CATENA MEDIA ACQUIRES ASKGAMBLERS.COM

CATENA MEDIA ACQUIRES ASKGAMBLERS.COM 

ONLINE LEAD GENERATION company Catena Media has acquired affiliate website AskGamblers.com in adeal worth €15 million ($17.1 million).

       The agreement represents Catena's largest transaction in its history and is the company's third strategic acquisition of the year.

        A sum of €3 million will be paid on completion of the transaction, a further €8.25 million will be paid when all assets have been transferred to Catena, and €3.75 million is due six months after the acquisition has been completed.

        AskGamblers. portal features player reviews and rankings of online casinos, as well as offering players the opportunity of trying online casino-related disputes via the portal and helping them regain money.

         Based in Serbia, AskGamblers currently employs 30 people, all of whom will be offered continued employment by Catena.

         Catena Media has grown into one of the most interesting actors in our industry and it feels particularly exciting that AskGamblers.com founder Igor Salindrija said.

         Robert Andersson, chief executive if Catena, added AskGamblers is an extremely important site for casino operators and, through its stringent requirements for certified casinos, contributes to creating a better iGaming industry.

          The transaction is the largest in Catena Media 's history and in line with our strategy of growth through acquisitions in a fragmented market.

           In parallel, we are strengthening our team with a number of highly skilled individuals and this transaction provides us wish the opportunity to build the office in Serbia into an extremely cost-efficient development centre for Catena Media.

WORLD POKER TOUR SECURES INDIAN DEAL WITH ADDA52.COM

THE WORLD POKER tour (WPT) has expanded into the Indian market by securing a brand licensing agreement with Adda52.com, the online poker brand operated by Gaussian Networks.
             Under the deal, Adda52.com will hold a licence for WPT products and services on an exclusive basis in India.
             Adda52.com will be able to distribute select seasons of the WPT television library, create WPT merchandsi, as well as use the WPT brand to secure local sponsorship partners.
             In addition, Adda52.com will qualify players from India to participate in select WPT events around the world.
             The World Poker Tour has successfully implemented international brand licensing partnerships in Asia with Ourgame and previously in Georgia with Europe-bet ,WPT vice-president of global tour management, Angelica Hael, said. We are currently in negotiations to execute similar partnerships in additional regions.
              Anuj Gupta, founder and chief executive if Adda52.com, added There is a poker boom and the Indian poker community is looking for a better tournament experience.
              With this tie-up, we want the poker community to be exposed to international standards of poker with better structures, well-defined tournaments, and the knowledge the WPT bring to the table.

GAMING REAMLMS ROLLS OUT BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT' GAMING WEBSITE

GAMING REALMS HAS confirmed the launch of a new themed gaming website, based on UK television programme Britain'Got Talent.

              BGTGames.com forms part of a three-year partnership with FremantleMedia, the production company that creates Britain'Got Talent as well as The X Factor.

              Backed by a marketing campaign across UK television and digit platforms, the new site features a series of games, including a bespoke, branded version of the popular Gaming Realms title Slingo

               Gaming Realms is the perfect partner for these major brands; its ability to build creative and innovative gaming content that resonates with our brands is extremely exciting, FremantleMedia head of Toronto Star gaming Simon Murphy said.
               We expect this partnership to create both a new experience and a significant number of new players.
               Patrick Southon, chief executive of time Gaming Realms has managed to sign agreements with two of the most popular entertainment shows on British television.
               This latest agreement will open us up to a sizeable new audience with whom we expect our bespoke Slingo format to be very popular.

INTERTAIN RE-LAUNCHES INTERCASINO ON PLAN GAMING PLATFORM

INTERTAIN HAS ANNOUNCED the re-launch its InterCasino brand on Plain Gaming, the platform behine online casino Vera&John.
              Integrated with more than 30 game providers, the Plain Gaming platform offers over 1,000 online games as well as 400 mobile titles.
              In addition, Intertain noted that 50% of revenue from Plain Gaming is generated by mobile, an area the company has identified as a key growth market moving forward.
              Irina Cornides, chief revenue officer of Intertain Bahamas, this is an important step in creating synergies across the Intertain Group and harnessing the power of our proprietary software
              The new platform will be integral to our growth strategy and our ability to leverage InterCasino's considerable brand equity.

UNIBET ADDS SPEECH-ENABLED FEATURE TO SPORTS BETTING APP

UNIBET HAS ANNOUNCED the addition of a speech-enabled intelligent interactive feature to its sports betting application.

               Developed on the Teneo platform by Artificial Solutions, the new tool enables customers to place a bet by speaking into their mobile device.

