BetConstruct has announced the acquisition of the prestigious Romanian Remote Gambling B2C Licence, reinforcing its commitment to responsible gaming and regulatory compliance.
Emphasizing the significance of this acquisition, the BetConstruct team highlights that it represents the successful completion of a thorough and demanding process to comply with Romania’s strict regulatory requirements.
This step reaffirms the team’s steadfast dedication to upholding the highest industry standards, ensuring Romanian customers receive secure, reliable, and enjoyable gaming experiences.
Obtaining the Romanian Remote Gambling B2C Licence, which is granted by ONJN (Romania National Gambling Office), paves the path for BetConstruct to cater to the Romanian market within the full scope of regulatory compliance, ensuring that the users can experience safe and secure gaming journeys with the company’s trailblazing products and solutions.
Spintec’s new Charisma line has attracted significant global attention with its perfect blend of relaxation and intense gameplay. Its cutting-edge design stands out, featuring immersive, crystal-clear graphics on high-resolution monitors, alongside user-friendly, intuitive touchscreen controls and seating comfort.
Building on this success, Spintec introduced a host of additional surprises and innovative solutions at this year’s G2E. They all feature the best that Charisma has to offer while catering to a multitude of casino settings and entertainment needs.
For example, they showed how easy it is to organize a live tournament featuring several different games and transform a casino into a dynamic social gaming venue. Charisma in an amphitheater setting can incorporate live, automated, and virtual tables, engage more than 200 players, including a choice of different games and combinations of games, and provide lots and lots of fun!
Charisma Craps by Spintec
What about Craps? Spintec can’t afford to miss out on all the fun, so they have proudly introduced Charisma Craps at this year’s G2E. They showed a version that seats four and comes complete with an attractive animated topper and LED lighting.
For casinos that need more adaptive playing stations for individual players, they have developed a revolutionary new stand-alone version of Charisma. A player can enjoy an array of different games at their own station, spanning from virtual (Roulette, Blackjack, Baccarat, Craps/Sic-bo), to automated (Roulette, Craps/Sic-bo) or take part in live games at the venue or elsewhere (Roulette, Blackjack, Baccarat).
And for venues with more restricted floor availability, the new Charisma 5 Roulette is a perfect compact solution. It can fit into small or crowded spaces with height limitations and still be an eye-catcher with its animated topper and signage. It features roulette and other games individually or as a multigame setup. Who says elegance can’t be adaptable and fun?
As a last surprise, Spintec introduced a stellar new game called Galactic Spin to the American market at this year’s G2E. Galactic Spin successfully enhances the engagement of the players with large payouts and three different games that take place after the bets are closed. The downtime of waiting for the ball to drop now becomes the most thrilling part of the game and the entire roulette cycle becomes an incredibly engaging stage.
Spintec team at G2E Las Vegas 2024: from left to right, Renato Bičič (Business Development Manager), Goran Sovilj (Global Sales Director), Goran Miškulin (CEO)
With all these new offerings, Goran Sovilj, Spintec’s Global Sales director, says: ” We’re excited to have shown the latest innovative additions to the Charisma line that enhance the gaming experience, from live tournaments to multigame solutions. It was a great success and just the beginning of what’s to come.”
Goran Miškulin, CEO of Spintec, shared his thoughts on the company’s direction: “This year has been transformative for us in many ways, and our latest product introductions are a testament to our continuous innovation. With the launch of Spintec 2.0, our new strategic framework, we are focused on further enhancing operational efficiency, product development, and market expansion. We are confident that these efforts, along with our strengthened partnership with Merkur, will propel us to new heights and accelerate our growth. As we begin this new chapter, we are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.”
Light & Wonder a leading cross-platform global games company has released EggLink 100x Ra™, from specialist slot provider Lightning Box, one of Light & Wonder’s in-house studios. This release features one of their most popular titles with a new twist: the progressive EggLink Jackpots.
In this 3×5 Egypt-themed journey into a mythical world, 100x Ra™ has been transformed with the addition of the provider’s new EggLink mechanic, elevating this Lightning Box classic to a new level. The Free Games round from the original 100x Ra™ returns, expanding the reels to a 4×5 grid during this mode.
When three or four bonus symbols land on the reel matrix, seven free games at Level 1 are triggered. In the free games, all Wild Ra symbols act as a multiplier to increase prizes, boosting the win up to x10 the bet. The Wild Ra symbol can also combine multipliers up to 100x should players reach Level 6 or higher, receiving a helping hand from Level Up symbols. Should two of these appear, players are propelled up a level, with higher multipliers coming into play.
With the appearance of the EggLink mechanic, the fox is back to vacuum up those prizes from the chicken coop including the Grand and Major Jackpots during the Egg Drop. The Suck Eggs Bonus is activated when six or more Scatter Eggs appear, and awards eight Bonus spins. The fox collects Golden Scatter Eggs, alongside Mini and Major Jackpot symbols, accumulating the total to the final payout.
