It’s been another busy week in US gambling, but most of the news surrounds sports betting. As we know you guys are all about online casinos and games; instead of diving into the details, this week we're changing up the format to give a brief round-up of the news, and then we'll move on to discussing the fantastic new slot games hitting the casinos this week!
Gambling Round-Up of the Week
This week DraftKings has secured early entry into the Connecticut online sports market, forming a partnership with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which operates Foxwoods Resort Casino. While online sports betting is not yet legal in Connecticut, players and operators are keenly awaiting state legislation’s final passing. Once live, DraftKings offers mobile sports betting in 10 US states and is the USA’s most prominent provider.
While in Michigan, online gambling markets could potentially open before the end of the year, as the state’s Legislature’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules voted to waive the 15-day waiting period to approve the regulation. This means the final draft of the online betting regulations will be filled immediately with the state department. Afterwhich, the next step is the MGCB accepting and approving licenses for online vendors - watch this space Michigan, online gambling is coming!
Lastly, in land-based casino news, Caesars Entertainment plans to invest $325m in renovating Harrah’s New Orleans. Transforming and relaunching the casino as Caesars New Orleans in 2021. This comes after Caesars successfully being granted a license extension in the state until 2054.
New Game Releases
Riches of Midgard: Land and Expand: NetEnt. RTP 96.6%.
This week brings a new release from NetEnt, Riches of Midgard: Land and Expand Slot. Played out on 3x3 reels with 9 lines (up to 29 in free spins), this slot brings the old crew of Norse Gods back together. Enter Odin, Thor, and Freya.
Set on Midgard’s lush slopes, the main action is centered on Hot Spot Reels, which run either side of the central reels. Hot Spot Reels spin at the same time as the central reels but do not contribute to wins. Instead, if you match the two Hot Spot symbols with two on the main reels, you’ll trigger a Land and Expand Re-Spin where winning symbols expand to cover the entire reel and stick.
Plus, there are free spins which you can trigger naturally with 3+ scatter or choose to buy: feature buy costs approximately x80 your bet. During free spins, players can increase the rows of reels and therefore betlines (up to 29) by finding additional scatter on the reels and use extra wilds to make wins of up to 10,000x!
Check out these top NetEnt Casinos and set your bets from $0.10-100 with Riches of Midgard: Land and Expand Slot.
Cyberslot Megaclusters: BTG. RTP 96.36%.
Next up is Cyberslot, the latest release from BTG. It’s an action-packed, retro space-themed slot that uses the studio’s newest reel mechanic, Megaclusters. Megaclusters increase the ways to win by adding more symbols to the reels as you spin and win (game terminology: win reactions).
Each reel space is considered a potential cluster, and when you make a win, the symbols explode. Each empty reel space left behind then divides into 4 new spaces (providing extra mega cluster potential and more ways to win). In total, the Cyberslot reels have at full capacity, 321 places in-play. The number of Megaclusters active on each spin shows at the bottom of the reel frame.
Like with any cluster pay slot, the aim of the game is to build bigger clusters of symbols and achieve higher payouts. The more matching symbols in each winning Megacluster, the better, and in this game, payouts reach a whopping 30,000x your bet!
That’s not all this new slot has to give: the inclusion of cascading wins, golden roaming wilds that can traverse up to 80 reel places, and free spins make it a must-play. Start spinning Cyberslot Megaclusters from $0.20-$20 at any of these BTG Casinos.
Jingle Bells Power Reels: Red Tiger Gaming. RTP 94.68%.
Red Tiger Gaming debuted in the USA just 3 weeks ago, after forming a distribution deal with NetEnt. This is Red Tigers’ second new release since then, and it’s a real festive cracker. Set on 8x6 reels, with 40 paylines, it includes payouts up to 6,000x your bet and multiple bonus features.
Play with 5x6 Mega Wilds with guaranteed wins, multiplier Christmas Tree Stars, Santa’s Raining Wild Gifts, Winning Reels (all lower paying symbols removed), and free spins (where all the features mentioned above can be active).
Offering feature-filled gameplay, this slot excels graphically and delivers the perfect Christmas ambiance: it’s warm, inviting, nostalgic, exciting, and filled with prizes! Starting spinning Jingle Bells Power Reels from $0.20-10 at any of our recommended Red Tiger Gaming Casinos!
And don’t forget, if you’re feeling festive, you can check out 2020’s top Christmas Slots, including these fabulously festive titles:
- Big Bad Wolf Christmas Special (Quickspin, RTP 97.34%)
- Carol of the Elves (Yggdrasil, RTP 96.2%)
- Crystal Prince (Quickspin, RTP 96.17%)
- Aloha! Christmas Edition (NetEnt, RTP 96%)
- Rudolph Gone Wild (SG, RTP 95.33%)
That’s it for this week folks, but don’t forget to check back with us every Friday for your Casino Cabbie Weekly Digest!