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Published: Saturday, December 29, 2007 https://www.gowanbo.cc
Critique on online casinos and poker rooms
wofacaicasino.com
Playtech powered, this Asian targeted, Chinese and English language online casino is professionally presented with a gambling suite of just over 60 games and all facilities and services. The offering includes both live dealer and conventional software based gaming. Ownership is listed as Resume Investment Ltd in Cyprus.
tugabet.110mb.com
Low end, Grand Virtual template style online casino in various language options but with little upfront information. The Grand Virtual template, unchanged for many years, is now aging and unimpressive. Good deposit options and services, and there are rarely problems with this provider, although in this case the casino is shamelessly and widely spamming message boards in a clumsy, amateurish fashion.
gearpoker.com
New member of the Action Poker Network powered by software from the Norwegian Playsafe Holdings AS company. Interesting range of games, average presentation and services under an Antigua licence. The site was launched December 6 and is offering a match play signup maxed at a dangerously high $2 500. North American and Europe focused.
victoriapalacecasino.com
Online casino, sportsbook and lotto website in 4 European languages and powered by Chartwell Technology in both no-download and downloadable formats. The gambling suite includes 8 soft games, 4 table games, 4 BJs, 3 card games, 3 poker games, 4 classic and 5 multihand VPs and 8 each of 3 reel and 5 reel slots....and a live roulette service. Sister casino is Royal Poker Casino. Licence (issued 1996) is Netherlands Antilles through management company Meadway Holdings NV, with financial facilities through A&C Tech Services Ltd in Cyprus. The website is poorly done with barely readable copy, but there is 24/7 support and a good range of deposit options.
begcasino.com
Re-routes to Royal-Euro Casino, an average quality sister to Royal Casino, which reportedly has Russian connections and offers 16 language versions. The software appears to be Playtech and offers action in dollars, pounds sterling and Euros and has a good games inventory. A 300 percent signup maxed at $300 with a 20 x d+b is offered, although Danish, Canadian and Brazilian players are required to meet a higher WR. There have been spamming complaints about this operation. Antiguan licence, and the owners are listed as Euro VIP Ltd group.
gold-vip-casino.com
Poorly presented Real Time Gaming powered operation with scant upfront information and little to commend it.
atlanticsportsbet.com
South African bookie-owned website powered by the Australian company BEToptions.
jebetcasino.com
There have been complaints from players of discourteous Support reps at this live wagering site powered by the Isle of Man and Aussie company VueTec (trading as Distance Gaming T) The live action comes from the Fitzwilliam Card Club in Dublin, Ireland and is backed by support and admin facilities. Average quality site with good depositing options, and it comes in English, Taiwanese, Greek and Chinese language versions. A matchplay signup is offered maxed at Euro 100. The site also offers a selection of Java technology games.
goldmobilecasino.com
Targeted on English and French speaking mobile players, this good quality site claims to be using proprietary software which is in fact the Australian OGS product. There are 3 slots, a BJ, American roulette and a Jacks or Better VP game in the suite. Ownership is Fimba Enterprises Limited in Cyprus, and the licencing is allegedly Russian, with South African and UK tollfrees connecting Support.
poker.metro.co.uk
St Minver white label site powered by Boss Media and owned by Associated Newspapers, owners of the UK daily free newspaper Metro. Bingo and poker are available under St Minver's Gibraltar licence and Support facilities - there's a matchplay signup maxed at Euro 100.
islandbluecasino.com
This appears to be an interesting development site owned and powered by WiFi specialist company Diamond I Inc, perhaps better known for its developmental work on Internet hand held remotes for use within US land casino premises. The company owns WiFi Casino GS in that context, but has also produced wificasino.net. This site appears very recent and has little information of value on it - in fact it appears to be incomplete.