               Using Artificial Solutions' Natural Language Interaction (NLI) technology, the customer can say their bet out loud , with the app organising the bet for them, before guiding the punter to the stage when the wager is actually placed.

               As speech enabled apps become more commonplace, people expect interactions to be intelligent, fast and responsive ,Unibet's head of strategic development Will Mace said.

               Using Teneo has enabled us to deliver not just the application our customers want, but provided us with the insight to build on that conversation too.

               Lawrence Flynn, chief executive of Artificial Solutions, added: The internet made it convenient for people to place a bet, but it wasn't always as walking into a shop and simply asking for a wager;all that is set to change thanks to Unibet and Teneo.

               Unibet also recently launched a voice-over-internet protocol (VOIP) system in Australia that allows punters to place in-play-play wagers by clicking a button and confirming the wager with an automated phone call.  

               Similar to services offered by rivals William Hill, Ladbrokes and Bet365 Unibet, the system exploits a loophole in the 2001 Interactive Gambling Act (IGA), which Australia is currently operating under. This states that while bets on live games can be taken at retail outlets or over the phone, operators cannot offer this service via the internet.

                The Australian government is currently considering a review of the IGA, which includes whether it will relax online in-play prohibition.

LADBROKES HIGHLIGHTS DIGITAL GROWTH AS REVENUE JUMPS IN Q1

LADBROKES HAS CITED growth within its digital business as one of the main reasons behind a year-on-year increase in revenue during the thee months to March 31.

                 Group net revenue in the first quarter expanded by 10.6% compared to the same three-month period last year, with this figure significantly boosted by a 36.5% year-on-year hike in digital net revenue.

                  The bookmaker saw a 38.4% increase in revenue from Ladbrokes.com plus Exchanges, while sportsbook and gaming revenue incrersed by 59% and 27.3% respectively.

                  In addition, revenue from the company's Ladbrokes Australia business jumped 38.4% year-on-year. Ladbrokes entered the market in 2013 with the acquisition of operating business Bookmaket.com.au and affiliate network Panda Gaming, following this up with Betstar in 2014.

                  Jim Mullen, chief executive of  Ladbrokes, said Since July 2015 we have been successfully implementing our strategic plan and the encouraging customer metrics we saw at the end of the year have continued during the first quarter of 2016.

                  Our focus remains on best-in-class customer service, superior quality of product and maximising the multi-channel potential of our business.

                   We have enjoyed record weeks across key metrics including actives and staking in digital, SSBTs and multi-channel signups in retail.

                  We will continue to deliver the strategy I laid out last summer to engage the recreational customer and reinforce our status as the nation's favourite bookmaket.

                  We are currently a little ahead of our plans on key customer metrics and benefited from favourable results up until Cheltenham; however, experience tells us to expect results to normalise over time.

                   We remain confident to deliver a result in line with expectation.

NEW ZEALAND CONSIDERS 2% TURNOVER TAX ON GLOBAL OPERATORS

New Zealand's government is pushing ahead with its plans to impose a new 2% point-of-consumption tax on international online gambling operators that offer services in the country.

                     In April, New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs published its Proposals to Amend the Racing Act 2003, with the changes based on recommendations put forward by an Offshore Betting Working Group late last year.

                     The organisation was tasked with investigating methods and amendments that would allow the New Zealand Racing Board (NZRB) to compete with online firms that are based outside of  the country but offers betting services to nationals.

                      Included in the proposed changes is a recommendation to impose a 2% tax on international operators on turnover generated from New Zealand punters.

                      The Working Group has estimated that this amendment could help the country bring in an additional NZ$10 million (€6.2million/US$7 million) in tax revenue

                      In a statement, the DIA said that the tax would be dependent on the success of voluntary compliance and enforcement measures , with the Working Group adding that regulators be granted suitable powers to oversee and manage the new tax.

                      New Zealand could also introduce a data fee on international companies that currently use the information from the country's racing and sports industries free of charge.
                      The NZRB already  has a deal in place with the Australian TAB betting business, under which a 3% turnover fee applies in each direction.
                      Other recommendations put forward by Offshore Betting Working
                      Group are proposals to lift restrictions on the NZRB taking in-play bets and offering wagers only on sports represented by National Sporting Organisations that it has a partnership with
                      The DIA will make the proposed amendments available for public comment on May 27.

QUEBEC COULD MOVE TO BAN NON-GOVERNMENT ' GAMBLING SITES

QUEBEC IS CONSIDERING a new bill that would ban online gambling websites that are not run by the Canadian province's government. 

