Unibet is latest to go live with Evolution Live Casino in Italy
Evolution Gaming, the pioneer of video-streamed Live Dealer gaming, has announced that Unibet, one of the largest online gambling operators in the European market, has now gone live in Italy with Evolution’s leading AAMS-approved Live Casino solution.
Unibet is the latest top-tier operator to extend its Live Casino offering via its www.unibet.it site since the re-regulation of the Italian market.
The Unibet Live Casino offering, streamed from Evolution’s new studios in Riga and featuring native speaking Italian dealers, will be one of the most comprehensive in Italy’s new market.
With immediate effect Unibet’s Italian customers can choose from a wide range of live online tables. The tables include mainstream Roulette and Blackjack, VIP options, dedicated tables with enhanced branding and promotions, and Evolution’s Venezia Roulette.
Venezia Roulette is described by Evolution as “the ultimate ‘destination casino’ – a premier-class online casino environment where experienced Italian native dealers help to make the customer experience as close as it gets to a visit to the region’s finest land-based casinos.”
Daniel Eskola, Head of Gaming at Unibet commented: “We already work closely with Evolution on www.unibet.com, streaming Live Casino games to customers’ PCs globally – and we’ve been extremely pleased with the results. Now, with Evolution Live Casino becoming the first Live Casino solution to be fully certified by AAMS, we are very excited about offering an enhanced local service for our Italian customers through www.unibet.it.”
Evolution CEO Jens von Bahr added: “Re-regulation of individual markets across Europe presents both challenges and huge opportunity. Italy is a complex market in terms of regulatory requirements, so we are naturally delighted to have helped Unibet go live so quickly with such a complete Live Casino service for Italian players.
About Unibet Unibet was founded in 1997 and is an online gambling company listed on NASDAQ OMX Nordic Exchange in Stockholm. Unibet is one of the largest privately-owned gambling operators in the European market and provides services in 27 languages through www.unibet.com, www.unibet.itand www.maria.com. Today, Unibet has more than 5.9 million customers in over 100 countries. Unibet is a member of the EGBA, European Gaming and Betting Association, RGA, Remote Gambling Association in the UK and is audited and certified by eCOGRA in relation to responsible and fair gaming. More information about Unibet Group plc can be found on www.unibetgroupplc.com
Evolution Live Casino ready for new Danish market
Evolution Gaming, the pioneer of video-streamed Live Dealer gaming, has announced that it is working closely with major brand licensees in readiness for the opening of the ‘new’ Danish gaming market on January 1, 2012.
Betsson, Unibet and Sportingbet are just three of the top-tier operators that are set to gain early-to-market advantage from Evolution’s localised and fully SKAT-compliant Live Casino solutions for Denmark’s re-regulated market.
Commenting on the announcement, Evolution CEO Jens von Bahr said: “Earlier this year (2011) we became the first Live Casino supplier to be certified by AAMS in Italy, and we are now ready to replicate that successful launch model in Denmark.”
The Danish regulator SKAT stipulates a number of special requirements for the Live Casino system including a ‘SAFE’ data storage area within the operator’s system, which will be populated with betting data in real time.
As part of its offer to Danish market licensees, Evolution is looking to launch a .dk equivalent of its hugely successful London Roulette and Venezia Roulette ‘destination casinos’. According to von Bahr, the Danish variant will be an “opulent, premier-class online environment localised to the needs of local Danish players, and staffed by native speaking Danish dealers.”
The Evolution CEO added: “Being early to market is only one component for achieving success with online live gaming in Europe’s emerging new gaming markets. Developing a localised offer that is well adapted to the local culture is key. That’s where Evolution’s offer is proving extremely attractive to licensees in markets such as Denmark. Our Live Casino system is extremely flexible – and our new and greatly extended production facilities in Riga also give us huge scope for localising the online experience to meet the needs of brands and their customers.”
Gioco Digitale goes live with Evolution’s Live Casino in Italy
Evolution Gaming, the pioneer of video-streamed Live Dealer gaming, has announced that Gioco Digitale, one of the largest concessionaires in Italy’s new remote gaming market, has gone live with Evolution’s Live Casino.
The fully AAMS-approved Evolution Live Casino solution enables Gioco Digitale to offer its customers, on GDcasinò.it, a selection of live online Roulette and Blackjack tables at which to play. These tables include Venezia Roulette which, with its opulent interior and native speaking Italian dealers, replicates online the experience of playing in Italy’s finest land-based casinos.
