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Acquisition of Ash Gaming by Playtech

admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 04:32:00 +0000

Gaming software developer, Playtech, has just announced its acquisition of Ash Gaming. Playtech is already providing software solutions to a massive part of the online gaming industry and is one of the top suppliers of online gaming software. They have acquired Ash Gaming for a total of £23 million with the first £15.5 million being paid straight away and a further £7.5 million being paid over the next three years. The online gaming giant has been making acquisitions of online gaming companies throughout the industry and their latest deal takes the total to 11 acquisitions including 4 in 2011.

Playtech said that the acquisition "Enhances Playtech’s wholly-owned content library and value chain economics; complements Playtech’s technology leadership with additional premier content capability." The Playtech CEO Mor Weizer added that, "We see this as complementing our strategic actions by ensuring class leading content alongside our leadership in technology. Together this makes a powerful combination and by owning significant games content we will maximize both revenue and earnings across the value chain. In newly regulated markets both in Europe and other territories such as Canada, Ash Gaming’s content is set to gain considerable traction."

With Ash Gaming now a part of the Playtech empire it is expected that the online gaming firm will be able to increase the quality of the online gaming options that they provide to front end online casinos. Playtech is already well known for providing superior products to the online casino industry. Ash Gaming was founded in 2002 and specialises in innovation within the online gaming sphere.

This is good news for players at William Hill, which is powered by Playtech, as this means that their games are going to soon be seeing the innovations that Ash Gaming has become famous for. Players can expect to find that their favourite games are going to be even more fun to play in the near future.

Rating: 5.0/5 (3 votes cast)

Acquisition of Ash Gaming by Playtech ©, .

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eCOGRA Board Restructured

admin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:06:52 +0000

Changes implemented to reflect current ownership

Following the management buyout of eCOGRA earlier in the year, it has been decided to restructure and streamline the Board to reflect the Company’s current ownership.

As a result of the restructuring Non-Executive Directors Michael Hirst OBE, Bill Galston OBE and Frank Catania will be leaving the Board as of the 31st December 2011.

The new Board will be comprised of Chief Executive Officer Andrew Beveridge and Tex Rees, who have been part of the organisation’s management team since 2003.

Andrew Beveridge said, “I am very grateful to Michael, Bill and Frank for their enormous contribution in helping to establish eCOGRA as a pre-eminent independent remote gambling standards body and testing agency and steering the Company to its new found status.

“I look forward to the next chapter of our growth as we set out to use our exceptional and unrivalled experience in providing services to jurisdictions, whilst maintaining our unique eCOGRA seal assuring player protection on approved sites”.

Rating: 5.0/5 (3 votes cast)

eCOGRA Board Restructured ©, .

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Shortlist for the iGB Affiliate Awards Released

admin — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 19:40:12 +0000

The iGB Affiliate award votes have been counted and the organisers are happy to say that over 4,000 industry affiliates and executives made their choice. A fantastic response, ensuring a truly representative vote, the shortlist includes those who received the most or equal votes in any of the following categories: Best Affiliate (all verticals), Best Affiliate Program (all verticals), Best New Comer (Affiliate & Program), Best Affiliate manager (all verticals), Best iGaming Affiliate Network, The Louis Fabiano Award for the Best iGaming Community and Best Payment System for Affiliates.

“A well deserved congratulations to everyone in the shortlist” said Alex Pratt, Head of iGaming Business “To get to this stage is an amazing result and means you’ve had to beat most of your competitors to one of these top spots. Win or lose, each company on this list should be proud to have gotten to this stage. The final decision is now in the hands of our judges, so all that is left to say is good luck to our finalists.”

All the finalists will be examined by a judging panel who will evaluate each short listed nomination in order to select the final winner. The judging process is a rigorous and thorough procedure – each nomination will be considered upon their initial nomination entry (their answer to “Why You Should Win”) and evaluated against the judging criteria. Each judging panel will consist of independent experts to ensure that the integrity of the Awards is upheld, all entries get full consideration and that the right winners are chosen. Specific experts have been invited according to the judging criteria of each Award to give their expert opinion on chosen areas, for example landing page professionals, SEO gurus, branding experts etc… More information on Judging criteria and a list of judges can be found here: www.iGBAffiliateAwards.com.

