Evolution Launches Live Casino Games With Entain’s UK Brands
Leading game developer Evolution has launched its live casino content with Entain’s UK brands.
Evolution has launched its games with Entain in the UK this week after extending its partnership with the gambling operator to include its UK-facing brands. The extension is a continuation of the developer’s initial partnership with Entain, which saw Evolution launch its games with Entain’s European and US-based brands.
The extended partnership sees Evolution launch its entire portfolio of live casino content with Entain’s Ladbrokes and Coral brands, and with Gala Casino and Gala Bingo in the coming months. The first games to launch with these brands are Evolution’s live game shows, such as Lightning Roulette and Crazy Time.
Evolution’s other titles and all future releases will launch with Entain’s brands in the coming months. What’s more, Evolution has already launched its NetEnt and Red Tiger Gaming branded slots with Entain’s brands, after acquiring the game development studios last year.
Richard Barr, the Gaming Director at Ladbrokes Coral, said in a statement to iGamingBusiness: “We are enormously excited to provide our thousands of players in the UK and globally with Evolution’s world-class online games.”
Gavin Hamilton, the Commercial Director of Europe for Evolution, added: “The UK market is a particularly important market for us. We are delighted that Ladbrokes, Coral and Gala customers will now have access to the full breadth of Evolution Group online games, including our very latest gaming innovations.”
The news comes after Evolution announced an agreement to acquire game developer Big Time Gaming for €450 million, paid in cash and Evolution shares. According to reports, Evolution will pay €220 million upfront and the developer believes that the acquisition will contribute positively to its 2021 EPS.
32Red Extends Sponsorship With Rangers FC
Gambling website 32Red has agreed to an extension of its sponsorship with Rangers FC. The initial partnership was struck back in 2014 and extended in 2019. The new extension will run for several seasons, making 32Red’s sponsorship with Rangers FC one of the longest-running in football.
Under the extended agreement, 32Red, which is owned by the Kindred Group, will act as the main sponsor for the Ranger FC’s home and away shirts. What’s more, 32Red’s sister site Unibet will appear on shirts in domestic and European competitions, such as the UEFA Championships League.
Neil Banbury, Kindred Group’s UK General Manager, told SBCNews: “We are thrilled to be continuing our longstanding partnership with SPFL Champions Rangers; it’s been quite a journey over the last decade and we’re proud to have played our part in that. More widely, we remain committed to reinventing the sports sponsorship model, so that it benefits the wider community. That is why as part of this extended agreement with the club we will be renewing our support for the vital men’s mental health initiative, Team Talk.”
James Bisgrove, the Commercial and Marketing Director for Rangers FC, added: “I am delighted that the club and 32Red have agreed to extend the partnership, which is excellent news for the continued commercial growth of the club and represents the largest sponsorship agreements in our 150-year history.
“32Red have supported our club for many years of our journey back to the pinnacle of Scottish football and our historic 55th league title. They’ve been part of our journey both on the pitch and in the community and we are grateful for their fantastic support. They are long-term partners and we hope to continue the successful, winning, relationship for many years to come.”
Lightning Box To Launch Games With Betway
Also this week, independent game developer Lightning Box Studios has announced it’s struck a new partnership with leading gambling brand Betway to launch its games with the casino website via Scientific Games Digital. Lightning Box’s launch follows a similar one made with Microgaming for Betway.
According to iGamingBusiness, under the brand new partnership, popular Lightning Box Studios games such as Extreme Fishing, Eagle Sun, Chicken Fox5x Skillstar, Blown Away, Spartan Fire, Lightning Leopard, Kalahari Safari, and more have all launched under the Casino tab on the Betway website.
Peter Causley, the CEO and Co-founder of Lightning Box, said in a statement: “Our games have been popular with Betway’s customers for some time and we’re very pleased to now offer them more of the same via our good friends at SG Digital. They are getting proven performers that have maintained their popularity in a number of regulated markets and we look forward to seeing them establish a fan base here too.”
Christian Croft, the Commercial Account Director at SG Digital, added: “Lightning Box’s content is popular wherever it is played and I’m sure Betway will benefit greatly from adding it to their portfolio.”
Game Provider SportCaller Signs Industry-First Cryptocurrency Partnership
Finally, free-top-play (F2P) game provider SportCaller has announced the first-of-its-kind cryptocurrency partnership with gambling website Sportsbet.io, owned by Coingaming Group.
Under the groundbreaking new partnership, SportCaller will provide Sportsbet.io with two brand new sports-themed F2P games; 4-3 Free and Bet Free 6-6. The games will be available exclusively with Sportsbet.io as the sportsbook looks to expand its gambling content.
According to Gamblingnews, the two games feature jackpot mechanics and a fresh UI compared to SportCaller’s previous games. The titles will reportedly test the player’s knowledge of sport, specifically focusing on football and cricket.
Joe McCallum, the Director of Sportsbook at Sportsbet.io, said in a statement: “SportCaller’s highly focused and collaborative approach to game-ideation, together with their consumer analysis from a host of worldwide data sets, gives them a competitive edge when it goes to both game-delivery and strategic planning.
“Whether it’s acquisition or retention-focused games, we now feel confident of keeping our players engaged with the Sportsbet.io brand in a fun, fast and fair way – enhancing the existing experience, and minimising churn, wherever we set our scene.”
Cillian Barry, Managing Director at SportCaller, added: “We’re thrilled to align those values with our own, on a watershed journey into unexplored markets where both crypto and fiat currencies are vying for position.”