Tag Archives: betting

Feb 20 2013

Betfred and Playtech launch new mobile casino app

Summary: Betfred has joined forces with software provider Playtech to roll out a new casino solution for the mobile channel.

Gambling licensee Betfred has teamed up with Playtech to launch a Live Dealer Casino solution for mobile users.

The bookmaker is offering consumers with Android-powered handsets the chance to play roulette, blackjack and baccarat on the move with the help of its partner, which designs, develops and provides software and services within the online, mobile and land-based gaming industry.

Players are able to easily connect to live tables via their mobiles or tablets at any time and in all locations and Betfred’s managing director Chris Sheffield is very excited about the product.

He explained innovation is at the heart of his business, while a strong relationship with third-party suppliers like Playtech is crucial to becoming an industry leader in mobile gaming.

“In addition to a comprehensive sportsbook, including a native Goals Galore app, an excellent selection of slot games and mobile lotto betting, we can now offer our players high-quality, real-time casino action, anytime, anywhere, at the touch of a button,” Mr Sheffield added.

Playtech’s expertise in developing unified software platforms and providing other services like marketing, hosting and customer relationship management are likely to be among the reasons Betfred partnered with the firm for its latest rollout.

Its capabilities further include the delivery of a turnkey solution that allows players to access mobile, online and server-based gaming sites through a single account.

Shay Segev, chief operating officer at Playtech, said the firm is pleased to be working alongside Betfred for the launch of its new offering, which he stated uses advanced mobile live gaming technology.

He remarked: “The mobile platform has become utterly invaluable to every online gaming business and we are proud to be leading the market in this arena with strong operators such as Betfred.”

This comes after Business 2 Community recently indicated mobile casino and gambling applications are set to take off among consumers in 2013, with many platforms due to be optimised for use on the go.

It was noted the coming months will see a rise in the popularity of apps that require direct interaction from players using functions like SMS messaging or bet-in-play.

http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/playtech-brings-its-live-casino-to-mobile-with-betfred-191681821.html

http://kamino.directnews.co.uk/Article/ArticlePreview?articleId=801537712

Dynmark helps gaming companies engage customers through fully automated SMS communications; from welcome and activation to in-play bets and service messages. With proven experience integrating with gaming platforms such as Playtech, Dynmark has been providing SMS messaging and services to the gaming industry since 2006. Read more about Dynmark’s gaming experience here.

Feb 6 2013

Super Bowl brings opportunities for mobile marketers

Summary: The majority of US consumers were active on their mobiles during the Super Bowl.

Around one-third of the US population tuned in to watch the 47th Super Bowl at the weekend (February 3rd), with 82 per cent of people thought to use their mobile device during the game.

This is according to mobile ad network Mojiva, which stated most people went on their phones during the match to discuss the game via text, email or instant messaging (26 per cent) or post to social networks about the event (21 per cent), Mobile Marketing Magazine reports.

Selphi Shaphira, chief executive of mobile ad platform Massive Impact, told the news provider that advertising throughout the Super Bowl takes the spotlight just as much as the game itself. She added: “With mobile advertising, there is finally a unique opportunity to personalise ads in real-time, targeting individual interests and geo-location.”

The expert also said it is crucial for mobile advertising to be effective, as the Super Bowl marks a time when people are actively engaged with content and they are more likely to take an interest in the products of the advertiser.

It is likely consumers were also using their smartphones to access bet-in-play functions and place odds on who they thought the winning side would be.

There are other ways in which mobile marketers have been able to benefit from the Super Bowl and second-screening service Zeebox used the event to host a ‘virtual viewing party’. Through the application, users were able to access game stats, interact with other fans and take part in live polls, as well as enter American football-related quizzes.

It also included the option to receive live updates – which is likely to have been useful for people unable to watch the game – and play on the Buzz Bubbler feature, which showed which mobile ads were gathering the most interest through a voting mechanism.

Meanwhile, location-based social media platform Banjo uploaded images directly from the Super Bowl in order to give viewers the impression of being in the stadium.

