Jadestone and The World Series of Backgammon Support the Japan Open

Jadestone Networks, through its partner the World Series of Backgammon (WSOB), has completed online qualifiers in backgammon for the Japan Open.  Jadestone is the Nordic-based owner and operator of multiplayer gaming networks GamArena and DiceArena.

Online backgammon qualifiers for the Japan Open were run on September 5 and 12 with seats available for the offline event scheduled for September 20 - 22. The qualifiers were open to Japanese players that registered to play via the WSOB website, as the tournament sponsor, and that contacted the host of the event Mochy Mochizuki (the reigning Backgammon World Champion and Team WSOB member) to confirm their participation. These qualifying tournaments were exclusively available in the new backgammon network run by Jadestone.

“We’ve already seen that backgammon is a highly popular game around the world,” said Andrew Pegler, UK Director at Jadestone. “With our partnership with the WSOB we are growing the online backgammon base significantly and in Japan we have an excellent figurehead in the current World Champion who plays exclusively in our network.”

Andy Bell, Managing Director of the WSOB, said that: “We launched online qualifiers for the main WSOB tour at the event in Cannes at the end of July and we have already seen terrific interest in qualification for our upcoming events in Prague and London. To add the Japan Open now shows our dedication to the game and underlines the flexibility of Jadestone’s backgammon product. The WSOB is proud to work with Jadestone and to sponsor the Japan Open and our Team WSOB member Mochy.”

On September 5th and 12th, 2009 the WSOB and Jadestone ran two online qualifying tournaments for this year’s Japan Open. The winners gained seats at the Japan Open worth approx €375 each. The Japan Open will be played offline from September 20 – 22 in Tokyo.

GTECH G2 Unveils Player-centric Product Updates and Hosts Executive Gala at EiG

New bingo, poker, casino and minigames released this month as GTECH introduces its interactive gaming group to the igaming industry

GTECH G2 will feature major software releases for its bingo, poker, casino and minigames products when the four igaming software developers that comprise GTECH’s igaming division – Boss Media, Finsoft, St Minver and Dynamite Idea – exhibit together under one brand, GTECH G2, at the European iGaming conference (EiG) in Copenhagen this week. Upholding the tradition started by Boss Media, G2’s executive gala on opening night will be the social highlight of the conference.

“We’re looking forward to introducing our new interactive gaming division to the igaming industry,” said Atul Bali, CEO of GTECH G2. “We are already providing interactive gaming products to some of our European and South American lottery customers and, with the combined resources of our interactive gaming acquisitions and GTECH’s global market leadership of the lottery industry, we will be leading the convergence of the igaming and lottery industries."
“We’re really excited to be showcasing our products as a group in Copenhagen,” said Dominic Mansour. “EiG marks the debut of our Games Studio, our internal innovation and game creation centre. It brings together founding members from Dynamite Idea and Boss Media to ensure the highest level of creativity and new concepts and is responsible for creating ideas from scratch into innovative market leading games.”

GTECH G2 provides an end-to-end solution for igaming operators, providing bingo, poker, casino and minigames accessible from one account, one wallet and managed through one Gaming Management System. This month, GTECH G2 is releasing a series of major software releases.

An addition of seven new minigames and slot games (Hot Pursuit, Luxor Temple, Rockin´ Fruits, Irish Magic, Hells Bells, Burning Ocean, Spot of Luck) have been added to the already extensive GTECH G2 games portfolio.

“Operators are finding that minigames, or side games, provide an excellent additional revenue stream,” said Simon Caddy, founder of Dynamite Idea and now Head of GTECH G2’s Games Studio creative think tank which will be launched during EiG in Copenhagen. “As part of GTECH G2 now, we have more resources to develop new games and more operators have access to them.”

GTECH G2 will present a major update to its bingo software at EiG this week as well as the launch of the Games Studio and the latest casino software update which integrates tournaments with the Gaming Management System.

“We are very much looking forward to launching our dynamic portfolio,” said Mery Blomqvist, Head of Marketing and PR at GTECH G2. “And we’re really looking forward to socializing with our VIPs at our Executive Gala party which this year will be held on site at Tivoli Gardens.”

Intertops Celebrates NFL Season with Free Trip to Super Bowl XLIV Contest and No-Juice NFL Lines

Intertops, the first online sportsbook, is giving away a trip to Miami and is taking zero margin on one NFL game per month

The American football season kicks off tonight and Intertops.com, the first to ever take an online wager and still the most trusted online sportsbook anywhere, has a complete line-up of NFL odds and props, as well as a deluxe trip to Super Bowl XLIV in Miami to give away. Monthly No-Juice NFL lines begin with Thursday’s league opener.

“When we took the very first online sports wager back in 1996, we sure didn’t have all the betting propositions that we do now!” said Michl Posch of Intertops.com. “Today, we have lists of NFL odds and props, from ‘Most Wins in the Regular Season’ to ‘Players With the Most Passing Yards’ and ‘Most Rushing Yards’ and, of course ‘Super Bowl Winner’. The NFL is incredibly popular with both American and European bettors.”
Throughout the regular season, players at Intertops.com will be automatically entered in a free contest to win a dream trip to the Super Bowl in Miami, Florida next February whenever they place a wager on any NFL bet offer. The prize includes flights to Miami, four nights at a top hotel, and top tickets for Super Bowl XLIV. Intertops will also send two more football fans to the college football BCS Championship.

