In a recent twist for the much-anticipated HeadWaters Resort & Casino project in Norfolk, the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, along with their casino development team, has opted to delay the presentation of their latest plans until January 22. 

Norfolk Mayor Unaware of Latest Casino Proposal Issues

Casino spokesperson Jay Smith stated in an emailed communication that the tribe and the developer had engaged in discussions to address concerns and issues pertaining to the project and site before proceeding with the Architectural Review Board presentation, reported by Virginia local media outlet The Daily Press. However, when pressed for specifics on the nature of these issues, Smith refrained from providing further details.

Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander expressed his lack of awareness regarding any problems with the latest proposal and redirected inquiries to the developer. The proposed HeadWaters Resort & Casino, situated between the baseball stadium and the Amtrak station near downtown Norfolk, has undergone multiple modifications since gaining approval for construction in 2020.

Initially, the project faced setbacks when plans for a temporary casino within Harbor Park were discarded in 2022 due to non-compliance with the 2020 voter referendum specifications. Subsequently, the developer introduced a two-phase plan for a casino and resort in mid-2023, but it encountered opposition from city leaders and was eventually withdrawn.

HeadWaters Resort & Casino Tackles Construction Challenges in Norfolk

December 2023 witnessed the unveiling of the latest blueprint, featuring a 2025 commencement for gaming activities, while other resort components, such as the hotel and spa, undergo construction. Notably, the once-proposed Elizabeth River marina has been excluded from the updated plans.

The Pamunkey Indian Tribe, as the preferred gaming developer, obtained approval from local voters in 2020 for the $500 million project on the Elizabeth River waterfront, adjacent to Harbor Park Minor League Baseball stadium. Despite this, construction has yet to commence more than three years later.

The Architectural Review Board’s approval is crucial for the project’s advancement, as it is tasked with evaluating new construction projects involving city-owned land. The HeadWaters development, spanning approximately 13.5 acres, is set to be purchased from the city for $10 million, with financing provided by gaming industry veteran Jon Yarbrough.

The project has faced numerous hurdles, including a legal snag over the temporary casino, disagreements over a phased development approach, and design delays linked to a city-funded seawall project along the Elizabeth River. According to the casino development agreement, HeadWaters must be operational by November 2025, a deadline that carries financial implications for both the city and the tribe.

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The company estimates its casino resort would bring approximately 4,000 jobs to the area along with other economic benefits. However, many locals have rallied against the project, concerned about the social costs inherent in a high-profile gambling venue. Such ongoing controversy may affect the planned casino’s chances of obtaining one of the limited New York licenses.

Casino Supporters Highlighted the Attractive Job Opportunities

Thor Equities, known for its real estate ventures and urban development projects, is part of the consortium behind the planned Coney Island casino resort. The company has invested significant efforts in marketing, attempting to convince locals of the benefits such an establishment would bring to the area.

According to the developer, the casino would bring 4,000 well-paid, year-round jobs, providing residents with stable income and potential career growth. Former City Council member Robert Cornegy noted the venue would focus most of its recruitment and job training efforts on local communities, promising wages of up to $30 an hour and enticing benefits.

Being able to bring decent paying, year-round jobs is something that I feel like I am compelled to push and demand… The hotel trade is one of the more lucrative opportunities.

Robert Cornegy, former New York City Council member

Cornegy highlighted the casino industry’s rising popularity, highlighting its attractiveness for people of color looking to earn a middle-class standard of living. The planned venue would also positively impact surrounding businesses, attracting visitors and reinvesting in the community through infrastructure improvements, public services, and social programs.

Community Representatives Remain Unconvinced

Despite the developer’s efforts to bolster the casino project’s public image, many locals remain unconvinced. Critics argue that a casino could contribute to issues such as problem gambling, increased crime rates, and a change in the neighborhood’s character. Brooklyn’s Community Board 13 even urged local officials to reject the project, highlighting its hidden dangers.

According to Board members, a high-profile casino threatened to turn Coney Island into another Atlantic City, bringing all the gambling industry’s negatives to a struggling neighborhood. The area consistently falls behind in income and unemployment rates, but many residents cannot work full-time, diminishing the potential positive impact of a casino.

How do you guarantee a percentage of jobs are going into the community? You just can’t… I don’t see someone in hospitality lasting that long.