Jennifer Peck, director of engagement at Banjo, said the company’s ability to show the game through the eyes of attendees provided “a completely immersive experience for fans around the world”.

http://mobilemarketingmagazine.com/content/how-mobile-super-bowl-xlvii

Dynmark helps gaming companies engage customers through fully automated SMS communications; from welcome and activation to in-play bets and service messages. With proven experience integrating with gaming platforms such as Playtech, Dynmark has been providing SMS messaging and services to the gaming industry since 2006. Read more about Dynmark’s gaming experience here.

Feb 6 2013

Koolbit launches mobile casino games in Britain

Summary: San Francisco-based Koolbit has brought 25 real-money gambling games to British mobile users.

Koolbit has announced it is entering the real-money gambling market and launching its first mobile casino games in the UK.

In an interview with GamesBeat, chief executive of the San Francisco-based company Gerard Cunningham explained the company has rolled out a full suite of gambling casino games on a new website called iGoSlots.com, which can be accessed either by a PC or a smartphone.

The portal – which features an HTML5 foundation and went live at the weekend (February 3rd) – was set up by Koolbit alongside Cozy Games and it even has a license for use on the Isle of Man.

Mr Cunningham stated the firm took a mobile-first approach with the design of the website, but it can be played on all devices. “We’ve had virtual goods casino games running for nine months now and we’re now going to have the biggest real-money mobile casino network with 25 games,” he was quoted as saying.

Mobile gamers hoping to experiment with one of Koolbit’s new games will be able to choose from various popular titles on iGoSlots.com, including roulette, blackjack, video poker, scratchers and bingo.

The games business will continue to operate its flagship collection of casino games on City Slots, which is regularly ranked as one of the top 20 Cards and Casino games on Google Play. With these games, customers play by purchasing virtual chips, which they are unable to cash out.

However, with iGoSlot, Mr Cunningham said Koolbit is moving into the $44 billion (£28 billion) real-money online and mobile gambling market and away from the social casino games industry, so there is now the option for players to cash out their winnings.

According to Social Casino Intelligence, he called Koolbit one of the first game companies to “make the leap into real-money gambling,” which it is doing with a “unique, mobile-first site”.

The expert is a former executive at online horse race gambling company Betfair and he founded Koolbit in 2011 in order to pursue his interest in mobile casino games. Mr Cunningham is set to deliver a presentation at the ICE real-money online gambling conference, which kicked off in London today (February 5th).

http://venturebeat.com/2013/02/03/koolbit-expands-into-real-money-online-gambling-casino-games-on-mobile/

http://www.socialcasinointelligence.com/tag/koolbit/

Dynmark helps gaming companies engage customers through fully automated SMS communications; from welcome and activation to in-play bets and service messages. With proven experience integrating with gaming platforms such as Playtech, Dynmark has been providing SMS messaging and services to the gaming industry since 2006. Read more about Dynmark’s gaming experience here.

Feb 5 2013

Kongregate invests $10m (£6.4m) in mobile gaming venture

Summary: Kongregate is launching a multi-million dollar programme to help developers produce mobile games.

Kongregate is set to launch a $10 million (£6.4 million) programme that it hopes will encourage independent developers to produce mobile games for its platform.

The online games portal and its parent company GameStop announced today (February 4th) it is using the funding to support up-and-coming free mobile games at the same time as rolling out its own mobile business.

In order to help its clients to become successful in the mobile gaming industry, Kongregate is offering them cash advances to cover final build and integration expenses and free consultations with experienced developers, as well as creative services, quality assurance and gameplay testing.

Furthermore, the business is due to manage paid advertising campaigns for games across third-party networks and work alongside app stores to get certain games featured.

Heading up the Kongregate Mobile Developers scheme is Pany Haritatos, former general manager of competing online gaming site Zynga.

Mr Haritatos said at present, developers are struggling to get their games discovered through the many different app stores there are available to mobile users.

“I personally faced these challenges in 2009 while managing my own game studio. Utilising the Kongregate platform made my games successful, which ultimately led to my studio being acquired by Zynga,” he added.

Developers to receive support from Kongregate will see their games promoted to more than 50 million gamers via the online gaming company’s own website, GameStop’s iOS and Android applications, as well as web-based destinations and social media.

In addition, thanks to this new and innovative opportunity, some titles could appear in some of GameStop’s 6,600 stores worldwide.

