A recent article by Adam Sellke would have readers believe that online and mobile casino gambling will give way to the eSports vertical in the hearts and minds of the Millennial generation. He argues that eSports are better positioned to appeal to this target group than any other form of gambling.

While eSports has its merits and entertainment value, we beg to differ that online and certainly mobile gambling will not have their place in people’s entertainment line-up in future.

Read the full article on the fascinating debate of whether Millenials mean the end of gambling as we know it here

Play NetEnt’s Guns N’ Roses Slot

While NetEnt has been around for over 20 years, in comparison to software giants like Microgaming and Playtech it hasn’t really made much of a name for itself in the online casino world until recent years and the past two years in particular.

In 2015 and 2016 we’ve seen the company perform like never before, providing state-of-the-art casino games and slots to various casinos using its software. It has also forged a number of big name branded slot licensing deals, releasing the first in the NetEnt Rocks slots trilogy Guns N’ Roses earlier this year. Two more titles which include Jimi Hendrix and Motorhead slots are due for release during the course of 2016.

By any standards, NetEnt online and mobile casino games are right up there with the top competitors and are really coming into their own with slick graphics and smooth game play as well as a host of unique features.

The Sweden based organisation also recently signed contracts with casino operators in the US, Spain and UK and will be producing both blackjack and roulette games to add to their slots offering. Earnings have also risen more than 50 percent in 2015 and the company’s share price doubled, translating into a market share of around $2 billion.

According to the company’s CEO Per Eriksson, the company currently holds around 30 percent of the market share in Europe and sees huge growth prospects which will see it fighting to claim an even larger piece of the pie in the years to come. The company is also expecting future growth in the US market and is poising itself to enter the market should online gambling be regulated in future. Eriksson believes that an increase in mobile gambling, state lotteries and revenues from digital games located in brick and mortar casinos will all drive growth in future.

With the industry growing at around 10 percent annually, some wonder if NetEnt will be able to keep up with its staggering growth and success especially in light of the opposition to online gambling in certain countries. However Eriksson makes light of the subject comparing it to Rock ‘n Roll in the 50’s which people said would destroy everything, yet it has stood the test of time and he believes that online gambling is here to stay.

Playtech brings you premier gaming at
EuroGrand Online Casino

Software giant Playtech has reported double-digit growth in revenue for 2015, with a single adjustment due to UK tax regulations leading to a slight dip in profits in that market. When reporting its preliminary results the company indicated a 38% growth in revenue to the tune of €630.1 million in 2015, with adjusted earnings up 22% at €251.9 million.

The UK’s newly implemented Point of Consumption tax did however affect pre-tax profits which declined by 1% to €142 million. The organisation was however reportedly bolstered by a solid underlying performance from its gaming division.

According to Playtech chairman Alan Jackson, 2015 was a busy year for the company but their operational performance was the strongest yet which led to the increase in reported revenues. He added that Playtech’s gaming division continued to drive the company’s growth through market leadership.

Playtech’s pipeline of opportunities looks promising and Jackson commented that the company expected to see significant wins in 2016 which will be led by their omni-channel offering in both existing and new regulated markets.

Playtech has already made good on these promises in 2016 and with their gaming revenue up 12% in the first two months of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015, if the trend continues it will be a good year for them.

In spite of the organisation terminating prospective acquisitions of Ava Trade and Plus500 late in 2015 and a slight drop in their financial division’s revenues because of it, Playtech is still looking to make new, profitable acquisitions this year.

This week saw US facing online gambling sites accepting player payments via PayPal for the first time in over a decade. While PayPal has not made any official announcements about these new developments, they are very clearly open for business in the US with sites like WSOP.com displaying PayPal as an accepted payment method.

While PayPal is a popular payment method which has been widely accepted by the majority of top online casinos in the non US market, the payment solutions provider stopped US online gaming business in 2003 due to increased regulation following its merger with eBay. Prior to the merger however, PayPal was the largest payment solutions providers for worldwide online gambling transactions.

It seems that its newfound independence after being spun off by eBay to trade as an independent, publicly traded company means that the company is free to transact with fewer imposed regulations. In fact, industry insiders believe that this move has been on the cards for over a year.

So why the secrecy and lack of publicity? According to Andy Frankenberger, a former Wall Street trader and world poker champion, PayPal may not want the attention due to the fact that the legality of online gambling in the US is still a grey area, with only a few States legalizing it. So perhaps PayPal does not want to jeopardize its status in markets where online gaming is not permitted. However, if larger States like New York and California do eventually legalise online casinos, PayPal will be in very good standing to attract the processing side of the business.

According to PayPal’s policy statements, the provider does not allow online gaming transactions unless they are conducted by an approved merchant. Which at present means that the current online gambling sites that are able to offer PayPal to their US facing customers were specifically approved by the merchant.

In a statement to CNBC PayPal detailed the launch of pilot program to support four leading Real Money Gaming operators in order to allow their players to fund their accounts to play. According to PayPal the pilot project is being run in such a way that the company is able to comply with evolving laws surrounding Real Money Gaming in the US, while still meeting the requirements of their payment partners. They added that their objective was to offer users safe and simple payment methods which complied with applicable laws.

While PayPal’s original policy statement expressly bans any activity where an entry fee is required and a prize is offered in return regardless of whether the outcome is chance or skill based. Under this clause, fantasy sports would be banned but two of the largest operators, DraftKings and FanDuel are both approved merchants, with PayPal processing approximately half of FanDuel’s payments.

With this kind of a foothold in the industry, there is only room for growth and it will be interesting to see how the processor’s payment options are rolled out and policies are reformed in the years to come.

