Local Favourite Neil Arce Wins 2009 Asian Poker Tour Philippines

25-year-old Neil Arce sent the local crowd wild with delight by taking down the 2009 Asian Poker Tour Philippines. Arce conquered a field of 262 runners representing over 40 countries to scoop the first prize of US$185,000. The runner-up was Steve ‘joonhee’ Yea from South Korea who also finished second at the 2008 Asian Poker Tour Macau in August 2008. Leading Tournament Director Matt Savage oversaw the action in the $2500 + $200 Main Event which had a total prize pool of US$635,500 with 27 places being paid.

“This is just great,” said Arce, who is a well known figure on the Filipino poker circuit through running the Metro Card Club in Manila. “I always felt it would come down to me and Steve. For me the key to winning the tournament was position. I was so lucky that Steve was sat on my right – if he was on my left it would have been a completely different final table. I played with Steve all day yesterday when he was on a charge and kept out of his way. I knew that to get anywhere at the final table I had to keep applying pressure and my game plan worked perfectly.”

Arce had been chip leader after Day 1A and had even guaranteed Asian Poker Tour CEO Chris Parker before the event got underway that he would emerge victorious in the tournament. He was third in chips at the final table and faced some formidable opponents including the impressive Yea and internationally respected professionals Liz Lieu and Asian Poker Tour Macau 2008 finalist Kasey Castle. The key hand came just after the talkative Arce had taken the chip lead from Yea. He showed willingness over a series of hands to up the pre -flop aggression. On the final hand, he made what had become a standard open for him of 100,000. Steve Yea re-raised to 300,000. Arce moved all in and Yea called in a shot. Arce held Ks Qs with Yea Ad Kh leaving Arce as 3 -1 underdog. The flop came 4s 6c 7h and Yea was two cards away from a massive double up. Then the turn came the Qh and the partisan crowd exploded. The river came 6h which was of no use to Yea and the 2009 Asian Poker Tour Philippines had itself a very popular champion! After two consecutive Asian Poker Tour runner-up spots and a dominating performance over the last few days Yea could only say, “next time I will do it,” as he was commiserated by his tight knit group of supporters. Live reporting, prize payouts and hand specific details of the event can be found at http://www.asianpt.com/ and http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/

First out on the nine seat final table was Kim Tae Hyung from South Korea, followed by Finland’s Vesa Leikos. Glamorous US pro Liz Lieu went seventh, followed by fellow American Ron Kluber and Japan’s Susumu Toge. Cicurel Didiwe from the Seychelles finished fourth and US pro Kasey Castle in third. When it got heads-up Yea held the chip lead with 1,572,000 to Arce’s 1,048,000. Notable cashes in the event include 12thplace for Nam Le and 13th place for his fellow member of The Poker Pack Steve Sung. Australia’s Michael Pedley finished 10th and Matchroom Sport Director Eddie Hearn cashed in 16th.

Chris Parker CEO of the Asian Poker Tour said: “We would like to congratulate Neil on his fantastic win and thank all the players for making the 2009 Asian Poker Philippines such a successful event. We’d also like to thank all our partners for making this all happen, including the regulator PAGCOR.”

“There were some tired eyes after the FHM/DafaPoker party but the atmosphere around the final table was buzzing. Neil’s win is fantastic for poker in the Philippines – we hope that it strengthens the appeal of the game even further.”

Amongst those who were in the hunt for the title included Nam Le, Quinn Do, David ‘Chino’ Rheem, Steve Sung and Kwang Soo Lee – all members of the Asian Poker Tour’s elite team of ambassadors - The Poker Pack - who are currently in storming form on the international live circuit. They joined a field that also included 2008 Asian Poker Tour Philippines winner David Saab, 2009 Aussie Millions Highroller event winner David Steicke, Michael Pedley, 2009 PartyPoker.com Irish Poker Championship winner Rory Rees Brennan, Brian Huang, Ivan Tan, Andrew Scott and 1990 WSOP Main Event winner Mansour Matloubi. The Philippines was strongly represented in the field including WSOP bracelet winner Toto Leonidas. There were big contingents from South Korea and Japan, with 2008 Asian Poker Tour Philippines runner up Chris Roh and Yea leading the charge for South Korea and representatives from JBetPoker, Team J3PT and the Japan Poker League making up a formidable Japanese contingent that included Yasuhiro Waki and Yoshei Watanabe.

The Asian Poker Tour Philippines is drawing to a close and has been running since the 27th January. Amongst the side event winners are Henrik Eklund of Sweden who took down the PKR Headhunter tournament and Francis Uy of Manila who emerged victorious in the Ray Ban Invitational. Tommy Le followed his recent impressive Aussie Millions cash by taking down the 13 Card Tournament side event at 2009 Asian Poker Tour Philippines.

Quinn Do, a member of the Poker Pack was on the final table of the DafaPoker Pot-Limit Omaha Hi tournament and gave 50% of his winnings to charity. A special Filipino Celebrity Charity Event also took place and was won by ‘The Playgirls’ who won 100,000 pesos for charity. Over 200,000 pesos in total went to various local charities. The FHM/DafaPoker Player’s Party took place on the Saturday night and the famous Asian Poker Tour hospitality resulted in a massive poolside party hosted by FHM cover models that went on well into the night. Down in the poker room there was a 13 card tournament.

Coverage of this year’s Main Event will be televised and distributed internationally later in the year. The Asian Poker Tour is supported by the iPoker Network, Titan, DafaPoker, PKR, PartyPoker, JBet Poker, Everest Poker, Microgaming Network, 888, 32 Red Poker, National Poker League and the Japanese Poker League . Full details can be found at http://www.asianpt.com/

Manila Is A Poker And Party Paradise!

The countdown is on to the keenly anticipated Asian Poker Tour Philippines, which gets underway on Monday and runs until the 1st February at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Manila. The highlight is the $2500 + $200 No Limit Hold’em Main Event, which runs from the 29th January – 1st February. The latest news sees the confirmation of an FHM sponsored party, a celebrity event and a PKR sponsored bounty tournament.

Parties on the Asian Poker Tour in Manila and Macau last year have taken on legendary status and have even won an award! One highlight for this year’s event is definitely the FHM/DafaPoker Player’s Party, which starts at 19.30 on the 31st January and promises to be ‘tastefully wild,’ with FHM planning to send plenty of their cover models. After the party, the Asian Poker Tour and FHM have hired party buses to take players around Manila’s hotspots. At 20.00 on the 27th January, the Asian Poker Tour Celebrity Challenge, presented by Ray Ban, FHM and JBet, also promises to be lively. 20 celebrities will take part and the Asian Poker Tour and sponsors will be donating a minimum of 200,000 pesos to the charities of the celebrities’ choice. More details are to follow on this event but expect a twist to proceedings!

The Asian Poker Tour is also delighted to introduce the PKR Headhunter Tournament to the fantastic range of side action at the event. Getting underway at 19.30 on the 28th January the $250 + $20 tournament will feature members of The Poker Pack as bounties including Nam Le, David ‘Chino’ Rheem, Quinn Do, Steve Sung and Kwang Soo Lee. A recent online bounty tournament featuring members of The Poker Pack, who are currently on a phenomenal run on the world circuit, broke all records on next generation site PKR.

DafaPoker is the official partner of the Asian Poker Tour in presenting the Pot-Limit Omaha Hi tournament – a first for a major Asian Tour. The game is scheduled to take place at 14.00 on the 31st January. The buy-in for this tournament will be $185 + $15. On the same day at 19.00 there will also be a hugely anticipated 13 card tournament featuring a $460 +$40 buy-in. Other highlights include the world’s first GREED tournament and a huge range of cash games, sit and gos and satellites into the Main Event. Registration for the Main Event starts on the 27th January with welcome ceremony cocktails on the evening of the 28th January.

Chris Parker, CEO of the Asian Poker Tour said: “The excitement is building as the clock ticks down to the Asian Poker Tour Philippines. Manila is one of the most fun cities in the world and the event will reflect this. We are delighted with our package of famous parties and the range of side action around our prestigious Main Event. This is one experience not to miss!”

Last year’s Asian Poker Tour Philippines winner was Australia’s David Saab, who scooped first place and $280,000. Coverage of this year’s Main Event will be televised and distributed internationally later in the year. Overseeing the action will be leading tournament director Matt Savage.

