News in brief: Lads and PMU in Belgium agreement; WMS revenues down
Non-exclusive deal will allow Ladbrokes' Belgian customers to join the player pool of the French operator for sportsbetting.
French operator Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU) has signed an agreement with Ladbrokes to provide sportsbetting for its customers in Belgium. The non-exclusive deal will take hold from 2012, providing it receives a seal of approval from Belgium’s Gaming Commission and horseracing authorities, and will allow Ladbrokes’ customers in the EU member state to join the PMU player pool which already features players from 10 countries including France, Spain and Germany.
Jackpot Party owner WMS Industries has seen its revenues from gaming operations drop by 7.3% to US$72.6m (£44.4m) for the fourth quarter, with the overall revenue decrease for the financial year ended 30 June amounting to 3.3% (down from $304.2m in 2010 to $294.1m in 2011).
The British Columbia Lottery Corporation, whose PlayNow site went live on the GTECH G2-powered Canadian Poker Network this year, is considering entering the mobile space, according to local newspaper The Surrey Leader. The company, which the paper says has an estimated 170,000 registered players, has given no timeframe for any potential move, but has signalled its intent with a survey issued for all PlayNow players.
Social gaming company Yazino has launched a new team bingo game, ‘Extreme Bingo.’ The game combines bingo with elements of skill games such as battleships and minesweeper, the company has said.