Online Casinos News Guide

Microgaming offers online gamblers an incredible range of games to play. Of the most popular could arguably be the 21 progressive jackpot slot games available on the Internet. Not only are they incredible games, but they’ve also awarded incredible sums of money, over $250 million to date!

All of Microgaming’s progressive jackpot games are tied into a network that allows the jackpot totals to climb at incredible rates as every online player takes a virtual spin! Of Microgaming’s over 21 progressive games, some of the most popular include Mega Moolah, Major Millions, King Cashalot, and Fruit Fiesta.

Mega Moolah is a 5-reel, 25-pay line, multiple coin, four-tiered progressive video slot with wilds, scatters. Run through this African Safari themed slot and keep your eyes out for the Lion wild symbol (and double your winnings) and play for one of the four different leveled progressive with jackpots starting at $1,000,000, $10,000, $100, and $10.

Major Millions offers a huge progressive jackpot starting at a cool £250,000! This slot is available in three versions, Major Millions, the new MegaSpin, 5-Reel Video Slot and the classic 3-Reel version. Each ties into Microgaming’s incredible progressive jackpot so it’s all up to you which version to play!

King Cashalot is a new Viper progressive slot with a medieval theme, vibrant graphics, and 5-reel and 9-pay lines. Go for the scatter or wild multipliers and win more money! This progressive slot is also the first of its kind to offer the “Pick-until-Collect” bonus game, allowing players to choose to live on the wild side, discard their winnings and try for a bigger jackpot.

Fruit Fiesta is a gambler favourite offering lots of ways to win. Fruit Fiesta also has colorful graphics, high-speed, feature rich action, 15-pay lines and wild and scatters. Scatters are easier to hit on Fruit Fiesta giving players more payouts. Fruit Fiesta is offered as both a 3-reel and 5-reel game and is a classic hit with both beginners and avid players!

When I was about 12 years old, I was sitting at my cottage dining room table playing poker with my family. We were playing 5 card draw, the hands were dealt and the rounds ensued, I didn’t need to ask for any cards, having been extremely delighted with the hand I was dealt. When it finally became time to ‘show what you go’ I flipped my hand over, all proud and confident and said “Straight Flush!” My dad looked at my hand and said, shocked: “That’s not a straight flush, THAT’S A ROYAL FLUSH!” And a spades royal flush at that. I guess you can say that’s where my love of poker and specifically Caribbean Stud came from.

Now if you’ve never played Caribbean Stud Poker, it’s fairly easy to understand and play. You get five cards, so does every other player at the table as well as the dealer. The basic premises is to beat the dealers hand. No cards are exchanged. The catch though, is that to win your money, you must first beat the dealer but second, the dealer must ‘qualify’ his hand by having an Ace, King or higher valued hand.

The betting in Caribbean Stud Poker requires an ante to receive your cards and then a doubling of your ante to play your hand. So let’s say the ante is 5$, you like your hand and you want to play it, you wager another 10$. If you win, the dealer pays you odds on your hand and your ante. If the dealer doesn’t qualify, you still win your ante.

Back to the Royal Flush. Caribbean Stud is usually tied to a progressive jackpot and you guessed it, the Royal Flush will win it for you! Now I know the odds of being dealt a Royal Flush, and they even go down for me having already been dealt one in my lifetime. But there’s always hope, as you turn your hand over, slowly revealing each card, that that elusive big hand might just have fallen into your lap!

It’s no wonder that the Microgaming powered online slot Mega Moolah is a huge hit with online gamblers. Not only is it an exciting, entertaining African Safari themed game but it is also tied into a progressive jackpot system that has turned many players into overnight millionaires! Let’s not forget that it is one of the top paying slot machines on the net!

Progressive slots are great fun because the more EVERYONE plays, the more the progressive amounts climb! Each time a player wagers and takes a spin, a portion of that wager goes into the progressive.

Mega Moolah is a four-tiered progressive jackpot video slot with 5 reels and 25 pay lines. It is a multiple coin game with wilds, scatters. The Lion wild symbol can act as a substitute, doubling winnings and the scatters trigger 15 free spins and wins can be tripled. Top prize in the four-tiered, ‘wheel of fortune’ progressive is a guaranteed million in the Mega. One level below that is the Major with a guaranteed £10,000 and below that, the Minor with £100 guaranteed. Each tiered progressive amount grows as players continue to take spins!

The last time a player won the Mega Moolah was in April of this year. The lucky player, Klauss E. from Finland won an astounding £5,556,753.68 on a $0.50 bet!

There are many, many casinos that offer Mega Moolah including Blackjack Ballroom, Ladbrokes, Spin Palace, All Slots and many more! The current jackpot is well over £4,860,281.32.

32Red online casino is a part of 32Red Plc who operates four gambling products available to players including 32Red Casino, 32Red Poker, 32Red Mobile and now 32RedBingo. 32Red.com offers a great range of games including roulette, blackjack, baccarat, craps and poker.

