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Thursday 8 March 2012

International Gaming Awards

The International Gaming Awards is all set to take the casino world by storm starting this week. This awards ceremony is so huge that it is often looked upon as the Academy Awards ceremony for casinos. The ceremony is understandably huge and elegantly orchestrated. 

The venue for this prestigious event is London’s Sheraton Park Lane Hotel. Aside from being perhaps the greatest event so far as gaming is concerned, this event is also charity-driven and is organized annually. The purpose of this event is to award those who have performed dramatically well in both land-based and online casinos. All the top contenders of the previous year will attend this event and only the best from amongst them will be honored.

This glamorous event is also an ideal platform for socializing and networking with other members of the huge gaming world. All the senior-most executives from the different gaming establishments are expected to be present for the ceremony. The glitterati will even have members from establishments providing gaming software. Amongst the big names attending the event are Playtech, Paddy Power, Bally Technologies, Microgaming, eCOGRA or e-Commerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance, RGA or Remote Gaming Association and IGC or Interactive Gaming Council. 

PokerStars is the platinum sponsor for the ceremony while Gold sponsors include John Huxley and Playtech and Silver Sponsors are Ritz Club in London and Bally Technologies. Like every other year, this year too, some deserving charities have been selected as beneficiaries like the Horn of Africa Food Crisis Appeal, CARE International, and the GREAT Foundation, etc.

Kahnawake Gaming Commission
Two important changes for helping players interact better with licensed casinos online have been introduced by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. While the first deals with player self-exclusion, the second deals with dispute resolutions. This will help those casino players suffering from gambling addictions to deposit limits with their casinos. This time they can inform the gaming commission directly about this intent so that his instructions are abided at all the concerned casinos online. 

The commission has come up with a special self exclusion web page where there is scope for players to enter their e-mail addresses. They can also avail of an online form to register their needs to the commission. There is a Compliance Officer who will then get in touch with the concerned players to verify the details submitted, to check their identity and then to execute the request. When this request pertains to a particular casino only, that casino has to be informed about that request. It is then expected to carry out the requests and accordingly notify players.

The Commission has also taken a concrete step to improve the dispute resolutions process. A Dispute Resolution Officer has been appointed to this effect – he can be approached for addressing players concerns. All the complaints are to be given in writing and should ideally contain clear information about the identity of the complainant. 

It should clearly specify and elucidate the complaint made and the corresponding steps to be taken to resolve it. The Kahnawake Commission has been therefore, awarded the Phoenix award which is used to honor those casinos that identify their mistakes and take steps to rectify them.

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Spin Palace Casino Slots

Since the Spin Palace Casino earlier used to take in players from the US, many of its online slots have been featured on popular American themes. These games have also become favorites of players hailing from other countries. One of these popular slots is the one titled Bars and Stripes. This had registered some big wins during the last weeks. Incidentally, the biggest prize here was won on January 22nd, amounting to $114,962.

This slots game is basically adapted from the popular Stars and Stripes which refer to the American Flag. This happens to be a separate symbol in the game and gets displayed on Uncle Sam’s hat – other symbols are the Thanksgiving Turkey, American Eagle, American Pie, Statue of Liberty, etc. The wild symbol is the Bars and Stripes logo and the payout gets doubled when winning combinations are achieved.

The highest fixed jackpot is 5000 coins. The scatter symbol is the football and payouts are given when three of these appear on reels. When three or greater number of hats appear on reels, the bonus game gets triggered. This online slot is known for its animations quality and parade music commemorating the Fourth of July celebrations. The second biggest payout took place on January 22nd, 2012.

Here the player won the huge amount of $84,000 through two slots. Both were classic three slot games. Fantastic 7s has a single pay line and symbols are Red 7s and Fantastic 7s. You can get payouts on any combination or 7s. The cherry is the final symbol and you can win payouts when up to three cherries are displayed on the pay lines. This casino is powered by Microgaming software and has been licensed by Malta-based Lotteries and Gaming Authority.

