Bodog Brand to Leave US Market at Year End

Will the last online gambling site serving the US market please switch off the lights?
After the English Harbour Casino Group issued notices that it was shutting down Aug. 1, CalvynAyre.com has issued a press release announcing the exit of the Bodog Brand from the US market at the end of 2011. Since Bodog UK has been granted a gambling license, they have decided to withdraw from the US market, "in order to ensure the brand’s expansion is not affected by negative perceptions, both in the UK and elsewhere in emerging markets such as Asia". US residents will no longer be able to access bodog.eu or any other Bodog branded website after 31 December.

Proposed German State Gambling Treaty criticized by the European Commission

EGBA, the Eurpoean Gaming & Betting Association, reports on its website that the European Commission has issued a 'detailed opinion' stating that the draft German State Gambling Treaty breaches the EU law. The draft requires, according to EC, substantial changes after this warning, in order to avoid formal infringement proceedings, referral to the European Court of Justice (CJEU) and financial penalties.

Rewards Affiliates grows again!

Rewards Affiliates that currently manages 25 casinos powered by Microgaming,  including such popular brands as Blackjack Ballroom, Golden Tiger Casino and Casino Classic, are growing again. They are adding 7 more brands to the Rewards Affiliates/Casino Rewards umbrella:

- Colosseum Casino
- Grand Hotel Casino
- Luxury Casino
- Vegas Joker Casino
- Vegas Slot Casino
- Vegas Country Casino
- Vegas 7 Casino

Microgaming Poker Network celebrates its 4 Billionth Hand

Microgaming has announced prizes worth €100,000 when its poker network will be dealing the 4 Billionth Hand, which is expected to happen shortly. To celebrate this landmark event, cash rewards will be paid to 200 milestone hands leading up to the Four Billionth Hand. €60,000 in prize money will be split between players lucky enough to participate in one of the milestone hands during the lead up to the momentous event. The winner of the Four Billionth Hand itself will receive a whopping €20,000, with a further €20,000 shared amongst the other players participating in the winning hand.

You can make sure of your share in the €100,000 worth cash prizes by sitting at any of the cash tables of CoolHand Poker. You can also claim a 200% match bonus up to €200.

Microgaming releases 3 innovative games in July

Almost exactly two months back I wrote a blog wondering when will really innovative video slots be offered. I noted: "Why not bring out a game where a player will have to play in the bonus game a round of TEXAS HOLD' EM or LET THEM RIDE or VEGAS STRIP BLACKJACK or any other game where besides pure luck some strategical thinking will also matter?"

A few days later, I was delighted to read that Microgaming will release a video slot machine where you play Jacks or Better. In this video slot, Reel Play Poker - Jacks or Better.  a Royal Flush awards up to 320,000 coins!

And now, in the month of July, Microgaming has released Riviera Riches, a five reel video slot introducing a roulette wheel into its Bonus Feature.

Two other new releases are available only on Flash platform and through QuickFire, powered by Microgaming.

One of them, Hexaline, is an ‘alternative slot’ style game where players aim to complete a coloured chain of adjacent hexagons from left to right on the honeycomb grid.

The other new release, Multi-Player Premier Roulette – Diamond Edition, offers players the opportunity to play roulette with other players, placing bets alongside each other and watching how they play. Players can choose to play on a 20, 40, or 60 second table and are able to build on and work out their own strategy, copy a lucky player, or compete to be the biggest winner.

You will read here reviews of all 3 games soon!

A step-by-step guide to profitable promotion of mobile casinos

If you are or become an affiliate of the Referback Casino Affiliate Program, a step-by-step guide will give you all the insight, knowledge and tools you need as a mobile casino affiliate to drive and monetise mobile casino traffic.  

Owing to the rapid advances on the mobile platform, driven largely by iPhones, the face of gaming is changing correspondingly.. The affiliate industry is seeing mobile as "The Next Big Thing", especially since 5 times more people are using their mobiles rather than their traditional PCs to search online. It is estimated that by around 2013-2015 the number of Mobile Internet users will have overtaken the number of Desktop Internet users.

Mobile gaming has for mobile casino affiliates various distinct advantages, two of them are

• High retention rates – mobile players tend to purchase more frequently and their lifetime value is very good
• Frequent players, VIPs, play on their mobiles.

Referback's step-by-step guide is primarily a guide to send affiliates mobile traffics to the JackpotCityMobile website or mobi site. However, if a mobi site is built, which is nothing but a ready-to-use coded template, also other mobile operators can be included.

Does Google Use Facebook Shares to Influence Search Rankings?

Here is an interesting article about correlation between Facebook shares and Google US search position. A 2011 Ranking Factor analysis conducted by Dr. Matt Peters, SEOmoz's data scientist, shows that among 100+ factors examined, Facebook shares was the single highest correlated metric with higher Google rankings.