Gioco Digitale is 100% part of bwin.party digital entertainment plc, the result of the recent merger of bwin and PartyGaming to create the largest stockmarket listed online gaming company in the world.
Commenting on the thinking behind the selection of Evolution, Paolo Di Feo, Southern Region Director at bwin.party said: “Gioco Digitale is committed to delivering an exceptional localised gaming service in Italy. Key factors behind the delivery of original products for the Italian public are the strength, stability and security of our group’s technology platform, our local focus, and our strategic partnerships with innovators such as Evolution Gaming. Evolution Live Casino is an excellent fit for us from a technology and customer service perspective – in Italy and across our other markets.”
Gionata La Torre, Evolution’s CEO in Italy commented: “PartyGaming is a long-standing Evolution customer, and since its merger with bwin we have worked closely with a number of divisions within the group. Gioco Digitale recognised that, as the first Live Casino provider to be fully approved by AAMS in Italy, Evolution shared its vision for the newly revitalised Italian market.”
La Torre added: “Italian customers are going to be very excited by the arrival of the Gioco Digitale Live Casino. The wide choice of live tables on offer, and the online live gaming experience with its real-time interaction amongst players and dealer, offers something for everyone – from experienced Roulette and Blackjack players to first-time players. For this reason we expect Gioco Digitale to benefit from high levels of interest and incremental revenue opportunities.”
Evolution’s grand Venezia Roulette room unveiled for new Italian market
Evolution Gaming, the pioneer of video-streamed Live Dealer gaming, has announced the launch of Venezia Roulette – a premier-class, fully AAMS-approved online ‘destination casino’ developed specifically for the re-regulated Italian market.
The announcement comes just a few weeks after Evolution’s generic Live Casino became the first such online solution to be approved for the new market by AAMS (Amministrazione Autonoma Monopoli di Stato), the Italian regulator.
With Venezia Roulette Evolution has created a ‘real’ top-class Live Casino environment – fully approved and ready for rapid implementation by Italian-focused gaming operators. The online venue replicates the excitement and experience of playing at the very finest Italian casinos – complete with real-time interaction with native speaking dealers and with fellow Roulette game players.
According to Gionata La Torre, CEO of Evolution Italy, “The superb interior design, lighting and ambience recreate the opulent, classical surroundings of the finest Italian casino. At the same time, players benefit from exceptional levels of professional and locally-aware customer service delivered by highly experienced native Italian speaking dealers.”
Continues La Torre: “All our Venezia Roulette dealers have been headhunted from Italian land-based casinos, and all understand the culture of Italian casino-based gaming and Italian players. They have also undergone thorough online live dealer training, so they’re fully prepared for the take-off of Live Casino in our re-regulated and revitalised market.”
Venezia Roulette is based on the same concept to Evolution’s highly successful London Roulette live dealer gaming room, which, says Evolution CEO Jens von Bahr, is “modelled on the crème de la crème of British casinos”, and offers players “an exceptional, localised live dealer gaming experience unmatched anywhere on the web.”
London Roulette has already been deployed by a number of top-tier operators in the UK and mainland Europe. According to von Bahr, “Results have been very impressive, with strong uptake amongst both existing players and all-new players for operators and low cost of customer acquisition.”
von Bahr adds: “Localisation of Live Casino – and with it the ability to acquire, impress, retain and develop players through a great online experience – is vital to new and changing European gaming markets. Targeted, localised solutions such as London Roulette and Venezia Roulette – which Evolution can create for virtually any country, city or culture – are key to operator success in this new age.”
Evolution CEO Jens von Bahr to talk global vs. local at EiG
Evolution’s Chief Executive Officer Jens von Bahr is to speak on the CEO Panel at EiG (the European iGaming Congress and Expo) on the highly topical issue of Global versus Local and Niche Players in online gaming.
Speaking alongside fellow CEOs from Betclic Everest Group, Betsson, party.bwin, SNAI and William Hill Online, von Bahr will explore how to identify future winners in newly regulated, consolidating and increasingly localised iGaming markets.
The Evolution CEO and co-founder will draw on his company’s unique experience of developing market-leading Live Casino solutions for re-regulating European markets.
