Launches and sign-ups 24 February 2016
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (18 February 2016 to 24 February 2016)
Mr Green plans sportsbook launch and appoints new CEO
Jesper K?rrbrink will replace Bo W?nghammar as Malta chief exec as firm looks to diversify product offering
Mr Green will add a sportsbook to its online casino later this year and has appointed former Svenska Spel chief executive Jesper K?rrbrink as the new CEO of its Malta-based operation.
The operator said it planned to launch a third-party-powered sportsbook in 2016, although was unsure whether it would be ready in time for this summer’s European Championships which kicks-off in June.
Speaking to analysts following the publication of its financial results, Mr Green AB chief executive Per Norman said the firm would prefer “to do it [launch a sportsbook] properly rather than do it quick and fast for the European Championships”.
“This is a natural expansion of our offering since a large number of our current casino customers also play some form of sports betting,” Norman said. “We recognise substantial potential for Mr Green to grow on this market also.”
Borgata to replace bwin.party platform with GAN
New Jersey operator the Borgata has selected GAN to replace current platform partner bwin.party with the switch set to take place by the end of the second quarter, eGaming Review understands.
Sources close to the situation confirmed GAN will power theBorgataCasino.com site after EGR revealed the operator had placed its partnership with bwin.party under review last month.
The operator is also understood to have a similar agreement in place with a new poker platform supplier, which EGR understands to be California-based Pala Interactive.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
Hills refocuses marketing spend as ABP dispute continues
William Hill will sponsor the IBF World Heavyweight fight between Charles Martin and Anthony Joshua as the UK bookmaker begins to shift its marketing cash away from British horseracing.
The operator has been at loggerheads with British Racing over the past few months after failing to agree to the terms required to become an Authorised Betting Partner (ABP).
The controversial scheme requires bookmakers to give 7.5% of online profits derived from UK racing, in addition to the 10.75% retail levy, back to horseracing in an effort by the industry to provide much-needed funding for the sport. Non-ABPs cannot enter into commercial agreements with the sport.
Full Tilt to migrate to PokerStars platform
Amaya will migrate Full Tilt players onto the PokerStars platform in the coming weeks in a move the firm said will improve liquidity, streamline development and improve the overall player experience.
The migration process is expected to result in a number of redundancies at Full Tilt’s Dublin office, with staff currently part of a consultation process the firm said should complete in the “coming months”.
The platform migration is set to be completed by the spring, a move Amaya said would allow its tech and development teams to focus on one platform, thus enabling it to make improvements and deliver innovations “faster and more efficiently”.
Cherry launches revamped website with new sportsbook
Cherry has unveiled a revamped version of its Europe-facing online casino Cherrycasino.com, complete with a new sportsbook
The redesigned site also gives users a “more intuitive way to navigate” and a more informative ‘My Page’ dashboard, the firm said.
“Our mission at CherryCasino is to provide players across Europe with a state of the art gaming experience and we are very proud to launch a completely new CherryCasino across all our markets,” Daniel Oskarsson, CherryCasino chief marketing officer, said.
Bwin.party moves to improve mobile player engagement
Bwin.party has joined forces with digital marketing platform OtherLevels in a bid to improve player engagement and retention on mobile.
The deal will see OtherLevels help the operator to better engage users with more relevant and timely content across its sportsbook, poker, casino and bingo mobile apps.
The platform will be rolled out across various bwin.party brands including partypoker, partycasino and Foxy Bingo, with the aim of providing better insight into player behaviours.
Ladbrokes chalks up snooker sponsorship deal
Ladbrokes has struck a deal to sponsor snooker’s World Grand Prix and the Players Championship tournaments this year, as the operator continues to reallocate marketing budget previously reserved for British horseracing.
The deal with World Snooker gives the bookmaker naming rights to both contests, which will be known as the Ladbrokes World Grand Prix and the Ladbrokes Players Championship.
The operator said snooker’s popularity as a betting sport continues to increase, particularly in-play, with almost 80% of total stakes in 2015 wagered during matches.