JackpotCity Online Casino Blog

Will the Disney purchase* of Marvel Comics result in the end of CryptoLogics Marvel Online Slots franchise? Although it is highly unlikely at this stage that CryptoLogic will lose their exclusive rights to the Marvel Online Slots Games it can (and most probably will) become an issue in the future. The reason for this is that the current deal that Marvel and CryptoLogic signed expires in 2011 and Disney, as a family orientated company, will most probably not wish to be associated with gambling in ANY form. This could lead to the discontinuation of some of CryptoLogics top gaming brands such as Spiderman (see the video above), Iron Man, The Fantastic 4, Wolverine and the Incredible Hulk.

The Online Casino sites that will be effected if CryptoLogic loses the Marvel Online Slots Franchise are:

• Littlewoods Online Casino
• Party Casino
• Ladbrokes Online Casino
• And Intercasino
*On the 31st of August 2009 Disney purchased Marvel Comics and all of it’ subsidiaries for $4 billion.

Once again the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) has been put on the backburner by the US Congress according to a recent online casino report. However, predictions are that it will still be debated sometime in 2010.

The reasons for this delay cannot be faulted, because the US Government is busy combating global recession and healthcare issues, but the hope of a regulated online casino industry in the US must once again wait another few months.

Tomb Raider Bonus Screen

With a huge selection of Online Video Slots Microgaming has always been at the forefront of online casino gaming. But when you add the world famous gaming icon Lara Croft to the mix then you know that Video Slots have been taken to a new level of gaming fun.

Tomb Raider™ Video Slot

The Tomb Raider™ Video Slot is part of a next generation of themed online casino games that are being developed by Microgaming. It is a 5 Reel Video Slot that combines the best of both Australian and American Video Slot Machine functionality. This included both a second screen Bonus Game and a FREE Spins feature.

The Tomb Raider Video Slot offers players the chance to bet up to 5 coins on each of the paylines with the maximum total coin wager amount being 75. Scatter wins trigger the FREE Spins feature where all wins are tripled. The Treasure Tomb bonus also offers players the chance to win massive prize amounts.  

Basic game Information for Tomb Raider™ Video Slot

Theme: Treasure
Player Demographic: Geared towards Experienced to Advanced Players
Sequel of: NA
Jackpot Value: 7 500
Reels: 5
Paylines: 15
Coins per Payline: 1 to 5
Max Coins: 75
Coin Sizes: 0.01, 0.02, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.25, 0.50, 1.00
Progressive: No
Wild Symbol: Yes
Bonus Trigger Symbol: Yes
Scatter Symbol: Yes
Feature: Yes – Bonus Screen and Free Spins

Tomb Raider™ Video Slot In-game Screenshots

Tomb Raider Video Slot Reels Screen

Tomb Raider Video Slot Payout Screen

The Original Launch Press Release for Tomb Raider™ Video Slot

For immediate release (23 September 2004)

CASH REWARDS ARE YOURS WITH TOMB RAIDER™

Lara Croft™, Golden Idols and Wild Wins Aplenty Are Available at JackpotCity.com Online Casino

The world famous video game and film adventure property Tomb Raider™ makes its exciting debut at JackpotCity.com Online Casino!

This unique and instantly recognizable Lara Croft™ Tomb Raider™ Video Slot has been licensed by Microgaming and skillfully crafted into a brand new 5 reel, 15 payline, multiple coin slot game, with a Wild and Scatter Symbol, Bonus Feature and Free Spins. Tomb Raider™ is the first Microgaming video slot where the player can win entry into the Bonus Feature from the Free Spins.

Players can bet up to 5 coins on each of the 15 paylines, taking the maximum wager per spin to 75 coins in a range of denominations from a cent right through to a dollar.

The razor sharp, richly coloured high end graphics carry an adventurous lost treasure theme full of golden idols, dangerous tigers, the familiar Lara Croft™ herself.  With the right combinations, a wide variety of entertaining bonuses, scatters, free spins and wild symbol rewards are possible, with most contributing to the end payline.

With a maximum bet, winnings of up to $37 500 are easily accessible to any player , and with the free spin x3 multiplier feature that cash reward can soar to a massive $112 500.

The Tomb Raider™ Video Slot also has a hidden underground tomb containing 12 gift-bearing idols.  When 3, 4 or 5 golden bonus idols appear on the active payline, it triggers this Tomb Bonus where rewards are added to payline wins.  This can be triggered during Free Spins and players can choose 3, 4 or 5 of the golden treasure idols.

This ingenious and highly entertaining adaptation of the world famous Tomb Raider™ brand is sure to take the online gambling community by storm and keep players coming back for more.

