Overlooking the shimmering waters of the Caribbean lies The Havana Club. The famous Casino night club, referred to by writer Jose Maceo, as the “hottest night” in town, keeps drawing the rich and famous. Arriving in classic automobiles, guests are greeted by legendary hostess “Nina Garcia”…I can’t help myself but think I am reading one of Ernest Hemingway’s novels and have to remind myself that it is the introduction on the CD cover of the newly released Havana Club Casino – the newest and undoubtedly hottest casino utilizing Microgaming’s platform.

I am dreaming of girls in cocktail dresses, sleek guys smoking Cohibas and spinning Roulette tables in teak wood, while Stan Getz’ smooth rhythms are playing in the background. Even so we are talking about an online casino, the Havana Club manages to capture all the charm of a high class club, especially through its glamorous casino hostess Nina Garcia.

Featuring 65 games with 11 progressive jackpot including the million dollar slot machine monster ‘Major Millions’ it has everything a casino fan’s heart could wish for.

Their variety of games is great including Video Poker machines, Blackjack, Baccarat, Keno, Scratch Cards and lots more. I played their casino as a Real Player as one of their progressives stood at 865,957 USD (!!). But the Havana Club offers a play for fun option if you wish to improve your skills first, as well as a non-download version if the initial download of just over 5MB should put you off.

Once inside the casino the graphics and sound are stunning and the IDNPLAY dealer sounds like Buena Vista Social Club’s Ruben Gonzales himself.

Website and software are easy to navigate and becoming a Member of the Havana Club certainly pays out as I was greeted with a welcome bonus of 20%; in other words I got $200 free. Important feature for high rollers such as myself. And while playing I collected valuable Loyalty Points which I can shortly redeem into my account or exclusive merchandise.

Several secure and easy to handle payment options are being offered to fund accounts including Firepay, ACH, Neteller and Prepaid ATM supporting transactions in USD, Euro or Pound Sterling.

Should you get stuck at any time or simply wish to speak to Nina Garcia herself (like I did) there is a free of charge 24/7 support line in your own language at your service. Payout percentages are reviewed by Price Waterhouse Coopers as with all MGS casinos. I felt at home straight away.

It appeared to me that the Havana Club aspires to be a real casino in a virtual world setting the bar higher than current players in this field.

1st Ever Roulette Royale Jackpot – $175,114.91 won at Spin Palace Casino

Christian M. won $179,516.91 at Spin Palace Casino (www.spinpalace.com) on Friday, October 18th 2002, becoming the 1st ever online Progressive Roulette winner in history!

Christian, a professional soccer player, bet on his lucky number “25” (which is also his age) and it came up 5 times in a row making him a record $175,114.91 richer. He then placed a further bet on the number “25” and, once again, it came up for an amazing 6th time – you could say this jackpot had his name written all over it!

That’s not all, by winning the Roulette Royale jackpot Christian also received a “no strings attached” $1,000 Progressive Jackpot Bonus reward from Spin Palace, thus increasing his total winning amount to $180,516.91 – not bad for just 154 spins of the roulette wheel!

What’s even more remarkable, is that Christian had only opened his account 22 hrs earlier on Thursday, October 17th and won this massive jackpot from a single $150 purchase (along with his standard $75 FREE sign up bonus).

When asked what he was going to do with his new found wealth Christian replied, “I think I am going to buy a new car and then spend some on a great holiday with my girlfriend. The rest I am not sure about, but it won’t be a problem, I promise you!”