Issue N49, 2012
December 5, 2012
Bwin.Party CEO Announces Surprise Retirement
Jim Ryan, who serves as co-CEO of Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, announced that he would be retiring from his position on January 15th. Ryan has been at the helm of the company, together with Norbert Teufelberger, ever since Party Gaming and Bwin Interactive merged last year. He has spent a total of eleven years working in the gaming industry and the 51 year old said that he is now ready to return to Canada, after spending several years with his family in Gibraltar. "Being Co-CEO of bwin.party has been my dream job,” said Ryan. “As we approach the final stages of our merger integration, I am immensely proud of what we have achieved and know that with Norbert at the helm, the business is in excellent hands and is particularly well-placed for the future.”
Non executive chairman of Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, Simon Duffy said about the impending retirement of Jim Ryan: “Together, he and Norbert have been instrumental in overseeing the integration of both companies as well as the launch into a number of newly regulated European markets and driving the group's strategy to re-enter the US should appropriate legislation be enacted. As the merger integration approaches its final stages, and having secured a series of strategic partnerships including MGM, Boyd Gaming, United Auburn and Zynga, Jim now wants to return to Canada with his family.”
Paddy Power Planning a Rebrand
The Irish sports betting group, Paddy Power, has announced that it will be going for a makeover and rebrand of its product – its first in 25 years. According to the industry publication Marketing Magazine, Paddy Power will undergo a complete modernization to reflect the times. Landor Associations will emphasize Paddy Power’s industry reputation as being a bit of a ‘mischief maker’, and the new look will be incorporated across all platforms, including retail and online, and incorporating bingo, casino and poker.
Although Paddy Power will remain with its Irish green coloring, a number of changes will take place to the shading of the color, and the Paddy Power logo will look decidedly more modern compared to the current look. Speaking for Paddy Power, Alex Pheland said about the changes expected at the giant sports betting firm: “Our new brand visual identity embodies our commitment to entertaining our audiences, differentiates us from our competitors and gives us a contemporary but authentic identity across all our channels.”
New Microgaming Poker Platform
The online gambling software provider, Microgaming, announced sweeping new changes to its online poker network, with a total rebrand rolled out to support the growing and changing world of internet poker. The network is now known as MPN (Microgaming Poker Network) and is the result of two years of hard work and customer feedback. Some of the changes players will expect to see include a new poker lobby which supports novice and experienced players alive, a new Flash platform for instant poker action, an HTML5, Blaze Poker and anonymous tables.
“The rebrand of the network to MPN and the launch of the network website are both significant milestones for Microgaming poker,” said the Isle of Man based Microgaming's head of Network Games, Lydia Melton. “What we have done with all these changes is build the framework for a scalable and sustainable network. Now that the framework is in place, we are more flexible, resilient and adaptable to any changes that this turbulent industry can throw our way.”
A number of reputable operators have already joined the new network, including BetVictor, Betsson and iGame, indicating the expected success of MPN as it hits the industry.
Italy Announces Online Casino Slots Approval
Online casino software providers have eagerly welcomed the news by the Italian gambling authority, AAMS that online slots can now be played in the country. As a result, many of the operators licensed to offer their services in Italy launched their casino slots to the market. Among them were Intralot, which launched its iCasino slots in partnership with Net Entertainment. Also in on the action was Playtech which launched a slots and progressive games network.
The Head of Casino for Playtech gambling group, Amir Askarov, said about the company’s launch into the Italian gambling market: “We are thrilled to welcome Italy to our leading content portfolio. Our top selling slots and a huge jackpot network is certain to bring the market tremendous success. Playtech's Casino already has the biggest market share, and we look forward to continued growth in Italy as we plan to launch our slots portfolio on mobile and the EdGE platform for games tab with various operators in 2013.”