Richard Davies wrote: The UK has a good crop of technology pioneers in cloud computing - for example ElasticHosts, FlexiScale, Flexiant, OnApp - and also some strong government initiatives such as G-Cloud.
We will have to see whether this kind of technical leadership converts into swift mass-market adoption or not.
LONDON, September 3, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- At 3pm on Bank Holiday Saturday, Jackpotjoy Bingo
(http://www.jackpotjoy.com/) awarded GBP1,963,088 to Mathew G from Bristol, a
new record single giveaway for the site. Mathew obviously got into the spirit
though, as he immediately gave away GBP250,000 to the friend who'd enticed
him to play...
Mathew G, a 33 year old from Bristol, originally joined Jackpotjoy in
2009. He made a deposit, enjoyed the games but didn't return to the site
until last Saturday (28th August 2010) when a friend reminded him about the
size of the Deal or No Deal Jackpot.
Mathew deposited GBP100 and began playing, smiling as he joked: "If I win
I'll give you GBP250,000!"
He was playing for around 45 minutes before he made it through to the
Banker's Bonus Round for the final time. The game works just like the hit
Channel 4 show, with the player having to choose one of 26 cash filled Boxes,
while a mysterious banker makes enticing offers in an attempt to buy the box
of the player.
"I chose box number 8," Mathew explained. "Because when me and my mates
are at the Casino, 28 always seems to be my lucky number - so I figured 8
would work. It was also the 28th of August and ... I can't explain it. It
just felt right.
"I got down to the last two boxes, with the Jackpot still in play, and
the Banker made me an offer of GBP229.50. There was no way in the world I was
taking that, I had a 50% chance of winning GBP1.9 Million ... Imagine if you
took the offer and it turned out you'd just turned down the big money? I'd
never forgive myself. I was still desperately nervous clicking No Deal -
partly just because I wanted to make sure I got the right button!"
Moments later, Mathew realised the enormity of his decision as the
numbers GBP1,963,088.83 came pouring out of the box!
"The win itself was a complete blur to be honest; I think I went into
shock!
"My friend pulled me back together and I got straight on the phone to
Customer Support who were great - they kept reassuring me that it was all
real. Within 20 minutes my girlfriend came around with all the champagne she
could buy from the local supermarket and we started off on an unforgettable
bank holiday weekend.
"I asked for the money to be transferred on Tuesday and by that afternoon
I had almost GBP2 million in my account. I took a picture of the ATM with the
money in it! It was amazing..."
We asked Mathew about his plans for the future.
"I had a bad car accident about 4 years ago and I've only worked on and
off since then, helping my Dad with his plumbing business and doing some
charity work which I really enjoy.
"I'm going to use some of the winnings to help out the business which
will help after the recent financial crisis. But mainly the money means I can
secure the future for my 5 year old son which is amazing and very special. He
doesn't really understand how much a million is at the moment. I asked him
and he thought it was a thousand but I'm sure it won't be long before he
realises the difference all those zeros can make!
"One thing I will definitely be doing is honouring my promise to my
friend and giving him GBP250,000!"
Mathew is the third millionaire that Jackpotjoy's Deal or No Deal game
has created.
The Gamesys Group was founded by Noel Hayden in April 2001 with a small
team of developers. The aim was to build a profitable online entertainment
business providing Instant Win, Bingo and Casino games to a worldwide
audience using proprietary gaming software.
After eight years, the Group's leading brand, Jackpotjoy.com, has built
an audience of over 3,000,000 members and pays out in excess of GBP 90
million every month. The success of Jackpotjoy.com has established the
Gamesys Group as one of the UK's leading online gaming businesses. In 2006
they were named No. 1 in the Microsoft/Sunday Times Tech Track 100 League
Table, and they're now one of only four companies to have appeared on the
list four years in a row. This feat reflects both the company's capacity for
sustained growth and its remarkable resilience during periods of financial
instability.