The online tournament has a prize pool of $20,000. Apart from the total prize money offered, this prize pool is attractive in another way. It will be shared only by the top three players. The first place winner will get $10,000, the second place winner will get $6,000 and the third place winner will get $4,000. That way each of the winners is assured of a substantial bankroll right at the beginning of the New Year.

The entry fee for the Loaded tournament at Roxy Palace online casino is $20. This gives the player 60,000 starting coins and 10 minutes to wager in. In order to prevent players from taking abnormal risks and wagering a very large number of coins in a single spin the maximum wager is restricted to 500 coins per spin. This will test the tournament play skill of the players to the fullest. Players can extend their play by using the Continue option or the Rebuy option. The Continue option costs $10 and gives the player 5 minutes and 30,000 coins. The Rebuy option costs $20 and gives the player 10 minutes and 60,000 coins. Players can avail of each of these options a maximum of 4 times in the online tournament.

Loaded is one of the four Microgaming slot games that have been given a special tournament interface. The interface appears at the bottom left of the screen and provides a host of information extremely useful to the player. This includes the number of coins he has won, his chip balance and the amount of time that he has left. The interface also shows the player his position on the leader board and also the details of the top five players. This enables the player to learn how far behind he is and how much he has to make up. The other three Microgaming slots that have this interface are Avalon, Thunderstruck and Tomb Raider.

In the dying days of this year players at Roxy Palace online casino can participate in another online slots tournament. This is being played on Avalon. It has a significantly smaller prize pool of $1,500. There are several other online tournaments currently running with even smaller prize pools. Players can register for these tournaments through the Tournaments tab in the Games menu at Roxy Palace online casino.

In a sense it was ironic that it was the slot game Wall Street Fever that spread the Christmas cheer, because all throughout the year the real life Wall Street has put up a pretty dismal performance. This hit on Wall Street Fever was the second highest hit of the year. But it paid out only about half the amount of the highest hit, which was recorded five months ago. In the last 365 days Wall Street Fever has paid $1.86 million at an average rate of $109k recording a hit every 21 days.

Wall Street Fever is a 5 reel video slot. Surprisingly it has only 5 paylines. The slot game has a fixed coin denomination of $0.10 and players can wager only one coin per payline. This means that an investment of only $0.50 per spin is required for hitting the progressive jackpot, which is won when 5 Wall Street wild symbols appear in an enabled payline with all paylines activated. If all paylines are not activated players have to settle for a fixed payout of 100,000 coins. The symbols on the reels display the hectic life of stock brokers on Wall Street. There are symbols like phones, mobile phones, personal computers, briefcases, dollar signs and wads of dollar notes.

Wall Street Fever has several other features that make it an attractive online slot game. Three or more scatter symbols trigger the free spins bonus round. With three scatter symbols players get 5 free spins, with four scatter symbols players get 15 free spins and with five scatter symbols players get a whopping 50 free spins. The free spins can be retriggered. There is also a pick a box type bonus game on the second screen.

The progressive jackpot online slot game Wall Street Fever was a reset to its starting level of $1000 when hit, but in the short space of about two days it has already risen to over $12,000. This just goes to show that wagering is on in full swing during this Christmas break from work. Wall Street Fever can be played at all Playtech online casinos. We recommends Casino Tropez, Casino Del Rio, Omni Casino, Play United and Golden Palace Casino.

Entries to the final week bonus round are by invitation only. For the Exclusive Event only those players who have participated in 3 out of the 5 regular Exclusive Events will be invited. Unfortunately all 5 Exclusive Events have been completed so if players have missed out there is nothing that they can do now. But there is still hope for players wishing to participate in the Weekly Event part of the bonus round. Players need to participate in 7 of the 10 regular Weekly Events in order to be invited for the bonus round. The last Weekly Event is currently in progress and therefore players who are one short have a few days to make up.

The Week 11 bonus round is a freeroll slots tournament. The online slot game designated for this tournament is Thunderstruck. Though this slot game was released in 2003 by Microgaming, the audio and video content is such that it can compete with contemporary slot games. Over the last six years Thunderstruck has remained a favorite at all Microgaming online casinos. It is dedicated to Thor the Norse king of the gods, who had thunder and lightning at his command. In the Thunderstruck online slot players can both hear thunder and see lightning flash. The other popular features of this slot game are a wild symbol that doubles payouts, a free spins bonus round that can be retriggered and a gamble game.

