Mobile software developer m-Wise introduced several new mobile entertainment products recently, including a free lottery game.
The Free Lottery platform is usually paired with an SMS back end, said Mati Broudo, CEO of m-Wise. The lottery, which costs nothing for the player to enter, is insured by Lloyds of London for $1 million.
Broudo said it is available to all SMS users and is promoted through mobile advertisements.
"By virtue, it's all about advertising in the back end," he said. "There is a lottery involved--it's all about getting the chance to win something. There's an element of chance, but it doesn't cost the subscriber any money, he pays for it by viewing advertising."
In addition to the Free Lottery, m-Wise has developed, and is in the process of creating, more slot machine games that are also available to customers via SMS. Broudo said the new slot games would involve both sound and pictures on the phone's screen.
The company's other new entertainment platforms include fantasy-based games called Uber and Last State, a Love Calculator to foresee whether two given partners are compatible and a logic-based game called MasterMind.
Broudo said while m-Wise's betting games offer real-money play, the company does not consider itself part of the I-gaming industry.
"Our main business is not a gaming company; we have a lot of platforms," he said. "If you wanted to set up any kind of commerce application between you and a booking agency, then we definitely can provide that, that would not necessarily be a gaming platform."
The company's licensees--for any of its platforms, not just betting and gaming--include Vodafone, Orange, Telefonica and Omnitel Vodafone. Broudo said most of m-Wise's gaming licensees are well known in the United Kingdom. One licensee is TotoPools, which uses m-Wise's service to offer sports betting.
Broudo said he could not yet identify the full of range of betting licensees.
"As far as the other companies are concerned, we've got some companies outside of the U.K., which I can't currently mention," he said. "A lot of the psuedo gambling--worthy causes, such as church activities."