If a weathervane is visible during the bonus round, this can award up to five Bonus Spins with x2 weathervanes doubling that to 10 turns. Finally, a Bonus Buy option is available for players to instantly trigger the Suck Eggs Bonus via the base game or purchase 100x Ra™ free games. EggLink 100x Ra™ is a Light & Wonder title available exclusively with BetMGM online players across the US.
Michael Maokhamphiou, Studio Director at Lightning Box said: “Egglink 100x Ra™ is the second slot to feature our progressive EggLink mechanic, following the success of EggLink ChickenFox™ in May. We believe integrating this new tool onto one of our biggest ever titles will elevate the popularity of it even further and we look forward to bringing this slot to the US market.”
Rob Procter, VP of Game Development at Light & Wonder said: “Lightning Box’s EggLink mechanic has brought a classic title to life, with the Suck Eggs Bonus offering dramatic and differing gameplay. 100x Ra™ was released back in 2021 but still features prominently in our portfolio, with its Level Up free games feature providing a captivating element to a classic grid. However, with the addition of EggLink, there is no doubt that players will be thrilled by this fun-filled upgrade.”
For the first time, PokerStars Casino and Games Global provided players with an exclusive chance to play Piggy Bank Job Gold Blitz™ live at this year’s European Poker Tour in Cyprus.
The Players’ Party took place on Monday 14th October where guests were offered the opportunity to win some big prizes and fully immerse themselves in Games Global and PokerStars Casino’s bespoke game offering.
The bespoke title, Piggy Bank Job Gold Blitz™, created exclusively for PokerStars Casino on behalf of Games Global and exclusive studio Fortune Factory, was launched in 2023. It features a 6-reel, 4-row grid with 4,096 ways to win and exciting gameplay that revolves around collecting Cash Coins and Jackpot Cash Coins, which can trigger special features such as Cash Collect. The game also includes free spins, where players can potentially unlock up to 50 spins with wins.
At the end of the event, the Top 3 players were invited on stage to play the final round on a huge 13-meter LED screen, in true live casino style, with the top prize being a PokerStars $2,500 Silver Power Pass, which can be redeemed for either regional live events or online, alongside a plethora of merchandise which was up for grabs for those who got involved.
Rupert Dix, Interim Chief Revenue Officer at Games Global, said: “Forging close relationships with operators like PokerStars allows us to deliver games that truly resonate with their player base. It’s through these partnerships that we’re able to design bespoke content, such as Piggy Bank Job Gold Blitz™, that is tailored to the needs and preferences of their audience, driving deeper engagement and excitement. Our collaboration with PokerStars exemplifies how we can elevate the player experience by offering innovative and memorable content that stands out in today’s competitive market.”
Cedric Billot, Associate Director, Live Events Operations at PokerStars, added: “European Poker Tour is proud to support PokerStars Casino by collaborating with casino partners at our live events, enhancing player experiences and offering even more unique opportunities throughout. Working with partners like Games Global enables us to continuously provide our players with cutting-edge, engaging Casino content. We are thrilled with the results and response of this event, and we’re excited to bring more of these exclusive opportunities to our players in the future.”
QTech Games, a top game distributor for emerging markets, has announced a new premium partnership with Live88. This collaboration grants platform customers access to Live88’s extensive live-casino portfolio.
Live88 is a fast-growing provider of customizable live-dealer games – such as Roulette, Blackjack, and Baccarat, imbuing traditional classics with real-time gameplay and added social features. LatAm-facing favorites like Betsul, JKBet, and Arena Brasil have also recently been launched, introducing a new live casino vertical to engage new players and offering operators a broader cutting-edge for innovation across the ever-evolving landscape of emerging markets.
Live88 has quickly established itself as a trusted provider in the sector, with a number of unique tables recently added to its wide portfolio. The thriving live-dealer domain continues to go from strength to strength with a truly global fanbase – and Live88’s hit titles (e.g. Royal Riches Roulette, showcasing fresh takes and industry-first collectible features in our first gameshow) are now riding on the back of the fastest-growing distributor for all growth territories. QTech Games’ platform boasts the broadest gaming suite around, localized for each region, with native mobile apps, powerful reporting and marketing tools, and 24/7 local-language support.
Incorporating this ever-evolving production line emphasizes QTech Games’ diverse range of gaming options, providing a definitive one-stop shop, QTech ONE, which has fast become the “go-to” solution for worldwide operators across developing territories.
James Corrie, Head of Live Games and RNG at Live88, said: “Whether it’s custom-branded tables with dedicated live dealers in a range of different languages, or Live88 tables decked out to match any casino brand, we will equip QTech Games’ legion of partners with full flexibility and the highest-quality games.”
