PartyGaming Buys World Poker Tour

GIBRALTAR – Online gaming giant, PartyGaming, sent shockwaves through the poker industry this week when it was revealed that it had purchased the World Poker Tour brand and operations earlier this week.

The sale, made through PartyGaming’s Peerless Media Limited subsidiary, was valued at $12.3 million, higher than the $9.07 million bid World Poker Tour Enterprises (WPTE) received from Antigua-based Gamynia Limited earlier this month. WPTE earlier announced the prospected sale to Gamynia but backed down after receiving a heftier offer from PartyGaming. However, Gamynia will be receiving $1 million as compensation for the botched deal.

The sale, still subject to WPT shareholders approval, will include all of WPTE’s operational assets but will not include “cash, investments and certain excluded assets”.

PartyGaming will be acquiring WPTE’s brand and trade names, television library, including all related intellectual property rights,  and “certain assumed contracts and tangible personal property”. It has agreed to pay WPTE 5% from all revenues generated by assets sold for the next three years.

In addition, the next two years of payment on revenues generated by the sold asset will 20% of the payments go into an escrow account “to settle the (WPTE’s) indemnification obligations, if any, arising under the purchase agreement and the related ancillary agreements.”

According to a statement released by WPTE, President and CEO Steve Lipscomb said:

“PartyGaming has been an important partner for a number of years and we are confident that they will be an excellent manager of our brands in the future. The Board of Directors has determined that PartyGaming’s acquisition proposal is financially superior and we look forward to working with one of the pioneers and leaders in the poker and online gaming markets to provide a strong vehicle for the WPT brand to continue its global expansion and return to online gaming.”

WPTE added in its statement that net cash proceeds arising from the sale will be used “to develop or acquire a non-poker related business”.

PartyGaming, which operates wildly-popular PartyPoker.com and other gaming sites, recently acquired British bingo operator Cashcade Limited for $158.82 million, allowing Gibraltar-based PartyGaming control over bingo sites FoxyBingo.com, MirrorBingo.com, ThinkBingo.com and CheekyBingo.com.

It has signed a non-prosecution agreement with the United States of America last year, paying $105 in the process. The deal with the American government is believed to help PartyGaming’s return to the US as soon as the murky online gambling scene is cleared.

Former Microsoft Tech Exec Joins IGT

RENO, NEVADA – For its newly-created Chief Technology Officer job vacancy, slot machine developer International Game Technology (IGT) has turned to an expert with almost two decades of experience with world-leading Microsoft Corporation.

Chris Satchell will bring his 17 years experience with Microsoft to IGT. He was formerly CTO for Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business responsible for Xbox, games for Windows, Xbox Live and Microsoft Games Studios.

Satchell will be responsible for IGT’s information systems team, research and development, and advanced software architecture group.

According to IGT CEO Patti Hart:

“(Chris) will play an instrumental role in shaping our strategic and tactical technological vision and refocusing our internal technology support on many levels within the organization.”

Bodog88 Chooses Marketing Partner

PHILIPPINES – Bodog’s Asian-facing operations has chosen its marketing partner.

Tasked with expanding the Bodog brand in Asia is Macau-based online gaming marketing firm Macom Communications Company Limited. As Bodog88’s exclusive marketing agent, Macom will be responsible for making sure Bodog88’s live casino gaming is a success with regional players.

According to Bodog88.com Managing Director Ian Dunning:

“It has always been a pleasant co-operation with Macom and the Macom group in general and, together with its live dealer software and expertise in marketing, we are confident that we can achieve the same success in Asia as Bodog brand licensee’s have achieved globally.”

For its part, Macom CEO Jason Chan has expressed the marketing firm’s enthusiasm for the brand:

“Bodog is a very successful brand name in the west and we are very excited to get this project kicked off here in Asia. I am sure Asian punters are looking forward to this revolutionary lifestyle entertainment brand that can bring new leisure elements to this hard-core gaming region.”

Macom expertise in marketing services for online gaming companies include marketing and media planning, creative design, PR, affiliate marketing among others. Aside from Bodog88, the firm has also worked and continues to work with other Asian online gaming operators such as IASBet, Bet365, EasyBets, 188Bet and the Asia-facing operations of 888, SportingBet, Ladbrokes, and Victor Chandler.

Nokia N95 Tops Probability’s Top 10 List

LONDON, ENGLAND – Mobile gaming specialist Probability plc recently released the top ten mobile phones used by players in accessing their mobile casinos.

The result of three previous months registration (January to March 2009)through its mobile casino gaming operations revealed that Nokia’s N95 8GB Smartphone ranked on the top ten list followed by the Samsung SGH F480 and at third was the Sony Ericsson K800i. At the end of last quarter last year, the Nokia model was in third spot while the K800i was the top phone model for mobile games.

In the top ten were three Nokia phone models, three Sony Ericsson models and four Samsung models. The top ten list is as follows:

1. Nokia N95 8GB Smartphone
2. Samsung SGH F480
3. Sony Ericsson K800i
4. Samsung SGH J700
5. Nokia 6500s-1
6. Sony Ericsson W5800i
7. Samsung SGH G600
8. Samsung SGH E250
9. Sony Ericsson W910i
10. Nokia 6300

According to Probability CEO Charles Cohen:

“There are important points in here for the mobile and the gambling industries. 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. To me, that’s a sign of greater variety and innovation to come as consumers demand more content from more sources.”

“For those in the gambling industry, they can see from this that there really is a broadly based market for mobile gambling and it’s not just the latest gadgets that they should be targeting. The Nokia 6500 has been around for over two years now and the Sony Ericsson K800i was launched in 2006. The speed with which phones come in and out of the top ten is impressive.”

PMU Can Offer Sports Betting in 2010 Says Chief

FRANCE – Once France opens up its gaming market next year, the local horse racing monopoly Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU) might just partake in the action by introducing sports betting.

This was disclosed by PMU COO Xavier Hurstel adding that major sports such as football and betting on next year’s World Cup can be offered to customers.

Speaking to iGamingFrance, Hurstel stated:

“The market is opening, a new offer is being developed and we are studying how PMU will be able to offer a broader product range to its customers. We are currently evaluating all those opportunities.”

The PMU official also added that the company was moving ahead in that direction by taking a stake in race data supplier Genycourses and that PMU would be adhering to whatever guidelines will be put in place once the gambling market opens up in 2010.

Hurstel added:

“There will be general rules for advertising in racing venues which I believe will put us on an equal footing with the other operators.”