“The strength of PopCap’s game brands and the quality of the Lucky Gem product combined with our experience in luck-based games outside of Facebook means we are perfectly positioned to deliver the ultimate online free casino game experience – PopCap style,” PopCap VP of worldwide publishing Dennis Ryan said in a release. “Enlivening traditional casino games with our franchises will delight millions of PopCap fans while introducing our world-class brands to a new and enthusiastic audience of online gamers.”

Lucky Gem Casino joins other social luck games such as Slots Farm and Zynga. PopCap’s most popular game, Bejeweled, has sold over 75 million copies and has been downloaded over 500 million times. Popcap is owned by Electronic Arts.

Electronic Arts and Activision Blizzard are the world’s two largest video game publishers. Electronic Arts owns a number of strong brands such as Madden NFL and Need For Speed. PopCap is EA’s social gaming brand. Social gambling (for virtual coins of course) is seen by industry analysts as one of the “next big things” and EA isn’t waiting for traditional online gambling brands to make their move.

Watch this space for more on social gaming.

What are the odds that Greece will leave the Eurozone?

Economists aren’t sold on deal. The deal is based on Greece becoming more competitive through across-the-board wage cuts which would set off an export boom. Investors aren’t holding their breath for a Greek export boom in the next few years (or decades).

With elections in Greece scheduled for April, investors are worried that the next government will lack a mandate to continue to implement unpopular reforms. What if the Greek people vote against an ongoing austerity plan that has yet to bear fruit?

Antonis Samaras, the leader of the New Democracy party who is likely to be prime minister after the elections, told Parliament last week, “I want to avoid the jump over the cliff today, to buy time, to restore normality and to go to elections tomorrow. This is why I ask you to vote in favor of the new loan agreement today and to have the ability tomorrow to negotiate and to change the current policy which has been forced on us.”

So what are the odds that Greece and other European countries will leave the Eurozone? According to Paddy Power, the renowned British book maker, the odds are very high for Greece leaving and adopting its own currency. 1/4 odds is a low payout (similar to that of Greek bond holders!). Portugal is next at 8/1 odds, a much more favorable payout.

From a bettor’s standpoint, whether in markets or betting, there just isn’t a jackpot to be found in Europe today.

Here are all of the odds, according to Paddy Power:

“Applies to the first of the Eurozone 17 to withdraw and officially adopt a currency other than the Euro.”

Greece – 1/4
Portugal – 8/1
Ireland – 10/1
Spain, Germany, Italy – 12/1
France – 14/1

The jackpot winner is quoted as saying, “You read in the papers about people winning big and always wonder what it would be like if it happens to me. It’s a dream everyone has, and now I’m living it!” Unibet’s CEO Henrik Tjarnstrom is happy for his casino’s new winner. “Again, we have shown that the jackpots are real and we are ecstatic that another of our Unibet customers has become a millionaire.”

Unibet, founded in 1997, is one the largest casino operators in the European market with over 6.2 million customers worldwide. This is the second multi-million Euro payout in three weeks for Unibet. Another lucky Unibet player won a €6.9 million jackpot playing the Mega Fortune game.

Will there be a third Unibet millionaire in the next few weeks? What game will produce the next jackpot winner?

It's not every day when a former FBI director calls for federal online gambling legislation

Are Freeh and Ridge closet fans of William Hill? Are they betting on the next election?

“We all know that Internet gambling takes place in a borderless enterprise outside an already ambiguous policy arena that affects millions of Americans. Americans across the country can gamble on various games on the Internet such as cards, sports and games of chance.”

That’s the “it happens anyways, so let’s regulate, cough cough, tax it” argument.

“Individual states simply do not possess the necessary law enforcement tools to effectively police gambling in a borderless Internet.” This is the stronger argument. As it appears now, US online gambling will be re-instituted on a state by state basis – 50 states (plus a few territories) with 50 different sets of online gambling laws. At that rate, the lawyers will make more money than the casinos and jackpot winners!

