Launches and sign-ups 17 December 2014
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (11 December to 17 December 2014)
Crown Resorts takes controlling stake in BetEasy
Joint-venture will see casino operator’s Betfair Australia subsidiary integrate with BetEasy’s fixed-odds sportsbook
Casino operator Crown Resorts has taken a controlling share in Matt Tripp’s BetEasy start-up with the two firms forming a joint-venture to integrate Crown’s Betfair Australia business with BetEasy’s newly launched Australian sportsbook.
The new business will be owned 67% by Crown and 33% by the existing BetEasy owners and it is believed BetEasy will be the main brand used with existing Betfair customers transferred to the BetEasy platform.
Crown Resorts chairman James Packer said he was confident the combination of the two businesses will enable it to compete more fiercely with the foreign gambling heavyweights.
“Matt Tripp and his team have proven they have the experience and ability to build and operate a world-class business,” he said.
Intertain confirms Vera&John acquisition as share price tanks
The Intertain Group has confirmed it has reached an agreement to acquire the parent company of online casino firm Vera&John, with the news coming after its share price plummeted more than 25% on Friday.
In October, the Toronto-based firm revealed it had entered into a non-binding letter of intent to acquire Dumarca Holdings for up to €89.1m.
And following further negotiations, Intertain will make an initial payment of €44.5m ($62.9m) in cash and €36.5m ($51.5m) in common shares, with additional earn outs payable depending on Vera&John’s performance in 2015 and 2016.
Earn outs will be dependent on EBITDA generated by the casino firm over the next two years up to a maximum of €8.1m.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups
Eurobet in line for Spanish market return
Eurobet is lining up a return to the Spanish market after becoming one of a number of operators to submit general licence applications during the recent licensing window, eGaming Review can reveal.
The Gala Coral brand, which currently holds an Italian operating licence, is among a group of 12 unnamed operators the regulator yesterday confirmed had applied to enter Spain’s regulated online gaming market for the first time.
Speaking to eGaming Review, Eurobet sportsbook director Carlo Di Maio said the Spanish online gaming market had “great potential” and confirmed it had applied for both sports betting and casino licences prior to the window closing earlier this week.
PokerStars debuts social poker product on mobile
PokerStars has unveiled a mobile version of its free-to-play social poker app on iOS and Android, four months after launching the product on Facebook.
PokerStars PLAY is available as a standalone mobile app for mobile and tablet devices and features a number of gesture-based controls to replicate real poker play, Facebook login and sharing functionality, and in-app poker tips.
The Isle of Man-based firm launched its social casino app, which shares player liquidity with PokerStars’ free poker platform PokerStars.net, on Facebook in August following an 18-month beta testing period.
Winamax launches mobile sports betting
French online poker operator Winamax has incorporated sports betting into its standalone iOS app, six months after launching its sportsbook via its desktop site.
The new version 3.2.0 of the operator’s app was unveiled on Tuesday complete with full sportsbook functionality within the previously poker-only mobile product, including pre-match and in-play betting.
The app is currently only available via the French Apple Store for both iPhone and iPad devices.
The operator first launched an online sports betting product in June on its France-facing poker site just one week before the start of the football World Cup in Brazil.
Betclic and NetEnt among firms poised to enter Spanish market
Betclic-Everest Group and NetEnt are among the list of 12 firms to have applied to enter Spain’s online gaming market, eGaming Review understands.
Last week Spanish regulator La Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ) revealed it had received applications for general licences from a dozen firms during its recent licensing window, which closed on Tuesday (9 December).
Gala Coral brand Eurobet yesterday confirmed it had applied to re-enter a market it exited in 2011 and eGR understands Betclic, NetEnt and the Novomatic Group also feature on the list of new applicants.
Betfair latest to strike Leander Games content deal
Betfair has become the fourth major operator and the second this month to sign a content supply deal with London-based development studio Leander Games.
Betfair will integrate Leander’s LeGa casino gaming platform to gain access to the supplier’s portfolio of proprietary slots titles developed by its 25 games partners, and the firm is to launch with Betfair on both mobile and desktop simultaneously.
“The fact that we will be making simultaneous launches on desktop and mobile will appeal to Betfair’s tech-savvy customers,” Leander Games CEO Steven Matsell said. “I’m confident they’ll love our games – on whatever device they choose to play them,” he added.