December Casino News: Festive Slots, Mobile Launches, and US Casino Developments
December is a month of celebration however it’s generally is a quieter month when it comes to online casinos, with many focusing on getting their Christmas slots and games promotions just right. That was most certainly the case this year, with almost all US online casinos filling our Christmas stockings with heaps of bonuses and cool festive promotions, but there was other great news too, and yet again, plenty of that news was regarding mobile casinos for US players.
Slots.LV mobile casino added many new mobile slots during the month of December with Rain Dance, Lucky Cat and the animal and jungle themed Lion’s Lair being just three of them. The big mobile news however is that the Rival casino of Slots Capital has announced that it too will be offering a mobile casino very soon, and we can’t wait to bring you news of the launch date, as there will be a stack of new Rival gaming mobile slots to enjoy.
Two new US online slots also made their debut this month, as RTG served up The Naughty List, which was also optimized for mobile play, and late in the month Rival released the winter themed Snow Wonder slots. Even later that month came news of two new Microgaming slots with the Chinese new year themed Gung Pow, and the fantasy themed Castle Builder being delivered.
In land based casino news, three locations were approved for the construction of new casinos in the state of New York, while Caesars Entertainment announced plans for a restructuring to lighten the burden of its current amount of debt. Regulated online gaming in New Jersey took another hit as Betfair pulled out of the market, and of course a new California online poker bill was introduced, as many observers suspected it would be. So that was the year that was, and here’s to a fantastic 2015, and may we see more new slots, new US casinos and plenty of great slots deals for players old and new!
November
November was a great month for mobile casino games players, especially those who love a little mobile slots action, as 3 stunning new US mobile casinos made their debut. Lincoln Casino, Liberty Slots and the great Miami Club casino all went mobile with a super set of slots that includes Amanda Panda, Dragon Master and the great Funky Chicken slots now all available to be enjoyed on your tablet or smartphone. Not to be left out of the mobile mix, RTG also launched a new mobile slot and just in time for Christmas comes the overworked and underpaid reindeer in Rudolph’s Revenge, and Bovada mobile added a whole stack of new slots such as Tiger Treasures, Derby Dollars and Diamond Dozen all being optimized for mobile play.
Thanksgiving was a blast and almost every single US online casino rewarded their players with masses of great bonuses and player rewards toward the end of November, but time stays still for no one and it’s onwards towards Christmas with a few great casinos getting in their early. Jackpot Capital have already launched their Christmas special in the shape of a great advent calendar, and we’re sure there’s plenty more to come too.
We also saw the release of two great new Arrow’s Edge online slots called Drab to Fab which has a superb home makeover theme and Blue Beard’s Gold that serves up a super 5 reel pirate themed slot. Huge news also came from Drake Casino and now players can enjoy the thrills of real money online slots tournaments without a casino download. Drake has added a wonderful tournaments page to the site, and it means that within just a few clicks you can be spinning the reels of many a great slot in the Drake daily slots freerolls and the big monthly guaranteed tourneys. November was a busy one and we think December will be full of Christmas specials and a few extra casino surprises too.
October was in many ways no different to every other October of the last few years, as we saw Halloween promotions, bonuses and freespins galore. You simply could not move for the amount of spooky specials and big bonus offers that went on, and the awesome RTG even released a ghoulishly good new slot called Voodoo Magic, however there were many other things going on too! The great Slots Capital Casino were first out of the blocks with the brand new Rival slot of Leonardo’s Loot which is a cool Da Vinci themed online slot which we have to say is a little different. October was also the month that saw the unique online casino Slotland celebrate its 16th birthday with plenty of surprises for players old and new, however perhaps the biggest news of October was in the world of US mobile casinos.
During October we got the news that the great Liberty Slots casino, and the outstanding Lincoln Casino were both gearing up to go mobile. That’s right, these two superb and well established online casinos are almost set to unleash their mobile casino products and if the desktop casinos are anything to by then US slots players are in for a treat. This is double great news and it gets better when you take into consideration that both Liberty Slots and Lincoln Casino are powered by WGS meaning that mobile slots players will get a whole new set of slots to enjoy on top of the existing RTG and Betsoft mobile collections. We certainly can’t wait for these releases and of course we’ll be first to let you know as soon as that happens.
The month of September was a month of contrasting news in the online gaming industry with plenty going on. In US online casino news there was plenty to celebrate as we head into fall with RTG providing slots players with yet another fantastic new 5 reel creation in the shape of High Fashion slots. This trendy new video slot serves up wilds and freespins and of course with a title like that it’s not hard to tell that its themed on the world of fashion and hitting that catwalk, and it was launched in a blaze of glory at Uptown Aces with a super freespins giveaway promotion. Other new slots include the new Saucify slot of Double Trouble and Slotland released another proprietary title in the shape of Grand Fortune, adding further to their very own 5 reel creations.