Evolution recently became the first Live Casino solutions provider to be fully approved by regulator AAMS (Amministrazione Autonoma Monopoli di Stato) for the new Italian gaming market. With licensing and taxation the focus of regulators right across Europe, how best to deliver online gaming solutions while meeting local regulatory and player needs is one of the most critical issues facing gaming operators.
Evolution Gaming, co-founded by von Bahr in 2006, revolutionised the European Live Dealer Gaming platform. The company continues to lead the way with localised online Live Casino venues and dedicated gaming tables and environments.
The CEO Panel takes place at 13:30 on Tuesday 20 September 2011 at the 10th annual European iGaming Congress and Expo (part of Totally iGaming Week) at MIC, Milan, Italy.
Interwetten selects Evolution to launch Live Casino
Evolution Gaming, the pioneer of video-streamed Live Dealer gaming, has signed an agreement with Interwetten, one of Europe’s leading online gaming operators, to provide its award-winning Live Casino games at www.interwetten.com.
Under the initial two-year agreement, Evolution will deliver its market-leading, live dealer online Blackjack, Baccarat and Roulette games to Interwetten’s growing player base across Europe.
Evolution’s live games are delivered in real time to players’ PCs and feature real tables and real cards, live dealers and live interaction amongst dealer and players. The games are acknowledged to be the closest online players can get to the real casino experience.
Commenting on the company’s strategic move into live games, Interwetten Managing Director, Birgit Bosch said: “We are delighted to enter into a partnership with Evolution Gaming. Live Casino is one of the fastest growing sectors online and when looking for a Live Casino partner, to extend our existing online offering, Evolution was our first choice. Evolution are pioneers and innovators in this area and we were impressed by the proven results they have achieved for other top operators throughout Europe.”
Bosch added “We are confident the addition of Live Casino will be hugely popular among existing players and attract a high volume of new players, generating significant incremental revenues.”
To maximise visibility and exposure, Live Casino, which will be launched in the autumn, will be accessed via a dedicated top-level menu ‘tab’ on the website.
Jens von Bahr, CEO of Evolution, commented: “We are thrilled to be working with Interwetten, who have seen player numbers double over recent years. The addition of Evolution’s Live Casino will enrich their existing offering and is guaranteed to attract new demographics and deliver high levels of player loyalty.”
Interwetten’s current online offering includes live sportsbetting and an extensive range of casino and scratch card games, with the site available in a choice of nine languages.
888 goes live with Evolution’s Live Casino in Italy
Evolution Gaming, the pioneer of video-streamed Live Dealer gaming, has extended its agreement with 888 for the provision of Evolution’s Live Casino games worldwide. The new deal has immediately resulted in early entry for 888 in the re-regulated Italian market, where 888.it has now gone live. The 888.it launch follows Evolution becoming the first Live Casino provider officially certified in accordance with the new rules set by AAMS (Amministrazione Autonoma Monopoli di Stato).
Commenting on a worldwide deal that has huge significance for Italy’s burgeoning online gaming market, Evolution CEO Jens von Bahr said: “We are proud that 888 continue to integrate Evolution Live Casino within their global offering. And we’re delighted to have helped 888 be the first to market in Italy with Live Casino and share 888’s excitement about the enormous potential of our Live Casino solutions in this market. Italy is already Europe’s biggest online gambling market by revenue – and also the third-largest market in the world.”
Pier Francesco Geraci, 888.it CEO, stressed the potential of the two-year deal to deliver strong commercial advantage for operators: “Evolution’s Live Casino solutions are infinitely customisable and offer full scope for localisation, making them perfect for the Italian market and, indeed, for every other country that 888 serves.”
Geraci explained: “The flexibility of Evolution Live Casino enables high quality, real-time interaction between dealers and players, which makes for a far more rewarding and realistic local customer experience. This product has proven successful in other territories and we are confident that our Italian roll-out will attract huge interest, a high volume of players and high levels of customer loyalty.”
Evolution’s commitment to the opening up of the Italian gaming market has also seen the company develop its Venezia Roulette product. This premier-class online Roulette room features highly experienced native speaking Italian dealers. The Evolution dealers have been hand-picked for their intimate knowledge of Italian gaming and their ability to deliver exceptional customer service.
Evolution in world Fast50 and named Best Live Casino Provider 2011
Evolution Gaming has been recognised as one of the world’s fastest growing companies in a recent report by New Europe magazine.
