Here is a turn out for the books (excuse the pun), a recently launched online video slots magazine is now being published in paper. That is right had copy, not soft. We seem to have become a society where paper is losing momentum, and just about every magazine is now published online. This first of its kind attempt to keep online slots fans in the UK, up-to-date with trending products, is quite an eye-opener indeed.

Jackpots Review Magazine is the name of the magazine, if you fancy picking up a copy hot off the press (real printing press that is). Remember – only available in the United Kingdom – but packed to the brim with what’s new in video slots. It is a bi-monthly mag which according to its bio – will offer an objective point of view for video slot fans. Online reviews can tend to be a little biased, as most of the people promoting these games are in the affiliate industry.

The Premier issue is said to be "exceeding all expectations", (we must assume in terms of purchases), and features the immensely popular online slot game – The Dark Knight Rises. This slot is licensed to the Batman copyright, and the Dark Night – Batman himself – is the cover picture. Not only does the mag feature big name games, but some of the more obscure slots are featured, as well as a few reviews of various casinos online.

We have come to trust the Online Casino Portal (generic term) for the reporting of reputation, reliability, and status of online casinos, we have to bear in mind that till now, these spaces were all the information we had. Now the UK gets Michael Caselli – Editor-in-Chief of Jackpots Review – educated opinions. This means a mainstream reporting format of where to find the games that we love, and what in it for us when playing these slots.

Playing both online and mobile slots games has become a virtual pastime for millions of fans in the UK. The popularity of playing these games has long surpassed many of the classic version that are found in arcades, bingo halls, adult entertainment centres, and casinos. It appears that hard copy reviews are not completely redundant for fans of the genre. Many still may enjoy playing slots online, but also enjoy the sensation of reading whilst simultaneously turning a real paper page.

It has only been a couple of years since casino type games went live on Facebook. At one stage this social networking site would not even allow casino game ads at their site. It appears that they have seen the error of their ways, and the effect of supply and demand now dictates what is popular or not.

In a recent list of the top twenty-three games played at this site, it seems that five of these are casino type games. Gaming in a social media type environment has grown in popularity, and grown exponentially for users at many of these sites. So, the 2013 top “Games of the Year” list was put together based on a selection of criteria. Facebook complied data from "user ratings, implementation, growth and overall quality."

The increase in mobile social media activity has also seen an increase in gaming, and gambling over this channel. This led to the fact that many in the top twenty-three can be enjoyed on both Internet and mobile platforms. Pundits are saying that approximately $12 million will be spent on mobile gambling this year (2014), so, the possibility exists that 2013 mobile growth may have contributed to the Facebook growth in gaming popularity. Hence the reason why five gambling games also made it into their favourites list.

Most online gambling operators are not surprised by the fact that despite the diversity of games available in this space – Hit it Rich Casino Slots, Double Down Casino, Slotmania, DoubleUCasino, and Heart of Vegas, made it to the top. Hit it Rich Casino was also dubbed the Best New Game of the Year. Consumer behaviour seems to be dictating that the Facebook space will soon be inundated with popular online gambling games.

We are not in the least bit surprised by this latest list. The online gambling industry has turned into a mainstream industry Globally, and looks set to grow even more with doors opening in the USA. There are still quite a few global market places that still remain untapped, and with the spread of high speed broadband into Southern American Countries, Africa and Asia, even more growth is bound to be the order of the day. Add to this the fact that mobile, and smartphone use is spreading across the world, and it appears as though the industry might be in for a nice growth surprise. In fact this growth has been speculated on, but could even turn out to be better than the industry is betting on.

Having recently read that a boost to gambling online is being experienced by means of mobile devices, and that this is a bad thing, we couldn’t resist putting in our tuppence worth, because gambling is not the problem. If you have ever been known to drop a few bob on the ponies, while playing a game of poker, or at the local bingo hall, and don’t find this to be a compulsive activity, then you will know that it is people that gamble compulsively, and not the game that force them. Gambling games are inanimate, while people are animate, and should be able to control their addictive urges, or get help for them.

Mobile devices such as phones and have made it easier to gamble online, but no easier than when we only had lap-tops and 3G. So, why do some pontificators call mobile gambling a “worrisome trend”? It is simply because most of these people are offering their opinions, in many instances, even when they have not been asked for an opinion. But then that is the human condition, and many human beings would rather judge, than live and let live. When people judge others, this makes it easier for them to not have to take a long hard look at themselves.

