Launches and sign-ups 3 September 2014
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (28 August to 3 September 2014)
BetButler ceases trading ahead of sale
Sports betting firm closes site with undisclosed third party set to acquire customer database
Troubled sports betting operator BetButler has ceased trading ahead of a mooted sale of its customer database to an as-yet-unnamed third party.
The UK-licensed betting brokerage closed its website on Friday after its board issued a statement confirming the company was in discussions over a potential sale.
“The Board of BetButler Limited has been approached by a third party regulated gaming business to acquire the customer database, including all balances and pending withdrawal requests, of the business,” the statement read.
The board of directors also stated they expected the process to take “some days” to complete, with a further announcement to follow in due course.
Playtech acquires Aristocrat Lotteries for 10m
Playtech has made its second acquisition in as many weeks after agreeing to buy the lotteries businesses of rival supply firm Aristocrat for 10.5m.
The deal, which is subject to adjustments and closing conditions, will see Playtech obtain Stockholm-based Aristocrat Lotteries and Aristocrat Lotteries Italia and is expected to complete by the end of September.
Playtech said the bolt-on acquisition was “an attractive valuation with potential for further growth” and would help the company diversify across additional regulated markets and create cross-selling opportunities for other products and content supplied by the firm.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
Betfred launches new “fun” ad campaign
Betfred launched a new multi-channel advertising campaign last weekend as the bookmaker looks tap into the “fun spirit of betting”.
Developed alongside the recently appointed ad agency Brothers and Sisters, the campaign debuted with television spots on BT Sport and Sky Sports and will build upon the brand’s existing “You’ll Love a Bit of Betfred” tagline.
The campaign will also run across social media, digital media and newspapers, as well as being screened throughout the UK bookie’s 1,400 retail stores.
PokerStars’ social product gets full launch
PokerStars’ free-to-play social product PokerStars Play has been given a full launch on Facebook after being in beta for 18 months.
The Isle of Man-based firm first launched its social casino app on Facebook last February and currently has nearly 111,000 monthly active users (MAU) according to app analytics company metricsmonk.
PokerStars parent company the Rational Group was recently acquired by Amaya Gaming Group for $4.9bn and following the acquisition Amaya Gaming CEO David Baazov highlighted social gaming as one of four target growth initiatives.
Camelot launches “revolutionary” online platform
The UK lottery operator Camelot has released the “revolutionary” new online platform it teased earlier this year, including the launch of an entirely redesigned National Lottery website.
All National Lottery products had been taken down over the weekend to facilitate the migration to the new platform before re-launching last night.
Speaking to eGaming Review, a Camelot spokesperson said the responsive design adopted would improve the display of the website on mobile and tablet devices.
XLMedia completes $19m social marketing acquisition
AIM-listed XLMedia has made its first push into the social gaming sector after acquiring social and mobile gaming marketing firm ExciteAd Digital Marketing (EDM) for up to US$19m (£11.4m).
The deal is the egaming marketing company’s largest transaction to-date and comes just two weeks after the company announced its acquisition of an unnamed sports betting affiliate for $6.72m.
Israel-based EDM provides targeted advertising for the social gaming industry and, according to XLMedia, recorded revenues of $12.8m in the 12 months ended 30 June 2014.
SBTech strikes Belgium sportsbook deal
SBTech has increased its presence in Belgium’s regulated online gambling market after striking a deal with leading Belgian bookmaker betFIRST.
The platform provider will supply betFIRST with a revamped mobile and desktop offering as part of an overarching strategy to converge the bookmaker’s digital products.
BetFIRST will also receive SBTech’s price feeds which include around 13,000 monthly live events and more than 200 different bet types, including the recently added rapid in-play markets.
Betsson signs Yggdrasil content deal
Online games provider Yggdrasil Gaming has increased its roster of major clients after the Betsson Group signed-up to receive the supplier’s entire portfolio of games content.
The deal was completed last week and will see Yggdrasil supply offer its slots, lottery and scratch card games to the Malta-licensed firm across all markets on both desktop and mobile.
Betsson is yet to go live with the games but is the 12th operator to sign with Cherry-owned Yggdrasil following previous deals with companies including Unibet, LeoVegas and Mr Green.