The Weekly Event of the bonus round offers a prize pool of 5000 credits. The player in the first place will get 100 credits every month during 2010. The Exclusive Event of the bonus round offers a prize pool of 20,000 credits. The player in the first place will get 1000 credits every month during 2010. Hence both winners will play for the full year while the Fortune Lounge group pays. After all this was the purpose of the promotion You Play We Pay. By the end of the 10 regular weeks of the promotion five players will have won 100 credits per month for a year, five players will have won 250 credits per month, two players will have won 500 credits per month, one player will have won 750 credits per month and two players will have won 1000 credits per month.

The above conclusion was reached in a survey conducted by Bitkom the results of which were released this week. The survey was based on a sample size of 1000. The number of German online gamblers has reduced from 2.2 million last year to 2 million this year. Of these more than 1.7 million are males. Lottery is the most popular form of online gambling with 59% of the market share. This is followed by online poker at 22% and sports betting at 18%.

Bitkom executive Achim Berg called upon the German states to consider a modernization of the country’s gambling laws at their next meeting in March 2010. The German state of Schleswig-Holstein has already indicated that it favors a licensing system rather than the ban that is currently in force through the German Interstate Treaty on Gambling. This treaty was signed last year and is effective till 2012. However, given the attitude of Schleswig-Holstein the treaty may not last the full term and even if it does the renewal is unlikely.

Meanwhile France is committed to liberalizing online gambling laws by allowing non-state operators to vie for a share of the market. Many leading European online gambling operators have already made preparations to enter this market announcing partnerships with French groups. Among them is Paddy Power, which is collaborating with PMU. The football World Cup is scheduled to be held next year in South Africa and this is a major event for online gambling. The online gambling industry was hoping that the new French laws would be in place before then so that they could access the French market. However it appears unlikely that the liberalized regime will be in place by the time of the World Cup. The new laws were originally scheduled to be in place by January 2010.

The proposal to offer licenses to operators for providing services in online gambling has been approved by the Members of Parliament in the National Assembly. It is expected that the Senate will pass the laws only by the end of March 2010. The legislation will then have to be approved by the National Assembly again. Finally the European Commission will take about three months to grant its acceptance. Licenses can only be issued after that, which means that it would have to be after the World Cup.

The Santa Paws promotion has started on December 19 and will run till December 30. In order to qualify for the promotion players have to make a deposit of $100 in their real money accounts at Blackjack Ballroom online casino. Players wagering in pounds will have to deposit £100 and players wagering in euros will have to deposit €100. Players then have to complete 100 spins on the video slot game Santa Paws before the end of the promotion period. All players who managed to do this will receive a bonus of 25 credits in the currency of their wagering. This bonus will be credited into their accounts on December 31 so that they can begin the New Year with a bang. Blackjack Ballroom online casino has chosen an appropriate slot game for this promotion. Santa Paws is one of the most cheerful Christmas themed slot games from Microgaming. The polar bear is Santa and he distributes Christmas presents to the other animals of the North Pole. 100 spins on this slot game will get over in no time. And obviously players get to keep what ever they win during these spins.

The next promotion is being played on the video slot game Vinyl Countdown. This slot game takes players to the era when music was not downloaded from the Internet or listened on iPods. There were vinyl records that were played on gramophones. Full of symbols from the rock and roll period Vinyl Countdown is the perfect way to ring in the New Year. In order to participate in the promotion players have to make a deposit of 20 credits in the currency of their wagering during the promotion period. Then they will earn double loyalty points on the Vinyl Countdown slot game from December 19 to December 30. On December 31 and January 1 Blackjack Ballroom online casino has raised the ante. On these two days players will earn triple loyalty points by wagering on Vinyl Countdown. All the loyalty points earned in this promotion will be credited on January 4, 2010.

