Ken Barton is no longer the CEO or managing director of Crown Resorts. After the report by New South Wales Supreme Court Judge Patrician Bergin was released, stating the company was not fit to hold its Crown Sydney license, the company announced it was taking significant steps to improve compliance, its company culture, and governance. Helen Coonan will now lead the company in an executive chairman role. The board will continue to search for a new CEO.
The Departure
Barton has released a statement commenting on his departure and the change in leadership. He is working with the company to help with the transition and says that he is certain the company will be on the right path as it works to restore confidence within its operations.
Having worked with the Crown for over a decade, Barton was first the company’s chief financial officer before he was named CEO in early 2020. He was put in the position as the inquiry by Bergin began. As he worked with the Crown, Bergin was also the director for two bank accounts of VIPs. It was found that these accounts were associated with allegations of money laundering.
According to Commissioner Bergin, Barton was not a match for what was needed to control the casino license of the company. Bergin said: “His problems will not be cured by the appointment of people expert in the field who report to him.”
Bergin said further that Barton should have started a full investigation into the allegations of money laundering when the inquiry began. The former CEO is also accused of misleading shareholders during a 2019 annual general meeting. He told shareholders at the time that general information was being shared with Consolidated Press Holdings, a company owned by James Packer, but in fact, the information was confidential.
The Commissioner called out Barton for his behavior and said it was even worse last September when he tried to justify his actions at the meeting. She said it was improper conduct, lacking judgment and insight.
More Employee Resignations
Just after the announcement of the inquiry findings, additional individuals left the company. Three directors of the Crown are no longer in place. This includes Guy Jalland, Michael Johnston, and Andrew Demetriou.
These individuals resigned from their positions so that the Crown can continue its ambitious reform program. For Ms. Coonan, the new director, apologized last week for the shortcomings of the company. She stated further that the criticism by the regulator was appropriate.
Hot on the heels of announcing the debut of its highly anticipated Mega Roulette product and Pragmatic Play has launched its latest online slot, The Hand of Midas.
Based on King Midas, who is known in Greek mythology for his ability to turn everything he touched into gold, the 5×3 video slot with 20 paylines and 5,000x max win potential looks to be played out underwater amid the ruins of a mysterious ancient temple, which features colossal pillars etched in gold, vivid graphics, and captivating soundtrack that is sure to engage players.
Symbols and gameplay:
Game symbols include 10-A card values as the low pays, while goblets, a bowl of fruit, treasure chests, Midas’ daughter Marigold, who, tragically, was turned to gold, the God of Wine, Dionysus, who the distraught ruler turned to for help, and King Midas, of course, all serve as the game’s premiums.
Those up to the challenge can expect a big win if the King Midas symbol land on the reels, as he is the most lucrative symbol in the highly volatile game, paying anywhere between 2 and 20x the total stake.
Triggering the extra spins mode happens when at least three Scatters land on the reels. When a winning combination is formed, a random number of extra spins are awarded. Additional chances for huge wins arise during the Bonus Mode where Wilds are sticky and where players are also able to receive extra consolation spins, part of the king’s generosity.
Enhancing reach:
Chief Business Development Officer for Pragmatic Play, Yossi Barzely, used a company press release to comment on the new launch…
“The Hand of Midas takes players to the land of the greedy Greek character as they look to help relieve him of his wealth on the reels.
“Our exclusive portfolio of slot games continues to grow every month, and new titles such as The Hand of Midas allow us to reach even more players and create more engaging content for them. “
The multi-product content provider’s latest slot offering follows recent hits Eye of the Storm, Dragon Kingdom Eyes of Fire, Madame Destiny Megaways, and Congo Cash, each of which enhances pragmatic Play’s award-winning and diverse slot portfolio.
Mega Roulette:
As mentioned, the developer has also rolled out the latest addition to its growing live casino vertical with Mega Roulette. The single-zero roulette product has gone live across Latin America with select operators before the official launch on February 24. In addition to allowing players to make “Mega Bets,” the new game features lucrative multipliers, which award up to 500 times the stake, leading to serious win potential.
Tournament series and new slot:
Additionally, we would be remiss if we failed to mention the exciting Drops & Wins weekly tournament series, which runs through November 17th and will see a whopping €/£250,000 a month given away through Weekly Tournaments and Daily Prize Drops.
