Launches and sign-ups 28 January 2015
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (22 January to 28 January 2015)
Sky confirms OpenWager as social casino partner
Leeds-based operator partners B2B social casino provider OpenWager to launch Sky Hollywood Slots on iOS and Android
Sky Betting and Gaming completed the launch of its first social casino product Sky Hollywood Slots last Wednesday and confirmed B2B social casino supplier OpenWager as its partner for the venture.
eGaming Review previously revealed Sky was plotting its first push into the social casino space and the operator officially launched the mobile product on iOS and Android just hours later.
Sky Hollywood Slots is powered by OpenWager’s customisable social casino platform and features free-to-play 3D slots games including Kitty Mansion, Hollywood Treasures and Neon Valley.
The Hollywood-themed storyline sees players progress through the game to become movie stars and also includes a number of social features such as social media account integration, in-app private messaging and user-to-user gifting.
The Senet Group launches £2m TV ad campaign
The Senet Group, a self-regulatory gambling watchdog established by a quartet of bookmakers, has unveiled its first TV advertising campaign designed to highlight the potential risks of gambling.
The £2m campaign launched on Friday with adverts set to air during commercial breaks of major televised sporting fixtures and supported by radio, newspaper and online ads.
London-based creative agency The Corner has produced two adverts to highlight areas of problem gambling behaviour. Focused on two customers, the ads illustrate instances of what is depicted as irresponsible gambling before their behaviour is pointed out to them by friends and family members.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
PokerStars plots broad European sportsbook launch
PokerStars’ sportsbook looks set for a broad European launch in the coming months with the Nordics and Eastern Europe believed to be target regions, according to job adverts placed by parent company Rational Group.
Earlier this month Amaya Gaming, which acquired the Rational Group for US$4.9bn last year, confirmed plans to launch the PokerStars sportsbook “in certain markets” by the end of March with a wider roll-out and the launch of web and mobile versions expected later in the year.
In November, PokerStars revealed it had begun building its in-house sportsbook trading team, which is being led by former bet365 VIP trading manager Ian Marmion.
Microgaming unveils “revolutionary” Babelfish poker API
Microgaming has launched a new API enabling operators to develop a customisable online poker client on the egaming supplier’s MPN network.
The Babelfish technology features tools for developing a multi-language poker product across all platforms, while also providing access to the network’s cash games and tournament liquidity pools.
Microgaming has signed up one as-yet unnamed operator which will launch a customised client on the MPN in the coming weeks and will “grow the network significantly”, according to head of poker at Microgaming Alex Scott.
32Red to launch new UK marketing push
32Red will launch a new TV advertising campaign and brand “refresh” as part of a strategy to increase market share in the post-UK Point of Consumption (PoC) market.
The television campaign, which will be aired on ITV, Sky, Channel 4 and Channel 5 in the coming weeks, is comprised of four “quirky” adverts, all highlighting 32Red’s customer service credentials.
The ads will feature the tagline “Where you’re the big deal” and will initially focus on the operator’s flagship Microgaming-powered casino product.
Dutch and Alderney regulators sign collaborative agreement
The Netherlands Gaming Authority and the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) have signed a Letter of Intent as the Dutch regulator continues to ramp-up operations in advance of the anticipated regulation of the Dutch market in 2016.
The formal agreement will see the two regulatory bodies assist each other with licensing and open up an information exchange with gambling services provided from Alderney available to the Dutch market.
The Letter of Intent is in anticipation of the introduction of online gambling legislation – the Dutch bill is expected to be passed later this year with the first licences issued in early 2016 – and a memorandum of understanding is expected to follow.
Recruitment agency EyeSpy has opened a new UK office in Manchester to better serve its clients in the egaming industry.
The company was started by sisters Emma Clayton-Wright and Jo Sykes in 2009 and is expecting to increase the headcount at its new office by three to five people within the next six months.
“In terms of our core product offering we offer a broad range of recruitment solutions, from traditional contingency based solutions to retained search and select recruitment, and contractual services,” Sara Ackroyd, EyeSpy recruitment consultant, said.