Month: January 2022

Crack open the Lucky Durian to trigger expanding wilds and respins in the psychedelic Duri-verse.

You can play a demo of Lucky Durian here!

Go Live Date (expected):25/01/2022Game special features:– Wild symbols expand and lock
– Each expanded wild awards 3 respins
– Retrigger respins with no limitation!
– Lines pay both waysNumber of paylines:15Number of reels:5 columns x 3 rowsRTP% (recorded/theoretical):92.44%, 94.04%, 96.77%, 98.12%Variance/volatility:Very highNumber of symbols to trigger feature/bonus?Every wild symbol awards 3 respinsCan feature be retriggered?Yes. Retrigger respins with no limitation!Number of free spins awarded?Each expanded wild awards 3 respinsStacked or expanding wilds in normal play?Yes, wild symbols expand and lockStacked or expanding wilds in feature play?NoNumber of jackpot tiers?Yes (optional)Auto-play function?Yes (optional)

The operator has been granted a transactional waiver by the state’s Division of Gaming Enforcement,  allowing it to begin operations.

This decision makes Esports Entertainment the first esports operator to receive a transactional waiver in New Jersey.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

The ocean is your playground to chase that marlin in free spins. The more collection symbols you gather, the more free spins and higher win multipliers you get. Get a sticky wild and every subsequent new sticky wild will power up the rest.

You can play a demo of Marlin Catch here!

Go-live date (expected):25/01/2022Game special features:– Free spins
– Sticky wilds
– Multipliers
– Buy bonus
– Gamble featureNumber of paylines:10Number of reels:5×3RTP% (recorded/theoretical):96.50%Variance/volatility:4/5Number of symbols to trigger feature/bonus?3Can feature be retriggered?NoNumber of free spins awarded?10-20Stacked or expanding wilds in normal play?StackedStacked or expanding wilds in feature play?StackedNumber of jackpot tiers?NoAuto-play function?Yes

Shares of the company began trading on the CSE under the ticker “JKPT” as today (Monday 24 January).

The new listing, which was approved last week, aims to help the business attract an international audience as it expands into the live dealer casino and sportsbook sectors.

“The launch on the CSE is critical component of the Company’s growth plan,” noted Steve Budin, CEO of Kings Entertainment.

“Our strategy of leveraging outstanding lottery offerings to create engaged casino players has proved very successful and we’re now focused on harnessing this strength to develop our brands in the rapidly growing global online gaming market. Listing on the CSE will provide us access to the capital that will enable this expansion.”

The group’s flagship property, LottoKings, which was established in 2005, is hoping to capitalise the player base and grow the company’s global footprint.

With legalisation of gambling in European countries increasing, the company hopes to grow its presence in markets such as France, Germany, Spain, Malta and Italy.

Kings Entertainment claims a strong presence in Latin America will provide it with the foundation for international growth in the US.

The company continues to “focus on obtaining the required licensing and software to access these emerging markets”.

This, however represented a 6.2% month-over-month decline.

During December, the vast majority was staked in the state’s coastal casinos, which made up $37.5m of the total.

A further $10.7m was wagered at properties in Mississippi’s central region, with a further $8.7m staked in casinos in the north of the state.

American football proved to be the most popular sport to bet on across the state, with $24.9m being staked on the sport. Basketball followed with $15.5m, while parlay bets totaled $10.4m. Other bets added $6.1m.

After player winnings, evenue for the month amounted to $3.2m, down 59.0% from 2020 and a decrease of 66.3% compared to November.

The coastal region was the biggest contributor to the revenue total, generating $2.2m. The northern region was next with $553,536, followed by the central region with $496,568.

Operators within the state had a combined handle of $266.5m in December 2021. This was more than double December 2020’s figure, but was a 7.0% decline since November.

Online wagering experienced a large increase, with total revenue of $11.9m as compared to $4.6m in 2020. Similarly, online handle was at $241.7m, a 209% increase from $78.1m in December 2020.

Meanwhile, retail handle came to $24.8m, down by 7.1% as it was at $26.7m in December 2020

Diamond Jo Casino in Worth, with a sportsbook operated by FanDuel, was again the market leader, bringing in $1,992,617m in revenue. Of this total $1.7m came from online, and $271,675 in retail.

Caesars sportsbook at Penn National Gaming’s Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino was an extremely close second, bringing in $1,991,683 in revenue.

This figure, revealed in a trading update, would be a decline of 29.5% compared to its FY2020 operating profit.

After considering expenses of ¥4.4bn, the overall profit for the year is expected to come out at a loss of ¥2.6bn – down by ¥6.6bn year-on-year.

The operator also expects that its net sales will come to ¥90.4bn . This would be a year-on-year decrease of 0.5%.

The loss attributable to Okada Holdings, the parent group of Universal Entertainment, is projected to be ¥18.8bn – down by 2.1% year-on-year.

The operator’s half-year 2021 results showed a 56.4% revenue decrease year-on-year.

Last month, Okada Manila International set out plans to rebrand to UE Resorts International as part of its business expansion strategy, which will see it pursue a licence to operate a casino in downstate New York.

During 2021, the business also received approval to launch online gambling, as the Philippines began issuing online licences.

Hamilton assumes the role with significant experience in the industry. He previously worked at NYX Gaming Group which acquired OpenBet and was eventually sold to Scientific Games.

Hamilton becomes the latest appointment to PlayUp’s senior management team, following the appointment of Dennis Drazin as chairman in December 2021.

PlayUp’s senior appointments come in the wake of the company’s legal dispute with former CEO Dr Laila Mintas.

After being granted a temporary restraining order against Mintas in early December, PlayUp’s emergency motion for a preliminary injunction was denied by the District Court of Nevada as the company failed to prove that Mintas’ actions led to the collapse of the operator’s acquisition by crytpocurrency exchange FTX. 

Mintas herself has no filed for damages, arguing that PlayUp’s claims can be considered defamation.

Alongside the appointment of Hamilton, PlayUp announced it secured a $35m investment from FTX, the business that played a major role in the dispute with Mintas. PlayUp has said that this financing round will be used to accelerate its US market access. 

FTX’s head of product Ramnik Arora said: “We are delighted to have an investment in PlayUp. We believe PlayUp is at a pivotal moment in its corporate journey.”

PlayUp’s global CEO Daniel Simic added: “We are very happy with the progress of our U.S. market entry. The recent investment by FTX will assist PlayUp in accelerating its U.S. market opportunities and grow our global sports betting and wagering presence.”

The overall total was 78.5% higher than the $2.65bn generated in 2020 and up 38.7% from the previous year-high of $3.41bn in 2019, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB).

Breaking down the figures by market segment, sports betting revenue hiked 79.3% year-on-year to $340.1m, while the state’s handle reached $6.55bn, up 83.0% on 2020 and the highest annual total since legal betting launch in Pennsylvania in 2018.

Valley Forge Casino Resort and FanDuel led the way with $150.9m in sports betting revenue, up 118.4% on the previous year. Penn National Gaming’s Barstool Sportsbook at Penn’s Hollywood Casino at the Meadows ranked second with $68.3m in revenue, then DraftKings and the Hollywood Casino at Penn National with $22.0m.

Read the full story on iGB North America.

The rollout is in line with Illinois law, which states that igaming service providers such as Internet Vikings can offer services in the state without first having to secure any kind of license.

Instead, providers must have a client to work with in the state. Internet Vikings has deals in place with two unnamed operators in Illinois, one of which is an extension of partnership in another state.

Real-money online casino gaming is not yet legal in Illinois, but social casinos are permitted.

Read the full story on iGB North America.