Betfred launches debut social casino product

UK bookmaker Betfred has entered the social casino market for the first time with the launch of its new free-to-play Betfred Social app.

The product was developed in partnership with social casino developer Caleta Gaming, featuring free-to-play slots, blackjack and bingo games for online, mobile phones and tablets.

Betfred Social is available on Google Play, Apple’s App Store and Facebook, and also features its exclusive Betfred Bonus King Blackjack game and Magical Clover slot.

“We are very excited to offer this social casino to a wide audience and want all players to have fun and enjoy playing Betfred Social,” said Andrew Horne, head of content at Betfred.

The launch of Betfred Social follows previous attempts by real-money operators to find success in the growing social casino market, including Sky Betting & Gaming, bwin.party, 888 and Gamesys.

According to estimates from research firm Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, the global social casino game market grew 10.3% year-on-year to $978m in Q4 2016, driven by a 20% rise in mobile revenues.

David Marcus, Caleta Gaming CEO, added: “We’re really excited to bring these new games to the Betfred audience.

“It’s an incredible opportunity for players to engage with Betfred and play new content which have unique qualities.”

London-based Caleta Gaming has previously launched a number of products with social casino operator Brasingo and Novomatic Group subsidiary Greentube.