Apparently seriously struck by Super Bowl Fever, Intertops is also forfeiting its margin and offering one NFL No-Juice line each month. After tomorrow’s Tennessee Titans vs Pittsburgh Steelers game, the next No Juice NFL Lines will be when the Green Bay Packers take on the Minnesota Vikings on October 5th.

Super Bowl is always the biggest sports betting event of the year and the excitement starts building with the first kick-off each September. Anything can happen as the NFL season unfolds, but right now Intertops oddsmakers seem almost certain the New England Patriots will be going to Miami next February, favoring their opponent to be the New York Giants (20.0) or the Philadelphia Eagles (23.0). Complete and current NFL betting propositions are always available at: www.sportsbook.intertops.com.

Intertops.com, which also offers poker and casino games, takes pride in its long record of quick, hassle-free deposits and withdrawals and excellence in customer service.

Chance Affiliates Hosts Festive BAC Opening Night Party

Casino, poker and sports betting site offers 50% commissions to new affiliates

ChanceRoom.com, the new casino, poker and sportsbetting site powered by GTECH G2, will host the opening night party at the Budapest Affiliate Conference to celebrate the launch of their new site and introduce their affiliate program, Chance Affiliates, to igaming webmasters. The event will take place at Budapest’s trendiest night club, White Angel, 11 September from 8 pm onwards.

ChanceRoom.com is a new igaming site with online casino, poker and sports betting all accessible with one account and with one wallet. ChanceRoom.com has just launched French and English versions of the site and will be focusing most of their acquisition towards the French market. Affiliates that are targeting that market will do well with this all-in-one igaming product, especially with Chance Affiliates offering 50% commissions for new affiliates’ first three months.

“We want our guests to understand that ChanceRoom is all about fun and entertainment,” said John Benjamin of ChanceRoom.com. “We’ve got lots happening all through the night and guests stand a chance to win free gifts.”

Throughout the evening, ChanceRoom hostesses will be inviting guests to play games -- Basket Football Shoot, Wheel of Fortune and Football Goal Shoot – in which they can win keys to enter the Chance Zone area where they can win special prizes.

Poker icon Doyle Brunson is among the confirmed guests.

“Many months of planning have gone into the development of our sportsbook, poker room and casino,” said Louis Harang whose LGH Ltd. owns and operates ChanceRoom.com. “We have a lot to celebrate in Budapest!”

Free Drinks Passes will be available at the ChanceRoom.com stand at BAC (B48/52). Affiliates can also rsvp online at http://www.chanceaffiliates.com/budapest/. ChanceRoom has also arranged for the cabs that will be on stand-by at the White Angel club, to ensure that the guests do not have problems going back to their hotels late in the evening.

GTECH’s Digital Gaming Companies to Exhibit As One Brand, GTECH G2, for the First Time at EiG

Boss Media, Finsoft, St Minver and Dynamite Idea Combine to Provide the Most Complete iGaming Product Line Available

For the first time since lottery industry giant GTECH announced the creation of its new digital gaming division, the four companies acquired to form the group will exhibit under their one new brand name, GTECH G2. Boss Media, Finsoft, St Minver and Dynamite Idea, now backed by the world’s leading supplier to the lottery industry, will showcase their comprehensive, end-to-end solutions for interactive gaming operators at the European iGaming conference (EiG) in Copenhagen next week.

Providing lottery games, casino, poker, sportsbetting, casual, instant games and a player-centric management system, GTECH G2 will showcase the group’s latest software updates including new games in their download casino, innovative instant side games, and major improvements to their bingo product. Representatives will also be available to talk about recently announced partnerships with Yahoo and PayPal.

“Our new partnership with a large South American lottery, where we will be providing sportsbetting products online and on retail betting terminals, is an example of the kind of convergence of the interactive gaming and lottery industries that GTECH G2 is leading,” said Atul Bali, President of GTECH G2.

William Scott, Vice President Business Development GTECH G2, will join a panel of igaming executives to assess the impact of offline/online convergence, consolidation and M&A, and private vs. state-run monopolies during Thursday 17 September.

GTECH G2 will continue the Boss Media tradition of hosting an exclusive gala dinner for igaming executives gathered for EiG. “Our parties are a great opportunity to enjoy the company of our clients and partners,” said Mery Blomqvist, Head of Marketing & PR GTECH G2. “We’ve got a great event planned for Copenhagen!”

ChanceRoom.com Launches Sports Betting, Poker and Casino Site Powered by G2 in French and English Markets

New site offers full range of igaming entertainment choices and generous player incentives

ChanceRoom.com, a new G2-powered gambling site with sports betting, poker and casino games, has launched in French and English. The site features a complete range of entertainment, all with the convenience of one account and one wallet, as well as some unique and generous VIP rewards.

ChanceRoom.com players can play poker in the poker room that’s part of the largest independent European poker network, enjoy state-of-the-art casino games, and even place a bet on the ponies or footies without having to logon to separate accounts.

“We’ve come up with some great ways to reward our best players,” said John Benjamin of ChanceRoom.com. “Players are automatically enrolled in our VIP Club which gives cash bonuses based on reward points earned by wagering and depositing. And, every month, we‘ll award bonus cash to the winners of our Points Race – the top point-scorers in each casino game that month.

ChanceRoom.com is launching in both French and English. Customer Support staff fluent in both French and English will make sure that players are well taken care of.

“Both sites will offer the same wide selection of games and betting options,” said Benjamin. “But the French site will likely focus more on French horse racing while the British site will emphasize football wagers more.”