Players can expect Pragmatic to drop its next new title, Joker King, on February 18, so stay tuned!
Are you ready to enter the magical woods and go on a unique adventure? Wazden’s new Clover Lady takes you on a fun journey with the woodswoman and her Direwolf. The two characters help you while you spin the 6-reel, 10-payline online slot, as they are connected to the Hold the Jackpot option in the Clover Jackpot Bonus.
Details of Clover Lady
The Clover Jackpot Bonus is a feature you want to see in the game. Trigger this round with three bonus symbols and you are then taken into a mysterious area of the forest. Here, you will find an 18-reel grid, much larger than the base game.
The woodswoman is the bonus symbol in this round and she can appear anywhere in the game. However, she will always be moved to the middle row. You can collect as many as six bonus symbols in this round. Different jackpots are awarded based on the number of bonus symbols provided.
Three of the bonus symbols will provide the mini jackpot. Four triggers the minor jackpot while five will trigger the major jackpot. The grand jackpot is awarded six symbols. If you collect Direwolves in this round, they make the prizes even larger in the slot game.
The Direwolves will offer a win multiplier in this round of the innovative title. The multiplier starts at 1.5x and will increase by 0.5 with each symbol. In the bonus round, three respins are provided as well, with the count resetting with every new addition on the grid. If the reels are full, then the Clover Lady and the Direwolf will join power and provide the grand jackpot with a 7x multiplier. This prize will equal 3500x the wager!
Commercial Officer at Wazdan, Andrzej Hyla, commented on the new game by stating: “Clover Lady™ takes a fun-filled, familiar theme and adds a thrilling adventure twist. With Direwolves increasing multipliers every time they land on the reels; players will be keeping an eager eye out for these majestic creatures.”
Additional Details of the Game
Clover Lady also includes a four-leaf clover that is the wild in the game. This symbol will substitute for others in the base game. The only symbols it will not replace is the Direwolf and Bonus.
Like other Wazdan games, Clover Lady also includes Ultra Lite Mode, Volatility Levels, Ultra Fast Mode, and Big Screen Mode. There is also a Buy Feature, where players can start the Clover Jackpot Bonus at any time.
Clover Lady now joins the many other new online slot games created by the innovative developer. In late January, Wazdan announced the release of Unicorn Reels. This game features an enchanted forest where treasures are hidden deep within the branches. Find mystical creatures on the reels along with a bonus round and jackpot prizes.
There is a chance to win a Minor, Major, and Grand jackpot in this slot. The Grand jackpot is the largest prize, featuring 1000x the stake!
Tomorrow is set to see couples around the world celebrating their love via this year’s edition of Valentine’s Day and Czech online casino games developer Endorphina Limited is getting in on the act with the launch of its new Cupid video slot.
The Prague-headquartered firm used an official Wednesday press release published by European Gaming Media and Events to declare that its latest five-reel and 20-payline advance invites aficionados to join a winged cherub as ‘he brings true love to the people who need it’. However, the innovator also stated that this is a ‘secret mission’ so players are almost certain to feel the thrill and excitement of ‘hiding and seeking and shooting arrow after arrow’.
Additional attraction:
Endorphina Limited detailed that the three-row Cupid video slot is its second release of 2021 following last week’s premiere of its five-reel and 50-payline Golden Ox game and features an eponymous wild symbol as well as a scatter represented as a heart. It furthermore proclaimed that ‘only the highest wins are paid’ in this mobile-friendly love extravaganza while gathering a minimum of three scatters will grant players access to a free spins bonus round where up to 20 extra attempts await.
Spins spectacular:
Kirill Miroshnichenko from Endorphina Limited used the press release to assert that the free spins bonus game in Cupid could reward lucky competitors with lucrative prizes involving their overall stake multiplied by a figure listed on one of the scatters. He moreover pronounced that ‘adventurous love hunters can enjoy a risk game as well’ so as to mimic their aerial iGaming protagonist in awarding ‘more chances for love and happiness’.
Read a statement from Miroshnichenko…
“We decided to make this Valentine’s Day unforgettable. I’m so happy to announce our new title, Cupid. No matter if you are single or in a relationship, our Cupid will be a good companion for you.”