The Xmas Weekend Bonuses are classified into two groups. The bonuses in the first group can be used to wager on slots, scratch cards and keno. The deposit has to be made using credit cards of gift cards, UseMyWallet, eWalletXpress and Click2Pay. For each deposit option Cherry Red online casino offers seven bonus coupons. Each coupon offers a bonus of 200% subject to an upper limit of $1,000. As is the case with any bonus, wagering requirements apply to the Xmas Weekend Bonuses at Cherry Red online casino. For this set of bonuses the wagering requirements are 20 times the deposit and the bonus.

The bonuses in the second group can be used to wager on all online casino games offered at Cherry Red except roulette, baccarat, craps and Pai Gow poker. The deposit has to be made using same payment options as applicable for the earlier set of bonuses. For each deposit option there are seven bonus coupons as before. Each coupon offers a bonus of 150% subject to an upper limit of $1,000. For this set of bonuses the wagering requirements are 50 times the deposit and the bonus.

There are certain common conditions for both sets of bonuses. Each deposit must be at least $25. The bonuses are play bonuses. Hence only the winnings from the bonuses can be cashed out. At the time of the withdrawal the amount of the bonuses will be deducted from the balance. Players who try to withdraw funds before completing the wagering requirements will have both the bonuses and the winnings from them voided.

Cherry Red online casino has added a new bonus to its long list. This is a no deposit bonus which is called Winner’s Bonus. Under this bonus players who cancel a pending withdrawal are entitled to 40% of the canceled amount as a bonus. There is an important rule that needs to be followed for redeeming the bonus. The redemption request has to be placed with the customer support immediately after canceling the withdrawal. If the player wagers on any game at Cherry Red online casino or he makes any deposit after canceling the withdrawal but before requesting the bonus his entitlement will be lost.

The first promotion is Santa’s $330 Holiday Cash. This Christmas Santa Claus is giving players at Omni Casino a 110% deposit bonus on the first deposit made between December 23 and December 28. The minimum deposit has to be $30 and the maximum bonus is capped at $330. Players wagering in British Pounds or Euros will receive their bonuses in the currency of wagering. A wagering requirement of 20 times the deposit and bonus has to be met before requesting for a withdrawal. The wagering can be done on any online slot game offered at Omni Casino, except progressive slot games. Wagering can be done on single and multi-hand blackjack games, but counts only 20% towards the wagering requirement value. Wagering on any other game will not count towards wagering requirements.

The second Christmas promotion at Omni Casino is the 50 Bonus Dollars. It is a bonus that rewards loyalty. Players who wager on any 4 days between December 23 and December 27 will receive a $50 cash bonus. In order for a day to count players must wager a minimum of $1,300 in total wagers on a calendar day. Wagers on video poker will not count. The management of Omni Casino will also check if players are placing competing wagers in games like roulette, craps and sic bo in order to meet the requirement and disallow those. Winnings will be credited to the players’ accounts on December 28. The best thing about this 50 Bonus Dollars promotion is that the bonuses do not have any wagering requirements.

With the progressive jackpot online slot Beach Life hit last week the popularity of games has changed at Omni Casino. Beach Life no longer occupies the top spot and understandably so. The most popular game in recent times has been La Chatte Rouge. The Red Cat is a woman with expensive tastes but she pays out well with the top jackpot of 10,000 coins. Rome & Glory has moved to number two spot indicating that themes of ancient civilizations are still very popular. The Marvel Movies branded slot games Iron Man and Hulk come next. Other slot games in the top 10 include Desert Treasure, Azteca, Irish Luck and Chinese Kitchen.

One bonus is being given under a promotion called Alakazam. Players need to deposit only $250 in order to get an incredible bonus of $750. This is a 300% deposit bonus, something that players will get only during Christmas. Players will have to meet wagering requirements. The deposit and a bonus have to be wagered 50 times before a withdrawal will be allowed. There is another condition that the wagering can be done only on online slot games offered at Aladdin’s Gold online casino. But that should not bother players at Aladdin’s Gold online casino because some excellent slots from Realtime Gaming are available. Very popular at the moment are three Christmas themed slots, Rudolph’s Revenge, Santa Strikes Back and Naughty or Nice. Players can also wager on the progressive slot games Jackpot Piñatas and Aztecs Millions, both of which are ticking away at over $1 million.

