Leading UK-based online casino games studio Blueprint Gaming has adapted its iconic progressive jackpot system Jackpot King into an online slot for the very first time and has equipped it with its newly launched Prize Lines mechanic.

The new Jackpot King Prize Lines game combines the developer’s hugely popular and widely recognizable jackpot system with its newest innovative mechanic creation to offer slot aficionados thrilling casino experience with the chance to win hefty prizes.

In this new 5×5 grid online slot players are awarded five spins at the start of a new game and they need to climb the prize ladder by completing Prize Lines over the course of these five spins. It is important to note that prize lines pay horizontally, vertically, and diagonally.

After their initial five spins, players can choose to end their game and collect the prize they have accumulated or spin again at an additional cost to complete more Prize Lines and climb up the ladder for bigger wins.

The more lines they complete, the larger their prizes can be. Any number of positions up to a full 25 can be awarded on any spin of the reels.

How to Trigger the Jackpot Feature

As a Jackpot King title, Blueprint’s newest release is connected to the studio’s progressive jackpot system of the same name.

During a game, a full house of Prize Lines activates the legendary Wheel King where players could land one of the three pots that are available through the Jackpot King system.

Blueprint debuted the Prize Lines mechanic earlier this year with a Fishin’ Frenzy inspired title. The product has successfully broadened the studio’s reach within the online bingo community.

Blueprint has noted that Prize Lines enhances retention with the symbols on the grid carried over into the next game as players aim to complete the grid for a chance at one of the three Jackpot King prizes.

Commenting on their new release, Blueprint Director of Key Accounts and Marketing Jo Purvis said that Prize Lines has “instantly resonated with players since launching” and that they are excited to roll out their latest game featuring Jackpot King.

Ms. Purvis went on to explain that this is the first time they have incorporated their progressive jackpot system into a game in its own right and that fans of their jackpot product are “sure to love the recognizable prize ladder feature and climb their way to huge wins.”

Blueprint has recently integrated several popular titles into the Jackpot King system, with Eye of Horus Megaways and Diamond Mine Megaways being two such titles.

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Independence Day celebrations are taking shape in Southern Nevada. Station Casinos is celebrating its 45th anniversary, and Miley Cyrus is set to appear at Resorts World Las Vegas. The Plaza Hotel and Casino also is planning to set off fireworks during the first week of July.

The first Station Casinos fireworks show is scheduled to begin at the off-Strip Palace Station Hotel and Casino on July 1 at 9 pm, according to the company website. The Palace Station is on Sahara Avenue just west of the Strip.

On July 4, fireworks will be launched at the company’s Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa and the Green Valley Ranch Resort Spa and Casino. These Independence Day shows will begin at 9 pm. 

The Red Rock property is about 15 miles west of downtown Las Vegas. It is near Las Vegas Ballpark, home of the Las Vegas Aviators, the Oakland A’s Triple-A farm team. The Green Valley Ranch property is about 17 miles south of downtown Las Vegas.

Each Station Casinos fireworks show will be live-streamed on the company’s social media sites.

Underworld Operative 

The Palace Station’s interesting history includes its early years in the 1970s, when it was known as the Bingo Palace. Among its owners was Carl Thomas, a once-prominent Las Vegas casino operator later imprisoned on a skimming conviction. 

In 1978, Thomas was heard on government surveillance audio in a Kansas City home, explaining to Mafia leaders how skimming works in Nevada casinos. The term “skimming” refers to illegally removing pre-taxed gambling revenue from the casino. 

During this era, money was skimmed from several Las Vegas casinos and sent to Midwestern syndicates, including the Civella crime family in Kansas City.

Thomas became a government witness in another trial and was released early from prison. He died 1993 at age 60 in a single-vehicle rollover in Oregon.

Miley Cyrus at Resorts World July 4 

Also on July 4, Resorts World Las Vegas is set to host a fireworks show from its site on the Las Vegas Strip. Resorts World was built on the northwest end of the resort corridor where the now-demolished Stardust Casino once stood. For a brief period in 1976, Carl Thomas oversaw the Stardust.

Also during the first week of July, the Plaza Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas is planning fireworks shows to celebrate Independence Day and its 50th anniversary. 

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European Gaming & Betting Association (EGBA) has submitted a formal complaint to the European Commission to protest a recent proposal by German lawmakers to level an additional tax on online slots and poker as Germany prepares for the reorganization of its digital gambling market on July 1.

According to EGBA, which represents Europe’s leading online gambling operators, the proposal will “provide a substantial and unfair tax advantage” to the country’s land-based gaming sector and will breach EU directives.

The Bundesrat, the legislative body representing the 16 German states, has recently sent a proposal for the introduction of a 5.3% tax on online poker and slot stakes. The proposed levy is subject to final approval from the nation’s legislature, the Bundestag, and is currently being reviewed by three different committees.

It is believed that lawmakers will give the green light to the proposal ahead of the enforcement of Germany’s Fourth State Treaty on Gambling, the country’s permanent online gambling regulatory framework that will authorize the provision of online sports betting, casino, and poker services by locally licensed international operators.

Under this recent proposal, online slots and poker games would be taxed at an additional 5.3% on their turnover. In its complaint to the EC, EGBA noted that these services would thus be taxed at a rate 4 to 5 times higher than what land-based gambling establishments in the country pay in taxes.

Proposed Tax Constitutes Illegal State Aid

In its complaint, EGBA said that the proposed tax on online slots and poker would “result in a substantial and unfair tax advantage” to Germany’s land-based sector.

The association provided an example with Bavaria where the implementation of the proposed tax measure would result in online casino and poker operators paying taxes 4-5 times higher than their equivalent land-based casinos and rates 15 times higher than what land-based amusement arcades pay for offering slot machines. EGBA estimates this would result in an annual tax advantage of €290 million for Bavarian brick-and-mortar establishments.

