With a fierce fight to the finish between online bingo giants Mecca Bingo, Wink Bingo and Tombola, Ladbrokes Bingo has been crowned UK’s Online Bingo Site of the Year 2009 by WhichBingo.co.uk, the online bingo portal.

Amongst 300 UK bingo sites listed in the directory of WhichBingo UK, Ladbrokes Bingo topped the list, based upon the votes awarded solely by online bingo players. Ladbrokes Bingo underwent a major makeover in 2008, closely followed on the heels with a booming television advertisement campaign in 2009.

Winning the crown is a major achievement for Ladbrokes Bingo, especially when this online bingo site garnered the 18th position in the awards ceremony last year.

Ruairi Boyle, Head of Games & Bingo at Ladbrokes said that, “It’s the most prestigious award in Online Bingo and we’re thrilled to win it.”

“We want to share this success with all our roomies who voted for us and helped us to the top of the bingo pile. Right now we’re in the mood to party and the special celebratory games that we have planned for 31st January will be a great day for everyone in Bingo. We’re already looking to 2010 to retain our title.”

Golden Hat Bingo was also awarded the UK New Online Bingo Site of the Year 2009 by WhichBingo at the forefront, followed by Giggle Bingo, Landmark Bingo and Cheeky Bingo.

Phil Fraser, owner of WhichBingo said, “Congratulations go to the winners, as well as all sites that reached the top 10 positions.”

“These awards are voted for by players, and the players alone. We don’t restrict votes to either a shortlist like other portals do nor do we ‘nominate’ winners – this makes the awards to most prestigious and valuable. This award is for the players by the players.”

All in all Ladbrokes Bingo is the undisputed winner for 2009. Here’s a Big hand to the crew at this great online bingo site.

Written for Onlinebingoreviews.com by Joy

888Holdings PLC has some fantastic news for online bingo players. Amongst the plethora of online bingo sites which has been offered to online players, 888Bingo.com is the new site which has been launched recently that brings on the gaming table fun with regular bingo coupled with a range of instant games.

Supported on the software platform from Dragonfish, online players can look forward to playing the regular 90 ball and 75 ball bingo along with progressive jackpots at 888Bingo.com.

Registration is a piece of cake at Bingo.com. The players need to fill up the free online registration form put in a cash deposit and they will be welcomed with an offer of 20 free cards. With these free cards play bingo on the house here and get set to win real prizes in cash.

Do check out the £1M Coverall Jackpot games that play out thrice every week. If not the top prize of a million bucks, but someone will definitely get to win the guaranteed minimum from £500 up to £1,500 by playing here.

Get your bingo buddies together to form a team to participate in the monthly competition at Bingo.com. Score as many bingos as you can with your team to win a fabulous amount of Loyalty Points at this online bingo site.

There is a variety of scratchcards, lotto and arcade games that constitute the Instant Games which can be played alongside your regular game of bingo without abandoning your original game.

For the gambler in you there is video poker and table games to try out your hand at. Spin a reel in the slots and super slots for a change in variety out here.

888Bingo.com has something for everyone and for every kind of pocket. There is a lot of fun waiting to be joined in at this great online bingo site.

Give it a try, you are sure to like what 888Bingo.com has to offer you.

Written for Onlinebingoreviews.com by Joy

JackpotCity Bingo, Carmen Media’s online bingo brand has made its switch from Virtue Fusion to the leading software platform Microgaming.

With the switchover completed last week, JackpotCity Bingo’s loyal players can expect a plethora of unique games with which to be entertained with. Microgaming software platform is sure to introduce a whole host of prizes, great access to a plethora of side games along with a great community buzz in which to revel in. a unique Swedish 75 ball Bingo game variant will also be introduced very soon to this online bingo site which will be the one of its kind in the Microgaming Bingo network.

Neill Whyte, Manager, Microgaming Bingo Operations said that ‘Microgaming is committed to investing in JackpotCity Bingo and we are delighted to be welcoming yet another high profile operator to the Micorgaming Bingo Network.’

