Betclic launches native mobile poker app

Betclic Everest Group has launched a Playtech-powered native mobile poker app as the operator looks to increase its share of the French online poker market.

The Everest Poker-branded app was released this week on the iPhone through the French Apple store and is the first native Playtech poker app in Europe.

Bet365 and Winner are live with an html5 mobile poker product on the Playtech platform in the UK, but neither is available through an app at the time of writing.

Last month the French operator announced it was to make a big push into the French online poker sector, outlining ambitions to achieve a top three position in the market after successfully completing its migration to the Playtech iPoker network.

Betclic Everest Group managing director of France, Marc Guigo, told eGaming Review that he is confident the new app will find favour among existing customers and can drive the company’s growth plans.

“The soft launch we did received positive feedback, particularly with regards to the design and the gameplay which is very creative and I would rank it with some of the top products already out there,” he said.

“We invested the right amount of time to make sure it meets customer expectations and we believe it is a good product which we are very happy with,” he added.

The launch comes during a difficult period for the French online poker market with Q3 2013 results showing a 17% year-on-year fall in gross gambling revenue (GGR), while amounts staked suffered its biggest ever quarterly decline of 21%.

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