Sports and Real Deal Bet Sports set to be three of the most popular.
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