Launches and sign-ups 3 August 2016
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (28 July 2016 to 3 August 2016)
SBTech secures Malta licence
Supplier plans to sign new agreements with Malta-licensed operators
Sports betting supplier SBTech has been awarded a full Class 4 Remote Gaming Licence by the Maltese Gaming Authority, the company announced Monday.
The firm said it plans to use its new licence as a “springboard” for SBTech to cement its position in regulated markets and to sign deals with a number of additional Malta-licensed operators.
“Our ongoing strategy is to increase the number of markets we are licenced to operate in, in order to offer our tailor-made services to the new generation of sports betting platforms,” Richard Carter, CEO of SBTech, said.
“Thanks to the efficiency and professionalism of both the Maltese Gaming Authority and our in-house legal team, I am delighted to confirm that we have fulfilled all the requirements and have secured this much sought-after licence.”
William Hill boosts tech capabilities with Grand Parade acquisition
William Hill has acquired gaming technology specialist Grand Parade in a major boost for the operator’s quest to deliver an improved front-end experience and enhance its internal development capabilities.
The £13.6m deal will see William Hill acquire the entirety of the Grand Parade business, which includes 200 creatives and developers based in London and Krakow.
Grand Parade was founded by CEO Andy Clerkson in 2007 and currently has deals in place with a number of William Hill’s rivals including Ladbrokes, Coral, Sky Bet, bwin and Betfair.
Tabcorp-powered Sun Bets goes live
Sun Bets is open for business after the Tabcorp-led brand flicked the switch on its new gaming site yesterday.
The soft launch in the UK and Ireland comes just days ahead of the new football season, with Sun Bets due to kick-off a major marketing push in the coming days in an attempt to hit the ground running and take on the industry’s heavy hitters.
Sun Bets, which sees Australian bookmaker Tabcorp and media giant News UK join forces, will be led by former William Hill director Jamie Hart, who is set to join the firm as executive director on 22 August.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
Stride Gaming to double UK market share with new acquisitions
Stride Gaming is set to double its market share of the UK bingo market after acquiring the assets of rival online bingo firms Tarco and 8Ball for up to £70m.
The AIM-listed operator will pay a total consideration of up to £40.2m for both Tarco and online marketing firm Netboost Media, in addition to a sum of up to £30m for Booty Bingo-owner 8Ball.
The deals will see Stride Gaming increase its market share from 5% to 10% of the UK bingo market, according to the firm, making it the fourth largest online bingo operator in the country.
Caesars Interactive sells Playtika for £3.3bn
A consortium of Chinese investors and online games firm Giant has agreed a deal to acquire Caesars Interactive Entertainment’s (CIE) social casino business Playtika for $4.4bn (£3.3bn).
The all-cash transaction, backed by Chinese business magnate Jack Ma, will see CIE sell its entire stake in Playtika but retain its World Series of Poker and real-money online gaming businesses.
Following the completion of the deal, the social and mobile games business will continue to run as an independent operation based out of its headquarters in Herzliya, Israel.
William Hill nets Everton betting partnership deal
William Hill has signed a two-year deal with Everton to become the Premier League football club’s official European betting partner, the bookmaker announced Monday.
The UK bookmaker’s brand name will now appear on the club’s LED screens and interview backdrops at Goodison Park, and will also offer Everton fans exclusive odds on a range of football markets.
The deal, which lasts until the end of the 2017-18 season, sees William Hill replace rival firm Coral as the Merseyside team’s European partner following the end of a two-year deal.
XIN Gaming acquires Tain and Betting Promotion for 9m
XIN Gaming is set to expand its presence into the European online gambling market after acquiring fellow B2B suppliers Tain and Betting Promotion, it was announced last week.
The Asian egaming supplier will assume control of the two Swedish companies, which merged in 2013, from Nordic Leisure which became the owner of nearly 95% of sportsbook supplier Betting Promotion in 2015.
No official figure for the deal was announced by XIN, but sources close to the matter told eGaming Review the transaction was worth approximately 9m.
Norbert Teufelberger-led investment firm expands egaming portfolio
FastForward Innovations, the egaming-focused investment firm advised by former bwin.party chief executive Norbert Teufelberger, has expanded its portfolio with a US$500,000 (£380,000) investment in social games developer Moon Active.
The half-a-million dollar outlay equates to a 5.9% interest in the Tel Aviv-based developer, which FastForward said had also seen investment from a number of other high-profile egaming entrepreneurs.
Moon Active, which was founded in 2011, has developed five games since its inception and also built its own in-house infrastructure, machine learning based gameplay technology and in-game personalisation mechanics.
SportPesa nets Southampton betting partnership deal
African online betting firm SportPesa has signed its second Premier League sponsorship deal to become an official betting partner of Southampton FC.
The Kenyan operator signed a three-year shirt sponsorship deal with newcomers Hull City earlier last week, entering the UK market for the first time as a result of the agreement.
And it has since secured a three-year deal with the Saints to become their betting partner ahead of the new season.
FanDuel undergoes brand refresh ahead of NFL season
FanDuel has completely redesigned its branding and website to complement the launch of new product features ahead of the new NFL season.
The daily fantasy sports (DFS) firm’s revamped logo features the âFanDuel Shield’, while its online and mobile platforms have been redesigned with a refreshed blue colour in a bid to improve the user experience.
A new Friends Mode has been added to its season-long fantasy product, giving users the ability to play against their friends every week of the NFL season and is expected to launch later this summer.
Tempobet bags Real Madrid and Barcelona advertising deal
Tempobet has signed a six-figure deal with Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona which will see the company’s branding reach television audiences across Europe.
As part of the agreement, branding for its sportsbook and sister site tempocasino.com will be displayed on the digital perimeter for 12 minutes of each away fixture the two clubs play during the forthcoming La Liga season.
The operator’s branding will also appear during a total of 36 matches on the European TV feed broadcast outside of Spain.
PMU integrates OpenBet’s SiteBuilder tool
Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU) is to integrate OpenBet’s SiteBuilder solution in a move to provide a more personalised experience for its customers.
The deal will see PMU use the collaboration tool to obtain greater flexibility over its sportsbook front-end and improve its SEO capabilities
SiteBuilder enables the French operator to create sportsbook microsites using an advanced CMS, opening up the opportunity to create dedicated pages for major sporting events.