Launches and sign-ups 17 February 2016
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (11 February 2016 to 17 February 2016)
Unibet’s Maria subsidiary set for major overhaul
Brand to focus on casino vertical and expand into new player demographics with revamped website
Unibet is to completely overhaul its Maria subsidiary this month, including a new fully responsive front-end website and updated brand tonality, as the firm moves to diversify the appeal of its female-focused product.
Maria will be relaunched as ‘Maria Casino’ in mid-February, eGaming Review has learned, following a shift away from bingo to casino as the preferred choice of the brand’s customers and a decision to target both female and male customers.
The self-described “revolutionary” Maria Casino website will offer players a seamless experience across all channels, a revamped logo and branding, a host of personalisation features and a new dashboard.
“While Maria will always be a brand with a feminine touch, we’ve updated the target audience to include both female and male players,” Unibet’s head of Maria, Dersim Sylwan, told EGR.
PokerStars launches new Duel mobile app
PokerStars is continuing on its mission to attract more casual players with the launch of its latest mobile poker app, Duel by PokerStars.
The app, which has been developed exclusively for iOS and Android, has been beta launched in Norway with plans for a wider roll-out in the coming months.
Duel by PokerStars is based on the mechanics of no limit hold’em and allows players to go one-on-one with friends or other challengers from around the world.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
Pinnacle Sports unveils streamlined mobile site
Pinnacle Sports has launched a new streamlined mobile site designed to offer users a faster, easier experience.
The Curacao-based firm said it has made “huge improvements” to screen loading times on the updated platform, which has been made available to its global customer base.
The upgrade has also seen the addition of in-running data and visual dashboards, which the firm said would appeal to the in-play punter.
PKR calls joining MPN a “defining moment”
PKR has struck a deal with Microgaming to relaunch its poker product on the supplier’s network in what the operator called a “defining moment” for the firm.
As part of the agreement, PKR will migrate to the MPN later this month in an effort to boost liquidity, while also retaining its signature 3D poker software by utilising the supplier’s Babelfish API technology.
The online poker operator will also revamp PKR Casino and launch a new PKR Vegas product, with both brands set to utilise Microgaming’s portfolio of casino and slots games.
LeoVegas lands Wembley sponsorship deal
LeoVegas has signed a year-long sponsorship deal with Wembley Arena as the casino operator continues to invest in building brand recognition in the UK market.
The agreement will see LeoVegas branding appear on the digital LED screens both inside and outside the arena, otherwise known as The SSE Arena, Wembley, for a minimum of six times every hour during all events.
The arena, which is situated in the shadow of Wembley Stadium, is one of the country’s most iconic concert and event venues and one LeoVegas country manager Shenaly Amin said was a perfect fit for the brand.
Betfair boosts online casino with new games deal
Betfair has bolstered its online casino offering by striking a deal with GECO Gaming to integrate the supplier’s remote game server into its platform.
Under the deal, Betfair players will gain access to a raft of new games including bespoke titles from The Games Co such as ‘Two Tribes’ and ‘Witch of the West’.
Betfair will also receive a number of proprietary titles from GECO’s in-house development studio in Australia, plus third party content from Bet Digital, Games Warehouse, MX Digital and CORE Gaming.
Playtech takes over supply of Austrian poker network
Playtech has agreed terms with win2day to take over supply of Austria’s regulated online poker network.
The initial three-year deal will see the gaming supplier work with the Austrian Lotteries and Casinos Austria-owned win2day brand to replace existing suppliers and deliver a bespoke desktop and mobile-enabled poker platform.
The platform will be launched in mid-March and will be the latest operator to go live on Playtech’s update iPoker client, with Coral and bet365 recently switching to the software.
Former Betit Group chiefs sign GiG platform for new start-up
SuprNation, a new gaming brand being readied by former Betit Group execs Joakim Stockman and Henric Andersson, has signed a deal with Gaming Innovation Group (GIG) for use of its iGaming Cloud (iGC) platform.
According to Andersson, who is COO at the new venture, SuprNation decided to select GIG due to the two parties having similarly ambitious targets.
“We have looked at all the platforms on the market and feel that iGC has the best fit for SuprNation,” Andersson said.
BetVictor extends PDC World Matchplay sponsorship
BetVictor has announced a three-year extension of its title sponsorship of the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) World Matchplay tournament.
The Gibraltar-based operator has been the title sponsor of the Sky Sports-screened event since 2013 when replacing Betfair, with the new deal set to see it become the longest sponsor of the event since Stan James ended its 10-year relationship in 2010.
“We are delighted to extend our sponsorship of the BetVictor World Matchplay championship at the iconic Winter Gardens in Blackpool for a further three years,” Matt Scarrott, BetVictor director of sportsbook, said.
GSN Games snaps up social casino developer Plumbee
GSN Games has acquired London-based social casino developer Plumbee for an undisclosed sum.
The San Francisco-based firm has taken a 100% stake in Plumbee, which was previously backed by Endemol and Idinvest Partners, and is the firm’s third major acquisition in the past two years.
Plumbee is headquartered in Shoreditch, London, and the takeover will add around 40 members of staff to GSN’s existing staff.