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A Sure Bet: Cruise Ship Casinos Pay Off with Jackpots, Friends and Making Guests Feel at Home
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When Texan Glenda Ostrokol gets on a ship she has a plan: Get to the casino as soon as it opens. She does not gamble on land. But in cruise ship casinos, she’s a big player, and receives all the perks that go along with that status.
“Carnival Cruise Line just makes it so much fun,” Ostrokol says. “I do love slot machines, and I play them all. And the casino team takes really good care of me.”
David Simpson of Leesburg, Fla., says arriving at a ship casino is akin to coming home. He and fellow Carnival Cruise Line players communicate through a dedicated Casino Fan Facebook page.
“We go in there and meet other friends we cruise with from all over the U.S.,” Simpson says. “There’s always somebody we know, people from Texas, Idaho, North Carolina. And there’s not a ship that we go on that we don’t know the casino team.”
Unlike with casinos on land, cruise guests are typically on board for a week or more, time for relationships to develop.
“We offer them a warm and friendly environment where they can interact with fellow cruisers,” says Marty Goldman, senior vice president of global casino operations for Carnival Corporation. “And we have an engaging casino team that takes the time to understand guest needs. We want to ensure that we are different from a typical casino in that way.”
Since joining Carnival Corporation from Caesars Entertainment in 2012, Goldman has overseen tremendous growth in the casino realm – as the world’s largest cruise company has expanded its gaming operations around the world.
Casino play is popular on all the cruise lines under the Carnival Corporation banner. In addition to Carnival Cruise Line, this includes Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Cunard, Seabourn, German line AIDA Cruises, Italian line Costa Cruises, British line P&O Cruises and P&O Cruises Australia.
Across the fleet, the most popular gaming option is slots, with Americans and Australians particularly big fans. With more than 100 casinos, Carnival Corporation sees a guest spinning the reels on a slot machine 112 times per second, making it by far the most popular form of gaming.
Tournament play is tremendously popular on ships in North America, and Carnival Corporation has plans to expand slot tournaments elsewhere around the world.
The company paid out more than $1 million in tournaments in the past year. This includes special branded events with tie-ins to Wheel of Fortune and Monopoly, the latter being for the biggest prize money the company ever paid. With guests flocking to these events, they will be expanded across the fleet, with a marquee Spin & Sail event on Carnival Cruise Line in 2019.
Though blackjack is preferred in the United States, the casinos cater to a wide array of tastes for games offering roulette, baccarat and a variety of poker games in different markets.
Goldman says the gaming crowd appreciates innovation, so his team is always on the lookout for what’s new and what people want to play on a regional basis.
Among options trending now are arcade-style games for adults and lottery-style scratch tickets.
“We are always looking at what else may be popular,” Goldman says. “We want to appeal to as broad an audience as possible.”
For frequent players, Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Players Club is “unlike anything else anywhere on land or sea,” Goldman says. Players clubs are also available on Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and expanding to some of the corporation’s international brands.
Based on play, perks for players include everything from complimentary drinks to free cabins. Special events see top players invited to participate in unique and exciting experiences, which elevates the energy in the casino for all guests.
“People like engaging with other people who play,” says Goldman.
Behind the scenes, a new casino management system will allow more customized incentives for players.
“We will be able to offer an incentive based on what you are playing in real time,” Goldman says.
As it looks to expand its audience, Carnival Corporation has strategic partnerships with casinos on land, with qualified players offered a certificate for a free cruise. This enables the cruise company to draw new-to-cruise players to its casinos.
There are some differences in cruise ship play. With a more relaxed atmosphere, game table minimums are typically lower, for instance. While they vary by ship, itinerary and even time of day, it’s rare to find a minimum over $25.
In the friendly, guest-centric environment waging limits are adjusted based on a player’s personal preferences. “We have some very high limit players, not much different than you would see with land-based casinos,” Goldman says.
With nearly 60 cruises under her belt since 2002, Ostrokol has stories to tell – like the time earlier this year when she won $14,790 on a slot machine on the Carnival Vista, a ship with more than 250 machines.
“I thought I had won $1,400, and said, ‘Okay, I can play tomorrow.’ When I realized it was more, I screamed,” she says, laughing. She used her payout for a down payment on a wheelchair accessible van.
