US Casino News

The First Two Weeks of Legal Online Gambling in Michigan

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

After decades of missing out on the opportunity to enjoy a good sporting event or online casino game and win money from it through online bets, residents of The Wolverine State can finally participate in online gambling activities.

The State of Michigan permitted the launch of legal online gambling within its borders at noon on Friday, 22nd January 2021. The timing of this development was perfect, especially for sports betting, because of the lineup for that weekend. For instance, NFL conference championship games were live and Michigan sports bettors got to watch and place wagers.

Some people have theorized that the license to operate given to some sport betting giants in the state was done in a bid to help the gambling industry recover faster from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whatever the reason is, online betting statistics within the first two weeks of this launch clearly show that Michigan is well on its way to becoming one of the foremost states in the US with thriving online gaming industry.

10 online casinos and sportsbooks were approved to launch that Friday by The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB), which will now regulate their activities going forward. A new round of operators was added to these the following week. Seeing how things are going, it is only expected that we’ll see more online gambling operators trooping into the market.

Industry experts predicted that there would be an impressive response from gamblers across the state after the launch. Their projection was based on the residents’ attitudes to prior legal gambling activities in the state, the time of the launch of the casinos, and the anticipation that had built up over time. Many reports have come in about the gamblers’ activities so far in Michigan and they have shown that these predictions were right.

BetMGM’s CEO, Adam Greenblatt, confirmed that the platform’s launch in Michigan was their “strongest launch yet.” BetMGM Michigan reported that over 200,000 successful logins were recorded on their platform and more than 2 million spins were seen, all within the first seven hours of being launched in the state.

However, some customers complained of problems with the BetMGM app. A representative from the company affirmed that there were glitches at some point, but it was as a result of unusually high traffic. He said that the problem was rectified the same day.

Google Trends were analyzed by Michigan Sharp, a website dedicated to the online gambling space in Michigan. They discovered that the launch of online sports betting in the state generated more interest than any previously recorded launch within the past year.

Furthermore, GeoComply, a company that facilitates geolocation tracking for many online gaming operators also announced that over 7.5 million online gambling transactions were recorded in Virginia and Michigan. Virginia has only two online operators, compared to Michigan’s ten at the time of launch, hence, the location with the higher percentage is obvious.

Since virtually every bettor in the state of Michigan would be a first-timer, there was an avalanche of bonuses being claimed on all the platforms. Bettors who could not join the thousands that flooded the Michigan online casinos and sportsbook did so the following week. Many of the operators, having had the experience of the previous week could manage them better.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board has not released reports on the revenue generated so far, but they have corroborated reports of a large influx of players into the online gambling space since the Michigan online casino launch.

If you live in Michigan and are yet to jump on the wave of excitement sweeping through the Michigan online gaming world, you’re not too late. There are still loads of bonuses to be won and more than enough games and sports betting features to explore.

EXPLORE MICHIGAN CASINOS and SPORTSBOOKS HERE!

Sources:

BetRivers & PlaySugarHouse Big Game Offer

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

Promotions at online casinos are always amazing especially when players can put in new promo codes to get thrilling bonuses throughout the year. If you’re looking for an exceptional bonus offer, then we recommend checking out the new promotion released by Betrivers.com and PlaySugarHouse.com.

The new bonus is named the ‘BIG MATCH Deposit Match’. Yes, you guessed it right, the new promotion is a match bonus that gives users free money on their deposits. So what’s included in this new package? Here’s what you’ll get:

Deposit $100 and get $500 free in bonus money.

You might be asking “how do I get this awesome bonus? Don’t fear, we’ve got you covered here at ComparCasino. Use our provided link and head directly to the online casino. From here type in the promo code ‘BIGGAME500’ when making your first deposit at the cashier.

CLAIM NOW AT BETRIVERS.COM

The minimum deposit to qualify for this bonus is $100. You’ll initially be awarded with $100. Once a $100 or higher bet is placed on the big game between the Chiefs vs Buccaneers the online casino will give you the other $400 to bet on whatever you like.

