The Mystic Gambler

Leading developer with a focus on engineering “the world`s most rewarding casino game experiences,” Wazdan, has started the month of July with a series of important news and developments. 

Today, the studio announced the release of 9 Lions Hold the Jackpot. The 3×3 slot with an Oriental theme is revamping one of its classic titles with Chance Level, Hold the Jackpot, Cash Infinity, Volatility Levels, Buy Feature, and Ultra Fast Mode. 

Earlier in the month, the company announced that it recently strengthened its foothold in the Czech Republic with a fresh partnership with Sazka.cz, released the latest installment to its eco-friendly series with Power of Gods: Medusa Extremely Light, and hinted at the upcoming game release schedule for the last two quarters of 2024. 

Start the Pursuit for the Grand Jackpot

Underneath the mesmerizing starlit skies, players are invited to embark on a thrilling slot experience while exploring the ancient Chinese temple in the classic 3×3 grid and get the chance to spin Bonus symbols looking for the Grand Jackpot soaring to a generous 750x of the initial bet.

During the 9 Lions Bonus Game, the reels come to life thanks to the superb One Click 2 Grand feature.

To activate the bonus round, players must wait for the lion symbols tied to the bonus matrix to be collected. 

Players are first asked to select one of the lion symbols and find out if they won a cash symbol or the lion’s jackpot mystery. 

The round also has the potential of triggering the grand jackpot via the One Click 2 Grand feature.

To engage in the mouth-watering Hold the Jackpot bonus round, players must try to land bonus symbols on the middle row.

Since the game is exclusively played with bonus symbols, the added dimension boosts players’ odds to hit massive wins. 

Players’ access to both bonus games is increased with the help of the Chance level. The latter offers multipliers that can go as high as 6x. 

Players who land collector symbols collate all cash infinity and cash symbols on display and they receive a random boost of up to 20x.

9 Lions Hold the Jackpot Metrics Overview 

• Reels: 3
• Rows: 3
• Paylines: Hold the Jackpot
• RTP: 96.14%
• Max win: 750x 
• Bet: $0.20 – $100
• Volatility: High
• Release date: July 10, 2024

The New Release Pays Tribute to Wazdan’s Iconic Games

While the fresh launch pays testament to one of Wazdan’s most iconic slots in recent years, it guarantees innovation via brand-new features that drive player retention and guarantee proven results for partners.

As explained by chief commercial officer Andrzej Hyla, by “elevating the gameplay of pre-established hits” they can extend “on strong existing player bases by enhancing their gaming experience.”

Hyla added they are looking to 9 Lions fans to make the most out of the “comeback of the successful title with increased opportunities to win.”

Full House Resorts’ American Place Casino in Waukegan, Illinois, remains blocked by an ongoing legal challenge. A rival operator continues its lawsuit against the city, claiming that the bidding process had been rigged.

Development of Full House’s American Place Casino has been mired by challenges as the Forest County Potawatomi of Wisconsin continues to block the venue’s construction. The tribe was one of the candidates for a license in 2019 but sued the city after losing the race.

The Potawatomi claim that the process had been rigged and that the tribe didn’t receive a fair shot at the tender. While the lawsuit was originally dismissed, the complaint was revived in 2023, allowing the tribe to have its say.

According to the Potawatomi, the city council underestimated the tribe’s contribution, basing its decision on an outdated and inaccurate third-party report. Additionally, the suit suggests that mayor Sam Cunningham told Waukegan City Council members which bids to approve.

Construction of the permanent American Place property has been on hold ever since, although Full House Resorts did open a temporary venue in February last year.

The Future of American Place in Waukegan Is Still Uncertain

Unfortunately for Full House, the future of its property remains shrouded in uncertainty.

Alex Stolyar, SVP and chief development officer at Full House Resorts, told The Chicago Tribune that the litigation continues to delay the company’s plans. For now, he was unable to say anything for certain but thanked the city and state for their effort to quickly solve this issue.

As long as the litigation is ongoing, there is too much uncertainty around the development. Unfortunately, this litigation has delayed our plans, but we appreciate the effort of the city and state working as quickly as they can to get this restarted.

Alex Stolyar, SVP and chief development officer at Full House Resorts

Since the Illinois Supreme Court is in recess until September, a decision is unlikely to be reached before the end of the year. Should Full House Resorts emerge victorious, the gambling company would likely need at least two or three years to get its permanent casino running.

In any case, proving that the process had been rigged would be an uphill battle for the Potawatomi, considering that the city says the allegations are “factually suspect.”

In the meantime, Illinois continues its efforts to legalize online gambling. State Rep. Edgar Gonzalez Jr. hopes to see iGaming reach Illinois in 2025, saying that there is a lot of momentum for an iGaming measure.

A few years after an unsuccessful attempt of the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe to secure land and build a casino in Ridgecrest, California, the Tribe is now moving forward with another casino project. The project in question proposes the development of a casino in Inyokern, on Highway 178 and near Highway 395.

Judging by a notice by the Indian Affairs Bureau, the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe received a green light from the Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs for the acquisition of land that would be used for “gaming and other purposes.” The land is described as a County Land Parcel in Kern County that is approximately 20 acres.

The recent notice reads: “The Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs made a final agency determination to acquire in trust 20.03 acres, more or less, of land known as the County Land Parcel in Kern County, California, for the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe for gaming and other purposes.”

The decision marks a major milestone for the future of the Tribe’s casino project in Inyokern. Ultimately, the casino is expected to propel the growth of the Tribe. At the same time, the casino project is anticipated to deliver economic benefits to the region by creating new jobs and boosting local businesses.