The iGB Affiliate Awards will be celebrated on the evening of the 26th of January, on the eve of the London Affiliate Conference. Over 50% of the seats have now been booked, so organisers expect a full house to come and celebrate these rising stars in the online gambling affiliate industry. With a three course meal, professional entertainment and a carnival theme, this will be a festive affair.

To view the shortlist click here:
http://files.igamingbusiness.co.uk/PDFs/Final_Shortlists_2012.pdf

Rating: 4.0/5 (5 votes cast)

Shortlist for the iGB Affiliate Awards Released ©, .

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Fire & Ice 2012: ORIGINAL SIN

admin — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:08:58 +0000

Lyceum Media, organizers of the most decadent iGaming party of the year will unveil a night of biblical proportion to the who’s who in the iGaming industry on Wednesday, January 25th at the exotic Gilgamesh in bustling Camden town London.

Doors open at 8:30pm for Party and Table Sponsors and their VIP guests. Organizers say that the best way to guarantee a spot inside the walls of Fire & Ice and avoid the queues outside is to reserve a drinks table in advance.

"Without our industry’s backing Fire & Ice couldn’t be possible. Leading iGaming companies come together to support one night of decadence. Fire & Ice is all about our totally unique stage show performances and we’re very grateful for our 2012 sponsors so far like headline sponsor ONEworks™ and our table sponsors such as WorldPay, Bet365, PayPoint, Income Access, JackpotJoy, Calvin Ayre, Experian, Bookmakers Review," commented Jodie Thind, organizer Fire & Ice.

Information, Photos and Video clips from past events are available at www.fireandiceparty.com

Sponsorship opportunities and VIP Table bookings are available now, Contact: Lyceum Media, events@lyceummedia.com +44 (0) 208 123 7184

Rating: 4.7/5 (3 votes cast)

Fire & Ice 2012: ORIGINAL SIN ©, .

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William Hill Online scoops eGR Operator of the Year Prize

admin — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:31:27 +0000

William Hill Online has been crowned operator of the year at the 2011 eGaming Review operator awards – beating shortlisted nominees including Bet365, Betfair and 888 to win the coveted trophy.

Held at the Honourable Artillery Club (HAC) in London, the annual egaming operator awards was bigger than ever this year with more than 700 online gaming professionals joining host and comedian Rufus Hound to celebrate the industry’s achievements in last 12 months.

According to eGR’s independent panel of judges, William Hill Online deservedly took home the most prestigious award of the evening, with the panel describing the operator as "the turnaround story of 2011".

"William Hill Online has transformed its brand into a dynamic fresh faced online gaming brand and their momentum shows no sign of slowing down," they said.

Henry Birch, CEO of William Hill Online said "The eGR award for operator of the year recognises the huge strides we’ve made over the last 12 months. I want to thank everyone at William Hill Online for all their hard work over the year – it has been fantastic!"

William Hill Online 2011

Following an outstanding performance in 2010, William Hill Online has continued to deliver excellent results this year.

In 2011, William Hill added Italian, Irish and Canadian sites to their international portfolio. The new additions now mean Hills offer 26 different language/territory sites which are available to over 175 different countries across the globe.

In Spain, William Hill Online have expanded their product range and through clever marketing techniques they’ve managed to become one of the leading players in the very competitive sector.

Another new site which William Hill added to its product range is their new financial betting site Day Trader.

The Mobile betting division benefitted from a series of innovations, including an exclusive relationship as the betting partner for the Racing Post app (William Hill took its millionth bet on the App in June), Shake-A-Bet, Mobile Casino and their new mobile sports betting site.

In-play amounts staked grew 95% year-on-year fuelled by continuous product expansion. Recent examples include being the only bookmaker to offer point-by-point betting on every Wimbledon match and the launch of an expanded in-play basketball products.

William Hill Online’s extensive pre-match and in-play football offering means the bookie offer around 500,000 betting opportunities every week on the widest variety of markets in the industry.

To support their online products – William Hill signed exclusive betting arrangements with ESPN, SPL, Scottish Football, the Sun’s Dream Team, the Investec Derby, and Super League Rugby.

