Launches and sign-ups 28 October 2015
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (22 October 2015 to 28 October 2015)
Gala Coral sells Gala Bingo retail division for £241m
Operator to maintain ownership of online arm as investment trust Caledonia Investments acquires all 130 bingo halls
Gala Coral has agreed to sell its Gala Bingo retail division to UK investment trust Caledonia Investments for £241m, the operator announced this week.
Caledonia will acquire the entirety of the Gala Bingo retail estate, comprised of 130 UK bingo halls, while Gala Coral will retain ownership of the Gala brand as well as GalaBingo.com and GalaCasino.com websites.
Under the terms of the deal, which is subject to approval from the UK Gambling Commission, a collaboration agreement will govern the relationship between the bingo halls and GalaBingo.com to enable the Gala brand to benefit from its ongoing multi-channel strategy.
Gala Coral chief executive Carl Leaver said the sale of the bingo halls, which is expected to complete within the next two months, would enable the company to focus on its remaining Gala Coral segments across both its online and offline divisions.
888 closes in on Italy sportsbook launch
888 is on track to launch its sportsbook product in Italy early next year but plans to bring its poker offering to the market have been put on ice.
Chief operating officer Itai Frieberger told eGaming Review the firm was currently working with the Italian regulator and sportsbook provider Kambi ahead of its planned launch in 2016.
Frieberger said 888’s casino offering was performing well in Italy, but marketing and acquisition costs had proven to be expensive.
Seven days in regulation:
FSB Technology seals seven-figure platform investment deal
FSB Technology is plotting to take on the UK’s biggest sports betting suppliers after securing a seven-figure platform investment deal with SportsMEDIA Technology (SMT).
The deal will see SMT provide significant capital for FSB Technology to use in the development of its CRM, analytics and mobile tools.
The London-based supplier will also obtain access to new potential partners from SMT including media companies and sports right-holders.
William Hill serves-up Australian Open sponsorship deal
William Hill has become the official betting partner of tennis’ Australian Open in a multi-year deal which also includes a number of lead-in events to the first Grand Slam of the year.
The agreement sees William Hill become the first bookmaker to sponsor a Grand Slam event, with the Australian Open said to be Australia’s largest annual sporting occasion.
As part of the deal, the operator will also sponsor the Emirates Australian Open Series which is comprised of the Hopman Cup in Perth, the Brisbane International, Apia International Sydney, Hobart International and the World Tennis Challenge in Adelaide.
Coral backs revamped bingo site with new TV ad campaign
Coral has unveiled a new month-long TV advertising campaign to back the launch of its recently revamped bingo site.
The campaign, which was created in partnership with marketing agency Big AL’s Creative Emporium, includes two 30-second TV ads featuring long-standing brand ambassadors Carly Baker and Darren Farley.
The first advert, which sees Farley play the role of a bingo caller on a tour bus, was released today and will run for a four-week period to promote the new bingo site.
Nektan strikes NetEnt content deal
Nektan will bolster its B2B mobile gaming platform with a raft of new titles from NetEnt after signing a deal with the Stockholm-listed content supplier.
NetEnt games will be rolled out across Nektan’s real-money gaming partner network, which supplies the likes of The Sun newspaper and Kerching Casino.
Nektan said the deal supported its strategy of growing its footprint in the high growth market of regulated real-money mobile gaming in Europe.