Launches and sign-ups 1 June 2016
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (26 May 2016 to 1 June 2016)
Paddy Power launches prepaid contactless payment card
Cash Card PPlus gives punters instant access to online winnings and can be used in-store and online
Paddy Power has launched a contactless payment card allowing customers to pay for items in shops and online with their betting account balance.
Cash Card PPlus is designed to give customers instant access to their online winnings which can typically take up to three days to be deposited.
The prepaid MasterCard also enables customers to access cash from their online wagering account from any ATM in the UK where MasterCard is accepted.
“We’ve all experienced those glorious punting weekends,” said the firm in a blog post introducing the Cash Card PPlus. “You’ve just clicked a cheeky little 3.00pm accumulator on the Premier League, your gee-gee has romped home in the feature race at Doncaster, or your golfer has swept into a three-shot lead with four holes to play.
CVC expands gambling portfolio with ?1bn Sisal acquisition
CVC Capital Partners (CVC) has acquired Italian operator Sisal for ?1bn (?760m) as the private equity firm continues to diversify its portfolio into the online gambling market.
The deal will see the Sky Betting & Gaming (SB&G) owner acquire a 100% stake in the Milan-headquartered operator from previous owners Apax Partners, Permira and Clessidra.
Sisal’s CEO, Emilio Petrone, said he was pleased the company was now under the CVC umbrella following rumours of an imminent sale of the business for a number of months.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
Betclic secures first Portuguese sports betting licence
Betclic Everest Group has gone live in the Portuguese online gambling market after becoming the first operator to secure one of the country’s new sports betting licences.
The Paris-headquartered firm launched in Portugal last Wednesday (25 May) under its flagship Betclic brand having officially obtained its fixed-odds sports betting licence earlier that morning.
As the first operator to go live, Betclic will be subject to a basic tax rate of 8% on turnover up to ?30m, while turnover over that figure will be taxed based on a formula (Rate=[8% x (annual gross revenue/?30m)] /100) and capped at 16%.
Ladbrokes launches acca editing tool
Ladbrokes has launched an “industry-first” feature which enables customers to edit their unsettled football accumulator bets, even when their selections are in-play.
Edit My Acca, which was soft launched last month, gives punters the opportunity to reduce the numbers of selections contained within their multiples, meaning customers can remove a team which looks likely to let them down.
“Football accumulators are by far the most popular sports multiple,” Dipen Nagda, Ladbrokes head of digital product, said.
Hills goes live on Betfect social betting network
William Hill has become the second real-money operator to sign a deal with Betfect following the launch of Ladbrokes on the social betting network last year.
Betfect aims to socialise the betting experience for customers by allowing users to compare bets, share tips and place wagers directly via bookmakers integrated into the platform.
Players can also track their performance via a leader board and follow a range of expert tipsters.
GVC gives partycasino “much needed facelift”
GVC Holdings has launched a “revamped” version of its partycasino.com site as the operator continues to make improvements to its recently acquired bwin.party brands.
According to GVC, which completed the deal for bwin.party on 1 February, the website has been given a “punchy and bold aesthetic” with new features which include an improved player lobby and quick access to recently played games.
The new site also includes a customisable favourites section, which enables players to create their own page containing all of their preferred titles and a recent winner’s spot to highlight who’s been winning big on games.
BetStars goes live in Italy
Amaya has launched a beta version of its BetStars sportsbook in Italy with a “special focus on football”, the company announced last week.
The trial version of BetStars.IT currently offers six sports and is available only on desktop. Amaya said it plans to grow the range of sports available but did not put a specific timeline on the expansion.
A PokerStars spokeperson told EGR the limited proudct was designed to “demonstrate that the back end is working smoothly and give bettors the best experience possible”.