The game takes place on the 7th February 2021 and the bonus is only valid until this date. So ensure you take advantage of this bonus offer while it lasts. You never know when the next big promotion will come around!

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Your Weekly Best New Slots | Week 3 / January 18 – 24, 2021

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

New Slots To Be Released On Week 3 of 2021

Are you on the look-out for a new set of slots to play this week 3 of 2021? Then search no more as we’ve already done that for you. This week, we once again pick the most interesting new slots among the latest releases.

If you fancy a mythology-themed slot with incredible graphics and an amazing soundtrack, then War of Gods is a must-try. It offers three bonus games to increase big win potentials. Three bonus games aren’t enough for you? Check out Frost Queen Jackpots then because it has five kinds of jackpots up for grabs.

The remaining three slots in our list all offer amazing features too. Bull in A China Shop is a hilarious slot with 3 variations of wilds and 3 kinds of free spins. Hyper Strike boasts of win multipliers and free spin rounds that you can retrigger. Lastly, the generous Emerald Isle King is back in Emerald King Rainbow Road to bestow you some Irish luck.

5 New Slots To Check Out

This week, Gameburger Studios partnered with Microgaming, and Pragmatic Play partnered with Reel Kingdom to offer us new slots. Likewise, Red Tiger, Play’n GO, and Yggdrasil all have interesting new slots to offer this week 3 of 2021. Let’s take a closer look at what these great developers have in store for us.

War of Gods

A clash is inevitable when you bring two powerful deities together, and Red Tiger is well aware of that. As such, the studio capitalized on the strong rivalry to create its newest slot, War of Gods. So, you’ll spin the default 5×4 grid with rivaling brothers, Zeus and Hades, as the symphonic soundtrack fills the air.

To score a win, you need to form at least three matching symbols in this 30-payline game. Ample symbols are gracing the paytable, but you won’t find any wild symbol in it. You also won’t find in this game the usual free spin feature in slot games. However, don’t get discouraged as the studio made up for the loss with three bonus games. So, you have Hades Hellfire, Wrath of Zeus, and Warring Gods to look forward to.

Hades Hellfire and Wrath of Zeus pretty much have the same to offer. Expect only high-paying Hades or Zeus symbols when they land. They will be sticky and may transform into large symbols 1×4 in size. Hades Hellfire gives expanding symbols while Wrath of Zeus has the upgrade symbols, expanding tiles and Zeus’s value, respectively.

Both Hades and Zeus landing in the base game trigger the Warring Gods bonus. This bonus game is almost similar to the first two, except here, both Zeus and Hades symbols become sticky. Likewise, the upgrade and expanding symbols are both available, enhancing your chances of hitting big wins.

Number of Paylines: 60	RTP: 95.66%
Min Bet: 0.10	Max Bet: 20
Max Payout: 2,518x	Software Provider: Red Tiger

Bull In A China Shop

Play’n GO once again added a new game to its now-massive library of slots this week 3 of 2021. It’s obvious from the title what theme the ever-restless developer used in its new slot, Bull In A China Shop. The pagoda-designed China shop houses the game’s Shoji-screen-inspired 5×3 reels with 20 paylines.

Pay symbols all carry an Eastern touch to them. The low-paying spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs sport a Ming design pattern. Premiums consist of porcelains and an old Chinese-looking lady. The bull acts as the wild symbol, which substitutes for other symbols to help you form winning combinations. Aside from that, when wild bull appears, he also triggers one of these three effects:

Happy bull randomly puts 2 to 6 wilds on the reels.
Proud bull converts up to 5 reels into wilds.
Angry bull awards two to six x2 multiplier wilds.

Three golden bull statue scatters in view on reels 1, 3, or 5 trigger the free spin feature. You’ll begin the round with 10 free spins. You also must choose between the following three free spin options:

Happy Free Spins. Get non-sticky wilds in increasing numbers (up to 14) every time the wild symbol lands.
Proud Free Spins. Get up to 5 stacked wild every time the wild symbol lands.
Angry Free Spins. Get multiplier wilds from 2 to 14 with values of x2, x3, x5, or x10 every time the wild symbol lands.