“Live casino is a hugely popular product worldwide and our offering is taking this vertical to the next level, encouraging players to bond together and enhance each other’s experience on a truly social journey. This agreement naturally broadens Live88’s geographic footprint, targeting emerging markets from Asia and Eastern Europe to Africa and Latin America, and uncovering new revenue streams.”
QTech Games CEO, Philip Doftvik, said: “We look forward to monitoring how these games perform across a range of untested markets which, in most cases, represent new territory for Live88. Thanks to a blend of classic appeal and modern social features, Live88 stands out as a breakthrough innovator for the live-dealer experience and a real revenue-driver revenue for digital casinos by offering their players a fresh-yet-familiar gaming journey. Ingenuity and creativity are central pillars of what we do, and we are pleased to have found a partner that shares these tenets. We can’t wait to deliver Live88’s games to our operator partners via the dominant platform for emerging markets.”
Internet Vikings, a licensed hosting provider for iGaming and online sports betting, has introduced a new flexible cloud service. This offering enables customers to scale their cloud infrastructure on demand, eliminating the need for prior approval or lengthy provisioning.
This offering is the first of its kind in 24 U.S. states for the iGaming and online sports betting industry.
With the pay-as-you-go (PAYG) model, customers maintain their contractual resource commitment but can provision additional resources as needed, paying only for the extra usage when needed. This flexibility supports faster deployment and handling of increased workloads.
Traditional setups often require companies to overestimate and allocate more resources to accommodate peaks in operations, leading to waste. With this new cloud model from Internet Vikings, businesses can now simply expand as needed and reduce costs.
“We understand the need for flexibility, especially for businesses that experience fluctuating demands,” said Kristoffer Ottosson, COO at Internet Vikings. “By removing the standard barriers to scaling cloud resources we’re giving our clients the freedom to right-size their environments without operational delays.”
Rickard Vikström, Founder and CEO of Internet Vikings, added, “Businesses can now remain agile by scaling in real-time. This aligns with our mission to provide top-tier hosting solutions that develop alongside the customers. We believe this feature will improve the way businesses leverage cloud hosting.”
Internet Vikings’ flexible cloud offering is now available to all customers purchasing Internet Vikings VMware Cloud.
Infinity Dragon Studios, a Games Global exclusive, has launched Zeus Lightning Riches Power Combo™, a thrilling new game featuring expanding reels, dynamic multipliers, and cash collection, enhancing their growing portfolio.
Set atop the majestic Mount Olympus, Zeus Lightning Riches Power Combo™ immerses players in a world where chalices, harps and unicorns adorn the reels, with Zeus Wilds boosting winning combinations with his mighty power.
Feel the might of the King of Gods by landing Instant Collect on reels one and five for cash or bonus prizes, unleashing Zeus’ lightning to deliver rewards up to 5,000x.
Three distinct Power Combo™ features – Green, Blue, and Red Scatter symbols – are collected above the reels, each triggering the Link&Win™ feature when activated. The specific color of the Scatter symbols determines the active Power Combo™ modifiers during the bonus round, offering exciting gameplay combinations.
Alternatively, players can collect Golden Eagles bonus symbols beneath each reel. Once all five have been collected, the Feature Pick is instantly awarded, allowing players to win up to three Power Combo™ modifiers or starting Link&Win cash or bonus prizes.
In the Link&Win™ bonus, the Titan Reels feature increases the grid size from 5×3 to a mighty 5×5, the Collect modifier awards a collect symbol to accumulate cash prizes, and the Multi Boost bonus splits the grid into sections with upgradable multipliers between 2x and 5x, with every cash prize in each full section at the end of the feature amplified by the corresponding multiplier and upgrades up to 10x.
All three of these Power Combo™ features can be triggered simultaneously, enhancing win potential to a thunderous 8,300x. Zeus Lightning Riches Power Combo™ showcases Infinity Dragon Studios’ commitment to developing cutting-edge content that drives engagement through exciting features and immersive themes.
Phil Mason, Head of Studio at Infinity Dragon Studios, said: “The team and I are super excited about the game. Zeus Lightning Riches brings the new Multi Boost Feature to Link&Win™ for an exciting multi-layered chase as players spin to fill and upgrade Link&Win™ multiplier zones up to 10x. Power Combo™ Scatters may also reveal Golden Eagle symbols that are collected per reel, giving players yet another way into Link&Win™. The game brings a lot of energy and Zeus lore, with exciting animations, sound, and special effects to match the lightning action on the reels!”
Andy Booth, Chief Product Officer at Games Global, said: “Power Combo™ games have become a favourite with Games Global players, offering unique gameplay in every session, with the different combinations of features meaning every game session provides something unique. Marrying this mechanic with the ever-popular Greek mythology theme, Infinity Dragon Studios has once again delivered an impressive title that we’re confident will resonate with players.”
