Issue N46, 2008
November 12, 2008
Sportech Enters Soccer Website Partnership
The English gambling operator, Sportech, always on the lookout for strategic business opportunities, announced this week that it has bought the soccer community site, 4TheGame. This site boasts hundreds of thousands of dedicated members who meet online to read up the latest on their favorite teams and communicate with other soccer fans.
The main reason for the purchase of this site, according to Sportech, is to promote its top performing New Football Pools and expand this brand’s exposure to as many households as possible. With 700,000 members, it seems that 4TheGame is the right type of platform for the product.
"The acquisition of 4TheGame.com is an important element of our strategy to increase the online visibility of the New Football Pools and engage with football fans from around the world. 4TheGame.com has a significant and loyal fan base who are an ideal target market for our suite of football gaming products," said Sportech’s Chief Executive Officer, Ian Penrose.
The partnership agreement includes a clause that allows the previous owners, Fast Web Media, to continue operating the site and giving their creative input.
"Given 4TheGame's heritage and track record of nurturing their football audience, I believe that the acquisition will provide Sportech with extensive online possibilities," said Will Muirhead, the Managing Director for Football Pools Online. "We look forward to working with Fast Web Media to develop the site and grow the audience internationally."
Ladbrokes Goes Back to Court in Norway
The UK based sports betting company, Ladbrokes has said that it would not give up its right to open a wagering operation in Norway, despite the fact that an Oslo court has thrown out its application to be awarded an operating license in the country. Ladbrokes said that it would appeal the ruling in Norway, and would ask the court to overturn the lower court’s decision that it needs to pay the government 1.1 million NOK.
Ladbrokes insists that Norway’s gambling monopoly operates contrary to European Union law and will try to get the Appeal’s Court to see its side in the upcoming case.
"We are appealing the judgment because the court's assessment of the evidence doesn't relate directly to our case," said the Managing Director for Remote Betting and Gaming at Ladbrokes, John O'Reilly. "Vital aspects in the EFTA-law court judgment of May 2007 have not been taken into consideration, and the judgment is based solely on the national "slot machine case" of March 2007 which is not relevant to our application. The monopoly laws in Norway conflict with the EU Treaty, particularly with regard to the principles of freedom of establishment and the free movement of services. We continue to challenge for our right to be regulated in Norway and to provide free and fair competition to the monopoly."
PKR Steps into Asian Market
The hugely popular online poker room, PKR has decided to spread its wings and establish its presence in the Asian market. As such, the site has chosen AsianLogic to help promote its brand through the wide number of affiliates and partners on its books. AsianLogic is a gambling company that is very active Asia and PKR has made an excellent choice, it seems.
The Chief Executive Officer for AsianLogic, Tom Hal, commented about the exciting partnership deal and said: "PKR is a very innovative and popular online poker brand and to be named their partner in Asia displays PKR.com's trust and confidence in AsianLogic. With our knowledge of the Asian gaming market, not to mention affiliate marketing in a diversely cultured region like Asia, we believe the PKR.com brand is destined for rapid growth and success. The PKR.com 3D product is also ideally suited for the huge Asian subscription gaming and play for points markets and we see significant opportunities in these sectors."
Also commenting on the deal was Malcolm Graham, Chief Executive Officer of PKR, who said: "We see huge potential and acceptance of our unique poker product in Asia and for success we need a local partner that understands our needs and possesses the right experience and competency. We believe AsianLogic is the best partner for PKR.com."
Goaaaaaaal for New GTech Marketing Strategy
GTech, the US-based gambling operator, has announced a partnership deal with Access Licensing Group in order to create new lottery tickets based around four of Mexico’s top soccer teams. Access Licensing Group holds the media rights to many of South America’s top clubs, including Mexico City's Club America, Pumas de la UNAM and Chivas de Guidalajara.
GTech’s new marketing move is considered brilliant by many analysts, considering the growing Hispanic population in the United States, especially in states where GTech is legally able to operate its lottery products.
“The combination of the massive appeal of soccer in the US and the huge fan base for the Mexican Futball teams made this a very strategic brand for GTech to add to our brand portfolio and we believe it will be a strong performing game for our customers,” said GTech's Senior Director of Brand Licensing, Pat Schmidt.