Launches and sign-ups extra 4 July 2014
A round-up of the latest launches and deals in the egaming industry, including Sporting Solutions and AppleJack Gaming
HTML5 casino game developer AppleJack Gaming has released its second ever game Baccarat Star in partnership with Odobo.
The new game is available exclusively via the Odobo Marketplace and features a traditional tableau, results tracking board and an additional bonus bet option.
“Building games via Odobo presented us with the opportunity to create a version of Baccarat that would genuinely stand out among the crowd,” Paul Overton, founder of AppleJack Gaming, said.
“We’ve used the platform’s range of state-of-the-art tools and technologies to produce Baccarat Star, a game we’re really proud of,” he added.
Sporting Index’s B2B division Sporting Solutions has become the latest member to join lottery trade body the European State Lotteries and Toto Association (EK).
Sporting Solutions, which provides data services and trading expertise to the lottery sector, is now the 80th member to join the group after its application was ratified by the General Assembly last month
“Our own experience and market-leading skills in data management, modelling, automation, pricing and sports trading means we will be ideally placed to assist in the growth of this industry, and we have a huge amount to offer,” Ronnie Whelan, business development director of Sporting Solutions, said.
“More national lotteries are looking to adopt sports betting and high-level software and data services to capitalise on both new regulation and an increased appetite in regulated betting and gaming across Europe,” he added.
Software supplier NYX Interactive has struck a deal with land-based casino product manufacturer Casino Technology.
The agreement will see the NYX Gaming subsidiary provide its gaming content distribution platform NYX OGS to distribute Casino Technology’s games to new players.
“Expansion in the virtual space is part of the new objectives of Casino Technology to transfer its 15 years of success in the land-based industry to the online and mobile gaming sector,” Konrad Gill, egaming director of Casino Technology, said.
Sports data provider Betradar has unveiled its revamped live trading interface BetPal for basketball.
The service is now available for three sports after previously launching football and tennis and allows operators to trade games based on the supplier’s mathematical algorithms.
“Our clients can choose all levels of automation from trading based purely on our live data, relying on our Live Odds service, trading matches via BetPal based on our live data and algorithms or completely outsource their trading by using our Managed Trading Services,” Sportradar managing director sales, Erik Lorenz, said.
“This combination of services is unrivalled in the market and provides our clients a maximum degree of flexibility in their daily operations,” he added.
William Hill’s former head of broadcasting Nigel Aplin has launched a new online sports radio station which incorporates elements of recreational gambling.
Betliveradio.com is live daily from 1pm to 6pm and has billed itself as “a mix of Fighting Talk, Radio Five Live and the Steve Wright Show”.
“We believe many online sports media sites could benefit from radio – to increase site viewers, open up new advertising opportunities and extend visitor time,” Commercial Director, Roger Richardson, said.
“We have invested in a great product here, fronted by a professional and passionate team, and are looking at all commercial partnership opportunities,” he added.
Gaming software giant Bally Technologies has completed its US$100m acquisition of Tel Aviv-based social casino operator Dragonplay.
The deal was first announced in June after months of speculation regarding a potential sale of the firm.
Bally CEO Richard Haddrill said he expected the acquisition of Dragonplay to “position Bally at the forefront of social gaming” with plans to capitalize on the fast-growing mobile sector.
Social and casual games developer Big Fish has announced the launch of its latest slots game Phoenix Rising, the first in a new line of titles to appear under its ‘Luxury Slots’ banner.
Phoenix Rising is currently available exclusively on across all iOS devices and features enhanced graphics, improved animations and a full-screen interface that can showcase up to 25 lines of winning combinations.
The company’s entire Big Fish Casino app will also be upgraded to support the new features.
Optimal Payments has embarked on an ambitious acquisition drive in a bid to bolster its US business after announcing plans to take over two payment processing companies, Meritus Payment Solutions and Global Merchant Advisors (GMA).
Optimal will pay US$210m for California-based Meritus “ consisting of $150m cash and $60m in Optimal shares “ and up to $15m in cash for GMA. Closing of the deals are conditional on one another, and are expected to complete in Q3 2014.
Financing for the acquisitions has come from the Bank of Montreal, which has agreed to provide funding via multi-currency credit facilities of $150m.
The All American Poker Network (AAPN) has signed a deal to sponsor Poker Night in America (PNIA), a new weekly poker-focussed TV series in a bid to boost its presence in New Jersey and other regulated US egaming markets.
The AAPN, a joint venture between 888 and Avenue Capital, is up and running in the Garden State, but has thus far struggled to take market share from the established brands like the Borgata and Caesars.
Earlier this year 888 revealed that the cost of launching the AAPN in the Garden State had led to a US$4.1m loss last year alone, with chief exec Brian Mattingley saying more needed to be done to target players in the state.