Virtue Poker, a multi-chain, Ethereum-based decentralized poker platform has completed a strategic investment round of $5 million USD. 

Part of Coinlist’s Seed Winter 2021 Batch, Virtue Poker has attracted notable investors including Pantera Capital, Consensys, DFG Group, and Jez San from FunFair. Poker Hall of Famer Phil Ivey is also stakeholder as well as a public spokesperson for the company.

 “I’ve been working with the Virtue Poker team for nearly 3 years, watching them build a next generation poker platform” said Phil Ivey. “Using a blockchain based system creates a more secure and globally accessible payment system. I’m excited to continue my partnership with the Virtue Poker team and work to bring the platform to poker communities worldwide”.

Virtue Poker is the first and only blockchain-based company to be issued a license by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA). The Virtue Poker team and the Malta Gaming Authority worked together over nearly two years in establishing a regulatory framework suitable for blockchain based gambling applications. The company can now legally operate and compete in most global markets worldwide to deliver the promise of fair playing and transparency to mainstream adoption.

“After years of consultation, in person meetings, and effort – Virtue Poker can proudly say we are the only licensed blockchain based poker application in the market” said CEO Ryan Gittleson. “Blockchain technology provides modern and secure payment infrastructure that provides global accessibility to consumers, unlike our competitors. By working with regulators to become a licensed online gambling company, Virtue Poker now has legitimacy to crossover and compete for customers from legacy providers to bring blockchain based wagering mainstream.”

The funds raised will be used to bootstrap Virtue Poker’s mainnet launch, which is scheduled for May 2021. Virtue Poker will be hosting an exhibition tournament with players like Phil Ivey, Joe Lubin and others as the official launch.

One of the oldest projects in the blockchain space and one of the first to have been incubated by Consensys, Virtue Poker was founded shortly after the Ethereum network debuted. Consensys founder Joe Lubin identified online gambling as an industry that was ripe for blockchain disruption, prompting him to take Virtue Poker into his Ethereum-centered family of projects.

“I’m excited to see the Virtue Poker team realize its mission in bringing transparency and trust to the online poker industry” said Joe Lubin, Founder of ConsenSys. “By working with regulators in becoming the first licensed blockchain based platform, Virtue Poker legitimizes the use of this technology in the industry long term going forward.”

Through a combination of P2P networking and the verifiable nature of blockchain, Virtue Poker brings an unprecedented degree of trust and transparency to the online poker industry, which is thought to be plagued by shady and dishonest algorithms and costly third-party payment processor middlemen, especially for withdrawals. Virtue Poker uses both Ethereum smart contracts and sidechain infrastructure to provide next-generation security and transparency for players.

AYO.NEWS says:

Despite cryptocurrencies now being widely used for gaming, the mainstream adoption of decentralised gaming platforms has been a little slower than many expected. However, with its MGA license and solid tech, Virtue Poker could help speed things up.

PlayOJO is the latest online casino to launch a dedicated safe gambling tool for players. 

The casino, which is powered by SkillOnNet, has launched the new Neccton tool, called Safe Mate, for customers in the UK, Spain, and Sweden. 

Safe Mate enables customers to easily track vital metrics like how much money they have deposited, how much they have wagered, and how much time they have spent on the site, covering the previous six months. Interestingly, Safe Mate also allows players to compare what they think they’ve spent, with what they’ve actually spent. 

PlayOJO says the tool has been developed in collaboration with behavioural scientists and psychologists, and can help detect risk patterns and flag potential problem gambling. The tool assigns a “health score” to each player, and lets them know when habits change. 

Peter Bennett, Head of Brand at PlayOJO, said: “We are delighted to partner with Neccton to offer our players this state-of-the-art new Safer Gambling tool. We pride ourselves on being the fair online Casino and Bingo site and will continue to find new innovative methods and tools to help promote safe play for our customers.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Anything that gives players more control over their play is great, and Safe Mate has some very useful and convenient features. As fears of even stricter gambling regulations grow in the UK, operators are scrambling to introduce high-tech solutions to reduce problem gambling. For example, earlier this month, Entertain launched the affordability component of its new Advanced Responsibility and Care (ARC) platform across all 14 of its UK brands. 

But, the question is, given the growing anti-gambling stance of the popular media and many politicians (something that is now being fueled further by the emerging Football Index scandal), will it be enough to avert a brutal crackdown? We doubt it. 

Fantasma Games, the developer of slots beyond gambling, has debuted its latest game boasting a never-seen before mechanic, Titanways™, which promises to elevate big win potential to the next level.

Golden Castle Titanways™ is a 6×6 reel video slot that takes players to the haunted remains of a gilded castle where they must seek out hidden treasures. They are helped in their quest with three bonus features – Titanways™, Wild Haunt and Phantom Free Spins.

Golden Castle Titanways™ also boasts an avalanche feature that sees winning symbols removed from the reels and new symbols fall into their place. Symbols come in five different sizes – 1×1, 1×2, 1×3, 2×2 and 3×3 but a symbol’s height has no impact in its value.

Titanways™ is a new “ways” evaluation system that intermingles these oversized symbols to create varying wins and volatility with each spin. A win occurs when three or more identical symbols land on consecutive reels from left to right. The win is multiplied by the number of winning symbols per reel.

If three or more Ghost King symbols land during the base game, the Wild Haunt feature is triggered. Once active, one non-1×1 symbol is selected and it is broken down into multiple 1×1 symbols of the same kind which may randomly be upgraded into Wild symbols.

