Launches and sign-ups 1 February 2017
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (26 January 2017 to 1 February 2017)
Rank looks to widen appeal with new brands
Operator to add new slots-focused site to stable but reveals “frustration” at attempts to launch new concept bingo business
The Rank Group will launch a number of new brands in the coming months as the firm looks to widen its digital appeal beyond its more traditional Mecca and Grosvenor customer base.
Speaking to analysts following the publication of its H1 results, Rank CEO Henry Birch said the new brands, which will include a new slots site and the previously announced omni-channel Luda bingo brand, would enable the firm to reach out to the lucrative millennial generation.
Birch said its current brands, such as Mecca, tended to limit the firm to “a certain demographic”, while he also noted that online bingo as a product had been struggling not just at Rank but industry-wide.
The chief exec said digital customers tended to play on four or five different sites, and therefore having a larger number of brands would boost Rank’s share of customer wallet, while also opening up the opportunity to cross-sell customers between brands.
PokerStars becomes first foreign operator to earn Czech licence
PokerStars has become the first licensed international operator under the Czech Republic’s new gaming regulatory regime.
The operator’s parent company Amaya was awarded a ‘Live Games’ licence by the Czech regulator on 28 January, and is set to launch PokerStars.cz in the “coming days”.
The site will feature a wide range of poker formats with access to PokerStars’ global liquidity pool, as well as traditional casino games like blackjack and roulette.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
OpenBet seals New Zealand racing contract
NYX Gaming’s OpenBet subsidiary has signed a new contract to develop a fixed odds betting platform for the New Zealand Racing Board (NZRB), in partnership with Paddy Power Betfair (PPB).
The NZRB had announced back in December that OpenBet and PPB had been chosen to develop the platform, and last week’s announcement confirmed the start of the “detailed design phase” of the project.
The new platform is part of NZRB’s wider strategic plan to boost profits for the racing industry, with the platform expected to add at least $17-19m in annualised profit per year.
Betway extends horseracing sponsorship portfolio
Betway has bolstered its horseracing sponsorship portfolio after signing new contracts with Jockey Club Racecourses, Arena Racing Company (ARC) and York Racecourse to extend existing partnerships and land new deals at Newmarket and Haydock.
The deals will see the operator replace Betfair as sponsor of the Listed King Charles II Stakes on 20 May, while also backing the Group 3 Criterion Trophy on 1 July, both held at Newmarket.
The firm has also struck a deal to sponsor the Group 3 John Of Gaunt Stakes on 10 June at Haydock.
The Sun’s Fabulous Bingo backs site revamp with new marketing campaign
Fabulous Bingo has undergone a major website redesign and brand refresh to give the product a similar look and feel to The Sun on Sunday’s Fabulous Magazine pull-out.
News UK, which owns The Sun brand, used in-house agency Pulse Creative, to revamp the site in order to replicate The Sun’s “playful and positive tone of voice” and ensure that the Fabulous Magazine brand is echoed throughout.
The new TV advertisement includes the strapline “Own that Fabulous Bingo Moment”, featuring everyday women in everyday settings striking well-known fashion poses.
Rank agrees Playtech Bingo renewal
The Rank Group has extended its partnership with supplier giant Playtech, in a move which will see the operator’s Mecca brand receive exclusive bingo and games content for the next three years.
Playtech Bingo will retain its position as the exclusive provider of bingo and games for Mecca, while the extension also covers the provision of dedicated content development to give the bingo brand further product differentiation.
The deal strengthens the long-term relationship between the two parties, which first partnered back in 2006, and one which Rank group director Colin Cole-Johnson said was integral to the firm.
PokerStars continues ecology overhaul with random seating tool
PokerStars has introduced a new random seating tool, designed to protect recreational players from being targeted by sharks.
The Seat Me function eliminates the ability of players to pick their tables and seats, and will instead put them into a game automatically once a format and stake has been chosen.
The new feature will be trialled on PokerStars.es before potentially being rolled out in other markets.
William Hill hones gaming strategy with Yggdrasil deal
William Hill has signed a deal to integrate Yggdrasil Gaming’s full suite of slots, building on the operator’s pledge to improve the customer’s gaming experience in 2017.
The London-listed bookmaker will directly integrate slots including Joker Millions and Vikings Go Berzerk, as well as Yggdrasil’s in-game promotional and social sharing tools.
“We have been hugely impressed by Yggdrasil’s commitment to innovation, and their collection of games is amongst the strongest in the casino sector,” Graeme Powrie, the operator’s gaming commercial director, said.