Golden Nugget NJ Still Reigns As Online Casino Games Leader, But For How Long?
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We saw two casinos do some house cleaning and delete a few slots, video poker, and table games, but 12 of the 13 online casinos reporting added at least four new slots during the month.
While many of the games were holiday related (Jolly’s Christmas, Secrets of Christmas, Merlin’s Magic Respins Christmas, etc.), there are still lots of new and exciting games to be played, along with some scratch card additions.
December saw 888 push its numbers past 100, leaving Harrah’s as the lone wolf in the Under 100 Club for games at NJ online casinos. Five casinos are sitting between 200 and 300 games, while two have between 100 and 200. That leaves one between 300 and 400 and four casinos with more than 400. Battling for the top spot are Golden Nugget online casino (473), Resorts (467),and Mohegan (457).
Golden Nugget
Golden Nugget remains the leader in game total (473), highest number of table games (16), and highest number of blackjack options (13). The casino can’t rest on its laurels though, as both Resorts and Mohegan are hot on their tail.
Most exciting is the addition of a new live dealer poker game, Casino Hold’em. Golden Nugget NJ is the first in the US to offer this version live. You’ll find it provides some fast-paced action as well as all the social aspects of other live dealer games. Live dealer Casino Hold’em is now available Sunday through Thursday from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. and Friday/Saturday from noon to 3 a.m.
They’ve also added five new slots, including Icy Wilds, Smash the Pig, Planet of the Apes, Heidi’s Bier Haus, and Sphinx Wild — featuring Stacked Symbols and Surrounding Wilds, and a bonus round with your choice of spins and multipliers.
[i15-table tableid=5245]Virgin
At 198 total games, Virgin came within a hair’s breath of getting over the 200 hump. Since they have been adding four to five games a month for the last three months, expect them to push past 200 in January.
Meanwhile they did add five new titles. Like sister site Tropicana (the two share land-based casino partner Tropicana AC), they added three Christmas-themed titles — Fruit Shop Christmas Edition, Flowers Christmas Edition, and Secrets of Christmas.
Fu Dao Le, a new Chinese-themed progressive slot from Bally that offers 243 ways to win, a feature-rich bonus game, and four jackpots. Clumped Wilds that land on reel three may trigger the Jackpot Bonus Feature, while the Red Envelope on reels 1 and 3 land you the Red Envelope Jackpot.
Agatha Christie’s Mystery Wilds is the fifth new slot to make an appearance. Based on the mystery writer’s most famous characters — Poirot, Miss Marple, and Tommy and Tuppance — you’ll search for clues with a magnifying glass, while you enjoy mystery gifts each time you enter the Free Spins Bonus Round.
[i15-table tableid=5268]Tropicana
December marked the month that Tropicana broke the 200-plus online game total. By adding five new slots, the casino brought its overall offerings to 202. They say slow and steady wins the race, and Tropicana has been nothing but both when it comes to additions to its lineup.
In addition to three holiday slots added in December that it shares with sister site Virgin — Fruit Shop Christmas Edition, Flowers Christmas Edition, and Secrets of Christmas — Tropicana also added two additional slots from the Virgin lineup including Agatha Christie’s Mystery Wilds and Fu Dao Le, the Chinese-themed progressive slot with 243 ways to win.
[i15-table tableid=5263]Betfair
Betfair went big in December with the addition of 10 new slots, bringing its total slot count to 242 and total game count to 268, putting the NJ online casino smack dab in the middle of the pack.
In addition to several holiday-themed offerings and a few older titles, you’ll find these new slots:
- Heidi’s Bier Haus: This game is set in a bier garden complete with Tapper feature that fills up your reels and turns them Wild.
- Icy Wilds: The arctic scene is beautiful, but you’ll really like the Stacked Symbols (including Wild) and the Polar Bear Free Spins.
- Planet of the Apes: This two-for-one game features many of your favorite characters from the movie franchise, including John Lithgow, Frieda Pinto, Tom Felton, Jason Clarke, Keri Russell, and Gary Oldman.
- Smash the Pig: Two bonus games, a Luck Meter, and lots of little piggies running around to pump up your piggy bank. What’s not to love?
Caesars
Caesars casino now reigns with the highest number of video poker games with a total of 22. Add to that nine blackjack games, 10 table games, and 351 slots, and Caesars has a total of 392 online games for your enjoyment.
Their four new slots include Jolly’s Gifts and Secrets of Christmas, as well as Wizard of Oz Road to Emerald City — the seventh in the Wizard of Oz series of games that includes seven, count ’em seven, bonus games. Bar-X Colossal is a retro-styled game with three center reels containing colossal symbols.
