Casino and Poker in the News
Let's take a look at some of the gambling news making the headlines this week. It seems that all of the stories this week are good news stories including new poker rooms, some interesting flying software and the two largest casino and poker software providers are reporting more growth.
Irish Airline to Introduce Inflight Online Gambling
Globet Casino Launches Poker Room
Microgaming Lands Top Maltese Gambling License
Playtech Reports Stunning Third-Quarter Revenues
Let's start with Ryanair offering online gambling in the air!
Irish Airline to Introduce Inflight Online Gambling
Passengers flying with the Irish airline, Ryanair, may be able to enjoy online gambling using 888 software from the beginning of 2008, according to local media. Thanks to progressive new gambling laws in the UK, airlines will be able to offer passengers great entertainment options using the aircraft’s in-flight screens. 888 has already finalised a deal with Ryanair to enable its passengers to play popular games such as blackjack, roulette and poker, although other companies such as Cathay Pacific and British Airways have also expressed interest in the new scheme.
Globet Casino Launches Poker Room
The Uruguayan-owned Globet Casino company has announced that it is launching a poker room that will work off Microgaming’s successful poker platform. Globet Casino switched from Chartwell Technology to Microgaming last year and the company’s management is said to be very pleased with the change. The new poker room will offer everything good about Microgaming’s poker suite, including state of the art, innovative software, new features such as an upgraded lobby, and many other attractions. Globet Poker will be available in nearly 20 languages and will target mainly Central and Eastern Europe.
Microgaming Lands Top Maltese Gambling License
The industry software giant, Microgaming, was pleased to announce this week that it had managed to win the highest level in licensing standards from the Maltese Lottery and Gaming Authority. As such, any sites powered by Microgaming will now be able to operate freely (and within the legal limits) of the European Union. Malta was the first EU member to establish strict gambling regulations and has since created a four tier licensing system, which is meant to encourage secure and regulated gaming policies for companies working out of its jurisdiction. Poker rooms working through Microgaming’s poker network already enjoy the advantages of a Grade Three LGA license.
Playtech Reports Stunning Third-Quarter Revenues
The industry giant Playtech has proved once again that it is resilient as ever, after a ‘record breaking’ third quarter report. While other online casino companies are barely breaking even in a post-UIGEA industry, Playtech declared revenues of $26.9-million – a substantial increase from last year’s $14.9-million in the same quarter. Casino revenues also doubled to almost $13-million, however the most significant increase was in the company’s poker division, with a 266% increase over last year’s amount. “We are delighted with this quarter's record-breaking figures, which clearly demonstrate the growing strength and presence of Playtech within the global gaming sector,” the company’s CEO announced this week. One of the most popular Playtech Casinos comes from BetFred Casino.
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