Microgaming also hit the headlines with the release of their long awaiting new addition, that of Jurassic Park. Jurassic Park is based on the Hollywood blockbuster movie of the same name and can be enjoyed in many Microgaming casinos, perfect for the UK player, and while on the subject of the UK, a law that was to see a new licensing regime introduced across the pond was put back a month, after a Gibraltar gaming group challenged it in court, and we await the full outcome of that one.
In the world of US mobile casinos we had a few great additions to two of the most popular mobile casinos, those of Bovada mobile and Slots.LV mobile. Bovada players will now be able to enjoy the fantastic Under the Bed slots on their mobile devices and Slots.LV members will find that the wonderful Goldbeard slots now graces the mobile casino lobby, boosting the slots options wonderfully. Another mobile slots release came in the shape of Henhouse mobile slots and Jackpot Capital mobile casino was first off the mark with that one, launching it, as is always the case with a new slot at Jackpot Capital, with a great bonus offer.
In New Jersey gaming we had news of Ultimate Gaming leaving the Garden State after its partner casino, that of the Trump Taj Mahal decided to close its doors, however Betfair was given breathing space to continue business even though its partner the Trump Plaza shut up shop, and Betfair will now license with Caesar’s. The good news from Atlantic City is that sports betting is now almost 100% legal in the state after Governor Chris Christie ordered that casinos and racetracks would not be punished for allowing it. The issue is at present in the hands of US District Judge Michael Shipp who will make a final decision after hearing more evidence on October 31st.
August is traditionally the slowest month in the world of online gaming however we did get some headline making news. August saw the launch of the new US casino Uptown Aces which is actually a massive overhaul and rebrand of the great RTG Desert Nights Casino and this was done to clear up a little confusion, as previously there were in fact two Desert Nights with the other one powered by Rival Gaming. The Rival Gaming casino stays exactly the same, however the RTG version is now Uptown Aces, and we have to say that it’s a change for the better and Uptown Aces serves up a great neon Las Vegas theme and comes along with all the trimmings of a great casino, including a mobile option too.
RTG also provided US slots players with a brand new slot and Megasaur came along to provide a superb dinosaur theme with a huge amount of fearsome features and a progressive jackpot. Rival Gaming were also making waves on the slots releases front with their new Vintage Vegas slots which is to be released early September and serves up 5 reels and 50 paylines of old school Vegas fun. Bovada mobile casino added one of their proprietary slots to the mobile portfolio with Dirty Martini now available to enjoy on the go and that was added to at the end of August with the addition of Under the Bed mobile slots, a superb Betsoft offering that has been optimized for mobile play.
There was no such great news coming out of Atlantic City and sadly the new Revel Casino announced that it would be closing it doors, adding to the woes of the struggling New Jersey resort, however there was better news in land based gambling being heard from Maryland as the Baltimore Horseshoe opened its doors meaning that Maryland now boasts five great casinos.
The summer months tend to be a little slower on the news front in the world of online casino action, however this July we saw quite a bit happening on all fronts, and in fact we saw the launch of two new US facing casino brands of Gibson Casino and Sahara Sands, both of which being powered by Rival Gaming. It was a big month for the online slots and casino games development company Betonsoft too who announced a rebranding and a new name, and moving forward they will be known as Saucify, however that didn’t stop them from having time to release a brand new 5 reel slot in the shape of the rock n rock 1950’s themed Reelin and Rockin. We also heard news of a new Betsoft slot called Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and those slots just kept on coming with the great new travel themed Arrow’s Edge slot of Around the World which launched first at the great Gossip Slots Casino. The safari themed slot Lions Roar was also launched by Rival Gaming and became available in Slotocash Casino, who as usual provided players with a large bonus deal with which to enjoy it. Speaking of casino bonuses we saw a massive amount of free cash handed out on and around July 4th for Independence Day promotions with almost all US friendly casinos providing their players with plenty extra.
It was a bad month for land based gaming in New Jersey as after the Showboat Casino announced its closure the Trump Plaza did the same as revenues continue to fall in Atlantic City, with little hope for a quick turn around. There was in fact plenty of talk regarding the building of casinos outside of Atlantic City, and rounding up land based news, a total of 17 applications were filed for licenses to build the proposed casinos in New York State.
June saw the World Cup kickoff in Brazil and many US online slots development companies got right into the swing of things by releasing soccer themed online slots. Real Time Gaming were of course out of the blocks fast and they brought their new slot to market early in the month with Football Frenzy slots hitting many RTG casinos including Grand Fortune casino, who also provided a stunning $20,000 World Cup promotion. WGS also entered the fray and released the great Super Soccer Slots at Liberty Casino and Jackpot Capital joined the summer soccer party and until mid July will be running their World Cup Kit promo. Last but not least Top Game launched the great 5 reel Religion of Champions - Brazil and that colorful affair can be enjoyed at Spartan Slots.
It wasn’t all about the soccer however and in other developments the awesome Slotocash Casino got a massive makeover bringing it right up to date with a whole new user interface and such as great new look, and in mobile casino news we were informed that Grand Parker Casino was soon to be launching their mobile casino which will be available for both iOS and Android mobile devices.
