Pennsylvania Gambling Laws

Legislators in Pennsylvania have been making progress with a bill concerning the state’s laws towards gambling. The bill passed in the state House of Representatives on Monday by a very thin margin, and will be up for questioning in the Senate this Wednesday. Complications in the bills passing are foreseeable, as is the case with any legislation.

Pennsylvania Gambling Laws: Casino-expansion bill clears hurdle in Pa. House

A proposal to expand casino gambling in Pennsylvania Gambling Laws cleared a crucial first hurdle in the state House of Representatives on Monday by a close margin of 97-95. Most Democrats were in favor of it and most Republicans opposed it.

Supporters of Pennsylvania Gambling Laws will help the state government raise revenue to alleviate tax collections to 12%, and provide jobs in these hard times. Another House vote and Senate approval are needed before it can become law. Approval could occur this week, concluding a state budget agreement and freeing $700 million for universities that is being held by Gov. Ed Rendell until the bill passes.

The measure would raise the state’s number of casinos from 14 to 15 and legalize table games such as blackjack. It’s supposed to raise $320 million over the first 2 years, setting a 14% tax rate on table games and requiring casinos to pay millions in license fees.

The leaders of Pennsylvania’s state universities accused Rendell and House Democrats of holding them hostage by stalling their schools’ subsidy until Legislature approves a gambling expansion.

House Republican leaders opposed Pennsylvania Gambling Laws, as they believe financing state government with gambling money is bad policy. Opponents of the bill said it reeks of back-room deal making.

Pennsylvania gambling laws

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a controversial table games bill Tuesday, bringing Penn State one step closer to receiving its $334 million state appropriation.

Local representatives were split along party lines on the vote. Gov. Ed Rendell will not sign Penn State’s appropriation into law until the table games bill is passed by both houses of the General Assembly, said Gary Tuma, Rendell’s press secretary.

Tuma said Rendell wants to be certain funds are available for Penn State’s appropriation before signing it into law.

Casino-Expansion Bill Gets OK from PA House

A Pennsylvania Gambling Laws bill to expand legalized casino gambling in Pennsylvania received approval Tuesday from the state House of Representatives. It is almost certain to face changes in Senate as early as Wednesday. Proponents say it will ease state taxes. Opponents say the bill is about doing the gambling industry a favor and is larded with favors for lawmakers’ pet causes while ensuring families will be broken by gambling addiction.

Changes likely to be made in Pennsylvania Gambling Laws include removing the provision that would allow a 15th casino license and adding a requirement that state gambling regulators allow new applications to be considered for the last existing competitive casino license that wasn’t awarded.

A key reform in the bill is the reinstatement of a ban on cash contributions to political causes by gambling industry executives and investors. In April, the state Supreme Court struck down the five-year-old Pennsylvania Gambling Laws, which had been considered a key bulwark against the political influence of the gambling industry.

Pennsylvania Gambling Laws

Legislators in Pennsylvania have been making progress with a bill concerning the state’s laws towards gambling. The bill passed in the state House of Representatives on Monday by a very thin margin, and will be up for questioning in the Senate this Wednesday. Complications in the bills passing are foreseeable, as is the case with any legislation.

Pennsylvania Gambling Laws: Casino-expansion bill clears hurdle in Pa. House

A proposal to expand casino gambling in Pennsylvania Gambling Laws cleared a crucial first hurdle in the state House of Representatives on Monday by a close margin of 97-95. Most Democrats were in favor of it and most Republicans opposed it.

Supporters of Pennsylvania Gambling Laws will help the state government raise revenue to alleviate tax collections to 12%, and provide jobs in these hard times. Another House vote and Senate approval are needed before it can become law. Approval could occur this week, concluding a state budget agreement and freeing $700 million for universities that is being held by Gov. Ed Rendell until the bill passes.

The measure would raise the state’s number of casinos from 14 to 15 and legalize table games such as blackjack. It’s supposed to raise $320 million over the first 2 years, setting a 14% tax rate on table games and requiring casinos to pay millions in license fees.

The leaders of Pennsylvania’s state universities accused Rendell and House Democrats of holding them hostage by stalling their schools’ subsidy until Legislature approves a gambling expansion.

House Republican leaders opposed Pennsylvania Gambling Laws, as they believe financing state government with gambling money is bad policy. Opponents of the bill said it reeks of back-room deal making.

Pennsylvania gambling laws

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a controversial table games bill Tuesday, bringing Penn State one step closer to receiving its $334 million state appropriation.

Local representatives were split along party lines on the vote. Gov. Ed Rendell will not sign Penn State’s appropriation into law until the table games bill is passed by both houses of the General Assembly, said Gary Tuma, Rendell’s press secretary.

Tuma said Rendell wants to be certain funds are available for Penn State’s appropriation before signing it into law.

Casino-Expansion Bill Gets OK from PA House

A Pennsylvania Gambling Laws bill to expand legalized casino gambling in Pennsylvania received approval Tuesday from the state House of Representatives. It is almost certain to face changes in Senate as early as Wednesday. Proponents say it will ease state taxes. Opponents say the bill is about doing the gambling industry a favor and is larded with favors for lawmakers’ pet causes while ensuring families will be broken by gambling addiction.

Changes likely to be made in Pennsylvania Gambling Laws include removing the provision that would allow a 15th casino license and adding a requirement that state gambling regulators allow new applications to be considered for the last existing competitive casino license that wasn’t awarded.

A key reform in the bill is the reinstatement of a ban on cash contributions to political causes by gambling industry executives and investors. In April, the state Supreme Court struck down the five-year-old Pennsylvania Gambling Laws, which had been considered a key bulwark against the political influence of the gambling industry.

