FDJ DEAL
CyberArts Ltd. , the online gaming software provider, has signed a deal to provide online poker to
La Française des Jeux, or FDJ, the French national lottery operator,
eGaming Review reports.
Ken Arnold, CyberArts' chairman, told the magazine that FDJ will go live with the product in 2010 and called the deal "a new second wave of Internet gaming, led by large trusted providers who operate with government authority.”
Although France's online betting and poker markets are soon to be liberalized, Anouk Hattab-Abrahams, a lawyer with the Brussels branch of Ulys, told IGamingNews in April that "it will probably remain a de facto FDJ monopoly" because of the proposed high tax rate.
TENDER HEARTS
After two companies failed to meet minimum bids for Milli Piyango, Turkey's national lottery, the lottery's privatization body said it plans to try again later this year, according to Reuters.
On Friday OPAP S.A., the Greek betting monopoly, and Turkcell, Turkey's largest mobile-phone operator, fell short on the unexpected $1.6 billion minimum.
"We plan to renew the Milli Piyango tender this year," Metin Kilci, the privatization administration's chairman, was quoted by Reuters as saying. "If necessary there could be changes in the tender conditions and contracts," he added.
Hurriyet Daily News reported that Christos Hatziemmanuel , OPAP's chief executive, said the starting price was "way above reasonable expectations." According to the paper, Mr. Hatziemmanuel did not reveal how much OPAP bid and added that the process has not ended.
Calling Milli Piyango's price tag an "unfeasibly high reserve bid," William Birch, an equity analyst with Jefferies International Ltd., wrote in a note that OPAP's choice to walk away was wise. "A second privatization attempt may be launched later in the year, although the authorities in charge may well have burned all credibility," he added.
SIGNING
Gtech Corporation, a subsidiary of Lottomatica S.p.A., has signed a four-year contract with the Belgium National Lottery, La Loterie Nationale, for its interactive gaming system.
Announced on Monday, the deal means Gtech, which has been La Loterie Nationale's service provider since 1992, will install Es New Media, the e-commerce solution, on La Loterie Nationale's sytem. This will deploy traditional lottery style games online such as EuroMillions, Pick3, Keno, Joker, Lotto and instant games and has the capability of introducing other interactive games over time, the group said.
"This is a completely new challenge and opportunity to enter into a market segment we have been absent in until now," said Ivan Pittevils, La Loterie Nationale's chief executive. "We are confident this will open up a whole new way of doing business with new clients, and thus will expand our commercial potential and our profitability in a socially responsible way."
ALSO SIGNING: Million-2-1, an International Games Technology-owned mobile solutions provider, has announced a deal to provide mobile gaming to Trinity Mirror, British newspaper and magazine publisher.
The games, which are now available on Trinity Mirror's mobile Internet portals and Web sites, include "Elvis Top 20," "Hi-5" and "Ooh Aah Dracula."
According to Million-2-1, the national newspapers involved in the promotion include the Daily Mirror, the Daily Record in Scotland and a number of Trinity Mirror's market-leading regional titles.
TOP 10 MOBILES
Probability, the mobile gambling service provider, said Nokia's N95 is Britain's top phone to gamble on based on the number of casino registrations during a three-month period.
Previously at No. 3, the N95 beat out Samsung's SGH F480
Sony Ericsson's K800i, which came in second and third place, respectively.
"For people in the mobile industry, this chart shows that consumers who own feature rich phones are using them for more than playing Tetris and updating Facebook," said Charles P. Cohen, Probability's chief executive, in a prepared statement.
"To me, that’s a sign of greater variety and innovation to come as consumers demand more content, from more sources."
The group said it now plans to release its top 10 mobile gambling phones data every quarter.
LAUNCHING
In a move that will allow players to play up to 24 tables at a time, Sky Poker announced that it has launched multi-tables that are able to be resized into mini views.
"We are always listening to our community of players, and one of the things they told us they wanted was the ability to multi-table their favorite cash game, sit-and-go and multi-table tournaments," said Emma Crowe, Sky Poker's marketing head, in a company statement.