Virgin,
Electronic Arts bring gambling to video gaming - 22nd
January 2011
OTTAWA
— Gambling has come to the video-game console
in your living room.
Toronto’s
Virgin Gaming, a division of Sir Richard Branson’s
Virgin empire, announced this past week that it had
signed a deal with Electronic Arts (EA) to support
a majority of popular sports games, including the
wildly popular Madden NFL 11 and FIFA 11, using its
online wagering system.
The
announcement affects everyone from government regulators,
who are trying to decide how to best control the expansion
of Internet-based gambling, to parents who must now
keep an even closer watch over their children’s
video-game sessions.
Virgin
allows video gamers to wager on the outcome of their
video -game challenges and then tracks the players
as they play on an Xbox 360 or PS3, ensuring no one
is cheating. The winner is then handed the payout.
Prizes can be in the tens of thousands of dollars.
The
company said it already has 170,000 users from 30
countries signed up to use its online services.
So
far, the Virgin system only allows organized tournaments,
sort of like online poker tournaments — meaning
players can buy into a tournament and then play their
way through it, with the champion claiming the jackpot.
Sponsored
tournaments, including a recent Maxim Magazine event,
would see gamers skip paying the entrance fee. However,
in the coming weeks, Virgin plans to open up a game-by-game
wagering system, which will allow gamers to create
their own tournaments and challenge others online
for real cash prizes.
“This
is the biggest deal that we’ve had,” said
William Levy, president of Virgin Gaming.
“We
have the entry fee-based tournaments. We also have
sponsored tournaments. Let’s say there was a
$10 entry fee tournament, you could click ‘enter
now,’ agree to the terms and conditions and then
we deduct the $10 from your account and put it towards
the pot.”
To
begin wagering on Virgin’s tournament-play system,
a player must sign up for an account at the company’s
website. Registering requires a credit card.
While
a handful of game tournaments have already been offered
on the Virgin system, including Halo: Reach and NBA
2K11, the addition of EA is set to greatly boost the
profile of the service and open Virgin’s wagering
system to fans of sports betting.
It
will also allow the company to begin offering new
services, such as Madden NFL 11 Red Zone, which will
be introduced in the coming weeks and will allow gamers
to create tournaments whenever they choose.
“We
are going to be releasing user-generated tournaments
within the next month or so,” said Levy.
Sports
video games represent big business.
EA’s
Madden NFL franchise is the best-selling sports video
game in the United States, having sold more than 1.81
million copies in its first month on store shelves
in August. According to EA, fans of the title have
played more than 190 million games of virtual football
over the Internet on Xbox Live since the title launched
in August.
FIFA
11 is the world’s best-selling sports game; more
than 2.6 million copies of the title were sold in
its first five days on store shelves in November.
On Jan. 14, EA announced the game had been awarded
a Guinness World Record. More than 775,000 people
participated in the FIFA Interactive World Cup this
past summer, making it the biggest Internet-based
gaming tournament ever held.
Nina
Littman-Sharp, manager of the problem-gambling service
at Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental
Health, said the Virgin Gaming service should send
up a number of red flags.
Littman-Sharp
said while small, infrequent wagers can be a fun way
to pass the time, large wagers on a regular basis
add up to a problem.
She
said addiction counsellors are already helping to
treat problem gamblers and they are also working to
treat people hooked on video games. Combining the
two creates a new problem, she said.
“It’s
bridging the gap between online gaming and online
gambling,” she said. “We already see people
who have problems with both. I can already see this
being one more element that we are going to start
to be seeing in treatment.”
Virgin’s
Levy said the company has created a number of safeguards
to ensure underage players are barred from wagering
and problem gambling is flagged.
He
said the system only allows people to load $500 per
week into their Virgin accounts without contacting
a customer service agent.
People
on a real spending spree will also have their accounts
temporarily locked out until they speak to a customer
service agent about their account activity.
Gambling
on sports is one of the largest segments of gambling
spending worldwide. More than $2.57 billion was legally
wagered in Nevada sports books in 2009, according
to the American Gaming Association.
That
is believed to represent less than one per cent of
all sports betting nationwide. Nevada is the only
state that allows sports gambling on all major sports
leagues in the United States. The FBI estimates that
more than $2.5 billion US is illegally wagered annually
on the March Madness college basketball tournament
each year.
Added
to that is the more than $1.5 billion US wagered on
fantasy sports leagues annually, according to a study
by Kim Beason, a professor at the University of Mississippi.
Virgin
stands to collect a chunk of that market thanks to
opening up sports betting to armchair quarterbacks
playing on a virtual pitch.
The
news comes at a time when governments around the world
are still trying to figure out how best to respond
to the growth of Internet gambling.
In
July, the provincial government in British Columbia
became the first in North America to begin offering
a government-run online casino.
The
move was made to cut back on private-sector encroachment
in the Internet-gambling space.
While
many governments have laws prohibiting wagers on games
of chance, such as slot machines, or even a mixture
of chance and skill, such as poker, there doesn’t
seem to be anything prohibiting wagering on a game
of skill, such as a game of Madden NFL 11, over the
Internet, according to the RCMP, who are responsible
for policing Internet-based gambling in Canada.
