WMS to work with Partouche in Belgium

US-based gaming machines supplier WMS Gaming has announced that its European subsidiary Jackpot Party will be responsible for Groupe Partouche’s Belgian-facing online casino offering.

A WMS-hosted casino site will be made available to Partouche’s players in Belgium, where the operator is one of just four to hold a top-level ‘A+’ licence.

One of the first operators to secure a Belgian licence, Group Partouche revealed in February that it would revive its online poker site after a 16.7% year-on-year decline in turnover.

Last month it agreed a deal with France Pari which will see the relaunch of the Livebetting.com site with international expansion in mind.

WMS announced the launch of Jackpot Party in January 2010, marking the gaming machines giant’s first foray into the online gambling market. Up until now it has only been focused on the United Kingdom. WMS has since applied for a Nevada egaming licence, although there is no indication of which brands would be used in that particular market.

Among the games available on the Belgian-facing site is I Love Lucy, an exclusive online slot based on the television series, which went live in the UK last November, while games such as roulette and video poker will feature alongside the various slots.

WMS president Orrin J Edidin said: “Groupe Partouche is an ideal launch partner for our comprehensive iGaming B2B solutions. We look forward to working collaboratively to create cross-marketing opportunities that will complement their land-based casino operations by providing players with the convenience of playing at home, in addition to playing at the casino.

(photo courtesy of Mike Hammerton, obtained under Creative Commons licence)