Virtually every industry operating today has an online presence. If they did not, they would not be able to tap into the online shopping phenomenon. Online shopping is a trending phenomenon that has experienced exponential growth. Of every online business known to man, one of the industry’s that has been the most successful, has been the online gambling space.

We are able to gamble on anything online. Take a punt on a favourite team or horse, or even on virtual horses; play bingo, slots, casino table games, poker, buy lottery tickets. The lot! The online casino business has made the gamblers world so simple it is not even funny – the world quite literally has become their oyster.

People in all walks of like, from every race and culture imaginable, have throughout history, loved to take a gamble. It is inherent in human nature, and one of the ways adults play. Essentially gambling is done for fun, and although some people do get addicted, it pays to note that people are the problem, not online casinos, nor the games that are on offer. A mature, stable person knows when to stop, and understands the concept that winners know when to stop.

Gambling is fun. It is a form of entertainment that taps into both our winning, as well as gaming fantasies. Games – especially slots have been themed on just about every pop-culture archetype, and therefore offer something for everyone. There are Avenger, Thor, Hulk, Batman, and Lord of the Rings slots. We have yet to see Twighlight slots, but don’t believe that this theme is off the drawing board. Tons of vampire themed slots are on offer daily at hundreds of casinos.

Whatever theme titillates the player can be found online, with major software developers paying in the millions for licence agreements with movie studios. Universal for example, has recently agreed to a licensing deal for the Jurassic Park Trilogy. Microgaming managed to land that. They cash in on the most exciting ideas, so, that we can cash in on them too. Star Wars has made its appearance in the form of a slot form, and we have already mentioned Lord of The Rings, you don’t have to take my word for it. Simply get to your nearest online casino, and see for yourself.

Do, do yourself a favour however and make sure your chosen casino is powered by Microgaming, Playtech, or the wonderful Net Entertainment. The world is your oyster in terms of game choices, and who knows what you might win.

Virtually every month Microgaming releases a couple of new games. The latest releases for November are Both Break Away and Octopays video slots. These are not the only new things in the pipeline however, there will be plenty of new games on offer to help you while away the long cold winter nights. Microgaming is an Isle of Man based software provider with a very good reputation as a mainstream online casino gaming provider.

The new releases are an ice hockey themed game, and an underwater treasure hunting theme. They will be available online in the new month and available at most of the good Microgaming powered casinos.

Break Away as we said is a video slot – it invites players to take to the ice and win their way to victory. The theme is a super combination of this exciting winter sport and unbeatable online casino software. It offers great bonus features, scatter pays, the new Rolling Reels feature, Smashing and Stacked Wilds, Stacked Wilds, as well as the chance to win twenty-five free spins and up to ten x multiplier. Icons are all thinks ice hockey, so, if slots and ice hockey are the names of your games why not give it a spin or two.

Octopays, another video slot offers appropriate underwater treasure hunting graphics, and we know this has all been done before. But it is a fresh look at the theme, with the 243 Ways to Win feature, there is no pay-lines as such. The Kraken is a monster bonus feature and there is up to 16,000 coins to be won in the free spins feature.

But now for the really big news, Microgaming has announced a new partnership and licensing deal with the makers of Battlestar Galactica™. What this means is there is bound to be a game in the pipeline based on this Sci-fi theme. The licensing agreement is with NBC Universal TV and they are definitely in it for an online slot game. Sci-fi fans this is one for you.

Battlestar Galactica is one of the most critically acclaimed television programmes, it has reached an audience of more than 14 million viewers globally. The final season of the tale sees the last vestiges of humanity under attack from deadly Cylons whilst at the same time trying to find a new planet to call home. It has captured the imagination of millions of people and at the same time, created a new generation of fans. The series has also picked up three Emmy awards. The series ran between 2004 and 2009.

Microgaming are obviously delighted with this new partnership, and Battlestar Galactica’s strong international appeal should mean that the new slot game will be well received. "We can’t wait to see the finished product, but there will still be a wait. Be prepared for something truly special. Roger Raatgever, who is CEO of Microgaming, says they are thrilled to be creating video slots which are light years ahead of the rest".

Top Microgaming casinos, Red Flush Online Casino and Casino La Vida, announce the return of Seasons Winnings – a festive promotion that invites players to celebrate the Holiday Season with 42 days of Festive Giveaways.

Seasons Winnings was first introduced during December 2010 as a festive promotion in line with end of year activities worldwide. The event proved to be an overwhelming success with thousands of hopefuls taking part for a share of £50,000 in prizes. This year, Red Flush Casino and Casino La Vida will be hosting Seasons Winnings once more from November 28, 2011 to give players the chance to celebrate the Holiday Season with 42 days of Festive Giveaways.

