Launches and sign-ups 12 December 2012
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (6 December to 12 December).
Exclusive: Skybet launches HTML5 casino portal
Sky Vegas Mobile Casino goes live featuring content from the likes of OpenBet and Endemol Games.
Sky Betting & Gaming has launched its HTML5 mobile casino portal Sky Vegas Mobile Casino, eGaming Review can exclusively reveal.
The product has been developed in-house using OpenBet’s mobile backend solution and will feature content supplied by a number of software providers. These include OpenBet’s blackjack and roulette games; Endemol Games’ Deal or No Deal (pictured); Fremantlemedia’s X Factor: Steps to Stardom slot; and a slot game based on the adult comic Viz, developed by Blueprint Gaming. Another two games will be added to the portal before the end of the year.
Discussing the development of Sky Vegas Mobile Casino, head of platform and product Gary Wimbridge explained that it has been designed in order to automatically optimise for any device users are playing on: “We’ve utilised HTML5 so we can go cross-browser and cross-platform. It will launch initially on iOS platform, followed by Android in Q1 ’13. We’ve developed the portal in such a way that it uses responsive design to adapt to the device which you are using.
“We deliver images smartly by only giving you the images you need. For example, on a standard iPhone you’ll just get normal-sized images; if you’re using a retina display screen we’ll give you higher-res images for that device. With that it also gives us the flexibility to wrap this up in a native hybrid app that will work on all devices,” he said.
PokerStars eyes up New Jersey casino
PokerStars is lining up a bid to acquire an Atlantic City casino as a means of obtaining a licence in the soon-to-be regulated US market.
The move, news of which comes in the same week a new egaming bill progressed in the New Jersey legislature, could see PokerStars gain an unexpected foothold not only in the Garden State but also nationally should federal regulation pass in the future.
According to The Wall Street Journal, PokerStars is in talks to acquire the struggling Atlantic Club Casino Hotel from investment group Colony Capital for a fee thought to be less than $50m.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
Paddy Power to debut new visual identity
Paddy Power has unveiled a new visual identity which it hopes will better reflect the operator’s burgeoning image as a “mischief-maker”.
As well as a new overriding brand logo, the operator is keen to develop consistency around its sub-brands for different product verticals. These include poker, casino, games, sports betting, bingo, live casino and the iPad and iPhone-compatible Paddy Power Vegas brand.
The new image and shorthand logo have been developed with US-headquartered brand consulting business Landor Associates, and are accompanied by what Paddy Power describes as “agitators” – described by the operator as “Illustrations which have been designed to add humour and a sense of fun to the look and feel of the brand [which] will interact either with our text, patterns, imagery or as part of an overall layout.”
Bally in 3G Studios takeover talks
Bally Technologies has held talks to acquire Reno-based game developer 3G Studios’ B2B division for a sum thought to be in excess of US$60m, according to reports.
The gaming machine supplier is among several potential buyers including Activision Blizzard, IGT and Electronic Arts, interested in the developer which is seeking an interactive poker licence in Nevada and has struck a B2C partnership deal with Eldorado Resorts in Vegas.
According to Reuters, Bally executives held meetings at 3G’s offices in Reno earlier this week to determine whether or not to submit a formal offer, thought to be in the region of in excess of US$60m, for the developer’s B2B offering.
Microgaming launches “most ambitious slot” to date
Microgaming has today launched Battlestar Galactica, its most ambitious video slot game to date, the supplier’s head of casino has told eGaming Review this morning.
Based on the science-fiction drama television series, more than 100 of Microgaming’s customers and 160 brands are due to take the game via its Quickfire open games platform, Mike Hebdon told eGR.
The agreement between the software supplier and NBC Universal Television was signed at the beginning of this year with Micro’s team of developers and artists working on the game for close to 12 months.
Ongame launches dot.be mobile poker
Belgian-licensed operator GoldenPalace.be has become the first operator in the EU Member State to go live with Ongame’s dot.be mobile poker client.