Kongregate co-founder Emily Greer stated there is a big difference between the games portal’s mobile channel and what it is doing online. She told Inside Social Games: “We’re focusing on quality, not quantity, on mobile. We’re starting with the upper tiers, where everybody gets a high level of service and promotion.”

GameStop is also set to re-launch one of its applications with a new functionality that makes it easy for top developers to get their games discovered by up to 22 million of its PowerUp Rewards Members.

http://geeks.broadwayworld.com/article/Kongregate-Announces-10-Million-Development-Fund-for-New-Mobile-Gaming-Initiative-20130204

http://www.insidesocialgames.com/2013/02/04/kongregate-pledges-10m-towards-mobile-gaming-former-zynga-vp-heading-mobile-division/

http://www.develop-online.net/news/43169/Kongregate-makes-10m-push-into-mobile-gaming-market

Dynmark helps gaming companies engage customers through fully automated SMS communications; from welcome and activation to in-play bets and service messages. With proven experience integrating with gaming platforms such as Playtech, Dynmark has been providing SMS messaging and services to the gaming industry since 2006. Read more about Dynmark’s gaming experience here.

Feb 5 2013

888 Holdings’ Q4 profits driven by mobile gaming

Summary: 888 Holdings has announced its annual revenue rose by 13 per cent during 2012, as demand for its mobile gaming services increased.

As an increasing number of consumers look to engage in online gaming activities such as bet-in-play or bingo via their mobile phones, the firms rolling out these services are starting to experience a rise in profits.

For instance, it was announced today (February 4th) that 888 Holdings saw a 13 per cent boost to its annual revenue for 2012, which was driven by growth in business on mobile devices and its expansion across Europe.

The online casino and poker company revealed profits soared by seven per cent to $97 million (£61.6 million) during the fourth quarter of 2012, while total returns for the year climbed to a whopping $376 million.

Brian Mattingley, chief executive of 888 Holdings, said the organisation’s achievements in Spain and Italy show it has the right product and technology-led marketing to make “significant inroads” into new markets and it is looking to “repeat that success in other regulating territories”.

“The quarter ended an excellent year of performance for 888, as we achieved record revenues in both the quarter and the year as a whole,” he continued.

In December 2012, 888 Holdings announced a joint venture in the UK with Facebook that allows users of the social media site to use real money for bingo, casino and slot games, when previously they had just used virtual points.

And as of the end of last year, 888 Holdings boasted a customer base of 13.1 million casino, poker and sport players with real-money accounts, which was an increase of 23 per cent since the same time the year before.

Furthermore, the number of active business-to-consumer casino and poker users playing through the firm stood at 520,000, a year-on-year increase of nine per cent and up from the 478,000 recorded in the last quarter of 2011.

Mr Mattingley stated: “We are experiencing a significant increase in customer recruitment and revenue from mobile platforms and, given our focus and commitment to investment in mobile, see this is as just the beginning of an increasing trend.”

He added the New Year had kicked off well for the company and he therefore remains “confident of future growth”.

It could be the case that the firm’s focus on mobile marketing as a way of attracting individuals to its gaming services has proved fruitful in the long-term and it may be wise for other companies to practice a similar strategy.

Indeed, shares in the business rose by one per cent in early trading today and financial services firm Investec told the Telegraph it is retaining its buy rating on 888 Holding’s shares, despite European legislative and UK tax risks.

It said that as the online gaming company’s shares have had a strong position since the beginning of 2012, it felt safe to hold on to its investment, adding 888 Holdings has “made all the right moves” in the development of its brand and platform.

In light of 888 Holding’s fourth quarter results, other firms providing bet-in-play or casino services should think about how they can use mobile channels to their advantage, whether they wish to target consumers via SMS messaging or on the go using social media.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/epic/888/9846680/888-posts-record-revenues-as-mobile-gaming-rises.html

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/04/uk-888-holdings-idUKBRE91306K20130204

http://www.stockmarketwire.com/article/4531770/888-enjoys-strong-growth-in-customer-numbers.html

Dynmark helps gaming companies engage customers through fully automated SMS communications; from welcome and activation to in-play bets and service messages. With proven experience integrating with gaming platforms such as Playtech, Dynmark has been providing SMS messaging and services to the gaming industry since 2006. Read more about Dynmark’s gaming experience here.