Graft complaints have been filed in the Philippines against suspended Porac, Pampanga Mayor Jaime Capil as well as other officials in regards to illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) Lucky South 99.
This continues the crackdown on offshore operators following public backlash and a presidential edict for the closure of even legal operations by year-end.
The complaints include Capil, Vice Mayor Francis Laurence Tamayo, town Business Permit and Licensing Office OICE Emerald Vital and eight others.
Authorities are noticeably following up on their pledge to go after public officials who might have been involved in aspects of POGO setup and operations, with the latest detainees being charged with ‘undue haste in the approval of permits’ for Lucky South 99, from the period of 2021 to 2023, ‘despite blank and incomplete application forms’, notes the Philippine News Agency.
Officials also ‘failed to act on law enforcement reports on alleged criminal activities, including human trafficking, taking place in Lucky South 99,’ notes the agency.
Just this week, authorities also apprehended alleged POGO scam hub operator Lyu Dong, indirectly linked to Lucky South 99. The hub has led to multiple arrests, as the crackdown on illegal POGO operations continues, netting a series of Chinese individuals, as well as those of other nationalities, in the bid to eliminate the illegal offshore operations in the country.
Australian gaming operator The Star is likely to be celebrating after the NSW Independent Casino Commission (NICC) chose not to cancel its Sydney casino license and instead issue a fine and extend the license suspension period until March of next year. This means that the NICC-appointed Manager will remain in place until then, after which it will be reevaluated for suitability. New leadership likely had a strong hand to play, as the NICC praised CEO Steve McCann on “communication and cooperation”.
Altenar, a leading sportsbook provider is bringing its global expertise to Asia, looking to expand its operations. Since 2011, Altenar has powered hundreds of online sports betting sites worldwide and is a major B2B provider in Europe and Latin America licensed markets.
For global betting company 1xBet, Asia is a key market for several reasons. This is why 1xBet pays special attention to the Asian market and actively promotes its sports betting platform and the most popular gambling games on the continent.
Australian gaming operator The Star has been fined and had license conditions imposed on its Sydney operations however it has not had its casino license cancelled entirely.
According to the New South Wales Independent Casino Commission, the group has been handed a AU$15 million ($10 million) fine, and its license will remain suspended, while NICC-appointed manager Nick Weeks ‘will continue to have oversight of casino operations until at least 31 March 2025’.
After this date, ‘the NICC will reassess The Star’s Suitability to regain its casino license’.
Following a press conference early on Thursday, which caused The Star to suspend trading, the NICC Chief Commissioner indicated that the Bell Two inquiry ‘identified continuing compliance failures and operations at The Star that fell far short of suitability’.
Philip Crawford, NICC Casino Commissioner
Speaking of the issue, Philip Crawford noted that “Despite more prescriptive supervision that prevented the type of misconduct seen in the first inquiry, numerous shortcomings in governance, regulatory compliance, technology and risk management remain, including in areas that The Star claimed it had remediated.”
The official furthered that “In a casino setting, compliance breaches can have serious consequences for the community, and the Bell Report illustrated how quickly weak controls can lead to criminal infiltration and gambling harm.”
The NICC Chief Commissioner did recognize that The Star was facing “many challenges” and indicated that the commission would “closely monitor The Star’s progress in proving it is capable of regaining its casino license.”
The full scope of the conditions upon The Star encompass:
AU$15 million fine ‘for serious breaches of four internal control manuals;
Directions ‘that reflect Adam Bell SC’s report recommendations;
Stipulated additional financial and operational reporting required between now and March 2025;
A proposal to amend The Star’s suspended casino license to include more prescriptive requirements around board constitution and key management personnel;
Requests for amendments to the Casino Control Act as recommended by Mr Bell.
The NICC did praise the new leadership at The Star, noting that its CEO, Steve McCann “has established open lines of communication and cooperation with the NICC which has resulted in a much healthier relationship between the company and the regulator.”
While noting that it was “encouraged by the steps initiated since Mr. McCann’s appointment” and that The Star “is now taking the opportunity to reset its remediation priorities, strengthen its financial position and bolster the leadership team to refocus the business,” the NICC did not that “more work needs to be done before The Star can be regarded as a compliant and responsible operator, deserving of a license”.
The Star Sydney will continue to operate, under the supervision of the NICC-appointed manager ‘until at least 31 March 2025, ‘thus allowing The Star to operate gaming facilities while its license is suspended’.
In comments to AGB, former top regulator Peter Cohen questioned whether The Star might be deemed ‘too big to fail’, noting that a suspension of the casino license was the likely avenue authorities would choose, rather than its outright cancellation.