This December saw the launch of 32Red’s first television advertisement which will be aired across the UK. The advertisement will emphasize the companies highly touted player support and casino games, 32Red’s awards as well as the incredible range of casino games and welcome bonuses.

This is not the first TV commercial to be launched by 32Red. Launched this year as well was a commercial for 32Red Bingo. However, this new TV ad is the first casino TV advertisement which also marks a shift in advertising after the sponsorship of Aston Villa, the English Premiership football club.

And of course, in celebration of this new milestone, 32Red will be offering a new player incentive in a new sign-up offer as part of their 6-Pack Welcome Bonus currently running. Players can choose either a 100% match bonus, up to £250 or £32 free for depositing £10.

Marketing Director for 32Red, Mark Quayle is excited to be able to offer generous bonuses to all types of players whether they are looking for maximum value or long lasting appeal for their money.

Keep your eye out in the new year for 4 new games from 32Red which includes the new Mega Moolah, 5-Reel Drive slot machine with a guaranteed £1 million jackpot! Also coming are Polar Pioneers, Liquid Gold and Joker Poker Level Up.

There could be a special holiday surprise waiting for one lucky player as RealTime Gaming’s Jackpot Piñatas progressive slot machine has just tipped past the one million dollar mark!

RealTime Gaming is a prominent online casino software developer with games available at many of the net’s top online casinos offering both download and flash versions of their software. Founded in 1998, RealTime Gaming is one of the ‘big 4’ online casino software developers out today and is licensed in the Netherlands Antilles Curacao.

Jackpot Piñatas is a 5-reel, 12-line video slot, launched nearly a year ago. The first win came just a few weeks later for $273,914. Since then however, the jackpot has not been won! It is ripe for the taking now currently standing around $1,055,411! With a fun Mexican theme including tacos, senoritas, limes and roses for symbols, this game is packed with excitement and incredible bonuses. Jackpot Piñatas also offers a secondary jackpot as well!

Jackpot Piñatas offers players free spins, wild symbols, substitutes and a bonus game. Hit 5 Bull Piñata symbols and you could win the grand prize! There is also another bonus round available by hitting three Dog Piñatas where you choose to open Piñatas to reveal prizes! A wager of 25 cents per line is required to win the grand prize.

Jackpot Piñatas can be played at many online casinos affiliated with RealTime Gaming including AllSlotsCasino, SpinPalace and Lucky18Casino. Check out some of the many online casinos that offer Jackpot Piñatas and see if it’s your turn to walk away a millionaire this holiday season!

It’s not often that online gaming companies delve further into marketing and customer engagement other than what’s available on their websites. Yes, many offer great deals and bonuses sign ups and some even offer tutorials and free trial versions of their games. However a select few also offer some form of reading material. That is the case for 888, one of the world’s most popular and successful entertainment companies.

888 produces Eight, a magazine aimed at their online casino and poker member’s in the UK which provides lifestyle features and gaming content. Eight is an innovative communication channel through which 888 deepens player relationships.

And now 888 have received the Most Effective Membership title at the 2008 APA Effectiveness Awards for Eight. The influential award, given by the Association of Publishing Agencies in the UK, is one of the most highly recognized awards given for an internal magazine.

With over 10 years of APA awards ceremonies, this year was no doubt the largest, with more than 350 titles through a huge range of industries. There were a total of 18 awards handed out with approximately 20 entries per category.

Eight was awarded some high praise from the APA judges which included comments around Eight’s editorial creativity as well as its ability to position the brand’s value in the minds of consumers. The judges also noted Eight’s success and effectiveness as an informative and entertaining read, whether you’re an online gambler or not.

Matt Robinson, 888’s VP Brand Marketing also commented on the award by noting 888’s commitment to reaching the highest performance levels in all areas as well as their drive to deliver 888’s core values of innovation, caring, customer centricity, leading and collaboration.

Leading online poker room UltimateBet.com is doing its part this holiday season to raise awareness and funds for a good cause. This weekend, they will be hosting a poker tournament to raise money for Ante Up For Africa (AUFA), an organization co-founded by World Poker Champion Annie Duke.

The tournament, the AUFA Charity Xmas Bonanza, is set to run Saturday at 7:30pm EST at UltimateBet.com. Annie Duke will also be taking part in the No Limit Hold’em tournament with all buy-in proceeds (100%) being donated to AUFA.

AUFA is an organization bringing awareness and funds to the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan. AUFA also hosts a land-based tournament each year. This year saw several celebrities at the event and was hosted by both Annie Duke and Don Cheadle. The tournament in 2007 raised over $700,000 in funds for AUFA.

AUFA co-founder and Cardroom Consultant for Ultimate Bet Annie Duke said there’s no better time to give than during the holiday season.