Imagine Florida legalizing online gambling, but requiring that all gamblers must be from Florida. If each state does this, online casinos will be a crazy web of over-regulation. Freeh and Ridge are right to call for federal online gambling legislation.

Let’s hope that other wise men and women in Washington are listening to former FBI Director Freeh and former Homeland Security Secretary Ridge!

Coming soon - voice activated mobile gambling!

Voice recognition software has been around for decades. It was in the 1940’s when AT&T Bell Laboratories first developed a primitive device that could recognize human speech. Today, speech recognition software is used mostly in health care and the military. Health care providers dictate medical information into microphones and pilots change radio frequencies and other routine commands.

Voice recognition has made steady strides to consumer markets in recent years. Both Windows and Mac OS operating systems come with speech recognition software built-in – though most computer users don’t know they exist.

In the mobile world, iPhone has the edge when it comes to speech recognition. The iPhone S4, released only a few months ago, has the most advanced speech recognition capabilities ever to hit the market. “Siri” is iPhone’s automated voice control system. iPhone users can say, “What is the weather going to be like” and see or hear responses on their smartphone. Apple is promoting Siri as making iPhone use easier for people to use while exercising, driving or when they have their hands full. If voice recognition is to go mainstream, Apple will likely be the early innovator who brings it to the masses.

How would speech recognition affect the online gamer?

Instead of sitting in front of the screen and typing, gamers could buy an inexpensive wireless headset and walk around their home or office. Placing a bet would start with a password. Here’s how it could work:

“My password is 123456 and I would like to bet $100 on the Giants for tomorrow’s Super Bowl.”

Slot machines and scratch cards would work like this – “Bet $10 on each pay line, all 20 pay lines. Spin.”

Voice recognition and card games are a natural fit. Words like “hold, stay, double down” would be easier spoken than typed. Best of all, online gamblers wouldn’t be stuck in the chair. Online gambling will be a healthier activity when gamblers will be able to place bets while on a beach walk. Mobile voice recognition gambling for the win!

Will Social Gambling be the next big thing in 2012?

Zynga Poker is the world’s largest poker game with more than 7 million people playing every day and over 30 million each month. A Zynga spokesperson was recently quoted as saying, “We know from listening to our players that there’s an interest in the real money gambling market. We’re in active conversations with potential partners to better understand and explore this new opportunity.”

Social gambling could be the next big thing in online gambling. Players login and enter a themed casino lobby and can join tables or walk around and watch others play. A leaderboard shows players where the action is. Players socialize and build social networks while gambling. Good social gambling brands will be packed with real players (each with a customized avatar) with all of the excitement of a real life casino.

In the past few years, gaming and social networking have merged to create social gaming. Gambling is now poised to merge with social gaming. Who will end up with the royal flush of social gambling – a social gaming brand or an online gambling brand? Expect a lot of innovation and news this year. Social gambling is something to watch in 2012 and in the coming years.

Who will be the big winner at this year's Academy Awards?

The Artist is the leading contender for best picture. It has already won a Golden Globe and many other awards this past year. The Descendants and Huge are equally considered to have the next best odds for best picture.

Onto Best Actor – the two most known names here are Clooney and Pitt. Jean Dujardin’s Screen Actor’s Guild and Golden Globe awards leave him a strong contender.

For Best Actress, most movie buffs agree that this is a battle between Meryl Streep and Michelle Williams. Streep is a natural favorite, but with two previous Oscar wins, coupled with Williams’ powerful performance, we’ll let you make the bet.

Who do you think will win the most Academy Awards in 2012? Who will be the surprise winner? And what do the odds makers say?

For Best Film, William Hill gives these odds:

The Artist – 1/9
The Descendants – 8/1
The Help – 16/1
Huge – 16/1
War Horse – 33/1
Moneyball – 66/1
Midnight in Paris – 66/1
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – 80/1
The Tree of Life – 80/1

For Best Actor, William Hill gives these odds:

Jean Dujardin – 8/11
George Clooney – EVS (Even)
Brad Pitt – 20/1
Gary Oldman – 25/1
Demian Bichir – 50/1

For Best Actress, William Hill offers these odds:
Viola Davis – 8/11
Meryl Streep – EVS (Even)
Michelle Williams – 16/1
Rooney Mara – 66/1
Glenn Close – 66/1

Mobile Gambling will be a major source of growth in 2012.