Downloadable from the Belgian iTunes store, the offering is available on iPhone and iPad devices. in January 2011, Ongame skin bwin became the first egaming operator to have a real-money dot.com poker product added to the iTunes store.
GoldenPalace.be, not to be confused with its blacklisted dot.com namesake, was awarded a licence by the Belgian Gaming Commission in April.
Virgin launches iPad casino
Virgin Games has today launched its iPad casino, a standalone web app designed exclusively for iPad and tablets.
The launch means that Virgin Casino’s players can now access the operator’s games online, on mobile or on a tablet.
The app is accessible from any web browser and has, according to the company, been built to “respond to the exponential rise of the tablet as a primary entertainment device”.
Quickspin in video slots deal with Betclic Expekt
Slots developer Quickspin has signed an agreement with French operator Betclic Everest to provide video slots for its Betclic and Expekt brands.
The agreement covers Quickspin’s full portfolio of six games, led by the Mirrorball Slots titles available on the Facebook app launched by social gaming operator Plumbee in March.
Quickspin also has an agreement in place with Betsson, having inked a licensing deal in October to provide the Nordic-facing operator with its slots portfolio.
Odobo signs Rabcat partnership
Vienna-based development studio Rabcat has agreed a partnership which will see the company become one of the first to join Odobo’s Game Developer Platform (GDP).
The first game to launch on the HTML platform provider’s Odobo Play portal will be The Legend of Olympus slot (pictured), voted game of the year by the Austrian Lottery in 2011, with more titles to follow.
Commenting on the partnership, Rabcat’s head of production Florian Schmid said: “Joining the Odobo Game Developer Program (GDP) and being able to leverage its Game Development Kit (GDK) has allowed us to create dynamic HTML5 games for a great experience on any device.”
MyPok reopens after Partouche migration
ARJEL-licensed poker site MyPok.fr has relaunched on Partouche’s French network after moving from Microgaming and 888’s joint network in the country.
Formed by the merger of MyPok and PokerXtrem in July, the site opted to retain the MyPok brand name but confirmed in August that it would be moving onto the Partouche network before the end of the year.
Digital marketing business Income Access has signed up football betting operator bet90 as its latest partner. Under the terms of the deal, bet90 will take on analytics software as well as various marketing products and services. The operator’s affiliate and email marketing manager, Dennis Gaul, said: “Because we focus exclusively on football, we’re all about creating and growing relationships with sports lovers, and we want to give these fans an authentic football supporter experience. Income Access provides the fast, user-friendly betting stats and reporting that our affiliates crave, just as our players demand a fast, user-friendly website.”
Alderney-licensed developer Sheriff Gaming has announced the launch of two new 3D slots as well as new online scratchcard ‘Robbers’. The two slots are called ‘Abra Cadabra’ and ‘Beauty and the Nerd’, and spokesman Eric Roskamp described them as being “Packed with engaging storylines, unique concepts, designs and game flow models.”
Poker and casino affiliate business PokerAffiliate.com, which works closely with the EuroPoker and CasinoRoom brands, has selected Ihre Consulting to assist it with affiliate recruitment and management. Ihre Consulting owner Edward Ihre described the partnership as “perfect”, saying: “Their target markets as well as our areas of expertise are a great fit and we look forward to working with many affiliates who are interested in EuroPoker and CasinoRoom to ensure they profit from this new partnership.”
Slots provider JPM Interactive has released the first game of its Al Murray the Pub Landlord franchise. The debut title, ‘Al Murray’s Golden Game’, has debuted on bet365 and has been launched to coincide with the comedian’s live stand-up tour.
IGT has released a new online slot, ‘Crown of Egypt’. Leigh Nissim, commercial director of interactive, EMEA, said: the new release “Has all the ingredients to become an IGT classic,”
Scientific Games’ SG Gaming division has inked a deal with Paddy Power which will see it supply gaming machines to a segment of the operator’s retail estate.