Launches and sign-ups 23 December 2015
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (17 December 2015 to 23 December 2015)
PokerStars debuts BetStars sportsbook
Amaya has begun the roll-out of its new BetStars sportsbook brand, promising a major marketing campaign and an innovative new betting product to support its development next year.
BetStars, which is in part provided by sportsbook software supplier Amelco, is initially available in a select number of jurisdictions, including the UK, on .com, .eu and .uk domains as well as dedicated iOS and Android applications.
Amaya said it would support the launch with an external customer acquisition campaign in the first half of 2016 and that it intends to introduce an innovative new betting product on the platform which will “distinguish the brand from competitors”.
NetPlay TV lines-up Football Pools acquisition
NetPlay TV is in talks with Sportech over a potential acquisition of the firm’s Football Pools business.
In a statement issued to the market this morning, NetPlay TV said talks were “at a very preliminary stage” and there was no guarantee an agreement would be reached.
Any deal would be in the form of a reverse takeover, with NetPlay TV shares to be suspended until the talks end or an agreement is reached.
If a deal is reached it would be the second time the pair have done business, with NetPlay acquiring Sportech’s UK-facing Vernons egaming assets for £3m in 2013.
Unibet makes omni-channel sportsbook play
Unibet has beta-launched a new desktop sportsbook product as the Stockholm-listed operator moves to take greater control of its front-end platform.
The new sportsbook, previously available to customers on mobile and tablet, was rolled-out last week across all of Unibet’s core markets and appears as a separate tab next to its existing client.
The operator plans to make continual changes to the product during H1 2016 ahead of the UEFA European Championship including a personalised UX, targeted content and statistics.
Unibet’s head of sportsbook Erik Bäcklund told eGR the launch was just part of a much broader omni-channel strategy and a push towards taking greater control of its front-end from platform supplier Kambi.
888poker targets casual players with new TV campaign
888poker will launch a new TV campaign later this week as the operator continues to focus on attracting more recreational players to its site.
The firm said its new “Live the Game” campaign, which has been produced by Hometown London, was formed of three adverts aimed at casual players.
The adverts focus on three players who are always raising the stakes and one-upping each other in everyday life.
“The idea behind the concept is that for true poker players, the dynamics of poker are reflected in everything they do – it’s how they view the world,” Sivan Finn, 888 PR and marketing director, said.
Cherry makes multi-million pound double acquisition
Cherry has splashed out £3.5m on the acquisition of affiliate business Moorgate Media and operator NorgesSpill as the firm makes good on its promise to add new brands to its growing portfolio.
Cherry said it had signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares in Malta-based Moorgate Media for 4m (£2.9m).
The purchase is an all-share deal, with the acquisition expected to add 0.4m to revenues and 1.2m to EBITDA on an annual basis.
Meanwhile it also acquired the domain, database and gaming site of NorgesSpill for 0.75m (£550,000) in cash, adding that NorgesSpill should add 0.3m to annual EBITDA.