In reaching the Fast50, Evolution Gaming was also named Best Live Casino Provider 2011. Four companies were shortlisted for this industry sub-category, with Evolution coming first with more than 50% of the votes – one of the highest majorities on record.
According to the magazine, Fast50 companies are “organisations that have reached the very highest levels of achievement in their respective fields, and who are driving their respective industries forward. The Fast50 comprises the new business elite, made up of those whose vision and enterprise shapes the conceptual landscape of finance, technology, investment management, and other growth sectors.”
Key aims of the magazine’s Fast50 research team are to analyse new trends and unearth the brightest pioneers across all sectors.
Evolution Gaming approved as Italy’s first online Live Casino provider
Evolution Gaming, the pioneer of Live Dealer gaming, has become the first Live Casino provider to be officially certified following the rules set by Italy’s AAMS (Amministrazione Autonoma Monopoli di Stato). The approval allows Evolution to stream real-time, interactive Live Casino games such as Roulette, Blackjack and Baccarat, in TV quality, to the PC screens of players in Europe’s biggest online gambling market (by revenue). The option of dedicated tables allows operators full control over branding – tables, cards, uniforms and more, with the added advantage of being able to cross-sell and run promotions in real time from the tables– resulting in extra revenue for operators.
Agreements between Evolution and several leading Italian gaming operators are already signed and Italy’s first online Live Casinos are expected to open for business in July. Amongst the gaming operators who will gain first-to-market advantage in Italy are Microgame and 888.com.
Jens von Bahr, CEO of Evolution Gaming, commented: “The opening up and re-regulating of the Italian gaming market is hugely exciting for operators and their customers. This approval means players in Italy will soon have easy access to our world-leading Live Casino gaming via their PCs through a standard internet connection – with the ability to interact with the dealer and fellow players in real time. This online experience is as close as it gets to a visit to a real casino, and allows customers to take their seats at a live table when and where they choose.”
“The Italian certification is testament, once again, to the quality and integrity of our Live Casino product and further strengthens Evolution’s world-leading position in the live online gaming market,” added von Bahr.
Evolution’s commitment to the burgeoning Italian gaming market is underlined by the recent appointment of Gionata La Torre as CEO Italy, and the development of the company’s Venezia Roulette online environment.
Venezia Roulette has been specifically developed by Evolution as a top-class ‘localised’ Live Casino for Italy. For this unique, opulently styled online Roulette room Evolution has headhunted the best and most experienced native speaking Italian dealers from land-based casinos. In fact, interest in the arrival of Live Casino in what La Torre describes as, “one of the most exciting and fast-moving gaming markets in the world today,” has been so great that Evolution is currently recruiting and training additional teams of Italian dealers.
La Torre has extensive experience in European digital media, having worked with British Telecom and Telecom Italia in senior roles in areas such as internet and multimedia corporate strategy, e-business partnerships and consumer internet services. He joins Evolution from Havas Media where, as Managing Director, he was responsible for the company’s digital operations.
“I’m sure that Italian players will really welcome the arrival of our Live Casino, with its live chat amongst dealer and players and exceptionally high standard of customer service,” concluded La Torre.
“Tough to catch” Evolution wins Live Casino Supplier of the Year Award for second year running
Evolution Gaming has been named Live Casino Supplier of the Year at the 2011 EGR (eGaming Review) B2B Awards for the second consecutive year. Evolution took the award ahead of Playtech, MediaLive, Visionary iGaming, ComTrade and Portomaso Gaming at a gala awards ceremony held on Tuesday 3 May, on the first night of EGRLive at Chelsea Football Club in London.
The EGR judging panel described Evolution, who are acknowledged pioneers of Live Dealer video-streamed gaming via the internet, as “tough to catch”. In particular the judges cited Evolution’s use of blue screen technology as a unique and powerful benefit for gaming operators. Using ‘blue screening’, a film production technique associated with state-of-the-art blockbuster movies, Evolution is able to create cost-effective dedicated tables and environments for clients, with lobbies, casino floors, tables and backdrops designed and branded to match the customer’s precise specifications.
Delighted to win this top industry award for the second year, Evolution CEO Jens von Bahr commented: “Retaining this award endorses Evolution’s position as market leaders and underlines our commitment to the further development of this most exciting of gaming sectors. As the Live Casino market continues to grow our clients can look forward to further innovations from Evolution which will further redefine gaming, push the boundaries of what is possible, and take the online interactive playing experience to new levels.”
