Launches and signups 30 September 2015
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (24 September 2015 to 30 September 2015)
Imperus’ £17m Akamon acquisition suffers delay
Deadline for final proposal put back by more than a month, news prompts 30% slump in Imperus’ share price
Imperus Technologies has pushed back the date by which it must finalise its proposed £17m acquisition of social casino developer Akamon Entertainment, a move which has seen its share price slump 30%.
Under the deal, first announced on 8 September, Imperus had the right to exercise the option to acquire Akamon before 25 September, with the closing to occur on or before 2 October.
But the proposed deal has now been amended to state that Imperus has the option, but not the obligation, to acquire Akamon by 9 November, with the deal to close on or before 16 November.
As a result of the extension, Imperus’ advanced deposit will no longer be deducted from the purchase price, which will be increased by £200,000. An additional £400,000 will also be paid to Akamon shareholders as a non-refundable deposit which will be used towards the final purchase price.
Microgaming and Evolution sign live casino partnership
Supplier giants Microgaming and Evolution Gaming have put pen to paper on a strategic alliance which will see Evolution become the preferred live casino provider for Microgaming’s European customer base.
Microgaming licensee Betway will become the first customer to benefit from the tie-up with the operator already in the process of integrating Evolution’s live casino products, which will initially focus on the UK and Belgium markets.
The operator will offer standard and VIP live games streamed from Evolution’s Latvia studio, as well as localised live casino services such as London Roulette, which are streamed from native speaking tables at Evolution’s Malta studio.
Seven days in launches and signups:
Paddy Power names new “brand mischief” agency
Paddy Power has appointed Amsterdam-based WE ARE Pi as its new ‘brand mischief’ agency, and is planning to cause a stir with its controversial new Rugby Union World Cup advertising campaign.
The agency has continued Paddy’s often risqué approach to marketing with the launch of its first ad titled ‘Big Game Hunter’, which plays on the recent high-profile killing of Cecil the lion.
The ad features a dentist with a high powered rifle hunting national team icons, such as a kangaroo and a springbok, with a voiceover asking viewers to predict whether he kills them or not.
“WE ARE Pi are our kind of agency; creative, restless and non-conformists,” Gav Thompson, Paddy Power CMO, said.
“We went looking for a partner in mischief and they were the stand-out choice. Their ideas were clever and naughty in equal measure, and I am very excited about our future together,” he added.
Unibet to expand ‘Luck is no coincidence’ marketing campaign
Unibet plans to extend its currently Nordic-focused ‘Luck is no coincidence’ marketing campaign starting with a launch in the UK next month ahead of a wider global roll-out.
The Stockholm-listed operator’s 30 and 15-second adverts are to be released in the UK across digital channels as well as on TV stations including Sky Sports, Sky Sports News, ITV Sport and Eurosport.
Luck is no coincidence, which is based around two sports betting enthusiasts trying to explain the reasoning behind their bets to an unknowledgeable sports bettor, will later be rolled-out across all Unibet’s global markets following the success of the campaign in Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
Sporting Solutions teams up with Metric for in-play service
Sporting Solutions has reached an agreement with Metric Gaming to distribute its in-play pricing feeds as the supplier looks to expand its live betting product.
The deal will give Sporting Solutions, whose clients have included William Hill, Betfred and Sky Betting and Gaming, access to feeds from the in-play specialists, while in return Metric will receive pricing and content solutions to supplement its move into the sportsbook platform business.
Metric CEO Peter Bertilsson said the deal will give the firm access to a “valuable customer distribution network”.