‘The network is going from strength to strength with ever increasing liquidity and enhanced guarantees, all of which provide players with the ultimate Bingo experience nd community.”

Whyte further added that, “Players at JackpotCity Bingo will be able to access a variety of top quality bingo games, as well as a host of Microgaming’s renowned casino side games, offering unrivalled enjoyment and increased chances to win. We look forward to a long and successful partnership with JackpotCity Bingo.”

“JackpotCity Bingo is the latest online bingo network from the Carmen Media Group’s to adopt the Microgaming software platform. The other network that is powered by Microgaming includes Gaming Club, Riverbelle, Lucky Nugget as well as the online poker site, Cool Hand Poker.

Giblert Puente, Head of Bingo, JackpotCity Bingo, said that, “Everything we do at JackpotCity Bingo is designed to create a fun and exciting bingo experience based in an unrivalled community.”

“Microgaming offers industry-leading features and functionality. They offer more chances to win. Basically, they’re our ideal partner, offering the technology needed to enhance our community and our reputation as a great place to play online bingo.”

Written for Onlinebingoreviews.com by Joy

We’ve just got wind of a brand new online bingo site about to launch later today, and it’s going to be really exciting! The appropriately named Giggle Bingo site is preparing for its big day today, and will launch in a flurry of bustling activity when it opens its doors for the very first time.

Powered by Microgaming software, Giggle Bingo will offer tons of 75 and 90 ball bingo games, plus a huge selection of side games that bingo fans will already be familiar with on this bingo software including online slots, casino games and video poker. Also you’ll be able to create your very own Bingo Ball for Life to give you an extra shot at winning the £50,000 progressive jackpot!

So what’s all the fuss about? Surely this is just another online bingo site, adding to the already overcrowded market? Well no, actually there’s a big difference with Giggle Bingo, which will become apparent as soon as you step inside.

The really nice thing about Giggle Bingo is that all their bingo rooms will be managed by their very own CM’s, which will sow the seeds for a really personal bingo community feel and atmosphere. You’ll be able to get to know the CM’s on a one-to-one basis, and they’ll be able to get to know you too, which will make a huge difference when you play bingo online at Giggle Bingo. After all, what’s the game of bingo all about if not the community.

At time of writing Giggle Bingo hasn’t actually opened its doors yet, but in a matter of hours or even less, you’ll be able to be one of the first players to step inside and sample the delights of this great new bingo site.

You’ll be greeted with a cool £10 FREE bonus on the house and a generous 200% Bonus on your first deposit – what better way is there to start your day than with a delightful giggle at Giggle Bingo! You heard it here first!

Giggle Bingo is part of the Fortune Lounge group which also runs the Platinum Play Bingo room and various other online casino and poker products, one of the things that you can be assured of by playing at Giggle Bingo is the highest standards of care and security.

Written for OnlineBingoReviews.com by Charlie

Following the footsteps of Foxy Bingo launch of their micros-site – Foxy Free Bingo, is their marketing campaign with some zany promo spots on the telly.  The ad features the voice of celebrity fox Foxy, who in his inimitable style introduces viewers to Foxy Zero as well as its concept.

The advert starts with the brand name of Foxy Bingo followed by Foxy’s well known white gloved hands as he asks in a voiceover  “Ok folks what can I give you that’s new and different?”  This is followed by a series of shots where he brainstorms, doodling several ideas.  He contemplates giving his players more jackpots, games and crisps [!] and discards them all.  After deciding to focus, he thankfully scraps the idea of calling the site Foxy Free and Foxy Nada and comes up with the concept of Foxy Zero, in his words, “it’s fun, it’s fresh and it’s FREE!”

Foxy Zero Bingo offers free bingo games 24 hours a day with real cash jackpots.  Tickets start at 2p with options on bigger jackpots where players can try bigger cash jackpots. Additionally, on offer are several game options with instant wins. The branding is great and with free bingo on offer as well as an engaging advert in tow, Foxy Zero is sure to hook in its target audience.  The Foxy Zero site will be interesting to track over the next few months to see what else they offer.

