Launches and sign-ups 14 August 2013
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (8 August " 14 August 2013)
William Hill confirms Tom Waterhouse acquisition
Initial fee of AU$34m will rise to more than $100m subject to performance
William Hill has confirmed it has completed the acquisition of Australian online bookmaker Tom Waterhouse for an initial fee of AU$34m (£20m).
As eGaming Review exclusively revealed earlier this month, Tom Waterhouse will become part of William Hill Australia, which also includes the Sportingbet and Centrebet brands.
The price of the buyout could rise under the terms to more than $100m, subject to tomwaterhouse.com achieving incremental operating profit between $10m and $30m in the year to 31 December 2015.
According to Hills, the Tom Waterhouse business is not currently profitable and it expects the operating profit contribution to be marginally negative in the year to 31 December 2013 and marginally positive in the following year.
Ladbrokes planning Spanish and exchange launches
Ladbrokes announced the launch of an online offering from its Sportium brand in Spain in H2 2013 and Mexico in 2014, along with the launch of a Ladbrokes branded exchange as it seeks to build on another disappointing set of digital results.
The company’s Spanish-facing company Sportium “ a joint venture with Spanish operator Cirsa “ has a strong presence in the country with almost 600 retail outlets, and Ladbrokes is looking to leverage the strength of the retail brand with an online launch in Spain scheduled for H2 2013.
Ladbrokes also announced a planned move into Mexico in early 2014, with Ladbrokes looking to take advantage of the months leading up to Brazil hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup in June and July.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
Gamesys confirms Tropicana deal in New Jersey
Online and social gaming operator Gamesys has confirmed it will partner with Tropicana Casino and Resort for an egaming launch in New Jersey.
The deal provides the London-based company with its first foothold in the US market and puts it in line for launch later this year, subject to obtaining a licence.
Under New Jersey regulations only existing land-based casinos can operate online gambling in the state, a law which has sparked numerous partnerships between European egaming firms and Atlantic City properties.
Paddy Power signs up as Farnborough FC club sponsor
Paddy Power has signed a deal to become semi-professional football team Farnborough FC’s main sponsor, saving the club from administration in the process.
The agreement will see the Irish operator’s logo feature on Farnborough’s match shirts and hoardings at the club’s stadium, which has been renamed Paddy Power Park.
The sponsorship pact has also seen members of the club’s playing squad and management team change their names by Deed Poll to match those of football legends, such as former England goalkeeper Gordon Banks, French World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane and Argentinean forward Lionel Messi.
Ladbrokes expands mobile games offering
Ladbrokes has become the first operator to launch a range of new mobile casino apps developed by slots and table games supplier Realistic Games.
The free-to-download Blackjack and Roulette Apps will be available for download on iPhones only and each contains a range of different features including 3D effects, multi-channel sound, colour cloth choice and additional configurable preferences.
The addition of the apps to its casino offering launch follows another set of disappointing financial results for Ladbrokes after digital operating profit fell 28% year-on-year to £10.8m in the first half of 2013. All verticals except sports, which grew 9.9%, showed decline with casino, poker and bingo falling 6.8%, 25% and 15.5% respectively.
Bwin.party signs Olympique de Marseille betting partnership
Bwin.party has signed a deal to become the official online betting and gaming partner of French Ligue 1 football club Olympique de Marseille.
The London-listed operator said the three-year partnership is part of an overall strategy to target regulated European egaming markets through digital partnerships with some of the continent’s biggest football clubs.
The new deal is the latest bwin.party has signed with a major European football club having previously announced partnerships with Manchester United, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, RSC Anderlecht and Juventus.
Malta-based online casino firm All Slots Casino has redesigned its website to include new features such as games history and seamless logins. Players will be able to continue gaming sessions across desktop, tablet and mobile platforms seamlessly, with new sign-ups being eligible to receive bonuses of up to 500 credits during their first week of play.
Online casino software developer Microgaming has added three additional HTML5-designed mobile games to its product suite. The Isle of Man-based firm has added slots titles Break da Bank, Big Top and Lion’s Pride to the collection, which have all gone live with Microgaming operators.
Betfair has announced a new five-year agreement with adaptive behavioural analytics firm Featurespace. The agreement will see Betfair receive Featurespace’s new ARIC engine to help the operator combat fraud by analysing millions of transactions per day, identifying unusual behavioural patterns.