If players collect three or more Bonus symbols during the base game, 10 Phantom Free Spins are awarded. There is also a win multiplier that starts at x1 and is increased by 1 after each avalanche.

Golden Castle Titanways™ has been designed for mobile play from the get-go and can be easily played with just one hand. The RPT is 96.34%, the hit frequency is 33.81% and the max win is a massive 20,000x the player’s initial bet.

Fredrik Johansson, Commercial Director at Fantasma Games, said: “Golden Castle is the first title to feature our innovative and revolutionary Titanways™ mechanic which provides an entirely new ways to win system for a unique player experience.

“We believe that driving innovation in mechanics is the best way to create slots that are compelling and entertaining for both experienced casino players as well as a new generation of player trying online gambling for the very first time.

“Golden Castle Titanways has the hallmarks of a truly great game and we look forward to seeing it hit operator lobbies and for players to enjoy their first Titanways spins and wins.”

Online casino content provider Evolution Gaming Group is set to acquire slot developer Big Time Gaming in a deal worth up to €450M. 

The deal will see Evolution, which last year acquired content developer NetEnt in a mega deal worth billions, acquire the entire issued share capital of Big Time Gaming in a mixed cash/shares transaction. 

Specifically, the deal will consist of an up-front consideration of €220M, followed by earn-out payments, based on Big Time Gaming’s EBITDA for the years 2022/21 and 2023/24, up to a maximum of €230M. 

Evolution has said it expects completion of the transaction, conditional of receipt of regulatory approvals, suring Q2 2021. 

Regarding the news Evolution chairman, Jens von Bahr, said: “With the addition of Big Time Gaming to our portfolio of slot brands we strengthen our strategic position as the leading provider of digital casino games in the world. Big Time’s focus on innovation and creating unique playing experiences is a great fit with our culture and mindset at Evolution. We look forward to continuing our journey together.”

For the calendar year 2020, Big Time Gaming reported revenue of €33M and EBITDA of €29M.

AYO.NEWS says:

With NetEnt (and hence Red Tiger) already part of Evolution, and Big Time Gaming set to join the group, the company is becoming a casino content superpower – and one that clearly has ambitions to dominate the emerging US markets, in terms of both slots and Live Casino. 

Staying with Evolution, late last month the company announced a partnership with Cordish Gaming Group in the US state of Pennsylvania.

EveryMatrix has announced a new content partnership between CasinoEngine, the iGaming Integration Platform, and lottery provider Helio Gaming.

The agreement will see CasinoEngine’s clients gain fast access to Helio Gaming’s range of lottery products. 

Helio Gaming is an established lottery provider in Europe, Canada, and Latin America, offering its own branded lottery games based on a proprietary, certified RNG. The company offers bets on top lottery games including Lotto Rush, Lotto Hero, The Daily Hero, HeroMillions, and MegaMillions amongst many others, all of which will be integrated into CasinoEngine’s existing collection of titles. 

Keith Galea, CEO of Helio Gaming, says: “EveryMatrix is a well-established industry player with whom we are delighted to partner. There is a well-crafted integration with CasinoEngine where operators can leverage the data that we provide to be able to create cross-selling incentives between gaming verticals, apart from offering attractive large jackpots to their players.

“Becoming the company’s first lottery provider is another great step as we continue with our promising commercial expansion across various geographic regions.”

Amund Stensland, CasinoEngine COO at EveryMatrix, comments: “Helio Gaming is at the forefront of lottery products in iGaming and their content is a great addition to CasinoEngine. I’m glad to partner with Helio Gaming and offer our operators the possibility of breathing new life into their existing offerings.”

CasinoEngine is EveryMatrix’s iGaming Integration Platform and the industry’s most extensive content library. Giving access to 11,500+ titles from 175+ providers and 450+ local and global jackpots, CasinoEngine acts as the integration layer between operators and gaming developers.

Current users include major operators like Flutter Entertainment, OPAP, Norsk Tipping, and BetVictor.

Aspire Global has signed a platform deal with Luckster. com, a new multi-vertical brand founded by industry veterans, for its upcoming launch. 

The agreement is the first that covers the entire Aspire Global proprietary offering – platform, sports and casino games.

Aspire Global will power the entry of Luckster. com, which offers verticals across sports and casino, into regulated markets in Europe and Latin America. Further global expansion is set to follow, facilitated by Aspire Global’s presence in 26 regulated markets in Europe, America and Africa.

Luckster. com boasts a team with a wealth of experience in the online gaming industry, with owner and Managing Director Mike Batenburg at the helm.

Mike Batenburg, owner and Managing Director at Luckster.com, said: “When we were searching for a platform for Luckster. com, we knew that we wanted to partner with a company that is widely respected in the industry and which could lead us into the many new regulated markets around the world. Aspire Global ticked all the boxes and offers us peace of mind as a public company that we can trust.”

Jov Spiero, VP Sales at Aspire Global, said: “This partnership is clear proof that Aspire Global has established itself as a powerhouse for iGaming operators. Our broad geographic footprint in four continents and outstanding offering make us the first choice among iGaming suppliers. We look forward to leveraging the power of our offering in order to build a strong partnership and maximise Luckster. com’s opportunities.”

Staying with the group, Aspire Global’s BtoBet last week announced a strategic partnership with Small Screen Casinos, covering markets including the UK, Ireland, and Ghana.