“We’ve assembled a management team with many years experience in igaming,” said Louis Harang, Director of LGH Ltd. which owns and operates ChanceRoom.com. “We’ve designed unique incentives for regular players, and we’ve chosen one of the most innovative and reputable software providers to make sure our players enjoy the best experience possible.”

“We congratulate our newest licensee on the launch of their site. They’ve got a very good selection from our games portfolio, including our most popular big progressive jackpot games like Aladdin’s Lamp and Fortunes of Egypt, and we’ll have lots of new games for them in coming months,” said Mery Blomqvist at GTECH G2. “I’m sure ChanceRoom players will appreciate the convenience of having one wallet for the sportsbook, casino and poker room.”

ChanceRoom.com is encouraging players to try their new site by offering some of the most generous deposit bonuses available anywhere. Casino players can receive up to 1200€ and poker players get a 200% bonus (up to 1000€). The sportsbook offers a 25€ First Bet Refund.

Rounders House Launches New Poker Reality Show

Contestants to learn from Poker Pros in Las Vegas, win prizes for charity


Rounders House, a new poker reality show, begins taping in Las Vegas this fall. Sixteen contestants will compete live to win prizes for themselves as well as their favorite charity. This weekend, the winner of the Online Forum Challenge at Reefer Poker will be the first contestant to be awarded a place in the house.

Dennis Brown, co-founder of the show, is very excited about the launch. “Rounders House brings reality TV to your house. Rounders House will have multiple LIVE 24/7 cams in the house so you never miss what these poker players are doing,” commented Brown.

“The show will have some great daily challenges for the contestants. Each winner will win some great prizes, while donating to their favorite charity,” said co-founder Jason “Wolf” Rosenberg. “Combine that with some top notch instruction from some A-List Poker Pros, and we think these players will have the time of their lives.”

All Rounders House contestants will qualify to appear on the show by winning online poker tournaments. Each package won will provide the winners with airfare, food, four days and three nights lodging at Rounders House, instruction from top Poker Pros, and a buy-in to a land based tournament in Las Vegas, NV.

The first Rounders House package will be given away as a bonus prize in this weekend’s Online Forum Challenge at Reefer Poker. All details for this give-away and pre-registration are available at the Online Forum Challenge website (http://www.onlineforumchallenge.com/) . The other fifteen contestant packages are up for grabs via online qualifiers.

This new poker reality show will be available free at http://www.roundershouse.com/ where a complete list of satellites and finals tournaments on select online poker sites is currently available.

Annie Duke Invites All to Play in OFC Ante Up For Africa Charity Poker Tournament

Pro Bounties and WSOP Academy Package To Be Given Away

Annie Duke, Mark “P0ker H0” Kroon, and other poker pros will be playing in the OFC Ante Up For Africa Charity Tournament to be held at UltimateBet.com on Saturday, September 5th, 2009 at 2pm EDT (GMT -4). The $1 + $10 tournament aims to raise money and bring awareness to the Ante Up For Africa organization.

“I am so excited that the poker community is embracing this cause,” said UltimateBet Pro, Annie Duke. “The OFC Ante Up For Africa Charity Tournament is a great way for players of any level to get involved.”

The winner of this tournament will receive a World Series of Poker Academy admission courtesy of WSOP Academy, along with $500 for airfare expenses courtesy of UltimateBet.

Bounties will be placed on Annie Duke, Mark “P0ker H0” Kroon, and other UltimateBet Pros. Players who eliminate any of the poker pros will win a one year PPA Online Premium Membership to the Poker Players Alliance.

“We are honoured to be working with the entire UltimateBet Team and WSOP Academy. They have all been so supportive in our efforts to bring attention to this very special cause,” commented Jason “Wolf” Rosenberg, President of Global Gaming Events (GGE) which owns and operates Online Forum Challenge.

The charity event kicks off the Online Forum Challenge Ultimate Aruba Experience, in which one player is guaranteed to win an $8,500 Aruba Classic Package. Full details for the Ante Up For Africa Charity Tournament and the entire tournament series are available at http://www.ofcaruba.com/.

Vive La France! PKR Qualifier Turns US $5 into Over $HK3,000,000!

23-year-old Adrien Allain from Rennes, France, is the 2009 Asian Poker Tour Macau Festival Main Event Champion! He scooped HK$3,035,000 - a fantastic return on his investment of US$5 through an online satellite on PKR!


Allain, who recently turned professional said: “I’m overwhelmed, this is so wonderful. I qualified for this tournament through a $5 lottery tournament on PKR and end up beating all these top players. Vive La France!”

Allain, known by many as ‘zlatan35’ online, now aims to use the winnings as a bankroll to push forward his poker career. He impressively dominated the final table that included the likes of Poker Pack star JC Tran, Casey Kastle and David Steicke. No mean feat when this is your first major event and your biggest previous win is online and US$8,000! The runner-up was Inwook Choi from Korea. Choi got his money in with the best hand after pushing with AQ but Allain spiked a 3 on the flop and his A3 was enough to take the title. That said - Allain had been like a train since the first card was dealt and had Choi dominated 2,182,000/1,078,000 at the heads-up stage.

As Asian Poker Tour CEO Chris Parker expressed his congratulations, Adrien’s delighted group of supporters waved French flags in celebration as the Asian Poker Tour closing ceremony at the Starworld Hotel and Casino drew to its customary colourful conclusion. The crowd of supporters grew throughout the afternoon after the now legendary Asian Poker Tour Macau Party in the Presidential Suite the night before.