The Asian Poker Tour is supported by the iPoker Network, Titan, Dafa Poker, PKR, PartyPoker, Everest, 888, JBet Poker, 32 Red Poker, Microgaming Network and Everleaf Network. Full details can be found at http://www.asianpt.com/

Intertops Sportsbook Favors the Pittsburgh Steelers to Beat the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII

Contest winners to enjoy all-expenses paid trip to Tampa for the most-bet-on-event of the year

Intertops sportsbook favors the Pittsburgh Steelers by seven points over the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl on February 1st, but two players from the internet’s very first sportsbook probably don’t much care who wins – they’re going to Tampa all-expenses paid by Intertops.

“We’ve been at this a long time -- we were the very first sportsbook to take an online wager – and our bookmakers are pretty sharp,” said Michl Posch of Intertops. “Sure, the Steelers are strongly favored, but upsets happen all the time, don’t they? It’s really anybody’s game until the last second.”

William S. of California won last month’s Super Bowl Contest at Intertops and will be taking his wife to Tampa for the big game.

"The Super Bowl is certainly the sporting event of the year and for a football fan like me these tickets are just about the best possible prize I could ever hope for!” said the contest winner. “It’s going to be an historic game with the Steelers going for a record sixth Super Bowl win and the Cardinals looking to take the trophy for the first time. I can’t wait to see whether the league’s toughest defence can stop Arizona’s offensive power.”

Many American football fans think the Cardinals, who haven’t won an NFL title since 1941, may not have a defense that can hold back Pittsburgh. Virtually every betting line favors the Steelers. The Cardinals questionable defense did help win three playoff games pretty decisively though. If the Cardinals manage to break through the Steelers’ defense, those that put their money on the underdogs will clean up.

In addition to who will win the most-gambled-on-event of the year, Intertops offers a huge range of other Super Bowl betting propositions including MVP: Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger is favored to win that at +135, followed by Arizona’s Kurt Warner at +325 and Larry Fitzgerald at +500. Intertops is also taking bets on which team will be the first to score ten points with odds of +5000 that neither team will reach that mark.

Intertops’ odds on who will win the game and a variety of other betting propositions are posted at Intertops.com/sportsbook and are updated daily. Intertops welcomes Super Bowl wagers from around the world, including the US.

ChipMeUp and Asian Poker Tour’s Poker Pack Announce Collaboration

Leading poker staking website, www.chipmeup.pokernews.com, is pleased to announce a collaboration with The Asian Poker Tour’s (APT) Poker Pack at the 2009 Aussie Millions. The collaboration between leading poker staking website, ChipMeUp and The Asian Poker Tour’s (APT) Poker Pack will see the five world-class pros put up a piece of their play at the 2009 Aussie Millions for the public to invest in.


The Asian Poker Tour is highly regarded as the biggest and most coveted tour in Asia with two successful stops under their belt in 2008 and an expanded tour in 2009. They have recently hand selected a team of talented individuals of Asian origin – dubbed The Poker Pack – who are ambassadors for the brand and share among themselves total live tournament winnings of over $22 Million. This premiere team is made up of Nam Le, JC Tran, David ‘Chino’ Rheem, Kwang Soo Lee, Steve Sung and Quinn Do.

ChipMeUp is a website that allows players to buy/sell shares of themselves at some of the world’s biggest live and online poker events. Subscription is free with only a small fee charged for players wanting to put up a percentage of their play.

Each Asian Poker Tour Poker Pack pro will put up 5 per cent of themselves in the 2009 Aussie Millions Main Event that will feature a guaranteed AUD2 Million first prize. The Poker Pack members will be donating all funds received from their 5% sale to the Shane Warne Foundation (http://www.tswf.com.au/). Unlike other charities, the Shane Warne Foundation does not directly work with the children; rather they distribute monies raised to established charities that provide essential help and services to children. The Foundation accepts submissions from Charities that are in dire need for facilities such as equipment, emergency transport; or services such as therapy, counseling, life saving operations, specialist care, housing – the list is endless.

CHIPMEUP members, hktom and coughshamen who managed to snap up shares in The Poker Pack, have also joined the charity drive and will donate winnings from their purchased shares. To buy a piece of The Poker Pack, visit ChipMeUp, find the player you wish to stake and simply transfer the funds.

3D Online Casino Celebrates First Big Progressive Jackpot Winner

Italian online slots player wins €116,200 ($148,724) playing Wheeler Dealer

Since it launched last summer, new 3D online casino WinADay.com has been eagerly anticipating its first big progressive jackpot winner and it happened last week. An Italian player known as Monica68 won €116,200 ($148,724) while playing Wheeler Dealer, one of the five unique slot machines at the three dimensional casino site. This is the first progressive jackpot win at the new site. It was reset to $30,000 and has been increasing steadily ever since. If it’s anything like the jackpot at WinADay’s sister site, Slotland.com, it won’t be long before another player is celebrating a six-figure win.


“When I first discovered this 3D site I thought hey, this is different,” said the winner, still trying to believe her good fortune. “There’s something different about it alright! It made me a winner! This is the first time I’ve ever won any more than €50 and, mama mia, I can tell you, it feels fantastico!”

The second they arrive at the site, the WinADay.com experience is a totally new one for online casino players. Greeted at the door by the animated casino concierge, they are ushered into the main casino lobby where casino service staff help players choose between the five absolutely unique slots and video poker games waiting for them there.

WinADay.com games are based on the latest instant-play, no-download Flash technology that allows designers to incorporate the rich media content that today’s online game players expect. There’s nothing for players to download or install – they are in the 3D casino lobby, ready to play, in seconds. All games are original, built using proprietary software, and only available at WinADay.com. All games are tied to one progressive jackpot pool.

WinADay.com has made good on its promise to continually add new games and has added two new slot machines, Heavenly Reels and Gold Boom, since launching. Heavenly Reels is a four pay line slot adorned with heavenly cherubs and with angel wings that appeals to strategic slots players since, after checking the results of the first spin, players can hold any or all of the reels on their second spin. With symbols that hearken back to gold rush days, Gold Boom is a 9-wheel, 6-pay line slot machine that offers free bonus spins and awesome payouts. A sixth game is expected within weeks.

Lucky18Casino Named ‘Break Out Casino’ of the Year

Bluff Magazine Congratulates Online Casino for its Out-of- the-Envelope Approach

Ever since it burst onto the scene last year with an unheard of $1800 deposit bonus and $21K blackjack tournaments, Lucky18Casino has been turning online casino players’ heads. In its February issue, Britain’s popular poker magazine, Bluff Europe, recognizes the casino’s maverick character and names it the “Break Out Casino of the Year.”

“They’ve got a really slick site – excellent games, easy to navigate, open to US players,” said Philip Conneler of Bluff Europe. “But what really impressed us about Lucky 18 is the way they’ve just burst onto the scene with fresh ideas and a new approach.”

The article notes Lucky 18’s unprecedented deposit bonuses and even comments on the site’s cheeky purple colour scheme. But, a true card player, the writer zooms in on the upstart casino’s incredible BKJK Bowl blackjack tournament that will award a total of more than $50,000 in cash prizes by the end of the Grand Final coming up during Super Bowl week.

“As poker players who have honed our skills in grueling poker tournaments over the years,” reads the article, “Blackjack tournaments, with their reliance on position and strategy, are the way to go. Also, because we’re poker players, we can’t resist good value when we see it, and the Sunday night Weekly Bowls at Lucky 18 Casino offer just that.”

“This site does everything very well, and is easy and quick to navigate,” continues the review. “It’s also keen to stress that it is open to US players, in line with its mission to provide players with exclusive entertainment and the best odds in the business (better than Vegas remember). So, whether affiliate or intrigued poker player, we can safely recommend Lucky18Casino.com as the place to go to cut your online casino teeth and we declare it the Break Out Casino of the Year.”

Lucky18 Casino offers state-of-the-art games and millions in jackpots from Realtime Gaming (RTG), the only one of the major online casino software providers still open to US players. The biggest progressive jackpots available to US players -- Jackpot Pinata, Shopping Spree and Midlife Crisis -- are offered at Lucky 18. Lucky18Casino’s $1800 Deposit Bonus is the most generous anywhere and they provide toll-free telephone support 24-7 to players around the world including the U.S.

Jadestone’s GamArena First Cash Skill Games In Italy

Bwin will offer Blackjack, Yatzy and Scarab Solitaire to Italian gamers

Jadestone Networks, the Nordic based online games owner and operator, today announced that its GamArena skill games – available through bwin Italy – are the first cash skill games to be legally offered in the Italian market.

