Launches and sign-ups 21 March 2012
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (15 March to 21 March 2012).
FTP deal expected to be closed next week
Laurent Tapie will need four weeks to get site up and running after resolution of legal issues.
Groupe Bernard Tapie is expected to complete its acquisition of Full Tilt Poker before the end of next week, sources close to the matter have confirmed to eGaming Review.
Laurent Tapie (pictured), head of the French consortium, has already begun recruiting personnel in preparation for a re-launch, which he expects to take four weeks.
However due to what sources describe as “interim legal issues”, the four-week build-up to the site going live will not begin immediately after the date of closing.
Last month saw GBT extend its deadline over the deal with lawyer Behnam Dayanim saying at the end of February that he expected it to be concluded within “the next several weeks” from that point.
PokerStars Zooms gets real-money beta release
PokerStars has given a limited real-money beta release to its fast-paced ‘Zoom Poker’ product.
The latest development comes less than a month after a free-play version of the game – which allows players to ‘fast-fold’ and move onto a new hand before the previous one is completed – was unveiled on the operator’s test site.
At present the player pool is limited and the Zoom tables are restricted to micro-stakes and play-money No Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha games.
PokerStars “weeks away” from France mobile app
PokerStars is just “weeks away” from launching a mobile poker application for the iPhone and iPad in France, a source close to the matter has told eGaming Review.
Following its launch in Italy and the UK the world’s largest poker site has now set its sights on launching an app in France and is currently awaiting approval from Apple before going live.
Stars released Apple and Android apps for the Italian and UK markets in January and February respectively.
Bwin launches French Android app
Bwin.Party has launched a French-facing poker app for Android devices under its bwin.fr brand.
The app offers real-money and play-money poker ring games, and means bwin.fr customers can now play poker on PCs, Macs and both Apple and Android smartphone devices.
Relax Gaming to launch ‘Fast Poker’
Alderney-licensed egaming company Relax Gaming is set to launch ‘Fast Poker’, a fast-paced variant of the game in the same vein as PokerStars’ Zoom, Full Tilt’s Rush and InstaDeal’s flagship product.
The company, which has offices in Estonia and Finland, has deals in place with a number of European operators including Unibet, Betsson and iGame.
Poker Royalty and Paddy Power in live event partnership
Poker agency Poker Royalty, a company which offers player management and consulting services, has announced the launch of iSeriesLIVE, a series of live poker events with an in-play betting element.
The first event will take place in Dublin on 5 April, with Paddy Power securing exclusive rights for in-play betting on the single table tournament, which features players including former world champion Carlos Mortensen and Paddy Power sponsored pro Eoghan O’Dea.
GameAccount Network and Snai extend partnership
GameAccount Network and Snai have announced the multi-year extension of their long-standing commercial partnership, as the Italian operator seeks to extend its online offering into casino and mobile applications.
Microgame to launch Italian exchange with Betdaq operator
People’s Network operator Microgame has partnered with Betdaq operator Global Betting Exchange (GBE) in preparation for the opening of the Italian exchange betting market.
Bodog makes hand histories available
Bodog has made full hand histories available to its poker players for the first time since launching anonymous tables across its network.
Play’n Go signs deal to enter LatAm
Swedish games developer Play’n GO has announced a deal with Latin American operator Betmotion to supply a selection of online and mobile games content.
Mahjong Logic signs Hippodrome deal
Isle of Man-based mahjong software supplier Mahjong Logic has announced a deal to supply London’s Hippodrome Casino with its flagship product for the land-based operator’s egaming site.
Las Vegas From Home launches Facebook casino
Canadian software supplier Las Vegas From Home (LVFH) has launched Real Vegas Casino, the company’s new social gaming offering on Facebook.
Betfair has agreed a five-year naming rights deal with Californian racetrack Hollywood Park, and has pledged to make “significant infrastructure investments and improvements” to the track. Deal hinges on Hollywood Park’s dates for the 2013 racing season being approved by the California Horse Racing Board.
Net Entertainment has launched a new video slot Crime Scene. Crime Scene is a 5-reel, 15-line slot featuring the Sticky Countdown Wild feature and an Evidence Collection bonus game.
Estonia’s Reval Park Hotel & Casino has launched IGT‘s cloud-based gaming solution the IGT Cloud, allowing the company to seamlessly download and configure new games content.
Ladbrokes has launched the online crime reporting solution Facewatch in all its betting shops in London.