Unlike the millions of teenagers who would pay money to leave their families for independence, an 18 year old UK teenage lottery winner has decided to spend part of her winnings on a family home and to remain living there with her brother.

The teenage lottery winner‘s parents who currently live on the dole in one of the finest council homes on a lavish estate in the best part of Hackney, London along with her younger sister and brother.

The newest millionaire will purchase a stylish and expensive house and remain living there, even planning a construction of a separate bathroom within her own suite.

The family’s current council home has but one toilet, so in the morning rush for the dole lines, disability and welfare benefits, there was always a large queue for the bathroom.

“It didn’t really sink in at first, I just thought I had won some money and then when I found out I rang my family and they were crying down the phone. It’s been a struggle and things like that, it has always been quite tight.”

Teenage lottery winner

“When I told my younger sister I had some ‘big news’ for her and to sit down, she said, You are pregnant? You’ve been shagging like a cat in heat all month with them Jamaican boys. I burst out laughing and said, ‘No, I’ve won the lottery’.”

The 1 in 14 million chance of winning has come at the right time for the teenage lottery winner, according to Stacey. Stacey also plans to buy her older sister Kirsty, 21, a home for her and her young son Alfie due to the fact that she’s recently been made redundant.

Unlike the millions of teenagers who would pay money to leave their families for independence, an 18 year old UK teenage lottery winner has decided to spend part of her winnings on a family home and to remain living there with her brother.

The teenage lottery winner‘s parents who currently live on the dole in one of the finest council homes on a lavish estate in the best part of Hackney, London along with her younger sister and brother.

The newest millionaire will purchase a stylish and expensive house and remain living there, even planning a construction of a separate bathroom within her own suite.

The family’s current council home has but one toilet, so in the morning rush for the dole lines, disability and welfare benefits, there was always a large queue for the bathroom.

“It didn’t really sink in at first, I just thought I had won some money and then when I found out I rang my family and they were crying down the phone. It’s been a struggle and things like that, it has always been quite tight.”

Teenage lottery winner

“When I told my younger sister I had some ‘big news’ for her and to sit down, she said, You are pregnant? You’ve been shagging like a cat in heat all month with them Jamaican boys. I burst out laughing and said, ‘No, I’ve won the lottery’.”

The 1 in 14 million chance of winning has come at the right time for the teenage lottery winner, according to Stacey. Stacey also plans to buy her older sister Kirsty, 21, a home for her and her young son Alfie due to the fact that she’s recently been made redundant.

A new study has revealed that pigeons are natural gamblers. While they won’t be hitting the slots or betting bread crumbs at poker tables any time soon, they do tend to go for lower odds if the payout is high enough.

Psychologists at the University of Kentucky tested the birds with a simple machine that had two buttons. One was marked with a vertical line, and it paid out 10 pellets 20% of the time. The other button, marked with a horizontal line, rewarded with 3 pellets every time.

Six out of the eight pigeons tested pecked the vertical line most of the time, indicating a natural urge to go for the big jackpot, even though the horizontal line paid out more pellets in the long run. The lure of the jackpot was more appealing to the birds than a safe bet.

According to the psychologists, “The results of these experiments suggest that pigeons show a tendency to make maladaptive decisions similar to those of humans. That is, pigeons prefer a signal for a low probability, high payoff alternative over a signal for a certain low payoff alternative that on average provides 50% more reinforcement.”

Studying gambling behavior in pigeons may help the researchers better understand gambling behavior in people. “There’s a basic behavioral, biological process involved that probably affects many different species, and it doesn’t require the excitement of a casino,” said the researchers.

A new study has revealed that pigeons are natural gamblers. While they won’t be hitting the slots or betting bread crumbs at poker tables any time soon, they do tend to go for lower odds if the payout is high enough.

Psychologists at the University of Kentucky tested the birds with a simple machine that had two buttons. One was marked with a vertical line, and it paid out 10 pellets 20% of the time. The other button, marked with a horizontal line, rewarded with 3 pellets every time.

Six out of the eight pigeons tested pecked the vertical line most of the time, indicating a natural urge to go for the big jackpot, even though the horizontal line paid out more pellets in the long run. The lure of the jackpot was more appealing to the birds than a safe bet.

According to the psychologists, “The results of these experiments suggest that pigeons show a tendency to make maladaptive decisions similar to those of humans. That is, pigeons prefer a signal for a low probability, high payoff alternative over a signal for a certain low payoff alternative that on average provides 50% more reinforcement.”

Studying gambling behavior in pigeons may help the researchers better understand gambling behavior in people. “There’s a basic behavioral, biological process involved that probably affects many different species, and it doesn’t require the excitement of a casino,” said the researchers.

Odds of 176 million to 1 were beat this weekend in San Luis Obispo County, California, when the Mega Millions jackpot of $133 million was won by … someone. The numbers 4, 10, 26, 31, 32, and 41 came up to produce a single winner of the record-breaking amount, but no one has stepped forward to claim the prize yet.

Though the $133 million is not the largest prize in the lottery ever – that honor goes to a woman from Southern California who took a $266 million jackpot in May – the win is the biggest ever in San Luis Obispo County.

Seller of the lucky ticket, an outlet known as Bottle Liquor and Deli, will receive a nice bonus of $665,000 for the win. The ticket-holder will be given the option of $92.4 million lump sum payment or payments of $5.11 million per year for 26 years.

California lottery spokesman Alex Traverso said that the winner may take up to 365 days to collect but “rarely do we have a jackpot winner [of a prize] this size wait more than a week.”