Blackjack Ballroom Casino
The Blackjack Ballroom Casino which is powered by Microgaming software has come up with two new games. The first happens to be the Dr. Love video slots featuring Dr. Love as a fun-loving and charming physician who is irresistible. So, players are bound to fall in love with him. This game has funky graphics, great animations and superior audio quality. The promotion was expected to run between January 21st and January 22nd, 2012.

The players could wager for these two days and ten names were to be selected each day. Each of these ten players will receive a $100 bonus. All those who have made a minimum deposit of $20 can take part in this promotion. All the winners have been notified the following day through e-mails and prizes have been credited as well. The other promotional game is the Crocodopolis slots. This is based on an ancient Egyptian theme and has the unique Slide a Wild feature which accounts for its huge popularity amongst casino players.

With this feature, players can manually control the position and behavior of wild symbols. This promotion is expected to be on from January 21st onto January 26th at the casino. All top five casino players are to receive $100 every day and they will be notified through e-mails. Terms and conditions of both games remain the same.

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Casino Tropez Winter Offerings

Casino Tropez winners typically had between 20,000 pound and 50,000 pound payouts but at times, the winner even crosses the 100k mark! Such an incident actually took place early this month when a player Herbert R struck gold and won a whopping amount. This win was registered in the online slots titled Safari Heat. As the name suggests, Safari Heat is set against the backdrop of the African Safari theme. Naturally therefore its symbols are the popular African Safari symbols.

The wild symbol is the lion which provides a jackpot payout comprising 10,000 coins. This slots game also offers a bonus game wherein the players get as many as 15 free spins. When a player hits the biggest jackpot during these free spin rounds, he can get as much as 45,000 pounds. There is also a Gamble Game which gets triggered after every payout. When a player can guess successfully the next card’s color, he gets double the payout.

This casino has been publicizing its winter promotions for the winter weekends. Of these, the most popular happen to be the Arctic Treasure and the Penguin Vacation. The Penguin Vacation is where the family of penguins goes on a vacation – the high card value icons dominate the scene and the penguin is the wild symbol. There is a Fishing Bonus with 8 free spins.

The Arctic Treasure has a similar setting where the symbols are owls, polar bears and wolves. There is also the Snow Queen and the kayaker-the former is a wild symbol giving a jackpot comprising of 10,000 coins. The kayaker gives 10 free spins with tripled payouts. To enable players to deposit wagers for these winter promotions, Casino Tropez has been offering double bonuses. Players can get unlimited bonuses with each deposit they make along with an additional 30% deposit refund.

Roxy Palace Winner
Although many wins have been recorded this winter at Roxy Palace Casino, the interesting feature has been that many of these wins have been recorded in lesser known slot games. One winner Yves L won 34,292 pounds in a Chinese themed slots game. The game had symbols like the Dragon Lady, Chinese lanterns, dragons, jewelry box, etc. wherein the Dragon Lady offers the biggest jackpot as the wild symbol. In the second screen, players can play the bonus game where they must match caps from a total of nine caps.

In another Oriental game called the Lady of the Orient, Sezer F won 13,600 pounds – here also, the symbols were typically Lady of the Orient, palaces, elephants and Buddha. Still another big win was recorded at the slots game titled Voila which is based on a picture of the city of Paris complete with the street cafes, Eiffel Tower and romantic interludes. This game has stunning animations – the wild symbol is the Voila logo which can give huge payouts. There is a gamble game here and a player can double or quadruple what they get as payout. All they have to do is guess colors of the next card. Roxy Palace is powered by Microgaming software and licensed by the Malta-based Lotteries and Gaming Authority.

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Get Amazing Bonuses All January At Aladdin’s Gold!

It’s raining gold at Aladdin’s Gold online casino. Players can enjoy three bonus schemes all this month. It starts with a high-roller bonus and finishes with a cash-back offer. The casino will also provide the standard reloaded bonuses this month.

High Roller Bonus
From January 19 to January 22, Aladdin’s Gold was busy showering wins on its players through its High Roller Special Bonus AGC500. The name may sound like that of a missile or something, but it’s a simple bonus deal! Players needed to deposit $150 within the period of promotion. This big deposit led the bonus to be named high roller. Keeping up to its name, the bonus amount was $500, a return over 300%. Players could cash in the bonus just once during the promotion. In addition, players were required to wager the bonus and deposit 45 times before they could cash in the win. Also, only specific slots allowed this wagering.

