Asia-focused online casino games distributor QTech Games has further built on its already strong momentum with a recent agreement with rising star iGaming content supplier Lady Luck Games.

Under the terms of this recent deal, QTech has integrated content from the promising and highly innovative studio to add more variety to its already content-heavy aggregation platform.

The newly added games include Lady Luck’s latest release – Valley Of The Muses – a 10-line online slot inspired by Ancient Greece, as well as other popular titles by the up-and-coming games maker such as Dragon Slayer and Ruler of Egypt.

News about the partnership between QTech and Lady Luck emerged shortly after gambling software firm EveryMatrix announced a strategic investment in the young studio ahead of its Stockholm listing. The iGaming content maker is set to list on NASDAQ First North Growth Market in late June.

This new deal with QTech will broaden Lady Luck’s international footprint and will unlock untapped jurisdictions like Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America for the games builder.

It should further be noted that Lady Luck is not QTech’s sole link to EveryMatrix. Late last year, the content distributor integrated games from Spearhead Studios, EveryMatrix’s own game development arm.

Deal Extends QTech’s 2021 Pipeline

Commenting on this recent deal, QTech Games CCO Ulf Norder said that they are dedicated to “rolling out high-quality content that drives revenue for our partners” and that their partnership with Lady Luck further extends their already “impressive sequential pipeline for 2021.”

Mr. Norder went on that in the competitive iGaming space, only premium content can separate a company from the crowd and that they are thrilled to see how Lady Luck delivers on this demand with its games’ “stunning graphics, coupled to the latest maths models for superior gameplay and high-variance volatility where preferred.”

Kenny Dahlsjö, VP Sales at Lady Luck, said that their partnership with QTech gives them a fantastic opportunity to expand their products’ footprint in important markets that show steady growth. Mr. Dahlsjö went on to say that their alliance with the content distributor represents a perfect “alignment of creative forces, high-end technology and solid business knowledge which […]

are helping transform the user experience for worldwide players.”

QTech has had very successful few months as it recently launched an industry-first, cross-supplier rewards feature – Network Progressive Jackpot – to unpack a cutting-edge acquisition and retention toolbox for its partners around the world. The addition of this new feature is set to further help the company achieve its goal to become a leading provider of online casino entertainment in Asia and other emerging markets with big growth potential by 2023.

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The recent decision not to prosecute four Las Vegas Metro police officers in last June’s shooting death of Jorge Gomez could impact tourists visiting the Las Vegas Strip, warns UNLV law professor Addie C. Rolnick.

“Business and tourism require a safe community,” Rolnick, a professor at UNLV Boyd School of Law, told Casino.org. “A safe community is more than police who respond quickly to crime.”

It also requires that members of the public feel safe from police and, at minimum, that police violence will be fully investigated and, where appropriate, officers will be held accountable,” she explained.

Rolnick, who studies critical race theory, added that “residents and visitors alike may be concerned that this is not happening.”

Her comments come a year after the May 25 death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers. The night Gomez was shot, he was taking part in a Black Lives Matter (BLM)-sponsored protest over Floyd’s killing.

No Criminal Charges Against Officers

Last week, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson issued a 79-page report in which he decided the four Las Vegas officers will not face criminal charges.

Gomez was legally carrying a firearm at the protest held near the federal courthouse located in Downtown Las Vegas, KLAS, a local TV station, reported. He allegedly ignored orders from officers and brandished a firearm in a threatening manner, according to accounts from police officers. He also allegedly attempted to flee on Las Vegas Boulevard, police further claim.

The four Metro officers fired 19 rounds at him, authorities revealed. He died from the wounds.

“Based on the evidence currently available … the actions of Sergeant Ryan Fryman, Officer Andrew Locher, Officer Vernon Ferguson, and Officer Daniel Emerton were not criminal in nature,” Wolfson said in a statement.

The … officers each had a reasonable belief that [the] decedent could cause serious physical harm to themselves, their fellow officers, and/or citizens,” Wolfson added. “Thus, the use of deadly force by the shooting officers was legally justified.”

He further points out a “killing is justified even if it develops afterward that the person killing was mistaken about the extent of the danger.”

A Metro police detective who reviewed the incident said that a video showed Gomez did not raise a firearm.

Shortly before the Gomez shooting, a separate shooting took place in front of Circus Circus Hotel & Casino. Metro Officer Shay Mikalonis was seriously injured in that gunfire as he apprehended unruly protestors involved in another BLM protest.

In response to Wolfson’s ruling, Rolnick said she was “not surprised” because “it is rare for officers to be charged in connection with use of force.”

