Online Casino Gambling

Beginning almost two years ago was a trademark dispute between 32Red and William Hill online casino. In August 2009, 32Red filed a lawsuit against William Hill for using the phrasing “32Vegas.” 32Red argued the phrase was too similar to their brand name, violating trademark rights. The casino also stated they were losing money because players were mistakenly wagering at 32Vegas believing it was 32Red.

The Hearing of the Case

On February 10^th, 2011, the London High Court heard the case. The attorney representing William Hill requested the trial be held in private due to company information that was commercially sensitive. However, the judge dismissed this request, responding that the public had a right to hear these proceedings.

32Red’s Argument

Attorneys representing 32Red informed the high court that although the 32Vegas casino was rebranded as 21Nova, the name and trademark continued to be used to drive traffic to the website. The lawyer also argued that by using Google Adwords and affiliates, additional traffic was being pushed to 21Nova via 32Vegas. Additionally, the attorney recognized that 32Vegas emails addresses were being used.

William Hill’s Argument

On the other hand, William Hill lawyers disputed that since the name had been rebranded, it is no longer legally under the 32Red umbrella and is free to use. Further, that it was impossible for William Hill to prevent its 70,000 affiliates from promoting the casino name.

The Ruling

After a few hours of litigation, the judge ruled in favor of 32Red online casino and granted an injunction which prohibited William Hill from using 32Vegas in the European Union. The judge further ruled that William Hill must publish the ruling on its largest websites as well as Affiliates United.

Financial Damages

The following day, court was back in session to discuss compensation to 32Red from William Hill. 32Red requested repayment for the legal costs as well as an evaluation of the damages set forth by the use of 32Vegas by William Hill. 32Red attorneys requested an immediate judgment while William Hill lawyers proposed a delay. The judge decided to release his decision in a notice two weeks from that day.

William Hill is required to disclose its financial performance of 32Vegas between January 1^st and July 31^st, 2009 in addition to the other brands that gained traffic via the 32Vegas website. Depending on the number, this could be financially crippling for the William Hill online casino group.

Iron Man 2 from Marvel Movies was released in 2010 and became a huge hit. It was nominated for an Oscar Award for the Best Achievement in Visual Effects. Industry-leading online gaming software developer, Playtech, has a contract with Marvel Movies to create slot games based on super heroes from different movies. Due to the success of the movie, Playtech was quick to launch the Iron Man 2 slot game.

Since the movie displayed incredible visual effects, the slot game also had to be amazing. Playtech did not fail in this aspect. The graphics in the Iron Man 2 slot game are much sleeker and more realistic than the original game. The six symbols in the game appear graphically as a single image that occupies two rows. However, each section of the image on the reel is considered independent and applies to that reel.

At the beginning of the game, the reels display the three main characters in the movie which include Natalie Rushman, Ivan Vanko and of course Tony Stark, the alter ego of Iron Man. The highest possible payout in the game is granted by the wild symbol which is the American Eagle icon. This represented the United States government which is heavily involved in the plot of the movie.

The free spins round is generated by at least three Iron Man 2 logos appearing on any of the reels. Unfortunately only 10 free spins are awarded and the bonus round cannot be retriggered. However, this round pays a handsome sum. Within this round, Playtech grants users an increasing multiplier which begins with payouts being multiplied by two and increases by one with every two spins. Also, an extra wild symbol remains in the middle throughout the round.

Being that Iron Man 2 is a progressive slot and linked to the Marvel Jackpot Network, players have an another way to win big. The four level jackpot increases levels in the following order:

• Power
• Extra Power
• Super Power
• Ultimate Power

Although the progressive jackpot round is activated at random, a higher chance of hitting exists when larger wagers are placed. Once this round is triggered, it is guaranteed the player will hit one of the four levels. The jackpot round is played in the same manner as regular slots, only with a much larger payout.

Iron Man 2 the slot game offers all the same excitement as the movie. Playtech really surpassed the expectations by players with this game. The visuals are nothing short of incredible and the gameplay is unmatched. This is sure to become an instant hit and turn in to a classic slot game.