Online Gambling Tech Billionaires
Denise Coates, Teddy Sagi & Mark Scheinberg

Each year, Forbes releases a variety of “rich lists” and this year’s “100 Richest Tech Billionaires from around the Globe“. Forbes uses the latest stock prices to put the list together and it is interesting to note that they chose to exclude telecom and media in the definition of technology when compiling the list.

This Tech Billionaires list therefore includes people who are active in technological fields of hardware, software, online gambling, social media and high-tech manufacturing.

From the above definition it’s no wonder then that the list features some familiar names in the online gambling world. Here we’ll take a look at who made the list.

Denise Coastes of Bet365 comes in at number 71 on the list with her $2.9 billion fortune and also came in at number 737 on the World’s Billionaire’s rankings. Interestingly she is one of only seven women who made the list this year and her brother John Coates who holds a smaller interest in the company is also a billionaire in his own right but didn’t make the list.

51st place on the list is occupied by Playtech’s founder 43 year old Teddy Sagi with an estimated net worth of $3.8 billion.

And in 46th place is Mark Scheinberg of Poker Stars and Full Tilt fame with a fortune of $4.1 billion to his name.

While these figures are pretty impressive, the online gambling tech millionaires are still a way off from the top of the list, which is topped of course by Bill Gates and his mind-blowing $79.6 billion fortune. Yet it still goes to show that the online gambling world is a rewarding one for more than just the jackpot winners we’ve seen in recent months.

If you’re a fan of multi-player slots tournaments then you’ll be delighted to discover that Microgaming is continuing the ambitious trend that it started last year of releasing one new multi-player game each month and have just released the first game of 2014 entitled The Finer Reels of Life.

This game is a 5 reel, 243 ways to win video slot that transports you into the life of the rich and famous, offering a wild celebration feature as well as a multi-level Finer Features bonus round.

The latter is a four-tiered feature with multiple entries into subsequent levels, each with even more exciting ways to win. The ultimate quest is to reach the final tier known as Champagne and Diamonds presents you with 25 free spins with Microgaming’s trademarked Rolling Reels, which up the ante and the prize offer.

While the Finer Reels of Life video slot originally launched back in January of last year, the multi-player tournament format when live at Microgaming powered online casinos like Spin Palace last week. It is also scheduled to be the headliner for the €100K network tournament launching in March which has been aptly named “March to Riches” so watch this space for all of the promotional details.

According to spokesperson for Microgaming James Ford, The Finer Reels of Life tournament slot is just the first of many in of Microgaming’s stellar 2014 multiplayer tournament slots line-up and both Microgaming powered casinos and players at these brands have a great deal to look forward to in the year to come.

Progressive casino games are the most exciting to play due to the fact that at any second you may be the lucky winner of millions of dollars. In general, online slots are the most popular and frequently played games and as such they also produce the most millionaires, with other progressive casino games rarely producing big winners. There is however an exception to every rule and a recent win in excess of $2 million dollars paid out on a progressive online roulette variant at Casino Tropez.

On the 10th of March 2013, Casino Tropez paid out lucky winner Leonid (an alias) a whopping $2,034,464 when he hit the jackpot on the Playtech powered French Roulette progressive. Just prior to this massive win, the same game also paid out a generous €56,444 to Sylvia, a regular winner on the casino’s winners list.

Of all of the roulette game variations offered by Casino Tropez, namely European, French and American Roulette, French Roulette offers player the highest average return thanks in part to the La Partage rule as well as other special betting options within the game that make it a more competitive option with increased odds of winning than its European and American counterparts.

Other table games it seems have also been paying out at Casino Tropez this month with Scott winning $54,396 on the 10th and a massive $267,466 the very next day on the 11th of March at the craps tables.

The month is still young, so if you’re a table games fan you could just be the next lucky winner! Head on over to Casino Tropez for all of the action and more of the rewards now!

Royal Vegas is a leading online casino for many reasons, one of which is that they are always looking for ways to improve players online casino experience. As such, the casino has recently updated their bonus offer across all platforms.

While the new bonus offering still adds up to the previous offer’s massive 1200 credits, it has been restructured so that it is delivered in three parts rather than the six parts of days gone by which means that as a new player at the casino it is now even quicker and easier than ever before to claim your rewards!

The new streamlined welcome bonus offers is structured as follows:

1. Upon first deposit up to 250 credits, you’ll receive a 100% welcome bonus which means that you get 250 credits absolutely free.
2. Upon your second deposit of up to 800 credits you’ll receive a 25% match bonus which gives you up to 200 free credits.
3. On your third deposit of up to 1500 credits you’ll receive a 50% bonus giving you up to 750 free credits.

On top of their newly structured welcome bonus offering, Royal Vegas also offers a number of fantastic online casino games with new launches each month as well as regularly updated promotions as well and excellent 24/7 customer service.

There has never been a better time to play at this casino, so if you’re not already a member here, visit them today!

We’ve been following the ever increasing Beach Life Progressive Jackpot for quite a while now and on the 12th of February 2012 the massive Beach Life Progressive Jackpot totalling $8,211,488 was hit.

While the lucky player and the casino where the jackpot was hit are yet to be revealed, the win definitely occurred and players saw the machine reset to 50,000 coins on Sunday, which we’re sure broke many other players hearts.

For those who are interested in the statistics of this progressive slot, this huge win has altered the average payout figures quite dramatically. Over the last five wins the average payout has increased to over 2.6 million credits and the average duration between hits has extended to 163 days. This being said though, the Beach Life Progressive is one of the most erratic jackpots on the web and over the last four years has hit from 200,000 to a whopping 4,200,000 and most recently 8,200,000, so it’s still one of the most rewarding slots to play.

So if you’re in the mood for some summer fun with an ever increasing jackpot pool, why not play the Beach Life Progressive Slot at your favourite Playtech powered casino like Europa Casino today.