Launches and sign-ups 8 July 2015
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (2 July 2015 to 8 July 2015)
Player scoops £3.8m from Playtech slot on bgo.com
Jackpot winner ‘Hilton’ wins prize from just a £10 bet on Beach Life slot
Online gaming operator bgo.com has this week paid out £3.8m to a player who wagered a £10 bet on Playtech’s Beach Life slots game.
The payout was the largest ever by bgo.com and comes just weeks after the launch of its new TV advertising campaign fronted by Paris Hilton, while the recipient’s username was ironically also named ‘hilton’.
“This is a tremendous win on one of our most popular games and on one of our newest licensees,” Shimon Akad, COO of Playtech, said.
“The Playtech casino jackpot network continues to deliver outstanding results for our customers and, as we’ve seen from today’s news, their loyal players,” he added.
William Hill uses casino platform to build in-play sports markets
William Hill has taken the unusual step of using its proprietary casino platform to build a number of in-play sportsbook markets, eGaming Review has learned.
Jamie Hart, William Hill director of innovation and customer experience, told eGR the idea came from the operator’s desire to provide customers with a greater range of bets types which usually last no longer than a few minutes.
The operator decided to leverage its Vegas casino platform, rather than use its OpenBet-powered sportsbook, to build the markets, primarily due to the high volume of quick-fire updates required for markets with such a short life-span.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
Betfair and bet365 combine for Aston Villa sponsorship deal
Betfair and Bet365 and have become the latest top-tier operators to sign partnerships with a Premier League football club after sealing a deal to become the official betting partners of Aston Villa.
Under the terms of the deal the two operators will have co-exclusive rights with the West Midlands-based club from the start of the 2015-16 season, including a presence on Villa Park’s LED screens and across interview backdrops with other club sponsors.
“Commercially the club has two aims – we want to partner with good brands that will activate extensively and we want to increase our commercial revenues so we can compete with the best on the pitch,” Charlie Wijeratna, Aston Villa’s chief commercial officer, said.
Playtech strengthens financial portfolio with £67m acquisition
Playtech’s subsidiary TradeFX has struck an agreement to acquire online CFD broker Ava Trade for $105m (£67m), furthering Playtech’s recent expansion into the financial trading sector.
News of the agreement comes after TradeFX exercised an option to buy Ava Trade, an option it had secured prior to its £333m buyout by Playtech in April.
The acquisition of Dublin-headquartered Ava Trade, which is subject to approval by Playtech shareholders and financial service regulators, will further strengthen Playtech’s hand as the supplier attempts to forge a market-leading position in the financial trading sector.
Ladbrokes receives Belgium boost with Playtech live casino
Ladbrokes has sealed a deal with long-term partner Playtech to ensure the operator is compliant with Belgium’s ban on foreign live casino suppliers.
The Belgian Gaming Commission (Kansspelcommissie) first announced the ban, which comes into force today, earlier this year, requiring all operators to use only live dealer suppliers based in Belgium.
eGR understands Ladbrokes has agreed a deal with the software supplier giant which has itself received an extension from the regulator and is currently in the process of setting up its own live dealer facility in the country.
Playtech strikes Norsk Tipping content deal
Playtech will supply state-owned Norwegian gaming operator Norsk Tipping with new content for more than 4,300 interactive gaming terminals across the country.
The firm fought off competition from eight other suppliers who took part in the procurement process to become one of three to win the contract, along with Inspired and Genera Networks.
Playtech said it will work with Norsk Tipping to further develop its interactive terminal games offering, and in August will roll-out a full suite of games across the Norwegian Belago (bingo halls) and Multix (retail) markets.
NYX Gaming grows US presence with Golden Nugget deal
NYX Gaming Group has struck a deal with the Golden Nugget in New Jersey to provide the operator with its multi-channel online casino platform.
The operator’s GoldenNuggetCasino.com site is currently powered by Bally Technologies, but under the new deal NYX will supply the platform, a brand new website and mobile applications, with the switch due to go live by Q4.
NYX chief exec Matt Davey said his firm was “delighted” to have been chosen by Golden Nugget to “further strengthen their presence” in the Garden State.
Evolution launches Belgian live casino
Evolution Gaming has launched a new live casino studio in Belgium just days after a ban on the streaming of live dealers based outside the country was implemented.
Following a four-month process the studio is now live with a number of operators which hold Belgian A-Licences, including bwin, Unibet, 777, Circus, Starcasino and Napoleon Games.
The studio will stream live dealer roulette and blackjack, as well as auto slingshot roulette, from Casino de Spa – which is believed to be the world’s oldest casino – between 6pm and 2am each evening.