Launches and sign-ups 11 July 2012
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (5 July to 11 July 2012).
Betfair in “landmark” British Racing deal
Commercial agreement worth £40m over five years – operator will pay 10.75% of all horseracing revenues from UK customers.
Betfair has signed a £40m five-year commercial agreement with horseracing body British Racing, in a deal which the operator hopes will “[Provide] a template to help secure the long term funding of British Racing.”
It will now pay 10.75% of horse racing revenues to the body, which comprises the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), the Racecourse Association and the Horsemen’s Group, with the sum replacing existing voluntary levy contribution. Betfair has also committed to certain minimum payments as part of what it describes as a “landmark” deal.
The news comes less than one week after William Hill – along with the BHA – had prepared to launch a judicial review to challenge a ruling that Betfair was not required to contribute to the levy. According to the Racing Post, Hills will now proceed alone.
Last November Betfair, along with other bookmakers including Ladbrokes, agreed a deal with the Horse Race Betting Levy Board to contribute an estimated £72.4m to the industry, with Betfair committing to contribute £6.5m voluntarily. This sum will be offset against any contributions covered by the new commercial agreement.
German Länder launch national lottery
Germany has merged its two federal lottery operators to form die Gemeinsamen Klassenlotterie der Länder (GKL), the country’s first national lottery organisation, as part of the implementation on the amended Interstate Gambling Treaty.
The merger was officially described in a statement this morning as a move to offer an “attractive alternative to private operators which offer unregulated and unsafe products.” In a separate resolution, the GKL has been approved by the Länder to expand the range of lottery products it can offer from 2013.
All 16 of Germany’s member states have agreed to the formation of a national lottery as part of the implementation of the country’s controversial gambling treaty, which was originally signed by 15 of the 16 Länder with Schleswig-Holstein the notable exception, and brought into force on 1 July following the passage of the Federal Horse Racing and Lottery Act into law.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups
Betsson goes live in Italy with Evolution
Betsson has launched Evolution Gaming’s live dealer offering on its StarCasino brand in Italy, the operator has announced.
StarCasino has launched Evolution’s Venezia Roulette and Ventuno “ a blackjack variant customised for Italian players “ with a standard live blackjack offering to follow, featuring native Italian dealers.
Betsson’s general manager for Italy Fabio Bufalini explained that the group’s successful existing relationship with Evolution prompted them to select the Malta-licensed supplier for the Italian market: “Betsson Group has already achieved international success with Evolution Live Casino. In Italy we were also aware of Evolution’s localised solutions and their dedicated tables, which we see as the way forward in this market.
Sportradar receives 44m investment
Sportradar has received 44m investment from Swedish private equity firm EQT Expansion Capital, the sports betting live data provider has announced.
The deal sees EQT become a minority investor in the company, while EQT board member Werner Klatten will join the Sportradar board as chairman, although the data company’s CEO Carsten Koerl will remain in his role.
Klatten said: “With its investment in Sportradar, EQT Expansion Capital supports a highly innovative provider of live sports data that will strongly profit from the continuous growth of the sports betting market.”
Betfred moves into social with We R Interactive deal
UK sportsbook operator Betfred signed a deal with social games publisher We R Interactive to mark the company’s first foray into social gaming.
The deal will see a virtual Betfred betting shop integrated into We R Interactive’s flagship title I AM PLAYR, a game on the Facebook platform combining videos, interactive story-telling and 3D gameplay to let players live the life of a professional footballer. The virtual shop, which will launch by the start of the Premiership football season on 18 August, will feature Betfred’s odds on matches, with players able to bet and win virtual currency.
Betfred.com managing director Chris Sheffield commented that the deal would allow the operator to expand its customer base by making a new demographic aware of the company: “We are all about innovation at Betfred.com, that’s why this deal was so appealing and we are delighted that our brand will be exposed to a wider audience.”
Probability in GeoComply deal
Mobile gambling operator Probability has struck a deal for GeoComply’s player geolocation services, allowing it to keep tabs on players using Apple and Android devices.
The news comes just one month after the Gibraltar-licensed company brought its flagship LadyLucks casino offering to Apple’s App Store, offering slots and roulette on iPhones and iPads.
Probability CEO Charles Cohen explained that his company had selected GeoComply because “They understand not only the regulatory and social responsibility standards we adhere to, but also the absolute priority of giving the player a seamless customer experience and where all the ‘hard yards’ required for the geolocation are done in the background.”
Betclic signs QuickFire deal
Microgaming-powered, open casino games platform provider QuickFire has gone live with Betclic, providing the operator with a selection of games for its dot.com site.
The deal sees a number of Microgaming’s products launched on the Betclic Games site, including a number of European slots, jackpot games and video slots, with the operator’s head of gaming development Stuart McCarthy explaining that the rapid integration process and product portfolio had influenced his decision to select QuickFire.
PokerStars sponsors Brazilian Series of Poker
PokerStars has been named as the new sponsor of the Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP), the operator has announced.
The eight-event tour was previously sponsored by Full Tilt Poker before the company ceased activity last year, but now joins country-specific tours such as the UK & Ireland Poker Tour on PokerStars’ portfolio.
Tivoli Casino moves online with Play’n Go
Play’n Go has fought off competition from seven other providers to win the race to launch an online casino offering for the owner of Danish tourist attraction Tivoli Gardens.
The tivolicasino.dk site has launched ahead of schedule, and offers games including blackjack, European roulette and a selection of online slots.
Betfair has launched a new app for Android devices, which now features the operator’s ‘cash out’ function as well as price graphs and market view enhancements. VP of mobile Raj Velmulapali said the launch “Highlights the benefit of our Silicon Valley Development Center, who have worked round the clock to build a product that is very engaging and reflects the needs of our customers and business.”
Play’n Go has followed its Tivoli deal by announcing a new deal with Betsson to provide the Nordic-facing operator with a series of online and mobile casino games. The developer will provide both flash and HTML5 games across a number of Betsson’s sites.
Worldlink has signed its second betting partnership with a Premier League club, becoming the official betting and gaming partner of Newcastle United. It follows a similar deal earlier this month with Newcastle’s neighbours Sunderland, and comes shortly after the mobile sports data provider appointed former UEFA Champions League marketing chief Stephen Pearson as CMO for its sports and gaming division Worldlink Sports Limited.
Insured jackpot supplier Topjack Games has signed its fourth white label deal, striking a deal with El Penguini Games. This follows existing agreements with Eseguire, OrientPlay and Myesyats.
A new site has launched in the United States, claiming to be entirely legal in the majority of the 50 states. SkillBet allows players to play identical hands on separate tables, with the player to turn more of a profit than his or her opponent winning the difference between their final totals.