There were five small stacks on the final table and after shuffle up and deal was called by the world’s leading tournament director Matt Savage, the action was fast and furious. First out was Casey Kastle, who departed after the third hand on his third consecutive Asian Poker Tour final table appearance! He was followed very shortly by Winifred Yu, who came to the Starworld Hotel and Casino as a member of the crew for Chinese poker language film ‘Poker King’ and left with a HK$26,112 final table payout.Christer Hallberg was next to exit, followed by Michael Woo. By this point Allain was making all the play and could do no wrong and had built himself a significant chip lead. In the background, dangermen JC Tran and David Steicke were lurking but the young Frenchman’s stack was continuing to tower. Next to go and out in fifth was Chris Chau, followed by Steicke – whose fourth place finish caps a memorable Asian Poker Tour Macau Festival for him which saw him also take down the Poker Pack High Rollers event.

What followed was a long session of small ball poker with Allain continuing to dominate, Inwook Choi holding up well and poker superstar JC Tran seriously short stacked but fighting back. In the end Inwook Choi’s queen high straight saw off Tran’s challenge, much to the disappointment of the large group of Poker Pack supporters on the rail. It has been a fantastic 12 day festival for The Poker Pack. Tran won The Poker Pack headhunter event and Korea, featuring Steve Sung, David Chino’ Rheem and Brandon Wong, won the inaugural JBET Battle of the Nations event. Quinn Do took down ‘The Poker King Movie’ Celebrity Charity event, while David ‘Chino’ Rheem won the HKGC No Limit Hold ‘em R+A side event.

JC said “It has been a great 12 day festival for The Poker Pack - it is disappointing not to take down the Main Event but congratulations to Alain, he played good poker and is a deserving champion. To take down such a major tournament for just $5 is quite something – there’s no doubt he has great potential.”

Day 1B marked the start of filming of ‘Poker King,’ the first Chinese language poker film. Many, including the legendary Johnny Chan, predict the movie could have the ‘Rounders’ effect on the growth of poker in Asia. Five of the crew entered the Main Event with Hong Kong’s Winfred Yu making the final table! It would be fair to say that Poker King nearly had its own Poker King!

There was an encouragingly large regional contingent taking part in the event, with over 50% of the Day1A field from Asia. There were also plenty of well known names at the StarWorld Hotel and Casino including ‘The Poker Pack,’ John Juanda, Johnny Chan, Liz Lieu, James Akenhead of the WSOP Main Event November Nine, the in-form Stewart Scott, David Chiu, Ian Frazer, Praz Bansi, JP Kelly, Young Phan, Amnon Filippi, Casey Kastle, Steve Yea, David Steicke, Cecilia Nordenstam, Liv Boeree, Mel Judah, Karl Mahrenholz and Kim Wooka. Chan, Frazer, Scott and Wooka were amongst those that cashed. Last year’s champion Yevgeniy Timoshenko was also in attendance and failed to cash in the Main Event.

Tournament Director Matt Savage confirmed that there were a total of 326 runners, 133 on Day 1A and 193 on Day 1B. The total prize pool was HK$10,919,040 with first place HK$3,035,000. The buy-in for the Main Event was set at HK$34,400. Last year’s event attracted 257 runners.


The Asian Poker Tour Macau hosted over 20 events with 15 official side events. Amongst the online networks which sent players were The Ongame Network, the iPoker Network and PartyPoker.com. In addition, online rooms BWin, PKR, Dafa Poker, JBET Poker, Betfriends, 888.com, Titan Poker, RedKings, 32Red, ChiliPoker, Winamax, BetSafe, PafPoker, The Asia Poker, JPL and PokerLoco are in on the action which guaranteed the significant online qualifier contingent.

GTECH G2 Renews Agreement to Supply Bingo, Poker & Games to Yahoo!

GTECH G2 will continue to provide bingo, poker and games to search and entertainment giant Yahoo! for at least another two years. New instant win games will be added to the state of the art games powered by GTECH G2.

Yahoo! Bingo, first launched in 2005 by St Minver for Yahoo! UK & Ireland (http://www.yahoobingo.net/), includes bingo and a selection of more than 60 instant-play games including arcade games, scratch cards and number games which have been extremely popular at the entertainment portal. The top games include Monopoly, Cluedo and Dynamite Idea's market leading Triple Chance High Low.

Yahoo! will now be among the first to feature GTECH G2’s new “instant win” games channel through St Minver. This exciting new “Instant Win” channel combines best of breed arcade games, scratchcards, table games, progressive jackpots and branded content aimed at casual gamers. The Instant Win solution offers a fully outsourced, white label solution for brands and gaming companies wishing to extend life time values whilst offering entertaining content.

Yahoo! will also now launch download poker to complement its current Flash poker offering. Yahoo!’s poker room (http://uk.poker.games.yahoo.net/) is part of the International Poker Network (IPN) powered by GTECH G2. One of the largest independent poker networks in Europe, the IPN recently celebrated its three-millionth player. Yahoo! provides interactive tutorials and presents free poker tournaments.

“We have worked with Yahoo! for over 4 years now and have built an excellent relationship together.” said Leigh Nissim, Commercial Director at GTECH G2. “The decision to extend their bingo contract with us, whilst adding download poker and our new Instant Win channel is a great choice as they seek to offer more entertainment to their visitors.”

Asian Poker Tour Bigger and Better Than Ever

2009 Asian Poker Tour Macau Confirms Growth

With Day 1B now underway at the 2009 Asian Poker Tour Macau Festival, Tournament Director Matt Savage has confirmed that there are a total of 326 runners, 133 on Day 1A and 193 on Day 1B. The total prize pool is HK$10,919,040 with first place due to scoop HK$3,035,000. The buy-in for the Main Event is set at HK$34,400. Last year’s event attracted 257 runners.