The increasing popularity in gambling online bothers some people a lot. They say it is simply to easy to lose money when all that has to be done is open a website or app. Mobile gambling apparently makes things even easier.

This broad generalisation is a bit narrow minded we believe. We are exposed to online gambling websites continually when reviewing these sites for customers, and have never been tempted to drop money, because losing money is just not our scene. Some people like gambling, others do not, and having gambling available wherever one is and whenever, has never once increased the temptation to play.

That does not make us any better than a person who loses their shirt when playing online, but unfortunately some of us have to learn life lessons, and choose to do this the hard way. If online or mobile gambling were banned, as it purportedly is in the USA, we would still find a way to do this, and it has been proved throughout history that prohibition just does not work.

Most cultures are hardwired to take a risk on something or other, and gambling for money, is a modern-day form of entertainment that millions of people partake of. It is what it is, no more and no less!

Gamers on the go have yet another new mobile game to enjoy; Microgaming’s Reel Thunder is now live on the HTML5 platform.

Players will have the ride of their life with Reel Thunder, a 9 payline, 5 reel slot. The game has both Scatter and Wild symbols with a maximum winning jackpot of 10,000 coins.

Reel Thunder is the latest addition to Microgaming’s expanding HTML5 mobile collection which now boasts 40 great games and has expanded every month throughout 2013. In a bid to develop games designed to cater for the ever growing number of mobile and tablet devices, HTML5 has been a key platform for Microgaming software as it supports the broadest number of screen sizes and resolutions.

Neill Whyte, Head of Product Channels at Microgaming, comments: "We are very proud of our mobile achievements in 2013; we’ve released 21 HTML5 games, all of which are designed meticulously to provide the best possible mobile experience. We have spent years perfecting the art of creating graphically appealing, immersive and compelling games for PC, so why would we give the mobile player a different experience? Our commitment to our mobile product will continue in 2014 with a more aggressive rollout of games, as well as the release of some exciting features designed to maximise the player experience."

In addition to enhancing its HTML5 platform, Microgaming has added HTML5 capability to its Download App which means that its HTML5 games can now be released to both the HTML5 platform and Mobile Download platform concurrently. As such, Microgaming has added the recently launched HTML5 games Pure Platinum, Halloweenies and Big Top to its Mobile Download platform as well as Playboy which has been designed specifically in an Air-based application for Android devices.

When a job is done well it is natural to praise the persons or business that did the job well. This is the natural order of things. When we first played a Net Entertainment game, we were enchanted, thrilled and yes… very well entertained. All those years ago we predicted meteoric success for this company.

This prediction has come true, and no… we are not fortune tellers. The simple fact of the matter is that this dynamic software development firm has continued to challenge its own boundaries, and excel at everything single thing they do.

Net Entertainment has become a powerhouse in the online gambling industry where innovation is king. This innovation shows in the games that they produce, as well as on their bottom line. Third quarter results have seen revenues increase by a massive 25% to SEK 153.1 million. The Swedish firm has therefore seen operating profits climb to SEK 44.5 million, and is also enjoying big profits after tax.

There are now another nine online casinos that have launched with this award winning software, so that is nine more places for us to choose to play these fabulous games. Agreements have also been inked and signed with five more clients, so, if you favourite online gambling brand happens to be William Hill or Ladbrokes, these are two of the new signees.

These two operators are also best of British brands which operate off the Playtech platform, which tells us they are hoping for better performance by adding or switching to Net Entertainment.

We are also not entirely sure of the nature of these agreements. But then the largest gaming operators in the world cannot be wrong by choosing this brand. Ladbrokes has struggled in the past to get their online gaming operations profitable, but with NetEnt gaming on board, perhaps this will change for them.

In the last twelve months Net Entertainment has signed a total of twenty-two new customers, so, no wonder financials are revealing dynamic results. But not only results for NetEnt, for their customers too! This firm has also broken records for giving away the largest progressive jackpot prize money of any other developer globally.

For players to get their hands on the share of the big bucks they give away, check out the MegaFortune PJP networked games, these are the best games to play to win big. New slots games release also include “Secret of the Stones”, set in Stonehenge, and "Magic Portals" in its Touch™ catalogue.