Launches and sign-ups 26 September 2012
A round-up of the egaming industry's launches and sign-ups from the last seven days (19 September to 26 September 2012).
Hills and GVC consider joint offer for Sportingbet
Discussions over estimated £350m deal at preliminary stage “ Hills interested in regulated side of business only.
William Hill and GVC Holdings are in preliminary talks over launching a joint bid for Sportingbet which would see the operator’s business divided between the two companies.
If an estimated £350m deal is completed it would result in Hills taking over Sportingbet’s Australian business and “certain other locally licensed businesses,” with the remainder going the way of GVC, a joint statement read this afternoon.
Hills pulled out of Australia earlier this year in a move to clear the way for the operator to gain a licence and painlessly enter the Nevada egaming market, while it had reportedly been in discussions to take over Centrebet in May 2010 before the Australian operator was acquired by Sportingbet last year for a nine-figure sum.
Helped by the Centrebet acquisition, Sportingbet recorded a 93% year-on-year revenue increase from its Australian operations in last month’s trading update for the three months ended 31 July. According to a note from Jefferies, the jurisdiction accounts for some 90% of Sportingbet’s Q3 profits.
Stars details FTP relaunch and player repayment plans
PokerStars has confirmed that Full Tilt Poker will relaunch in the first week of November, and has detailed the repayment plans for players with money on the site.
Players from France, Belgium, Estonia, Spain and Denmark will be able to recoup their funds through the PokerStars dot.country platform relevant to their jurisdiction, by ‘pairing’ their FTP account with a PokerStars account.
Dot.com players outside the United States will be able to withdraw funds from their fulltiltpoker.com accounts from 6 November, while a plan for Italian players is yet to be finalised with the country’s regulatory authority AAMS. PokerStars has explained in a statement that the outcome of its discussions with the Italian regulator “Will be announced as soon as possible.”
GameAccount to launch slots in Italy with Eurobet
Software provider GameAccount Network has become one of the first companies to launch slot games for the Italian market in a deal with Eurobet Italia.
Initially launched on an instant play, non-download basis only, the Crown Jewels slot is part of a full suite of casino games along with blackjack and roulette on the operator’s website.
It is the first land-based slot to be translated into an online game in the dot.it market, and marks the first of three Barcrest products to be integrated on GameAccount’s network as part of a deal signed in May.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
Playtech in licensing deal with Spanish media giant
Playtech has signed a licensing deal with Mediaset España, the Spanish-facing subsidiary of European broadcasting giant Mediaset.
The deal is anticipated to focus primarily on TV betting in the European Union country, however it also covers poker, casino, bingo and mobile and live dealer games.
Other Spanish licensees to use Playtech software include bet365, William Hill and Poker770, all of whom sit on the iPoker.es poker network.
iGame to join Microgaming network
iGame, one of the largest skins on the IGT Poker network, is set to move its poker offering to the Microgaming Network towards the end of this year.
The Malta and Denmark licensed operator has a database of approximately one million players and runs its eponymous flagship skin as well as NoIQ, 24hPoker, Pokerihuone and Casinohuone. eGaming Review understands that 24hPoker was formerly owned by Entraction and remained on the network after breaking off from its parent company.
A release last week revealed iGame will retain its Fast Poker offering from Relax Gaming alongside its Microgaming room. A number of other Microgaming skins, such as Unibet, have also brought in Fast Poker in the last few months.
BetVictor to fully migrate poker to Microgaming
BetVictor will become the latest poker operator to leave the IGT Poker network for Microgaming, after an exclusive deal was announced today.
The operator already used Microgaming for selected markets not served by IGT – most notably Israel – but will now move its entire poker offering to the network at the end of this month.
It follows iGame’s announcement yesterday which confirmed its planned migration to Microgaming. The two companies join the likes of Ladbrokes, Stan James and Unibet on the growing network, which could overtake Ongame with the addition of the six new network skins (five from iGame and one from BetVictor).
Cardbet in Betting Promotion and Revolution Poker network deals
Malta-licensed operator Cardbet has agreed a deal with Swedish-based Betting Promotion to take on board its Bet Power solution.
The company has also agreed a deal to join the Revolution Poker Network, and spokesman Erik Skarp told eGaming Review: “We are trying as hard as we can to make it happen no later than 1 November.”
Cardbet currently owns four skins on the IGT Poker Network – its eponymous flagship site as well as m8poker.com, metspoker.com and pro-factory.com, and plans to launch a further brand aimed at the Finnish market once the upcoming migrations are complete.
ARJEL enters agreement with DGOJ
French regulatory authority ARJEL has entered into an agreement with its Spanish counterpart the DGOJ which will see the two bodies cooperate on the sharing of information concerning egaming.
The deal follows a similar agreement between ARJEL and the UK Gambling Commission, signed in July, as European regulators remain in constant dialogue with one another.
Zynga to license brands to lottery games
Scientific Games subsidiary MDI Entertainment has signed a multi-year agreement with Zynga which will see the lottery game supplier license several of the social giant’s brands to lottery operators.
The exclusive agreement provides MDI the global rights to provide lotteries with the ability to feature FarmVille, CityVille, Zynga Poker, Zynga Bingo, Zynga Slingo, Words with Friends and Draw Something in their instant win and virtual games.
William Hill has signed a two-year extension to its sponsorship of UK championship snooker, with this year’s event beginning on 1 December in York. Chief marketing officer Kristof Fahy said the operator was “Delighted to continue our association with the event,” describing it as “One of the highlights on the snooker calendar.”
Boylesports has been the latest operator to take on Buzz Sports’ flagship ZonePlay offering. The company represents Buzz Sports’ first UK-facing partner and will provide the “what happens next”-style betting for sports including football and tennis.
Swedish lottery Kombispel has become the first operator to go live on Genera Networks‘ new bingo platform Bingofair. As well as bingo, the platform offers scratchcards and interactive lottery games and is seen by Genera as the first step towards a network of regulated operators across multiple jurisdictions.
Sheriff Gaming has extended its agreement with the Microgaming-powered Quickfire platform. The deal covers the launch of a number of slots titles including 3D slot ‘The Amsterdam Master Plan’.
Bodog.co.uk has announced plans to launch live dealer Baccarat in order to target players more familiar with Asian casino games. Robert Gustafsson, MD of bodog.co.uk owner Bodog Asia, described east Asian gamblers living outside the region as “More than just a niche market but one that has been ignored by other operators despite being far and away the largest consumer group of casino games on the planet.”
Swedish-Australian software provider NYX Gaming Group has become the latest member of the World Lottery Association, joining as an associate member. The company was recommended by its partners, who include the likes of Svenska Spel and La Française des Jeux.
Net Entertainment has announced the release of its latest online slot game, Evolution. The five-reel, three-row and 25 fixed bet lines video slot features reels which spin from bottom to top rather than the traditional top to bottom, giving the feeling of the progressive evolution of life from the bottom of the ocean towards land.