[P R O D U C T
NEWS
]
888 LAUNCHES FIRST REAL -MONEY FACEBOOK CASINO
Operator launches second real-money game, and ?rst casino suite
888 has launched its latest real-money
LAUNCHES
Lottomatica launched live dealer
for iPad in Italy, extending its agreement with software partner Evolution Gaming’s technology – the first product of its kind within the five year-old regulated market.
Unibet moved its dot.fr poker offering from Ongame to iPoker, the operator has confirmed. EveryMatrix is providing a
offering on Facebook, with MAGIC888 Casino becoming the ?rst cash casino product on the platform. The launch of MAGIC888 casino follows the release of its Bingo Appy game in December last year, the second realmoney offering to go live on Facebook following Gamesys’ Bingo and Slots Friendzy, and features a range of the operator’s proprietary slots, table games and live dealer products. The UK-only game also features a freeto-play offering, and was developed by the operator’s casino product team, working alongside its social gaming division Mytopia, which is headed up by former 888 vice president of business operations Eran Gonen. “This launch marks a signi?cant extension in our real money social
offering,” 888 COO Itai Frieberger commented. “The successful launch of BingoAppy has indicated the potential that social gaming offers, and we are delighted to expand our gaming portfolio with the launch of our MAGIC888 casino. The app gives Facebook users in the UK the opportunity to enjoy 888’s award winning casino while introducing new features, which leverage the social experience Facebook offers,” he added. The launch of a real-money casino product was originally mooted around the launch of Bingo Appy, while a source within the company also hinted at a possible poker launch. In August last year, 888 chief executive Brian Mattingley admitted that the company was “in discussions” with Facebook over a realmoney launch.
platform for Malta-licensed operator Probe Investments, which has launched its flagship Energycasino offering.
Microgaming launched its first
product on the Windows OS, releasing a blackjack app that teaches novices how to play the table game over Xbox Live.
The Hippodrome Casino launched
its Microgaming-built and Betway Group-operated online casino.
Caesars Interactive Entertainment
launched a World Series of Poker-branded Facebook app in partnership with Electronic Arts.
ONGAME ROLLS OUT ‘STROBE’ FAST-FOLD OFFERING
Five-handed poker variant will have lower rake and be optimised for mobile
Ongame has announced
PokerStars is to launch what it claims is “the largest branded poker room in Macau”, on the main floor of the City of Dreams casino. Media Corporation revealed that
the launch of its fastfold poker offering, Strobe, which is being rolled out across its dot. com network following a period of beta testing. The variant is optimised for mobile devices and allows for ?ve-handed play with lower rake than the network’s usual dot.com offering in an attempt to boost ecology. It is currently available for NL10 and NL30 cash games, with head of poker Fredrik Kjell (pictured) telling eGR: “We feel ?ve-handed is positive both in terms of game speed and player adaptation but
also ensuring we can have lots of limits available.” “This is de?nitely targeted at the recreational player – we know players have less and less time to play and we want to be able to give them the opportunity to play poker, which they love,” added Kjell. “We have also lowered the rake quite substantially, and that is particularly designed to improve the ecology and make sure players aren’t churned too fast.” While others such as PokerStars and iPoker launched fast-fold offerings last year, Ongame hopes that the inclusion of a mobile element will ensure Strobe appeals to a signi?cant number of operators.
the proposed launch date for its new egaming comparison site Betcomparer has been pushed back by more than six weeks.
SIGN-UPS
Williams Interactive, the online subsidiary of WMS Industries, has agreed a deal to licence content to Scandinavian-facing operator Bonnier Gaming. Sky Vegas will gain access to
??T??&\??[?H ????[??? \?HX????\???[?[?[H ?XH] ?^\?[?? ]??HY?Y[Y[? ??Y??[??]8?&\??[[?H?[Z[??[?\??X?H
??JK???M??????Y?XY?^?[?K???B??