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”.

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

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.

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.”

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."