Notable Gambling Moments in 2010

As 2011 is almost upon us, we take a look at a few interesting gambling moments of the year 2010. Merger of PartyGaming and Bwin In 2010, a merger was announced between gaming giants, PartyGaming and Bwin. This alliance implies that PartyGaming and Bwin would be transformed into the biggest gaming company in the world. Betfair Listed on Stock Exchange With Betfair now being listed on the stock exchange, their initial public offering (IPO) that took place in 2010, seems to suggest the huge growth in the online gaming industry. Introduction of Microgaming's Lord of the Rings Following a deal made between Microgaming and Warner Brothers enabling the development of three slot machine games based on the theme of Lord of the Rings, this possibility became a reality in 2010. This year, Microgaming, one of the leading online gaming software providers, released an exciting themed video slot game, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. This fun pursuit incorporates advanced technology that includes video clips from the film. Paul the Octopus at the World Cup Paul the Octopus amazed the world after successfully forecasting the outcome of 8 different World Cup matches in the summer of 2010. However, although this incredible feat did not appear to be good news for some of the more traditional gambling institutions, the gaming world now does not have to be too concerned as since October, unfortunately Paul the Octopus is no longer with us. Online Casinos on Social Networks Perhaps one of the biggest issues regarding online gaming in 2010 is that many of the large online casinos became much more interested in social network sites.  Realizing the huge potential of this market due to the massive numbers of people regularly accessing social sites such as Facebook and Twitter, many online casinos may now be approached directly via such sites. After an interesting 2010, time will tell what 2011 has in store for the gaming industry.  Happy New Year!