“Italy is a high priority market for us, so we’re very happy that bwin acted quickly to pioneer cash skill games in that country,” said Tobias Nissen, Business Development Director at Jadestone. “This joint effort to roll out a new game service in full compliance with the Italian regulations represents a further expansion of our already successful partnership.”

Players can test their skills in a variety of games and in tournaments ranging from Yatzy to Scarab Solitaire. So far, Black Jack has been the clear favorite among Italian gamers. All in all, the reception by Italian players has been very encouraging with daily rakes well ahead of Jadestone Networks’ initial projections.

Slotland Pays Out $68,500 In Free Bonus Draws

2008 Winners Announced, Bonus Draw Program Continued in 2009

Dozens of Slotland players found an extra $500 to $15,000 deposited in their accounts this month as part of two annual bonus prize programs. Slotland.com gave away a total of $68,500 in free bonus draw prize money in 2008 and vows to do the same again in 2009. In random draws, the slots and video poker site will give away another $13,200 in prize money this year. And another $55,500 will once again be divided up among the casino’s top depositors. These prizes are over and above Slotland’s progressive jackpot that is hit for six-figures every six weeks or so and awarded nearly a million dollars in 2008.

For each deposit they make, Slotland players get one chance to win in the special end-of-the-year random draw. First prize is $5000 and second prize is $2000. A total of $13,500 is awarded to 20 lucky and often unsuspecting slot machine players.

In addition to the random draw, Slotland also has a prize pool of $55,500 to be awarded to their top 30 depositors each year. The player with the greatest total deposits for the year receives $15,000. Second and third highest depositors receive $10,000 and $5000

“Especially with the random draw the winners are often quite surprised they’ve won a bonus prize,” said Ondrej Tuma of Slotland.com. “Some of the top depositors anticipate their year-end bonus but most of the random draw winners didn’t even know they were automatically entered when they made a deposit!”

A list of 2008 winners has just been posted at Slotland.com. Many of these happy players are well known to their fellow players and to Slotland’s Customer Service staff since they have been playing at the slots and video poker site for years.

5 More $21K Blackjack Tournament Winners Advance to Super Bowl Week Grand Final

Players can still win seats or just buy-in for $21,000 BKJK Bowl Final, January 28th

The December BKJK Bowl Monthly Final at Lucky18Casino.com was yet another battle to the finish for a place at the $21,000 BKJK Bowl Grand Final coming up during Super Bowl week. Five more online blackjack players advanced to the $21K Final, January 28 at 6 pm GMT/10 pm EST.

The December Monthly Final was a typical shootout as everyone gunned for top places. Only three advanced from each table in the first level. The second level saw the elimination of many seasoned players like the infamous 'Harve' while newcomers like 'Bucs67' and 'Jef' seemed to get all the yummy cards.

Final table was anyone's game. Conservative play was the theme on this table as players were reluctant to make big bets to separate themselves from the pack. Going into the final hands, there was only a 700 chip difference between First and Last place.

“In the final round, I made a sizable bet, hoping to put myself into a better position,” said ‘Jef’ who was in next to last place going into the last hand. “What can I say? Luck was on my side!”

'Jef' pulled a soft 20 while the dealer showed a 6. The remaining players were dealt 17s or less. Conservative play remained the theme and, using basic strategy, all players stood. The dealer slammed down an 18, much to the dismay of all players except 'Jef' who slipped into the lead.

The top five players earned a free seat at the $21,000 BKJK Bowl and a share of the $2121 in blackjack tournament prize money. The five that advance and their winnings are:

1st Place - jef - $1,004.22
2nd Place - mandymoney - $597.75
3rd Place - easymoney - $358.65
4th Place – bucs67 - $215.19
5th Place – poser284 - $215.19

There is one more Monthly Final before the Grand Final. Then, like this month’s top five, the top five players in the January Monthly Bowl will advance to the Grand Final. Until then, there are three qualifiers each week for free seats at the weekly finals where free seats to the next monthly final can be won. But those that don’t win their way to the $21,000 BKJK Bowl Grand Final on January 28th can buy-in for $275. BKJK Bowl will award a total of more than $50,000 in cash prizes.

Lucky 18 Casino offers state-of-the-art games and millions in jackpots from Realtime Gaming (RTG), the only one of the major online casino software providers still open to US players. Lucky18Casino’s $1800 Deposit Bonus is the most generous anywhere and they provide toll-free telephone support 24-7 to players around the world including the U.S.

All tournaments begin at 10:00 pm EST. Tournament buy-ins and prize details and a complete schedule of Weekly and Monthly Bowls can be found at http://www.lucky18casino.com/

Slots Site’s Re-launched Four Cast Game Offers 100X Pay Out

Card Prediction Game Tests Players Psychic Powers

Always listening, Slotland.com has incorporated player feedback in a new and improved version of one of their most popular games, Four Cast. The game has been re-worked to enable players to make it through four rounds for each game. Maximum payout has been increased as well and players can now win up to 100X their wager if they are able to predict the suit and value of all four cards dealt by the video poker style dealer.

Apart from the famous progressive jackpot tied to all of their 15 unique slot machines, FourCast has one of the biggest payouts available at Slotland.com. Players can win as much as $8000 on a $20 bet. 100 X can become 400% if there’s a joker in the hand. Players hit Slotland’s famous progressive jackpot if they correctly predict all four cards and the cards are in four different suits.

Slotland.com is an online casino that features only one-of-a-kind slot machines and video poker games. But Four Cast is actually neither. It’s a card prediction game that combines the thrills of cards and the quick, easy play of spinning slots in an exciting new game that challenges players’ psychic powers.

“You can play this game by yourself,” said Ondrej Tuma from Slotland.com. “But this one is even more fun if you gather a couple of people around the computer and all try to predict the next card.”

All of Slotland’s games are “instant play” so there’s no downloading. And none of them are available at any other online casino. However, many of them are also available on mobile phones at Slotland’s mobile games site, wap.Slotland.com.

All of Slotland.com’s web and mobile games are tied into the same progressive jackpot that is hit for well over six figures about every six weeks. Slotland.com is one of the most trusted online gambling sites and has loyal players around the world, including the United States.

Jackpot Piñatas is Biggest Jackpot Available to US Players

Progressive Jackpot at JackpotCapital.com Now Over $1,000,000

The only million dollar progressive jackpot available to US online casino players is still waiting to be won at JackpotCapital.com where two other progressive jackpots are also approaching a million dollars.

Jackpot Piñatas is the largest online casino jackpot currently available to US players. After a $290K win just weeks after the Jackpot Piñatas slot machine was launched, it’s been more than a year since its progressive jackpot has been hit. It currently stands at over $1,093,000 and continues to increase with every spin.

“We were excited when Jackpot Piñatas first went over a million dollars a couple of weeks ago,” said JackpotCapital.com manager Oliver Smith. “No one knows when the next spin will show five Bull Piñata symbols and make someone an instant millionaire, but a lot of players feel like it could happen any minute!”

Jackpot Piñatas is a twenty-line online slot machine with tacos, beautiful señoritas, fresh limes, roses and various piñatas on its reels. Its free spins, wild symbols, substitutes, and bonus game make the game a virtual fiesta. Five Bull Piñata symbols on any one of the paylines wins the progressive jackpot provided the player has wagered $0.25 per payline.

Two other progressive jackpots at JackpotCapital.com are getting very close to a million dollars. The Midlife Crisis and Shopping Spree jackpots are currently over $910K. JackpotCapital’s most recent winner progressive jackpot winner was Cheryl B. of California who won $21K playing Crazy Dragon on December 30th. What a New Year Boost!

JackpotCapital.com offers over 300 exciting games, each with state-of-the art graphics and sound to provide a unique gaming experience. Not surprisingly, the most popular games at JackpotCapital.com are the large selection of games tied to the site’s huge progressive jackpots. Just like the slot machines in Las Vegas that contribute to one big mega jackpot, everyone playing card games like Caribbean Hold´em, Caribbean Stud Poker, and Let ‘Em Ride, or spinning slot machines like Midlife Crisis, Shopping Spree, Light Speed, It’s Good to Be Bad, Crazy Dragon or The Shark are contributing to huge and growing progressive jackpots.

JackpotCapital.com is pleased to accept players from the United States. New customers are eligible to receive a 100% Match Up Bonus on their first deposit.