There are three other deposit bonuses that are being given to the players by Aladdin’s Gold online casino. The first one offers 150% of the deposit but the maximum bonus allowable goes up to $1,000. This bonus can be used to wager on slots, keno and scratch cards. The second bonus is 50% of the deposit subject to a maximum of $1,000. This bonus too can be used to wager on slots, keno and scratch cards. The third bonus is for players who like to wager on blackjack, video poker and table games. This bonus is 40% of the deposit. The maximum limit remains the same at $1,000. In the case of the first two bonuses, the deposit and the bonus must be wagered 25 times before requesting a withdrawal. However in the case of the third bonus the wagering requirement goes up to 50 times the deposit and the bonus.

Aladdin’s Gold online casino offers a unique welcome bonus. The bonus is 200% of the deposit. There is no upper limit to the bonuses and there is no limit to the number of deposits the player can make. The only condition is that this bonus is valid for deposits made within seven days of signing up. Aladdin’s Gold online casino is a leading brand of the Club World group of online casinos. It is powered by software from Realtime Gaming. The casino is licensed and regulated in the gaming jurisdiction of Curacao.

The Fantastic Four slot game has been billed as “nothing short of FANTASTIC!” It is a 5 reel, 20 payline game with a top payout of 10,000 coins in the base game. Bonus rounds have become the center of attraction of slot games and Fantastic Four has five of them. Players can win free spins with the payouts multiplied 12 times. In addition they have a chance of winning four “special” free spins with four additional bonus features that include multiplying symbols, scattered wilds, expanding wilds and the innovative freezing wilds.

Players can get ready to pick a side in the mutant battle that is featured in the Marvel themed X-Men slot game. X-Men is a 5 reel, 25 payline game and like Fantastic Four has a top payout of 10,000 coins in the base game. Players can choose from two bonus round modes. They can play the free spins with the 8X multiplier either in the heroes mode or in the villain mode. The best feature in X-Men is the “X feature”. In this feature if players get any five heroes to form an “X” on the reels they will win 5 times the total wager.

Elektra is a rare female super hero and the Elektra slot game is hot. Though this 5 reel, 20 payline online slot has a top payout of only 5,000 coins in the base game it is no less exciting. The free spins come with 14X multipliers and there is the chance to win various multipliers, scattered wilds and expanding wilds. Each of the branded Marvel Movie slots from Playtech has a multi-level mystery jackpot that gives players the chance to cash-in on one of four progressives jackpots.

David’s signing up with All Slots online casino was fortuitous. About a month ago he received an e-mail advertising All Slots’ €5,000 welcome bonus. He decided to take up this offer on a whim and registered with the online casino. Then he had no idea that a month later this simple act would change his life forever. On the lucky day two weeks ago the win came swiftly. He had been playing on Treasure Nile for two minutes when a €4.50 wager resulted in five “Pharaoh” symbols appearing on the 9th payline of the progressive jackpot online slot game. His balance jumped by over €130k and he knew that he had caught the big fish. Though David R loves to globetrot, he wants to use this money to buy a house. On an average the Treasure Nile progressive jackpot hits for €78,000 every 12 days. It has hit again just 3 days ago for €52,000. Therefore David R must consider himself lucky to have registered such a big hit. In fact David’s hit is the second largest in the last three months.

David Brickman, the Jackpot Factory’s Vice President of Player Affairs, congratulated the winner and said, “You never know when luck can strike, and this exciting win just goes to show that at All Slots Casino, dreams really can come true! We look forward to sharing more winning moments with David, and with all of our players in the coming year.”

All Slots online casino is currently hosting a promotion called Christmas Spin. Two legs of the promotion have been completed. The third leg has just started on December 22 and the final leg will start on December 28. For every 50 credits deposited and wagered during each week of the promotion players earn one spin on the Christmas Spin game. The winnings from the spin are not given out but accumulated for the entire week. At the end of the week the top 150 players on the leader board share the 10,000 credits prize pool. The first place winner will get 1,000 credits as bonuses and the players in the 81st to the 150th places will win 25 credits each.