Launches and sign-ups 6 January 2016
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days
Sky Bet and OpenBet agree new platform deal
Leeds-headquartered operator will continue to utilise OpenBet’s sports betting platform for a further five years
Sky Betting & Gaming has a signed a new five-year contract extension with its core sports betting platform provider OpenBet, the two companies announced yesterday.
The new deal will see OpenBet continue to power the operator’s online and mobile sportsbook from one centrally managed back-office, with the operator maintaining creative control of the customer interface.
Sky Betting & Gaming CEO Richard Flint said OpenBet had played a key role in the operator’s success having worked with the technology supplier since its launch in 2001.
“OpenBet has been an integral component of our business since day one,” Flint said.
Sportsbet joins Aus in-play rush
Sportsbet has launched a mobile-only in-play wagering product which it says is fully compliant with the country’s restrictive online gambling laws.
The Paddy Power-owned firm’s Bet Live feature is available solely through the Sportsbet mobile app and, unlike similar in-play products offered by rival operators, uses a public switched telephone network to process bets.
Under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, Australian betting operators are prohibited from accepting online bets during live sports events and can only accept in-play wagers placed in person or over the phone.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
Playtech and NetBet agree six-year contract extension
Playtech has signed a renewed contract with NetBet which will see it supply the UK-licensed operator with exclusive egaming content for an additional six years.
The deal will see Playtech continue to provide a range of online casino content, poker and poker side-games to the West Bromwich Albion sponsor.
“We’re delighted to be continuing our excellent relationship with NetBet, one of our most established partners and, that just days after signing the agreement, one of their players struck gold on one of our biggest progressive games,” Shimon Akad, Playtech COO, said.
BetVictor chalks-up snooker Welsh Open sponsorship deal
BetVictor will be headline sponsor of snooker’s Welsh Open for a fourth consecutive year after agreeing terms with the sport’s governing body World Snooker.
The event, which runs from 15 -21 February, will be screened live by BBC Wales and beamed to an international audience including Germany and Asia, two markets where BetVictor has a strong presence.
“Snooker’s TV exposure is a terrific vehicle for BetVictor as a global brand and it is a week that we all look forward to,” Charlie McCann, BetVictor head of communications, said.
NYX Gaming Group has expanded its presence in the Italian egaming market after striking a deal with Betpoint via its Game360 platform in Italy.
The egaming supplier’s recently acquired Game360 platform will provide the operator with a range of online casino content including Foxin’ Wins and Merlin’s Millions.
“We are thrilled about our robust delivery of games to Betpoint,” Andrea Guzzon, general manager for Game360, said.
“Through Game360 technology and our large portfolio of NYX content certified in Italy, Betpoint can now offer their player base the most inclusive and engaging suite of mobile and desktop slots available in the Italian market,” Guzzon added.
Slots and table games provider Habanero has unveiled its first video slot title Bombs Away.
The Second World War-themed 5X3 slot is the company’s first launch of the year and will be unveiled at next month’s ICE Totally Gaming.
“Bombs Away is a great little slot and enjoys the same immersive qualities of all of our new HTML5 games,” Chris Visser, head of game development at Habanero, said.
“It provides operators with a brand new yet popular theme and its low volatility and great Big Band soundtrack will certainly put players ‘in the mood’ for more of the same,” Visser added.
CrowdGather subsidiary Plaor has launched a new slots game in partnership with Lightning Box Games on the company’s Mega Fame Social Casino app.
Double Dancer was designed specifically for the US social casino market and is the fifth game to be launched on Plaor’s flagship product.
“Our team is very happy to see this strong stream of games being so rapidly deployed with the Plaor folk this year,” Peter Causley, Lightning Box managing director, said.
“We have seen some great performance from this range, giving us further confidence that we can deliver top performing slot content across online-RMG, land-based slots and now social casino,” he added.
Virtual games supplier Kiron Interactive is to provide its full suite of games to Comtrade Gaming via a new partnership.
Comtrade’s sports betting and casino clients will now gain access to Kiron’s content via its recently launched Betman Online RGS solution.
“We’re delighted to have signed the deal with Comtrade which presents some great opportunities for us, particularly in Asian markets,” Steven Spartinos, co-CEO of Kiron, said.
“They have a great platform which allows operators to differentiate their offering by taking control of the player experience, which is a tailored approach that we favour too,” Spartinos continued.