Lucy Mujica Diaz, Community Board 13 chairperson

Thor Equities’ recent promises only widen the rift between casino proponents and the stiff local opposition. Despite ongoing efforts to appease the locals, the backlash continues to intensify. Such actions can potentially undermine the consortium’s chances of securing one of New York’s three coveted casino licenses, as few other competitors face the same level of opposition.

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Endorphina is one of the first better-known slot studios to enter the fray at the front lines of AI-assisted image generation for online slot machines. Joker Ra was released on April 27, 2023. The company stakes a claim to the first-ever online video slot release wherein every design element was created with the help of artificial intelligence.

The press on the game doesn’t go into any great detail about what that means nor how much coaxing, coaching, prompting, or other ‘training’ went into the design in order to create harmonious effects between all of the iconography and to tie the theme together – it was most likely intensive and extensive.

How Was Ra Chosen as the Mascot?

Ra was the father of creation according to ancient Egyptian mythology and the king of all other deities. His symbology belies his patron hood of the sun, heaven, kingship, power, and light.

Endorphina has pulled that all off with a deft hand, however, there is – and perhaps intentionally – a tinge of hauntedness to the game, a creepiness like many early AI images portrayed. That’s not to say the artwork is any less than excellent, it’s just a little creepy when you mix a Joker with the king of creation – you are sure to end up with something inherently disturbing. The Joker can signify all of the beginnings and endings in life’s journey so they also fit together in a sort of perverse way.

As with many of Endorphina’s works, this one lacks a comprehensive rule set in the pay table. There are two scatter symbols and you’ll have to use your imagination or simply jump into gameplay and wait awhile to figure out which does what and why. None of it is explained in the directions or pin the paytable but we do learn that one of the scatters only appears on certain reels. We also learn that wild Jokers appear on the three central reels and expand vertically to complete all winning combinations.

The Pyramid of the Sun scatter, which appears on all reels is simply rendered but well executed and the Pharaoh’s Chest scatter (reels 1, 3, and 5) is an ornate scarab-wing adorned box that cries out to be larger in size so we can examine the details more closely.

Expanding Wilds on Three Middle Reels

The expanding Ra wild symbols on reels 2, 3, and 4 have plenty of opportunities to spread out vertically on this 5 reel, 4 position slot with 100 fixed paylines – so expect his disturbing little chortle quite often prior to the sound effects of the standard symbols whose win lines he helps to connect.

Much as NetGaming chose to keep the underlying slot game maths and mechanics simple when it released its first AI-assisted imagery game on April 13, Wild Buffalo Bonanza – so has Endorphina with the release of Joker Ra.

From a purely visual perspective, one would almost have to be more a fan of Egyptian slots than great American Bison games to prefer this title over the other – unless a more regimented and segmented art style is more to your liking. Buffalo is quintessentially NetGaming and nearly unmistakable as a hybrid creation that shows an almost atmospheric collaboration between man and machine. Joker Ra has uniquely defined elements that fit well into a visual narrative yet remain somewhat distinct while not disjointed. BGaming’s Alien Fruits is, well, as the name implies simply kind of goofy looking but not in any way that would reveal to a casual observer anything about its creationary origins.

According to the company: “The AI’s algorithms and machine learning capabilities allow for intricate and visually impressive designs that blend Ancient Egypt’s essence with a modern twist.”

Source: Designed by AI, a Game by Endorphina, Endorphina News, April 27, 2023

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The distinction puts the company neck-and-neck with some of the best titles in the igaming world. It offers a chance to prove the unique player-focused insight that went into the development of this innovative game.

Behold the Storied Dragon Fortress – Battle of the Castle Slot

Dragon Fortress – Battle of the Castle is a unique mash-up of arcade and slot. It was designed for players born in the eighties who grew up playing video games and visiting arcades at the weekend. NetGaming ran a fun promotion amongst the igaming community to coin their main character’s name. Colin the Conqueror, the dragon-slaying knight in shiny armor.

Since it launched, the game has been one of the most original titles in igaming. Compatible with all modern devices and operating systems, this 5-reel, 3-row and 243-ways game brings you a plethora of great features to explore. Unlimited Dragon Free Spins and an epic boss fight that pays the player regardless of whether Colin wins or loses is an attractive feature of this game. The entertainment value reaches its peak when Colin enters the dedicated boss fight round where he gets to slay the dragon.

