Animerica

Online Casino Groups

Added: May 7, 2013

Some of the most trusted online casinos today are owned by what is commonly referred to as an online casino group. Each of the trusted online casino groups that feature in this article have been around for several years now and between them, they operate approximately 50 individual online casinos. In addition to online casinos, some of these groups also own other gambling portals such as online bingo sites or mobile casinos.

Vegas Partner Lounge is a trusted group which operates several state-of-the-art online casinos such as 777 Dragon Casino, Maple Casino, Golden Riviera Casino and Crazy Vegas Casino, all of which are licensed by the Lotteries and Gaming Authority of Malta.

This responsible operator also now owns Golden Riviera Mobile Casino and Crazy Vegas Mobile Casino, which are reliable gambling portals that can be accessed from most Smartphones, iPhones, iPads, Tablets, Androids and Blackberry’s. The Vegas Partner Lounge casinos are all powered by Microgaming.

Casino Rewards Group is another trusted name which operates several different brands, including Blackjack Ballroom, Casino Action, Yukon Gold Casino, Golden Reef Casino, Vegas Country Casino, Captain Cooks Casino, UK Casino Club, Luxury Casino, Quatro Casino, Lucky Emperor Casino and Golden Tiger Casino, among several others.

These trustworthy gaming sites are licensed either in Malta or in Kahnawake (which is a secure licensing jurisdiction in the Canadian Mohawk Territory, Canada) and they are also all powered by award-winning Microgaming software.

Jackpot Factory Group may not own as many brands as the previous two groups, but they are the proud owners of All Slots Casino, which happens to be one of the most popular online casinos in the world. Players can also now visit All Slots Casino Mobile from their mobile device. The Jackpot Factory Group brands are licensed in Malta and they are powered by Microgaming software. This group also operates bingo portals as well as another leading online casino called All Jackpots Casino.

The Fortune Lounge Group owns trusted brands such as Platinum Play Online Casino, Vegas Palms Casino, 7 Sultans Casino and Royal Vegas Casino. Once again, these secure online casinos are powered by Microgaming software and they are licensed either in Kahnawake or in Malta.

The last notable group worth mentioning is The Palace Group, which operates trusted brands such as Cabaret Club, Ruby Fortune Casino, Mummy’s Gold Casino and Spin Palace Casino. These sites are all powered by Microgaming software and they are all licensed in Malta. This trusted group also now owns Dream Bingo, Spin Palace Mobile Casino and Spin Palace Poker Room.

Signing up to any of these secure gambling portals guarantees that you will be protected by the very latest SSL encryption technology. Each site provides 24 hour support and you will also receive a generous welcome bonus when you register an account for the very first time at any site that was mentioned here. More importantly though, each site offers endless hours of pure entertainment.

Online Slot Themes and Features

Added: April 23, 2013

An online slot machine is often categorised by how many reels it has or by how many winning paylines it has, but they can also be categorised by the type of theme it has. These are just some of the exciting themes that are currently out there for players to explore.

In no particular order, some of the most common themes include: Love & Romance, Science Fiction, Action, Money & Wealth, Fruit & Food, Animals & Wildlife, American/Wild West, Crime/Gangster, Travel, Super Heroes, TV & Movie, Fantasy/Fairytale, Ancient Egypt/Cleopatra, Luck o’ the Irish, Asian, Circus/Fairground/Carnival, Board Games, Automobile, Horror, Jewels & Gems, War, Disco/Nightclub, Pirates and also Sports/Olympics themed slots.

In addition to these popular themes, others also exist and there are even some slots that have a unique theme of their own and don’t fall into any of the ones that were just mentioned here. Most modern online slots also have various different special features which can enhance the gameplay and make the slot more interesting, but these special features are also designed to help boost your balance.

One of the most common special features is the Gamble Feature. This is generally triggered during regular play after each line win. If you select this button, you will be able to try and increase your winnings usually by playing a simple guessing game where you must guess whether the face down card is either red or black, or whether it is a spade, diamond, heart or club. If you happen to guess correctly, you can either double or quadruple your winnings. Don’t forget that this feature is entirely optional.

Another popular feature is the Click Me bonus feature. When three or more Click Me Symbols appear in any position on the reels, all you have to do is click on one of those symbols to reveal a cash prize, or sometimes the prize is Free Spins. The remaining click me symbols that you didn’t pick are usually revealed as well.