Cryptologic Launches New Spider-Man Game

CryptoLogic has launched a new three-game lineup that features the legendary Marvel Super Hero, Spider-Man, a new adventure slot game called Dragon Sword, and an enhanced version of Atlantic City Blackjack, one of the company’s most popular casino games.

The new games are now available to players at Intercasino.com, and will be live on the sites of other CryptoLogic customers in the near future.

“At CryptoLogic, branded casino games are one of the pillars of our strategy, and today we extend our lead in this highly profitable segment even further,” said Brian Hadfield, CryptoLogic’s President and CEO. “CryptoLogic’s original Spider-Man slot game was one of our most successful games ever, and we have high hopes for these new games, which deliver a truly unique customer experience.”

Spider-Man Revelations
Players can battle the evil Doctor Octopus in this thrilling 25-line slot game featuring Marvel’s legendary super hero. One of the game’s bonus rounds challenges players to save a passenger during a transit tussle for the chance to win free spins or multipliers. Spidey senses will tingle at the three-level jackpot, multiple exciting bonus rounds and a chance to win 5,000 times a player’s original bet.

Dragon Sword
Players can follow a heroic knight into a dark, murky forest in search of his lost sword in this adventure-filled 25-line slot game, available exclusively from CryptoLogic. The game features a battle with a dragon in the bonus round and rewards from hidden treasures and random prizes. With a chance to win up to 6,000 their bet, this game will have players on the edge of their seats.

CryptoLogic’s new Casino Bonus Pack also features an enhanced version of Atlantic City Blackjack, one of the company’s most popular casino games. This version includes new and improved game features, such as auto-betting and auto-strategy functionality and enhanced graphics. The result is a new, dynamic presentation of this classic game that preserves the original game rules players know and love.

“CryptoLogic promised more innovative games, more often – and we take this commitment seriously,” said Justin Thouin, CryptoLogic’s Vice President, Product Management and Business Development. “Even with the most acclaimed Internet casino software on the market, CryptoLogic continues to break new ground, delivering exceptional experiences to players, and profits to our licensees.”

Boasting more than 200 games, CryptoLogic has one of the most comprehensive casino suites on the Internet today with games featuring some of the world’s most famous action and entertainment characters. CryptoLogic has earned rave reviews from industry peers and players alike, and in 2008 earned Gambling Online Magazine’s Top Casino Software award for the third consecutive year. Based on the votes of players around the world, it is widely considered the industry’s top honour.

CanAffco announces Reefer Poker as host of $5,000 Online Forum Challenge Freeroll January 10th

The Canadian Affiliate Management Company – CanAffco.com – and online poker site ReeferPoker.com announced today that the U.S. player-friendly poker site will host one of the largest forum Challenge events in recent history, the Online Forum Challenge’s "Really Really Big $5,000 Freeroll”

The tournament is free for all players and forums alike. Online poker players will compete for thousands of dollars – and bragging rights for their favorite forums – at the next Online Forum Challenge on Saturday, January 10, 2009. Sponsored by Reefer Poker, players will win their share of $5,000 in cash and prizes for themselves and their favorite online poker forum in a huge inter-forum challenge tournament. $2,000 in prizes will be awarded to the forums with the best performing players.

“Some of the very best online poker players use poker forums to improve their game,” said Jim “KrazyKanuck” Worth of Reefer Poker. “I am very excited to play in this tournament and see who the best player from the best forum is.”

"To be eligible for these events players must first be registered at Reefer Poker. Players must then pre-register at www.OnlineForumChallenge.com by 3:00pm EST on Thursday January 8th. Complete tournament details, including prizes and registration, are available at www.OnlineForumChallenge.com.

Online Forum Challenge owner, Jason “Wolf” Rosenberg said, “As the premier facilitator of multi-forum events, we are very happy to be working with Reefer Poker and CanAffco again. We are excited to see which players and forums will win their share of $7,000 in cash and prizes.

In related news, the Bad Beat Jackpot on Reefer Poker is continues to reach new highs, with the jackpot now surpassing $860,000. In an industry first, Reefer Poker affiliates are set to earn a piece of this huge Bad Beat Jackpot!

“The Bad Beat Jackpot is smoking hot”, exclaimed Reefer Pokers’ Poker Room Manager Dave Ishere. “At Reefer Poker we want to award the affiliate(s) that send the jackpot winners to us with a slice of this action!”

It's simple! If a Reefer Poker player is tagged to an affiliate account and wins a portion of the Bad Beat Jackpot, then that affiliate will earn a percentage of that amount! With the "loser" of the hand set to earn over $300,000, this would mean a one percent, $3,000 bonus to them direct from Reefer Poker. This does not come out of the player's winnings.

With an average of 8 players on their Bad Beat tables, there are 8 chances for an affiliate to have one of their players win a portion of this jackpot, and that means 8 chances for them to win as well.

“This is a great tool to help affiliates promote and convert their members,” said Gian Perroni, President of CanAffco. “It’s a novel promotion, and one that is long overdue. It makes sense to me to ensure that affiliates can be recognized for their contribution in this way.”

Affiliates can register their new affiliate account instantly by visiting http://www.CanAffco.com and registering, or by visiting http://reeferpartners.com.

David 'Chino' Rheem Wins Doyle Brunson Five Diamond Poker Classic

The Poker Pack Dominate Prestigious Bellagio Event

AsianLogic Plc, owners of The Asian Poker Tour congratulate newly signed pro David 'Chino' Rheem on taking down first place and $1,538,730 at the WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond Poker Classic and Steve Sung on finishing fourth for $396,205. Chino inked a contract to join JC Tran, Nam Le, Quinn Do and Steve Sung in The Poker Pack last week. The Poker Pack is an elite team of top professionals who take part in big events on the world circuit.

Victory was sweet for Chino, who also finished seventh cashing for nearly $1.8 million at the final table of the WSOP Main Event in November.

Rheem said: "It was amazing to take this tournament down and it was great to have so many of my friends sweating me at the Bellagio and online. Winning my first WPT title is very special and finishes off a great year for me. I also have to congratulate my good buddies Steve Sung and Amnon Filipe for finishing fourth and fifth and Nam Le for making the money".

Chino fought his way through a field of 497 players over six days of tournament play but the final heads-up against Justin Young was an epic. After being dominated 14,100,000 to 8,185,000 at the start it took Rheem 151 hands to emerge with the championship. Chino had never cashed in a WPT Main Event before and certainly chose the right time to do it! Fellow member of The Poker Pack Steve Sung was the chip leader going into the final table and finished fourth cashing for $396,205 becoming the WPT's 99th millionaire in the process.

The Poker Pack was formed in the aftermath of the Asian Poker Tour event in Macau in August with JC Tran, Nam Le, Quinn Do and Steve Sung the first players to sign. Since then it has been non stop success for the newly formed group who have ripped up major events around the world. Highlights include a HK$3.7 million (US$473,915) win for Nam Le and final table for Quinn Do at a highrollers event in Macau, a huge runner's up cheque of $943,215 for Nam Le at the WPT Festa Al Lago and a brilliant win for JC Tran, who represented the Asian Poker Tour and PKR at the recent star-studded PartyPoker.com Premier League III in London. Now Chino's big win is added to the roster of consistent success. The Poker Pack recently took part in a special bounty tournament on PKR which broke all records for the next generation site.

Tom Hall CEO of AsianLogic Plc, owners of the Asian Poker Tour said: " We concluded the sponsorship deal with Chino last week and what a start he has made to life in The Poker Pack! Chino is a great guy and thoroughly deserves this big win and we'd like to congratulate him as well as Steve and Nam on cashing at the tournament." The Poker Pack will be out in force at the Asian Poker Tour Philippines, which takes place January 27 – February 1 at the Dusit Thani Manila Hotel in Manila. The main event has a $2,500 + $200 buy-in and there are lots of ways to qualify online. The Asian Poker Tour is supported by iPoker Network, Titan, Dafa Poker, PKR, PartyPoker, Everest, 888, JBet Poker, 32 Red Poker, Japan 3D Poker and Everleaf Network. Full details can be found at http://www.asianpt.com/

The Poker Pack are also heading for the Aussie Millions at the Crown Casino in Melbourne in January http://www.aussiemillions.com/schedule.