Please Note: Lara Croft, Tomb Raider, the Tomb Raider logo and Core are trademarks of Core Design limited. All rights reserved.

It comes as no surprise that Microgaming pioneered the introduction of big win progressives, but did you know that they also have one of the largest online slots progressive networks? Over the next few weeks I’m going to chat to you about all 12 of the individual games within this slots network and will offer a host of background info on each.  So without further ado, here’s…

Major Millions Progressive Video Slot

 Major Millions is a progressive video slot machine with a huge jackpot that regularly reaches well over €400,000. Major Millions was originally introduced as a 3 reel traditional slot machine (which incidentally is also still available) but has now been upgraded to a 5 reel 15 payline progressive video slot with a fixed coin size of 0.20. A maximum amount of 15 coins can be played at any one time.

Basic game Information for Major Millions Progressive Video Slot

Theme: Generic
Player Demographic: All player demographics
Sequel of: Major Millions Reel Slot
Jackpot Value: Progressive
2nd Highest Pay: 8,000 coins
Reels: 5
Paylines: 15
Coins per Payline: 1
Max Coins: 15
Coin Sizes: 0.20 credits
Progressive: Yes
Wild Symbol: Yes
Multiplier Symbol: Yes (x3)
Scatter Symbol: Yes
Feature: No
Gamble: No

Major Millions Progressive Video Slot In-game Screenshots
 

Reels Screen (above)

Payout Screen (below)
 
The Original Launch Press Release for Major Millions Progressive Video Slot

For immediate release (19 March 2004)

A NEW WAY TO WIN MILLIONS

JackpotCity.com Online Casino launches latest 15 payline progressive

If you’re a Major Millions big win progressive fan, the latest version of this hugely popular game will have you polishing your medals and reporting to JackpotCity.com Casino for some serious action!

The three reel format of the Microgaming powered progressive has been extensively upgraded to an exciting five reel video slot platform that offers players 15 paylines for a maximum bet of $3.

Instead of the original game’s three paylines, you’ll have fifteen chances to pull The Big One in Internet gambling that has already created three instant millionaires and hundreds of other significant winners.

The look, digital quality sounds and feel of Major Millions will be familiar, but there’s a bigger thrill factor that includes a x3 wild multiplier to add to the excitement, and players can deposit up to fifteen 20 cent coins for maximum returns when the main target is hit and those five grinning Major logos appear in the right place and change your life.

For those who prefer the original three reel Major Millions, this original version of the game will remain in service.  The new 5 Reel video slot Major Millions will play to the same Jackpot Madness progressive network, giving players the opportunity to choose which game they feel will best show them the way to the big money.

Top American Investment Bank – Goldman Sachs – has predicted that online gambling will eventually be legalised in the United States.

According to a note which was sent to investors the current online poker and online casino market could be worth up to $12 billion. This sum is far too large to be ignored and could have massive implications with regards to Tax Revenue.

The note went on to further state that “Were the market to be legalized, we believe that the size of the revenue opportunity could increase materially… Based on an assumption of 30% penetration of offline poker players and $300 gross gaming revenue (GGR) per player, we estimate that a legal poker market could be worth $3bn.”

This should be good news to US Congressman Barney Frank (D – MA) who has been fighting to overturn the laws imposed on internet gambling by the Bush Administration.

What is your view?

You’re the players and your opinion counts! Do you think the US should legalise online gambling? Please note that although American players are currently not allowed to access the JackpotCity.com online casino software we would very much like to hear your views!

Please leave your comments below:

Our new JackpotCity.com online casino ads have been running throughout Europe for a month or so now. Below is the Casino UK version:

What do you think?

Two articles did the rounds at the JackpotCity mothership this week.  Both Mediapost and Canada.com picked up on the story of Representative Barney Frank’s plan to introduce a bill that could legalise online gambling in the US.

This bill will challenge the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, Mr Franksaying the current law ” burdens the financial service industry at a time of economic crisis”.

He tried unsuccessfully in 2007 to introduce the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act which would control underage and compulsive gambling, money laundering and fraud.  While Mr Frank seems to agree their is need for control he clearly disagrees with the Republican’s somewhat draconian outright banning of online gambling.

This conincides with the European Commission’s investigation into whether the US is singling out EU based companies for different treatment to American online gambling businesses.  European gambling sites have petitioned the Commisssion to investigae and report their fidnings at the World Trade Organisation in a bid to reverse the laws that have cost them millions of dollars in revenue.

Will the change of leadership mean a change in online gambling regulations.  It has been widely reported that in his days as Senator of Illinois, President Obama was a keen poker player.  This, however, is in contrast to his concerns about the dangers of gambling in poorer communities.  His words in 2003, “I think the moral and social cost of gambling, particularly in low-income communities could be devastating.”