Gaming net revenue grew 15% in the first half of 2011 period including Casino net revenue grew 14%, benefitting from further enhancements in the flash-based product range. Underlying gaming net revenue grew 29%. Bingo and Poker also grew, up 25% and 11%, respectively.

Their new revamped Bingo site embarked on a massive promotional campaign in October when they gave away 31 cars in 31 days to prize draw winners.

Poker is continuing to run some of the best promotions on the poker planet, while William Hill Vegas, Skills and Live Casino have also enjoyed a strong 2011. Vegas was spurred on by new games including exclusive marvel comic games and the Madness (music band) games.

Photo Caption: William Hill CEO Henry Birch, second from the right, receiving the trophy for operator of the year at the 2011 eGaming Review operator awards at the Honourable Artillery Club (HAC) in London, 30th November 2011.

Rating: 4.8/5 (6 votes cast)

William Hill Online scoops eGR Operator of the Year Prize ©, .

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GTECH G2 Signs Partnership With Xorti To Launch Two New Brands

admin — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:07:57 +0000

Leading interactive gaming software and services provider, GTECH G2, has signed a partnership with Xorti, to launch two exciting new gaming sites; Pokerleaders and SpinWinners.

GTECH G2 will partner with Xorti; providing the company with its market leading Poker and Instant Casino products. Xorti will also benefit from the GTECH G2 Gaming Management System (GMS). GMS is the only truly open platform that offers a seamless interface giving Xorti an unrivalled view of the player.

The partnership also includes the provision of GTECH G2′s Gaming Services. GTECH G2 provides a range of gaming services to aid the successful deployment and operation of its partner’s portals. GTECH G2 will provide Xorti with fully managed CRM services including its market leading VIP Marketing Management Programme.

William Scott, Vice President of GTECH G2 said, “It’s very exciting for GTECH G2 to be involved with the launch and creation of two new brands in the iGaming sphere. We are certain that both the Pokerleaders and SpinWinners sites will benefit from our ever expanding games portfolio.”

Olivier DOUCE, Director, of Xorti said, “As a company we are passionate about iGaming and wanted to invest in the very best technology and services. GTECH G2 has provided us with the perfect partnership for our entry into the market.”

Rating: 4.0/5 (4 votes cast)

GTECH G2 Signs Partnership With Xorti To Launch Two New Brands ©, .

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Hybrid Interaction Appoints ex-PokerStars Expert as New Head of Poker Consultancy

admin — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 19:15:59 +0000

Hybrid Interaction Ltd. welcomes Scott Yeates as its new head of Poker Consulting Services. Scott joins Hybrid Interaction from PokerStars, where for nearly 5 years he was leading the VIP Program. Scott will provide strategic direction and hands-on expertise to Hybrid Interaction’s expanding portfolio of poker clients, and as an experienced rewards program specialist, he would naturally fit into the core business of Hybrid Interaction: cross-vertical loyalty schemes enhancement.

"I was working directly with Scott few years back when we first established the Player Relationship Marketing team on the Isle of Man," said Shahar Attias, founder and CEO of Hybrid Interaction. "Scott’s extensive knowledge of best retention practices and vast experience in the Poker field, especially in what triggers the professional game makers, will have a significant, positive impact on our work in no time."

During his time at PokerStars, Scott played a key part of designing the most advanced online poker loyalty program, and as one of the previously largest players of the network, his insight was used to craft a program that had appeal to the new players, old players as well as the largest players on the internet.

"Hybrid Interaction is committed to maximizing its clients’ Lifetime-value by bringing together key professionals from across all verticals of the iGaming community," said Scott. "I am thrilled to join this ROI-driven organization at such a pivotal time in online gambling history."

Rating: 5.0/5 (1 vote cast)

Hybrid Interaction Appoints ex-PokerStars Expert as New Head of Poker Consultancy ©, .

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eCOGRA to Participate in the EGBA Responsible Gaming Day

admin — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:03:24 +0000

Members of the European Parliament and top online gaming operators will attend October 19 roundtable discussions

The critical topic of responsible gambling will be front and centre of European gambling discussions on October 19, when the influential trade body European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) holds its Responsible Gaming Day in Brussels.