Odds of 176 million to 1 were beat this weekend in San Luis Obispo County, California, when the Mega Millions jackpot of $133 million was won by … someone. The numbers 4, 10, 26, 31, 32, and 41 came up to produce a single winner of the record-breaking amount, but no one has stepped forward to claim the prize yet.

Though the $133 million is not the largest prize in the lottery ever – that honor goes to a woman from Southern California who took a $266 million jackpot in May – the win is the biggest ever in San Luis Obispo County.

Seller of the lucky ticket, an outlet known as Bottle Liquor and Deli, will receive a nice bonus of $665,000 for the win. The ticket-holder will be given the option of $92.4 million lump sum payment or payments of $5.11 million per year for 26 years.

California lottery spokesman Alex Traverso said that the winner may take up to 365 days to collect but “rarely do we have a jackpot winner [of a prize] this size wait more than a week.”

Another massive progressive jackpot slot game paid out big this week. This time it was at one of the internet’s top bingo sites: Mecca Bingo.

Mecca Bingo is a unique site, because it is actually the online version of a chain physical bingo halls in the UK. The lucky winner, who uses the online alias Dudderbear, was at a Mecca Bingo hall in Leeds when a lucrative welcome bonus led her to sign up online. Since then the mother of two has been regular at Mecca Bingo’s online website.

Dudderbear won the €65,625 prize on a progressive jackpot game called Jungle Madness. This wild video slot is filled with jungle critters like monkeys, snakes, and tigers. Its progressive jackpot prize is paid when five tigers appear in the middle payline.

“I just couldn’t believe it when the slot machine demonstrated that I had won,” explained Dudderbear. “Immediately I rushed to my mother who also was speechless. My mother has an injury so she wasn’t able to go wild with me but her calmness had a positive effect on me. I informed my children while my husband is away for his work. I still need to bring him the good news.”

“I plan to spend the money on a new car and on a nice vacation. I already know which car I would love to buy! Surely my colleagues will have more options for spending the windfall.”

Another massive progressive jackpot slot game paid out big this week. This time it was at one of the internet’s top bingo sites: Mecca Bingo.

Mecca Bingo is a unique site, because it is actually the online version of a chain physical bingo halls in the UK. The lucky winner, who uses the online alias Dudderbear, was at a Mecca Bingo hall in Leeds when a lucrative welcome bonus led her to sign up online. Since then the mother of two has been regular at Mecca Bingo’s online website.

Dudderbear won the €65,625 prize on a progressive jackpot game called Jungle Madness. This wild video slot is filled with jungle critters like monkeys, snakes, and tigers. Its progressive jackpot prize is paid when five tigers appear in the middle payline.

“I just couldn’t believe it when the slot machine demonstrated that I had won,” explained Dudderbear. “Immediately I rushed to my mother who also was speechless. My mother has an injury so she wasn’t able to go wild with me but her calmness had a positive effect on me. I informed my children while my husband is away for his work. I still need to bring him the good news.”

“I plan to spend the money on a new car and on a nice vacation. I already know which car I would love to buy! Surely my colleagues will have more options for spending the windfall.”

When Frank Sullivan hit the Tri-State Megabucks lottery sponsored by Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire state governments for $12.5 million, he knew exactly what to do – no wonder, as twice before family members have struck it rich.

The $12.5 million represents the largest single prize ever rewarded in the Tri-State Megabucks lottery since its establishment in 1985. The bad (though certainly manageable) news for Sullivan is that, since he’s a Vermont native who bought the ticket across the border in New Hampshire, he’ll be paying taxes on his winnings in two states. In taking the “lump sum” option, Sullivan will be banking over $5 million.

According to local media, one of the very first things the 52-year-old did – even before stepping up to claim his prize – was to give two weeks’ notice at his job at a local electronics supplier. He now reportedly carries around lip balm “for people that want money – They’ve gotta kiss up a little bit more” and a black book “for the marriage proposals.”

The store in Gilman where Sullivan bought the ticket will also be receiving $30,000 for selling the lucky jackpot winner.

NECN Online also reports that Sullivan had purchased tickets for last night’s Megabucks drawing – presumably he didn’t win that one, however…

When Frank Sullivan hit the Tri-State Megabucks lottery sponsored by Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire state governments for $12.5 million, he knew exactly what to do – no wonder, as twice before family members have struck it rich.

The $12.5 million represents the largest single prize ever rewarded in the Tri-State Megabucks lottery since its establishment in 1985. The bad (though certainly manageable) news for Sullivan is that, since he’s a Vermont native who bought the ticket across the border in New Hampshire, he’ll be paying taxes on his winnings in two states. In taking the “lump sum” option, Sullivan will be banking over $5 million.

According to local media, one of the very first things the 52-year-old did – even before stepping up to claim his prize – was to give two weeks’ notice at his job at a local electronics supplier. He now reportedly carries around lip balm “for people that want money – They’ve gotta kiss up a little bit more” and a black book “for the marriage proposals.”

The store in Gilman where Sullivan bought the ticket will also be receiving $30,000 for selling the lucky jackpot winner.

NECN Online also reports that Sullivan had purchased tickets for last night’s Megabucks drawing – presumably he didn’t win that one, however…

The scene of the crime is the Sho-Ka-Wah Casino in Hopeland, California. The perpetrators are eight locals, aged 38 to 47, including former casino employee Joan Elizabeth Pickron. The crime, according to state Attorney General’s Office spokeswoman Kate Gibbs, is “manipulating jackpot slot machines to cheat the casino.”

This group of gamblers have been hacking the casino’s slot machines for more than three years. No details have been release about how the group rigged the jackpot slots, but their efforts earned them a total of more than $100,000 in ill-gotten wins.

