Launches and sign-ups 18 February 2015
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (12 February to 18 February 2015)
Playtech unveils new mobile poker strategy
iPoker launches new native and HTML5 clients designed to increase player acquisition
Playtech’s iPoker has rolled out a new portfolio of mobile products as the network giant looks to provide a seamless experience across all platforms and provide a boost to new player sign-ups.
New HTML5 products as well as native smartphone and tablet applications were recently unveiled and are designed to be aligned with the network’s new download client.
Speaking with eGaming Review, head of iPoker Joerg Nottebaum said the apps had been successfully launched in a number of markets and was now in the process of completing the integration with the rest of its dot.com licensees.
“The native smartphone and tablet version from a design standpoint is aligned to our new desktop client and our goal is to make the experience for the player who uses multiple devices as similar as possible to the download client, which requires us to rework a lot of the graphics and to get the table themes aligned,” Nottebaum said.
Partypoker set for major UK marketing push
Bwin.party is planning a major UK marketing drive for its partypoker brand with a focus on land-based players and new reward mechanisms.
Golan Shaked, director of games at bwin.party, told eGR the poker market “needs a shakeup” and a “fresh challenge” to the traditional online poker rooms that have “suffered declining revenues” in recent years.
“We are therefore expanding our offer to attract more land-based players and gain the trust of those who may have been playing in a less well-balanced poker environment,” Shaked said.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
Dafabet strikes sportsbook deal with FSB Technology
Dafabet has struck a deal with FSB Technology for a new sports betting platform on the operator’s UK-facing site.
FSB will provide Dafabet with an entirely new sportsbook product to sit alongside its Asia-facing offering, providing various sports betting markets for both pre-match and in-play betting, as well as FSB’s horserace betting product.
Speaking to eGR, Richard Thorp, business development director at FSB, said the product would be “more traditional” than Dafabet’s current offering and tailored towards UK and European markets.
Paddy Power rolls out new horseracing ad campaign
Irish bookmaker Paddy Power has rolled-out a new advertising campaign aimed at driving growth in its horseracing business along with the launch of a range of new products and offers.
The ‘Exhilaracing!’ campaign consists of 11 TV ads, some developed by creative agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky, which will run on Channel 4 Racing in the UK and Ireland throughout the year.
The adverts will promote a number of new and existing Paddy Power products and offers, including live streaming, money back on all fallers, best price guarantees, and enhanced odds on races screened on Channel 4.
Sportsbook Software powers Belgium sportsbook launch
Belgian bookmaker Betcenter has launched its first online sports betting site in the jurisdiction through a deal with B2B sportsbook supplier Sportsbook Software (SBS).
Betcenter.be went live earlier this month with SBS’ fully serviced sportsbook platform, which comprises risk management, customer service and CRM software and IT infrastructure.
The site offers both pre-match and in-play betting and Betcenter has also received a mobile sportsbook product to sit alongside the desktop offering.
Nio acquires Guts.com owner Gaming Innovation Group
Nio Inc. has signed a deal to acquire Guts.com parent company Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) as part of plans to create a leading European online gambling firm.
The deal, which is subject to shareholder approval, will see the entire issued share capital of GiG shares exchanged for 290 million new shares issued by Oslo-listed Nio, which also owns gaming start-up Candid Gaming.
GiG is the holding company of a number of egaming firms including online casino Guts.com, platform supplier iGamingCloud and marketing firm Innovation Labs, and will become a 100% subsidiary of Nio with its management team to retain their current roles.
Nektan to power The Sun mobile casino
British tabloid newspaper The Sun has partnered with mobile supplier Nektan to launch a real-money mobile casino entitled Sun Play.
Sun Play will be powered by Nektan’s Evolve mobile platform and will offer a number of free to play and real-money games, including slots, casino, and bingo games, on mobile and tablet.
Nektan said Sun Play had been developed around the “growing entertainment needs” of online players who were “graduating” from virtual currency to real-money games, and would launch later this year.
Gaming Realms backs Spin Genie with multi-million pound TV campaign
Gaming Realms will spend a seven-figure sum on a major TV and digital advertising campaign due to launch next week to push its online casino brand Spin Genie.
The national TV campaign will feature a 30-second ad which will run across primetime ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky TV slots in addition to Facebook video ads and a YouTube presence.
“The TV advert is a bit of departure from what you might expect from a slots or casino site,” Simon Smiley, chief market officer at Gaming Realms, told eGR.
Playtech makes casual gaming play with £14m YoYo Games acquisition
Playtech has ramped-up its move into the casual gaming sector with the acquisition of games technology company YoYo Games in a deal worth US$21.7m (£14.1m).
The deal will see Playtech acquire YoYo, owner of cross-platform casual game development technology GameMaker: Studio, as part of what the firm described as its “three-pronged strategy” for the casual gaming space.
Under the terms of the agreement, Playtech will pay $16.4m, of which 30% will be held in escrow for up to three years, for the Dundee-based firm as well as an additional earn-out consideration of $5.25m.
IGT shareholders approve GTECH takeover
GTECH has moved one step closer to completing its US$6.4bn acquisition of International Game Technology (IGT) after the latter’s shareholders unanimously approved the deal at a special meeting in Las Vegas.
More than 99% of votes represented and cast at the meeting, or around 72% of the total eligible votes, were in favour of the merger which is expected to complete in the first half of the year.
GTECH also revealed the time period provided by the Italian Civil Code to enable creditors to oppose the merger had expired in January.