Casino Rewards is one of the largest online casino groups operating many Microgaming casinos within the same Rewards Affiliates program. Another Microgaming-powered online gaming group is Playshare. These two industry-tycoons are expected to merge in the near future. Each company manages affiliate accounts of various casinos.

The recent announcement stated, “Casino Rewards/Rewards Affiliates is proud to announce that the Playshare group will be joining the Casino Rewards network. Over the next week we will be starting the integration of the systems on the affiliate side. All existing players will be transferred over to the Rewards Affiliates system and you will continue to get paid for all players you have sent to Playshare Partners in the past.”

The Playshare group online casinos that will merge with Casino Rewards include:

• Casino Share
• Quatro Casino
• Player’s Palace
• Grand Mondial

The announcement further revealed that Casino Rewards was expediting the process to complete the transaction as quickly as possible. For instance, the company has increased the call center to include overnight shifts and efforts have begun to transfer player balances. Casino Rewards will be contacting each player with instructions for changing the affiliate link codes and allowing a grace period for this transition.

This information was announced on all major affiliate message boards to ensure the most widespread coverage. The most popular message boards, Casinomeister, Affiliate Guard Dog and Gambling Portal Webmasters Association, were the first to release the statement. There have been a number of reactions from those using Playshare, many of which were not favorable.

To ease the transitional stress, Casino Rewards has assured Playshare affiliates that they are in good hands and will immediately benefit from this merger through giveaways and promotions. Casino Rewards is known for its weekly promotions and free money giveaways in addition to secure gaming by eCogra. These are all excellent building blocks for Playshare affiliates.

The plethora of benefits for using Casino Rewards can easily be seen at any of the number of casinos in the group. There are 18 brands that are completely in English, all of which are available in 9 European languages. The most popular brands are Virtual City Casino, Aztech Riches, Zodiac Casino and Blackjack Ballroom.

This merger is beneficial for both companies as well as their affiliates who will have access to a greater number of casinos, promotions, giveaways and features to entice new players. This merger is a major addition for the Casino Rewards Group.

Microgaming recently went live with their newest online casino entitled, “Casino Creed” which is licensed and regulated in the gambling jurisdiction of Curacao and operated by CBN Gaming UK Ltd. The most interesting aspect of the casino is the live dealer area where there are direct video feeds streaming from the Regent Casino in Bucharest. Most dealer feeds come directly from a studio, not an actual casino.

The Regent Casino is associated with the Novotel which was the first casino in the city to function under Nevada gaming standards. Currently the only live dealer game being offered at Casino Creed is roulette. However, there are plans to add more games like baccarat and blackjack sometime during 2011.

Casino Creed offers a total of 200 games using the Microgaming software. The most popular, and a few obscure, games are offered by the casino. The table games include:

• Multihand blackjack
• European roulette
• Roulette Royale
• Baccarat
• Atlantic City blackjack

The slot games feature the best of Microgaming over the past few years including:

• The Lord of the Rings
• Thunderstruck I
• Thunderstruck II
• Tomb Raider

The video poker games feature many different variants comprising:

• Deuces Wild
• Double Bonus
• Joker Poker
• Jacks or Better

Casino Creed is being released with strong bonuses for new players. The welcome bonus is 100 percent matching up to 500 Pounds with a minimum deposit of 20 Pounds. Furthermore, new players are given another bonus with their second deposit which consists of a 50 percent match up to 100 Pounds with a minimum deposit of 20 Pounds. There are requirements for the release of the bonus money.

Also, Casino Creed will be offering weekly slot tournaments with a buy-in as low as 5 Pounds and a guaranteed first prize of 1,000 Pounds. Additionally, players have the ability to wager on the progressive jackpot slot games. For instance, the Mega Moolah game has a jackpot of over 1 million Pounds. Finally, the VIP club is expected to begin functioning in the near future.