The California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Gambling Control has been investigating the situation since late 2008, and arrests were finally made last week. All eight offenders now face charges of embezzlement and grand theft.

Normally, the security of casino slot machines is quite strong, so the fact that these gamblers were able to manipulate the machines is surprising. Online jackpot slots are even more secure, since all games are monitored electronically. Fortunately, this sort of crime is rare, and even when something like this does happen, it has little effect on other patrons of the casino where the crime takes place.

The scene of the crime is the Sho-Ka-Wah Casino in Hopeland, California. The perpetrators are eight locals, aged 38 to 47, including former casino employee Joan Elizabeth Pickron. The crime, according to state Attorney General’s Office spokeswoman Kate Gibbs, is “manipulating jackpot slot machines to cheat the casino.”

This group of gamblers have been hacking the casino’s slot machines for more than three years. No details have been release about how the group rigged the jackpot slots, but their efforts earned them a total of more than $100,000 in ill-gotten wins.

The California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Gambling Control has been investigating the situation since late 2008, and arrests were finally made last week. All eight offenders now face charges of embezzlement and grand theft.

Normally, the security of casino slot machines is quite strong, so the fact that these gamblers were able to manipulate the machines is surprising. Online jackpot slots are even more secure, since all games are monitored electronically. Fortunately, this sort of crime is rare, and even when something like this does happen, it has little effect on other patrons of the casino where the crime takes place.

Slotland is an online casino dedicated to slot games. The site runs on proprietary software, which means every game they offer is exclusive, and can’t be found anyplace else. Slotland is especially well known for its progressive jackpot games. The jackpots don’t get as high as they do on some of the larger software networks like Microgaming or Playtech, but players can still win considerable amounts of money.

The latest jackpot winner at Slotland is player SOUTHBELLE, who just the other day won $148,711 while playing the Lucky Stars progressive slot.

“I’m so excited I can’t think straight,” said the lucky player shortly after she won. “I’m sure not used to having that kind of spending money so I really don’t know what I’ll do with it! I’m terrible for spoiling my family. Can’t help it! So I’ll have some fun with this that’s for sure. First though, my brother has been going through some tough times lately so I’m going to help him with some of the bills that have piled up.”

All the slots at Slotland are connected to the same progressive jackpot. The last time this jackpot was won on Lucky Stars was way back in December 2007, but since then, players have won the jackpot on other Slotland games.

“We had a $168,476 winner in May but other than that this is our biggest win since last October,” said Slotland manager Michael Hilary.

The Slotland Casino progressive jackpot has been reset to the base amount of $50,000 and will start growing with every wager placed at the casino until another lucky player wins it all.

Slotland is an online casino dedicated to slot games. The site runs on proprietary software, which means every game they offer is exclusive, and can’t be found anyplace else. Slotland is especially well known for its progressive jackpot games. The jackpots don’t get as high as they do on some of the larger software networks like Microgaming or Playtech, but players can still win considerable amounts of money.

The latest jackpot winner at Slotland is player SOUTHBELLE, who just the other day won $148,711 while playing the Lucky Stars progressive slot.

“I’m so excited I can’t think straight,” said the lucky player shortly after she won. “I’m sure not used to having that kind of spending money so I really don’t know what I’ll do with it! I’m terrible for spoiling my family. Can’t help it! So I’ll have some fun with this that’s for sure. First though, my brother has been going through some tough times lately so I’m going to help him with some of the bills that have piled up.”

All the slots at Slotland are connected to the same progressive jackpot. The last time this jackpot was won on Lucky Stars was way back in December 2007, but since then, players have won the jackpot on other Slotland games.

“We had a $168,476 winner in May but other than that this is our biggest win since last October,” said Slotland manager Michael Hilary.

The Slotland Casino progressive jackpot has been reset to the base amount of $50,000 and will start growing with every wager placed at the casino until another lucky player wins it all.

Sometimes it seems even quitting gambling can be a gamble – especially if you win a jackpot.

Apparently finding himself becoming a problem gambler back in 2004, New Zealander Sothea Sinn and his then-girlfriend filled out the paperwork for a self-exclusion ban at Auckland’s Sky City Casino. But Sinn had either overcome his problem or lost control of it last month when he went to play at Sky City again.

Sinn’s trip to the casino ended up becoming a serious good news/bad news scenario: The now 28-year-old hit a $44,000 jackpot playing the pokies; unfortunately for him, Sinn was told that the ban was still in place and that they would not be granting his big prize after all.

“I was absolutely gutted,” said Sinn to Auckland’s Dominion-Post newspaper.

Stating that he believed the self-exclusion ban would have expired within six years’ time, the casino countered by claiming such a ban can only be removed once the banned player has attended a certain number of mandatory counseling sessions to treat addiction to gambling.

Sinn has told local media that he will hire an attorney and attempt to bring a formal complaint to the New Zealand gambling authorities in order to obtain his winnings.

Sometimes it seems even quitting gambling can be a gamble – especially if you win a jackpot.

Apparently finding himself becoming a problem gambler back in 2004, New Zealander Sothea Sinn and his then-girlfriend filled out the paperwork for a self-exclusion ban at Auckland’s Sky City Casino. But Sinn had either overcome his problem or lost control of it last month when he went to play at Sky City again.

Sinn’s trip to the casino ended up becoming a serious good news/bad news scenario: The now 28-year-old hit a $44,000 jackpot playing the pokies; unfortunately for him, Sinn was told that the ban was still in place and that they would not be granting his big prize after all.

“I was absolutely gutted,” said Sinn to Auckland’s Dominion-Post newspaper.

