Launches and sign-ups 15 February 2012
A round-up of the egaming industry's launches and sign-ups from the last seven days (9 February to 15 February 2012).
Breaking: Chili signs US deal with Golden Nugget
B2B agreement sees the Landry’s-owned casino become the first name added to French operator’s new ‘igaming platform’.
French-owned egaming operator Chiligaming has signed an exclusive online gaming partnership with US casino group Golden Nugget, eGaming Review can exclusively reveal.
The deal will see the two parties combine on a free-play site, set to go live within the next three months, with Golden Nugget believed to be keen to go live before this summer’s World Series of Poker.
Golden Nugget is one of only three casino groups to have venues in both Nevada and New Jersey, along with Caesars and MGM, with owner Landry’s having acquired and rebranded the Trump Marina in Atlantic City last February.
It will be the first partner to go live on Chiligaming’s new ‘igaming platform’, an open platform developed by Chili over the last three years which CEO Alex Dreyfus (pictured) says symbolises the operator’s growing B2B focus.
PokerStars launches real-money Android app
PokerStars has released its first real-money Android mobile application less than a month after the launch of its iPhone and iPad apps, eGaming Review can reveal.
The app is now available for Android devices in Italy, the first market in which the operator has released real-money mobile applications. It launched its first iPhone and iPad real-money app on 11 January this year following on from its first ever mobile play-for-fun poker client in November last year on the Italian Apple app Store.
The Isle of Man operator plans to roll out similar real-money apps later this year in regulated and newly regulated and regulating markets with the UK and France followed by Denmark and Spain said to be next.
Cryptologic signs Loto-Québec deal
Software provider Cryptologic has signed a multi-year agreement to supply Société de Jeu Virtuel du Québec, the egaming division of Canadian lottery operator Loto-Québec, with a selection of its online casino games.
The deal follows last week’s announcement that Canadian software supplier Amaya reached an agreement to acquire Cryptologic for $36m, and will see the company supply a total of 14 titles. The games portfolio will be integrated onto OpenBet’s fixed-odds platform over the course of the year, with the first already live on Société de Jeu Virtuel du Québec’s Espacejeux site.
Amaya launches first mobile offering
Software supplier Amaya has announced the launch of its first mobile offering, including the first live dealer product designed exclusively for tablet devices.
The games are based on a selection of Amaya’s popular slot games redesigned for mobile, including Bars & Bells, Dragon 8’s and Lost Temple, alongside a blackjack product and lottery games. The products can be integrated onto all mobile platforms, allowing players to play on most smartphones and tablets.
Bally launches remote gaming solution
Bally Technologies has announced the launch of its new Remote Gaming Server (RGS), a B2B product for online and mobile gambling, following the expansion of its mobile games library last week.
The RGS product allows customers to seamlessly integrate Bally’s games portfolio into multiple channels, including a cloud-based mobile platform. John Connelly, vice president of business development, explained that RGS can act as an effective cross-selling tool by allowing operators to track the devices on which players place their wagers.
Betfair targets value in seven-figure ad campaign
Betfair has launched a seven-figure European marketing campaign challenging other operators on the value they offer customers.
Initially running for three months, the value-led campaign will, according to a statement “call out” its competitors and compare the exchange’s industry-leading prices to those of other online and traditional bookmakers.
PKR launches online poker encyclopaedia
PKR has launched The Poker Wiki, a poker encyclopaedia populated with user-generated content.
Similar to Wikipedia, poker players, software providers, bloggers and operators can submit information such as player blogs, tournament schedules, website descriptions and cardroom reviews.
Betdaq expands Jockey Club partnership
Betting exchange operator Betdaq has expanded its sponsorship deal with Jockey Club Racecourses in the UK.
The company will have advertising banners on show at half of the group’s 14 venues, including Carlisle, Exeter and Wincanton, while its sponsorship of Wednesday evening races at Kempton Park will continue until 19 December.
Blue Square to sponsor Winter Derby
Blue Square has announced a deal to sponsor the Winter Derby at Lingfield Park Racecourse, one of the most profitable races of the all-weather season.
The sportsbook, owned by Rank Interactive, is the leading sponsor of the all-weather racing season, with the Blue Square Winter Carnival and Blue Square Sprint Series taking place during January and February.
Microgaming-powered casino Roxy Palace has launched its first-ever TV advertising campaign, inspired by the hit HBO series Boardwalk Empire. The 30-second ad was created by ABF Productions, and will run for two weeks on Channel 5 and several digital channels.