BlackjackBallroom.com made history this past Friday as they awarded their largest slot jackpot ever to one lucky player, Klaus E. from Finland. Klaus placed a $0.50 bet on the Mega-Moolah Progressive slot machine and hit it BIG as he won $5,556,753.68 dollars!

Klaus was both stunned and shocked by the win and said he will use some of the money to pay off his apartment and go on vacation. He’ll be able to do a lot more than that with his winnings!

A CasinoRewards representative has said, “Klaus has just become part of an elite community of online casino players who have ‘hit it big’ and joined the exclusive CasinoRewards Millionaires’ Club. We congratulate him on his win and look forward to joining him in his celebrations.”

Klaus become the thirteenth millionaire on the popular slot machine but was by far the biggest jackpot winner of this elite group and will get to accept (and celebrate) his check in Sydney, Australia as Blackjack Ballroom plans to fly him out there for the festivities.

Blackjack Ballroom is a proud partner with well established CasinoRewards and Microgamming groups and offers over 250 online games. This is the biggest jackpot win for both groups and has pushed the total progressive wins across the CasinoRewards Network to over $27 million dollars! Even more proof that you don’t have to play big to win big!

After releasing the highly anticipated and first-ever slot game based on the Street Fighter II arcade game last week, Cryptologic Inc. has released six more new and exciting games into the online casino world.

Justin Thouin, CryptoLogic’s Vice President, Product Management and Business Development commented on their great design team by saying, “CryptoLogic’s latest casino games showcase the player knowledge, creativity, and talent on our software team — and the innovation that will help our licensees attract and build player loyalty.”

The new releases include a suite of four-level jackpot slots called Movie Mayhem which is based on classical film genres and includes exciting animations and huge jackpots for its players. The new slots, Silent Screen, Fantasy Realm, Outta Space Adventure and Sunday Afternoon Classic, take each player through many different settings ranging from the 1920’s to outer space and back to rolling green hills. The range of characters is equally varied from centaurs to astronauts, to directors and leading men on horseback. The slot series also includes random jackpots, free spin rounds and interactive bonuses.

If that’s doesn’t satisfy your appetite or if your like more humour in your slots I would give the new Roamin’ Gnome or Dad’s Day In slots a try. Both are entertaining, have high paying symbols and bonus rounds and include some hilarious characters!

Irish online casino site PaddyPower.com is offering several chances to win some incredible packages to the World Series of Poker at Harrah’s Casino in Las Vegas in June and July.

PaddyPower.com’s three contests include the Main Event qualification package, the Side Event Package and the Executive package.

The Main even qualification package is worth $14,000, includes the $10,000 buy-in, 10-nights accommodation, registration fees and $3,650 for flights, spending money and additional accommodation and takes place from July 3 to 15 through sit-and-go satellites. If you’re one of the lucky few to win a package you will also qualify to play in an exclusive tournament for your chance to win yet another package to play in the main event of the Irish Winter Festival (valued at $3,500)!

The Side Event package, worth approximately $10,000, includes $6,000 for buy-ins, 8-nights accommodation and $3,400 for flights, spending and additional accommodations.

The Executive package is awarded to the winners of four consecutive $24 sit-and-go events, is valued at $20,000 and includes $10,000 buy-in for the main event, 2-weeks in the Palazzo Suites of the Venetian hotel for two, tickets for the Blue Man Group, dinner at the Wynn Hotel, registration fees, return limousine transport from the airport and spending money of up to $5,450.

Why not try out your luck with the Irish today!

PlayboyGaming.com, founded in 2004, has managed to secure a sponsorship with one of today’s hottest online (and offline) players, Dennis Plejdrup. Plejdrup, also known by his online alias “Dazzy”, resides in Aarhus and previously worked as a financial adviser. He has quickly made his mark in the poker community with his skill and high stakes play, since becoming a pro in January 2005 and has had several online poker sites vying for his signature.

Plejdrup however found it an easy decision to sign with PlayboyGaming.com as he stated, “PlayboyGaming offers a range of tables with a variety of skill levels allowing me to stay challenged and enjoy my game. Playboy are a well trusted international brand and I know they look after their players well. I’m looking forward to having a long and profitable relationship with them.”

Plejdrup has also been making a name for himself offline as he recently won the 500 EUR No Limit Hold ‘em event at the EPT Grand Finale in Monte Carlo and also made the final table at No Limit Hold ‘em events at EPT Prague & Warsaw.

PlayboyGaming offers both casino and poker in GBP and USD with more than 200 online casino games (including adult slots). They have several one-of-a kind features including “Bunny Money”, tradable for gifts and experiences like a lunch with the playmates at the Playboy mansion, Playboy magazine subscription or poker chips.

If you grew up in the 80’s or 90’s you’re sure to have played, owned or at least heard of the video game Street Fighter. Famous around the world, the Street Fighter game was one of the most popular video games of the last decade.

Now CryptoLogic, the Dublin-based online gaming developer, has announced that the new game would be released this week and will be available to players at InterCasino.com and WilliamHillCasino.com with further online casinos to follow in the future.

Vice President of Marketing and Product Development at CryptoLogic, Justin Thouin, said of the new release “Street Fighter really ignited the fighting game genre. I think the series has sold more than 500,000 coin-operated units and 24 million console games world-wide so this is a massive brand with huge popularity world-wide and I think it’s going to be a phenomenal experience for players.”

The new slot takes you through the Street Fighter world in the same way the original game did – starting with choosing a player and battling till you reach the final boos M. Bison in a 25-payline game. Players can also hit a multiplier/bonus which will set their chosen character against the Shadowloo dictator.