                  According to the Toronto Star national newspaper, Bill no.74 would require all internet service providers to stop consumers in Quebec from accessing the sites.

                  The newspaper said that should the bill come into law, it would most likely face a challenge under  federal communications law, while the report also noted that the bill comes at a time when government-run Loto-Quebec is losing ground to non-government sites.
                 The bill To monitor online gambling, the Consumer Protection Act is amended to require Internet service provides to block access to illegal gambling sites entered on a list drawn up  by the Societe  des loteries du Quebec which must report to the Regie des alcools, des courses et des jeux if service providers fail to comply with the Act.
                  The Regie will be responsible for informing service providers of their nono-compliance, and the president and chief executive officer of the Societe or a person the latter designates is granted investigation powers to ensure compliance.

BRITISH RACING SIGNS 188BET AND MCBOOKIE ABP SCHEME

THE BRITISH HORSERACING Authority (BHA) has announced 188Bet and McBookie have both signed up to its Authorised Betting Parner' scheme. Both 188Bet and McBooking will contribute a percentage of profits to support and promote British horseracing.
                  The two brands will also gain access to sponsorship and branding opportunities at events governed by the BHA, at tracks owned by Arena Racing Company and the Jockey Club. 
                  188Bet and McBooking join the likes of Betfair, Bet365 , Sky Betting and Gaming, and, more recently, BetStars, and SeanieMac as opertors to have signed up to the ABP scheme.
                  The opportunity for us to sign an agreement with British Racing reinforces our commitment to British horseracing and product for our customers," 188Bet managing director Nigel Singer said.
                   Paul Petrie, a spokesperson for MCbookie, added: Our interest lies largely with the five racecourses in Scotland and we want to help play a role in ensuring their-term sustainability through our voluntary payments to racing.
                    The agreement will help cement our relationship with Scottish racing through our contributions to the industry."

BETTINGEXPERT.COM, BET365 PARTNER FOR IN-PLAY TIPPING APP

SPORTS BETTING SOCIAL network and affiliate Bettingexpert.com has joined forces with online operator Bet365 to launch an in-play tipping application. 

                     The new service, the firstof its kind in the marker, will enable punters to access tips on various events and place bets directly through the app with Bet365.

                      Real-time tips will be provided by a range of expert tipsters and users of the app can also submit their own tips, with weekly cash prizes on offer for the best tipsters.

                      Bettingexpert.com is already making ante-post betting more transparent for hundreds of sports fans, Bettingexpert.com chief executive Jesper Sogaard said

                      Now, we're going to revolutionise the world of in-play betting too with Bettingexpert LIVE, the first ever in-play tipping app.

                      James Woods, head of performance marketing at Bet365, added: By providing the opportunity to bet directly with Bet365 from the Bettingexpert LIVE app, punters will have an even more enjoyable betting experience.

NEW JERSEY BREKAS MONTHLY ONLINE GAMING REVENUE RECORD IN MARCH

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE) has confirmed that the US state in March set a new monthly online gaming revenue record, following the introduction of Amaya-owned PokerStars to the market . 
                       Revenue in the month totalled $15.5 maillion (€13.8 million ), which represents an increase of 17.8% on the  $13.2 million posted in March of last year and is also up on the $14.7 million achieved in February this year.
                       PokerStars' launch in the US state last month also helped increase revenue from online poker, with this amount coming in at $2.5 million, up from $2.2 million in March lastyear, ending a long period of decline for New Jersey.
                       The NJDGE also noted that the march figures mean online gaming win during the first three months of the year increased by 27.7% year-on-year to $44.9 million, while peer-to-peer poker play climebed 0.5% to $6.6 maiion

PGA TOUR TO CONSIDER GAMBLING VENTURE

Golf's PGA Tour is said to be weighing up a new venture that will see it offer data companies the right to package ream-time tournament data into feeds for betting and gambling operators.

                       According to a request for proposal picked up by Bloomberg, the organisation is launching the strategy as part of a wider plan to  explore the risk/return trade-off associated with potential entry into the online sports gaming category.

                       However, in response to the proposal, Ty Votaw, a spokesman for the PGA tour, said the organisation sends out document such as this all the time  and declined to comment specifically on the gambling pitch.

                       We're far away from any kind of deal, Votaw said. We only talk about things when we announce them. We don't talk about things in progress.

                       The WME丨IMG agency and sports and betting-related data company Sportradar are both believed to have opened talks with the PGA tour over a potential deal, although spokesmen for both companies declined to comment at present.