Stating that he believed the self-exclusion ban would have expired within six years’ time, the casino countered by claiming such a ban can only be removed once the banned player has attended a certain number of mandatory counseling sessions to treat addiction to gambling.

Sinn has told local media that he will hire an attorney and attempt to bring a formal complaint to the New Zealand gambling authorities in order to obtain his winnings.

Just days ago, a progressive slot game called Red White & Win, a Vegas Technology software progressive jackpot, paid out a jackpot just shy of one million dollars. The exact amount was reported as $989,441. After the jackpot paid out, the counter was reset to the low default amount of $6,400.

Red White & Win is a patriotic American themed slot game. Its three reel classic design combined with its progressive jackpot prize makes it a popular game among US players. Best of all, the game has a fixed coin size of $2.50 and a max bet of $7.50 making it very affordable as far as progressive jackpot slots go. The game is won by spinning three American Flag symbols across the center payline on a max bet spin.

News about this mega jackpot prize has only come through an automatic progressive jackpot slots tracking system. It is not yet known who won the jackpot, or even which casino the winner was playing at. Confirmation about the win will probably be announced soon, either through the casino where the jackpot was won or through Vegas Technology directly.

Vegas Technology software progressive jackpot games, and this Red White & Win jackpot is one of the largest they’ve ever paid out. This software producer is one of the few big players in the online gambling world that still accepts US players, making it a top choice for people from the United States who are looking for real money online casino games. Other software companies which power online casinos accepting US players include RealTime Gaming, Rival Gaming, and Top Game.

Just days ago, a progressive slot game called Red White & Win, a Vegas Technology software progressive jackpot, paid out a jackpot just shy of one million dollars. The exact amount was reported as $989,441. After the jackpot paid out, the counter was reset to the low default amount of $6,400.

Red White & Win is a patriotic American themed slot game. Its three reel classic design combined with its progressive jackpot prize makes it a popular game among US players. Best of all, the game has a fixed coin size of $2.50 and a max bet of $7.50 making it very affordable as far as progressive jackpot slots go. The game is won by spinning three American Flag symbols across the center payline on a max bet spin.

News about this mega jackpot prize has only come through an automatic progressive jackpot slots tracking system. It is not yet known who won the jackpot, or even which casino the winner was playing at. Confirmation about the win will probably be announced soon, either through the casino where the jackpot was won or through Vegas Technology directly.

Vegas Technology software progressive jackpot games, and this Red White & Win jackpot is one of the largest they’ve ever paid out. This software producer is one of the few big players in the online gambling world that still accepts US players, making it a top choice for people from the United States who are looking for real money online casino games. Other software companies which power online casinos accepting US players include RealTime Gaming, Rival Gaming, and Top Game.

In what South African National Lottery spokeswoman Thembi Tulwana is calling “another dream come true,” a 66-year-old man from Gauteng province has been awarded Saturday’s grand prize ZAR 10 million (about $1.38 million).

When claiming the prize, the man thought he had won a “second-division prize” in the lottery worth just under $15,000. Instead he found out he actually one the big one when rechecking the numbers. His reaction: “Unable to contain his disbelief, he broke down and cried hysterically,” according to representatives of Gidani, the Greece-based company running the lottery.

They went on to state that “He then called his wife of 43 years, whom he trusts entirely, to share the news.”

Though on the face of it, the grand prize doesn’t seem that huge, it’s quite an amazing windfall in a country where, as Wikipedia informs, “The median annual income of Black working adults aged 15-65 is ZAR 12,073 [$1,665].”

Once the man composed himself a bit, he told lottery officials that this prize meant financial independence, plus the opportunity to buy property for himself and his family’s caretaker, and possibly travel. “We will now be able to do things sooner rather than having to wait until we can afford to buy what we like,” he said.

The South African National Lottery started in 2000 and is today overwhelmingly the most popular form of gambling in the country: A study by the National Centre for the Study of Gambling in 2006 showed that 82% of citizens played the lottery and 53% did no other form of gambling.

In what South African National Lottery spokeswoman Thembi Tulwana is calling “another dream come true,” a 66-year-old man from Gauteng province has been awarded Saturday’s grand prize ZAR 10 million (about $1.38 million).

When claiming the prize, the man thought he had won a “second-division prize” in the lottery worth just under $15,000. Instead he found out he actually one the big one when rechecking the numbers. His reaction: “Unable to contain his disbelief, he broke down and cried hysterically,” according to representatives of Gidani, the Greece-based company running the lottery.

They went on to state that “He then called his wife of 43 years, whom he trusts entirely, to share the news.”

Though on the face of it, the grand prize doesn’t seem that huge, it’s quite an amazing windfall in a country where, as Wikipedia informs, “The median annual income of Black working adults aged 15-65 is ZAR 12,073 [$1,665].”

Once the man composed himself a bit, he told lottery officials that this prize meant financial independence, plus the opportunity to buy property for himself and his family’s caretaker, and possibly travel. “We will now be able to do things sooner rather than having to wait until we can afford to buy what we like,” he said.

The South African National Lottery started in 2000 and is today overwhelmingly the most popular form of gambling in the country: A study by the National Centre for the Study of Gambling in 2006 showed that 82% of citizens played the lottery and 53% did no other form of gambling.

PKR Casino player ‘PaulTuscan’ just hit the jackpot for the second time in the past 9 months, winning $174,084 on the Queen of Pyramids progressive slot game. Last November, PaulTuscan hit a similar jackpot, winning $88,000 on a game called ‘Fruit Mania’. This brings the man’s winnings up past a quarter of a million dollars in the last year alone.