Simpson, a blackjack player who occasionally dabbles in slots, plays a few times a year in Las Vegas, but says ships are decidedly friendlier places. His biggest shipboard win was a $25,000 blackjack hand, “on the Lucky Ladies.” He also won a slot tournament on the Carnival Breeze.
“The best way to describe what time of day you can find me in the casino, is whenever it’s open,” Simpson says with a laugh. He’s been known to play well into the night and hit a ship’s 24-hour pizzeria to watch the sunrise.
Simpson says in addition to gaming, he enjoys Carnival Cruise Line’s specialty dining, such as La Cucina for Italian and Gigi’s for pan-Asian cuisine.
And then there are all the additional virtues of cruising. In traditional gaming resorts, you are in one place with one focus. On cruise ships, gaming comes with a wealth of other fun entertainment and activities – including visiting several exciting destinations during your vacation.
Carnival Corporation offers a variety of casino experiences, whether guests want to dress up like James Bond or go completely casual. There are classic casinos on Holland America Line and P&O Cruises in the United Kingdom, and smaller, more intimate experiences on ultra-luxury line Seabourn. You can even play while crossing the Atlantic on a luxurious Cunard ocean liner.
“From a casino perspective, we can offer something for everybody, every day, all across the globe, which no one else can do,” Goldman says.
Fun facts from Carnival Corporate Global Casino Operations:
Slot machines on Carnival Corporation ships produce more than 3.5 billion hand pulls per year.
More than 56,000 slots jackpots are paid out each year, an average of more than 155 per day.
On Carnival Corporation ships, blackjack players older than 60 are twice as skillful as players younger than 30.
In the largest annual tournaments, on Carnival Cruise Line and Princess Cruises, players vie for a share of a $200,000 pot.
The 2,600-strong Carnival Corporation shipboard casino team represents 79 nationalities.
SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc
Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
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EGT at ICE Barcelona 2025: Get ready to be stunned
EGT is prepared to make a long-lasting impression on visitors at ICE 2025, which will be held in Barcelona for the first time. The Bulgarian manufacturer of gaming equipment will showcase its compelling selection of bestsellers and high-potential new developments at one of the largest stands at the exhibition 3F30.
Among the novelties that will arouse the greatest interest will be 2 brand-new slot cabinets – 32-32 St and 32-32 Up. These models will certainly not go unnoticed by the event guests.
On display will be the newest addition to the company’s jackpot family – the 4-level Asian-themed Zhao Cai Shuang Yu. It will reveal the astonishing world of its 2 games, Prosperity Strike and Rising Coins.
The attendees will also be able to see and test the latest multigames from the Supreme Selection slot series. The Mega Supreme Fruits, Supreme Red, and Supreme Buy Bonus Prize Selection will present a lot of new slot titles, offering a perfect mix of fascinating themes, attractive bonus features, and great entertainment.
EGT will show its newest ETG developments as well. Among them will be the 32 T terminal, which will make its debut during the show. It will complement the company’s rich portfolio of ETG products, which are the preferred choice in numerous gaming venues around the world.
Expanding its offering, EGT will present the Supreme Series of game mixes, currently including the Supreme Roulette Union and Supreme Green Union multigames. Focusing exclusively on roulette, the Supreme Roulette Union blends the excitement of classic roulette gameplay with innovative jackpot systems and versatile features. Supreme Green Union combines popular games from the company’s portfolio with roulette, Keno, Baccarat, and Blackjack, offering players a unique and engaging experience.
Numerous new AWP and VLT products, created specifically for different markets, will also be at the visitors’ disposal, as well as the casino management system Spider, which will show its latest modules.
EGT Digital will also present its vast array of iGaming solutions, including instant and casino games, jackpots, and its in-house developed “all-in-one” betting platform X-Nave.
Nadia Popova, Chief Revenue Officer and VP Sales & Marketing at EGT, commented: “ICE is a very important event for us, which gives us the opportunity to meet with industry professionals from all over the world. We will welcome our current and potential new customers and partners at our stand to present them all new products from our portfolio, divided into zones, covering all gaming verticals. I believe in the positive potential of changes. That is why I think that the relocation of the show to Barcelona will open new business horizons and bring many opportunities for building fruitful partnerships, for which we as a company are ready. “
The post EGT at ICE Barcelona 2025: Get ready to be stunned appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Vibra Group Completes the Acquisition of TSA
Go-to LatAm content and platform developer purchases longstanding Brazil-based tech development partner to accelerate growth plans
Vibra Group, the ‘go-to’ content and platform developer for the LatAm region, has acquired TSA, a Brazil-based technology company and one of its longest standing development partners.