The move towards free bingo is a follow on from Cashcade, Foxy Bingo’s parent company, towards the ever-increasing free Internet bingo space; they already run Cheeky Bingo – another free bingo site.  The idea of free online bingo is to target new players and then up selling them to higher stake games on the sister sites.

If you haven’t seen the ad yet, take a look at it.  The Foxy Zero advert is being show on a television screen near you!

GTECH – Lottomatica subsidiary, re-branded its New Media & Sports Betting division in order to capitalise on the union of lottery and online gaming industries across the world. GTECH officially launched G2, the new brand name portal for its interactive gaming and sports betting services.
 
G2 joins GTECH companies Boss Media, St. Minver, Finsoft, and Dynamite Idea under one brand name, joining the expertise of GTECH and its lottery industry experience in the internet gaming world.

G2 provides a full range of end-to-end gaming services, game content and technology solutions to its customers along with marketing, player relationship and risk management, fraud prevention, responsible gaming, and community functions.

Atul Bali, G2 President said that igaming and sports betting are areas where there is tremendous growth for lotteries around the world. The Company’s worldwide lottery and gaming industry experience, coupled with its recent strategic acquisitions, uniquely position the Company to lead the industry in these rapidly-growing gaming segments. 

G2 is an integrated market-focused organization that can offer G2’s lottery customers igaming and betting products to facilitate growth in every aspect of the value chain today.

Jaymin B. Patel, GTECH President and CEO, added that GTECH has been working closely with its customers and customizing and delivering world-class interactive solutions for them for more than a decade. Working with lotteries such as Veikkaus Oy, Camelot, New Zealand Lotteries, An Post National Lottery, and Loterie Nationale in Luxembourg, G2 has built tremendous experience and capabilities in the interactive gaming space.

G2 is always investing in the future of its lottery customers, and with the acquisitions of Boss Media, Finsoft, St Minver, and Dynamite Idea, the Company has further enhanced its core capabilities in this high-growth area through the integration of new products, services, and content.

GTECH unveiled its new G2 brand at the European Lotteries Congress yesterday in Istanbul, Turkey.

Written for OnlineBingoReviews.com by Joy

The Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation (NSGC) has launched new software aimed at addressing what it sees as the growing problem of underage gambling.

Called BetStopper, the program claims to be the first to block children’s access to gambling content on the Internet.

The release of the software comes after the organisation launched a world-first pilot-test of the unique content blocking software in October 2006. 

250 participants in the pilot study installed the software on their home computers for a period of six months and completed two surveys that allowed NSGC to evaluate changes in perception, attitude and behaviour resulting from use of the software.

 The BetStopper program which claims to be the first of its kind in the world is offered as a free download and works by looking for gaming URLs and gaming language within the websites online. According to the Company, results have shown it to be 98% effective in blocking gambling websites.

 The software also includes security features such as automated telephone and email notifications which are sent to parents to notify them of each attempted connection to an online gambling site.

According to NSGC, the results of the study showed that use of the software increased awareness about underage gambling by 80%, with 92% of the pilot participants finding it an effective tool in combating underage gambling.

The introduction of national lotteries, new casinos, the increase of electronic gaming machines, and the introduction of remote gambling (e.g., Internet gambling, mobile phone gambling, interactive television gambling), has greatly increased the accessibility and popularity of gambling all over the world.

Problem gambling generally begins in adolescence and may start following a major life stress. Problem gambling occurs as a result of many different influences including biological, psychological and sociological factors.

Written for OnlineBingoReviews.com by Joy

King.com – leading skill games site has recently announced the launch of Scrabble Zing, the official and exclusive online skill game version of the ever popular Scrabble board game. King.com is definitely looking to benefit from the recent success in converting classic board games into online skill games that are played for real money.

In partnership with premier toymaker Mattel Inc, the online version of the original game will see player’s battle to form words from individual, jumbled lettered tiles. Players of King.com’s authorised Scrabble Zing version of the game will have a chance to compete against others along with an added bonus of cash prizes and experience the thrill of bagging a ‘triple word score’ online.