This is partly because the law defers to police assessments of danger at the time, even if the officers are wrong,” she added. “It is also a question of prosecutorial priorities. While prosecutors in some cities have made it a priority to hold police accountable, the Clark County District Attorney has shown little interest in pursuing charges against officers, including most recently the failure to file charges against the officers who killed Byron Williams.”

“For both Metro investigators and the District Attorney to conclude the killing was justified by deferring to officer accounts, despite inconsistencies between the officers’ accounts and video footage, does nothing to assure the Las Vegas community that officers will be held accountable.”

Venetian Casino Chokehold

Rolnick also recalled Tashii Brown Farmer’s death in 2017 at Las Vegas’ Venetian Hotel & Casino. The family of Brown-Farmer agreed to a $2.2 million settlement in a case against Metro police in connection with him dying after an officer placed him in a chokehold.

Before the chokehold, the officer stunned him with a taser seven times, and punched him repeatedly, according to report findings. Rolnick said the chokehold incident illustrates the connection between Las Vegas Strip tourism and police violence.

Brown-Farmer experienced a mental breakdown in a casino, she said. The police response, in which casino security guards were also involved, escalated the confrontation and led to his death, she added.

LVMPD Has No Comment

When asked for comment about Wolfson’s recent report, a Metro police spokesman told Casino.org the “LVMPD is not making any comments regarding the DA’s decision not to criminally charge officers….” He referred questions to Wolfson’s office and the information in the report.

The post Las Vegas Tourists Could Feel Less Safe After Metro Officers Not Charged In Death, Law Prof Says appeared first on Casino.org.

A bill to strengthen penalties against people who carry firearms into Nevada casinos passed out of a state Senate committee on Saturday. The measure is expected to face resistance in the state Assembly, according to a report.

Current law requires security guards at hotel-casinos to tell armed visitors that firearms are not allowed on a resort property, according to the Associated Press. If the armed person refuses to leave, security can contact local law enforcement and report the person for trespassing. 

Under Senate Bill 452, security could contact law enforcement and report a person suspected of carrying a firearm without giving the trespasser a verbal warning, the AP reported. The measure also would make carrying a firearm into casinos a gross misdemeanor punishable by a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.

If approved at the Legislature and signed by Gov. Steve Sisolak (D), the measure would only apply to large hotel-casinos that opt-in. A resort would be required to post on its property and website that guns are not allowed. This also would apply to concealed carry license holders.

Sen. Melanie Scheible (D) said hotel-casinos should be give that option.

“We should be paying special attention to the resorts, the casinos, the hotels, and all of the places that people come from all over the world to see, and ensure that they can be safe while they are there,” the Las Vegas lawmaker said.

“I am very concerned about what I believe this leads to, which is ‘Stop and Frisk,’” said Summers-Armstrong, whose district is in Las Vegas. “We are going to have situations where Black folks and brown folks are going to be the ones who are going to be – not asked to leave – but are going to be the ones that the police are called on.”

Resistance Expected 

Ayesha Molino, MGM Resorts vice president of public affairs, said the measure would give hotel-casinos one option among many if someone comes in with a firearm, the AP reported.

We should be able to engage with law enforcement in order to give assistance to remove that person from the property,” she said.

The gun ban is expected to have difficulty winning approval at the state Assembly in Carson City before the scheduled May 31 adjournment date, according to the AP.  Democratic leaders could not drum up support for a similar proposal earlier in the year.

AK-47 Confiscated on Strip

In October 2017, a gunman firing on a music festival from an upper floor at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip killed 60 people and wounded hundreds more. The gunman also killed himself. MGM Resorts owns the Mandalay Bay.

A surge in violence on the Las Vegas Strip, including several shootings, led to a crime suppression effort last year that the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department called “Operation Persistent Pressure.” 

The effort was in place in tourist areas on Friday and Saturday nights from Sept. 18 to Dec. 20. It resulted in the arrest of 1,229 people.

This year, police Capt. Dori Koren is tweeting photographs of firearms that patrol officers have confiscated on the Strip and nearby tourist areas. Among the guns police have retrieved since May 1 is a gold-plated AK-47 rifle. Koren calls this latest effort “Operation Persistent Pressure II.”

The post Casino Gun Ban Under Consideration at Nevada Statehouse appeared first on Casino.org.

Maryland is encouraging its residents to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and enticing them to do so with free cash.

The Maryland Lottery, in conjunction with the Maryland Department of Health, yesterday revealed its $2 million “VaxCash” promotion. 