While
Internet gambling is an issue that has been examined
by provincial and federal governments, there has been
no new legislation in Canada to specifically address
the issue.
In
a bid to reduce exposure to Internet gambling sites,
in 2006 the Ontario government made it illegal for
Internet-based casinos and web-based poker games to
advertise in the province.
A
2004 report from the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba,
called Internet Gambling in Canada Waits in Legal
Purgatory lamented the lack of updated legislation
to deal with online gambling.
The
foundation said little has changed in the past six
years to deal with the issue.
Ontario
Lottery and Gaming Corp. chairman Paul Godfrey has
publicly stated that the gambling regulator is loosing
as much as $500 million annually because it has turned
a blind eye to online wagering.
That
figure will only increase as more initiatives such
as Virgin Gaming spring up and grow in popularity.
(Credit:
The Vancouver Sun)
News
Virgin
Gambling On Gaming With Sony And AWOMO, by Greg Tingle
- 4th June 2010
Gamers,
punters, punters... Virgin or not...the world at large...
the cat's out of the bag. Sir Richard Branson, communications,
media and aviation "king of the kids", will
be personally launching the global hard launch of
his highly anticipated Virgin Gaming at the E3 Expo
in Los Angeles cum 15th June. At least its 99% on
the cards, unless there's last minute changes, but
in the world of Branson's Virgin anything is possible.
Media Man toggle the gaming consul with this special
report...
Those
switched on folks at Virgin, Virgin Gaming to be precise,
having been teasing us for months, every week releasing
a new clue or two to the highly anticipated release
of Virgin Gaming. The Media Man machine has been adding
to the clues with inside tips offs on Twitter and
its own Media Man website.
A
Bit Of History Re Virgin in gaming
Circa
1981 Virgin Interactive launched
In
May 2002, the Spanish arm of Virgin Interactive, known
as Virgin Interactive España, was purchased.
The offspring was then separated from the main Virgin
Interactive company, already part of Titus Software,
and retained its own identity as a Virgin brand. Renamed
Virgin Play in October 2002, this Spanish publisher
has remained as the sole representation of the Virgin
Group in the video game industry, until now!
Circa
2004 Virgin Games in born, hatching Virgin Casino,
Virgin Poker and Virgin Bingo. Virgin also launch
an impressive affiliate program.
This
week
The
VirginGaming.com domain name and website go live,
albeit in a partial, soft fashion. Check out VirginGaming.com/Modnation
Virgin
staffers, management and / or those with too much
time on their hands may like to attempt to qualify
for ModNation Racers. The website also sports logos
from the likes of PS3, Playstation, EB Games and Game
Stop. The site graphics also display a Sony branded
gaming controller.
World
has leaked to us that the developments also include
tie ins to AWOMO (A World Of My Own), which sports
games such as Warhammer: Mark Of Chaos, Tomb Raider
and and Rome, and wait for it.... an acquisition of
WorldGaming aka WorldGaming.com,
which looks to be a good match for Virgin Gaming.
The
WorldGaming.com website blurb includes the following:
WorldGaming.com
is a safe, secure global platform that gives console
gamers the chance to win real money playing video
games. Combining a passion for technology with an
obsession with fairness, WorldGaming.com is built
on a promise to give users the best possible gaming
experience on the web.
The
WorldGaming.com platform combines a number of unique
tools that automatically verify results, ensure secure
payouts, and accurately reflect the skill levels of
potential opponents. Registered members also gain
access to a number of rich community features including
member pages, clan support, stats tracking, an invitations
to some of the biggest gaming tournaments in the world.
For every gaming that has dreamed of holding a controllers
high about their head and proclaiming they are the
greatest freaking player alive, WorldGaming.com is
the ultimate destination to play for real money against
gamers from all across the globe.
*Gambling911
readers, please note that a Virgin Gaming - WorldGaming
deal is not 100% for certain, however various leaks
have tipped us to think its quite likely.
Media
Man Inside Tips Of Potential Games (you won't read
anywhere else)
James
Bond 007 (Sony Pictures connection)
Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future (Virgin Comics and Virgin
Play connection)
Marvel VS Capcom (don't ask, Excelsior!)
Doom II
Resident Evil: Gaiden
Inside The Playboy Mansion (no comment, tipster remaining
anonymous)
Kids
of all ages... "Gamers More Dangerous Than Bikies"
as a former South Australian Attorney General said.
You be the judge, and keep an eye on the potential
censorship complexities re Virgin Gaming and a number
of other online gaming sites. Some "Thought Police"
have even suggested a few hours of gaming is more
addictive than cocaine, and gives a similar "buzz"
and rush of excitement. Read up the UK rags for more
on that.
Please
enjoy your gaming and gambling, but don't forget to
look after your general wellbeing. Tactics such as
skipping meals and sleep to enhance gaming time is
not recommended.
Virgin
Games - Virgin Casino is not currently available for
American or Australian players (which is part of the
reason for the upcoming global launch of Virgin Gaming).
The
late news...