But whether you had one favourite player (Ryu) or played them all (including E. Honda and Dhalsim!) there’s no doubting this slot will attract old and new fans alike!

“Quench your thrill buds” is the tag line being used in online casino, LadbrokesCasino.com new TV advertisement. The first of three ads, from Europe’s premier online casino sites, has been released in the UK and is already receiving great reactions.

The ad revolves around the extremes people will go to to get the ultimate thrill. Nolbert Fernandez relives the tale of his late friend Pedro, who went to ridiculous lengths to get his thrills (including climbing mountains covered in oil or with his hands tied behind his back) which lead to his eventual demise. “If only he’d seen LadbrokesCasino.com, his thrill buds would have been quenched for good!” says Nolbert at the close of the spot.

Devised by advertising agency M&C Saatchi, created by Knucklehead and directed by short film award winners Zak Emerson and Dan Gifford, the next two ads are sure to just as hilarious.

‘We are delighted with our three new television advertisements and aim to show that LadbrokesCasino.com caters for our customers by providing them with plenty of thrill-seeking opportunities,’ said Natalie Coles, Head of Marketing for LadbrokesCasino.com.

Now you can quench your thrill buds (before it’s too late!) at LadbrokesCasino.com today with £20 free!

Trust can play a major role in obtaining and retaining players in the online casino world. Even as technology continues to develop there are still hundreds of thousands of sceptics who refuse to even shop online, let alone gamble.

In the beginning, trust was the issue as well for IntertopsCasino.com, who launched one of the first online casinos back in 1998 and the first online sportsbook in 1996. Sceptics were concerned no one would trust their money to the online word, but no one had taken into account the level of trust already established by Intertops.

“Trust is everything in this business,” said Michl Posch of Intertops. “To earn that trust you have to pay out all winnings quickly and reliably. That may seem pretty basic but not all operators make it a top priority as Intertops has ever since it began its sportsbook in London twenty-five years ago.”

Also putting Intertops.com ahead of the game are its constant additions of the best new games (with ten-year partner, Microgaming). IntertopsCasino.com now provides hundreds of state-of-the-art casino games including the new and extremely popular Lara Croft Tomb Raider slot machine.

Great monthly promotions and huge jackpots round out the amazing offerings from Intertops.com. Right now there is almost $8 million in the progressive jackpot pool and another $5 million in the Mega Moolah jackpot!

The Royal Flush. The best hand in poker. The hand every player wishes for…but with a probability of being dealt the elusive hand at 600,000:1, most players never get to see one.

That was the case however for a video poker player from Goldentigercasino.com, who happen to hit not only one, but two royal flushes over only three days! The British player, known only as ‘PS’, raked in about $392,000 with the two hands and according to Emma Hall, spokesperson for GoldenTigerCasino, had accomplished this same feat in February bringing his total winnings over the past three months to $786,632!

Part of the Australian Casino Rewards group, the Kahnawake-licensed site stated that each jackpot netted the British player identified only by the initials ‘PS’ $196,693.

GoldenTigerCasino.com, part of the Australian Casino Rewards group with a range of 18 online casinos, stated it has had 11 jackpot winners over the month of March and are now offering new players one hour of free video poker along with a deposit bonus of up to $250. New players can also receive a $40 bonus and 1 hour to play as much as they want, to win as much money as they can with no risk to their own funds!

Why not try your hand at video poker and go for the Royal Flush!

Spin Palace, launched in 2001, is one of the most popular online casinos, having won several awards over the years and offering 250+ casino games including Blackjack, Roulette, slots, Craps, Baccarat and video pokers and has an average published payout of over 97%!

To top off their great offerings is the new Lara Croft Tomb Raider slot, released in March, which is making a big name for itself in the online slot world. The Secret of the Sword slot is the next adventure for Lara and offers near photo-realistic graphics, stereo sound and a host of new features. The game also offers spins from as little as 0.01 up to a max of 60.00 with multipliers delivering up to x450.

Now you can follow Lara’s quest around the world for the ultimate sword relic among the word’s most mysterious locations and piece together the mystery of the ancient sword. Dodge booby traps and hunt for rich relics, win free spins with exploding symbols on over 30 amazing pay lines with bonus thrills, wilds and scatters. Trigger the random Super Mode, with 5 Free Spins and Lara will acrobatically go to wild to complete awesome combos! Unlock hidden access to golden treasures which will get you 10 Free Spins and get 5 consecutive multipliers!

If that isn’t enough to get you playing, Spin Palace Casino is currently offering new players one hour free play with no deposit required! What are you waiting for!

It was an up and down year for 888 Holdings, as evidence by their 2007 financial scorecard which was released today.

In 2006 the UIGEA was signed in the U.S. and resulted in 888 Holdings voluntary withdrawal from the U.S. market leading to a 54% drop in profits in 2007 (from $74.5 million in 2006 to only $34.2 million in 2007).

However, continuing operations more than doubled as the company turned its focus to the European and Asian markets. 888’s net gaming revenue (discounting U.S. figures) rose by 36% in 2007 to $213.4 million.

Additional changes to the position of the company as well as a number of new acquisitions and new key partnerships (including Rileys Snooker Halls in the UK and Tower Torneos in South America) also helped turn profits around.

“2007 was a year of transformation for 888, in which we had to restructure our business,” said chief executive Gigi Levy.

“We have now successfully completed the restructuring and repositioning of the business and have delivered record results for the year, both in terms of revenue and profit,” he added.

888 Holdings is one of the world’s most popular online gaming entertainment companies and second largest in the UK. They offer many online gaming establishments (such as 888 Casino, Casino-on-Net and Pacific Poker) and are all available through their centralized Internet gaming venue, www.888.com.