The New Casino Would Benefit the Tribe, Deliver Economic Stimulus

George Gholson, the Tribal Chairman, who was recently quoted by CocoaDocs, highlighted the importance of the project. He explained that the new casino in Inyokern is expected to play a key role for the Tribe’s growth.

At the same time, Gholson predicted that the casino would deliver economic stimulus to the region. Moreover, he explained: “This casino will provide a much-needed boost to our economy, and will help us preserve and honor our cultural heritage.”

As noted, the casino project in Inyokern comes after an unsuccessful attempt by the Inyokern for the development of a casino in the city of Ridgecrest. The efforts toward that project date back to 2018 and 2019.

At the time, the Tribe faced strong opposition. Combined with the shutdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the progress of the casino project in Ridgecrest faced significant delays. In the end, the Tribe wasn’t able to purchase land for the project within a specific deadline which ultimately resulted in the project falling through early in 2022.

Rivers Casino Pittsburgh has completed its refurbishment just in time for its 15^th anniversary. The renovations cost Rush Street Gaming, the property’s owner, some $6.6 million and are are line with the company’s desire to cement the Pennsylvanian casino resort as a leading destination for tourism and gaming.

The investment was primarily focused on improving the property’s event capabilities. As a result, much of the money was allocated toward an expansion of the resort’s ballrooms.

Rivers Casino Adds a New Ballroom and Meeting Rooms

The refreshment of Rivers Casino Pittsburgh included the creation of a new events room called the Bridges Ballroom. Spanning some 7,044 square feet, the new facility overlooks the Ohio River, providing guests with a pleasant and romantic atmosphere.

In addition, the Bridges Ballroom features both indoor and outdoor space, as well as a balcony over the river and a beautiful view of the riverfront, Mount Washington and, as the facility’s name suggests, the iconic Fort Pitt and West End bridges.

Bridges, according to the property, can also be temporarily separated into three smaller rentable spaces. These include the 1,844-square-foot West End Room, the 1,164-square-foot Fort Duquesne Room and the 4,036-square-foot Fort Pitt Room.

In addition to the Bridges Ballroom, Rivers Casino Pittsburgh has also added four new private meeting rooms. These include the 1,140-square-foot Clemente Room, the 472-square-foot Warhol Room, the 470-square-foot Carson Room and a 348-square-foot executive boardroom.

The new facilities can be rented separately, combined or as pre-function areas for events taking place in the Bridges Ballroom.

Rivers Casino Pittsburgh Continues to Improve Its Offering

Rivers Casino Pittsburgh noted that the location of the Bridges Ballroom is a strategic one, considering its proximity to The Event Center and Rivers Ballroom. The former of these two facilities opened in 2019, offering a vast 25,000-square-foot grand hall. Since its opening The Event Center has cemented itself as a favorite for expositions and ticketed shows in Western Pennsylvania.

The Rivers Ballroom, meanwhile, and was also refurbished. Opened in 2011, the facility boasts a 7,873-square-foot inaugural banquet space which has now been “refreshed and reappointed.” Now sporting all-new carpets and finishings, the Rivers Ballroom is ready to welcome guests.

The renovations started in the autumn of 2023 when the casino resort also added a full-service Starbucks Coffee next to its arrival elevators. At the end of 2023, the property also added a dedicated lounge for Rush Rewards Players Club members who achieve the highest-tier status.

Since striking a partnership with the Delaware Lottery in 2023, BetRivers has been able to grow its offer locally, drive revenue, and make its product known and available to players with a soft spot for betting and gaming.

BetRivers strengthens iGaming offer in Delaware

Now, BetRivers is bringing even more worthwhile products to its shopping windows with the company confirming a new partnership with Evolution, a live dealer studio, which will see numerous of the latter’s games featured on BetRivers.

The partnership builds upon the already existing relationship between the two companies, which saw Evolution originally introduce its slot content through brands such as NetEnt, Red Tiger, and Big Time Gaming, all of which operate under the company’s umbrella and have been acquired at various points in the past several years.

Now, though, BetRivers is getting a taste of the company’s flagship products, the live casino titles, among which are Live Roulette, Infinite Blackjack, Baccarat, Craps, Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Poker, and Blackjack.

Commenting on this opportunity, Rush Street Interactive CEO Richard Schwartz has welcomed the opportunity to see the brand grow its iGaming offer in Delaware through this tie-up with Evolution:

BetRivers in Delaware is thrilled to offer players the chance to virtually play on Evolution’s world-renowned live tables. We are confident that the live dealer online casino will be very popular as the live dealer games offer the same level of excitement as playing in a land-based casino.

This deal further demonstrates BetRivers unflagging commitment towards the iGaming and sports betting market in Delaware and helps establish the company’s dominant position.

Presently, BetRivers is the sole entity that operates sports betting and online casino products in the First State for anyone who is of the legal gambling age of 21. The company succeeded 888 Holdings’ B2C operations locally, as the latter decided to wind down its business-to-consumer business in the United States.

In the meantime, BetRivers is also not to worry about incoming competition in the sports betting vertical. Although lawmakers attempted to liberalize the market and expand on the existing sports betting framework in 2024 by breaking BetRivers’ exclusivity rights over the market, those efforts have stalled.

BetRivers to enjoy another year of uncontested sports betting preeminence

House Bill 365 was filed in April by Rep. Franklin Cooke and Rep. William Bush, and the draft legislation sought to introduce five more sportsbooks that would have created a more level playfield and competition between private companies.

According to Cooke, this move was necessary because of market forces and specifically mounting consumer demand for alternatives. Essentially, Cooke believes that a more competitive landscape would positively impact consumers who would have access to a more diverse range of odds.

Yet, for any criticism against BetRivers, the company actually negotiated the launch of online sports gambling in the state with the Delaware Lottery, making it possible for residents to access sports betting markets anywhere in the state and on the go.