Месяц: Июль 2015

An angry gambler smashed up gaming machines at a Coventry casino after losing an undisclosed sum of cash on a roulette wheel.

Kawa Abdulla flew into a rage at Genting Casino at the Skydome complex in the city centre just after 11.30pm on March 11.

As fellow punters fled in panic, the 48-year-old of Northey Road, Foleshill , punched a display screen before picking up a stool and using it to smash up two gaming machines worth a total of £6,500.

Police were called and he was arrested at the scene.

At Coventry Magistrates Court on June 17, Abdulla admitted criminal damage and using or threatening unlawful violence.

He received a 12-month community order comprising a six-week curfew and a rehabilitation activity requirement.

He was also ordered to pay £780 compensation, a £60 victim surcharge and £85 costs.

A gang of casino croupiers 'fixed' a roulette wheel in an Ocean's Eleven-style scam to steal thousands of pounds, a court has heard.

Casino workers Craig Walker, 26, and Daniel Johnson, 29, used a secret signal - scratching their heads - to tip off their stooge Kevin Traynor, 32, in a bid to raise his stakes.

The Blackpool residents used the scam to make £23,000 from Coral Island casino in Blackpool, Lancashire.

Managers at the casino became suspicious that Traynor's winnings were disproportionate to his bets and, checking CCTV, uncovered the ruse.

Preston Crown Court heard Walker and Johnson were working together on a quiet shift at the casino when they discovered it was possible to perform a 'ho spin' on the wheel - fixing it so the ball stayed in the same slot.

They enlisted Traynor, a family friend of Johnson's, to visit the casino and place a number of bets.

When he was given the signal, dad-of-one Traynor increased his bet from £25 to £100, securing a win and splitting the cash with his two accomplices.

SWNSCraig Walker (pictured) and Daniel Johnson are in court for 'fixing' a roulette wheel in an Ocean's Eleven style scam to steal thousands of pounds from Coral Island casino in BlackpoolIll-gotten gains: Craig Walker (pictured) was jailed for 14 months for 'fixing' a roulette wheel
In January 2015, two months after the trio started their scam, casino manager Richard Monroe became suspicious about Traynor's gambling pattern and asked a member of staff to supervise him.

Traynor seemed to be gambling small amounts but making big wins and when computer records revealed a £2,100 payout, Mr Monroe delved into CCTV footage.

Walker - a senior croupier with responsibility for overseeing games were being played fairly - was seen scratching his head prior to a ball being anticipated.

Patrick Williamson, prosecuting, said: "All three said their motivation was that they had been in debt."

All three men were arrested and admitted their part in the plan, before pleading guilty to fraud.

Fraser Livesey, defending Walker, said: "He will never again work in the trade he has learned since he was 18. No one is ever going to trust him."

For Johnson, Brian Williams, said: "What began as an idle discussion developed into a plan. He can hardly believe they did it."

SWNSCraig Walker and Daniel Johnson (pictured) are in court for 'fixing' a roulette wheel in an Ocean's Eleven style scam to steal thousands of pounds from Coral Island casino in BlackpoolJailed: Daniel Johnson was part of the team who stole from Coral Island casino in Blackpool
Walker was jailed for 14 months, while Johnson was jailed for 12 months.

Traynor, of Prestwich, Greater Manchester, was handed a nine-month sentence suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

Sentencing the men, Recorder Nicholas Clarke QC said: "On eight occasions you operated the game in such a way that your stooge, who you brought in from Manchester, could come in and play the game to win.

"You gave a signal, a no spin was arranged which prompted an increased bet and so secured a larger win than you would by playing by chance or without the knowledge of the wheel."

The Ritz Club is suing Safa Abdulla Al-Geabury for the money, plus £200,000 interest, which is building at a rate of £438 a day, after his cheque bounced last year.

However, the Swiss national has countersued for £5.4million to cover the sums he blew at the Mayfair casino over four years saying bosses should have stopped him betting because they knew he was hopelessly addicted.

The High Court heard yesterday that in 2009, in a bid to beat his habit, Mr Al-Geabury, 52, signed self-exclusion forms banning himself from a host of London casinos, including The Ritz.

However, the former currency dealer, who rents a £90,000 a year flat in Chelsea, was let back in after several months and gambled again. In court he claimed The Ritz Club “chased” him to keep visiting the casino.

He also alleged he only went to the casino in February last year after accepting an offer to watch Arsenal play Bayern Munich at the Emirates stadium in London.

He claimed a Ritz executive suggested he went to the casino after the match even though he protested. Mr Al-Geabury told the court: “I told [the man] I was a problem gambler.”

The great abundance and variety of online casino video slots clearly shows that they are the most popular attraction in online casinos; software developers are constantly on the lookout for ways to make them better and more innovative.

With this in mind, it is no surprise that free spins are amongst the most sought after features in online casinos, enhancing players' slots experience by giving them "on the house" spins that can have them winning big. One of the prime developers of online casino video slots, Microgaming, has recently introduced new changes in its popular slots.

Cross-platform Free Spins

With the new changes, Microgaming is giving online casinos and online gambling operators the ability to offer players an expanded free spin experience. If free spin offers were limited to a device up until now, the new functionality allows online casinos to give players the option to choose their platform and use the free spins exactly the way that they wish - players are able to allocate how many free spins they'll use via their desired device.

The new changes allow players to change between their desktops and mobiles, using their free spins on each platform without limitation. The free spins are correctly distributed according to desktop and mobile use, even in cases when they apply to a few chosen titles at once.

New Desktop and Mobile Releases

The functionality changes in Microgaming's slots are tagged along with no less than five new slots which were released by the company this month. Among the new games, players can find the Wild West themed Pistoleras, two slots themed on dogs and cats, Hound Hotel and Kitty Cabana, The Legend of Olympus and an HD release of Microgaming's hit slot Avalon.

Microgaming has also launched three four on mobile: Summer Holiday, Fish Party, Cashville and Kings of Cash. Players are now able to play the new games along with their new functionality at top Microgaming-powered online casinos the likes of Platinum Play Casino.

Following the signing of an agreement earlier this year in March, NetEnt said that it had successfully completed the integration process and a selection of its games had now been gone live on Vegas.dk.

“I am very pleased to announce that we have launched our games with Danske Spil, one of the leading WLA operators,” said Enrico Bradamante, managing director of NetEnt Malta and chief of European market operations.

“I am confident that players in Denmark will enjoy our world-class thrilling games.”

The launch expands the company’s presence in the regulated Danish online gaming market, where NetEnt has been providing its content for the past three years.

It also continues the company’s expansion into the strategic WLA (World Lottery Association) channel, with the supplier currently providing its products and services to the likes of Lottomatica, SNAI and SISAL in Italy.

In conjunction with Play’n Go, Danske Spil, the national lottery of Denmark, is now live with its new online casino.

It is the first platform agreement delivered by Play’n Go to a state-controlled gaming operator and WLA-member, such as Danske Spil.

Players have access to Play’n Go’s full range of games as well as titles from third-party providers selected by Danske Spil.

Søren Schneider, head of games at Danske Licens Spil, said: “Danske Spil has just launched a casino standalone site to ensure further growth in a highly competitive Danish market. To gain further market share we need to be able to reach new target groups that we cannot reach with our existing casino today.

“We think we can create a unique and strong position in the market with this platform and give more value and entertainment to the players than our competitors are capable of. There are 30 casino licence holders in Denmark and you need to try and differentiate yourself if you want to be successful in the future gaming business.”