According to H2 Gambling Capital, a gambling consulting firm, mobile gambling is expected to be worth over €3 billion in 2012. By 2015, it is expected to hit €5 billion.

Most of the big online gambling sites already support iPhone, iPad and Android devices – covering most of the market. For a change, the market is ahead of the game. The gaming industry is ready and awaits the mobile gambling trend which will hit a critical mass in 2012.

How does it work?

On Titan Bet, users must first register an account on the web site. Once that is done, every bet can be placed via mobile device. William Hill offers a similar mobile gaming package. On both sites, the focus is on sports betting. Sports betting is a lot easier to recreate on a small screen than a slot or casino game. Not every slot or casino game has a mobile version, but that is about to change as more games add mobile versions this year.

Mobile gambling is a big growth sector. There will be social aspects in the media over the next few years that we cannot imagine. Some will be positive, some will be negative. Seasoned gamblers will be moving to mobile this year as a “backup option” for their hobby.

The person next to you on the line at the store who is franticly working away on his smartphone may not be closing a business deal, he or she may be placing a bet ahead of this weekend’s sports events!

Will Adele be the big winner at the 2012 Brit Awards?

British singer Adele will be among the performers. This will be her first live performance since undergoing throat surgery in November. Adele’s Someone Like You has been nominated for Best Single. The album that Someone Like You is featured on, “21”, has been nominated for Best Album. The 23 year old British singer has also been nominated for 6 Grammy’s.

According to William Hill, Someone Like You has a 1 in 6 chance of winning Adele the Best Single award. “21” has a 1/10 chance of winning Best Album.

Here are some of the rest of the odds for this year’s Brit Awards. If you have an office pool or are betting with friends, print this out:

Best British Single
One Direction (What Makes You Beautiful) – 4/6
Gareth Malone/Military Wives (Wherever You Are) – 3/1
Adele (Someone Like You) – 6/1
The Wanted (Glad You Came) – 10/1
JLS (She Makes Me Wanna) – 12/1
Ed Sheeran (The A Team) – 14/1
Jessie J (Price Tag) – 16/1
Olly Murs (Heart Skips A Beat) – 25/1
Example (Changed The Way You Kissed Me) – 40/1
Pixie Lott (All About Tonight) – 66/1

Best British Album
Adele (21) – 1/10
Coldplay (Mylo Xyloto) – 9/1
Florence & The Machine (Ceremonials) – 10/1
Ed Sheeran (+) – 12/1
PJ Harvey (Let England Shake) – 20/1

Best British Group
Coldplay – 1/7
Kasabian – 10/1
Chase & Status – 12/1
Arctic Monkeys – 12/1
Elbow – 12/1

New player wins huge Marvel jackpot. Marvel slots have 4 progressive jackpots.

The Incredible Hulk stands out among slot games. Our favorite part is the Smash Bonus. If you see “Smash Bonus” on reels 1 and 5, you’ve entered the Smash Bonus Round. Our Incredible Hulk stands in front on police cars and helicopters. Smash 3 police cars for cash and then one helicopter for a multiplier. It’s an action packed scene that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Get three “Incredible Hulk” symbols – anywhere – and you win 10 free games with all wins tripled. Now to the jackpots! All Marvel games are linked to 4 mystery progressive jackpots – Power, Extra Power, Super Power and Ultimate Power. All 4 jackpots are won randomly. The more you bet, the better your odds to enter the Jackpot Game where you can win try to win the jackpots. It’s incredible to see the jackpots go higher and higher in real time – as you’re playing!

The 3D graphics are stunning – a 4 star Marvel production. If you like slot games with a fun, comic feel to them, give The Incredible Hulk a try – you’ll have a Marvelous time!