75% of German players would stick to Full Tilt if reinstated

According to a poll of 1,215 players conducted on the forums of affiliate site Pokerstrategy.com, nearly 75%  of German players who have money on Full Tilt would continue to play in this poker room if it was reinstated. The rest would immediately cash out 100% of their balance which remains blocked since the US DoJ's actions on the 'Black Friday' dated 15th April 2011 leading to the seizure of Full Tilt's domains and bank account. Read here more on this subject.

Enchanted Garden, one of my favourite video slots

I said in an earlier blog that I will be reviewing at random intervals casino games offered by US Friendly casinos. So, here I start with a review of the 5 reel video slot ENCHANTED GARDEN powered by RTG casino software. One of the reasons why this is one of my favourite video slots is that I always win plenty of free games with all prizes tripled. You win 7 free games when the Garden symbol (the left icon above), which is a Scatter symbol, appears on Reel 1 and the Fairy Princess symbol (the right icon above), which is a Wild symbol, appears on Reel 5. All prizes are tripled during the free games. But that is not all! During this feature some symbols display a background firefly symbol. Whenever 3 or more firefly symbols appear anywhere, each of them awards up to 3 extra free games. During these extra free games more fireflies may occur awarding more free games. This process can go on and on, and you can win hundred or more free games with all prizes tripled. I find the free games feature very entertaining because of the fireflies which may appear again and again.

There are, of course, also other interesting winning combinations possible in this 5 reel 20 payline slot where you can wager between $0.01 and $5.00 per line. Fairy Princess, the wild symbol, appears on reels 2, 3, 4 and 5, and substutes for all other symbols except scattered Garden. The prize is doubled when one or more Fairy Princess symbols substitute in a winning combination. The highest payout, 5000 coins, results, apart from in the random progressive jackpot, when one or more Fairy Princess symbols substitute to create 5 Horse symbols in a winning combination. 5 Butterfly symbols in a winning combination are worth 2000 coins when one or more symbols in this combination are substituted by Fairy Princess.

Another interesting feature of this game is, as in many RTG video slot games, a Progressive Jackpot that can trigger at random at the end of any game.

If you are looking for a good online casino to try this game, we would recommend the Cherry Red Casino. This is a US friendly casino. I have always found its customer service immaculate. It also has some great promotions, such as

• 100% Match Bonus up to $777 on the first 10 deposits (Total $7777!)
• Blackjack Special Bonus: 200% Match Bonus up to $1200
• Slots Special Bonus: 400% Match Bonus up to $2400
• Weekly Bonuses: 10 coupons worth up tto $5,000
• Weekend  Bonuses: 150% Match Bonus worth up to $750
• High Roller Bonus: Deposit $1000 and receive $1500 on first & second deposit

European-based affiliates react to Full Tilt Shutdown

As a reaction to the recent suspension of Full Tilt Poker’s Alderney and France licences, the European-based affiliates are viewing security and communication as their key priorities in dealing with their players. Karim Wilkins, CEO of RaketheRake.com, says, "As an affiliate we are suffering obviously, and the key for us is trying to keep in touch with our players and let them know we are here and trying to make sure the rooms they are playing on are safe.” Read Tom Victor's comments in today's issue of the EGR magazine:

Affiliates respond to Full Tilt shutdown.

Review of games offered by US friendly casinos

Many of the visitors of The Gamblogger are from the USA. The 4th of July gave me the idea to start a series of blogs at random intervals that may be of some help to the US online gamblers who visit this site and are, like all US citizens who like to gamble online, confronted with the situation that, mainly due to the US anti-gambling law UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) of 2006 and the accompanying crusades against Internet Gambling by the US government and many land based gambling institutions, the number of online casinos where US players are welcome is becoming smaller and smaller almost from day to day.

So, now I plan to fulfil two of my wishes with one action (I don't want to use the phrase 'kill two birds with one stone' because I don't like killing birds): Write reviews of  casino games  which I like AND which are offered by US friendly casinos.

One of the next blogs will be a review of the 5 reel video slot ENCHANTED GARDEN powered by RTG casino software. This is one my favourite slot games, especially because of the Free Spins feature with the fireflies fluttering into the background of various icons to offer more free spins. I also like this game because I have been often lucky when I played this slot machine. And I will name one or two casinos who offer this game, accept US players, have interesting promotions and are customer friendly.

Stand with Aung San Suu Kyi

The brave lady Aung San Suu Kyi has called on the military regime in Burma to free the thousands of monks and peaceful activists still held in horrific prisons, some in cramped dog cages. Yesterday, the regime issued an ominous warning to Suu Kyi – and the Generals may be deciding right now between dialogue or another brutal crackdown. Activists in Burma have appealed to the world for help, saying that pressure from the international community is crucial to preventing violence and freeing political prisoners.

You will find more details here. You can also sign a petition supporting Aung San Suu Kyi.

Court of Justice of the European Union questions consistency of the French gambling law

EGBA, the European Gaming & Betting Association has issued a press release on a ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) questioning the consistency of a French gambling law that would justify the state monopoly of gambling without proving gambling related problems actually exist and a particularly high level of consumer protection is granted by the monopoly.