This is a great step forward for the country’s gambling market. Since New Zealand has had quite a bit of trouble with problem gambling over the course of the past year, it is great to see that something is being done to address the issue.

Once the machines are equipped with the pre-commitment technology, players will be able to set their own betting limits when they sit down to player pokies. Once they have reached their limit, they will no longer be able to play for the rest of the night.

This allows problem gamblers to deal with the addictions in an active manner. Many players with unhealthy gambling habits recognized their problems but are ashamed to seek help. With the new technology, these types of problem gamblers can work towards developing healthy playing habits privately, without exposing their family to the situation.

Nick Xenophon, on the other hand, does not support the idea. He believes that it must be mandatory in order for pre-commitment to work. However, Echo Entertainment confirms that voluntary pre-commitment has helped to curb problem gambling rates in Queensland so far.

Cooper had worked for the casino operator for 6 years before she became pregnant for the first time. Although she started as a service worker, she was a shift manager by the time she became pregnant. As a full-time employee, she was told that she would be able to come back to her old job within a year of leaving.

Unfortunately, the casino called her three months into her leave to inform her that she would not longer be needed as a shift manager. She would not be relocated to a similar position, but instead demoted.

Tanya felt humiliated by the situation and became stressed out about her financial situation whenever she decided to return to work. As such, Tanya took her complaints to the Employment Relations Authority.

It was ruled that the casino operator acted unfairly towards Cooper and have decided that she is owed $12 000 for her suffering. The company will also be required to pay her for lost wages.

The Greens see no point in this deal taking place, stating that SkyCity is already incredibly profitable. The political group does not believe that SkyCity truly needs to install new poker machines and thinks that the government should not agree to this deal.

“It’s outrageous that the Government is prepared to increase the legal number of pokies and gambling tables”, says Denise Roche of The Greens.

Over the course of 2011, Sky City saw its profits increase by more than 15%. The Greens have discovered this fact and have decided that it would not be fair if the local government bent its laws in order to benefit the casino operator.

If the local government wants to build a conference centre, The Greens believe that politicians should find another way to make it happen.

The new roulette release from Microgaming is multiplayer game from the popular developer. It provides online roulette players with the chance to interact with each other as they would when playing a typical game of roulette in a live casino. It is certainly a step in the right direction when it comes to enhancing the realism of the online casino world.

Social gaming is becoming increasingly popular in the online gaming market, as more and more players want to be able to interact with others while they engage in their favourite games. Online gambling used to be a solitary activity but it seems that things are changing and even online gambling wants to spend some time interacting.

To Microgaming has set out to meet this demand with its new multiplayer roulette title. The game will be available at Microgaming-powered casinos over the course of the next month, so keep an eye out.

So, it’s no wonder that Microgaming has become one of the most widely-recognized online casino developers in the world. The company won Gambling Magazine’s Best Software Award for the third time this year. Previous wins were in 2003 and 2010.

The company has dedicated itself to providing online casinos with some of the best online gambling software that is out there today. Microgaming is dedicated to developing advanced table game and live dealer software, so players at Microgaming-powered casinos are able to experience in the best in online gaming.

Microgaming has also gained acclaim for its dedication to fair gaming. The company was behind the establishment of eCOGRA (e-Commerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance). This authority oversees the online gambling world, ensuring that operators adhere to certain guidelines which put customer safety first.

It seems that when Sky City wants to boost its profits, it choose to renovate one of its most popular casinos. First it was Sky City Sydney (now The Star Casino), a renovation which brought in millions of dollars’ worth of revenue. Now, it’s Sky City Auckland, as the casino’s new look and feel have brought in a great deal of business.

The company spent $50 million on renovating the casino. A new VIP room was built, in addition to new restaurants, piquing player and tourist interest. The casino’s hotels rooms were also renovated in order to be more attractive to tourists from around the world.

Overall, the costs were worth it. Sky City’s profits jumped by $10 million; so, the company raked in over $78 million over the course of 2011. While the Rugby Cup undoubtedly contributed to the rise in profits, Sky City has cited the Auckland casino’s renovation the main cause.

The theme for this year’s event is “Shaping the Future of Gambling – Positive Change through Policy, Practice and Research”. 200 patrons will be in attendance, travelling from over 14 different countries to their opinions about the future the global gambling market.

A keynote speech will be made by Ashley Gordon, a former rugby player who has dedicated his life to helping Aboriginal communities deal with problem gambling. He visits local communities to teach residents about safe and responsible gambling. His speech will address the issue of problem gambling in native areas, where gambling addiction rates are higher than ever.

Nick Xenophon will also be speaking at the event, which is likely to be a very interesting speech. He will be talking about gambling reform, unsurprisingly. Xenophon will present a number of positive measures that have been used to regulate other gambling markets around the world.

The company announced its plans to do so at the ICE Conference 2012, revealing several new partnerships that will make this dream a reality. Aristocrat will partner with Chartwell Technologies and OpenBet, two companies that will ensure that a wider audience becomes exposed to Aristocrat’s mobile popular online casino games.

Aristocrat has already experienced substantial success in the online gambling market this year, but wants to see how much further it can go. 2011 was the company enter into agreements with some very reputable European brands such as Mecca Bingo, MoneyGaming and Bet365. As such, plenty of international players go to experience the gaming excellence that Aristocrat has provided to New Zealand casinos for years.

The Australian and New Zealand gambling markets are incredibly exciting for this step forward for Aristocrat. It means that the company will be able to show the world that Australasian developers are capable of making it in the international gaming world.

Over the course of 2011, NZ Lotto saw some big changes. The company introduced a new format for the Instant Kiwi lottery scratchcards, which encouraged more players to go out and try their luck with the games. To market the new scratchcards, the NZ Lotto toured a bus across the country, which was covered in lottery tickets. The marketing ploy turned out to be incredibly successful, as word spread quickly of the new development.

Lottery draws also saw some changes last year. The NZ Lotto Commission added two new jackpots to the Powerball draw, in addition to starting the jackpot at $4 million whenever the grand prize was won. While 10 cents was added to the cost of each ticket, players did not seem to mind, thanks to these changes.

In the online gambling world, the Lotto Commission also saw a great deal of success. 175 000 had signed up to the commission’s new online gambling website, spending millions of dollars to buy their lottery tickets online and take part in bingo and keno games.

Since 2011 was such a great year, the Lottery Commission is optimistic about 2012. The coming year is expected to bring in even more profits and overall revenue.

Recent reports show that clubs across New Zealand and Australia are suffering as a result of players spending more time at online casino websites. Profits are down, and operators previously blamed the downturn on the controversy over poker machine reform; however, that is not the case. Players have simply seemed to discover the benefits of gambling online.

With more and more poker machine developers taking their games online, it is only natural that land-based players will follow them into the digital market. Companies like Aristocrat and IGT are now offering online casino games, so pokies fans can find their favourite games in the online casino world.

This seems to be a wake up call for local politicians. If players continue to take money away from land-based gaming clubs, it may be time to legalize and regulate online gambling in New Zealand.