Number of Paylines: 20	RTP: 96.2% (Default)
Min Bet: 0.10	Max Bet: 100
Max Payout: 5,000x	Software Provider: Play’n GO

Frost Queen Jackpots

Experience some winter magic as Yggdrasil Gaming transports you to a mystical land in Frost Queen Jackpots. One look at this 5-reel game with 20 paylines and the kiddie movie Frozen will come to mind. Nevertheless, the view is spectacular, and the fantastic soundtrack completes the magical atmosphere.

Four J to A royals make up the paytable’s low side. The Frost Queen is the highest-paying symbol in the game. Accompanying her as premium symbols are crowns, jewels, and a jeweled man holding a lamp. The game does not have a wild, but other features can increase big-win possibilities.

Two scatters in view trigger the Pick & Click Chest game, where you can pick one of 5 chests. You’ll either get 10 free spins, 1x to 4x your bet, or a random key. Three scatters in view trigger the Magic Mirror feature. Get an additional prize of 50x or 500x your bet when 4 or 5 scatters land, respectively.

You either get the Treasure Chest Bonus game or free spins in the Magic Mirror feature. You can also win 10 free spins and a jackpot gem if you collected at least 5 matching keys during the base game. In the Treasure Chest Bonus game, you have a chance to win 5x to 500x your bet.

You have to collect at least 5 gems of the same colors during free spins to win the blue, green, purple, red, or orange jackpot. The minimum prize for each colored gem is £/€40, £/€200, £/€600, £/€1,500, or £/€15,000, respectively.

Number of Paylines: 20	RTP: 96%
Min Bet: 0.20	Max Bet: 40
Max Payout: 1,265x	Software Provider: Yggdrasil Gaming

Hyper Strike

Adding to the new slots to be released on week 3 of 2021 is Gameburger’s Hyper Strike. A Microgaming-powered slot, this combines the land-based casino elements from that of the online ones. This is a 5×3 grid fruit-themed slot with 20 paylines and a hyper-energetic background complemented by an upbeat soundtrack.

The classic symbols of fruit-themed slots grace the paytable, and a luminous gold star represents the wild. Not only does the wild substitute for other symbols, but it also pays 125x your bet for five of a kind.

Aside from the wild, you should also watch out for the equally-flashy Hyper Strike logo and the Free Spins symbol. They are this slot’s scatter symbols. The Hyper Strike scatters pay if 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 land in view. The prizes up for grabs are 1x, 5x, 15x, 40x, 100x, 500x, or 2000x the stake, respectively.

Three Free Spins scatter symbols on reels 2, 3, and 4 give you a chance to spin the bonus wheel. The wheel has 10 sections carrying up to 3x multipliers and up to 30 free spins. Land 3 more scatters, and you’ll retrigger the ongoing bonus round.

Number of Paylines: 20	RTP: 96.24%
Min Bet: 0.20	Max Bet: 60
Max Payout: 2,000x	Software Provider: Gameburger Studios / Microgaming

Emerald King Rainbow Road

Pragmatic Play and Reel Kingdom take you back to Emerald Isle to meet the friendly leprechaun king once again. This time, you’ll make a magical quest to reach the end of the rainbow in Emerald King Rainbow Road.

This 5×3 grid with 20 paylines has the colorful 10 to A royals gracing the lower side of the paytable. In-theme symbols make up the premiums, with the Emerald King Rainbow Road logo paying the highest. As this has an Irish theme, you can expect the four-leaf clover making an appearance. In this slot, you’ll see it decorating the gold coin wild symbol that can land anywhere.

The original version doesn’t have a scatter, so this one makes up for it with two of them. The Eliminator scatter triggers the Pick Bonus feature if 3, 4, or 5 lands on any reels. The triggering scatters reveal cash prizes as you pick them one by one. However, you’ll only get to win the value of the last scatter you pick during this round.