6 More Blackjack Players Win Seats at BKJK BOWL Monthly Final Dec. 30

Finalists Advance to US-Friendly Online Casino’s $21,000 Final Super Bowl Week

Last night, five more online blackjack players advanced to Lucky18Casino’s BKJK BOWL Monthly Final. On December 30th they’ll compete for $2121 and a seat at the Championship Table where the grand prize is $21,000.

“I have to admit I was feeling pretty lucky going into the game,” said one of the finalists on Sunday night. “But I didn’t really expect to make it to the final hand, never mind advance to the monthly final!”

Since it began in September, BKJK BOWL has awarded nearly $20,000 in cash prizes and more than $33,000 is yet to be won.

Every Sunday night since September, Lucky18Casino has awarded $1121 and six free seats to the monthly main event. Players can even earn one of twelve free seats at the Sunday blackjack tournament in one of three qualifiers each week (entry fees as low as $11). Players can also buy-in on Sunday night for $55. A total of twenty-five free seats will be given away to the $21,000 Final Showdown in January.

“This is our second BKJK BOWL,” said Robert Goldman of Lucky18Casino.com. “I’d love to see someone buy-in to a qualifier for a measly $11 and make it all the way to the $21,000 final table!”

NEXT WEEKLY QUALIFIERS: Sunday, December 21st & 28th, 10:00 pm EST
Prizes: $1121 Cash + 6 Seats at the $2121 MONTHLY BOWL

NEXT MONTHLY FINAL: December 30th, 10:00 pm EST
Prizes: $2121 Cash + 5 Seats at Grand Final

GRAND FINAL: January 28th, 10:00 pm EST
Prize: $21,000

Lucky18Casino.com offers state-of-the-art games and millions in jackpots from Realtime Gaming (RTG), the only one of the major online casino software providers still open to US players. Lucky18Casino’s $1800 Deposit Bonus is the most generous anywhere and they provide toll-free telephone support 24-7 to players around the world including the U.S.

All tournaments begin at 10:00 pm EST. Tournament buy-ins and prize details and a complete schedule of Weekly and Monthly Bowls can be found at http://www.lucky18casino.com/.

David 'Chino' Rheem Inks Contract to Join "The Poker Pack"

Two Members of Successful Asian Poker Tour Backed Team Make Final Table at the WPT Five Diamond


Two members of The Poker Pack - Steve Sung and David ‘Chino’ Rheem - have made it to the final table at the WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond Classic at the Bellagio, Las Vegas. Sung signed his sponsorship deal to become a member of “The Poker Pack” alongside close friends JC Tran, Nam Le and Quinn Do back in August, while November Nine member Chino has inked his contract to join the pack this week. Sung goes to the final table as chip leader, while Rheem is third in chips. If this wasn’t enough success, fellow member of The Poker Pack Nam Le also cashed in the same event!

The Poker Pack was formed in the aftermath of the Asian Poker Tour event in Macau in August with JC Tran, Nam Le, Quinn Do and Steve Sung the first players to sign. Since then it has been non stop success for the newly formed group who have ripped up major events around the world. Highlights include a HK$3.7 million (US$473,915) win for Nam Le and final table for Quinn Do at a highrollers event in Macau, a huge runner's up cheque of $943,215 for Nam Le at the WPT Festa Al Lago and a brilliant win for JC Tran, who represented the Asian Poker Tour and PKR at the recent star-studded PartyPoker.com Premier League III in London. The Poker Pack recently took part in a special bounty tournament on PKR which broke all records for the next generation site.

Newly signed member David ‘Chino’ Rheem is one of the most respected and liked professionals on the circuit and will be taking part in the Asian Poker Tour Philippines, which takes place January 27 – February 1 with fellow members of The Poker Pack. His profile increased greatly this year after finishing on the final table at the WSOP Main Event and cashing for nearly $1.8 million after finishing seventh. At the final table he received the support of many of the professional players. He now has a total of six WSOP cashes and live circuit tournament winnings of over $2,500,000. 28-year-old Chino was born in Los Angeles but moved to Florida in the late 1990's. While living there, he took advantage of the state's 18-year-old minimum age to play poker at a casino. He cut his teeth at the Seminole Hollywood Casino, playing with the likes of Robert and Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi.

Chino said: "The opportunity to sign a deal with all my friends was too good to be true! I have a huge amount of respect for JC, Nam, Quinn and Steve and together as a team I think we are really going places. I already pretty much travel the circuit with the other members of The Poker Pack and to be formally signed up is fantastic."

Steve Sung is guaranteed to become the 99th WPT millionaire at the Five Diamond as before this prestigious tournament he had $998,357 in career WPT earnings. Sung is chip leader at the final table and is now hoping to break the $2 million mark! Sung has reached two WPT final tables, with a runner-up finish at Bay 101 (March, 2008) and a 4th-place finish at WPT Barcelona (Oct, 2007) and certainly has form at the Five Diamond. 2006 saw him finish third in a $5,000 preliminary event, and then ninth in the $15,000 main event. As well as being a force on the live circuit, Sung is a feared and respected high stakes online player recognizable by his screen name 'MuGGyLiCiOuS.' Residing in Torrance, California since he was seven years-old, Sung was born in Seoul, South Korea and started playing on the live circuit as soon as he turned 21 years-old. After high school, he began attending the University of California at San Diego to study computer engineering and economics but left college to play poker. As well as big success at the WPT and online he has cashed significantly at the WSOP for the past two years.

Tom Hall CEO of AsianLogic Plc, owners of the Asian Poker Tour said: "Chino is a great guy and magnificent player and we're really happy to welcome him into The Poker Pack. If you look at how much prize money all these guys have made in 2008 and how much they may make in 2009 it is scary! As individuals they are all well known players on the circuit - together the possibilities are endless! There are many teams in poker but these guys are a really unified unit. They travel everywhere together and enjoy each other's success. Poker is in its infancy in Asia and we're excited by what we have lined-up for The Poker Pack and what they will achieve as a group."

Next stop for The Poker Pack after the Bellagio will be the prestigious Aussie Millions at Crown Casino in Melbourne. The Poker Pack will also be out in force and playing at the Asian Poker Tour Philippines, which takes place January 27 – February 1 at the Dusit Thani Manila Hotel in Manila. The main event has a $2,500 + $200 buy-in and there are lots of ways to qualify online. The Asian Poker Tour is supported by iPoker Network, Titan, Dafa Poker, PKR, PartyPoker, Everest, 888, JBet Poker, 32 Red Poker, Japan 3D Poker and Everleaf Network.

3D Online Casino Launches New Gold Boom Slot Machine

Three Dimensional Online Casino Lobby Now Features Five Unique Slots and a Progressive Jackpot Currently Over $130,000

When 3D casino WinADay.com launched earlier this year it promised to keep the new slot machines coming and they’ve certainly made good on that promise. In October the unique online casino operated by Slotland.com introduced the new Heavenly Reels slot machine. This week the unique casino has added yet another one-of-a-kind game. With symbols that hearken back to gold rush days, Gold Boom is a 9-wheel, 6-pay line slot machine that offers free bonus spins, a progressive jackpot, and awesome payouts.


“Gold miners in the wild west kept themselves going by believing they could strike it rich any minute,” said Ondrej Tuma of Slotland.com. “Slot machine players have that same feeling every time they pull the lever, so I think they’re going to enjoy this new game!”

Like on Heavenly Reels, Gold Boom players can win Bonus Spins that can pay off big time. Every time three Diamond symbols appear on a wagered pay line, one Diamond is added to the Bonus Spin Counter. When 3 bonus spin diamonds have been collected, the player wins three Bonus Spins. The amount won on those spins is based on the amount bet on the last normal spin, so strategic players will want to keep an eye on the Bonus Spin Counter when deciding on their wagers.

Three Gold symbols on a wagered payline with max bet wins the WinADay.com progressive jackpot that currently stands at just over $129K.

To celebrate the launch of the new Gold Boom slot machine, WinADay.com is offering a Gold Boom Top Spinner Bonus and the Gold Boom Triple Luck Bonus. The player with the most total bets on Gold Boom between December 12 and 19 will be declared the Gold Boom Top Spinner and will be refunded 100% of their deposits made during that time. The player that gets the biggest single spin pay out during the same period will win the Gold Boom Triple Luck bonus and will have their winnings for that spin tripled.

WinADay.com players are greeted in the three-dimensional casino Games Lobby by animated casino attendants that are available to answer players questions and help them enjoy the casino experience. WinADay.com games are based on the latest instant-play, no-download Flash technology that allows designers to incorporate the rich media content that today’s online game players expect. WinADay.com casino is alive with crisp graphics, fancy animations, cool sound effects and background music. All games are original, built using proprietary software, and only available at WinADay.com. All games are tied to one progressive jackpot pool.


