Launches and sign-ups 23 November 2016
Launches and sign-ups from the egaming industry in the last seven days (17 November 2016 to 23 November 2016)
Ex-Hills and 888 duo launch Tinder-inspired betting app
Adam Kamanson and Adam Wilson aim to target casual sports bettors and millennials with new ‘swipe-to-bet’ mobile app
Ex-William Hill and 888 employees, Adam Kalmanson and Adam Wilson, have teamed-up to launch a new ‘swipe-to-bet’ mobile sportsbook, inspired by popular dating app Tinder.
Bookee offers customers a selection of small-stake personalised bet suggestions, such as ‘Aguero to score first and City win 2-1’, which customers can swipe left to discard or right to accept.
The product has a maximum stake limit of å£30 per bet and with its new ‘Splitbet’ feature has also taken learnings from transportation app Uber by enabling customers to split the stake with a friend.
Sports betting supplier FSB Technology currently powers all Bookee’s back office, payment processing tools and pricing capabilities for markets including football, tennis, NFL, golf and darts.
Ladbrokes Coral and Betfred to offer bets into giant Hong Kong racing pools
Ladbrokes Coral and Betfred will allow UK customers to bet into Hong Kong’s pari-mutuel pools following a new co-mingling agreement between the UK Tote and Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC).
As part of the agreement, Betfred, Coral and Ladbrokes will all accept retail bets into the world’s largest per-race tote pool, with an online deal also currently being finalised.
“We are trialling this in our shops as we want to offer our customers more choice and opportunities,”a Ladbrokes Coral spokesperson told EGR.
Seven days in launches and sign-ups:
FanDuel and DraftKings confirm “merger of equals”
FanDuel and DraftKings have announced a “merger of equals”as the two DFS market leaders look to overcome regulatory hurdles and recent cashflow problems.
DraftKings CEO Jason Robins will become CEO of the newly combined company and FanDuel CEO Nigel Eccles will become chairman of the board.
The company’s board will be composed of those two plus three directors from DraftKings, three directors from FanDuel and one independent director.
PokerStars launches five-minute poker tournaments
PokerStars has launched a new five-minute tournament format called “Beat The Clock”as the firm continues its push toward recreational players.
The four-player game sees players trying to survive until a five-minute timer runs out, with prizes then distributed in proportion to the players’ chip stacks at the end of the tournament.
The new format is inspired by the company’s new strategy to maximise “winning moments”for its players and shift the focus away from grinders towards recreational players.
Danske Spil nets Danish Football Association partnership
Danske Spil has struck a three-year deal to replace Tipico as partner of the Danish Football Association (DBU) from January.
The agreement will see the operator become the official partner of Denmark’s national team and under 21 side up to and including the European Championships in 2020.
The Danish operator replaces Tipico, which agreed a two-year partnership with the DBU back in 2015, and has signed up legendary goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel as a brand ambassador.
Hills enters racing offers war with High Five concession
William Hill has entered the battle for horseracing market share, with a new concession that offers punters a bonus if their horse wins big or is pipped to the post
The High Five offer, launched last week, pays out a 25% bonus (up to å£100) on a winning bet if the horse wins by five lengths or more.
It also gives money back up to å£25 if the horse finished second by five lengths or more, with both bonuses being paid in free bets.
Sun Bets tees up Metric Gaming’s golf price feed
Sun Bets has reached an agreement with Metric Gaming to integrate the supplier’s golf pricing solution, it was announced today.
The Tabcorp-powered operator will have access to Metric’s pre-game prices across all outright and match markets, as well as the supplier’s in-play proposition – SuperLive platform.
“As a newcomer to the marketplace we are focused on differentiation through technology,”Sun Bet’s sportsbook director, Kevin Beard, said.
Playtech bolsters live casino portfolio with Prestige Baccarat launch
Playtech has unveiled its latest live dealer game, Prestige Baccarat, featuring an improved user interface as the supplier continues to improve its casino products.
The supplier said the live Baccarat experience has been “significantly enhanced”with five gameplay angles and action replays of winning hands designed to get players closer to the action.
Prestige Baccarat offers a custom designed cloth and backdrop which depicts the Chinese symbol for luck, as well as a series of specially positioned cameras which focus on the ‘Squeeze’ element of Baccarat.