The Emerald King himself represents the second scatter, and landing 3, 4, or 5 triggers the bonus round. You’ll then see roads filled with cash prizes and miniature slot machines with 3 reels. Advance on the road for a chance to win big prizes up to 20,000x your bet. Another feature from the original making a comeback is the Mini Slots Bonus. You can win either 1x, 5x, 10x, or 15x your bet in this bonus round.

Number of Paylines: 20	RTP: 96.7%
Min Bet: 0.20	Max Bet: 100
Max Payout: 20,000x	Software Provider: Reel Kingdom / Pragmatic Play

Conclusion

That wraps up our selection of the best new slots this week. We hope you find one that will keep you entertained until we give you another list next week.

For a safer, fairer, and more enjoyable gaming experience, just remember to only play at a trustworthy casino. If you haven’t chosen one yet, you can check out our casino toplist page. You’ll find some of the most trustworthy casinos there to play whichever slot you fancy.

US Gambling Stocks — What Will Happen in 2021?

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

When it comes to stocks you can buy stocks from several companies that are selling shares of their companies at reputable stock exchangers. Gambling stocks are currently a hot topic for several stock exchange enthusiasts and professionals.

There have been big changes in regulations for sports gambling across the US which could lead to a massive increase in stock prices of companies that implement sports betting on their platforms. In this article, we’ll go through what gambling stocks are and the massive potential they’ve got for 2021.

What are Gambling Stocks?

Stocks are a share of the company that is registered to sell portions of its company on the stock market. Gambling stocks are just that, It’s a share of the gambling company. The gambling company can decide on how many stocks it would like to sell and these stocks are traded, and the success of the business will either drive the price up or down depending on if good or bad news is released. We anticipate that 2021 will be a good year for gambling stocks.

Gambling stocks are exchanged and traded on several stock exchanges. Two of the top stock exchanges in the US include:

New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
Nasdaq

These two companies have massive market caps. The NYSE is the biggest with a market cap of $19.3 trillion while Nasdaq has a market cap of $13.8 trillion. In case you were wondering, the world’s biggest stock exchange is the NYSE. The top 10 exchanges across the world are here www.marketinsider.com.

Why Will There Be a Price Pump?

The gambling industry has been significantly growing over the past 3 years within the US specifically. This has occurred due to the fact that gambling, in general, had been slowly legalized across several states. In 2018 the gambling industry raked in $6.5 billion, in 2019 a massive $13 billion was made. This was due to the legalization of online sports betting in the US. However, several of these betting forms were restricted. In 2021, some of these restrictions may be lifted which could lead to a massive increase in stock prices.

Currently, two new states, Virginia and Michigan are set to release sports betting for online/mobile devices. This will lead to several companies taking advantage of a larger market audience in two big states. There is also expected action to occur with gambling laws in the states of:

North Carolina
Ohio
Massachusetts
Connecticut
Georgia
Nebraska

There are still states which we’ve heard no news from in terms of easing restrictions for online sports betting. Those states currently include:

Nevada
Mississippi
Montana

What Does This Mean for the Industry?

With two states releasing online/mobile sports betting in their states, several providers will start to bring their sportsbooks to the market. Companies that were previously struggling with the restrictions on sports betting will have the pressure eased as opportunities will start to arise.

The consensus seems to be that other states will begin to ease restrictions and allow online sports betting. Slowly this will cause a domino effect and result in almost all states passing similar laws. The industry will start booming as an influx of money will start pouring into these casinos and sportsbooks. This will inevitably increase the stock prices of several gambling companies.

Yearly Returns On Gambling Stocks

As there have been some great gains for yearly returns for several gambling stocks, here is a list of some of these stocks and their crazy returns:

Gravity Co Ltd ADR: 433.29%
Penn National Gaming, Inc: 286.25%
Bally’s Corporation: 100.90%
Boyd Gaming group: 66.83%
Scientific Games Corporation: 63.67%
Churchill Downs Inc: 46.20%
Elys Game Technology Corp: 32.45%
Caesars Entertainment Inc: 29.76%
International Game Technology Inc: 19.86%
Full House Resort Inc: 18.30%

The US. News has in-depth information on each of the stocks mentioned above, including what they do within the gambling industry.

