Launches and sign-ups 25 April 2012
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (13 April to 25 April 2012).
Tapie – Full Tilt takeover deal has failed
Statement from French consortium cites “unresolvable” legal complications and failure to agree on player repayment plan.
Groupe Bernard Tapie has announced that its proposed deal to acquire the assets of Full Tilt Poker has “failed”, eGaming Review can confirm.
A statement from the consortium explains that the reasons for the failure are twofold, citing the inability to agree a repayment plan for Rest-of-World players plus legal complications which “proved unresolvable”.
The statement continues: “We understand from press reports that the DoJ may have entered into an agreement with PokerStars pursuant to which PokerStars will acquire the FTP assets.
“If accurate, we can only assume that PokerStars determined that it was willing to accept these legal and financial risks in order to resolve its own legal situation with DOJ,” added the group.
Betsson agrees to acquire Nordic Gaming Group
Swedish operator Betsson has made a second significant acquisition in the Nordic market within the last year by agreeing a 65m purchase price for Nordic Gaming Group (NGG).
The Malta-based and company operates brands including NordicBet, TrioBet and ToBet, and has a predominantly Scandinavian and Baltic player base, allowing Betsson to extend its market share in its home and neighbouring territories.
Betsson’s acquisition of NGG follows its purchase of Betsafe last year for an initial outlay of 32.5m, rising to 60m. The bulk of the purchase price for today’s deal will be paid in cash with the remaining 5m in shares.
Betfair launches mobile casino
Betfair has announced the launch of a full suite of mobile casino games for Apple and Android devices, with games including blackjack and roulette available on the operator’s ‘touch’ apps.
The launch follows the operator’s dedication to developing a mobile version of its core betting exchange offering, culminating in the launch of an iPad app in February.
Mobile revenues doubled year-on-year in the operator’s third-quarter results statement last month and now contribute 7% of overall revenues. Some 10% of the company’s exchange commissions come from bettors using smartphone devices, according to a statement from the operator, while Betfair has revealed that some £2bn has been bet with the operator on mobile devices this year.
Snai shuts down Barcrest VLT operations
Italian operator Snai has temporarily shut down the video lottery terminal (VLT) network provided by Barcrest Games, after noticing an unusual spike in requests for payments for winning tickets.
The anomaly was identified on 16 April, resulting in the network’s 1,450 terminals being shut down to allow Snai to carry out inspections on the machines and consult the database of records of transactions carried out on the operator’s VLT platform.
Reuters reports that Snai has notified AAMS of the issue, to allow the Italian regulator to investigate the problem further and identify its root cause.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
New football betting magazine to launch on Friday
Citibet, a free football betting magazine, will launch in London this Friday, available at large Underground stations around the capital.
Edited by former FHM and Rolling Stone editor Ed Needham, Citibet targets City professionals, and includes bookmakers Coral, Betfair, Sporting Index and William Hill among the advertisers in the first edition.
“We want our readers to wake up on a Friday morning and think ‘Citibet’,” Needham said.
“In order to achieve that we will be putting together a quality magazine that not only informs, but also entertains. While our core audience will be found in the City, we will cater for anyone who has an interest in football or betting,” he explained.
BetVictor expands mobile games offerings
BetVictor has launched a new suite of casino mobile games supplied by developer Realistic Games.
These include eight slots specifically engineered for both iPads and smartphones, as well as multi-hand iPad blackjack and, the company claims, the industry’s first dedicated iPad roulette. Two of the new slots have been simultaneously released across all platforms.
PokerTableRatings removes Stars profiles
Poker data tracking site PokerTableRatings (PTR) has agreed to remove the profiles of PokerStars players from its site following a legal dispute with the Isle of Man-licensed operator.
The company was initially accused by PokerStars of resurrecting its site with a new ISP, but has agreed, according to a statement, to “Fully adhere to the cease and desist notice by Stars, though we do not believe that we are a disservice to the online poker community.”
Former City traders to launch novel financial betting site
A group of former City traders have come together to launch a new egaming site aimed at simplifying financial markets for punters.
Golden Boys, which was recently awarded a licence by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission, counts among its principals Martin Linham, the former CEO of Nasdaq-listed telecoms company CallKey International.
IGT to launch American Idol slot on Facebook
IGT will soon premiere its American Idol slot on Facebook, which has been in development since before discussions with Double Down Interactive began.
The game will see players able to spin a wheel which has the faces of the contestants and host on it. It will be free-to-play but with the option to purchase additional game credits, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Aristocrat launches latest social mobile slot
Aristocrat Technologies has announced the release of Wild Panda, the supplier’s latest slot game to be adapted for the iOS platform.
Wild Panda is a free-play slot available on Apple’s App Store, and retains the features of the company’s machine-based, 5-reel version. It is the fourteenth of Aristocrat’s slots to be redeveloped for mobile, and allows players to connect to the Apple Game Centre network to view player leaderboards, compare scores with other players, and post their wins on Facebook and Twitter.
NetEnt launches new mobile slots
Software supplier Net Entertainment has announced the addition of the Victorious Touch and Flowers Touch slot games to its mobile portfolio.
Second operator launches Fast Poker
Malta-licensed poker operator iGame has become the second operator to go live with Relax Gaming’s Fast Poker, a product similar to Full Tilt’s Rush Poker, PokerStars Zoom and InstaDeal’s Speed Poker offerings.
PopCap launches Monopoly slot
Social games developer Popcap Games has launched the Monopoly Party slot on its Facebook app Lucky Gem Casino.
Buzz Sports partners with InPlayMatrix
Buzz Sports has announced a partnership with Philippines-based sportsbook solutions provider InplayMatrix to offer its flagship product ZonePlay in order to target Asian markets.
GSN to launch 50 Cent Facebook blackjack
Multimedia entertainment company Game Show Network (GSN) has launched a blackjack offering on Facebook, based around the persona of American rapper 50 Cent.
Cubeia releases new software for mobile
Swedish software company Cubeia is set to release Firebase 1.8, which it claims is the first ever open source multi-player server in egaming.