Launches and sign-ups extra 27 May 2016

Ladbrokes has partnered with HTML5 gambling software house CORE Gaming to launch a new football-themed range of instant win scratchcards.

Ahead of Euro 2016, the two companies have unveiled Scratch and Match on Ladbrokes’ website, offering players the chance to win up to ?250,000.

Mark Rehorst-Smith, CORE Gaming’s chief commercial officer, said: “Scratchcards are among the most popular games we offer, and customers love it when we bring out something new.

“It’s fantastic to partner with such a huge company as Ladbrokes on this range of Scratch and Match games, and we think their online and mobile players will have great fun scratching away this summer.”

Genius Sports has acquired the exclusive data rights to all fixtures run by the Belarusian Basketball Federation (BBF), as part of an extended agreement between the two organisations.

Spanning from this year until the end of the 2017/18 season, the deal not only sees Genius Sports distribute the BBF’s data to the betting and media markets globally, but also the addition of an integrity monitoring system for the first time in the BBF’s history.

Genius Sports chief commercial officer Nick Maywald said: “We are delighted to announce this expanded agreement with the BBF over the next three seasons. Technology and the creation, distribution and monetisation of data are central to any sports development strategy, while maintaining the integrity of basketball remains of paramount importance.”

NetEnt has launched a new slot game designed to tap into football fever ahead of this summer’s European Championships.

Football: Champions Cup is a five-reel, three-row and 20-line video slot for both desktop and mobile, featuring a penalty shootout bonus game and free spins.

Simon Hammon, chief product officer of NetEnt, said: “All eyes this summer will be glued to the European Championship football, and our exciting new release taps into that interest and gives fans another reason to cheer. NetEnt’s unique game design and the fun shootout bonus game will be the perfect addition to a fantastic summer of sport.”

OpenBet has extended its longstanding relationship with Canadian lottery operator, Loto-Qu?bec.

The three-year deal not only extends OpenBet’s existing partnership, but also sees the company provide Loto-Qu?bec with its new mobile portal solution, which launched at the end of 2015 and is a key part of the lottery’s strategy for growth.

OpenBet was selected based on the continued strength and flexibility of its solution, delivery timeframes and content library, alongside its ability to empower a genuine omni-channel experience across all products.

Loto-Qu?bec’s Espacejeux.com general manager Luc Morin commented: “OpenBet was the clear choice for us to bring our mobile casino to market; the company has a stand-out omni-channel vision and long-term strategy.

Amaya has launched a beta version of its BetStars sportsbook in Italy with a “special focus on football”, the company announced today.

The trial version of BetStars.IT currently offers six sports and is available only on desktop. Amaya said it plans to grow the range of sports available but did not put a specific timeline on the expansion.

“There’s huge crossover between poker consumers and sports betting fans and BetStars provides a safe, secure, convenient and trusted environment to place sports bets,” said Eric Hollreiser, vice president of corporate communications at Amaya.

Supplier iSoftBet has expanded its portfolio of original slots with the release of Cloud Tales.

The new game, built for both HTML5 and desktop, will be available across iSoftBet’s entire customer base via desktop and mobile from 1 June 2016.

Luci Apostolou, head of sales at iSoftBet, said: “iSoftBet is known for creating simple and yet innovative games and Cloud Tales truly exemplifies that. Our teams have worked extremely hard to create this impressive 9-line slot. It has vibrant graphics and truly offers players something they have not experienced before.”