He added: “I would like to thank the growing number of Evolution licensees who are helping us to showcase the massive potential and flexibility of our product. These forward-thinking licensees are really maximising their business opportunities with dedicated tables, native speaking dealers and localised casinos. They have also seen the potential to use the Live Casino online channel as an additional and highly cost-effective marketing channel for the cross-promotion and cross-selling of their other services and attractions.”
Evolution Gaming new lead roles in software and Italy
Evolution Gaming, the pioneer of video-streamed Live Dealer gaming, has expanded its team with the appointments of Manuel Gusterer, as Director of Development, and Gionata La Torre, as Country Manager, Italy, for Evolution’s burgeoning business in Italy’s re-regulated gaming market.
Gusterer will be based in London and head up a team of more than 40 developers and technicians at Evolution’s London office and its state-of-the-art production studios in Riga. He joins from Tom Tom Inc, Amsterdam, where he had full responsibility for the Tom Tom e-commerce platform. Prior to that he was Development Lead at Real Networks in Salzburg, and his career has also included periods with SAS Institute in Vienna and Sony Pictures in Los Angeles.
“I am joining the acknowledged world leader in Live Casino and it’s an extremely exciting opportunity to use all my skills in software, e-business, digital media and entertainment for the continued benefit of Evolution’s licensees,” said Gusterer.
Gionata La Torre, meanwhile, joins Evolution on a full-time basis as CEO, Italy. La Torre has already worked closely with Evolution and AAMS (Amministrazione Autonoma Monopoli di Stato) in recent months to enable Evolution Live Casino to be the first such product to be approved for Italy.
Like Gusterer, La Torre has extensive experience in digital media. He was previously Managing Director at Havas Media, with responsibility for their Italian operations. He has also worked at British Telecom and BT Openworld (in London) and Telecom Italia (in Rome) in senior roles in internet and multimedia corporate strategy, e-business partnerships and consumer internet services.
According to La Torre: “Italy is a key market for Evolution – and with the first ever approved Live Casino product for Italy I am very proud to be able to help lead this market into what promises to be a new age of strong and sustained growth.”
Commenting on the growing strength and success of the Evolution team, CEO Jens von Bahr said: “These are key appointments that show our commitment to continued innovation and growth. Manuel has an exceptionally strong technical background and under his leadership our technology will go from strength to strength. As for Italy, it is Europe’s largest gaming market in terms of revenue, we already have the first approved Live Casino product there, and we’re already working with major players such as 888, Microgame andUnibet in this market. To have someone of Gionata’s calibre supporting Evolution clients and driving further growth in this region is fantastic news for everyone.”
HollandPoker and Offsidegaming choose Evolution
Two new operators have selected Evolution Live Casino, adding their names to the growing list of licensees able to offer their customers the best and most realistic Live Casino experience available on the web.
HollandPoker is to extend customer choice to its currently Poker-focused offering by adding Evolution Live Casino via its soon to be launched sister brand Nedercasino. HollandPoker prides itself on offering localised games and help desk services for Dutch players. With Evolution’s highly customisable solutions and the best native speaking live dealers, Nedercasino will be able to stay true to this localised brand ethos.
Offsidegaming will also add Evolution Live Casino alongside its existing products. Trading since 2008, Offsidegaming is the business to business division of Offsidebet.com. Operating on a global scale the company offers a full suite of gaming solutions and sports betting technology to its customers in a number of countries that include Eastern and Central Europe and South America. By offering a “plug and play” solution the company provides its customers with trading departments, fraud teams, IT services and customer services departments. To find out more go to www.Offsidegaming.com
According to Fredrik Osterberg, Sales Director at Evolution: “These latest agreements demonstrate, once again, that Evolution Live Casino is ideal for operators of all sizes. Yes, our market-leading Live Casino is chosen by 17 of the world’s top 20 online gaming operators. But it is equally relevant to smaller and mid-size operators – and especially those that value a localised solution for their customers, irrespective of where those customers happen to reside or travel in the world.”
Evolution Live Casino moves towards certification in Italy
Evolution Gaming is working closely with Italy’s regulatory gaming body AAMS (Amministrazione Autonoma Monopoli di Stato) on the certification of Evolution’s Live Casino solutions for the Italian market.