"Seasons Winnings is back and this time round invites players to get their share of £100,000 in giveaways," said Alex Roberts, Red Flush Casino Promotions Manager.

Rather than a leaderboard tournament, Seasons Winnings will this year comprise of an Advent Calendar with daily promotions that can be claimed by all internet casino players alike. Each daily promotion is completely different from the next to keep players entertained throughout the Holiday Season, and allow them the chance to claim their share of £100, 000 in festive giveaways – which include Mystery Days with freespin rewards and loyalty bonuses.

The Calendar can be viewed via the Red Flush Seasons Winnings and Casino La Vida Seasons Winnings website, both of which currently display the daily promotions that can be claimed during the 42 day event. Red Flush Casino and Casino La Vida will additionally give players a chance to claim 5 complimentary spins on Santa’s Wild Ride every day for 42 days. A full description on how to qualify for the complimentary spins can be found on the website.

"The Seasons Winnings promotion is our way of thanking players for their loyal support throughout the year," added Roberts, " and this year Seasons Winnings promises to be even greater than before."

The Seasons Winnings promotion will commence on November 28, 2011 and run until January 8, 2012.

The independent player protection and standards body eCOGRA has announced the award of two more Safe and Fair accreditation seals to online gambling sites, bringing to 150 the number of tier one operations that have successfully met eCOGRA’s international requirements.

The latest seals were awarded to Red Flush Casino and Casino La Vida by eCOGRA’s Independent Directors on January 25 following an extensive on-site inspection and audit process that examined every operational aspect and the financial systems in use.

To ensure continued compliance, Red Flush and Casino La Vida will be consistently monitored through regular onsite reviews and eCOGRA’s Total Gaming Transaction Review regime, which involves analysing every live gambling transaction for software fairness.

The accreditation inspection was supervised by eCOGRA compliance manager Louise Chunnett CA (SA), CISA Certified, who commented in her report to the Compliance Committee:

"These operations have a successful management with well trained, motivated and competent individuals servicing their players. The review was well and comprehensively structured, with full buy-in from management and the staff in attaining certification."

Red Flush Casino and Casino La Vida are part of the Club Red Gaming Group of casinos. Each of these gaming destinations currently hosts over 450 games powered by Microgaming software.

Casino manager Alex Roberts commented: "We’re certainly proud of our newest accomplishment and glad to be recognised for our ongoing transparency, integrity and satisfactory operating standards."

eCOGRA chief executive officer Andrew Beveridge congratulated the new seal holders, noting the full cooperation that the eCOGRA auditing team had been given throughout an extensive process toward accreditation.

"This achievement provides internet players at Red Flush Casino and Casino La Vida with an added layer of assurance that the games are fair and the casinos are run on professional lines and to internationally recognised best practice standards," he said.

The award-winning 32Red Online Casino expands through the acquisition of Nedplay Casino, absorbing the player base and processing outstanding player payments.

32Red is today pleased to announce that Nedplay Casino becomes part of the award-winning gaming operator’s group of casinos. The acquisition of the Nedplay casino, including the player database, Internet domains and Intellectual Property by 32Red, means that players at the Nedplay casino now enjoy the same high level of service and support, and exciting promotions as players at the Company’s other two casinos, 32Red Casino and Dash Casino.

CEO of 32Red, Ed Ware, commented: "We are pleased to have the Nedplay Casino join our group and look forward to delivering the same high standards we apply across our existing operations to the Nedplay Casino".

The acquisition comes after the flagship casino, 32Red, following six years of successive Best Casino awards, is named Casino of the Decade by industry watchdog and player advocacy site, Casinomeister. Ware added:

"Nedplay players join 32Red at a time when our efforts over the past 7 years have accumulated in our receiving the first ever Casino of the Decade accolade. They can now look forward to the same award-winning service and online casino experience 32Red regulars have enjoyed since the casino’s launch in 2002."

The Nedplay brand continues for the time being with 32Red due to assess future plans over the coming weeks. Players with approved pending withdrawals that are outstanding should expect payment from 32Red shortly. Likewise any outstanding Affiliate Partner payments will be settled in the short-term.

32Red Plc – listed on the AIM of the London Stock Exchange (Ticker: TTR) – recently announced a positive end to trading in H2 2009, with gaming revenue up 19% on the first half of the same year and a 23% increase in player recruitment numbers from 2008. The addition of Nedplay will strengthen the company’s presence in the gaming sector for 2010 and is further positive news following the upbeat trading update.