Launches and sign-ups 16 September 2015
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (10 September 2015 to 16 September 2015)
Betgenius launches “industry first” in-play eSports product
Supplier says new in-play service will provide operators with a “huge recruitment opportunity”
Betgenius has launched a pre-match and in-running eSports pricing engine, described by chief executive Mark Locke as an “industry first”, as it looks to capitalise on the rapidly growing eSports betting sector.
According to the sportsbook software supplier, the in-house developed product will enable operators to fully automate pre-match betting for hundreds of markets while it has also developed models to generate accurate in-play eSports odds.
The eSports offer, which will cover tournaments including League of Legends, Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Heroes of the Storm, will also be complemented by the addition of live scoreboards and other engagement tools.
Locke said Betgenius’ product would help increase engagement eSports fans and provided an “excellent opportunity” to build on the estimated 30% of eSports fans currently betting online.
Coral trials online cash-out for OTC bets
Coral has taken another step towards the complete omni-channel experience with the launch of a new service enabling customers to cash-out retail football bets online.
Currently on trial in a select number of shops, over-the-counter (OTC) bet receipts are stamped with a unique code which customers can then enter at cashout.coral.co.uk to track the progress of bets and cash-out if desired.
Customers do not need to be registered online users or hold a Coral Connect card in order to use the ‘Cash Out My Bet’ service, which is expected to be rolled out nationwide in the coming weeks.
OK! Magazine launches social bingo product
British celebrity news publication OK! Magazine has launched a new multi-channel social bingo product in partnership with B2B content supplier Dab Gaming.
OK! Fun Bingo features TV personality Joey Essex as the game’s bingo caller and is the first of a series of Dab Gaming-powered bingo products from UK media brands set to launch this year.
The free-to-play bingo product is available on both desktop and mobile, and features eight bingo rooms, Facebook log-in functionality and ‘power ups’, while players also compete against other users on the speed and accuracy of their dabbing skills.
Fortuna prepares to enter Romanian egaming market
Fortuna Entertainment Group has signed an agreement to license its brand to the sports betting and gaming operators Bet Active Concept and Bet Zone in Romania.
The deal sees the Central and Eastern European powerhouse provide the two Romanian firms – both part of Penta Investments Group, the majority shareholder of Fortuna – the right to use its trademark Fortuna brand.
Fortuna’s retail and online sports betting presence gives it a market leading position in Poland and the number two position in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Imperus Technologies acquires Akamon for £17m
Imperus Technologies has expanded its presence in the social casino sector after agreeing a deal to acquire Spanish-language focused operator Akamon Entertainment for US$25.6m (£16.7m).
The deal, which is expected to close on 2 October, will see Imperus pay $22.3 in cash for the Barcelona-headquartered social games studio, in addition to a $1.1m (£720,000) deposit and $2.2m (£1.4m) in Imperus securities.
Akamon is the second major acquisition Imperus has made in the social casino space this year after buying Israel-based social games developer Diwip for $50m (£32.6m) in February.
Sportech strikes new DraftDay acquisition as first deal collapses
Sportech has joined forces with entertainment platform Viggle to acquire DraftDay after a deal to purchase the daily fantasy sports (DFS) operator independently collapsed.
The original deal announced in June, which would have seen Sportech acquire DraftDay for around $7m through an investment group it had established, failed to complete and eGaming Review understands Viggle then moved to negotiate a fresh deal.
Under the new structure, Sportech and Viggle will form a new gaming group to invest in DFS products, kickstarting the project with the DraftDay acquisition.
GameAccount Network to rebrand as GAN
GameAccount Network is to rebrand as GAN in a move the firm says reflects its commitment to “cutting-edge technology”.
The acronym was already commonly adopted within the industry but will now form a new corporate brand for the supplier, with GAN also planning to migrate its corporate website to reflect the change by the end of the month.
“GAN has been our adopted acronym in the United States for years,” Dermot Smurfit, GAN’s CEO, said.
OLBG unveils debut TV ad campaign
Online sportsbook affiliate OLBG has launched its debut TV advertising campaign featuring a new tagline “Let’s Beat the Bookies!” in its biggest marketing campaign to-date.
The sports betting tipster’s ad was launched last Wednesday across a number of TV channels including Dave, Sky Atlantic, Film4, Watch and Eurosport and features freestyle footballer John Whetton playing in a fictional football match between ‘OLBG’ and ‘Bookies United’.
The affiliate has also branded 25 taxis across London to promote its new message, which looks to position the site as a place for smarter punters.