Players who missed this Aladdin’s Gold will get a second chance. From January 23 to January 25, the site is offering another bonus. This time, the minimum deposit is just $50. This is perhaps for those who found $150 deposit too much for a game. The new bonus offer allows players to win a bonus of 75% on their $50 deposit. The maximum a player can grab on this deposit is $1,000.

This bonus is different from the previous in the sense that players can cash in the bonus not once, or twice, but three times during the period of promotion. Also, the wagering requirements on this bonus are lighter than the earlier one, which makes this a more attractive chance for players to try their luck. Another attractive feature of this bonus is that it allows players to wager their bonuses and deposit just 20 times before cashing in their win. Players can wager on scratch card and keno games, along with online slots, to get Aladdin’s Gold.

The Popular Cash-Back Bonus
Apart from the attractive bonuses till now, the 25% cash-back bonus is all set to steal the hearts of players. This promotion will start January 26 and run till January 29. So, players who missed the $50 deposit bonus, too, can still dig gold at this online casino.

The good thing about this offer is that it compensates players who wagered and lost at the slot. The compensation is up to 25%. To claim the refund or compensation, each player will need to send an e-mail to customer support. Once they submit their claims, they will be compensated within 24 hours. Players are required to wager the cash-back bonus twice before they can claim compensation. They can do this at any slot game. The maximum they can get on this bonus is 10 times the actual bonus.

Powered by Realtime Gaming, Aladdin’s Gold casino is Club World group’s brand. The Realtime software series of video slots offer players a wide range of themes. They can travel to ancient history or take a trip down into an ocean world. Sports and humor, too, form a part of the slot games. This licensed online casino of Curacao is all set to give its players the Midas touch!

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Kickstart 2012 With Multibonuses At Omni Casino

For players wishing to take off 2012 with amazing wins, Omni Casino is one of the places to be. The latest bonuses are waiting to sweep players off their gaming screens! One of the online slots tournaments is already going on as you read this.

Multiplayer Game
The first multiplayer slot game is Fishing With Buddies. Omni Casino lets players invite their friends to take in the gaming experience with them. One game can accommodate up to five players at a time. They can even chat while playing.

Fish a Crab is one of the thrilling parts of this game. It happens like this: A crab appears on the scene at the top position beneath the player’s bear. The bear, within seconds, drops the fishing line. It hooks the crab and coolly wins five times the total bet. This is just one of the many enjoyable features of this video slot.

On January 23, players at Omni Casino were able to grab bonuses on Fishing With Buddies with a deposit of $250 made this month. They could claim the bonus by contacting customer support via e-mail and by playing on any of the slot games of Playtech, apart from Fishing With Buddies.

Finding Fortune in a Desert!
The next new game with a desert theme is exciting and challenging. Desert Treasure II is a “face-lift” of Desert Treasure, a slot game known for its wide acceptability among hard-core players.

Amidst its sandy ranges and vastness, the desert holds a treasure for those who dare to seek it. The oasis is home to the Bedouin, who lead players to the secret treasure buried in the hot sands. Players are required to use maps to find their way in the desert. However, a player’s intuition can make the game more interesting and the treasure more attainable. The game features a multilevel Oasis Bonus. It also provides 15 free spins combined with doubled wins.

Playing Desert Treasure II at Omni Casino on January 25 gives players a chance to win an attractive bonus of $60. Players can get this on a first deposit of over $100. They can claim the bonus two times, thus, making it a cool $120 win.

Get the Big Chill!
Yet another reason to be at Omni Casino this month is the Big Chill slots tournament. It has been giving players a fine gaming experience since January 15 and will continue till the last day of the month. This is actually a wagering contest. The player who wagers the most grabs the prize.

Omni Casino, in a bid to promote bankrolls, has announced the launch of the Big Chill Keep-It-Going bonus. It provides $120 (120% bonus) to players on a first deposit of over $50. The big day to take advantage of this bonus is on January 26.

For players who wish to try their luck at Omni Casino, here is some more news: Beach Life, the progressive Playtech online slot game, has crossed the $7 million jackpot. Players are making a beeline for this million-dollar jackpot game.

