Tag Archives: ladbrokes

Mar 13 2013

Ladbrokes attempts gallop ahead of its rivals with software deal

Summary: Ladbrokes bolsters online presence with Playtech deal.

Betting giant Ladbrokes has today (March 11th) inked a deal with software firm Playtech in a move it hopes will boost its presence in the mobile and online gambling market.

Richard Glynn, Ladbrokes’ chief executive, who has come under heavy criticism lately due to his firm’s inability to catch up with its rivals in the online field, had talked about buying Playtech out but has instead decided to merely do business with the company.

The deal will see around 40 of Playtech’s marketing staff in Israel transfer to Ladbroke Digital, where they will work on software developments and launch campaigns to encourage more people to gamble online. The campaign could also involve sending out SMS messages to new and existing customers to encourage bet-in-play activity on their handsets.

In addition to that, Playtech will produce a range of casino style games and provide back-office support to Ladbrokes.

The agreement enables Playtech to earn normal royalties on the games it provides, but it will also be paid bonuses if it manages to increase Ladbrokes’ online profits.

“Ladbrokes has made significant progress over the past two years by investing in our core technology, revitalising our brand and making our customer offer more competitive,” Mr Glynn stated.

He added: “The formation of a new, Ladbrokes-owned, ecommerce and digital marketing services function, in addition to an expansion of our existing product relationship, is a material development.”

Recent weeks have been filled with activity for Playtech. Just last week it sold its 29 per cent stake in William Hill Online back to its parent company and prior to that it teamed up with Betfred to launch a new Live dealer solution for mobile users.

That particular contract will see the firm supplying roulette, blackjack and baccarat games to its partner which will run in real-time on Android devices.

Dynmark helps betting 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 gambling industry since 2006. Read more about Dynmark’s betting experience here.

Sep 27 2012

Live sports boosting mobile video viewing

Summary: New report shows that 84 per cent of mobile video users have gone on to increase their mobile video consumption after watching an Olympic event on the move

The majority of UK mobile phone users who have watched a live sporting event on their phone subsequently increased the amount of videos they viewed on the move, a new study has revealed.

QuickPlay Media has published the results of a survey which revealed that more than half (52 per cent) of mobile video users watched at least one Olympic event on either a smartphone or tablet computer over the summer.

The poll of UK mobile subscribers aged between 18 and 44 also showed that, of those who have opted to view a major sporting event on a mobile device, 84 per cent have since gone on to increase their mobile video consumption after having a positive experience first time around.

In fact, a third of this group said that they are now watching significantly more mobile videos than they were before watching their first live sporting event.

Overall, the number of people who are watching video on a smartphone or tablet computer has risen by 12 per cent over the past 12 months to 63 per cent.

This growth has largely been driven by the proliferation of devices, in particular tablets, which are able to play video. This trend is poised to continue over the coming years, with market research firm IDC recently forecasting that 117.1 million tablets will be shipped this year, up from 68.7 million in 2011.

Wayne Purboo, chief executive of QuickPlay Media, claimed that live TV is becoming a “primary driver” of demand for multiscreen services.

“The 2012 Olympics shattered records for mobile video viewing, and this is driving longer term consumer demand across a plethora of mobile devices,” he said.

“To capitalise on this demand service providers are looking for cost effective solutions that enable them to rapidly scale multiscreen services while maintaining security and quality of the consumer viewing experience. As a result we are seeing more and more companies looking to managed services as a solution to scale at speed.”

Other findings from the report show that half of respondents selected live TV, which included live programmes, sports and events, as the type of mobile video content that they most frequently watched. Two fifths preferred to view video on demand services.

More than half (55 per cent) of mobile video users view mobile videos once a week or more, with 16 per cent of this group watching videos every day. Last year, just 12 per cent of regular viewers watched mobile videos once a day.

Despite being able to watch videos on the move, consumers still watch the majority of mobile video at home, with 37 per cent revealing it is their main location for viewing. A quarter said that they watch mobile video in between activities and a fifth do so while commuting.

Productivity across UK workplaces probably dipped during the Olympics as the number of consumers watching mobile video at work doubled to 18 per cent during the summer showpiece event, compared to an average of nine per cent in other weeks.