Chris Parker, CEO of the Asian Poker Tour said: “One year ago we projected that we would get 300 runners for the Main Event so we are delighted with the turnout, especially in the current economic climate. It vindicates our decision to transform The Asian Poker Tour Macau into a 12 day festival. What is hugely encouraging is the growth of Asian players in the field, which bodes very well for the future. For example, on Day1A just over 50% of the field was from Asia. We have also significantly increased the online qualifier contingent in comparison to 2008.”

As well as the large regional contingent there are plenty of well know names at the StarWorld Hotel and Casino. Leading the field are The Asian Poker Tour’s Ambassadors ‘The Poker Pack’ comprising of JC Tran, Nam Le, Quinn Do, David ‘Chino’ Rheem, Steve Sung and Kwang Soo Lee. Also in attendance are John Juanda, Liz Lieu, James Akenhead of the WSOP® Main Event November Nine, the in-form Stewart Scott, David Chiu, Ian Frazer, Praz Bansi, JP Kelly, Young Phan, Amnon Filippi, Casey Kastle, Steve Yea, David Steicke, Cecilia Nordenstam, Liv Boeree, Mel Judah and Kim Wooka.

Live reporting can be found at: http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2009-apt-macau/
Day 1B also marked the start of filming of ‘Poker King,’ the first Chinese language poker film. As players entered to take their seats for Day1B the cameras were rolling for the movie which has an all star cast. Many predict the movie could have the ‘Rounders’ effect on the growth of poker in Asia.

‘The Poker Pack’ is on an amazing run at the Starworld Hotel and Casino in the side events. Team Korea, featuring Steve Sung, David Chino’Rheem and Brandon Wong, won the inaugural JBET Battle of the Nations event (side event #9). Quinn Do took down ‘The Poker King Movie’ Celebrity Charity event, while David ‘Chino’ Rheem won the HKGC No Limit Hold ‘em R+A side event #4. Most recently, JC Tran took down ‘The Poker Pack’ headhunter side event #10. Sixteen players failed to take the bounty of the star player as he crushed all opposition in front of him to scoop HK$76,000 plus HK$10,500 in bounties. In addition, last night there was a special invitational event sponsored by DafaPoker.com, which hosted 34 invited guests and players with the winner taking home $HK12,600.

The Asian Poker Tour Macau hosts over 20 events with 15 official side events. Amongst the online networks which sent players were The Ongame Network, the iPoker Network and PartyPoker.com. In addition, online rooms BWin, PKR, DafaPoker.com, JBET Poker, Betfriends, 888.com, Titan Poker, RedKings, 32Red, ChiliPoker, Winamax, BetSafe, PafPoker and PokerLoco are in on the action which guaranteed the significant online qualifier contingent. Sponsors of the side events and collaterals include the Hong Kong Game Club, DafaPoker, Dafa888, The Poker King Movie, JBet, PartyPoker.com, BWin, Zipang Casino, 777babycasino and PKR.

Full details can be found at http://www.asianpt.com/

Videos capturing the action and atmosphere at the festival can be found at: http://www.asianpt.com/videos

bwin Launches GTECH G2's New 'Casino Dice' Mini-game

New games also added to GTECH G2 download casino software

bwin will be among the first GTECH G2 licensees to offer the new Casino Dice mini-game developed by GTECH G2’s subsidiary, Dynamite Idea. Both the new Casino Dice and the popular Triple Chance Hi Lo are now offered in full, mini and mobile versions at bwin and will soon be available at other GTECH G2 powered online casinos and gaming suites.

Casino Dice is a single number draw game where players try to predict the roll of a pair of dice. When players correctly predict the combined total of a pair of dice, they win and get a chance to double their money.

“Quick, easy to play mini-games like Casino Dice have proven to provide an excellent supplemental revenue stream for licensees of G2’s casino, poker and sportsbetting products,” said Dominic Mansour, Head of Casino & Games at GTECH G2. “By combining the resources of Dynamite Idea, Finsoft, Boss Media and St Minver, and with the strength GTECH behind us, we are able to offer operators a broader range of igaming products than other games and back-end providers.”

“We’ve found that many of our customers enjoy playing simple side-games. They like the pace and their odds of winning.” said Kevin O’Neal, Press Officer of bwin. “For bwin as a “House of Games” it is important to offer our customers alternatives, and products from GTECH G2 integrate well with our management systems.”

Casino Dice was developed by the games designers at Dynamite Idea, one of four leading digital gaming companies acquired by lottery industry giant, GTECH to form GTECH G2, their new interactive gaming division. The Dynamite Idea team specializes in developing innovative online interactive betting games including several unique hi lo, dice and number games.

In addition to the new products in its suite of mini-games, GTECH G2 is also adding two new games to their Boss Media download casino. Keno Cash and 4Play Hi Lo Bingo will now be included in the downloadable games at online casinos such as Casino-Club.com, PokerHeaven.com and Virgin Casino.

$153,977 Win is 3D Casino’s 4th Big Progressive Jackpot

WinADay.com has added 5 new games and awarded almost $600,000 in jackpots since it launched last year

WinADay.com 3D online casino has had its fourth big progressive jackpot winner. A player known as MARLIESKA has just won $153,977 playing the new Vegas Mania game at the three-dimensional slots and video poker site operated by Slotland.com

“I’ve been playing at Slotland for years and when they suggested I try their new 3D casino I did and I love it – the games are beautiful – I’ve never seen anything like them anywhere else!” said the excited winner. “I like multi-payline games so I’ve liked Vegas Mania since it first came out last spring. Lemme tell ya though, now I really LOVE it!”