Finally, June also saw developments in the world of Bitcoin casinos and the all new Bitcoin slots tournaments were rolled out at the fantastic BitStars casino. These tourneys are slots tourneys with a difference, they last the whole month and all prizes are of course awarded in Bitcoin. That was the month of June and although it was dominated by the World Cup, that actually turned out to be a good thing as usually there’s a little downturn in casino promotions and slots releases during the summer, however the biggest soccer show on earth changed all that....for the better!
The US mobile juggernaut just keeps on rolling and in some style as the two largest US mobile slots development companies both launched brand new mobile slots in the month of May . Real Time Gaming completed the optimization process for their extremely impressive 5 reel slot Ocean Oddities and the minute that it was completed it became available in all quality RTG powered mobile casinos, such as Uptown Aces USA Casino and Lucky Red, and not to be left behind the awesome development company Betsoft pitched in with their own release. Betsoft launched the graphically superb Good Girl Bad Girl mobile slots and what a fantastic job they did as this classic battle of good vs evil plays wonderfully at Betsoft mobile casinos such as Bovada and Slots.LV. May was not all about mobile gaming however and desktop casinos were provided with the goods too. Liberty Slots, the great US online casino launched the new 5 reel slot Amazing 7’s that looks and plays like a classic 3 reel slot with traditional style symbols that have been given a modern twist, and to celebrate the coming of the World Cup RTG were at it again and delivered the new soccer themed feature rich slot Football Frenzy which allows you to play in 2 different modes and packs in the wins. The awesome Betonsoft also delivered a new online slots called Reel Extreme, an extreme sports themed slot which provides a super adrenaline burst of fun, and that can be found at the great Slotter Casino.
In the world of US regulated online gaming, it’s been 6 months since the launch of online casinos and poker in the state of New Jersey, and things are not going exactly as planned. The revenue streams are not what they were expected to be, as NJ online casinos are still facing difficulty in processing payments.
April was the month of US mobile casinos with the launch of a whole heap of new mobile casinos that caused more than just a little buzz. The leading US online slots and games development company hit the turbo charge button on the mobile development process and we found ourselves in a bit of a conundrum as to which fantastic new mobile casino to spin the reels at. Lucky Red Casino, High Noon, All Star Slots, Manhattan Slots, Aladdin’s Gold and Club World all went mobile with a staggering amount of mobile slots on offer along with the welcome bonuses from their respective desktop casinos available for you to enjoy on all mobile devices. It’s been a while coming but April finally delivered the mobile goods that many US players have been waiting for and although great Betsoft powered mobile casinos such as Bovada and Slots.LV have been with us for a while, the RTG offering now really boosts the choice, and lets the battle of the bonuses commence! It wasn’t all about mobile slots and casinos however as we also saw the release of the outstanding new Mystic Wolf slots that can be found at Slots Capital casino and others.
March saw the release of the wonderful RTG slot Shark School that gives us a comical look at a bunch of terrified fish in a classroom full of big bad sharks. It’s funny, it provides great graphics and is definitely one to put on your playlist, and it can be found in all quality RTG casinos such as Desert Nights casino. There was also the long awaited launch of the new Net Entertainment slot Wild Water which provides the usual quality graphics and animations along with a cool surfing theme. March saw the beginning of the slightly better weather in the US and with that came a small seasonal downturn in regulated US online gambling as expected.
February was a mixed month in the world of gambling, as Nevada and Atlantic City land based casinos saw poor revenue and online operations in both New Jersey and Nevada failed to make serious headway. Problems continue with processing credit cards in both states and it’s no wonder that Neteller has been introduced as a payment option, while many land based casinos in New Jersey are now offering their own prepaid card solution in an attempt to solve that particular ongoing issue. In the US online gambling sector, slots players were in for a slew of new releases as plenty of great new slots were added to various US online casinos. The Winter Olympic themed Golden Reels was launched by WGS and can be found at Miami Club Casino among others, and Betsoft launched the impressive Good Girl Bad Girl as part of their Slots3 Series, however the biggest news came with the launch of the fantastic RTG slot Orc Vs Elf. Orc Vs Elf delivers a stunning slots adventure experience that really raised the bar and show what can really be done with a slot when a little imagination and a whole lot of creativity are used. This awesome slot really does mix things up and push the boundaries of fantasy gaming and slots play, and we suggest that you check that one out.
Whilst all is business as usual in the world of US online casinos, there have been a few happenings on the poker front. Recently the New Jersey application deadline for companies wishing to do business in the regulated poker market in the state closed. A total of 37 companies applied for licenses with 10 out of the 12 Atlantic City casinos all 'opting in'. In California there are 3 online poker bills in circulation at the moment, however rumor has it that none will have the required backing to make it very far, and there's also a new federal online poker bill that is hoping for a little backing. There was also a little Bitcoin news in August as a US judge stated that the currency was actually 'real money' and we await to see what impact, if any, that has on US online gaming.