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Can Las Vegas Keep Up With America’s Changing Gambling Scene?

The gambling scene in America is displaying fierce competition. Several states are looking upon casino projects as their “messiah” to make their fortunes in troubled economic times.

The state senate panel of Florida has approved a bill this month to build three casinos, one maybe in Miami.
In New York, thanks to Governor Andrew Cuomo, the proposal for expanding casinos at the Aqueduct Racetrack located in the borough of Queens has sent ripples of joy among racers and gamblers. Also, a constitutional amendment to legalize gambling in the state is in the pipeline.

In Illinois, lawmakers have proposed a casino in Chicago.

Massachusetts has a new law that allows a maximum of three resort-style casinos and one slots parlor. Boston may have one as well.

The Debate to Legalize Gambling Continues
America is reeling under the heated debate of casino legalization. The argument rests on the ability of casinos to create new jobs as well as tax revenues. Though some gambling analysts don’t find any long-term financial stability from the casino and gambling industry, states still want to dig their heels into the “murk” of gambling to change the economy scene.

For the players who have won huge fortunes through gambling, “murk” might not be an appropriate word to describe the casino and gambling industry. It may be true that gambling gives players an addiction, yet it’s not a murky deal. For many, it is light at the end of the tunnel.

Will Las Vegas Lose Its Casino Dominance?
Hollywood flicks like What Happens in Vegas and The Hangover add to the justification of legalizing the casino and gambling industry. The irony is this: Both the movies are based on casino life of the City of Sin—Las Vegas. Yet, with a series of proposals doing the rounds across America, Las Vegas may have to gear up to keep pace with the fast-brewing competition from other states.

Recent reports suggest fluctuating business revenues generated from about 41 casinos along the Las Vegas Strip. But, they were able to redeem that spark within 12 months.

Several industry experts and analysts are of the view that mushrooming casinos across America may not hurt Las Vegas’s gambling future as feared. For example, states like Pennsylvania and Connecticut getting casinos may impact neighboring states like Atlanta but not touch Las Vegas.

With a series of astounding changes in the scenario of gambling in America, Las Vegas might have to work harder to maintain its casino sheen, yet it may take a long time before other states take the plunge into gambling and overshadow the City of Sin.

According to industry experts, feats like building the biggest convention center in the country at a race track might attract more tourists to New York. Yet, the biggest threat to Las Vegas comes not from the changing gambling scenario of America but from Hollywood making lesser movies about the glamor and night life of this city.

It’s important to maintain the “hangover” of gambling in the audience’s heads and continue to update them with “what happens in Vegas!”

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New Year’s Loyal Casino Player, Batman, And A Birthday Party!

The iconic Batman is set to hit the online gaming world thanks to Microgaming, the largest gaming software provider on the web. The provider has agreed to a licensing deal with DC Comics to release a string of modern graphic video slots.

Under the deal, Microgaming is authorized to use animation materials and characters from movies like The Dark Knight as well as The Dark Knight Rises to build their online slots. It’s hard to forget The Dark Knight’s joker in the Batman series. The character of Batman first appeared in 1939 in the Detective Comic. Since then, he has created waves in the world of motion pictures and kids’ comics globally. And now, he is ready to spread his wings in the online gaming world. So, why be serious?

Loyal Player’s Big Win
While Batman readies to step into online games, a player at InterCasino player on Millionaires Club III hit $9,35,100 after wagering $10. The lucky player is Noura from Lebanon, who had also hit $43,800 in September last year at InterCasino on Hulk Ultimate Revenge slot. Noura is one of the loyal players at this site, trying Lady Luck for about five years.

Latest Launch at EiG Expo
As loyal players continue to give their casino sites moments of pride, the EiG Expo in Milan has become a launchpad for the latest slot by Betsoft. It is a 30-payline, five-reel, 3-D production with the title Mamma Mia. Reports suggest positive response to this slot.

The theme of the game revolves around a jolly Italian chef who gets into various recipe adventures. The game uses state-of-the-art graphics and interactive technology to create a real-life experience. The digital sound is amazing. With this Slots3 release, the software developer attempts to raise the graphics quality and provide a different gaming experience to players.