Ultimate Bet is not only hosting this fundraiser tournament but will also be donating several high tech toys and gadgets including an XBOX 360 Elite System, a 32GB iPod Touch, a Sony Handycam, a Ninetendo DS, a seat at UltimateBet’s $200k Guaranteed Texas Hold’em tournament, a Sony Portable DVD player, a Bluetooth laser virtual keyboard, an iOmega external hard drive and more!

UltimateBet.com is a leading online poker room, designed with assistance from the world’s best – Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke. Powered through the CEREUS poker network, UltimateBet offers free software, free ring games and tournaments as well as tips from the pros. Blackjack and other games are also available for play.

The holiday season is filled with cheer, happiness and kindness. There is holiday music playing in every store and on every radio station and holiday movies playing at all hours on TV. But if you feel like you might need a little ‘break’ from all the holiday cheer check out the new online slot machine Rudolph’s Revenge.

All in good fun, Rudolph’s Revenge takes a stab at Christmas cheer as this 50 pay line machine features everyone’s favourite raindeer, Rudolph, two freaked out elves, a gift ticking bomb gift for Santa and a roasted Santa Claus sitting on a platter! You can also see a symbol with a house that blows up!

Not completely devoid of good sentiments around the holidays, Rudolph’s Revenge’s symbols, A, K, Q, J, 10, and 9, are beautifully wrapped up like presents with bows and snow covered Christmas trees can be seen in the background.

Watch out for the ticking presents, they trigger the bonus round. And of course, go for the progressive jackpot win by hitting 5 evil Rudolph’s on a pay line. The entire game can be played for a fixed bet of $2.00 (which equals to 40 cents a line)

Rudolph’s Revenge, like any good video slot machines, also features a wild symbol (Rudolph) that may be substituted for every symbol except the ticking bomb. When the Rudolph wild symbol is used, prizes are doubled. 7 free spins are up for grabs as well if you can hit 3 or more ticking bombs. During the free spins round, your winnings are multiplied by 2 plus the number of Rudolph’s that were on the screen!

This fun slot is being offered by RTG, a leading software developer for the online gaming world and can be played at Cherry Red, Lucky 18 and Lucky Club online casinos.

WinaDay.com is relatively new to the online gaming world having only recently launched their site in January of 2008. Over this past year they’ve also released several new slot games including Wheeler Dealer, Jack’s Show and Lucky-Go-Round in July and Heavenly Reels in October.

Now WinaDay.com has launched a new game this week in Gold Boom. An exciting, animated, 6 pay line slot with 9 wheels, a ‘gold digger’ theme, offering free spins in the bonus round and a progressive jackpot. With a great look including a mallet as a spinner arm, jewels attached to red wires and fun-looking dynamite themed symbols this game is sure to blow you away!

Try and win Gold Boom’s Bonus Spins by hitting three diamond symbols on any pay line. Each time this occurs, one diamond is given to the player to use on the Bonus Spin counter. When you’ve collected three you win three bonus spins! Keep an eye on what you’re wagering because the amount you wagered when you landed that last diamond is the amount you will wager on the bonus spins!

And of course there’s the progressive jackpot which can be won by hitting 3 gold symbols on a wagered play line – but you have to bet the maximum amount! The current jackpot stands at $130,000! WinaDay.com is also offering a Gold Boom Top Spinner bonus and Gold Boom Triple Luck bonus!

Ondrej Tuma of Slotland.com said Gold Boom relives the days of the gold miners of the Wild West who never quit because they believed they would strike it rich at any minute – a parallel he makes to online slot machines and its players.

WinaDay.com is a fantastic 3-D online casino environment that allows players the ability to wander around the online casino, into different rooms and interact with other 3-D players! All of WinADay.com’s games are based on the latest instant-play, no-download Flash technology. Keep an eye out in the New Year for Puzzle World, a new game currently being developed by WinaDay.com developers.

Online gaming operator bwin has teamed up with Harvard Medical School to further study the problem of online gambling addiction showing that the online gaming industry is willing and able to take action against addiction. The ultimate goal of the study will be to identify, prevent and ease gambling-related problems such as addiction and/or compulsive gambling, age verification and so on.

Bwin International Ltd. was founded in 1999 and operates bwin.com – their online gaming portal offering Sports, Poker, Casino and Games to its customers. The Division on Addictions at the Cambridge Health Alliance, who are affiliated with Harvard Medical School, will be continuing their already previously established 3-relationship with a 5-year study to determine the best, most productive methods for creating responsible gaming conditions.

The study will be using data they will collect through bwin’s over 47,000 customers in an effort to review unbiased or edited information. The hope is to recognize patterns in behaviours that would help create applications and methods to use to promote safe gaming.

Manfred Bodner, CEO of bwin indicated the importance of knowing and understanding the consumers’ mind and how to effectively identify problem behaviour based on scientific evidence, not on speculation. He also noted a specific interest in creating behavioural models that would be capable of predicting behavioural outcomes.

This new joint venture is a priority for many online gaming companies and demonstrates their interest in studying and solving problem behaviours associated with online gambling as well as keeping the industry a safe place for all.