Riccardo Zacconi, CEO of King.com. said that Scrabble is one of the ageless board games that for years have delighted wily wordsmiths around the world, and, that the Company is excited about providing the definitive classic word game online that, like its numerous other word games, challenges the creativity, knowledge and strategy of players.

Geoff Walker, Senior Vice President, Mattel Brands said that teaming up with King.com through their agreement with Real Networks, and delivering one of the world’s best-selling board games to skill-game enthusiasts, allows Mattel to reach even more Scrabble fans worlwide.

Walker further said that just as Scrabble has become a mainstay of word-game lovers, the online version debuting on King.com will continue to tap the passions of long – time aficionados on the internet while introducing it to a new generation of gamers.

The skill-based version of the world’s best selling crossword board game – Scrabble – will be available for players in the United Kingdom and as well as to the continental Europe in its new online game avatar of – Scrabble Zing.

Written for OnlineBingoReviews.com by Joy

The production of the €10 million feature film, based on the life of Carl Gustaf Mannerheim – the father of modern Finland – that was indefinitely postponed earlier this year after more than ten years in development due to a lack of funding, is now all set to finally becoming a reality after online gaming operator Unibet stepped in to provide funding for the project.

Better known for its sponsorship of sporting clubs, Unibet’s role as the main supporter of the movie represents the company’s first investment in the field of culture in Finland.
 
Petter Nylander, CEO, Unibet said that the Company had already been looking for a suitable culture-related project for some time and when the Company was presented with the opportunity to become the film’s main supporter, the Company could not possibly have imagined a better project than the feature film about the life of Mannerheim.
 
The film is expected to begin shooting on 17th August this year and will be directed by Renny Harlin. Oscar-winning make-up artist Greg Cannom is in charge of Mannerheim’s ageing appearance in this film. The feature film is scheduled to premier in October 2010.
 
This feature film shall take the viewer on the journey of the life of Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, who was the Commander-in-Chief of Finland’s Defence Forces. Mannerheim was made the Marshal of Finland, and for a brief period, was also the Regent of Finland.

After the First World War, Mannerheim secured recognition of Finnish independence from Britain and the United States, thus being instrumental in establishing Finland as a presidential republic in the year 1919. Mannerheim also served as the sixth president of Finland from 1944 to 1946.

This feature film is no wonder awaited with bated breath by the Republic of Finland and also the movie buffs alike.

Written for OnlineBingoReviews.com by Joy

Sportsbet Pty Limited, Australia’s largest corporate bookmaker, in which Paddy Power last month acquired a controlling interest, has agreed to acquire International All Sports Limited (IAS), the company which was the target of a failed takeover attempt earlier this year by rival Centrebet.

The acquisition has the unanimous support of the directors of IAS and will be implemented via a Scheme of Arrangement.

Following the sale of its international online gaming business Canbet last month, IAS, in which Sportbet holds an existing 19.98% shareholding, the company will offer to its customers in Australia bookmaking on racing and sports via internet and telephone.

Subject to the approval of IAS’s shareholders and the Supreme Court of Victoria, the acquisition is expected to be completed in October 2009.

The deal values the entire issued share capital of IAS at AUD$40 million (€22.4 million), and will be funded by Paddy Power and Sportsbet’s existing shareholders, who have agreed to subscribe for new equity in Sportsbet to the extent required to fund the acquisition. Paddy Power’s total liability in the acquisition will amount to AUD$16.3 million (€9.1 million), relating to its 51% shareholding in Sportsbet.

The transaction value of AUD$0.60 per IAS share represents a premium on the Volume Weighted Average Price (VWAP) of IAS shares over the last thirty trading days of 30% and a premium of 231% on the VWAP of IAS shares over the last thirty trading days preceding Centrebet’s announcement of an intention to make a takeover offer on 2nd February 2009.

Patrick Kennedy, Chief Executive of Paddy Power said that Mark Read (IAS founder) and his family have built an excellent Australian business which complements Sportsbet and their combination creates by some distance the largest corporate bookmaking business in Australia.

The new Chief Executive of the combined business will be Sportsbet’s current CEO, Matt Tripp.

Written for OnlineBingoReviews.com by Joy