The game features novel bonus rounds. Players in the free spin round help the Italian chef prepare his special pizza. The second round lets players assist the chef in deciding the dish to be served to an infamous food critic.

Birthday Special Launch
Meanwhile, as the dishes do the rounds in Mamma Mia, InterCasino is celebrating its 15th birthday. The site has launched a unique 20-payline slot under the slot link Special Guest. The slot features a birthday party theme. Sweet 15 is loaded with intelligent animation and graphics that relate to the daily lives of players, like cakes, party presents, paper hats, balloons, champagne, and more.

On this slot, players get a chance to hit a jackpot of 3,000 coins. The birthday cake on reels one and five is worth grabbing because it is the wild symbol. It can double the players’ rewards. The birthday logo is important too.

Sweet 15 has retriggering free spins with 15 of them offering tripled payouts at the party. The players will find plenty of game elements that can be customized. An auto play option also exists.

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Now The Gaming Industry’s Latest Focus Is Facebook

Social networking sites have, for a long time, entertained players with their gaming networks and have given one more excuse for the world to come together. As gaming and networking fever gripped at the same time, the leaders of the gaming industry quickly grabbed the golden chance to make the most of this lush scenario.
Joining the league of big online casinos that are busy buying virtual property for providing gaming platform to Facebook users is International Game Technology (IGT). It is about to buy Double Down Interactive, which is one of the top Facebook game developers.

The agreement between IGT and Double Down Interactive is anticipated to involve about $500 million. IGT will pay an initial amount of $250 million, followed by the rest of the payments later. The rest of the payment mode and transaction agreements have not been made public till now.

More About International Game Technology
IGT is famous in the world of online gambling for creating successful games like Vegas Blackjack 20+ Bonus, 50,000 Pyramid, Bitten, Cleopatra and Cleopatra II, White Orchid, and Wipeout. The company is also into developing mobile gaming software. IGT is also known for acquiring companies that assist them in gaining greater control over the gaming market.

More About Double Down Interactive
Double Down Interactive is one of the largest companies involved in providing free-to-play casino games on Facebook and other social networking sites. Double Down Casino is their chief product. This is a free-to-play casino offering several attractive promotions as well as prizes. Being the biggest free-to-play casino game company makes the deal with IGT all the more important. Fingers are crossed over the outcome of this deal between Information Game Technology and Double Down Interactive.

Even as Facebook becomes the new muse of gaming companies, mobile casino tournaments are in full swing this month at Bet365 Casino. The casino is offering a series of attractive tournaments for slots as well as roulette. The Mobile Roulette Tournament commenced on January 10. It features a cool $1,000 prize that is divided among the best 15 players. The player in first gets $200, at the second position gets $150. Third place gets $120, and the fourth and fifth positions get $100 and $80, respectively. The rest of the prize amount is distributed among the remaining 15 players.

The Mobile Slots Tournament began on January 17. It features a similar prize structure. Mobile gaming has already become the rage among die-hard players. It has also attracted a new breed of gamers who believe in playing games everywhere they go. People who never gamed before have started using mobile gaming services to get a taste of the online gaming world.

Now, with Facebook almost becoming the lifeline of millions of Internet users, the time is ripe to reap the benefits of launching exciting online games on this site. The deal between IGT and Double Down surely raises hopes to take the gambling and casino industry to the next level.

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Macau’s New Year Starts With A Roar!

The year 2012 has started off with a roar for Macau gamblers. According to reports, Macau’s January revenue from gambling is set to topple the record set in October 2011. The Chinese New Year is anticipated to provide an impetus to the revenues this month with casino operators and players witnessing a booming phase.

Reports say that the major casino floors on Cotal Strip and Macua Peninsula have seen a major crowd lately. It is expected that the occupancy rates will rise and the casinos will shift their minimum and maximum table stakes.

Competing with the Gaming Capital of the World
In October 2011, the gambling revenue of Macau was recorded to be about $3.4 billion. This is the same place that offset Las Vegas’ record in 2006 in terms of total gambling revenue. (Las Vegas is regarded as the world’s gambling capital.) Now, Macau is poised to overshadow the entire Nevada state!