The Welsh gambler took notice of Queen of Pyramids slot when he saw that its progressive jackpot had climbed above $90,000. “Then it topped $174,004.01 and it was the most I have seen it at,” said Paul. “The rest is history as they say.”

The lucky slot fan is considering spending his winnings on an Aston Martin, or maybe a couple of long holidays.

PKR Casino is a sister site to the famous PKR Poker. The casino runs on software designed by Playtech which operates one of the largest networks of progressive jackpots in the world. Their progressive games can be played for as little as $0.50, and 1% of each bet made on the game is added to the jackpot, which grows and grows until a lucky player like PaulTuscan comes along and wins the whole thing.

Right now, two of Playtech’s progressive slot games have jackpots that are more than a million dollars. Beach Life is sitting at $1.2 million, while Gold Rally is just behind at $1.1 million. These prizes can pay out at any time. Who will be the next lucky jackpot winner?

PKR Casino player ‘PaulTuscan’ just hit the jackpot for the second time in the past 9 months, winning $174,084 on the Queen of Pyramids progressive slot game. Last November, PaulTuscan hit a similar jackpot, winning $88,000 on a game called ‘Fruit Mania’. This brings the man’s winnings up past a quarter of a million dollars in the last year alone.

The Welsh gambler took notice of Queen of Pyramids slot when he saw that its progressive jackpot had climbed above $90,000. “Then it topped $174,004.01 and it was the most I have seen it at,” said Paul. “The rest is history as they say.”

The lucky slot fan is considering spending his winnings on an Aston Martin, or maybe a couple of long holidays.

PKR Casino is a sister site to the famous PKR Poker. The casino runs on software designed by Playtech which operates one of the largest networks of progressive jackpots in the world. Their progressive games can be played for as little as $0.50, and 1% of each bet made on the game is added to the jackpot, which grows and grows until a lucky player like PaulTuscan comes along and wins the whole thing.

Right now, two of Playtech’s progressive slot games have jackpots that are more than a million dollars. Beach Life is sitting at $1.2 million, while Gold Rally is just behind at $1.1 million. These prizes can pay out at any time. Who will be the next lucky jackpot winner?

Quite possibly the hottest online casino on the entire Internet in terms of big payouts last month was Spin Palace Casino. The Microgaming-powered casino reported no fewer than five progressive jackpot winners in addition to another nine players who took home $18,000 or more on standard video slot games.

July’s biggest winner at Spin Palace was a player known as S.P. Playing Treasure Nile on July 19th, S.P. lined up enough jackpot symbols to win a nice €52,815.82 (about $68,300) on the 9-payline machine.

Some smaller progressive jackpots won in July at Spin Palace include the €10,985.06 ($14,125) taken by M.D.R. at LotsaLoot when he hit three LotsaLoot symbols on payline 5. Player E.L. won a piece of the Mega Moolah jackpot worth €10,302.20 (almost $13,000) from Mega Moolah Summertime Slot. (The Mega Moolah bonus is now at over $3.8 million, by the way.) And M.B. took one of the smaller Mega Moolah progressive jackpots to start the month by winning $10,015.39.

Finally, the biggest table game winner was surely L.V.D.P. who won €20,000 on the Progressive Cyberstud Poker game there.

Slot players M.W., R.H. and V.L. each registered big wins in July, taking Spin Palace for over $154,000 combined. M.W. was the single largest winner after seeing quite a run on Isis and Fortune Finder slots for nearly $70,000. G.P. also recorded a nice windfall, going for $20,730 on Tomb Raider: Secret of the Sword slot.

Quite possibly the hottest online casino on the entire Internet in terms of big payouts last month was Spin Palace Casino. The Microgaming-powered casino reported no fewer than five progressive jackpot winners in addition to another nine players who took home $18,000 or more on standard video slot games.

July’s biggest winner at Spin Palace was a player known as S.P. Playing Treasure Nile on July 19th, S.P. lined up enough jackpot symbols to win a nice €52,815.82 (about $68,300) on the 9-payline machine.

Some smaller progressive jackpots won in July at Spin Palace include the €10,985.06 ($14,125) taken by M.D.R. at LotsaLoot when he hit three LotsaLoot symbols on payline 5. Player E.L. won a piece of the Mega Moolah jackpot worth €10,302.20 (almost $13,000) from Mega Moolah Summertime Slot. (The Mega Moolah bonus is now at over $3.8 million, by the way.) And M.B. took one of the smaller Mega Moolah progressive jackpots to start the month by winning $10,015.39.

Finally, the biggest table game winner was surely L.V.D.P. who won €20,000 on the Progressive Cyberstud Poker game there.

Slot players M.W., R.H. and V.L. each registered big wins in July, taking Spin Palace for over $154,000 combined. M.W. was the single largest winner after seeing quite a run on Isis and Fortune Finder slots for nearly $70,000. G.P. also recorded a nice windfall, going for $20,730 on Tomb Raider: Secret of the Sword slot.

A series of popular online progressive jackpot slot machine game called Millionaires Club are now offering a prize of more than $1 million. The games, developed by internet casino software company Cryptologic, feature high-life themes that give players a glimpse of the lifestyle that awaits them if they win the big prize.

The series is made up of three games, appropriately named Millionaires Club I, Millionaires Club II, and Millionaires Club III. The three slots feature different graphics and gameplay, but each shares the same Cryptologic casino jackpot. The jackpot is progressive, meaning it grows bigger every time a player makes a wager on the game. These jackpots continue to grow until they are won; the jackpot is then reset.

Millionares Club has a history of playing out big. In 2007, a 29-year-old blacksmith set a world record by winning over $4 million from the game at InterCasino.