Vegas Mania is a five-reel, 21 payline slot machine designed for serious, strategic slots players. They can get up to fifteen free spins and Wild symbols improve the chance of winning. Double Wilds increase chances of winning and double those winnings. Like all games at the innovative new casino, the new Vegas Mania is tied to the WinADay.com progressive jackpot.

Just last week, WinADay.com launched a new multi-hand video poker game called Deuces Wild where avid players can play up to fifty hands at a time. For a preview of the new game, see the Slotland News channel on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/SlotlandNews. Two free contests celebrating the new game continue until Thursday.

This latest win is the fourth big progressive jackpot win at WinADay.com since it launched just over a year ago. Monica68 won the first big jackpot, ($148,724 (€116,200), on the Wheeler Dealer slot machine last January. In March “123jaki” won $159,660 (€123,620) on the single-payline Slot-O-Matic which had only just been launched at the time and then in May BONDGIRL won $100, 224 (€73,970) – the second big jackpot to be won on that machine.

The WinADay.com jackpot has been reset and is currently over $30,000. Meanwhile the jackpot at Slotland.com which was recently hit for just over $80,000 is already over that amount again.

There’s nothing to download or install at WinADay.com. It’s an instant-play casino so players can go straight to the three-dimensional games lobby where animated casino staff will help them decide which of the eight one-of-a-kind games to try first and be playing in minutes.

GTECH G2’s International Bingo Network Launches New X Factor Game Based on UK TV Series

X Factor Top Slotter tournament runs every weekend through August

GTECH G2’s new “X Factor Steps to Stardom” slots game launched today across its International Bingo Network just in time for the new X Factor TV series that begins on UK TV this Saturday.

“X Factor Steps to Stardom” is a brand new five-reel, 20-line slot machine based on the X Factor TV series. Like the hugely popular television program, it features a special Judges Bonus Round, its very own Boot Camp and a live final round. Players will also recognize the catchy X Factor theme song that plays throughout.

To celebrate the launch of the new X Factor game, the International Bingo Network (IBN) is hosting a special X Factor “Top Slotter” competition every weekend throughout August. The player at the top of the leader board at the end of the month will be crowned the X Factor Steps to Stardom Champion and win tickets to a live X Factor show and a great cash prize. In addition, the top fifty players will be inducted into the X Factor Hall of Fame with additional cash prizes for the runners up.

The International Bingo Network (IBN) is operated by St Minver which, along with Boss Media, Finsoft and Dynamite Idea, is now part of GTECH G2, the igaming division of lottery industry leader, GTECH.

“The X Factor game is just one of many exciting new branded games that are being launched by the International Bingo Network over the next few months with local versions of many of the games being launched across our network of bingo sites in seven other European markets “ said Alison Digges, GTECH G2 Group Head of Bingo.

The IBN includes such popular bingo sites as Littlewoods Bingo, Yahoo Games and the Daily Mail’s Coffee Break Bingo. It features 90-ball bingo games, big jackpots, exciting tournaments and generous bonuses.

Great Turnout for Jamie Gold Charity Tournament at Poker in the Park

The Jamie Gold Charity Tournament reached its cap of 50 players as an array of celebrity and poker playing talent took to the felt last night in the Shadow Lounge within the Casino at the Empire.

The Jamie Gold Charity Tournament, that took place as part of the Poker in the Park festival in Leicester Square, was hosted by the 2006 WSOP Main Event winner Jamie Gold and co-hosted by 2008 WSOP Main Event winner, and youngest ever WSOP Main Event champion, Peter Eastgate.

The tournament, which aimed to raise money for The Jamie Gold Foundation’s numerous charities, took place at The Empire’s Shadow Lounge, where a number of famous names were present including celebrity players Teddy Sheringham and Michael Greco, as well as top UK poker pros John Tabatabai, Nick Persaud, JJ Hazan, Sam Trickett and Ian Frazer.

Although the tournament buy-ins will go towards the Jamie Gold Foundation, there were a number of generous donations to the prizepool including an EPT seat worth £5,200, donated by PokerStars, as well as a seat to the Unibet Open, worth £3,000.

In the end it was a Swedish Pro, Mikael Gabrielsson, wearing Unibet colours, that took the title.

Four camera crews were on hand to capture the atmosphere as celebrities and poker players battled it out on the felt in good spirits.

Poker in the Park continues all throughout today where Jamie Gold amongst many top pros will be delivering a lecture in the Unibet Lecture Marquee. Visit http://pokerinthepark.com/ to find out the full schedule of speakers.

3D Casino Launches New Deuces Wild Video Poker Game

Two free contests mark the occasion

WinADay.com, the 3D online casino operated by Slotland.com, launches a brand new video poker game called Deuces Wild today. Serious video poker players will love being able to play not just one but three, five, ten, twenty-five – even fifty hands at once – if they choose. And with a chance to double your winnings, the newest game at the three-dimensional slot machine and video poker site is sure to be popular.



Deuces Wild players can really raise the stakes by hitting the “Double” button after a winning spin. Playing a single hand game, pressing this button can double the winnings. Playing two or more hands, if the total win from all hands is equal to or exceeds total wagers, hitting the “Double” button takes the player to an optional double-or-nothing Playoff Round.