Scatter Symbol and Wild Symbols are designed to either trigger a bonus round or they will combine with other symbols to generate line wins that otherwise weren’t there. A Respin feature basically respins one or more of the reels to hopefully improve the layout of the reels, but this action doesn’t always guarantee a win.

Other special features to keep an eye out for include Shifting Reels, Cascading Reels, Nudges & Holds, Auto Spin, Skill Stop and more. In addition to just regular Wild Symbols, you can also now find Sticky Wilds, Stacked Wilds, Walking Wilds, Shifting Wilds and Expanding Wilds. Most online slot paytables will explain how these special features work, so before confusion sets in, head straight to the paytable when you launch an online slot for the first time.

International Slots League

Added: April 8, 2013

The International Slots League (ISL) is basically a league of online slot tournaments which is now available at secure online casinos such as Vegas Palms Casino, Royal Vegas Casino, Platinum Play Casino and 7 Sultans Casino, all of which are members of the trusted Fortune Lounge Group of online casinos.

These slot tourneys are multi-player events where you get to play against other like-minded players in real time and for real cash prizes. Each player competes for his or her share of a main pot, which is otherwise known as a prize pool.

The International Slots League schedule contains details about any upcoming ISL tourneys, but if you are already registered to any of these casinos you should also regularly check your email inbox because some tournaments are 'invite-only' events. The tourneys can only be accessed by real cash players who have downloaded the casino software at any of these online casinos. All four casinos are powered by Microgaming software.

If you have entered into a tournament, you can keep an eye on the ‘win box’, which will increase as you win on the slots. The higher this amount is, the more likely you are to win a prize. You can also view the leaderboard, which reveals your rank and the ranks of other players. The rankings are based on each player’s ‘win box’ amount. At the end of the tournament, all winnings will be paid out according to the prize structure.

The different types of tournaments that currently exist include Survivor Tournaments, Reloader Tournaments, One-Shot Tournaments, Extender Tournaments, Sit ‘n Go Tournaments and Scheduled Tournaments. Players can even take part in the occasional Freeroll Slot Tournament where real cash prizes are up for grabs.

Try to remember that if you happen to register for a tournament but you AREN’T logged into your account when the tournament starts, you will lose you entrance fee. Registering for any of these slot tourneys is relatively simple, but we recommend checking out the ‘beginners guide to online slot tournaments’ section, which can be found in the main tournament lobbies at each of these downloadable casinos.

Every week, $40,000 is up for grabs in real cash prizes and you can play in multiple different currencies such as US Dollars, UK Pounds and Euro. These four secure online casinos are fully licensed gambling portals which all have the eCOGRA seal of approval and they all accept numerous different payment methods. If you are looking to take part in an online slot tournament, we definitely recommend checking out any of the casinos that were mentioned here.

High Roller Benefits

Added: March 26, 2013

Most of today’s online casino operators encourage players to sign up with them simply by offering them some attractive welcome bonuses. High rollers especially are offered amazing casino sign up bonuses and other fantastic deals. A high roller can expect to earn anywhere between $/€/£500 and $/€/£10,000, just for registering a new account with an online casino.

This huge sign up bonus is normally a 100% matching deposit bonus, but some online casinos will spread this out over several deposits. Either way, this is a huge amount of cash to be given for free. After this initial welcome bonus has been claimed, high rollers are then normally offered additional on-going deposit bonuses.

Automatic enrolment into a casino's VIP program is also usually guaranteed and instead of having to start at the bottom of the ladder, high rollers are often given automatic entrance to a higher VIP level. For example, where most players would start on bronze VIP, a high roller is likely to start at Silver or even Gold level. Higher levels might include Platinum and Diamond. Additional exclusive benefits then usually come from this rewards program.

To be considered for VIP status as several of ‘The Palace Group’ online casinos, registered members must have already earned a minimum of 150,000 Loyalty Points and they must also have deposited a minimum of €10,000. The Palace Group owns some of the world’s most secure online casinos, such as Ruby Fortune Casino, Spin Palace Casino and Cabaret Club Casino.

Players who are keen to join the VIP club are encouraged to contact the support to check their eligibility. Even if you consider yourself to be a high roller, it doesn’t guarantee you a spot in this exclusive club. If you qualify to become a VIP member, one of their VIP hosts will attempt to get in touch with you by means of an official invite to join The Palace Group VIP club.

Intercasino is one of the world’s oldest online casinos and this casino has also developed a lucrative VIP program for high rollers. Matching deposit bonuses range from $/€/£500 to $/€/£2000 and players are often given free entrance to major events such as the US Tennis Open, London Cricket events and much more.