[i15-table tableid=5226]888
888 Casino has increased its offerings over the last month, and while it doesn’t place them in the heavy hitter category like Golden Nugget, it has outpaced Harrah’s, the smallest online casino (85 total games). As of the end of December, 888’s game count was 104, with 98 slots, two blackjack, and four table games.
The casino has gone ape with their new slots: King Kong, Gorilla Go Wild, Mad Mad Monkey. You’ll also find Bingo Billions, a gameshow-style Bingo-based game, complete with a loud host shouting out wins; Venice Magic, a carnival-themed slot; and Manic Millions, a fun take on Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” featuring the good doctor and his trusty sidekick Igor.
Pala
Pala, sitting in the middle of the pack, added seven new slots in December, bringing their slot total to 238. Add in their blackjack (five), video poker (eight), and table games (six), and overall Pala now has 257 games available at their online casino.
Among the new additions to Pala’s slot offerings are:
- Queen of the Skies
- Triple Sapphire Sevens
- American Gold Rush
- Gods of Fortune
- Jumpin’ Jack Cash
- Triple Treasures
- 25 Diamonds
Harrah’s
Harrah’s has been slow to increase its game totals. The casino actually removed two games this month — one slot and one video poker game — most likely due to underperformance/lack of interest.
We look forward to the casino bringing in some new blood in the next month and amping up its game total, which stands at 85 as of the end of December.
Mohegan
Mohegan Sun is going all out to challenge Golden Nugget for the No. 1 spot this month. The online casino added 15 new slots, bringing its total slot count to 419, just a hairs breadth behind Resorts (429) and Golden Nugget (423). Look for the casino to make another big move next month.
In addition to new slot titles, Mohegan seems to be banking on a scratch card frenzy, as many of the new slot offerings are of this Keno-style game. There’s Doubleplay Super Bet Scratch, Oil Mania Scratch, Witch Pickings Scratch, and Volcano Eruption Scratch, the latter of which can award up to 50,000 times your bet if you get nine of the same symbols in the Ladder Bonus round.
[i15-table tableid=5253]Resorts
Resorts is the second casino challenging Golden Nugget for the crown. At 467 total games, they are just six shy of the titleholder. They’ve added four new slots in December to bring their slot offerings to 429. They’ve also got 20 video poker games, 10 table games, and eight blackjack variations.
December editions to the Resorts lineup included:
- Foxin Wins a Very Foxin Christmas: Part of a series that features a wealthy, nattily-dressed fox who lives the life of luxury
- Slingo Showdown: Exclusive to Resorts and Mohegan Sun
- Pigasus & Friends: Featuring a blue unicorn sheep, three-headed calf, and a pig with wings
- Planet of the Apes: Two 5-reel games combined into one, each representing a different movie in the Twentieth Century Fox franchise
Note: Much like sister casino Mohegan Sun, Resorts is dipping into the scratch card frenzy in January. Watch for new titles on their site such as Irish Eyes 2 Scratch, Medusa Scratch, Oil Mania Scratch, and more.
[i15-table tableid=5258]SugarHouse
SugarHouse went just over the 400 mark this month, and given its track record, it’ll add on to that total game count in either January or February. As of the end of December, the casino had 375 slots, five blackjack games, 15 video poker games, and six table games, for a grand total of 401.
Among the new slots added at SugarHouse during the month were:
- High Voltage Blackout
- Wild Run
- Wizard of Oz Road to Emerald City
- Planet of the Apes
SugarHouse just released a brand new type of online gaming: virtual sports. (We’ll report more on this next month.) But if you haven’t had the chance to try out this exciting and realistic game format, now is the time to do so.
Your virtual sports betting options are:
- Horses
- Soccer
- Greyhounds/Dogs
- Moto Racing/Motorcycles
Borgata
Borgata casino did a little housecleaning this month, deleting several slots, plus a blackjack and table game — no doubt due to the lack of interest in said games. At the same time, the casino did add 10 new games to their arsenal, bringing their total offerings to 261.
While they too added several Christmas offerings, they also added:
- Icy Wilds
- Smash the Pig
- Legend of the Pharaohs
- Planet of the Apes
- Wizard of Oz Road to Emerald City
- Heidi’s Bier Haus
They now have a total of 242 slots, three blackjack games, 12 video poker games, and four table games.
BetMGM
Apparently BetMGM casino online has a similar strategy to Pala, adding eight new slots in December for a total of 239 slots. Those additions brought its total game count up to 259.
BetMGM, too, added some holiday slots for their customers with titles Merlin’s Magic Respins Christmas and Jolly’s Gifts, as well as two games based on books/movies (Planet of the Apes and Wizard of Oz Road to Emerald City), two Egyptian-themed games (Sphinx Wild and Legend of the Pharaohs), and Golden Mane and Icy Wilds.