To celebrate the launch of the new Deuces Wild game, WinADay.com is running two free contests August 14th to 20th. The player with second most total bets during this period will win the Deuces Wild Top Spinner Contest and get 100% of deposits made during the contest period refunded. The second biggest single spin pay out on the new Deuces Wild (during the same period) will win the Deuces Wild Triple Luck Contest and their winnings for that spin will be tripled.

It’s been a busy year for the online casino that celebrated its first birthday earlier this summer.

“Since taking its first real money wagers a year ago, five new games have now been added to our original three one-of-a-kind slot machines and video poker games,” said Ondrej Tuma of WinADay.com. “And there have been four six-figure progressive jackpot winners already!”

The WinADay.com progressive jackpot was just hit last week for $150,000 on the new Vegas Mania slot machine, following a $100, 224 (€73,970) win in May 9 (the second to be won on the Wheeler Dealer slot machine). In January, Monica68 won $148,724 (€116,200) while playing the same game. Then in March, “123jaki” won $159,660 (€123,620) on the single-payline Slot-O-Matic which had only just been launched.

WinADay.com is an instant-play, no download casino. Players can walk straight through the casino’s decadent entrance to the three-dimensional games lobby. There, animated casino staff can help them choose from the eight unique games available and have them playing within seconds. All games are original and only available at WinADay.com.

The Glastonbury of Poker -- Poker In The Park Starts Tomorrow in London

If you're a poker player and you're in London, get yourself down to Leicester Square this weekend!!!

Being dubbed the “Glastonbury of Poker”, Poker in the Park is bringing a band of top players from the poker world to the heart of Leicester Square for a celebration of all things poker!

The gates will open to Poker in the Park, Europe’s largest, FREE Poker festival, at 5:00 pm on Thursday, 13th August and continues on Friday 14th August from 12.00pm – 9.30pm.

Headline attractions will include the following:

· PKR Poker Dome – Headline sponsors PKR will welcome the UK’s top pub poker leagues at the PKR Dome. Each league will run a FREE turbo sit-n-go tournaments.
· Unibet Lecture Marquee – Unibet will host some of the UK’s most successful poker talent as they address the crowds in a series of lectures. Speakers include Jamie Gold, Peter Eastgate, Neil Channing, Paul Jackson.
· Bluff Europe Heads-Up Challenge – Here players can defeat opponents at the electronic PokerTek Heads-Up Challenge™ tables. Sit-n-Go's will be running here across the two-days.
· Littlewoods Poker Tuition – Littlewoods Poker are inviting people to come and play open-handed poker with Littlewoods Pros and Celebrities including ex-Eastenders actor turned Poker Pro Michael Greco and ex-Irish football International Tony Cascarino.
· Prime Table Games - Here people can trial new variants of poker and meet the inventor of PTG Holdem™ and PTG Omaha™.

Here's a video clip from a tournament at least year's event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-2P4GXumbM

THE POKERPLEX
A bevy of activity will be happening at the Poker in the Park PokerPlex:

Attendees can come and meet the Bluff Europe magazine team and get their hands on Bluff Europe goodies. The PokerPlex is also the home of co-sponsors Nuts Magazine where the lovely Nuts girls will be on hand to provide a bit of glamour – signing autographs taking photos and subscriptions.

Neteller will be providing their latest offers and signing up players whilst London Chess and Bridge, will be selling a huge selection of hard to find editions, and even copies signed by the authors.

PokerShopUk.com will be selling everything from cards to chips, hats to t-shirts. And the London Poker Circuit (LPC) will be present, along with a couple of their LPC girls and a guest pro, who will take on all comers in a heads up duel.

Staking site and soon-to-be poker room, Blackbelt Poker, will be taking sign-ups and dishing out goodies. GamCare will also be on site in the Poker Dome to promote responsible gambling.
JAMIE GOLD CHARITY TOURNAMENTStarting at 7:30pm on Thursday, 13th August at The Empire’s Shadow Lounge, The Jamie Gold Charity Tournament aims to raise money for The Jamie Gold Foundation’s numerous charities and will be co-hosted by 2008 WSOP Main Event winner Peter Eastgate.

Direct buy-in to the tournament is £500, and there will be £50 Sit-n-Go satellites running all day at the Casino at the Empire on Thursday 13th. For the list of great prizes on offer and other details, got to http://pokerinthepark.com/jamie-gold-charity-tournament.html

The Casino at the Empire will also be running a special series of £50 Sit-n-Gos all day Friday, Aug 14, to run along side Poker in the Park!

VIP TREATMENT
Ivobank will be treating Sponsors, Media, Celebrities and Poker Pros to a bird’s-eye view of Poker in the Park from the Icon Bar in the Casino at the Empire. The Radisson Edwardian Hampshire Hotel is offering exclusive rates and accommodation for those planning on taking a night-cap during the two-day event.

€412,781 Bad Beat Jackpot Won on GTECH G2’s IPN Poker Network

Europe’s largest independent poker network now part of lottery industry giant’s new igaming division


An International Poker Network (IPN) player may have been surprised and disappointed when he lost a hand despite having Quad Jacks, however that disappointment soon turned to triumph when he realized he had hit the network’s massive €412,781 ($590,000) Bad Beat Jackpot.

“I was so sure my four Jacks would take the pot. My heart sank when my opponent revealed four Kings to beat them,” said the winner, known at the poker table as AlkaliEars. “But then I remembered that by losing with such a great hand I had won the Bad Beat jackpot!”

AlkaliEars received €144,473 of the €412,781 jackpot. The winner of the hand got €72,236 and the other players at the table each got €24,078. The new jackpot is already over €90,000.