WinADay.com developers are already working on the next new game top be introduced at WinADay.com 3D casino. Puzzle World will be launched in the new year.

Slotland Jackpot Payouts Nearly $900K with Last Week’s $110K Win

$110,125 Video Poker Jackpot is 7th Major Progressive Win This Year

Just six weeks since the last big win, the progressive jackpot at Slotland.com has been hit again for six-figures. The $110,125 win last week brings the total jackpot wins in 2008 to $896,405 (€700,360). Slotland’s jackpot, available on all of the slots and video site’s games, has been hit every 4 – 6 weeks since last summer. While the jackpots aren’t the biggest on the internet -- usually $100,000 to $150,000 -- they are hit so frequently that they are increasingly popular with online slots players.

Last week’s big winner was a player known as ZONARIZ who won $110,125 (€87,728) playing one of Slotland’s popular video poker games, Striking 7s. Striking 7s is a Romanesque variation of the popular Deuces Wild video poker game. While this is the seventh major jackpot this year at Slotland, it is the first one on Striking 7s. The last time the jackpot was hit on one of the sites three video poker games was in August when MSMIKEY won $108,060 (€86,083) playing the Jacks or Better game.

“This seems to be gaining momentum,” said Slotland. “The more people hear about big jackpot wins, the more people that play our games. The jackpot goes up every time a player places a max bet, so more players means the jackpot is growing pretty fast these days!”

Slotland’s last big win was six weeks to the day before this last win. “MINE0MMINE” won $134,253 (€106.584) playing the popular Golden 8 slot machine on October 23.

A $168K win on Booster in July, $88K on Wild Heart in May, $91K on the new Four Cast in April and -- the largest win ever -- $195K on Treasure Box in March, bring the total progressive jackpot wins for the year to nearly a million dollars (over seven hundred thousand Euros).

With the launch last month of it’s latest game, Megaspin, Slotland.com now features thirteen unique slot machines and three video poker games. Four of the most popular online slot machines and two video poker games are also available on mobile phones and PDAs. All of Slotland’s games give players the option of placing a maximum bet for a chance at the progressive jackpot. All of the slots and video poker games on the mobile network are also tied to the same jackpot pools. Slotland is available in Spanish at Es.Slotland.com.

BKJK BOWL II Online Blackjack Tournament Heats Up as NFL and College Football Bowl Season Approaches

US-Friendly Online Casino Gives Weekly Chances at $2121 and Seats at the Ultimate $21,000 Championship Table

As the NFL football season builds momentum in the weeks before the Super Bowl and college bowls, the BKJK BOWL II online blackjack tournament at US-friendly Lucky18Casino.com is also heating up as the $21,000 final in January approaches.

Online blackjack players can win their way to Sunday night Weekly Bowls where $1121 and 5 seats in the Monthly Bowl are awarded. The Monthly Bowl’s minimum is $2121 but, depending on how many players buy-in, the purse can grow to $5000 or more. The top 5 players in each Monthly Bowl advance to the BKJK BOWL II final tournament on January 28th. The winner that night will walk away $21,000 richer.

NEXT WEEKLY QUALIFIER: Sunday, December 14th, 10:00 pm EST
Prizes: $1121 Cash + 5 Seats at the $2121 MONTHLY BOWL December 30th

“Smart and savvy players are going to compete and earn their seats all the way through,” said Robert Goldman of Lucky18Casino.com. “With some skill and a tinge of luck they can enter this blackjack tournament for as little as $22 and ultimately play for $21,000!”

“Remember, you’re not playing against a computer here,” said Goldman. “It’s nerve-racking There’s real people behind those cards – head to head, you’ve really got to keep your wits about you or you’re finished!”

Lucky18Casino.com offers state-of-the-art games and millions in jackpots from Realtime Gaming (RTG), the only one of the major online casino software providers still open to US players. Lucky18Casino’s $1800 Deposit Bonus is the most generous anywhere and they provide toll-free telephone support 24-7 to players around the world including the U.S.

All tournaments begin at 10:00 pm EST. Tournament buy-ins and prize details and a complete schedule of Weekly and Monthly Bowls can be found at http://www.lucky18casino.com/.

New Multi-hand Blackjack Speeds Things Up for Those That Like Their Cards Fast

RomeCasino.com Welcomes US Players and Currently has Over $166K in Progressive Jackpots

Players that like the thrill of Blackjack will really love the added excitement of playing up to four hands at one time as they can with RomeCasino.com’s new Multihand Blackjack. RomeCasino.com, one of the most popular US-friendly online casinos, has just introduced the new game to challenge players that like their game to move quickly.

“You feel like you’re in Vegas,” said RomeCasino.com CEO Josh Cartu. “Having a crowd standing behind you while bet every hand on the table.”

Multihand Blackjack plays just like regular Blackjack except that the player is essentially sitting at every seat at the table. This means that once one hand is played the player can quickly move on to another hand – no waiting for other players to play before the next hand is dealt.

“You’ve got more bets on the table so I guess you’re actually risking more than when you just play one hand at a time,” said one avid multihand player. “But you also spend less time waiting for others to play and for cards to be dealt. If you’re a good player, playing quickly and playing more hands actually means you can win more!”

RomeCasino.com’s biggest progressive jackpot is currently at $100,636 and is available on several of their slots and video slots including the extremely popular Red White and Blue slot machine. Between this jackpot and several other smaller ones there is a total of more than $166K in progressive jackpots up for grabs.


It’s no wonder RomeCasino.com is particularly popular with the most discriminating online casino players. Their games download faster than any other instant-play US online casino games and the unique multi-tabbed gaming feature enables players to play several different casino games at a time and switch between them instantly. Should a player tire of one game, they don’t have to close it down and re-load another game. They just switch from one game to another instantly by simply clicking on another open tab.


RomeCasino.com welcomes US players and is known for its wide variety of online casino deposit methods catering to the US players. It is one of the only online casinos to accept all three major credit cards easily and reliably.

Slotland Launches Another Instant Classic

New MegaSpin Online Slot Machine Tied to Slotland’s Progressive Jackpot

The fruit on Slotland’s newest online slot machine may be glittering jewels, but the object of MegaSpin is the same as any fruitee and that’s to get three in a row. The new game launched this week joins 15 other unique games at the popular slots and video poker site. Like all of Slotland’s games, it is an instant-play game that requires no downloading or installation -- and it can only be played at Slotland.com.

MegaSpin is a single-payline slot machine game with two sets of three-reels. Players start by spinning the bigger reels. If they win, they continue playing on the upper reels where they can multiply their winnings. Hitting three different fruit symbols wins three free spins. Wild Stars are wild and can substitute for other symbols on the payline.

“We don’t have super heroes or comic book characters,” said Ondrej Tuma of Slotland. “Our players like classic slot machines and MegaSpin follows in that tradition.”

Like all of Slotland’s unique slot machines and video poker games, MegaSpin is tied to Slotland’s progressive jackpot which was recently won for $134K and is already approaching $100K again. The progressive bonus pool continually increases as players bet and play until it is won. Three Wild Stars on each of the two reels, while betting maximum, wins the progressive jackpot.


Slotland.com now features thirteen unique slot machines and three video poker games. Four of the most popular online slot machines and two video poker games are also available on mobile phones and PDAs. All of Slotland’s games give players the option of placing a maximum bet for a chance at the progressive jackpot. All of the slots and video poker games on the mobile network are also tied to the same jackpot pools. Slotland is available in Spanish at Es.Slotland.com.

bwin Joins Growing DiceArena Multiplayer Games Network

Jadestone’s DiceArea announce leading online gaming operator, bwin, as launch partner

Jadestone Networks, the Nordic based owner and operator of the multiplayer dice games network DiceArena, announced today that leading European online sports betting and online gaming operator bwin will join the the DiceArena Network early next year.

At launch, the DiceArena Network features two new dice games: Dice Hold’em, inspired by the popular poker game, and Shoot the Moons, an easy to learn alternative for more casual players. In early 2009, two perennial dice favorites will be added to the range of DiceArena games: Liar’s Dice is the hardcore bluffer’s game and Backgammon is the undisputable classic among dice board games.

