Launches and sign-ups 12 August 2015
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (6 August 2015 to 12 August 2015)
Sports betting exchange Smarkets has struck a deal with Queens Park Rangers to become the Championship football club’s Official Global Betting Partner.
Under the terms of the agreement Smarkets’ logo will feature on the back of QPR’s shirt and shorts for all league and league cup games, sponsor the team’s training kit, and will also sponsor the club’s Ellerslie Road Stand at Loftus Road.
“As a rapid growth company we wanted to find a partner that share’s our desire for success, and is representative of our company ethos,” Alex Wheldon, chief marketing officer of Smarkets, said.
“QPR have provided Smarkets a wide-ranging sponsorship agreement across many of their key assets that are precisely in line with our mutual goals,” he added.
Marathonbet strikes Manchester United partnership deal
Marathonbet has pulled-off a major sponsorship coup by becoming the global betting partner of Manchester United, a deal which sees the sportsbook operator replace the outgoing bwin.party.
The three-year agreement was completed just days before the start of the new English Premier League season and will see Marathonbet obtain branding opportunities within the iconic Old Trafford stadium and via Man Utd’s digital platforms.
The deal stretches to all markets – excluding the USA, China, Macau and Hong Kong – and comes after eGaming Review previously revealed Marathonbet was in discussions with a number of high-profile Barclays Premier League teams.
GVC back at the table with £1bn move for bwin.party
GVC Holdings has confirmed it has made a fully-funded proposal in excess of £1bn to acquire bwin.party as the firm looks to snatch the beleaguered away from rival bidder 888.
The Sportingbet owner has teamed up with Gala Coral shareholder Cerberus Capital Management to put together a revised 125.5p per share offer, which is an increase on original its bid of 110p, although the 25p per share cash element remains unchanged.
The revised figure is significantly higher than the £898m, or 104.p per share, deal accepted by bwin.party from 888 last month, a price that was already lower than GVC’s original proposal of £906m.
Sky Bet kicks off ‘Betting Better’ ad campaign
Sky Betting and Gaming has launch its new ‘Betting Better’ multi-channel ad campaign as part of a major marketing in time for the new football season.
The Leeds-headquartered operator’s new campaign was created in partnership with advertising agency mcgarrybowen and will promote features including In Play and Price Boost across TV, online, print and social media.
Using a ‘Less/More’ concept, the campaign aims to show potential customers the value of betting with Sky Bet and will use the latest ad serving technology to provide viewers with the latest offers and prices available with the operator.
Unibet acquires iGame Group in 59m deal
Unibet has continued its aggressive acquisition drive after agreeing a 59m (£41.6m) deal to acquire Scandinavia-facing multi-brand operator iGame Group.
The initial price will be payable in cash upon completion of the deal, which is expected in Q3 2015, with additional earn-out payments up to a cap of 20m potentially payable depending on iGame’s performance up to 30 June 2016.
“The iGame brands are well known in their local markets and we see a lot of potential by combining our bigger scale, mobile, cross channel and product expertise with their local focus,” Henrik Tjärnström, Unibet CEO, said.
Paddy Power puts offers centre stage in new TV ad
Paddy Power has ditched it’s “We Hear You!” tagline for its new TV ad as the firm shifts to focus on special offers in its first campaign under new chief marketing officer Gav Thompson.
According to the Irish firm, the ‘You’re Welcome’ campaign will promote a “love shower” of new products and offers, and promises even “more noise and mischief” than ever before.
The campaign is Paddy Power’s first under the direction of new chief marketing officer Gav Thompson and has been developed in partnership with advertising agency Lucky Generals, who Paddys reappointed to its £20m account earlier in the year.
Ladbrokes launches multi-channel cash-out
Ladbrokes has extended its online ‘cash-out’ functionality to allow customers placing over-the-counter (OTC) football bets to cash-out online, as part of the operator’s plan to offer a more “seamless” multi-channel betting experience.
Registered punters using Ladbrokes’ loyalty card The Grid can cash-out bets placed in-store using digital devices as well as monitor the progress of OTC bets, check to see if winning slips are ready for collection, and transfer returns to their online Ladbrokes account.
The Grid’s online portal also offers customers the ability to track the progress of football accumulator bets, matching the product released to online customers last season.
William Hill invests £14m in lottery supplier NeoGames
William Hill is looking to cash in on the growing online lottery market in North America after acquiring a minority stake in B2B platform provider NeoGames for $25m (£14m).
The operator has taken a 29% stake in the Luxembourg-based firm, with options to increase its shareholding after three and five years.
William Hill CEO James Henderson said the acquisition was “exciting” for the operator with NeoGames’ US opportunity a particular focus.
Betway launches ‘Bring the Game to Life’ ad campaign
Betway has unveiled a major new TV marketing campaign as the firm looks to ramp up its UK brand awareness during the 2015-16 football season.
Betway launched its ‘Bring the Game to Life’ advert on Saturday and the ads will air on Sky Sports and during Champions League highlights and live England internationals on ITV.
“Our app has successfully brought fans closer to the action, by enhancing their overall betting experience,” Betway’s marketing director, Anthony Werkman, said.
Bet-at-home strikes Bundesliga sponsorship deal
Betclic Everest Group subsidiary bet-at-home has secured a three-year agreement with Hertha BSC to become the Bundesliga football club’s new shirt sponsor.
The deal is the first time bet-at-home has sponsored a team in Germany’s top football division and the operator’s marketing director Michael Gierke said it was a significant milestone for the firm.
“As the main sponsor of Hertha BSC, we are now strongly represented in the German Bundesliga, one of the best leagues in the world,” Gierke said.
Sky Bet sponsors Football League highlights show
Sky Betting and Gaming has signed a deal to sponsor Channel 5’s new Football League highlights show as the operator looks to build on the success of its ongoing sponsorship of the football competition.
The operator, along with British pasty maker Ginsters, is co-sponsor of Football League Tonight for the 2015-16 season, which was aired for the first time at 9pm on Saturday.
Sky Betting and Gaming is the title sponsor the Football League after the Leeds-based firm signed a deal to sponsor of all three divisions in 2013.
NYX Gaming strikes supply deal with planetwin365
NYX Gaming Group has struck a deal with planetwin365 and the SKS365 Group to supply the operator with an online poker platform and casino games for its Italy-facing business.
The five-year deal will start with the launch of a planetwin365-branded poker site on the NYX Poker platform in Q4, which the supplier said would “significantly enhance” the network’s player liquidity.
NYX also announced it had acquired eGaming Consulting, which previously supplied planetwin365 with its gaming operations, for 7.5m.
Betfair signs Arsenal betting partner deal
Betfair has announced a partnership with Premier League club Arsenal FC with the operator becoming the club’s official betting partner in Europe, excluding the UK, Italy, Russia and Ireland.
The terms of the deal have been designed as not to infringe upon a previous UK betting partnership deal Arsenal signed with Paddy Power in 2013, which is due to run until next year and also covers Ireland and Italy.
The partnership will include Betfair branding at all domestic fixtures played at the Emirates Stadium, as well as access to first-team players for promotion and marketing activities.
Optimal’s 1.1bn Skrill acquisition edges closer
Optimal Payments’ 1.1bn acquisition of Skrill has moved one step closer to completion after the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) gave the deal the green light.
NETELLER owner Optimal said the transaction was now on track to complete by 10 August 2015, with the deal set to transform the global payments sector.
The reverse takeover, first announced back in March, will see Optimal acquire the holding companies behind Skrill from its current owners CVC Capital partners for 720m in cash and the remainder in shares.