With the European Parliament´s final vote on its draft Report on Online Gambling due in November, the event is expected to attract a substantial audience, bringing together EU and national officials, regulators, experts and academia, and stakeholders representing the broad spectrum of the European gaming industry and player representatives.

The Report is widely expected to influence the European Commission´s follow up to the Green Paper consultation.

Among the experts involved is Andrew Beveridge, Chief Executive of the independent player protection and industry standards organisation eCOGRA, who recently chaired the process to develop a CEN Workshop Agreement for Responsible Remote Gambling Measures (CWA 16259:2011).

"Given the current interest by regulators, operators and other industry stakeholders in further developing common standards for player protection, this is an ideal time to reflect on the success of the CEN Workshop Agreement initiative, which involved over 30 participants from trade associations, licensing authorities, operators and leading academic experts on gambling behaviour," he said.

Beveridge added that already this year over 30 tier one European operators and software suppliers, including the EGBA Members and eCOGRA Safe and Fair sealholders, have voluntarily elected to implement the 134 evidence-based measures developed by CEN aimed at ensuring player protection and responsible operator behaviour, and are being annually audited to demonstrate full compliance.

Based on audit evidence and player feedback, it is evident that these measures are proving highly effective, and as the first Pan-European agreement aimed at providing a high level of player protection in the European Union, this will provide a valuable contribution to any further efforts to develop common standards.

Joachim Haeusler, Responsible Gaming Manager at bwin.party digital entertainment, said that for the effective prevention of gambling-related problems it is important that operators use clearly defined measures and are audited regularly for compliance.

"Being among the first operators to adopt the CWA 16259:2011 measures, bwin.party urges all responsible operators – private as well as state-owned – to adhere to clear player protection measures that are properly audited to ensure a safe gaming environment ," he said.

Malcolm Harbour MEP, Conservative Chairman of the European Parliament of the internal market and consumer protection committee, added: "Our recently adopted report on online gambling has shown that there is a clear support for common standards for consumer protection at EU level. These are a positive step towards establishing a single market regime for responsible and safe gambling and they will benefit consumers, industry as well as the Single Market."

Dr. Gerhard Bühringer, Professor for Addiction Research at the Technische Universität in Dresden said that the CWA 16259:2011 measures provide an important first step towards better protection of vulnerable gamblers and the prevention of underage gambling.

He added that protection measures should be further discussed, and – in addition to external and independent regular audits for all public and private gambling opportunities – a scientific analysis and evaluation under everyday conditions is essential to determine the efficacy of all protection measures, as a basis for possible further improvements.

Following the roundtable discussions, Tex Rees, who manages eCOGRA’s initiatives in responsible gambling and the organisation’s disputes mediation service, will be presenting a live demonstration of the internet tools that are available to identify and protect vulnerable players.

Her demo will illustrate to delegates how the CWA 16259:2011 measures have been implemented by the EGBA Members, demonstrating how the measures work to ensure player protection and responsible operator behaviour, how the requirements are regularly audited, and the results of recent studies on the effectiveness of the measures.

www.responsiblegamingday.eu/html/rgd-programme.html

Rating: 5.0/5 (1 vote cast)

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eCOGRA Testing Capability Recognised By Italian and International Bodies

admin — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 04:18:28 +0000

Remote gambling standards and player protection body achieves accreditations of its own.

eCOGRA, the independent player protection and standards body servicing the international remote gambling industry, has achieved two milestones of its own, successfully qualifying as a testing agency with the Italian regulator AAMS, and having its systems approved by ISO – a Geneva-based international standards authority.

Working through the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, London-based eCOGRA was accredited by the International Organisation of Standards (ISO) after meeting its stringent systems-oriented requirements and standards.

On July 22, 2011 eCOGRA was awarded the ISO approval ISO/IEC 17025:2005 : General Requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. The accreditation is one of the quality assurance requirements for approval as a testing agency in various European remote gambling licensing jurisdictions.

eCOGRA has also confirmed its capability as a testing entity in the burgeoning Italian market by securing the approval of Italian regulator Amministrazione Autonoma Monopoli di Stato (Autonomous Administration of the State Monopolies) or AAMS.

