Launches and sign-ups 25 September 2013
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (19 September " 25 September 2013)
888 signs US deal with Wynn Interactive
All American Poker Network agreement with Las Vegas-based casino operator follows launch of 888-powered WSOP in Nevada last week
Wynn Resorts has signed a partnership with 888’s B2C arm the All American Poker Network (AAPN) to launch a Wynn-branded online gaming offering in the regulated US egaming market.
The online arm of casino operator Wynn Resorts will launch its brands alongside 888.com in New Jersey and Nevada, with the AAPN supplying its poker, casino and back office platform.
The deal will also see Wynn pooling liquidity on the AAPN and comes a week after Caesars Interactive Entertainment launched the 888-powered World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Nevada last week.
The deal was described by AAPN executive chairman David Licht as an important step for the 888 subsidiary as it looks to expand its presence in the US online gaming market.
Ladbrokes’ new Spanish site set for October launch
Ladbrokes will launch its Spanish online sportsbook brand Sportium next month as it ramps up its international presence.
eGamingReview understands the online operation, which will offer both sportsbetting and casino products, is scheduled to launch on 1 October.
Ladbrokes, which currently trades as LBApuestas in Spain, announced plans to overhaul its Spanish online business launch during its H1 2013 results call earlier this month.
A spokesperson for the operator confirmed to eGR that the launch remains scheduled for H2, but could not confirm the exact start date.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
BetVictor launches new 50/50 sports offer
BetVictor has launched new sports-based casino game 5050Sports, with variants fronted by former sportsmen including footballer Michael Owen, cricketer Michael Vaughan and boxer Ricky Hatton.
The ‘red or black’-styled game sees players gamble on the outcome of a specific sporting event, such as a football penalty or cricket shot, before being shown the answer using officially licensed archived video clips.
The game includes highlights from international football, boxing, cricket, tennis, PDC darts, Premier League snooker, greyhound racing and motorsport, with BetVictor offering odds of 5/6 on each of the two possible outcomes.
WSOP.com gets off to slow start in Nevada
Caesars Interactive Entertainment’s WSOP.com real-money poker site launched to much fanfare in Nevada last week, however failed to attract as many cash players as sole rival Ultimate Poker did on its first day.
The World Series of Poker-branded site, powered by 888’s software, arrived amid a high-profile marketing campaign on television, billboards and on room keys at its Nevada hotels.
Yet the site could not match the first day success of Ultimate Poker, the only other licensed real-money poker site in Nevada which launched in April.
Iceland Bingo to launch first TV campaign
Iceland Bingo is to launch its first television campaign on digital TV in the UK today, almost one year since the supermarket chain entered the gaming market.
The campaign will air in two separate bursts, the first of which will run from 25 September to 11 October with the second running between 24 October and 3 November.
The campaign will be launched through egaming affiliate and marketing firm QuickThink Media, which developed the offering in partnership with Iceland Foods last year.
Bally and Cantor Gaming sign content deal
US games supplier Bally Technologies has signed an online content deal with Cantor Gaming that will see Cantor’s sports wagering and mobile casino gaming content integrated into Bally’s iGaming Platform.
The agreement follows record quarterly financial results for Bally after the supplier posted a new high of US$264m in Q4, an 8% increase compared to the same period last year.
John Connelly, vice president of business development at Bally Technologies, added that the new content provided by Cantor Gaming would be a great addition to its platform.
Inspired increases Italian presence
Inspired Gaming Group has expanded its presence in the Italian virtual sports market after signing its eighth deal in the country with Microgame Group.
The partnership will see Inspired supply its virtual sports products, which it claims accounts for 90% of the Italian virtual sports market, to the content provider’s B2B partners via its online, mobile and land-based platforms.
Commenting on the deal, Microgame general manager Marco Castaldo said partnering with Inspired would enable the firm to further establish its presence in the Italian market.
SeanieMac launches online lottery platform
Irish operator SeanieMac has added a new lottery platform to its SeanieMac.com site in addition to its existing sportsbook and casino games portfolio.
SeanieMac Lotto will allow customers to purchase lottery tickets from countries across Europe as well as New York and Hong Kong, with popular draws such as the Euromillions and the twice-daily 49er’s draws also available.
The operator first launched in April this year and completed a two-week soft launch of its online offering of casino games and slot machines last month.
Jumio launches facial detection technology
Jumio has announced the launch of its facial detection technology to boost the anti-fraud capabilities of its real-time customer verification offering.
Face Match is available within the mobile payment firm’s Netverify identity verification platform and enables customers to match an ID photo used during a mobile or online transaction with the customer’s actual face.
Founder and CEO of Jumio Daniel Mattes said the new technology will provide another layer of safety for Netverify customers in their battle to combat fraud.
Spread betting firm Spreadex has signed a deal with IT specialist Computacenter for a new private cloud storage platform based on HP technologies. The deal, worth £1.2m, will see Spreadex gain 40 terabytes of cloud storage to provide the “scalability and stability” needed to support the business.
Casino Room’s affiliate program PokerAffiliate.com has been rebranded to Affiliates.Ellmountgaming.com and will be managed by gaming consultancy firm Ihre Consulting. The site will use Netrefer software, providing benefits such as a new affiliate management team additional reporting and a new creative suite.
Software provider 1X2 Gaming will provide 16 new slots games to online operator Goldbet. Titles included in the casino games suite include Cartoon Capers, Downtown, Blood Bank and KickA$$. “With our slots we are trying to be unique, creative and a little tongue in cheek where possible,” said Kevin Reid, 1X2 Gaming chief marketing officer.