Tag Archives: messaging

Apr 5 2013

Zynga announces real-money mobile gambling for Brits

Summary: Zynga has launched two new online gambling platforms for UK consumers.

Zynga has stuck to its promise of launching real-money mobile gambling in the UK.

From today (April 3rd), the social games provider is fulfilling the wishes of its customers and offering them the chance to play games via ZyngaPlusPoker and ZyngaPlusCasino while splashing some real cash.

The first of the two games is an online poker room that features a collection of games and tournaments with the option to buy-in at all levels. Meanwhile, ZyngaPlusCasino has introduced Brits to more than 160 slots games and various table games, including Roulette, Baccarat, Blackjack and Video Poker, as well as the first ever FarmVille-themed slots game.

While the initial rollout of the games will only be available on PCs, both platforms are serving as a test run for a Facebook-based model and mobile games, which will be announced in the coming few months.

When mobile users do have the opportunity to access the titles on their handsets, no matter where they play from, they’ll be able to use a single wallet shared across all channels. Furthermore, both platforms will treat users to a host of welcome packages that include real-money bonuses and free cash on deposit.

In a statement, Zynga’s chief revenue officer Barry Cottle explained the company’s long-term vision is to offer its players the next generation of real-money games on multiple platforms in regulated markets worldwide.

He added: “This is just the beginning for us and we’re looking forward to seeing what our UK players think about ZyngaPlusPoker and ZyngaPlusCasino and creating the most valuable casino games and social experiences for them.”

The games will be powered by bwin.party, one of the world’s leading real-money gaming operators. However, details of the agreement between the firm and Zynga have not yet been revealed, but CNBC reports analysts are predicting the London-listed gaming company will rake in a majority share of revenue.

Indeed, a recent survey conducted by Games Investor Consulting found the UK’s gaming sector is thriving due to the increased uptake of mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.

More studios are having to be set up to meet the rising demand for mobile gaming – it was shown in the research that the number of people employed throughout the industry rose from 8,888 to 9,224 in 2012.

Investors are likely to be hoping Zynga is able to take advantage of its strong customer base – which currently stands at around 300 million – and plough this into the online and mobile gambling market, which H2 Gambling Capital stated could be worth $30 billion (£20 billion) by the end of this year.

It could also be the case that Zynga sees an increase in its turnover, after previously holding back from getting involved in the mobile gaming revolution.

The firm’s plans to press ahead with introducing the gambling platforms for Facebook and mobile devices will mean more consumers are making use of its products, given that so many people at present are opting to access their favourite apps on their phones over laptops or PCs. This way it’ll be able to catch up with competitors like All Jackpots Casino, which announced last month it is offering its online casino services to mobile users.

Dynmark is the power behind global cloud mobile messaging and mobile marketing. We help organisations from SME through to global enterprise, to leverage the power of messaging as a business communication tool, for marketing or operational uses. Read more about Dynmark 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.