Conclusion

In the past 3 years, we’ve seen a surge in stock prices for several gambling companies. This occurred even though there were still restrictions in sports gambling across multiple states. This time around when the restrictions are lifted even more hopefully in 2021 expect a significantly higher increase in stock prices.

Online Gambling and Online Sports Betting Launches in Michigan Today!

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

The Michigan Gaming Control Board has authorized online sports betting and online gambling in the state, effective later today. The launch will come just over a year after the bill to legalize online gambling in Michigan was signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2019. Throughout 2020, regulators worked tirelessly to formulate policies and laws regarding the new online platforms.

Even though sports betting in Michigan was legalized in March 2019, wagers could only be placed in person at retail sportsbooks. Now that a new era of gambling has dawned on the state, online sports betting and gambling will be considered legal from Friday, January 22, 2021.

According to the Executive Director of the MGCB, the days between the endorsement on Tuesday and the launch on Friday will be to provide operators with ample time to test-run the online platforms and make adjustments, if necessary.

Nine retail operators are expected to go live by noon. This means that wagers can now be placed right from the comfort of your home, from your preferred mobile device and desktop devices. The authorized operators and their casino partners include:

William Hill Grand/ Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
BetMGM/ MGM Grand Detroit
FanDuel/ MotorCity Casino
DraftKings/ Bay Mills Indian Community
Golden Nugget/ Keweenaw Bay Indian Community
Wynn/ Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
TwinSpires/ Hannahville Indian Community
Penn Sports Interactive/Barstool Sportsbook Greektown Casino
Rush Street/ Little River Band of Ottawa Indians

The gaming control board expects to endorse more operators in the coming weeks once their requests have been reviewed and they have been confirmed to have met the licensing requirements of the state.

Friday’s launch is coming just in time for the Super Bowl and March Madness, which will begin shortly. The mobile apps can be downloaded immediately and bettors can wager on any sports, from the NFL to cricket, blackjack, slots, and many more. The DraftKings mobile app can be used from state to state.

“There are possibly residents in cities adjacent to Michigan who may be interested in Michigan online gambol, all they have to do is come to Michigan, register, and place their bets, and go back to their place of residence and continue betting from there” commented Johnny Avello, DraftKings’ director of race and sportsbook.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board confirms that three Detroit casinos recorded $639 million in revenue, a 56% reduction from the value reported in 2019. However, online sports betting and online gambling are expected to help casinos make up for the incurred losses and also generate tax for the state. Experts at MichiganSharp.com have predicted that Michigan online sports betting and online gaming could generate up to $650 million in revenue, while the tax projection revenue is at $93.6 million.

A tax rate of 8.4% applies to online sports betting, which is quite low when compared to other states where online gambling is legal. The tax rate for online gambling varies between 20% and 28%. It is expected that the 30% of the taxes received from the three commercial casinos – MGM and Grand Detroit, MotorCity, Greektown, will be allocated to the city of Detroit, 5% to the Michigan Agriculture Equine Industry Development Fund, and the remaining 65% to the Internet Gaming Fund.

Twenty percent of iGaming revenue will be allocated to the local regulatory authority, 10 percent for the Michigan Strategic Fund, and 70 per cent for the Internet Gaming Fund. Ninety per cent of sports betting revenue generated by tribal casinos will be allocated to the Internet Sports Betting Fund, while 10% will be allocated to the Michigan Strategic Fund.

The Future of Online Gambling in the USA

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

USA Online Gambling is something that has only just started to explode. In previous years it was something that was carried out by Blackmarket sites that had no regulation in place.

It still had a strong level of support from underground players and with the popularity of brick and mortar casinos, it was no surprise that states started to move towards legalizing gambling.

