Casino City's iGaming Pocket Directory - 2016 Edition

16 Sponsored by Casino City’s iGaming Pocket Directory CASINO Dracula, Microgaming’s Bridesmaids, Amaya’s Superman and, new to the online space, IGT’s Wheel of Fortune, which is perhaps the most successful slot in the history of brick-and-mortar gaming. Opportunities also exist around popular themes that don’t require the hefty fees necessary to gain the license for a popular film or superhero franchise. New games for 2015 that fit this description from 2015 include Pyramid: Quest for Immortality from NetEnt, which features an ancient Egyptian theme; Open Season from Slotland, which features a hunting theme; and Microgaming’s Rugby Star, a sport-themed slot with exploding reels and an upbeat soundtrack. Of course, some of the most popular casino games remain slots with progressive jackpots, and 2015 was a banner year for seven- and even eight-figure winners. Jonathan Heywood entered the record books when he won the largest jackpot ever awarded online, hitting a £13.2 million score on Microgaming’s Mega Moolah at Betway. Other big jackpot games, like Mega Fortune and Arabian Nights from NetEnt CASINO INDUSTRY OVERVIEW and Beach Life from Playtech, made players instant millionaires. Casino gaming, however, isn’t all about the slots. The availability of live table games continues to increase, and new side bets are being offered by many providers. In addition to traditional deposit bonuses and free spin offers, operators offered a number of desirable promotions to attract players, including a £1 million slots giveaway at bet365, a $270,000 “Winter Wonderland” promotion from Intertops, and a $20,000 giveaway at Mission2Game Casino. These promotions typically come in one of two forms: a leaderboard, where the players who bet the most over the time period reap the greatest rewards; or a raffle in which players earn tickets by playing casino games, with a drawing held at the end of the qualification period. With a market of this size and so much on the line, it’s no wonder online casinos are willing to do so much to try to attract and retain online gamblers.