pokertrillion.com
The CEO of this new arrival is Andy Pyrah, late of Matchroom Sport, and the owners appear to be Pokertrillion Ltd of 84 Mendip Court, Chatfield Road in London. The site is powered by Boss Media and belongs to that firm's International Poker Network. It's offering a competitive 30 percent rakeback to customers and has plans to launch a major poker league on January 1 2008 with a Euro 75 000 prizepool. Surprisingly, the presentation is bland and unremarkable but offers freeroll and tournament action.
oneclubcasino.com
RTG-powered online casino site that is well presented and fully serviced. US and Canadian tollfrees backed by 24/7 fully contactable Support. 100 plus games, loyalty program and a range of promos but little upfront information. Kahnawake licenced. 125 percent signup maxed at $125.
jackpotkingscasino.com
Professional presentation and full facilities on this RTG-powered online casino, which appears to belong to Warren Cloud's stable of online operations that includes, Crystal Palace, High Roller's Lounge, Cleopatras, American Grand, Golden Nile, Lucky Coin, Lucky Pyramid, Royal Circus, Real Vegas Online and Powertech. Australians are excluded. Registration is through Starscape Co Ltd in Cyprus and gambling is offered in dollars, pounds sterling and Euros, with a range of promos. Scandinavian players need to note that there are discriminatory conditions against them. Signup bonuses of 100 percent maxed at $300 are available. There are over 45 quality games in the gambling suite. English, Spanish and Italian versions are available.
hansacasino.com
Playtech-powered Flash only online casino owned by Hansa Gaming (a company that specialises in white label operations with Curacao and Mauritius licensing) Management is through the UK-based but Frankfurt stock exchange listed Mobile Gaming Solutions company that took over Bowmans in August 2007. Hansa Gaming also uses the Australian sportsbetting software BEToptions. Large and good quality games inventory and a full range of player services. The website is however rather bland and uninteresting.
mamamiagaming.com
New poker room on the Microgaming Poker Network targeted on Chile and S. American region but with ambitions in the European market too. Competent and workmanlike if not really outstanding website in Spanish and English offers full player facilities. The owners are Costa Rican based Solid Gambling SA, a subsidiary of SA Solid Investments Limited.
begawin.com
Launched in November 2007, this sportsbook is powered by Germany's Arland Technologies and comes in Spanish and English. There is also a mobile gambling element powered by Moconso AG of Munich, and a suite of no-download games from Sweden's Net Entertainment. Owners are Begawin Malta Limited, and fully services and facilities are carried.
18casino.com
Another interesting developmental site from a company we have not previously encountered called Eye Communications (Eye Malta.net) out of Malta. No upfront information, but the owners are believed to be 18 Gaming Ltd with a Malta licence.
globetpoker.com
New member of the Microgaming Poker Network, believed owned by Uruguayan investors. The owners changed from Chartwell Tech to Microgaming on their online casino earlier this year and have now launched Globet Poker. Good site on a busy network, and offering full services.
Miscellaneous information:
London-based Betbrokers has launched a white label poker site through St Minvers, powered by Boss Media and a member of the International Poker Network
Gaming VC is taking aboard Net Entertainment no-download software (Casino Module) in addition to its Boss Media downloadable gaming suite.
Soft games supplier VS Gaming, part of the Gaming Technology Solutions plc group, is achieving a growing profile working with providers like Dynamite Idea, Endemol and Phantom Fiber. The UK-based company boasts a growing client list that includes:
BWin
Bet24
Sportingbet
Victor Chandler
BetInternet (Webis)
Expekt
Betsson
Globet
Unibet
Betclick
Global-Player casino and GPC Poker, both owned by Universal Gaming Concepts, an industry veteran who converted to Boss Media software mid-2007 have closed, citing unfavourable legal and economic climate.
Heathorns in the troubled IGH group has been sold to UK bookie firm Jennings.
Canbet has switched to Microgaming software ex-RTG. The two are also partnered in a poker offering.
Maestro Poker, a Playtech-powered member of the iPoker Network has been expelled for contraventions of the Playtech policy on rakebacks.