Transactions at the casino can be conducted in either U.S. dollars or British Pounds. The most common payment methods including, Visa, MasterCard, Pay Point, Moneybookers and bank transfers are all accepted by Casino Creed.

Casino Creed is already looking to develop into an excellent casino that takes care of its patrons. The generous welcome bonuses, many tournaments each week and multitude of payment options make Casino Creed one of the best, newest casinos to place a wager.

As one of the most discussed issues in online gambling today, responsible gaming is being used as a shield to postpone the legalization of the activity in specific countries. Representatives of the online gaming industry claim these issues are being managed by the casinos. Recently, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) released a report discussing the self-regulation practices that will be implemented in the future.

The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) will soon be publishing the report. John Ketchell, the Innovation Director at CEN, confirms the implemented measures will protect the customer while ensuring fair practices among online casinos. Basically they will provide a fair standard that all countries in the European Union can follow. The primary focus of the practices includes:

• Underage gaming prevention
• Catering to customer support
• Providing safe and reliable information technology environments
• Protection of unaware customers
• Protection of customer privacy
• Ethical and responsible marketing
• Zero tolerance for fraud

The process of developing these new standards is time consuming. CEN began the “Responsible Remote Gambling Measures” in May 2010 with 25 participants from the industry. From these members, over 600 suggestions were made and then added to a draft which was made public. Between July and September 2010, comments regarding the draft were accepted and encouraged.

CEN has finally approved the final draft which is scheduled to be published in March 2011. This is only the preliminary step as those in the CEN community are prepared to take further action. The ultimate goal is to eventually develop a full European standard.

Also slated to be published in the near future is the British Gambling Prevalence Survey (BGPS). This is a statistical study regarding British gambling behavior which includes problem gaming. The study was created to aid in policy-making based on gambling-related data. The first report was released in 2000 and the second in 2007 by the National Centre for Social Research.

Depending on the information in this report, it could change the way European countries and the rest of the world view online gambling. If a feasible standard has been in fact proposed, there is a chance for European standardization. The rest of the world may soon develop a similar standard based on the European version. Perhaps the information will be pro-gaming and United States legislators will push toward legalization based on this report.

Sloto’ Cash Casino recently released a new 3D slot game entitled, Dog Casher. The game begins with an introductory clip that narrates the story and gives players more insight into the plot of the game. Cheri is a dog that has everything in the world she could want, except friends. One day she leaves the mansion to go play with neighborhood dogs across the street but is caught by the dog catcher and transported to the pound.

Therefore the reels are set in the pound with the dog catcher, who is sleeping, in a chair. If the player takes too long to spin the reels, the dog catcher lets out a loud snoring sound. The symbols are three dimensional and are the primary attraction to the game. These symbols include:

• Various dogs
• Cheri the dog
• Dog catcher
• Click me symbol

The dog catcher is representative of the wild symbol. Also, a special symbol which allows players to receive bonus prizes is the Click Me symbol. This is characterized by the dog catchers van. If three Click Me symbols are shown on the reels, players enter a bonus round which requires them to click additional symbols on the reels and receive prizes. Players continue to click symbols until a message is displayed ending the round.

The core of this game is the free spins bonus round which brings the plot to a conclusion while offering a solid structure. In this round, the keys are the bonus symbols. Each time three of these symbols are displayed on the reels players are granted one key. The collection of three keys activates the free spins bonus round which is played on a separate set of reels with new symbols.

The symbols include Cheri’s mistress, a sumptuous meal, her favorite locations inside the mansion and Cheri’s new dog friends are shown. Since there is no dog catcher in this round, the wild symbol is an extra free spins icon worth up to 15 spins.

Powered by Rival Gaming Sloto’ Cash online casino offers a wide variety of slot games including 3D slots and i-slots. Also, affiliates that drive traffic to Sloto’ Cash casino can receive up to 45 percent in commissions. Dog Casher is a fun, interesting and innovative game that can be quite profitable. Next you are at Sloto’ Cash online casino, try your luck at this exciting slot game.