Launches and sign-ups extra 3 July 2015

Betway has signed up award-winning cricket broadcaster Simon Hughes who will blog for the operator throughout this summer’s Ashes series.

As part of the deal Hughes will write a blog for the online sportsbook ahead of each Test match and halfway through, offering his expert analysis on all aspects of the series.

“It’s our aim to get our customers closer to sport and there’s no better cricketing brain than The Analyst,” Betway’s Alan Alger said.

“Simon will be providing the most insightful content out there. He’s able to uncover things that most cricket fans wouldn’t even have considered and it’s a blog that’s not to be missed this summer,” he added.

Online gaming supplier Microgaming today announced the launch of its latest HD slots title Hot as Hades which will debut in the coming days.

The Greek-themed 5X3 reel, 20-line slot game will be launched on 8 July and made available on the download, Flash and Quickfire platforms.

“We’ve combined a popular theme, the highest quality design work and a perfectly balanced slot engine to create what we believe is a flagship game,” Mike Hebden, head of casino games at Microgaming, said.

After months of hard work, we’re incredibly excited for the game’s launch and we hope our operators’ players enjoy playing the game as much as we enjoyed creating it,” he added.

Virtual sports provider Inspired has renewed its contract with SNAI to provide the Italian online gaming operator with its latest virtual sports content.

Inspired currently provides eight virtual sports games to the operator across both its retail and online divisions, with plans to Ultra HD graphics product Rush Football 2 in the near future.

“There is a clear affinity between SNAI’s and Inspired’s growth plans,” Vitaliano Casalone, president of Inspired Italia, said.

“As SNAI increases its omnichannel offering, and increases the amount of events it runs each day, it will be supported by our evolving Virtual Sports product suite, which continues to lead the market with the most engaging and popular games,” he added.

US-based entertainment company Unikrn is to ramp up development of esports wagering platform after securing an additional $7m investment from its latest funding round.

The new investment was led by Binary Capital and takes total funding up to $10m for Unikrn.com, the platform which enables customers to bet on competitive video games matches and tournaments around the world

“Millions of people watch competitive gaming globally, we believe the industry has hit an inflection point and this is just the tip of the iceberg for where this new sport can go,” Jonathan Teo of Binary Capital said.

“We fully believe in the Unikrn executive team, what they are building, and their vision of how they want to heighten people’s engagement with eSports across all mediums,” he added.

OpenBet powered televised betting service Win Cash Live has announced plans to launch on Scotland’s STV channel.

The gaming show allows players to play directly and interact with the presenters of the show which will be hosted by former ITV This Morning presenter Andy Hodgson and ex-Bucks Fizz band member Sally Jacks.

“We think they’ll love the daily topical and exclusive games,” founder of Win Cash Live, Ashley Faull, said.

“Viewers can interact with us live every night and tell us what games they’d like to play too,” he added.

The 2.0 update of Paddy Power‘s PP Messenger app will be a “game-changer” according to its product manager, as the firm attempts to stay one step ahead of rivals entering the messenger space.

The update, released earlier this month, adds quick buttons to the bottom of the display, allowing users to call up prices and coupons for popular events without having to enter requests manually.

Previously the WhatsApp-style interface required users to type out their request, for instance by entering “chelsea premier league” to call up odds for Chelsea to win next season’s title.

Betfred has rolled out a series of new features as part of its latest iOS sportsbook update, with the operator’s new “App Carousel” designed to improve cross-sell between the operators sports and gaming apps.

As part of a wide-reaching upgrade, the “App Carousel” will allow users to open and download the full suite of nine apps, which include standalone live casino and bingo offerings, more easily than ever before, according to the firm.

The feature lets users click through to other apps from inside the mobile sportsbook without the need for separate sign-in, with users directed to the Apple App Store page for apps they haven’t downloaded.

Ladbrokes has transitioned its virtual sports product onto mobile as the firm continues its omni-channel push across existing and new offerings.

The operator’s virtual sports revenues have doubled since the Inspired-supplied Virtual Horses and Virtual Greyhounds were first rolled out on mobile in May, and now the rest of the virtual sports vertical will be available on mobile.

“I am pleased with the great customer response, it was important to add the Inspired Virtual content to our leading mobile platform, in preparation for our single digital desktop, tablet and mobile experience in July,” Andy Bagguley, Ladbrokes’ digital MD, said.

Footy Accumulators is to open a new Manchester-based office as it kicks-off an expansion drive to become the “UK’s biggest sports betting community”.

The sports betting affiliate will relocate from its current base on Mosley Street to a new office on Fountain Street next week in a move which will enable the firm to increase its headcount to between 50 and 60 members of staff.

In an interview with eGR, CEO Jamie Knowlson said the firm would initially look to double the size of its current 20-strong Team FA and build the reputation of the firm across the city.