Launches and sign-ups 14 September 2016
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (8 September 2016 to 14 September 2016)
Sportech to sell The Football Pools for nearly £100m
Sportingbet founder Mark Blandford’s Burlywood Capital in negotiations to buy the business
Sportech has announced plans to sell The Football Pools to egaming-focused venture capital firm Burlywood Capital for nearly £100m.
Burlywood Capital, which is headed up by Sportingbet founder Mark Blandford and former Merrill Lynch executive Andrew Burnett, will acquire The Football Pools for a total cash consideration of £97.25m.
The investment firm plans to list the business as part of a new company on London’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM) with former Sportingbet COO Ian Hogg to be appointed as chairman.
Earlier this year Hogg was reportedly lining up a consortium to buy The Football Pools business.
William Hill Aus unveils âin-play’ racing product
William Hill Australia has launched a new âin-play’ racing product which enables punters to double their pre-race bets after the race has started.
âDouble Down’ gives customers the ability to assess how their selection has started a race and then double their stake at pre-race odds if positioned favourably.
However, customers must pay a non-refundable fee for the privilege, 10% of the original stake, which if paid will present customers with the Double Down icon during a race’s early stages.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
Betsson bolsters Baltic presence with TonyBet acquisition
Betsson AB has moved to strengthen its position in the Baltics with the acquisition of sportsbook operator TonyBet’s Lithuanian business for up to 6m (£5.1m).
The Group has purchased the privately-owned operator LoÅ¡imų strateginÄ grupÄ UAB, trading as TonyBet, in a cash deal initially worth 4m (£3.4m) and is expected to be completed within a month.
The sellers are also eligible for an additional 2m (£1.7m) performance bonus in 2017 if the operator achieves certain milestones. The deal does not include TonyBet’s operations in the UK, Estonia, Denmark and its B2B division.
Rank picks Luda for new bingo brand
The Rank Group’s planned âconvenience-style’ bingo business will be called Luda, EGR understands, after the firm had a change of heart on its initial choice of Kudo.
According to filings on Companies House, Rank had originally registered the company name Kudo Bingo Limited, however, this has since been changed to Luda Bingo Limited.
It is understood the names Ludo, Luma and Kudos were also in the mix as the firm sought a name which sounded familiar but wasn’t already a registered brand.
Tombola backs casino launch with new ad campaign
Tombola has unveiled a new multi-channel marketing campaign to celebrate the launch of tombola Arcade, the operator’s first major diversification away from bingo-only products.
The bingo-focused firm’s tombola Arcade debuted earlier this year and features a range of non-bingo games including slots and scratchcards, with customers able to stake from 5p to £1.
A mobile app of the in-house built product is also available to download from Apple’s App Store.
Gala Coral kicks off “stylish” Vegas marketing campaign
Gala Coral kicked off a new three-month long marketing campaign this week to back the launch of the operator’s Coral Vegas online and mobile casino product.
The UK operator has partnered with Newcastle-based agency Craven and visual effects studio Moving Picture Company (MPC) to create a 40-second TV ad which aired for the first time last night.
The advert appeared after the end of the Premier League football match between Sunderland and Everton on Sky Sports 1 and will be condensed into shorter formats for additional appearances on Sky Channels and in the cinema.
Sky Vegas replaces LeoVegas as Celebrity Juice sponsor
Sky Vegas has secured its “biggest ever” sponsorship deal after replacing rival casino brand LeoVegas as the new sponsor of popular celebrity panel show Celebrity Juice.
The agreement will see the Sky Betting & Gaming (SB&G) brand become the broadcast and off-air sponsor of the TV series, including idents featuring the show’s host Keith Lemon around each ad break.
In addition to the broadcasting sponsorship, the partnership will also see the Sky Vegas brand appear on the show’s website, social media channels and the catch up service ITV Hub.
888sport repositions brand in new ad campaign
888sport has performed a “complete repositioning” of its brand with the launch of a new UK-facing TV advertising campaign pitting punters against sports stars and teams.
The new campaign, which was devised by creative agency Recipe London, launched earlier this week during Sky Sports Monday Night Football with the tagline âTake âem on’.
According to 888, the advert encourages punters to test their knowledge, skills and ability against the athletes rather than the bookie.