Launches and sign-ups 11 June 2014
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (5 June to 11 June 2014)
Costa Bingo owner Mandalay sold to Intertain for £60m
Intertain Group and Mandalay Media agree deal which will see Canadian company add bingo to gaming portfolio
Toronto-based Intertain Group is set to acquire Costa Bingo owner Mandalay Media in a £60m deal that will see the Intercasino owners take control of a number of UK-focused bingo sites.
The acquisition, which is made up of an initial cash payment of £45m with a further £15m to be paid dependent on performance, is subject to Intertain securing the financing required to complete the deal.
If completed, Intertain will gain a foothold in the online UK bingo market, which along with sports betting had been a long-term target for the company.
Mandalay owns some of the UK’s leading online bingo websites, including Costa Bingo, Sing Bingo, City Bingo, Fancy Bingo and Rio Bingo as well as leading affiliate sites Casino Choice and Ignite.
Betfair targets new audience with World Cup push
Betfair has launched a new television advertising campaign targeting a “new recreational audience” with the tagline ‘This is Play’, as the marketing battle for World Cup supremacy continues to heat-up.
The 30-second advert, which featured a giant octopus playing four games of table tennis simultaneously, was created by Betfair’s long-standing ad agency WCRS and was aired on ITV just before England kicked-off against Ecuador in Miami.
The ad signalled the start of a new integrated campaign which will incorporate TV, digital and press coverage to market Betfair’s new ‘This is Play’ strapline and brand image.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
Bally in $100m Dragonplay acquisition
Bally Technologies is set to make its first major push into the social casino sector through a US$100m deal to acquire Dragonplay.
A deal was struck between the pair following months of speculation regarding a potential sale of the social games developer and is due to be completed in July.
“We expect this strategic acquisition to help position Bally at the forefront of social casino gaming by leveraging our world-class content, including proprietary table games and award-winning video slots, on Dragonplay’s increasingly popular social casino,” Bally’s CEO, Richard Haddrill, said.
William Hill kicks off World Cup ad campaign
UK bookmaker William Hill has revamped its marketing for the World Cup with a “punter first” multi-platform marketing campaign that launched last week with an in-play focused TV ad.
The campaign features a series of TV, print and online adverts developed in collaboration with creative agency Creature of London, each telling a different story of three punters and their experience betting while watching football.
The first 30-second TV advert first aired during England’s pre-World Cup friendly against Ecuador on ITV and aimed to showcase the operator’s range of markets for each sporting event with the slogan “make every moment matter”.
32Red aims to stand out with new sportsbook
32Red is seeking to “innovate in the sports betting world” after soft-launching its Kambi Sports Solutions-powered sportsbook in time for the start of the football World Cup.
The predominantly casino-focused operator released a beta version of its new sports betting product last week in a move which has also seen the vertical rebranded from its previous guise of 32Red Bet to its new title of 32Red Sport.
The beta site, 32RedSport.com, has been made available in the UK and will run alongside the old sportsbook platform until after the testing phase, which is expected to come to an end early next week.
Daily Mirror owner signs bingo deal with Playtech
Newspaper group Trinity Mirror, owners of the Daily Mirror, will move its bingo business from Dragonfish to Virtue Fusion after agreeing a deal with the Playtech-owned bingo platform.
The publishing group will become one of Virtue Fusion’s tier one partners, joining the likes of William Hill, Mecca Bingo and Gala Bingo, and will receive the full cross-product platform with additional casino content provided by Playtech.
Trinity Mirror, which operates a number of bingo sites linked to its newspaper brands, will also receive Virtue Fusion’s new tablet bingo application which now incorporates single sign-on capabilities, allowing customers to seamlessly switch between bingo and casino verticals.
Bitcoin-only sportsbook launches ahead of World Cup
An online sportsbook using Bitcoin as its only payment option has launched in time for the FIFA World Cup with the aim of “normalising” the use of the currency in online gambling.
Licensed in Curacao, BetVIP was founded by Cape Town-based entrepreneur Daniel Schwartzkopff who said the venture “demonstrates our commitment to the longevity of the currency”.
BetVIP.com runs off BetTech’s sports betting platform and offers a range of in-play and pre-match markets. It accepts bets and pays out exclusively in bitcoins within regulated jurisdictions.
Quickspin continues UK push with Ladbrokes deal
Swedish game supplier Quickspin has continued its push into the UK market through a new casino content deal with Ladbrokes.
The agreement will see Ladbrokes launch Quickspin’s full suite of casino games under its Ladbrokes Vegas tab with the first games expected to launch later this week.
Quickspin signed a similar deal five months ago with UK-based bet365, and Daniel Lindberg, CEO at Quickspin, highlighted the UK market as one it has been targeting this year.
Ladbrokes completes mobile World Cup preparations
Ladbrokes has put the finishing touches to its World Cup mobile offer as the UK bookmaker prepares to roll out new app and HTML5 features, including the Ladbrokes World Cup Centre.
The operator’s flagship “tournament hub” tab is set to feature price boosts and special offers as well as key information about the World Cup including tournament fixtures and group tables.
The app will also include a daily binary coupon asking six yes or no questions which pays out at 33/1 and a free-to-play game offering £10,000 in free bets.
Sky Bet signs-up M&C Saatchi for pre-season push
Sky Betting & Gaming has appointed ad agency M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment to develop a new campaign aimed at promoting the operator’s headline partnership with England’s Football League.
The deal will see the London-based agency work on a creative campaign targeting Football League supporters, to demonstrate the operator’s commitment to “putting money back into the game”.
Speaking with eGR, Sky Bet managing director Richard Flint said the campaign was still in its early development phase but would be launched in time for the start of the new season.