Nationwide, the association estimates the measure would result in an annual tax advantage of nearly €750 million for the land-based sector. According to EGBA, the proposed tax on turnover constitutes an illegal state aid under European law.

Under EU law, member states are not allowed to offer an advantage to “specific companies or industry sectors, or to companies located in specific region” through tax rates and other interventions.

EGBA Secretary General Maarten Haijer said that while they appreciate the efforts of Germany’s lawmakers to introduce a new online gambling framework, and recognize the need for an appropriate tax to be implemented, they think the proposed turnover tax on online slots and poker is “punitively high and will distort market competition and directly benefit Germany’s land-based gambling establishments over their online counterparts.”

In a similar move, Germany’s gambling industry trade body, Deutscher Sportwettenverband (DSWV), has filed a state aid complaint against the proposed tax rate with the EC, arguing that its potential implementation would hurt the online sector, while benefiting its land-based counterpart.

At present, online gambling operators provide their services in Germany under a transitional framework that took effect last fall and will remain effective until July 1, when the permanent law is set to be enforced.

Source: EGBA Submits EU State Aid Complaint Over German Online Poker Tax, EGBA Newsroom, June 1, 2021

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Marina Bay Sands isn’t taking any chances amid the most recent outbreak of COVID-19 in Singapore.  

Singapore has been hailed by world health experts as one of the success stories in combating the coronavirus pandemic. But in May, things changed, as the island city-state experienced a surge in new cases and hospitalizations. 

Singapore reimplemented strict regulations, the most severe being segregating passengers from high-risk countries from those arriving from lower-risk places. Specific terminals and immigration entrances are being used for each classification. 

Another concern in Singapore is the slow rollout of vaccines. Only 36 percent of people in Singapore have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. That’s substantially lower than other highly developed countries, including the UK (58 percent), Canada (56 percent), and United States (50 percent). 

Sands Pledges Safety

Marina Bay Sands, owned and operated by Las Vegas Sands, is often cited as the gold standard of the global integrated resort industry. The multibillion-dollar destination is informing guests that it’s taking all necessary steps to assure that none of its employees are carrying the virus. 

The casino temporarily closed in mid-May after two of its casino table game dealers tested positive. The complex underwent a deep clean on May 17-19.  

Sands has since embarked on testing its entire workforce. The resort says a total of 7,450 team members and 800 contractors were administered the antigen rapid test, and all results came back negative. 

Sands adds that all team members are routinely subject to an enhanced polymerase chain reaction test, depending on their job profile and risk exposure. 

In these unprecedented times, we continue to be vigilant on all fronts, working closely with the authorities to respond and adapt quickly to the situation,” a Marina Bay Sands statement explained. “Marina Bay Sands continues to operate our venues and attractions with the highest of care, raising the bar in our safety and hygiene safeguards to instill a greater sense of comfort and reassurance among our guests, team members, and the wider community.”

All visitors are required to download and use the COVID-19 tracing app TraceTogether when entering the property. 

Restrictions in Place

The Sands casino reopened on May 19, but with numerous COVID-19 safeguards in place. 

Similar protocols are implemented at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore’s other integrated casino resort. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said today that the restrictions will be lifted June 13, assuming the COVID-19 situation continues to improve. 

“Barring another super-spreader or big cluster, we should be on track to bring this outbreak under control,” he said. 

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The Pennsylvania Lottery has successfully defended itself against a lawsuit regarding its online games brought by state licensed casinos.

In 2017, the Republican-controlled legislature and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf passed on a major gaming expansion package. The gaming bundle was the result of GOP lawmakers refusing to increase taxes on residents, while the governor sought additional revenue. 

The bill authorized new land-based casinos, online gambling, retail and mobile sports betting, video gaming terminals at truck stops, airport tablet gaming, and internet lottery games. 

The complaint argued that the “slot-style” iLottery games are too similar to online slots, and violated the 2017 law that said the lottery’s internet products must not resemble or “simulate” casino games. 

Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer ruled today in favor of the Pennsylvania Lottery.

The features of iLottery games challenged by petitioners are not signature, iconic, or key features particular to casino slot machines,” her ruling stated. 

Jubelirer added that the plaintiffs’ argument that random number generators — a key component of traditional slot machines that’s also used for online gambling — is simply an advancement in technology that can be utilized by the lottery. 

Casinos Considering Appeal

The lawsuit’s plaintiffs included Penn National Gaming, Caesars Entertainment, and The Cordish Companies. A lawyer representing the casinos told the Associated Press that his clients are reviewing the court’s decision and their legal options.

Another criticism to the iLottery is that the brick-and-mortar casinos are required to pay the state a one-time $10 million fee in order for iGaming privileges. The Pennsylvania Lottery paid nothing for the online rights. 

Svitko explained that the lottery is pacing in the 2020-21 fiscal year to be “north of $5 billion.” Online games for 2020-21 are forecast to be upwards of $900 million. 

Mega Millions Winner

Along with its own internet games, the Pennsylvania Lottery allows people age 18 and older inside the state to purchase Mega Millions and Powerball tickets online. But the recent lucky winner of a $516 million Mega Millions jackpot instead bought the ticket inside a 7-Eleven in Middletown, Pa.

During the May 21 draw, the $2 ticket matched all five white balls, plus the yellow Mega Millions ball. 

If the winner is a Pennsylvania resident and takes the one-time lump sum cash option of $349.3 million, the money will be subject to nearly $130 million in federal taxes, and then a three percent state tax to result in a final payment of $209.37 million. 

So far, the winner has not come forward to claim the prize. Pennsylvania does not allow lottery winners to remain anonymous. 

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