Launches and sign-ups 27 August 2014
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (21 August to 27 August 2014)
Sky Bet launches Playtech-powered casino
Alderney-licensed operator unveils new Sky Casino brand and enters into an exclusive deal for live casino with the egaming software giant
Sky Betting and Gaming has extended its partnership with software supplier giant Playtech after launching a new Playtech-powered casino brand Sky Casino.
The new product appears as a separate tab on the main Sky Bet website and is currently available at SkyCasino.com and via a live casino link on Sky Vegas, with a full launch on desktop and mobile expected later this week.
Sky Casino will feature Playtech’s roulette, table, slots and card games, as well as its live dealer offering, with the Playtech live casino also available on Sky Vegas.
Sky Casino will sit alongside Sky Betting and Gaming’s long-standing Sky Vegas product, which uses a number of technology partners, and also includes a branded live casino through an exclusive deal with Playtech.
Mr Green adds Facebook log-in to new casino app
Mr Green has added Facebook log-in functionality to its new casino app, claiming to be “one of a handful of gaming companies” in the UK market to do so.
The new app, released in the UK market last week, allows customers to log in to the real-money casino app via their Facebook accounts and Mr Green said the functionality was an important strategic milestone.
The move arose from a collaborative effort between Mr Green and Social Thrills, the social gaming company it acquired earlier this year and developers of the Spin Tower Casino game which is currently in beta testing on the social networking site.
Oddschecker launches redesign ahead of marketing drive
Oddschecker has revamped the design of several of its key products as the company gears up for a major advertising push in the coming weeks.
The BSkyB-owned sports betting affiliate has rolled out a new look to its desktop and mobile sites to promote what it has called an “evolved brand position”.
Oddschecker worked with London-based creative agency SomeOne on the new identity, but said all the changes were implemented in-house.
Gaming Realms pulls Bingo Godz app ahead of relaunch
Gaming Realms is planning to relaunch its flagship Bingo Godz brand on mobile next month after it took the decision to pull its app from the App Store with mobile bingo development cited to be “harder than anticipated”.
The mobile app was removed from the App Store last month in order to focus on a HTML5 version, with partner Bede Gaming tasked with creating a consistent experience similar to its successful sister brand PocketFruity.com.
The new mobile site and iOS app is to be unveiled early-to-mid-September and Gaming Realms’ commercial director Simon Collins said customers would see a marked difference following some initial challenges with the platform and product development.
Quickspin seals Full Tilt casino content deal
Quickspin has signed a deal with the Rational Group to become the company’s fourth supplier to its Full Tilt casino brand.
The multi-year deal will see Quickspin provide its full portfolio of slots titles for Full Tilt casino through the Leander Games platform including slots games Big Bad Wolf, Sugar Trail and Firestorm.
“In order to succeed in today’s competitive market, it is imperative for an operator to offer a cutting edge gaming experience, with high quality games being the core of that experience,” Daniel Lindberg, CEO of Quickspin, said.
RAY launches Playtech live casino
Finnish gambling operator Rahaautomaattiyhdistys (RAY) has launched a new-look live casino product via its partnership with Playtech as it looks to increase its online portfolio of products in the country.
Playtech has provided the bespoke live casino product, which is to be broadcast from a purpose-built studio within RAY’s Espoo-based headquarters in order to meet Finland’s licensing requirements.
The product has been tailored to RAY’s Finnish audience and instead of having formal dealers host the blackjack and roulette games, informally dressed ‘presenters’ will interact with the customers.
Betfair bolsters casino with NetEnt deal
Betfair has bolstered its online content and security capabilities by signing contracts with Net Entertainment and London-based know your customer (KYC) specialists Sphonic.
Betfair’s deal with NetEnt follows a flurry of recent activity on the product side, with the Sweden-based supplier the latest firm contracted to deliver content to the operator.
The operator signed with new casino supplier The Games Company in June and in the same month integrated Colossus Bets’ pools betting product into its online sportsbook.
Unibet signs Odobo content deal
Unibet has become the latest egaming operator to strike a deal with Odobo and integrate the supplier’s portfolio of HTML5 casino games via the Odobo Marketplace.
The agreement will see Stockholm-listed Unibet optimise Odobo’s B2B “app store” to access selected games and is the operator’s second deal in a matter of days after having signed a content deal with Yggdrasil Gaming last week.
Unibet’s head of products gaming Daniel Eskola said he was impressed with the quality of Odobo’s games and the company’s licensing process. “We are always looking for innovative and diverse content of a high standard and are therefore pleased to be working with the Odobo platform,” he said.
Tatts Group unveils new corporate brand identity
Australian operator Tatts Group has unveiled a new brand identity in partnership with brand design company Hulsbosch, with the face-lift including a new logo and revamped website.
Tatts Group said the decision to create a new corporate identity was taken after research found a new brand would help increase awareness of the company and comes ahead of it announcing its full-year financial results.
“We’re refreshing the Tatts Group brand because it has been around for a while and had got a little bit tired,” Robbie Cooke, CEO of Tatts Group, said.
Betdigital latest to secure UK licence
Betdigital has become the latest egaming supplier to receive a Remote Gambling Software Operating Licence by the UK Gambling Commission.
The UK’s new Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act, which comes into force in October, will require all suppliers with UK-facing activities to be licensed by the Gambling Commission by January 2015, and the firm’s CEO Heath Samples said the early award was part of the firm’s plans to “stay ahead of the curve”.
Betdigital’s award comes two weeks after the regulator released an initial tranche of software licences to suppliers such as Openbet, GTECH and Realistic Games, and in the same week the firm teamed-up with gaming content provider Odobo.
Yggdrasil Gaming enters Swedish market
Yggdrasil Gaming has entered the Swedish regulated egaming market through a deal to supply the country’s Sports Alliance with content for its online lottery Klubblo.
The Malta-based company has partnered with Svenska Klubbspel “ a joint venture between media partner Metro and casino operator Cherry “ for the project.
Klubblo is available to the 20,000 plus sports clubs and 70 special sports federations that are members of the Swedish Sports Confederation.