If you spend a lot of cash in an online casino, these VIP programs are definitely worth checking out because you don’t know what you are potentially missing out on. Exclusive promotions are almost certainly waiting for you to claim. Unfortunately for most of us though, being a high roller is just the stuff of imagination.

Microgaming – Celebrating Ten Years of Online Poker

Added: March 19, 2013

Microgaming is proud to announce that it has been providing online poker services to real cash players for ten years now. The first hand was dealt back in March 2003 and when this poker network originally launched it was known as Prima Poker. It was then renamed to what it is known as today, the Microgaming Poker Network (MPN).

Several leading brands from the online gambling industry immediately opted to incorporate this innovative poker network onto their platforms, and so Microgaming poker was born. Some of these more recognised brands included NordicBet, 188Bet, Ladbrokes, Stan James, Gnuf, Betway, Betsson, Unibet, Betsafe, PokerTime, BetVictor and 32 Red.

32Red is in fact one of the longest-standing licensees. This is an eCOGRA-approved, cross-platform gambling portal which is fully licensed in Gibraltar. The CEO of 32Red, Ed Ware, commented on the MPN’s decade-long anniversary…

“We continue to be very pleased with the poker platform provided by Microgaming and have been part of their poker network since 2003. MPN has consistently adapted to the online poker environment throughout the years and is today well positioned to continue to provide a successful poker solution.”

As recently as 2011, the MPN received the eGaming Review B2B Awarded for Best Poker Network. Microgaming poker software has always been available for players as a downloadable or non-downloadable platform.

The MPN was the first online poker network to introduce Survivor Tournaments and it was also the first poker network to launch a mobile client which could be accessed by Android device users.

The latest edition to the MPN network was the introduction of the Bad Beat Jackpot. This new feature allows real cash players to win huge prizes. To qualify, players must be sat at any real cash table with blinds of $/€/£0.10 / $/€/£0.20, or higher. To be in with a chance of winning this bad beat jackpot, players must first ‘opt-in’ and once you have opted-in you will automatically contribute $/€/£0.02 towards the Bad Beat jackpot.

The accumulating jackpot is then triggered when a player’s hand (which must be four of a kind or better) is beaten by an even better hand. You don’t even have to be involved in the hand directly to win a prize. The value of this jackpot is always visible on the table you are sat down at or towards the bottom of the main poker lobby.

The Head of Network Games at Microgaming, Lydia Melton, stated, “The MPN is one of poker’s best loved and longest-established networks. We've seen so many changes on the network and in the industry in the last ten years - the rise of regulated markets and loss of other markets, software innovation and nearly five billion hands dealt at our tables. I'm really excited about what could happen in the next ten years."

Advice for Online Gamblers

Added: March 11, 2013

Before you can place a real cash wager at any of today’s licensed gambling portals, you will need to register an account with that particular site. In most countries, the legal gambling age is 18, so anyone younger than this will simply not be able to place a real cash wager.

Many of today’s leading operators offer multiple different products and gambling services and these sites are generally referred to as cross-platform gambling portals. This means that you can normally find everything under one roof, which means there is no need to sign up to lots of different sites.

If you visit websites such as betfred.com, bet365.com, 32red.com, williamhill.com, paddypower.com, 888.com or ladbrokes.com, you are not just limited to being able to place sports bets, they also tend to have an online poker network, an online casino, live dealers, online bingo, lotteries, virtual events and also skill and/or specialty games, plus most of these sites now provide mobile gambling services.

These sites are ideal because not only are they fully licensed, but they all have excellent track records within the online and offline gambling industry. Other trustworthy gambling operators include for example betvictor.com, coral.co.uk and skybet.com.

These sites provide professionally-trained 24 hour customer support services and you are guaranteed to receive the player protection and security that you are entitled to. All of today’s most trusted sites use what is known as SSL 128-bit encryption technology, which is in place to protect your personal data, but also to protect your funds from being accessed by anyone other than you.

It is extremely rare, almost unheard of, for a reputable operator to scam one of its registered members. They will maintain that whenever you gamble online with them, that you will be doing so from within a secure environment.

Avoid unlicensed gambling portals at all costs. These dodgy sites do exist and they are commonly known as rogue sites, rogue casinos, scam casinos, rogue betting sites, fake online casinos or scam betting sites etc. The best way to check whether a gambling portal is licensed or not, is to search for a logo of the licensing authority. This logo should be somewhere on the homepage (towards the bottom).

