Launches and sign-ups 15 October 2014
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (9 October to 15 October 2014)
Intertain to acquire Vera&John in €89m deal
Canada-based group enters into non-binding letter of intent with Malta-based casino operator for up to €89.1m
The Intertain Group has agreed a deal to acquire the online casino firm Vera&John for up to €89.1m (CA$126.1m).
The Toronto-based gaming group has entered into a non-binding letter of intent with Vera&John’s Malta-based parent company Dumarca Holdings for an initial payment of €44.5m in cash and €36.5m in common shares, with additional earnouts payable depending on Vera&John’s performance in 2015 and 2016.
Although the maximum consideration for the deal stands at €89.1m, the sum will be based on earn outs dependant on Vera&John hitting certain EBITDA targets over the next two financial years.
Should Vera&John’s EBITDA exceed €10.1m in both 2015 and 2016, Intertain will make additional payments to Dumarca Holdings of four times that amount up to a cap of €8.1m.
888sport launches major Spanish advertising push
888 has launched a major marketing drive for its Spain-facing sportsbook as it bids to take advantage of the “massive opportunity” the market presents.
The campaign, which includes TV advertising on football match days and midweek, as well as billboard and pitch-side hoardings, has gone live in the past few weeks following August’s successful soft-launch of 888sport.
“When we soft-launched we saw some very encouraging numbers coming out of it, so we are continuing to push and we will push more and more,” Itai Frieberger, 888 COO, said.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
PKR set for major platform overhaul
PKR will launch a major platform upgrade later this month in a bid to improve the speed of game play while also describing yesterday’s withdrawal from the Italian market as the “smart play”.
The poker operator said the soon-to-be released client, PKR 3.0, would address concerns raised by some players over its 3D graphics slowing down gameplay.
Areas of improvement include removing pauses between animations, stripped down sequences, and optimised logic to ensure smoother, uninterrupted game flow.
Totesport.com receives mobile makeover
Totesport.com has completed a major overhaul of its mobile betting platform after fully integrating its flagship totepool product with its GTECH-powered sportsbook betting service.
The new platform, which was designed in conjunction with digital design agency Degree53, was officially launched this week along with its new tagline “Get your heart racing!”
Totesport.com’s previous mobile product only offered horse racing and a limited number of totepool bets, however, the new mobile service now includes a full sportsbook plus its full-suite of totepool betting opportunities.
Gamesys and High 5 Games extends partnership to Europe
Gamesys has signed a deal with High 5 Games (H5G) to integrate the New Jersey-based slots developer’s remote game server into its UK and EU-facing platforms, mirroring a similar deal between the pair in the US.
The partnership will see more than 100 titles from H5G’s VAULT remote game server – including Shadow of the Panther and Dangerous Beauty – launch in European markets for the first time.
The deal is the second of its kind signed by Gamesys and H5G, with the duo having already joined forces in New Jersey to supply content for TropicanaCasino.com, as well as Gamesys’ B2C VirginCasino.com brand.
Paddy Power adds single sign-on for mobile portfolio
Paddy Power has become the latest egaming firm to add single sign-on capability to its flagship mobile apps as part of an update released last week.
The update allows customers in its sportsbook app to switch seamlessly to its casino product without having to re-submit log-in details.
Paddy Power’s reported a market leading 52% of its total net revenue coming from mobile during its H1 results disclosure in August, equivalent to roughly €126m.