Launches and sign-ups 9 November 2016
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (3 November 2016 to 9 November 2016)
Sky Bet makes full international debut in Italy
Operator says it is confident of “bringing something different” to the market after rolling out SkyBet.it to all customers
Sky Betting & Gaming (SB&G) has made its full international debut with the launch of a real-money online sportsbook in Italy.
SkyBet.it went live last week following a beta testing period for a select number of pre-registered sign-ups, and features betting markets for football, tennis and basketball.
Customers can personalise which markets appear on their home screen via a âCompetition filter’ feature, while a separate âOther sport’ tab says the operator will add more sports in the future.
A link at the bottom of the page also takes players to its real-money online casino site – casino.SkyBet.it – which is expected to go live in the coming weeks.
William Hill scoops £10m ITV racing deal
William Hill is finalising a deal to become headline sponsor of ITV’s new racing coverage from 2017, in what would be a major marketing scoop for the operator.
The bookmaker is currently in negotiations with the broadcaster to finalise a multi-year deal and an official announcement is expected to be made later this week.
First reported by The Times, the agreement will start from 1 January when coverage of the sports switches from Channel 4 to ITV, although EGR understands the sponsorship package may cost Hills slightly less than the £10m figure cited by the newspaper.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
Marathonbet reverts back to old design in website overhaul
Marathonbet has reverted back to the design features of its old UK sportsbook in a bid to improve performance and aid the integration of new features.
The operator revamped its UK-facing website earlier this year, but has now taken the decision to integrate features around event and market presentation from its old site.
The company said the “simple” A-Z navigation menu on the home page coupled with the market grouping within an event are intended to make it an “easy process” for a customer to find a particular bet.
Betclic expands in-play offering with Betgenius deal
Betclic Everest Group is to add thousands of new in-play markets in a major expansion of the operator’s live betting arm in partnership with Betgenius.
The three-year deal will see Betgenius become the operator’s primary in-play trading provider, supplying more than 130,000 in-play events per annum across all Betclic and Expekt brands and territories.
Betclic said the partnership will double its number of live football events and quadruple its live basketball markets.
Sky Bet continues international push with Sky Deutschland partnership
Sky Betting and Gaming (SB&G) has teamed up with media giant Sky Deutschland to launch its Super 6 product in Germany, as the operator continues to extend its reach into international markets.
6erPack (available at 6erpack.sky.de) was debuted by Sky Deutschland in recent weeks supported on the technology side by SB&G, which has similar products available in both the UK and Italian markets.
And the Germany-facing weekly free-to-play game follows the same format, enabling customers to win a 100,000 jackpot for correctly guessing the scores of six Bundesliga football matches.
Matchbook rejigs commission fees to boost value proposition
Betting exchange Matchbook has restructured its commission fees in an effort to boost liquidity and offer better odds for punters.
As of 1 November, the exchange is charging 0.85% commission on all posted offers and 1.70% commission on all accepted offers.
The fee changes means it will be cheaper for customers to offer a bet and have it filled, rather than vice-versa.
Irish bookie Bruce Betting launches FSB Tech-powered site
Irish bookie Bruce Betting has launched a new FSB Technology-powered sports betting site in a move to improve its multi-channel approach.
FSB Technology has designed a bespoke web and mobile platform for the independent retailer, which operates 17 stores across the Republic of Ireland.
The bookmaker has also integrated the provider’s casino platform, including games powered by Realistic Games and Microgaming.