The major licensing jurisdictions include (in no particular order) Alderney, Gibraltar, the Isle of Man, Kahnawake, Antigua, the Netherlands Antilles (Curaçao), the United Kingdom and Costa Rica. You can also double check to see if the casino is in fact licensed where it claims to be by visiting the website of the actual licensing jurisdiction authority. The reason for double-checking is because certain ruthless operators have been known to lie about where they are licensed.

Online Casino Winners

Added: March 4, 2013

Casino Rewards is a trusted online casino group that operates approximately 30 Microgaming-powered online casinos. This renowned group releases both weekly and monthly newsletters and each new edition reveals certain individual winners’ stories. Occasionally there are also images of these lucky players attached to their stories.

Player Kelly K. from Ontario, Canada, netted herself a $10,000 Lifestyle Upgrade package in the $750,000 World Cup Giveaway back in 2010. "I was in shock when Javert called to advise me that I had won the $10,000 World Cup Lifestyle Upgrade Package. I never dreamed I would win! My husband is especially excited to watch all his sports on our new TV. Thank you to Casino Rewards and especially to Javert who is always so helpful and friendly," said Kelly.

Her winning ticket was randomly drawn and she won herself a package which contained various state of the art entertainment goods so that she could kit her house out. Some of the luxury items that she won included a 3D plasma TV and also a Blu Ray and surround sound System.

Another lucky player, Bobby C., was playing on a progressive jackpot slot called Major Millions at Casino Classic when he won £288,800.00. "I had only played at Classic for a couple of months when I hit the Jackpot on Major Millions. I did not believe it at first and even took a photo of the screen in case I lost it! It was a long week waiting for my payment to arrive!

Needless to say, the staff at CasinoRewards were great and after a few phone calls, I even had a couple of new friends on the other end of the phone and shortly after, the money was paid in full!

I can't begin to express how thrilling it is to win this amount of money. I treated myself to a brand new Corvette just to make it "feel real" and I have also helped out my friends and even taken them on a few shopping trips. Thank you to everyone at CasinoRewards, I have had a truly excellent time with you and I look forward to many more winning moments," wrote Bobby.

These are just two lucky players stories’ that were published by Casino Rewards. You can visit the Casino Rewards website and read the testimonials of more than 100 players simply by viewing the ‘Winner’s Lists’. This particular section contains stories that date back as far as 2005.

About NetEnt Touch

Added: February 25, 2013

Net Entertainment is a leading Swedish-based software company that specialises in developing gaming content for online casinos. Their latest product, which actually launched towards the very end of 2011 is a mobile gaming product called NetEnt Touch™.

Smartphone users can now visit www.netent.com from their mobile’s browser to try out an impressive range of award-winning Touch™ games. This mobile product sets the standard for today’s Mobile Casino Market and delivers the ultimate gaming experience for a global audience.

In more recent times, this innovative mobile gambling platform has undergone a minor facelift, and the most notable change is the brand new NetEnt Touch™ lobby. This lobby was redesigned in an attempt to maximise the overall enjoyment for mobile users.

Already popular among online gamblers, the performance has been maximised while maintaining that the overall quality and immersive gameplay that each game offers has remained virtually unchanged. Some impressive new features have been added to this user-friendly interface and these changes are exactly what separates NetEnt Touch™ from other rival mobile casino products.

These recently added NetEnt Touch™ features include a portfolio based on proven top-performing games. This platform has been developed for iOS devices and it supports unique audio together with robust graphics, plus the text is now available in fullscreen mode.

Also, to ensure intuitive user interaction from such small devices, the keypad and navigation functions have also been simplified for users. You can find the same great in-play features that are available from the desktop versions. Support is available in more than 20 languages. 25 major global currencies are accepted and there are also now bonus programs and ‘free game rounds’ for users to benefit from.

NetEnt Touch™ has been fully integrated to the NetEntertainment Casino platform. The award-winning games which are now available on NetEnt Touch™ include Jack Hammer Touch™, Jack Hammer 2 Touch™, Frankenstein Touch™, Mythic Maiden Touch™ Gonzo’s Quest Touch™, Blackjack Touch™, Flowers Touch™, Subtopia Touch™ and Victorious Touch™.

The games have a unique 3D touch and feel and apart from the obvious smaller screen resolution, each mobile version that was just mentioned here offers gamers just as much entertainment as the desktop versions. These are some of the most exciting titles available today for mobile gamblers and the fast-paced action that each game offers, as well as the ease-of-use makes NetEnt Touch™ instantly appealing to most players.