Launches and sign-ups 30 November 2016
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (24 November 2016 to 30 November 2016)
Unibet to roll-out ‘Poker 2.0’ this week
Operator looks to cement its position as one of the industry’s biggest poker brands with launch of new client on 1 December
Unibet is to unveil its new ‘Poker 2.0’ client this week as the Stockholm-listed operator looks to continue its success in the vertical since launching on a standalone network.
The software, which will go live on 1 December, is powered by long-time partner Relax Gaming and includes a range of updated features such as a new hand replayer and enhanced graphics.
Available on desktop, tablet and mobile, Unibet Poker will also include improved back-end functionality, and offer a new loyalty scheme and fully integrated missions.
“Unibet Poker 2.0 was built from the ground up and designed to provide us with a foundation upon which we can seamlessly add in-game features to continuously provide the best experience possible for all our players,” Andrew West, Unibet head of poker, said.
Dutch regulator opens lottery market to Lottovate
Zeal Network’s Lottovate brand has been granted a charity lottery licence by the Netherlands Gaming Authority (Kansspelautoriteit), as the market begins to open up to non-incumbents.
As first reported by Gaming in Holland, Lottovate’s licence went live last week and will run until 31 December 2016, when the market’s new licensing procedure will open up beyond its current limitations.
The award of Lottovate’s licence follows a ruling by the Court of Amsterdam in May which said there was just no justification for limiting the amount of charity lottery licences to four, which are currently held by Postcode Loterij, Nationale Postcodeloterij, BankGiro Loterij and VriendenLoterij.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
Codere signs Real Madrid sponsorship deal
Codere has signed a landmark three-year betting partnership deal with Spanish football club Real Madrid as the land-based giant looks to grow its online offering.
Real Madrid last week unveiled Codere Apuestas as the club’s official betting partner until 2019, filling a void created by bwin’s decision to not continue its long-held betting partnership with the club.
Codere, which last season held a similar deal with Real Madrid’s Spanish rivals Valencia, will receive in-stadium advertising as well as a presence on Real Madrid’s official website.
Former Sporting Index trader fronts new US sports-focused bookmaker
Former Sporting Index trader Stephen Baumohl will head up a new UK-licensed bookmaker aimed at US sports fans, called Redzone Sports.
Baumohl is the vice president of trading at the new firm, which launched last week under the Argyll Entertainment umbrella.
“At RedZone we love all sports but we have a particular soft spot for all things American, and especially NFL,” said Baumohl, who was previously head of US Sports at Sporting Index.
Cherry eyes B2B push with new tech innovation arm
Cherry has launched a dedicated B2B technology business, bringing to market its gaming platform and technology services to further diversify the firm’s revenue streams.
The new XCaliber business area will see Cherry offer its tracking software tool Omarsys, payments and fraud aggregator system and gaming platform to B2B partners for the first time.
Headquartered in Malta with a supporting tech team in Poland, XCaliber will be headed by Cherry’s current group CTO Dario Arruda, who will assume the role of CEO for the business.
Kambi launches omni-channel service for LATAM media giant
Kambi has agreed a supply deal with Apuestas Internacionales, a Mexican casino firm owned by Groupo Televisa, one of the largest media organisations in the LATAM region.
The partnership will see Kambi supply its sports betting services to the Apuestas’ retail estate and online and mobile platforms.
The Swedish provider is already live in five of Apuestas’ PlayCity’s casinos and expects to deploy 12 more by the end of March 2017.
PokerStars picks up Portugal licence
PokerStars has been awarded a licence to operate its poker and casino platform in the regulated Portuguese market.
The firm becomes the fifth operator to be licensed by the Portuguese regulator SRIJ, and the first for poker.
“We’re happy to receive final approval and look forward to launching imminently,” a PokerStars representative told EGR Intel.