“The Bad Beat Jackpot was created to help ease the frustration of losing even when you’re dealt great cards,” said Mery Blomqvist, Head of Marketing and PR at GTECH G2. “With a jackpot requirement starting at Quad 6s, this has got to be the easiest Bad Beat Jackpot to hit anywhere!”

To qualify for the Bad Beat at IPN poker rooms, players must be at a designated Bad Beat table and use both pocket cards in their winning or losing hand. The losing hand must be four-of-a-kind sixes or better. Four or more players must be dealt into the hand.

The IPN is Europe’s largest independent Poker Network. It recently celebrated its 3,000,000th player and dealt its billionth hand last year. The IPN, which includes such popular poker sites as VirginPoker.com, PokerHeaven.com and the Casino-Club.com poker room, regularly hosts Guaranteed €1,000,000 tournaments.

GTECH G2 is the igaming division of lottery industry giant, GTECH. It combines the software development and customer management expertise of Boss Media, Finsoft, Dynamite Idea and St Minver and operates the International Poker Network and International Bingo Network.

Details of the IPN Bad Beat Jackpot are available at participating online poker rooms.

Click here for a list of International Poker Network poker sites.

New Reel Riot Slot Machine Has Features for Both Novice and Experienced Players

New online slot machine tied to Slotland’s progressive jackpot, currently over $73,000

The games designers at Slotland.com have outdone themselves once again with the launch of their latest creation, the Reel Riot. It’s a single payline slot machine that Slotland has revved up to the max by including a “Double Wild” bonus symbol and by making it possible to hold any reel for the next spin.


This video preview of the new Reel Riot game is on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD7-dPe5uf0

The leopard-print console and retro graphics give this new game a kind of Old Vegas feel. New slots players will find it easy to learn its basic features. More experienced players that like to use some strategy to increase their odds will enjoy the Hold feature.

The Double Wild symbol doubles the pay out on any winning combination. Three Double Wild symbols in any position and on any of the three lines (not just the payline) earns a Bonus Round where winnings can sky rocket with a series of multipliers.

Although this is a single pay line slot machine, players will find themselves keeping an eye on the other two lines as well, since they can earn a bonus round by catching three Double Wild symbols in any position. The Hold feature can be used to hold a reel for winning combinations on the payline and to hold Double Wild symbols in any of the three lines.

“We have some multi-payline games for players that like to raise the stakes by playing several lines at once,” said Tuma. “But we’ve found that players also really like single payline games, especially if they’ve got some opportunities for strategy built into them.”

To celebrate the launch of this new game, found only at Slotland.com, the popular online slot machine and video poker site is running two special contests. The player that places the most total bets on the new Reel Riot slot machine between August 10th and 16th will win the Big Spinner contest and get all of their deposits (made during this period) totally refunded. The Triple Luck contest will triple the winnings on the third largest Reel Riot spin pay out during the promotional period.

Slotland.com now has fourteen 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 which was recently hit for $169K and then, within weeks, hit again for $80K. The jackpot is currently over $73,000

Slotland Jackpot Loosens Up, Produces Second Winner in a Month

$80,369 won playing Slotris within weeks of $169,923 win on Megaspin

Less than a month after their last big progressive jackpot winner, the Slotland jackpot has already been hit again. A player known as MARMOTLUV won $80,369 playing one of Slotland’s newer online slot machines, the Slotris.

“I used to love playing Tetris as a kid so I’ve enjoyed playing Slotris ever since it was added to Slotland,” said the excited winner. “I’ve won lots of smaller amounts over the years I’ve been playing at Slotland, but I never dreamed I’d actually win such a huge jackpot! The money is already in my bank account – but not for long!”



For years the Slotland jackpot was famous for being hit every six weeks or so, usually for between $100 and $150K. This isn’t the first time that the wins have happened more frequently than that though. Last fall there were three six-figure jackpots in a row so this latest win could be the part of a continuing loose jackpot trend.

Of course there’s no predicting when a jackpot will be won. Every time a player places a bet that qualifies for the progressive jackpot (a max bet is required in most games) part of their wager goes to the progressive jackpot pool. That pool keeps growing until someone hits the jackpot.

Since all 16 games at Slotland contribute to the same jackpot pool, it can grow very quickly. After a young couple won a $169,923 jackpot playing the new Megaspin game in July, the jackpot was reset to $50,000 and quickly rose to the $80K prize just won.

Slotris, a Tetris-like online slot machine that launched last year, is two games in one, both inspired by the popular game of falling-blocks considered by some to be the best video game ever. The wheels on the Slotris online slot machine spin the familiar multi-coloured cubes and the same squares fall into place on the grid of the adjacent bonus game puzzle -- just like the video game that has mesmerized millions for decades.

There are two ways to win Slotris. There’s a traditional three-wheel single payline slot line with spinning symbols – coloured blocks rather than cherries. When three matching symbols line up, the player wins. But the coloured boxes don’t just spin on the slot machine wheels. Afterward, the same symbols fall into place in the grid beside the slot machine. Players can win this bonus game by guiding the blocks into place. Every solid-colour line multiplies the player’s bet and ten lines wins the jackpot.

Slotland.com currently 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.

In August Slotland will introduce another new slot machine. The “Reel Riot” is a single payline slot machine with a “Double Wild” bonus symbol and a special “hold” feature that strategic slots players will love.

The jackpot at Slotland is currently over $64,000. Meanwhile at Slotland’s 3D casino, WinADay.com, the jackpot is over $130,000 and many players believe it is overdue for a win.