“We’ve always felt that Jadestone provides a fresh take on familiar concepts,” said Norbert Teufelberger, Co-CEO of bwin. The current Jadestone games have been among our fastest growing product categories lately. We have great expectations that the new Backgammon will be a real winner. As for the DiceArena table games, the market is clearly ready for something new and exciting.”

“There’s no doubt that bwin has played a major role in getting Jadestone to where it is today,” said Tobias Nissen, Business Development Director at Jadestone. “They’ve been a solid and competent partner in the true sense of the word. It’s with great satisfaction we see bwin expand their business with us to include our new DiceArena product.”

The DiceArena suite of games has been in development at Jadestone for almost two years. With a number of high profile network partners lined up and games available across Europe in 23 languages, it’s one of the biggest new product introductions in Jadestone’s history.

Additional information about DiceArena can be found on http://www.jadestone.se/. There is also a newly launched consumer website with information and blogging about the DiceArena games at http://www.dicearena.com/.

Progressive Jackpot Tops a Million Dollars

Jackpot Pinata at Lucky18Casino.com Now $1,001,582

There was great excitement at Lucky18Casino.com yesterday as staff watched their Jackpot Pinata progressive jackpot reach and surpass one million dollars for the first time ever. Jackpot Pinata is now the largest progressive jackpot offered by online casinos that accept U.S. players.

Jackpot Pinata is a twenty-line online slot machine with tacos, beautiful señoritas, fresh limes, roses and various piñatas on its reels. Its free spins, wild symbols, substitutes, and bonus game make game a veritable fiesta. It takes five Bull Pinata symbols on any one of the paylines to win the progressive jackpot. To qualify for the jackpot, players must wager $0.25 per payline.

Launched just a year ago with an initial $250,000 prize, Jackpot Pinata was hit for $273,914 within weeks but hasn’t been hit since.

Jackpot Pinata isn’t the only game currently poised to make some lucky jackpot winner rich. The Midlife Crisis/Shopping Spree jackpot at Lucky18Casino.com is also getting close to a million dollars, currently at about $905,000. For those that prefer jackpots that are hit more often but for lesser amounts, Lucky18Casino.com offers Let ‘Em Ride which is hit, on average, every 17 days. The last hit was for $41,014 and that was a week ago already.

“Shopping Spree has been inching toward a million for awhile now,” said Robert Goldman of Lucky18Ccasino.com. “We thought that would be the first to make one of our players an instant millionaire. Now I guess we better plan a fiesta for a big Jackpot Pinata winner!”

Lucky18Casino.com online casino offers hundreds of slot machines as well as blackjack, craps and roulette. Their massive $1800 Welcome Bonus offer is the most generous deposit bonus anywhere. Powered by Realtime Gaming, Lucky18Casino.com welcomes players from around the world, including the U.S.

Bluff Europe's Record $10,000 Freeroll Takes Place Tonight!

Europe's largest poker magazine hosts an exclusive $10,000 freeroll in association with Diamond Bet, 27th November at 20:00 GMT

The largest prize in the Bluff Europe Madness freeroll series is up for grabs tonight at 20:00 GMT when the European publication teams up with Diamond Bet for its biggest ever event. The tournament, which has seen players from around the world sign up, will see $10,000 won -- winner taking home a first prize of over $1,500.

Players are already confirming their attendance at the event which has been publicised on the www.bluffeurope.com/madness website, as well as in the poker magazine itself. Once again Bluff Europe has proved popular worldwide – from the UK, Europe… and as far abroad as China.

"Our biggest ever freeroll has had the poker world buzzing", says Dave Bland, online editor at BluffEurope.com. "Every month we look to reward our readers, and this exclusive promotion with Diamond Bet has really set a new benchmark for our competitors."

Players who sign up to Diamond Bet via the Bluff Europe Madness webpage will also benefit from a 200% deposit bonus up to €777.

APT Ambassador JC Tran Dominates PartyPoker.com Premier League III

Asian Poker Tour ambassador JC Tran’s excellent run at PartyPoker.com Premier League III has continued after he won his first two heats and finished runner-up in his third. JC now sits clearly at the top of the table with 26 points at the $1.25 million event for 12 elite players in London.

Tran, who is also representing team PKR, won his first heat on day one at the expense of World Champion Peter Eastgate and has continued his great form. Cheered on by a large contingent in the green room, including WSOP Main Event final table pal David ‘Chino’ Rheem, and ‘Poker Pack’ pals Nam Le and Quinn Do he put on other great display. When it got heads-up he held 476,000 to Vicky Coren’s 124,000 and he looked the likely winner throughout. The decisive hand saw Tran raise with A6 off-suit and pushed all-in by Coren with KK. An ace on the flop was enough to take it down.

JC’s third heat was hugely eventful. All the previous heats had seen very few eliminations in early levels but this game was different and it very quickly become a heads-up battle between JC and Peter Eastgate. The 2008 WSOP Main Event champion completely run over the field and looked to be home and dry but the blinds were only at 2,000 – 4,000. Eastgate sat with 541,000 to Tran’s 59,000, a very different scenario to when the pair met on day one when the chip counts going into the heads-up stage were more level. Remarkably, as a 9-1 underdog, Tran fought back to hold the chip lead. Eastgate, however, eventually got his revenge for his defeat at the hands of Tran on day one to pick up 10 points. Eastgate pushed all-in with K3 and was called by Tran with A7. A king on the flop was enough to seal the deal for the $9 million Dane. With 6 points from the heat, however, JC is the man to beat and holds a very comfortable lead at the top of the league table and he looks set to qualify for the deep stacked final table on Sunday.

JC said: “It’s going great here in London, maybe I should move here! I was very pleased to come back in the heads-up after being a 9-1 dog but I was confident there was a way back as there was still so much play left at the table. It is a shame I couldn’t eventually win this heat but I am very happy with 26 points and topping the table.”

PartyPoker.com Premier League III sees the buy-in elevated to $75,000 and the added money raised to $350,000, making a total prize pool of $1.25 million. The series features 12 of the world’s best players playing in a unique league format. All 12 players will play six times in the preliminary stages. The leading four players will then progress to the final table with the next four battling it out in heads-up matches for the final two seats. Phil Hellmuth leads the strongest ever line-up that includes Tom ‘Durrrr’ Dwan, JC Tran, Nenad Medic, Devilfish, Tony G, Vicky Coren, Annette Obrestad, Roland de Wolfe, Andy Black, Juha Helppi and WSOP Main Event winner Peter Eastgate.

PARTYPOKER.COM PREMIER LEAGUE III – 24th – 30th November

LEAGUE TABLE AT THE END OF HEAT FIVE ON DAY THREE

26 pts JC TRAN
16 pts PETER EASTGATE
14 pts JUHA HELPPI
14 pts VICKY COREN
12 pts TONY G
10 pts ANNETTE OBRESTAD
8 pts TOM DWAN
7 pts ANDY BLACK
6 pts ROLAND DE WOLFE
6pts NENAD MEDIC
3 pts DEVILFISH
3 pts PHIL HELLMUTH

Progressive Jackpot Approaching a Million Dollars

Jackpot Pinatas looks likely to be the next progressive jackpot to hit one million dollars at Vegas-style online casino, JackpotCapital.com. It has been some time since this jackpot was cracked and with $975,000 already in the pot, online slots players around the globe are hoping to become Jackpot Pinatas millionaires any day now! And that’s not all: The Midlife Crisis and Shopping Spree progressive jackpots are also currently over $900,000 at JackpotCapital.com online casino.

Jackpot Pinatas is a five-reel, 20-payline slot machine that makes every day a fiesta. Piñatas have been used for hundreds of years to celebrate Christmas, Easter and birthdays. Every day can be made a special day with tasty tacos, beautiful señoritas, fresh limes, gifts, roses, piñatas and a major cash boost. Breaking three or more Dog piñatas gets players to the bonus round where the treats are doubled for free spins. The jackpot is hit with 5 Bull pinatas.

“These jackpots are always our most popular online casino games,“ said Oliver Smith from JackpotCapital.com. “When a jackpot gets as high as these three are right now though, a lot more people play them hoping to have the lucky jackpot-winning spin.“

JackpotCapital.com offers over 300 exciting games, each with state-of-the art graphics and sound to provide a unique gaming experience. Not surprisingly, the most popular games at JackpotCapital.com are the large selection of games tied to the site’s huge progressive jackpots. Just like the slot machines in Las Vegas that contribute to one mega jackpot, everyone playing card games like Caribbean Hold´em, Caribbean Stud Poker, and Let ‘Em Ride, or spinning slot machines like ‘Midlife Crisis’, ‘Shopping Spree’, ‘Light Speed’, ‘It’s Good to Be Bad’, ‘Crazy Dragon’ or ‘The Shark’ contribute to huge progressive jackpots.

