Contractor UK – British computer games programmers are increasingly being head-hunted by US and Canadian companies whose pockets may be deeper, risking a “brain drain” of UK IT talent. Issuing this warning, Procorre said that more than half of the online gaming job adverts aimed at UK programmers were for jobs in North America, where the consultancy firm says pay might be higher. Only a fifth of the adverts are for gaming posts in the UK, slightly behind the chunk that is aimed at UK programmers but relates to openings in mainland Europe, the firm said. Its geographic analysis of…

The screens are small but the online jackpot wins are full sized at mobile casinos. That’s what Rosemary S of New Zealand learned when she hit a Major Jackpot of 43,912 Australian dollars playing Mega Moolah slots on her mobile device at the All Slots Casino. “Everyone at All Slots is really proud of Rosemary and her big win,” said David Brickman, the casino’s Vice President for Player Affairs. “Mega Moolah is the top paying jackpot game in the casino and, as Rosemary demonstrated, All Slots gives players the ability to play and win Mega Moolah any time and any…

A University of California, Berkeley law school graduate was sentenced to probation on Monday for beheading an exotic bird at the Flamingo is Las Vegas back in 2012. Justin Teixeira received the four years of probation after completing a prison boot camp program that consisted of 190 days of counseling, educational and physical training programs, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. His sentence also includes 16 hours a month of unpaid work at an animal shelter. Teixeira pleaded guilty to the felony last year for decapitating a 14-year-old helmeted guinea fowl at the Flamingo’s Wildlife Habitat. Thanks to his deal, the…

iGaming Business – Social gaming company Zynga has announced that its ‘Hit It Rich!’ free social slots game is now available worldwide on Google Play. The game, which is already available for free download from Apple’s App Store as well as on the web, is part of Zynga’s Casino franchise that provides consumers with a free-to-play casino experience. Hit It Rich! features a number of branded slots games that were previously exclusive to the casino floor, such as ‘Farmville 2’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’, ‘Ted’ and ‘Sex and the City’. Joe Kaminkow, chief game designer for Hit It Rich! at…

CNN – While Japan’s economy continues to falter, lawmakers are betting big that the casino industry can swoop in and lift it out of the doldrums. Gambling is currently illegal in Japan, though many play pachinko, a quintessentially Japanese game often likened to pinball. While cash prizes are forbidden, many pachinko parlors work on a gray economy where prizes are exchanged — off-premises — for hard currency. This week, a major conference focusing on the future of the industry opened in Tokyo. It comes at a time when key legislation is being pushed through Japan’s parliament that could pave the…

Las Vegas Sun – They’re buying into Las Vegas like never before. They’re pumping cash into major resort projects and big stage productions on the Strip and they’re purchasing single-family homes in quiet neighborhoods. Who are they? Chinese investors. And they’re propelling Las Vegas’ recovery from the recession. They are quietly helping to bankroll the $415-million SLS Las Vegas, a nightclub-themed resort set to replace the Rat Pack stomping grounds of the Sahara and shake up the struggling north end of the Strip. A quarter of the investment came from foreign bank accounts, mostly in China. Money from China is…