Similar reports have been obtained from Singapore that shows double-digit growth in gambling revenues since last 2011. Macau as well as Singapore is expected to soar high in gambling business in 2012 and 2013. For the past several years, the Asian continent has proved its mettle in the casino and gambling industry. Millions of hard-core gamblers possess the ultimate gaming skill required to hit grand jackpots.

Although the grapevine from the Chinese government suggests a possible slowdown in the growth by making the availability of credit tougher, it has not slowed down the gamblers from visiting the casinos. Such is the bright prospect of Macau that several casinos from the United States, like MGM International, Wynn Resorts, and Las Vegas Sands, have been operating successfully here.

The gaming capital of the world might be situated in the West, but it’s the East that is moving the maximum currencies and almost giving the world a fierce competition.

Online Gamblers Get a Chance to Rake in Millions!
Now this is what you actually call changing the wheels of fortune. Real Time Gaming has recently announced that its progressive jackpot “Jackpot Pinatas” has crossed the million dollar mark. The jackpot is available at its licensee casinos (except for a few).

About the Game
This million-dollar game has a Mexican theme and is a 21-line online slot. It has wilds, free spins, one bonus game, and substitutes. Players need to provide symbols of Bull Pinata on any of the pay line to grab the magnificent prize. Players need to wager just 25 cents for each pay line to hit the jackpot.

It’s not just the usual combinations of two and three figures that will bring players at the verge of hitting the big grand. In order to start the bonus round, players can obtain three symbols of Dog Pinatas on their screen. Once the players enter the bonus round, they pick two piƱatas out of the three to unveil their wins.

The year 2012 has, indeed, started off with surging hopes and amazing wins in the casino and gambling industry.

A New World Record Made In Online Poker This Month!

“Nanonoko” set a world record in the first weekend of 2012 for online poker, playing eight hours at a stretch! The real name is Randy Lew, who played at PokerStars online poker site.

Lew played an astounding 23,493 hands within an eight-hour terrific play. There are about 40 tables operating simultaneously. Playing a large number of tables at the same time is not a big deal, as many players do it. The amazing thing is that Lew managed to play all the tables profitably – this is what only a few players have achieved so far. And this is what makes “Nanonoko” stand out in the crowd of players.

As said that success doesn’t come in easy, Lew, too, experienced a low at one point during the play. He stooped to $1200, fading his hopes of winning and almost forgetting making a world record. But, winners never quit! Lew continue to fight in the online poker battle. It paid and how!

Where it Happened and How
Lew achieved this incredible feat at the annual PCA poker festival of PokerStar in the Bahamas. This is one of the renowned events of live poker. The gigantic prizes and tempting locations make this event alluring to the gamblers.

One of the noteworthy features of Lew’s feat was the continuous eight-hour play that not many players dare to do. Two monitors brimming with poker tables sat before this “wonder” player who was ready to take up the challenges thrown by the poker screens. The player played about 50 hands per minute or maybe one hand every 1.2 seconds to play 23,493 hands in eight hours!

Originally, Robert Lew created history by playing 20+ poker tables at a time at mid- and high stakes and by winning consistently. This is almost an impossible feat to achieve in online poker. Last year, too, Lew played more live tournaments with great success there too. “Nanonoko” won his first big live event at APPT Macau in 2011.

Players like Lew and more can set examples of focused gaming and persistent playing to grab big wins and change the wheels of fortune for the best. This might even encourage the governments of various states to legalize online poker and promote more such festivals and tournaments to let people not only woo, but also befriend their lady luck!

A New Casino Ship Sails Soon
While history was made at PokerStar, Palm Beach got a new casino ship approved! The debate still continues on whether the government should permit casinos. Overlooking this debate, the Palm Beach city officials took the decision and gave the green signal to Black Diamond Casino to sail twice a day.

Black Diamond is a 160-foot ship that can accommodate 550 passengers. The casino ship will sail in March this year. Passengers can start gambling as soon as the ship enters international waters. Players get the privilege to play slot machines, roulette, blackjack, and poker.

Who knows? The ship may become the hotspot for another world record in the making by some passionate player!