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How to play Fat Santa
On Friday, a Department of Justice attorney told a federal judge that the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians knew the Interior Department could reverse an earlier determination that its Vallejo land was eligible for gaming.
Despite those warnings, the tribe opened its “Preview Casino” on July 24, offering Class II gaming out of modular structures.
Six days later, Interior determined that the land did not qualify for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), forcing the tribe to shutter the operation and take the federal government back to court.
What is Fat Santa?
The one genuinely new seasonal wrinkle is a pumpkin symbol. It can land during free spins to award mid-bonus upgrades, layered on top of the ante bet and feature-buy options already familiar across the range. For an experienced Big Bass player, the proposition is deliberately recognizable rather than reinvented.
The value of this release lies in what it says about franchise strategy. The Big Bass series has become one of Pragmatic Play’s most reliable engines, and reskinning a proven math model with seasonal theming is a low-risk way to keep the brand visible during a commercially significant window.
Halloween is a natural peg for that approach. It gives operators a topical, franchise-branded title to feature in October promotions without asking players to learn a new system. The friendly Count Dracula fisherman and trick-or-treat trimmings supply the seasonal hook while the underlying fish-collection loop does the heavy lifting.
How to play Fat Santa
“We are committed to minimising the impact on our people and are exploring all avenues to reduce the number of redundancies,” the spokesperson said. “As a first step, we are planning a programme of voluntary redundancies.
“Our colleagues are our priority. We understand the concerns many will have. Impacted staff have been informed and are being fully supported throughout this process.”
Bet365 noted the impact of the UK government’s near doubling of the remote gaming duty, which increased from 21% to 40% on 1 April this year.