Only three weeks after launching its Mayan Rush video slot, Dutch online casino games developer Stakelogic has now returned to herald the premiere of its new three-reel Mighty Joker Arcade innovation.
The Eindhoven-headquartered firm used an official Thursday press release to describe its latest game as ‘a retro slot machine’ that allows iGaming aficionados to ‘take on the joker’ in an attempt to win prizes that can reach as high as €12,000 ($14,540). It also stated that the three-row title has been designed to recreate ‘the dusky and atmospheric gaming floor of a traditional casino’ and comes complete with a theoretical return to player ratio of 95%.
Prize potential:
Stakelogic proclaimed that Mighty Joker Arcade features ‘a base game as well as a top game’ with the former paying out in the customary left to right fashion alongside the latter with a criss-cross method ‘for plenty of big win potential’. It moreover asserted that players can sit down for a session on the mobile-friendly innovation in hopes of taking home ‘a progressive mystery jackpot’ that starts at €500 ($606) before topping out at €5,000 ($6,060) via taking on 0.5% of any wagers placed.
Conventional composition:
Stephan Van Den Oetelaar serves as Chief Executive Officer Stakelogic and he used the press release to state that Mighty Joker Arcade additionally offers a traditional family of fruit symbols as well as ‘start’, ‘tails’, ‘heads’, ‘collect’ and ‘hold’ buttons that allow competitors ‘to control the game’ and its mystery wins and gamble bonus option.
Read a statement from Van Den Oetelaar…
“Mighty Joker Arcade is a thrilling classic slot that hits the highest possible production value while also providing players with plenty of chances to land big wins in the base game, top game, and via the progressive jackpot. We believe Mighty Joker Arcade will appeal to fans of classic slots in markets around the world and deliver the thrilling and exciting experience they are seeking each time they spin the reels and watch the fruit, bell, and joker symbols tumble.”
The plan to open The Drew Las Vegas as the newest casino resort in southern Nevada has reportedly taken another blow following news that its owner has sold the under-construction property owing to a coronavirus-related downturn in its finances.
According to a Thursday report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper, Witkoff Group LLC spent approximately $600 million some 43 months ago in order to buy the half-finished Las Vegas Strip development that was to be known as The Fontainebleau. The New York City-headquartered firm purportedly had plans to finish construction so as to premiere its new-look The Drew Las Vegas complete with a 3,780-room hotel and a 95,000 sq ft casino by the end of 2020.
Coronavirus casualty:
However, the newspaper reported that this timeline was later scuppered as the coronavirus pandemic devasted Las Vegas’ main economic driver, tourism, and left the firm looking around for someone to take the 24.5-acre site off of its hands. Headed by American real estate mogul Steve Witkoff, the developer was purportedly known to have secured roughly $2 billion in outside financing from the likes of a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group and South Korean casino operator Kangwon Land Incorporated to help it complete the grandiose undertaking.
Latest landlords:
Nevertheless, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Witkoff Group LLC has now offloaded the planned $2.5 billion project for an undisclosed amount to a consortium consisting of the real estate unit of American multinational Koch Industries Incorporated and Florida entrepreneur Jeffrey Soffer (pictured). This latter individual is purportedly in charge of Miami-based Fontainebleau Development, which had begun the ill-fated The Fontainebleau project way back in 2005.
Fuzzy future:
Jake Francis serves as President for Koch Real Estate Investments and he reportedly disclosed that his firm will now hold a 75% stake in the long-stalled Las Vegas project but declined to give details as to what the future may hold for the 63-story property.
Reportedly read a statement from Francis…
“We believe strongly in the Las Vegas market and see the property as a great opportunity to contribute to the long-term success and positive trajectory of this vibrant and innovative region.”
Calculating contingencies:
For his part and Brett Mufson, President for Fontainebleau Development, reportedly told the Bloomberg news service that his firm had originally hoped that the $2.8 billion The Fontainebleau would serve as a sister venue to its luxury Fontainebleau Miami Beach property. Nonetheless, he too purportedly declined to comment on what the new owners now intend to do with the blue-tinted skyscraper or whether they will stick to the original plan of using the site to host a world-class casino resort.
Mufson reportedly told Bloomberg…
“We’re currently evaluating all of our options and looking forward to being part of the advancement of the world-class Las Vegas entertainment industry.”