It is not uncommon for online progressive jackpots to reach seven figures. The largest online progressive slot jackpot ever won actually paid out over $6 million, back in 2009 on a slot from Microgaming software called Mega Moolah. The jackpot on the Mega Moolah series of games now stands at an incredible $3.8 million.

A series of popular online progressive jackpot slot machine game called Millionaires Club are now offering a prize of more than $1 million. The games, developed by internet casino software company Cryptologic, feature high-life themes that give players a glimpse of the lifestyle that awaits them if they win the big prize.

The series is made up of three games, appropriately named Millionaires Club I, Millionaires Club II, and Millionaires Club III. The three slots feature different graphics and gameplay, but each shares the same Cryptologic casino jackpot. The jackpot is progressive, meaning it grows bigger every time a player makes a wager on the game. These jackpots continue to grow until they are won; the jackpot is then reset.

Millionares Club has a history of playing out big. In 2007, a 29-year-old blacksmith set a world record by winning over $4 million from the game at InterCasino.

It is not uncommon for online progressive jackpots to reach seven figures. The largest online progressive slot jackpot ever won actually paid out over $6 million, back in 2009 on a slot from Microgaming software called Mega Moolah. The jackpot on the Mega Moolah series of games now stands at an incredible $3.8 million.

When people talk about “life-changing” multi-million prizes in lottery draws, they’re definitely visualizing Elizabeth’s Choras-Hanna’s win of the Powerball Jackpot Prize in July.

Thirty-five year-old Choras-Hanna, who is currently an unemployed medical assistant, will presumably be toning down the job search a bit after claiming her $73.8 million win on Friday. Residing in Hollywood, Florida, Choras-Hanna becomes the state’s second-ever Powerball winner. Opting for a one-time payment rather than installments, Choras-Hanna collected $38,929,055.11 for the winning ticket.

The winning numbers were 20, 21, 27, 28, 56 and Powerball number 4.

“[My sister and I] always go grocery shopping at Publix together, and before we leave we buy one Florida Lotto and one Powerball Quick Pick ticket,” Choras-Hanna said. “The next day, I went to another Publix and had them check my tickets and discovered our ticket was the jackpot winner.”

Choras-Hanna will be sharing the winnings with her sister and her sister’s husband. Though the draw was actually held on July 10, Choras-Hanna said she waited to collect the prize while she and her family “got their affairs in order first.”

In last Friday’s draw, a single winner from Louisiana bought a ticket with a progressive jackpot worth $85.7 million; this winner has yet to claim the prize. The winning numbers were 1, 16, 17, 41, 57 and Powerball 15.

When people talk about “life-changing” multi-million prizes in lottery draws, they’re definitely visualizing Elizabeth’s Choras-Hanna’s win of the Powerball Jackpot Prize in July.

Thirty-five year-old Choras-Hanna, who is currently an unemployed medical assistant, will presumably be toning down the job search a bit after claiming her $73.8 million win on Friday. Residing in Hollywood, Florida, Choras-Hanna becomes the state’s second-ever Powerball winner. Opting for a one-time payment rather than installments, Choras-Hanna collected $38,929,055.11 for the winning ticket.

The winning numbers were 20, 21, 27, 28, 56 and Powerball number 4.

“[My sister and I] always go grocery shopping at Publix together, and before we leave we buy one Florida Lotto and one Powerball Quick Pick ticket,” Choras-Hanna said. “The next day, I went to another Publix and had them check my tickets and discovered our ticket was the jackpot winner.”

Choras-Hanna will be sharing the winnings with her sister and her sister’s husband. Though the draw was actually held on July 10, Choras-Hanna said she waited to collect the prize while she and her family “got their affairs in order first.”

In last Friday’s draw, a single winner from Louisiana bought a ticket with a progressive jackpot worth $85.7 million; this winner has yet to claim the prize. The winning numbers were 1, 16, 17, 41, 57 and Powerball 15.

Barnaby Jack has a special power – he can walk up to an ATM and trick the machine into thinking it is a casino jackpot slot game. Once Barnaby has performed his magic, the ATM will start spitting out money onto the ground faster than most people can enter their PIN code.

Barnaby is no magician. He is actually a security researcher, and he recently demonstrated his unique hacking skills at the Black Hat Security Conference in Las Vegas. His session, titled “Jackpotting Automated Teller Machines Redux”, was put together to bring attention to issues of digital security in today’s world of computers.

During the Black Hat conference, Barnaby hacked two different brands of ATM machines. He bought the machines online, and spent years going over the program code that powers them, looking for weaknesses. These are not the only ATMs he has hacked; in fact, Barnaby says he has yet to find an ATM that he couldn’t exploit to get free cash.

The issue of digital security in the online gambling world has been in the news recently, after Canada’s BC Lottery Commission launched the country’s first-ever fully licensed internet gambling website. Unfortunately, the site contained a massive security glitch, and within hours it had to be shut down. It seems that player accounts were crossing over, and certain casino users were able to gamble with other players’ money. Some 200 accounts were compromised before the site was taken offline.

Fortunately, these sorts of problems with online gambling sites are rare. The software that powers online casinos is rigorously tested prior to release, and new games undergo testing by third-party companies to make sure they are random and fair. Just as most people have no idea how to hack an ATM, most online casino users can gamble for years and years without ever running into problems.

Barnaby Jack has a special power – he can walk up to an ATM and trick the machine into thinking it is a casino jackpot slot game. Once Barnaby has performed his magic, the ATM will start spitting out money onto the ground faster than most people can enter their PIN code.