The acquisition will further strengthen the award-winning company and accelerate its growth plans with 55 specialist platform development experts based in Northern Brazil.
TSA and Vibra Group have been long-term partners with TSA contributing significantly to Vibra’s technological growth. TSA, which operates under the ServiceNet brand name, also has existing contracts with several Brazilian lotteries including Loteria do Tocantins, Loteria do Maranhao, Loteria de Sergipe and Loteria da Paraíba.
The integration of TSA’s expert teams will immediately enhance Vibra’s platform development roadmap with additional resources dedicated to the Vibra Solutions business unit and will consolidate the Vibra Group’s structure across the LatAm region. The LatAm based team is focused on game studios, Remote Gaming Server (RGS), and Electronic Gaming Machines (EGM). The Brazil-based team specialising in Player Account Management (PAM) and sportsbook solutions.
Vibra’s product strategy is to service every client need delivering a complete solution on three core areas: sportsbook and casino platform with multiple levels of customization and flexibility; content aggregation platform including proprietary titles and third party games from the main brands in the industry; and a state-of-the-art EGM platform allowing operators to distribute products and content through VLT / retail terminals. The group’s 3 business divisions: Vibra Gaming, Vibra Solutions and Vibra VLT / Retail.
Ramiro Atucha, CEO, Vibra Group, said: “We’re delighted to close the acquisition of TSA and welcome the team to the Vibra family. TSA are one of our closest and most trusted partners with whom we’ve closely collaborated across several significant projects as well as ongoing development work, therefore joining forces makes perfect strategic sense.
“Our expansion and first M&A deal follows significant customer demand and growth across the LatAm region in the last 12 to 18 months so the timing is ideal. We’re very excited to have the TSA team join us as we continue our journey.”
Werter Luna, CEO, TSA, said: “We’re thrilled with the outcome of joining Ramiro and the Vibra team after having worked together for so long. The synergies were very clear and both companies know we are stronger together. The future is very bright and we’re ready to go on the ambitious plans we have to significantly grow our business.”
Founded five years ago by a management team of highly experienced industry experts with decades of land-based and online experience, Vibra has emerged as one of the most exciting and innovative content studios and software developers in the industry and rapidly grown to become the LatAm market’s ‘go-to’ partner for local and international operators.
The post Vibra Group Completes the Acquisition of TSA appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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GIANTX begins its 2025 LEC journey with fresh faces
The global esports organization GIANTX is ready to kick off its journey in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), Europe’s premier esports competition. With a revamped roster and a clear goal of qualifying for the 2025 Worlds in China, the team begins its campaign this Saturday with a challenging schedule.
Led by renowned coach André Guilhoto, the roster features Lot (toplaner), Closer (jungler), Jackies (midlaner), Noah (AD carry), and Jun (support). Jackies, the 2024 Rookie of the Year, returns as the only player from last year’s roster. Lot, a standout in the LFL, joins as a promising top laner. Closer, a three-time Worlds participant and North American champion, brings leadership and experience. Meanwhile, Noah and Jun, from Fnatic, aim to establish themselves as one of the best bot lanes in the LEC.
GIANTX continues to rely on advanced data analytics and statistics in building its roster. “We believe in this roster. It’s a mix of hungry, talented players and experienced individuals. This team has the potential to be a strong contender in the LEC,” said David Alonso, GIANTX’s head of esports.
The journey begins on January 18 against SK Gaming (7:30 PM), followed by Rogue (Sunday, 6:45 PM) and Karmine Corp (Monday, 9:00 PM). In the second week, GIANTX will face Movistar KOI, Team Heretics, and G2 Esports, closing the regular phase against Fnatic, BDS, and Vitality. With a demanding schedule ahead, GIANTX is set to prove it is ready to compete at the highest level.
The post GIANTX begins its 2025 LEC journey with fresh faces appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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