JackpotCapital.com is pleased to accept players from the United States. New customers are eligible to receive a 100% Match Up Bonus on their first deposit.

Cryptologic Migrates Poker Players to Boss Poker Network

Cryptologic announced this week that they are migrating their poker operations and players to the Boss Media poker network giving their customers access to one of the largest poker networks in the world and enablilng the company to focus more on their industry-leading casino products.

CryptoLogic Limited, a world leader in Internet gaming software, has entered into a strategic Internet poker agreement with Boss Media AB, a subsidiary of GTECH Corporation, one of the world’s leading gaming technology and services companies. CryptoLogic will merge its major poker customers with Boss Media’s International Poker Network (IPN) within the first quarter 2009. The agreement is in line with CryptoLogic’s recently announced growth strategy to focus on its highly popular branded games and its Internet casino business.

This migration of CryptoLogic’s poker operations and customers to the Boss Media network, in tandem with other actions, will help generate significant cost savings for CryptoLogic, estimated at $12 million - $15 million per year.

“CryptoLogic’s aggressive action on its new strategy, as witnessed in several recent announcements – and our new agreement with Boss Media, is a major step in our journey back to growth, profitability and returning shareholder value,” said Brian Hadfield, CryptoLogic’s President and CEO.

“This partnership provides our poker customers with access to one of the largest poker networks in the world, while helping CryptoLogic reduce costs substantially. Also, it will allow us to focus on the continued development and licensing of the Internet’s most innovative casino games, and to leverage our lead in branded content games in partnership with the world’s top entertainment brands.”

Many of CryptoLogic’s poker licensees, including highly successful brands such as InterPoker and Parbet, are scheduled to join the IPN in early 2009. These sites will continue to use CryptoLogic’s back-office services, with the IPN integrated therein. GTECH Corporation’s subsidiaries, Boss Media and St Minver, will provide a fully managed poker solution to CryptoLogic’s poker licensees.

“This agreement reflects GTECH’s strategy to optimize our assets, and to broaden and grow our international player base — and CryptoLogic is an ideal business partner,” said Atul Bali, President of GTECH’s New Media & Sports Betting Co. “CryptoLogic is widely recognized for its innovation, integrity and commitment to its customers. We are delighted to welcome these customers and their players to our network and significantly increase the liquidity for our new enhanced player base.”

RomeCasino.com Has No Intention of Leaving the US Market

Online casino welcomes Americans with new cash bonus and increases support for expected growth


While Microgaming online casinos have been forced to shut their doors to American players this week, RomeCasino.com confirms that it will continue to serve US players and is increasing its support staff to accommodate a flood of new players that have been blocked by their former favourite casinos.

In celebration of the decisions made by company executives, RomeCasino.com has launched a new $1000 New Player Bonus. The popular 200% deposit bonuses will remain as one of the most successful promotions the company has to offer.

Wanting to direct their friends to a casino that will accept them and process their transactions, many RomeCasino.com players are taking advantage of RomeCasino’s new “Gladiator Referral” program that gives a player 15% of his friends’ deposits.

The online casino industry was recently shocked by the news that Microgaming casino software decided to block US customers from gambling on all of their partner websites. Many feel that the move was made as a response to the recent announcement that the Bush administration will finalize the UIEGA regulations on the law passed in 2006. This may make it tougher for players to deposit and will force banks to reject transactions that they feel are online gambling related.

Some claim that the Kentucky courts directly targeted the company and their associated white labels, forcing company officials to block off Americans. It is unknown how long this will last but experts predict more companies to exit the market and focus more on European traffic. Many companies will remain in the US market and choose to adapt to the ever changing landscape.
With America’s love of ancient Rome and recent Hollywood hits focusing on the Roman Empire, RomeCasino.com has catapulted into the spotlight and has become the home to thousands of online gamblers in a very short time. Rome became one of the best online casinos for US players when they announced their flawless processing abilities.

“As any of our players will tell you,” said RomeCAsino.com CEO Josh Cartu. “We process US credit card deposits better than some companies that have been around since 1998. And we will continue to do so.”

PAF First to Tempt Online Poker Players with Jadestone's Multiplayer Dice Games

Jadestone Networks, the Nordic based owner and operator of the multiplayer skill games network GamArena, announced today that Nordic game operator Paf will be one of a limited number of launch partners for DiceArena, its new multiplayer games offering coming to market this quarter.

DiceArena has been labelled as both a serious competitor and an attractive complement to online poker. It consists of a range of multiplayer dice games, including brand new games and old favorites, aimed at a broad audience of existing, lapsed and latent online gamblers. DiceArena is built on a next generation technical platform and will hit the market with exciting games and inviting community features available for its players.

Paf will launch on the DiceArena network this quarter as one of the first wave partners. Primarily targeting Scandinavia, and later also its additional markets, it will boost the momentum of the launch with a multi-channel marketing campaign that includes both TV and online components.

Tomas Nilsson, Business Manager, Poker, Games & Dice at Paf said: “We’ve enjoyed working with many Jadestone products over the years, but DiceArena is the most exciting concept we’ve seen yet. We believe that our customers will respond very well to the inviting design and the immediate appeal of the games. This is like poker for the rest of us – with a smile. The design matches our target groups and aligns very well with our brand.”

“Paf has been an important partner for Jadestone since we got started in this business,” said Robert Henrysson, CEO of Jadestone. “We’re very happy to see them as one of the first out of the gate with DiceArena and extremely pleased with the strong marketing muscle they bring to the launch.”

The DiceArena suite of games has been in development at Jadestone for almost two years. With a number of high profile network partners lined up for DiceArena games, it’s one of the biggest new product introductions in Jadestone’s history.

Additional information about DiceArena can be found on http://www.jadestone.se/. There is also a newly launched consumer website with information and blogging about the DiceArena games at http://www.dicearena.com/.

Three Major Jackpot Wins in a Row Set Record at Online Slots Site

$134K Progressive Jackpot Win Brings Slotland‘s Autumn Total to $411,260

For the third month in a row, the Slotland.com progressive jackpot has been hit for well over six figures bringing the total Autumn jackpot wins at the online slots and video poker site to a record-breaking $411,260. The most recent player to struck it rich at Slotland was MINE0MINE who won $134,253 playing the popular Golden 8 slot machine on October 23.

Quite uncharacteristically for the jackpot with a reputation for being hit so regularly, after a big win in March ($195K) there were no big progressive jackpot winners again until a $168K hit in August. That was the start of three in a row though – big jackpot wins pretty well monthly in August, September and now October.

“The size of the jackpot depends entirely on how many people add a little extra to their wager,” said Ondrej Tuma of Slotland. “Some players do it every wager, others only do it if they feel particularly lucky.”

The Golden 8 is a 9-wheel 8-payline slot machine featuring the largest slot wheels on the Internet. On the Golden 8 slot machine, the way to win the jackpot is to get three Bar symbols on any one pay line. The big jackpot pool can only be won if the player has bet the maximum three coins on that spin. The last jackpot win on Golden 8 was in May when TOPNOTCHED spun a $179,166 win.

The Slotland jackpot is immediately re-set to $50,000 after a win. So many people around the world play at Slotland every day, and so many of them know it can really pay off to play the progressive, it can reach six figures again very quickly.

“It’s funny how it happens sometimes,” said Tuma. “No jackpot wins over the summer and then bam, bam, bam – three in a row.”

In September, MSMIKEY won $108,060 (€78,550) playing Jacks or Better video slot. MRSSMITHS had just won $168,947 (€123,000) the month before playing the Treasure Box slot machine. Introduced just last year, Treasure Box has been lucky twice this year: TEXASTEASER won the biggest Slotland jackpot ever, $195,083 (€126,910), playing Treasure Box last March.

Slotland.com features twelve unique slot machines and three video poker games. Four of the most popular online slot machines and two video poker games are also available on mobile phones and PDAs. All of Slotland’s games give players the option of placing a maximum bet for a chance at the progressive jackpot. All of the slots and video poker games on the mobile network are also tied to the same jackpot pools. Slotland is available in Spanish at Es.Slotland.com.