Dragon Fortress is designed with a fresh and dynamic gaming background. It sees Colin climb the staircases of a castle where every level is filled with rewards – and a very hungry dragon waiting at the end. There are all sorts of great ways to boost your winnings along the way, including random wilds, wild reels, and multipliers up to 10x with more cash prizes. To add to these features, there are mini-games that the players can buy into or trigger naturally.

In a word, Dragon Fortress – Battle of the Castle is a uniquely-themed and developed game that has a lot to offer. The title is a truly unique addition to the array of igaming titles that have appeared in the industry over the past years.

More than Just Retro Graphics – Innovative Gameplay at the Core

Colin stands out in more than just the Retro Style category with innovative gameplay, smartly integrated mechanics, and a vivid theme. NetGaming CEO Pallavi Deshmukh was excited to see the game win this nomination:

 “We are thrilled to be nominated for this award. The award category could not be more appropriate for Dragon Fortress – Battle of the Castle, and to be nominated along with some of the biggest names in the igaming industry is a testament to all the hard work our team has put in.

We wanted to capture the nostalgia of the eighties and craft a game that was unique in more than one way. Developing this game was no easy feat: we had to build multiple features, each with its own gameplay and triggers. We also had a lot of fun with the launch marketing campaign to name the game’s beloved hero, Colin the Conqueror. We are looking forward to attending the awards with our industry colleagues.”

NetGaming is looking forward to the CasinoBeats Developer Awards 2023 on May 25 to see Colin shower himself with even more accolades.

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Video games manufacturer SEGA Sammy Holdings Inc. submitted a €706 million ($776 million) bid to acquire mobile games developer operating out of Finland, Rovio Entertainment.

Japanese-based game company SEGA Sammy announced today that its UK subsidiary, SEGA Europe Limited, has entered into a definitive agreement and submitted a tender offer to acquire the entirety of outstanding shares and options of the mobile games developer behind Angry Birds, Rovio Entertainment, at €9.25 ($10.17) per share and €1.48 ($1.63) per option.

Haruki Satomi, president and group chief executive officer of SEGA Sammy, outlined that the takeover bid is aligned with the company’s “long-term goal to accelerate its expansion” in the high potential-bearing mobile gaming segment of the rapidly growing global gaming market.

“I feel blessed to be able to announce such a transaction with Rovio, a company that owns “Angry Birds,” which is loved across the world, and home to many skilled employees that support the company’s industry-leading mobile game development and operating capabilities,” said Satomi.

The takeover bid which was approved by the Board of Directors at SEGA Sammy during their meeting earlier today is supported by the Board of Directors at Rovio, and shareholders of 49.1% of the outstanding shares and votes of Rovio have irrevocably undertaken to accept the offer, subject to certain customary conditions.

Bringing Joy Together

Alexandre Pelletier-Normand, chief executive officer of Rovio, highlighted the power of gaming to shape modern culture as “a true mainstream phenomenon”, reminiscing on the times he had been playing Sonic the Hedgehog and later on, Angry Birds.

He also paid tribute to Rovio’s proprietary technology platform, Beacon, and its 20 years of expertise allowing development teams to create world-class GaaS products, convinced that the combination with SEGA Sammy will further the company’s mission to “Craft Joy” by bringing even more joy to its players.

“Red and Sonic the Hedgehog: two globally recognized and iconic characters made by two remarkably complementary companies, with a worldwide reach that spans mobile, PC/console, and beyond, [and] combining the strengths of Rovio and SEGA presents an incredibly exciting future,” Pelletier-Normand concluded.

The acquisition will allow SEGA to accelerate growth, generate synergies between its existing businesses and Rovio’s global intellectual properties (IPs) and live-operated mobile game development capabilities to increase SEGA’s corporate value, expand both companies’ fan base, and achieve cross-platform expansion of Rovio’s IP using SEGA’s capabilities.

The tender price offers approximately a 19% premium to the share closing price on April 14, 2023, the last trading day before the offer was announced, and approximately a 17.5% premium on the three-month volume-weighted average price ending April 14, 2023.

The tender offer will commence on or around May 8, 2023, pending approval by the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority and will be considered successful in case SEGA acquires a minimum of 90% of the outstanding shares and voting rights at Rovio.

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