To comply with Italian gaming legislation Evolution’s games have to be certified by an independent, approved certification organisation. A successful certification process is key for Evolution and its partners, as it is a pre-requisite for the introduction of Evolution’s world-leading Live Casino solutions into Italy, one of Europe’s most important igaming markets.
The aim is for Evolution Live Casino to be certified and AAMS approved by early April 2011. Evolution will keep partners informed about the progress with certification with updates here, in the News section of the Evolution website.
OpenBet to add Evolution Live Casino to its leading open platform
Evolution Gaming, the pioneer of video-streamed Live Dealer gaming, has signed a partnership agreement with OpenBet to connect their cutting edge Evolution Live Casino solutions to the OpenBet platform via the Remote Gaming Interface (RGI).
Through RGI, all OpenBet customers have the opportunity to benefit from Evolution’s 24/7, multi-language Live Casino offering. In addition to the core interactive games which include Blackjack, Baccarat and Roulette, there are also localised online gaming environments featuring native speaker live dealers to broaden its appeal in other European markets including UK, Spain and Italy.
Evolution’s London Roulette, formally launched at ICE Totally Gaming 2011, is modelled on the UK’s leading casinos and based on the same concept, Venezia Roulette is tailored to the Italian market and is due for an April 2011 release. Evolution has created ‘real’ environments that provide a first-class customer experience in egaming and are rich in the traditions of leading land-based casinos from each local market.
Commenting on the deal, Max Francis, Commercial Partner Manager at OpenBet, said; “Live Casino is an enormously exciting part of online gaming’s future and so we look forward to opening up more opportunities in this area. Our Remote Gaming Interface can swiftly allow our customers to seamlessly integrate Evolution’s products into their offering, giving them true best-of-breed choice from across the industry.”
Fredrik Osterberg, Sales Director at Evolution, added; “We are delighted to be partnering with OpenBet; their market-leading open platform is used by many of the world’s largest betting operators – such as Ladbrokes, William Hill, Betfair, Paddy Power and SkyBet – all of whom are also Evolution customers. Together with OpenBet we look forward to working closely together to ensure all our customers benefit from unprecedented choice and opportunities in live dealer gaming.”
Evolution strengthens its global team with appointment of von Bahr as Chief Legal Officer
Evolution Gaming, the pioneer of video-streamed Live Dealer gaming, has appointed Jesper von Bahr as Chief Legal Officer to help drive the company’s expansion into new international jurisdictions and deregulated markets.
von Bahr is a highly experienced international corporate and commercial lawyer. He was previously a partner at the Swedish law firm Lofalk, which specialises in cross-border corporate restructuring and financing. Prior to that he was General Counsel at Rebtel Networks, the global mobile telecommunications provider. He has also held positions as a management consultant for McKinsey & Co and for the City of London-based international law firm Macfarlanes and Swedish law firm Cederquist.
Commenting on his appointment, von Bahr said: “Having established itself as the clear leader in online live gaming in Europe, Evolution is committed to extending that market-leading position into new territories across the gaming world. This is as enormously exciting opportunity as there is both increasing deregulation of markets and growing demand for Evolution Gaming solutions worldwide”.
Expanding on the critical roles of sound legal advice and compliance in online gaming, von Bahr commented: “Trust and integrity are foundation stones of the Evolution platform and they are critical to acquiring and retaining customers in online gaming. Evolution is 100% committed to regulatory and legal compliance to deliver ethical gaming solutions of the highest standard. This commitment, allied to the robust, innovative and highly localised and personalised nature of Evolution solutions, has made Evolution Gaming the first choice of leading online operators. My role is to ensure that Evolution solutions are localised, from a legal and ethical perspective, to the exact needs of operators, their customers and their jurisdictions, whatever the market. It’s a vital part of our service to our clients and our ability to work alongside clients as a trusted partner.”
Evolution solutions include Live Roulette, Live Blackjack, Live Baccarat and a brand new category – Live Slots. Games are video-streamed in real time to players’ PCs and feature TV quality live action with real dealers, real wheels, real cards and real-time interaction amongst dealer and players.
In 2010 Evolution became the first European company to achieve the eCOGRA (eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance) Certified Live Dealer Seal. Evolution’s clients include 888, Ladbrokes, Paddy Power, PartyGaming, SportingBet, William Hill, Unibet, and many more leading operators.