Barnaby is no magician. He is actually a security researcher, and he recently demonstrated his unique hacking skills at the Black Hat Security Conference in Las Vegas. His session, titled “Jackpotting Automated Teller Machines Redux”, was put together to bring attention to issues of digital security in today’s world of computers.

During the Black Hat conference, Barnaby hacked two different brands of ATM machines. He bought the machines online, and spent years going over the program code that powers them, looking for weaknesses. These are not the only ATMs he has hacked; in fact, Barnaby says he has yet to find an ATM that he couldn’t exploit to get free cash.

The issue of digital security in the online gambling world has been in the news recently, after Canada’s BC Lottery Commission launched the country’s first-ever fully licensed internet gambling website. Unfortunately, the site contained a massive security glitch, and within hours it had to be shut down. It seems that player accounts were crossing over, and certain casino users were able to gamble with other players’ money. Some 200 accounts were compromised before the site was taken offline.

Fortunately, these sorts of problems with online gambling sites are rare. The software that powers online casinos is rigorously tested prior to release, and new games undergo testing by third-party companies to make sure they are random and fair. Just as most people have no idea how to hack an ATM, most online casino users can gamble for years and years without ever running into problems.

A member of Sun Vegas Casino known only as DM hit his third progressive jackpot yesterday, bringing his total progressive winnings up to an amazing $157,200.

DM’s first big win came two and a half months ago, when he hit the Lotsa Loot progressive jackpot and won $58,222. Last month he got lucky again, grabbing a $30,347 progressive prize on Jackpot Deuces, a single-hand video poker game. DM’s most recent win came from another progressive jackpot slot called Fruit Fiesta, and totals $68,631.

“Well done DM!” says Austin Green, manager of Sun Vegas Casino. “Three big wins in as many months is an outstanding achievement.”

Sun Vegas Casino, member of the Vegas Partner Lounge, is powered by Microgaming software and provides its members with more than 450 different online casino games, including more than a dozen progressive jackpot titles. At the time of writing this, more than $5 million in progressive jackpot prizes are available across these games at Sun Vegas Casino, just waiting for a lucky player like DM to scoop them up.

A member of Sun Vegas Casino known only as DM hit his third progressive jackpot yesterday, bringing his total progressive winnings up to an amazing $157,200.

DM’s first big win came two and a half months ago, when he hit the Lotsa Loot progressive jackpot and won $58,222. Last month he got lucky again, grabbing a $30,347 progressive prize on Jackpot Deuces, a single-hand video poker game. DM’s most recent win came from another progressive jackpot slot called Fruit Fiesta, and totals $68,631.

“Well done DM!” says Austin Green, manager of Sun Vegas Casino. “Three big wins in as many months is an outstanding achievement.”

Sun Vegas Casino, member of the Vegas Partner Lounge, is powered by Microgaming software and provides its members with more than 450 different online casino games, including more than a dozen progressive jackpot titles. At the time of writing this, more than $5 million in progressive jackpot prizes are available across these games at Sun Vegas Casino, just waiting for a lucky player like DM to scoop them up.

GamblingResults wishes a big “congratulations” to two recent winners on Microgaming-powered progressive jackpot slots online. First up was Golden Riviera Casino player MC, who hit the jackpot on the Treasure Nile 5 Reel progressive slot game at the casino last Tuesday. Playing all nine paylines on the Egyptian-themed progressive jackpot machine – combined with that necessary little bit of luck – won MC a big AU$40,858.75 ($36,913).

This win followed the win of exactly one week earlier at the Fortune Lounge Group’s Royal Vegas online casino, when player Joelle C. played the Cash Splash 5-Reel Slot Game to take a big €30,801 (just under $40,000). Royal Vegas seems to be quite generous this month, as they also saw player Jean-Pierre M. take the Arctic Fortune slot – a standard game with no progressive jackpot, mind you – for over $40,000 within a single 48-hour span.

Microgaming casinos are of course no stranger to big wins, as the company recently announced that it had passed the $280 million mark in progressive jackpot payouts since introducing its very first online jackpot slot, namely Treasure Nile. The company’s Mega Moolah last year broke its own all-time record single largest online progressive jackpot payout when a player cashed in for €6.3 million thanks to the game. The Mega Moolah jackpot currently stands at €3.7 million.

Among other well-known Microgaming progressive jackpot games are King Cashalot, Fruit Fiesta, Major Millions and Wowpot.

GamblingResults wishes a big “congratulations” to two recent winners on Microgaming-powered progressive jackpot slots online. First up was Golden Riviera Casino player MC, who hit the jackpot on the Treasure Nile 5 Reel progressive slot game at the casino last Tuesday. Playing all nine paylines on the Egyptian-themed progressive jackpot machine – combined with that necessary little bit of luck – won MC a big AU$40,858.75 ($36,913).

This win followed the win of exactly one week earlier at the Fortune Lounge Group’s Royal Vegas online casino, when player Joelle C. played the Cash Splash 5-Reel Slot Game to take a big €30,801 (just under $40,000). Royal Vegas seems to be quite generous this month, as they also saw player Jean-Pierre M. take the Arctic Fortune slot – a standard game with no progressive jackpot, mind you – for over $40,000 within a single 48-hour span.

Microgaming casinos are of course no stranger to big wins, as the company recently announced that it had passed the $280 million mark in progressive jackpot payouts since introducing its very first online jackpot slot, namely Treasure Nile. The company’s Mega Moolah last year broke its own all-time record single largest online progressive jackpot payout when a player cashed in for €6.3 million thanks to the game. The Mega Moolah jackpot currently stands at €3.7 million.

Among other well-known Microgaming progressive jackpot games are King Cashalot, Fruit Fiesta, Major Millions and Wowpot.