Announcing the Maryland Lottery $2 Million VaxCash Promotion! From May 25th – July 3rd, one lucky vaccinated Marylander will win $40,000 each day! And on July 4th, one lucky vaccinated Marylander will win $400,000! Learn more here: https://t.co/cUK1ERVCdF pic.twitter.com/sxZRGOlqO8

— Maryland Lottery (@MDLottery) May 20, 2021

Beginning May 25, one $40,000 winner will be randomly selected every day for 40 consecutive days. On July 4, the final lucky individual will win $400,000.

Our mission is to ensure no arm is left behind, and we are committed to making sure no stone is left unturned,” said Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R). “Get your shot for a shot to win.”

The Maryland Lottery will cover the $2 million from its marketing budget. 

Maryland is the latest state to use its lottery to encourage people to get vaccinated. Ohio started the trend earlier this month with promising five $1 million lucky winners. New York is handing out $20 scratch tickets in exchange for COVID-19 shots, with a top prize of $5 million. 

Residents Automatically Entered

Federal and state governments are collecting an unprecedented amount of personal information to track the number of people who are, and are not, receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

People who win a $40,000 COVID-19 vaccine prize, or the $400,000 grand prize, will be allowed to remain anonymous, the Maryland Lottery says. Maryland is one of 11 states that allows its lottery winners to remain anonymous, Ohio being another one of those states. 

New York isn’t anonymous, but its vax lottery program is slightly different. New Yorkers who receive a vaccine at one of the state’s 10 mass vaccination sites will receive a free $20 Mega Multiplier Lottery scratch-off ticket. Therefore, it won’t be publicly known if the Multiplier player won because they were vaccinated.  

Vaccination Rates Slowing

The three states are utilizing their lotteries in response to a slowing of vaccine distributions. 

Troubling news, the number of vaccinations are slowing,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) admitted. “And they’re slowing dramatically. We have a 43 percent decline in people coming in for vaccinations.”

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) says he’s using federal coronavirus funds to pay for the vax lottery initiative. 

“I know that some may say, ‘DeWine, you’re crazy! This million-dollar drawing idea of yours is a waste of money,’” the governor stated. “But truly, the real waste at this point in the pandemic — when the vaccine is readily available to anyone who wants it — is a life lost to COVID-19.”

The CDC says 60.5 percent of the total US population aged 18 and older has received at least one vaccine dose, while 48.4 percent are fully vaccinated. 

The post Maryland Latest State to Use Lottery as COVID-19 Vaccine Incentive appeared first on Casino.org.

Online casino games supplier Pragmatic Play has formed an alliance with iGaming operator Juega En Linea to significantly bolster its presence in the Latin American region.

Under the terms of the deal, announced this past Monday, Pragmatic Play would provide its latest operator partner with access to its online slots range as well as to its Live Casino, and Virtual Sports products.

Juega En Linea is licensed by the Government of Curacao and provides online gaming and sports betting services in multiple markets across Latin America. It operates as a digital gambling operator under the Curacao license of its parent organization Games & More B.V. and as an online payment processor through its Malta-based Power Gaming Ltd. affiliate.

Pragmatic Play’s partnership with Juega En Linea will significantly enhance the provider’s presence across the lucrative LatAm region, while also providing more variety to the operator’s existing offering.

This new alliance is completely in line with the iGaming content supplier’s strategy to constantly grow its presence across new and existing markets. Pragmatic Play announced its supply deal with Juega En Linea on the same day it revealed it has strengthened its existing business relationship with Kindred Group by partnering its UK-focused 32Red brand. Under the terms of that other deal, the supplier will provide the gaming site with access to its slots offering.

Pleased to Team Up with Operator with Sterling Reputation

Commenting on their partnership with Juega En Linea, Pragmatic Play VP of Latin American Operations Victor Arias said that their new partner has a “sterling reputation and a wide customer base across Latin America” and that they are very pleased to be able to work with the major online gambling operator.

Jhorvis Perez, General Manager at Juega En Linea, said that they continually seek for innovative content to provide their players with and that by teaming up with Pragmatic Play, they are able to further diversify their games lobby and add products from three different verticals.

The official further noted that with the plethora of games that Pragmatic Play has supplied them with, they cannot wait “to enjoy this partnership as we grow together.”

Juega En Linea is the latest of many LatAm partners announced by Pragmatic Play in recent months. Back in March, the provider said that it has formed an alliance with Venezuela-based gambling group Cordialito to deliver its content to the operator’s players.

Earlier this year, the company also partnered with Peruvian operator Solbet and Argentina- and Paraguay-focused iGaming and sports betting company BOLDT, which operates in these two markets via the Bplay.com.ar and Bplay.com.py sites.

Source: PRAGMATIC PLAY INKS NEW AGREEMENT WITH JUEGA EN LINEA, Pragmatic Play Newsroom, May 17, 2021

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