It seems that despite support from the European Union, Mr Frank is going to have his work cut out for him getting his bill passed.  Whatever the outcome, Online Casinos the world over will be paying close attention to the result.

I had the misfortune of watching Rush Hour 3 on Sunday night.  It was offensive on so many levels and Chris Tucker’s voice makes Fran Drescher sound sultry and seductive.  But what did get my attention was the scene in the Parisian casino.  Tucker’s character tries to get the attention of a beautiful woman with all the subtlety of a rhinoceros on viagra, at one of the casino tables where she is playing a card game.  Tucker gets 3 Kings in his first hand and thinks he has won.  The ever so snooty croupier says to him ” Messeur, this is Baccarat, that is the worst possible hand”.  I realised I had no idea how Baccarat works and thought others like me may want to know a little bit about the history of the game and how it works.

The game arrived in France from Italy in the 15th century and is similar to Faro and Basset.  It was first played by Italian Felix Falguierein with a pack of Tarot cards in the middle ages before it moved across the Alps to France where it became the game of the French aristocracy.  There are 3 versions of the game.  Punto Banco or North American Baccarat, Baccarat Chemin de Fer, and Baccarat Banque.

The rules are basically this.

• Cards 2 to 9 are worth their face value.
• Aces are worth 1,
• 10 and the face cards are worth zero.
• Unlike in blackjack where you aim to total 21, in Baccarat the aim is to total 9.
• The name Baccarat, meaning zero, is the name for the worst possible hand which is zero.
• To make it slightly more conmplicated, if for example, you have a 6 and a 7, totalling 13, the 10 is dropped meaning the total of your hand is 3.
• There are only 3 possible results.  Player, Bank or Tie.  The idea is to bet on whether the Player or Banker will win or whether there will be a tie.
• Player and Banker dont represent the gambler or the casino, they are simply the names for each hand.

Each versions has different rules but I think you get the gist.  In the 2nd to last James Bond, the remake of Casino Royale, Bond plays Texas Holdem against Le Chiffre due to the popularity of that game at present.  However, in Fleming’s novel and the original version of the movie, the game was Baccarat.  This game is popular with high rollers with players winning and losing tens of thousands of dollars per hand.  Another reason the game is probably not as well known is that the tables are usually tucked away in the more exclusive parts of casinos.

However with the growing popularity of online casinos you and I are able to step into the shoes of the French nobility and give it a go.  Just remember what happened to them though and that your card playing experience from those all night poker sessions counts for nought…or baccarat.

Good viral ads are the ones that stay with you long after you’ve logged off.  They get mentioned in online and offline conversation.  And of course they make countless appearances in email inbox’s around the world. But the really good ones are those that use established hype, breed spin offs and keep us hanging on for the follow ups.

Piggs Peak got the ball rolling with this ad. You have no idea what the advert is for until the end and you can’t stop watching.  They could never have got away with this in above the line media.

But the stroke of viral marketing genius came from the guys at Cool Hand Poker.  Filming it all in their office bathroom and using staff members they created this spin off.  It made me realise that some of the best marketing minds work in Online Casinos.  Sometimes toilet humour rocks.

Ever since I saw it I’ve been thinking of poker hands and what the next instalment could be.  Nothing’s come to me yet.  Have you got any ideas? Let’s see them here.

Dude! I’ve just finished my first full game session (uninterrupted that is) on the Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure pub fruity and I have only one thing to say – IT ROCKS!

All the characters from the movie are there, Bill, Ted, Rufus, the Princesses and of course all the famous figures from history that Bill and Ted meet on their fun filled trip through time. In fact the images of the movie characters are so good that I have this overwhelming urge to watch the movies (yes there is more than one Bill and Ted movie) again. But it’s not just the imagery that I enjoyed; the game play is also second-to-none and the sounds (as would be expected) are rocking!

For those of you who have never watched Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, here is a short plot synopsis:

Ted “Theodore” Logan and Bill S. Preston esquire won’t graduate from high school if they don’t do well in their oral history presentation (they’ve already failed the written exam). To make matters worse, if they fail Ted’s father will place Ted in military school, thereby ending any chance the boys have of their band the “Wyld Stallyns” ever making it big. But, just when it seems all is lost they receive help from a dude from the future – Rufus. It seems the future is based on the teachings and music of these two heavy metal misfits and they are sent through a journey in time to retrieve a few historical characters for their oral exam so as to save the future of mankind.

Sounds a bit zany I know, but trust me (ok I am a big fan of the original movies) the online slots game captures the craziness of the movie perfectly. But don’t just take my word for it, play the game in our no download casino and you’ll see for yourself – Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure is one really sweet game.

Party on!

Justin
 

?