This accreditation empowers eCOGRA to act as a testing and monitoring agency for remote gambling platforms, random number generators and gaming operator applications for compliance with the technical standards issued by AAMS.

It opens eCOGRA’s considerable experience in the field to operators with plans to access the Italian market.

Andrew Beveridge, chief executive officer of eCOGRA, congratulated his IT and audit staff on the achievement of the new accreditations this week, saluting their professional commitment to the highest international standards.

"Promoting the values of commitment and self-regulation, and preparing remote gambling companies for the national regulatory systems now evolving, remains a critical part of our business, and eCOGRA will continue to pursue testing agency approval in other emerging jurisdictions to ensure that we can provide a full-service offering which meets all of our client’s regulatory compliance needs," he said.

Beveridge added that eCOGRA expected to announce further jurisdictional approvals soon, and was open to approaches from both existing and new clients interested in the regulatory requirements of the emerging licensing jurisdictions, and how to meet these.

About eCOGRA

eCOGRA is staffed by highly professional auditors with Big 4 auditing firm experience, information system experts and responsible gambling specialists. The organisation is a leading supplier of compliance and advisory services in the areas of player protection, fair gaming and responsible operator behaviour to stakeholders in the remote gambling industry. In 2011 alone eCOGRA will perform almost 100 compliance reviews against eCOGRA’s eGAP Requirements, the European Gaming and Betting Association (‘EGBA’) Standards (incorporating the European CEN Workshop Agreement Measures) and various jurisdictional regulations.

About ISO

Founded in 1947, the ISO is an international standards-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organisations. The organisation promulgates worldwide proprietary industrial and commercial standards from its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

ISO is a voluntary organisation whose members are recognised standard authorities, representing a diverse range of countries and industries. The bulk of the work of ISO is done by the 2700 technical committees, subcommittees and working groups, assessing and inspecting applicant companies dedicated to improving services and production.

About AAMS

The Italian online gambling market is regulated by the Amministrazione Autonoma Monopoli di Stato (Autonomous Administration of the State Monopolies) or AAMS, which sets dedicated Italian market standards and requirements for operators in the Italian market and grants and monitors licenses.

Rating: 5.0/5 (1 vote cast)

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eCOGRA Accredited Online Gambling Sites Maintain Low Complaint Rate

admin — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 22:43:45 +0000

Majority of complaints resolved within 72 hours!

The 2011 half-year dispute statistics released by eCOGRA Fair Gaming Advocate Tex Rees this week show once again that eCOGRA-accredited operators maintained a remarkably low complaint ratio under 0.5 percent per site on average each month over the first six months of 2011.

The majority of valid complaints received by the independent player protection and standards body were resolved within 72 hours.

"e;Operators have responded in a fast and cooperative manner to those cases where I have requested information and explanations, and have been quick to respect my findings in each case,"e; Rees reported, adding that it had been noted that a small percentage of players still tried to circumvent terms and conditions governing play and payouts.

"e;This small category of players has become more creative in their tactics, but the operators have developed correspondingly improved methods to identify and then lock them out,"e; she said.

eCOGRA oversees the online gambling activities of some 145 tier one online gambling sites owned by some of the biggest and most established operators on the Internet, and makes available a free dispute resolution service to players using those sites which have been awarded eCOGRA’s "e;Safe and Fair"e; seal.

During the first 6 months of 2011 a total of 475 complaints were received, 57 of these being in respect of sites outside the eCOGRA sphere of influence and therefore not accepted. A further 60 were invalid due to insufficient information or irrelevant enquiry.

The 358 valid and legitimate complaints accepted by the FGA featured cash-in problems (41 percent), bonus issues (23 percent) and locked accounts (21 percent) as the main disputes, with an average complaint rate of 13 per week across all 145 accredited operations.

The number of valid disputes resolved in favour of the player dropped to 40 percent, a decrease of 3 percent on the 2010 figures, Rees reported.

"e;This decrease is attributed to a number of gambling syndicates breaking the terms and conditions that were uncovered by operators through the application of increasingly sophisticated tracking techniques"e; says Rees. "e;The use of multiple account and fraudulent documents are being picked up on a much more regular basis"e;.

Rating: 5.0/5 (1 vote cast)

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