William Hill to Launch Irish Casino

William Hill Casino is well known in the online gambling community. Some say it is actually one of the most recognized and respected names in the gaming industry. Personally, I would have to disagree. I’m just not a William Hill fan. Anyway, they have announced the launch of a brand spanking new online casino in Ireland. The bookmaker, established in the 1930’s, has created this new Irish site specifically designed to provide exposure to a wide range of online casino services for Irish players. Just after the Irish taxation proposals some are a bit surprised by this decision to say the least.

The website, which has already generated a phenomenal amount of anticipation amongst the gambling community, has taken William Hill more than a year to develop. The site itself is expected to allow the company to set a footprint on the Irish market which is worth over an estimated 2 billion Euros. This newest site in the William Hill collection will offer its players bingo, casino games, poker, and slots. A mobile betting facility will also be one of the new site’s features. Half a million betting opportunities are expected to be available online with events set to include football, horse racing, golf, motor sports and much more.

Tony Kenny, William Hill’s head of international public relations, stated that the organization was very enthusiastic about the launch. “We’re really excited about our new Irish venture”, said Kenny. “We’re confident it will be a huge hit with Irish punters”. With regard to the long development process, Kenny finished by saying that “all good things take time”.

I believe that the William Hill free standing sports books are successful. I see them all over the UK. Hopefully the new site will be successful and improve the William Hill reputation. Are there any William Hill fans out there? What are your thoughts on the new site?

Sahara Hotel and Casino: The End of an Era

Dean Martin Live at the Sahara Hotel and Casino

This is sad gambling news for me! Las Vegas closes the door on an era with the closure of the Sahara Hotel and Casino on May 16, 2011.  The hotel housed 1,720 guest rooms and suites with a casino covering 85,000 square feet all sitting on 55 sprawling acres.

The Sahara was opened in 1952 by Milton Prell as the sixth resort on the Vegas Strip. It featured some of the most famous performers in its day such as Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Judy Garland to name a few. The Sahara was the only remaining Rat Pack hotel and casino. There’s a tear in my eye.

The most recent owner, Sam Nazarian, felt that the business wasn’t “economically viable”. The last hotel guest checked out at 12:00pm PDT. By 2:00pm the doors were closed. Ugh, approximately 1,600 people are out of jobs as a result. 

One of the first places I ever had the pleasure of visiting in Vegas was the Sahara. I was in love with the history.

The economy likely contributed to the closure of the casino. I wonder if the popularity of online casinos had any effect on business. With the added convenience of gambling from home, more and more people prefer it. For me, nothing can replace the ambiance and nostalgia of Vegas.

The website has the following message displayed on the homepage:

Thanks, for a wonderful engagement

1952-2011

Your loyalty to the Sahara over the years is appreciated. As we end our Las Vegas era, we want to introduce you to our preferred partner – Circus Circus Hotel & Casino Las Vegas.

All pending Sahara reservations have been transferred to Circus Circus. Their Reservation Agents will be glad to assist you with your Sahara booking, as well as, provide you with a complimentary upgrade to their West Tower hotel rooms.

For existing reservation inquiries, please call Circus Circus Hotel Casino at 1-877-521-5201 and have your Sahara confirmation number available.

If you click on their homepage, you are taken directly to the Circus Circus website.

Please share your stories and experiences with Vegas and the Sahara Hotel and Casino. I’d love to read them.

Playtech to Acquire Ash Gaming

In recent gambling news, Playtech is said to be in the final stages leading up to the acquisition of Ash Gaming.

Ash Gaming, established in 2000, is a leading gambling supplier of interactive casino and betting games. Its clients include the following online casinos: 888, Virgin Games, William Hill, Gala Casino, and Betfred Bingo. Ash Gaming is London based and with a full time staff of approximately 30 employees. Alice’s Wonderland, Madness: House of Fun and Sensible Soccer are among their most popular slot games. Its products are offered in up to 38 languages. Alice's Wonderland is one of Betfair and Paddy Power’s top performing slots. They hold a gambling Software License issued by the UK Gambling commission.

I’ve also heard that Gala IT staff may have been given a heads up that there could be job cuts if the software deal is sealed. There’s got to be a house full of nervous employees. Although the deal seems to be a positive job loss is a negative and I feel for them.

Playtech is a gaming software giant in the industry. As the world’s largest publicly-traded online gaming software supplier, Playtech offers innovative solutions to the industry's top operators. These two joining forces is a match made in heaven.

I read that eGaming Review contacted a senior member of Ash Gaming but they refused to deny a deal was being done. A Playtech spokesman declined to comment.

Ash Gaming is on the Playtech-owned Gaming Technology Solutions (GTS) EdGE platform with GTS giving a number of its clients access to several of Ash’s top performing games.

Playtech acquired casino games developer GTS near the end of 2009. The deal was closed initially for €10.8m with a possibility of up to €21.6m based on the future performance of the business.

Source: http://www.egrmagazine.com/news/1658937/exclusive-playtech-infinaltalks-to-buy-ash-gaming.thtml

Parlay Entertainment Bankruptcy Troubles

Parlay Entertainment Inc. has released statements regarding Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act including an outline for restructuring. Parlay has also announced the appointment of accounting services firm BDO Canada Limited to assist in creating a strategy for the restructure.

“The board of directors also advises that Parlay has not filed its annual audited consolidated financial statements in accordance with the requirement to do so by May 2 with the Canadian securities regulators,” in a statement from Parlay.

“As such, the company anticipated that its shares would be suspended from trading until such time that the deficiency can be remedied and the Cease Trade Order was issued on May 5. The board of directors will update shareholders on both matters as soon as it is appropriate to do so.”

The Canadian software company is clearly having financial difficulty based on the statements released.

Pink Panther Jackpot Won at Betfred!

A 52 year old man in the south of England is feeling pretty good right now. The scoop is that he nabbed the Pink Panther £110,000 Jackpot at an online casino, Betfred.com.

In the midst of this wonderful news,  he wishes to remain anonymous. I can understand that. Friends and long lost family come out of the wood work when cash is involved or maybe he's just a proud and private man. Either way his bank account is beefed up and he has every reason to celebrate.

Here's how it happened. He won the Major Pink progressive jackpot on Pink Panther and went on to hit 15 re-spins in a row during the Wheel of Pink bonus round with a multiplier of 105. 

"Managing to spin £500 into £110,000 is an incredibly lucky feat. I could barely believe I was winning so much" said the lucky Betfred player.

WMS Releases Fortunes of the Caribbean

The latest news at Jackpot Party, a WMS online casino, is the release of Fortunes of the Caribbean.

The tropical treasure themed slot  is the latest Money Burst slot game featuring held symbols, Scatters, Wilds and Free Spins. There are three ways to trigger the free spins. The Money Burst slots offers the full line play for half the credits. In this case, 60 lines for 30 credits.

The game is very similar to the popular land based casino slot game. WMS anticipates that Fortunes of the Caribbean will be equally favored by players as its predecessors.

Real Time Gaming Releases Mice Dice

Real Time Gaming has released "Mice Dice", a brand new 25 line slot game. Now get this, it features mice AND dice. If you've got a fear of little rodents this slot will put you at ease. The mice appear as glamorous little creatures rolling the dice to determine your free spins multiplier.

Free games, a Win-Win feature including a major and minor jackpot are featured.