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Tote goes to Orbis

Software supplier Orbis is to provide Totesport with its OpenBet interactive gambling platform for the re-launch of the totesport.com web portal.

      Under the agreement, Orbis will deploy a sports-betting site, call centre application and fixed-odds games, using its single account back-office solution.
      The Tote is one of the UK’s largest bookmakers, operating 540 racecourses. If offers multi-channel betting services, and is the only pool-betting services, and is the only pool-betting operations on horseracing the in the UK.
      Orbis’s OpenBet software platform enables customers to bet on all channels and all products from a single account. Customers can place bets on a variety of products – a sportsbook, on-demand, scheduled and virtual games, P2P exchanges, lotteries or pari-mutuel pools – from a single log-in.

David Loveday, managing director at Orbis, said: “We are pleased to work with such an established name as the Tote, which, like Orbis, stands for security, safety and integrity in the gambling world.” Orbis is also to provide privately owned bookmaker Centrebet with OpenBet. The new site will replace existing in-house sports-betting systems.
Con Kafataris, chief executive of Centrebet, said: “The selection of Orbis followed several months of detailed analysis and we attached significant value to the business tools inherent in the OpenBet system.”

* Dynasty deal places mah jong onto IGH site

Dynasty Gaming, the company behind the Mahjong Mania gaming software, has signed an agreement with Interactive Gaming Holdings (IHG), to provide an online mah jong product for IGH’s Premier Bet website.

      Dynasty Gaming will install its software on the recently redesigned Premier Bet website and hopes to increase the existing number of Asian customers playing on the site. Mah jong is the most widely played table game in Asia, and Dynasty will offer an aggregate play, cash-wager version of game of cards.
      Thomas Taule, chief executive of IGH, said: “We believe it is important to continually add quality gaming products to our existing mix and we are confident demand exists within our client base for an online version of mah jong.”
      And Andriaan Brink, president of Dynasty subsidiary Mahjong Systems, said: “We are pleased to have entered an agreement with IGH, particularly in light of the substantial Asian client base with the Premier Bet operation.”
      Dynasty has been focusing its activities on exploiting mah jong’s massive popularity offline in China and across the Chinese-speaking world and transferring it online. The company recently signed a letter of intent with Asian offline gaming giant Ho Group, which operates sites such as DrHo888.com, to form Ho Majiang.
      It will be a licensee of Dynasty’s mah jong software in China and will promote itself exclusively in that country through the use of prepaid cards.

LNG profits on course to deliver £ 4m pre-tax

Leisure and Gaming (LNG) has reported profits in line with expectations in April following the acquisition last year of Nine.com, English Harbour and Stanley Entertainment, despite a run of adverse results in the regular NFL season.
The combined performances of LNG’s entities delivered pre-tax profits of US$7.1m (ll4m) while pro forma turnover stood at US$ 80.9m, up 32% on 2004. sportsbook activity made up US$ 34.9m of the net win with 6.2% margins. Casino gaming contributed US$44.9m, with the balance provided by LNG’s online poker operations. Gross profit was US$44.6m and profit before tax and share option charges US$ 13.2m.
Allstair Assheton, chief executive of LNG, said: “The results are positive on the whole and although many NFL results were not as favourable as they could have been, we reached the targets we set ourselves. He added: “We are in this for the long term, and while results could have been better, it is more of a timing issue than anything else. As a business we hang on to our players much longer than our peers so they will keep spending their money with us.”

      When asked why the contribution from poker was so negligible, Assheton said LNG has already started focusing on it more and the company recognized poker represents a significant growth opportunity.   “We are now doing US$200.000 monthly rake and it will continue growing,” Assheton said.
      “The opportunities to integrate the VIP and Nine brands are promising and we will look to increase liquidity in both rooms and dedicated management to the product. We expect revenues and cross selling opportunities to increase soon.”
      LNG highlighted the much higher-than average lifetime value of its customers (18 months) and “The continued success of our differentiating focus on customer loyalty and retention as we implement the VIP Rewards programme across the group”.

Assheton said LNG was constantly reviewing acquisition opportunities and had agreed a new US$ 20m bank facility with Barclays to that end.

World Gaming customer growth rises

Daniel Moran, chief executive of World Gaming, said he was “delighted” by the company’s first-quarter results, which saw gross profits jump 40% after the full integration of sportbetting.com.
As well as profits, growth of 29% was reported in new customers, compared to the same period in 2005, Pre-tax profit were US$5.4m compared with US$0.8m for the same period last year.

Moran said: “We are delighted with the results. 40% growth in any industry is fantastic. The sports margins were good, and we have recovered from Q4 2005. Our performance has exceeded expectations. We have been good at finding the bargains and we have analyzed our various mechanisms.”
Player growth was put down to a combination of factors. Moran said that the brand is becoming their known. As far as player crossover, sometimes a problematic area. Moran added: “We concentrate on our sports customers, but I think there are two reason for the high rate of cross selling. First is the popularity their known. As far as player crossover, sometimes a problematic area.

Moran added: “We concentrate on our sports customers, but I think there are two reason for the high rate of cross selling. First is the popularity between sports and blackjack. We see similar crossover and success rates as PartyGaming, which has done well in this area. Likewise, with poker and sports, it attracts the same type of punter and if they can do it all from the same place, they will.”
Moran said the focus in the first quarter was the integration of new businesses. World gaming has signed two acquisitions this quarter, and is in the process of setting up its websites in time for the football (NFL)season.
As far as future acquisitions, Moran said: “We recognize the value of diversification of risk, in looking at a non-US facing acquisition.” “The only thing we don’t own fully is poker. We would be far better off owning it than simply paying our for the product.

News in brief

FastWin Casino has launched Tequila Poker, which combines elements of five-card poker and blackjack. Players are dealt four cards, then choose whether they want to go for a Tequila Poker (poker hand ) or High Tequila (highpoint total hand). Tequila Poker joins FastWin’s products that already include table games and video slots.
For the second consecutive year, Inspired Broadcast Networks has won the ‘Media Momentum Fastest Growing Companies Award’ in the ‘Vision’ category. Compiled by investment bank GP Bull hound with Barclays and Olswang, ‘Momentum’ charts the fastest –growing media companies in the UK according to sales growth between 2002 and 2004.
BetandWin will be the main sponsor of German Bundesliga team Werder Bremen from next season. The agreement will run for three years with options for an extension and will be Germany – specific. BetandWin’s de URL will appear on jerseys, training wear and coaches’ kit.
The production company responsible for UK TV Channel 4’s Late Night Poker programming has been bought in a deal worth £ 6m (US$ 10.5m). Cardiff-based company Presentable has received £ 2m in cash and shares initially form RDF Media, with a further £ 4m to be a paid depending on the company’s performance to the end of January 2008.
The industry’s self-regulation organization eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA) has awarded its ‘Play It Safe’ seal to seven internet poker sites belongs to some of the most reliable groups in the business. The number of online casinos and poker rooms committed to eCOGRA's standards is now 76

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