There were two main reasons behind this move. Firstly, to take online gambling away from shady influences. Secondly, to increase the amount of tax revenue that was available to each state. It’s led to the market becoming one of the fastest-growing in the country.

Go to our USA Compare Casino Page for the Best Legals US Casino or our US Online Sportsbook Page to get started playing stateside right now!

A Growing Market

2020 was the year that online gambling was born in the USA. However, it is safe to say that 2021 will be the future of online gambling in the USA. The market has a lot of potential for growth due to it being in its infancy. This means two main things.

Firstly, US players could see a lot more coming to the market over the next year. Both in terms of companies entering the market and new games being allowed. Players could expect to see a lot more US gambling sites.

Secondly, more states could pass bills which allow online gambling to take place. This will enhance the growth of the industry and allow many more citizens the opportunity to place online wagers.

Changes in Regulation: State to State

Currently there are 19 states, and Washington D.C, that have passed bills to legalize online gambling. This is a number that is changing all of the time though.

On top of the 19 states that have already passed bills, there are another 28 that have brought bills or have recently had bills passed. So this means that 47 states in total, plus Washington D.C, either already has online gambling regulation in place or will have it in place in the near future.

As 2020 was when most sports betting bills were pushed forward, it’s no surprise that 2021 is likely to be the year where the majority of states will have some form of online gambling available to players. In fact, expect to see legal US gambling sites in those 47 states during the course of 2021.

Of the 3 remaining states, both Idaho and Wisconsin have not made any mention of either being for or against iGaming in the USA. The only state where it is unlikely to be available is Utah, which has a strong history of being against USA gambling.

Legitimized

Because New Jersey fought for the right to offer online gambling in the USA in the Supreme Court, it has become extremely legitimized in the eyes of the general public. It means that players no longer have to play at unregulated sites that were likely run by criminals, but they can now play at legit online gambling sites in the USA.

It has ensured that not only can players avoid shadier sites, but the introduction of regulations means that USA online gambling sites now have to have certain levels of safety and security in place. It’s no longer a pastime that causes players to worry about the safety of their bank details and personal data.

It means that the market now has an influx of safe online gambling sites in the USA. It’s something that players have been looking forward to for quite a while. The fact that many players used black market sites shows that there was an interest for the market. The rise of legitimate sites can only be good for both the industry and players.

Innovations Expected to Aid Growth

One area that iGaming is well known for is driving innovation. It’s long been behind a number of different technological advancements or has been the first to adopt tech that is now mainstream. This is unlikely to end in 2021 and here are just some of the advancements that players can expect to see.

Cryptocurrency

Crypto is already used as a payment method at a large number of online casinos and sportsbooks. However, one area that is only just having the surface scratched is blockchain games. There are already games that use blockchain technology to prove that they are fair, but this is just scratching the surface.

Blockchain technology could potentially open up a whole new genre of casino games and betting platforms. It’s actually theoretically possible that an entire online casino could be housed within cryptocurrency with the coin owned renting out the virtual land to casino operators. What the blockchain offers in the future is almost endless and 2021 could see it making a big splash in how US players play online.

VR and AR Gaming

This is another area that already has a small amount of market penetration but could grow significantly over the next year. Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality games could help to create the casino of the future for players.

Offering the ability to actually see and experience a full online casino as if you are actually there is getting close to being a possibility. If this launches during 2021, which is especially likely after the pandemic issues that 2020 brought, then US players could get to visit Vegas without leaving their homes.

Higher Levels of Optimization

One area that US players haven’t got the best of yet is optimized apps. A lot of apps have been created quickly in order to provide players with something to use for the new sites. It’s likely that these apps will be improved and optimized over the course of the next year. So US players can expect to get much better performance from their games in 2021.

A Bright Future for USA Online Gambling

Online gambling in the USA is just getting started. Players have a lot to look forward to in 2021 and beyond. The improvement of games, services, and features from online gambling sites added to more states offering regulated gambling means that it is likely to become the largest market on the planet by the end of the year. It has almost limitless potential.