Betsafe partners with Evolution to offer leading Live Casino Blackjack, Baccarat and Roulette
Evolution Gaming, the pioneer of video-streamed Live Dealer gaming, has announced that it has signed an agreement with Betsafe, one of Scandinavia’s largest online gaming operators, to provide leading-edge, TV quality Live Casino games at www.betsafe.com
Under the initial two-year agreement, signed at ICE in London, Evolution will deliver live dealer online Blackjack, Baccarat and Roulette games.
Evolution’s live games are delivered in real time to players’ PCs and feature real tables and real cards, live dealers and live interaction amongst dealer and players. The games are acknowledged to be the closest online players can get to the real casino experience.
Commenting on the potential of his company’s move into live games, Betsafe CEO Henrik Persson said: “We are thrilled to enter into a partnership with Evolution Gaming. We were committed to adding Live Casino to our offering and Evolution were the natural choice as their solutions stand out from the competition. We expect Evolution’s offering to generate significant incremental revenues. At the same time, Evolution games will serve as a cost-efficient marketing tool and a way to further localise our offering."
Betsafe’s new Live Casino offering will be accessed via a dedicated top-level menu ‘tab’ at www.betsafe.com to ensure maximum visibility and exposure of the new live games.
Persson explained: “We see Evolution’s Live Games as an important and strategic top-level offering. Of course, they will further enrich the Betsafe offer to existing customers. At the same time these games are proven to attract new demographics including, but not limited to, high rollers.”
Jens von Bahr, CEO of Evolution, commented: “We are delighted to be working with Betsafe; they have an impressive track record and an excellent understanding of marketing and execution in the online gaming world. I am confident we will see further innovative and localised live offerings emerging from our partnership over time."
Betsafe serves more than 500,000 customers, mainly in Northern and Eastern Europe. Launched in January 2006, the company has established itself as one of the most trusted gaming companies in the world. At present, www.betsafe.com serves customers in a choice of eight languages: Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Polish, Bulgarian, Latvian and English. Its online offering currently includes live sports betting, poker and an extensive range of casino and scratch card games, all of which benefit from a unique 24/7 support guarantee.
New London Roulette increases localised online custom for William Hill Online, Ladbrokes
Evolution Gaming, the pioneer of video-streamed Live Dealer gaming, will formally launch London Roulette – a new localised online Roulette room that is already achieving strong results for top-tier operators – at ICE, London, stand 5310.
Modelled on the crème de la crème of British casinos, London Roulette offers players an exceptional, localised experience which is unmatched anywhere on the web.
To replicate the excitement of playing at such a prestigious venue, Evolution has created a ‘real’ environment that exudes opulence and grandeur in the rich tradition of the very top London casinos. Evolution has also ensured that customer service is of the highest order, by headhunting the best and most experienced native speaking male dealers from top UK land-based casinos. In common with Evolution’s well-established Live Roulette, players are welcomed to the table by the dealer and can interact with the dealer and fellow players in real time throughout the game.
London Roulette has already been deployed by William Hill Online and a number of other well-known operators in the UK and mainland Europe.
According to Jens von Bahr, Evolution CEO, “London Roulette went live at the start of December with several of our largest clients, including William Hill Online and Ladbrokes. Initial results from all of these top-tier operators have been very impressive. Typically we are seeing excellent uptake amongst existing customers – but without cannibalising existing revenue – and also high numbers of all-new customers and, therefore, exceptionally low cost of customer acquisition.”
Commenting on how enthusiastically London Roulette has been received by his own customers, Robert Sadler, Live Casino Manager of William Hill Online, said: “We are delighted with London Roulette, which is an important strategic addition to our existing online offering. Now we can give our customers the opportunity to click into the very finest casino in town. He added “London Roulette conveys the ‘Best of Britain’ and the dealers really are first class. Our customers love it and London Roulette looks set to be a great success for us.
The concept behind London Roulette enables any customer to visit and play at a localised ‘destination’ casino, where every detail – from interior design, to lighting to the on-screen user interface and choice of game views – has been developed to create a unique ambience and customer experience.
Following hot on the heels of London Roulette is Evolution’s Venezia Roulette, a similar offering tailored for the Italian market, due for April 2011 release.