Virgin
Casino has just released the City Of Gold online
slot game. Playing at Virgin Casino sees the player
being able to accumulate exclusive V*Points which
are able to be exchanged for a wide variety of Virgin
goods and services.
Virgin
Casino and Virgin Gaming competitors such as PartyGaming
and its PartyCasino.com
as well as Playtech and Sega, have yet to publicly
comment on the pending launch of Virgin Gaming.
Insiders
remain divided as to whether Google and its Google
Pac-Man will be a potential partner, competitor, or
remain in the "grey area". Interestingly
Google's Pac-Man had an "insert coin" animated
slot, which may be a sign of things to come.
Sony
will be heavily involved with Virgin Games, which
is extremely exciting given the Sony also have Sony
Pictures in their portfolio, and gamers (and gamblers)
are known to be passionate about branded games, be
it Marvel Superheroes, the DC Comics universe, Avatar,
Tomb Raider, Cleopatra, James Bond 007 or other.
Do
keep checking the official websites of Gambling911,
Media Man and Virgin Gaming for more on the exciting
developments at Virgin and Virgin Gaming.
*Media
Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet
portal development company. The gaming sector is just
one of a bakers of dozen of industries they cover.
*Media
Man has conducted b2b with a number of business
arms of Virgin Enterprises Limited, including Virgin
Games.
News
Virgin
Gaming Count Down, by Greg Tingle - 28th May 2010
Richard
Branson’s next major project is entitled Virgin
Gaming.
Full
details are not yet available, however Media Man has
it on good advise that this is going to be one of
the biggest things to come out of Virgin and Virgin
Games for the next decade or so!
Branson
himself will be launching the product - service in
LA on the 15th June.
The
world awaits Virgin Gaming loosing its Virginity.
News
Virgin
Gaming Partners With Sony And 'ModNation Racers' -
3rd June 2010
(Credit: MTV)
Richard
Branson's plan to bring Virgin back to gaming may
have been too big to wait on a formal E3 announcement
to set sail. The landing page for VirginGaming.com
currently only displays a logo and a countdown clock,
but VirginGaming.com/modnation
contains quite a bit more.
Canadian
copies of "ModNation Racers" have been directing
players to a multi-logo'd contest page there, according
to a report on CVG. Those who have followed SCEA's
directions have found a few registration fields there
where numerous Sony-related prizes are listed and
a Virgin Gaming tab is marked "Coming Soon."
"Soon"
looks to involve a contest from July 7 through July
14 with prizes ranging from PSP bundles and a Bravia
TV to a trip to Las Vegas with some spending money.
There's a leaderboard on the site that is also labeled
"Coming Soon," and that appears to be where
all of this competition jazz will be taking place.
The FAQ has more details, such the fact that the event
will be free to enter.
Surely
many, many more things will be said of this when Virgin
rolls out its intentions at E3. Until then, start
practicing your kart skills if you want to win a trip
to Vegas.
Virgin
Casino News: Virgin Gets New Games - Play Your Cards
Right, Hole In The Wall, Kitty Glitter, Rubik's Slot
- April 2010
Virgin
Casino News: Virgin Gets New Games - Play Your Cards
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London, 18 January 2007
Virgin Games Affiliates launches at CAP Euro affiliate
conference
Virgin
Games Affiliates will celebrate its launch in style
by exhibiting at CAP
Euro 2007, the first London based gaming affiliate
conference and exhibition. The event will take place
on January 26-28th, 2007 at the London Olympia Conference
Centre.
If
you plan to attend, please come and pay us a visit
at booth nº 30.
Pierrick
and the team will be happy to welcome you for a chat
on how we could start up/improve on a fruitful business
partnership (not to mention the Virgin freebies!).
Please
note that this event is free for all verified CAP
and GPWA webmasters, so please contact those organizations
for more details.
CAP:
http://www.casinoaffiliateprograms.com
GPWA: http://www.gpwa.net
CAP euro: http://www.capeuro.com
London, 14 December 2006
Celebrating 70 years of Monopoly™
Launch
of Monopoly Here & Now™ on Virgin Casino
Virgin Casino (www.virgincasino.com) today announced
the arrival of Monopoly Here & Now™ - bringing
one of the world's best known brands into the new
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A
firm favourite with Virgin Casino players, Wagerworks'
new incarnation of popular slot game Monopoly™,
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win up to £25,000 as they seek to own it all
by spinning the reels to build apartments and hotels
on prestigious London locations.
Reflecting
the changing shape of London since the game first
launched in the 1930's, Monopoly Here & Now™
features desirable modern-day places such as Primrose
Hill, Notting Hill Gate, Camden, and Brick Lane in
place of Mayfair and Park Lane as well as a range
of new game pieces including a double-decker bus,
mobile phone, roller blade and even a cheeseburger!
Cleopatra® Slot Game: new "free spin"
slot game at Virgin Casino
October
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for the first time ever on the internet, now available
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We're
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having fun in that unique Virgin way.
We're
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less – and we have something that no other gaming
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of Virgin products and services… as well as
cash of course! So, if you're playing for cash or
just for the hell of it, have a great time. Let the
Games begin! (Credit: Virgin Games official website)
