WEBMASTER NEWS
POKERSTARS GEARS UP FOR INDIA LAUNCH
THE STARS GROUP has entered into
a partnership with gaming company Sugal
& Damani to support the launch of its
PokerStars brand in India.
According to GLaws.in, PokerStars
will replace Khelplay, an online
poker website that was previously
operated by Sugal & Damani’s parent
company, Sachar Gaming Private Limited.
Khelplay had been scheduled to cease
operations on 15 March.
Records seen by GLaws.in show that
Sachiko Gaming Private Limited, another
company owned by Sachar Gaming Private
Limited, now owns the domain name
‘Pokerstars.in’.
Pokerstars.in currently greets
visitors with a message that states:
‘Coming Soon!’.
Although a launch date for PokerStars
in India has not yet been announced,
the GLaws.in site said a number of
sources have indicated that the service
could go live within the next few weeks.
GOOGLE BANS CFD, BINARY OPTIONS ADVERTS
GOOGLE HAS MOVED to ban
adverts that promote contracts for
difference (CFD) products, binary
options and financial spread betting
from its platforms.
Google had been expected to
introduce the new regulations in June,
but has opted to bring them forward.
The ban will also have an impact
on cryptocurrencies and related
content, including initial coin offerings,
cryptocurrency exchanges, wallets and
trading advice.
Advertisers offering CFD products,
rolling spot forex and financial spread
betting will now be required to be certified
by Google before they can advertise
through its AdWords service.
Certification will only be available
in certain countries and advertisers
will need to be licensed by the relevant
financial services authority in the
regions they are targeting.
Advertisers will also be required
to ensure their ads and landing pages
comply with AdWords policies,
as well as comply with the relevant
legal requirements.
The move comes after social media
network Facebook also recently
introduced new rules to ban the
advertisement of cryptocurrencies
on its platforms.
CATENA MEDIA CONFIRMS HELLBERG AS CEO
CATENA MEDIA HAS appointed
Per Hellberg, formerly of Nordic Gaming
Group, as its new chief executive.
Hellberg will move into his new position
by no later than 3 September, with acting
chief Persson Ekdahl to return to his role
as a board member at the company.
During his time as chief executive at
Nordic Gaming Group, Hellberg
completed the divestment of the company
to Betsson.
Hellberg also had spells as chief
executive of Readly International AB and
marketing director at Sony Corporation.
“Catena Media is a one-of-a-kind
company with a compelling history, an
almost unprecedented growth rate and vast
potential,” Hellberg said.
“I am inspired by companies with a
clear strategy for growth and by how I can
further contribute to their success; I have
spent a decade in that environment.
“This is a great opportunity to be able
to continue the journey and to support
Catena Media in its aggressive strategy
for the future.” (See interview with
Hellberg on page 35)
GAMBLING.COM BUYS BOOKIES.COM
GAMBLING.COM HAS completed
the acquisition of Bookies.com in
a move that the company said will
enhance its presence in the sports
betting market.
The purchase price amounts to an
upfront payment of £2m (€2.3m/
US$2.7m), with deferred
compensation of £4.5m also payable
over one year.
The deal also includes a number of
related assets, such as Bookmakers.co.uk
and FootballScores.com, along with
76 sports betting and casino related
domain names.
Gambling.com said the acquired
assets, which drive almost all revenue
from the UK, generated collective
sales of more than £600,000 in the
fourth quarter.
Charles Gillespie, chief executive
of Gambling.com, said: “This is the
largest and most exciting acquisition
we have done since we began acquiring
in 2017.
“These websites perfectly complement
our existing portfolio in terms of
increasing our sports betting market
share and continuing with our focus
on big brands and big domains.”
AXL AFFILIATES PURCHASES MVIDEOSLOTS
AXL AFFILIATES HAS completed
the acquisition of Mvideoslots for an
undisclosed six-figure amount.
The deal covers all Mvideoslots.com
assets, with AXL planning to integrate
these under its own brand.
Mvideoslots operates as a casino
affiliate company, while AXL is
an igaming affiliate firm that has a
network of more than 2,000 sports and
gaming specialised websites.
“The acquisition of Mvideoslots
is fully in line with AXL’s ambition to
succeed in the online gambling affiliate
business,” AVL chief executive Alex
Munteanu said.
“This transaction will also enable
AXL, its managers and its employees to
benefit from Mvideoslots’ experience in
the online casino affiliate business.
“Finally, it will give AXL the
necessary means to successfully accelerate
its development.”
The deal comes after AXL in
November acquired global advertising
platform Astute Media for £22m
(€24.8m/US$30.5m).
iGB Affiliate Issue 68 APR/MAY 2018
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