Playtech has signed an as yet unidentified major Asian online gambling group as a casino client. The 3 year deal includes Asian-focused games and is expected to realise $4 - 5 million in revenues by the second quarter of 2008.
UK newspaper The Sun has signed up for a 12 month white label mobile gambling site at thesun.mobi through UK provider Probability plc. Blue Square, a prominent online subsidiary of the Rank plc group, also has a white label service from this provider.
Mfuse and Centrebet, the Australian online gambling group have teamed to launch a mobile offering.
Victor Chandler has launched vcpubpoker.com in a white label partnership with UK pub group Admiral Taverns.
Digital Gaming Network (DGN) is reported to be in difficulties, closing poker sites and leaving its network derelict. Software provider Dobrosoft has created its own Gold Chip network which includes some of the ex-DGN sites but excludes Futurebet operations, which were reportedly causing major player hassles. Gold Chip Network sites include:
Pokerworld.com
CenturyPoker.com
BetonUSA.com
JonwoodPoker.com
Oddsmaker.com
NeostarPoker.com
Wingows.com
Unibet has acquired the Maria group from Swedish company Maria Invest AB. Assets include Maria Bingo, Maria Casino, Carlos Poker, Carlos Place and Bingo.se. Net Entertainment software is used. The group was formerly registered through Costa Rican based Mantaray SA, held by a London firm called Parabol.
Cometa is to supply mobile gaming services to UK company Cashcade in January 2008 - commencing with Foxy Bingo followed by Get Minted.
Pacific Net group has acquired the German gaming software development company Octavian International in the same month as PacNet subsidiary Guangdong Poly launched a Chinese lottery website.
Poker Stars.com launched an Apple-compatible version of its proprietary software in December 2007.
Microgaming is to launch its extensively revamped poker software at ICE in January.
Probability plc has developed iPhone technology as a possible mobile gambling adjunct.
Rank plc has seen Malaysia's Genting Berhad acquire 9.7 percent of its equity, and the UK Richardsons Capital group a further 9.3 percent. Harrah's Entertainment from the USA was rebuffed when it tried to organise a deal for 28 percent of Rank. Harrah's is believed to be still in the hunt for a major slice of the UK group.
The Swedish skill game provider Jadestone is supplying skill games to the major Danish television network TV2.
The UK's free daily mass-circulation newspaper Metro has signed up with St Minver for a Boss-powered white label online poker operation.
Dublin-based online gambling software pioneer Cryptologic has acquired a major interest in the Asian games developer Mikoishi for $6 million.
Youbet.com subsidiary United Tote has signed with Phantom Fiber for a mobile gambling solution.
Wagerworks/IGT has won the contract for Gala Coral and is to provide a 13 game package through its Remore Server facility for use across bingo and casino websites in the Coral and Gala groups.
Gibraltar-licensed 888.com is to provide white label poker and casino gambling to Kamay Holdings, reportedly managed by experienced online gambling execs but about which little is known thus far.
Mansion group has split its brands into Mansion.com (portal) Mansion Casino.com and Mansion Poker.com.
Jaxx.co.uk, the UK subsidiary of German sportsbet group Fluxx AG, continues to make its new presence felt with major partnership deals with Lycos.co.uk and Westham United FC "The Hammers".
24hPoker Holdings AB has undergone a change of corporate identity and is now Entraction Holdings AB.
Malta licensed Strykke Entertainment Ltd has ordered Net Entertainment's Casino Module for its Strykke.com website - the 17 licensee this (2007) year for the Swedish company.
IOM-based BetInternet has undergone a corporate identity change to Webis Holdings plc, comprised of BetInternet and sister company European Wagering Services. Global Core Sports is being wound-up.
Troubled Inchilli Casino and Giant Palace Casino, previously powered by the hassle-prone Player Preferred software, are now listed as clients on the Melbourne-based software provider OGS-Eyecon site. |
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