iPhone and Android applications swarm third quarter
There has been a noticeable growth in the number of iPhone and Android applications among the online gambling games released by the industry leaders in the third quarter of 2010.
A new live betting application was released by Skybet via the Boolabus Jetstream product. The offer consists of a real-time commentary, statistics and bet suggestions applicable to SkyBet’s in-play football.
Software developer Zeda was inspired by an infamous Russian spy, Anna Chapman, so it incorporated her character in a new online poker iPhone app and branded Poker With Anna Chapman. The app features Texas Hold’em and five-card draw games.
Zynga’s also released a new Android poker product, whereas mFortune launched an Android slot application Vegas Vegas developed by Intouch Games.
An Android blackjack application was launched by Spin3, while Probability plc released Filthy Rich, a mobile slot.
In terms of Apple iPhone and iPad applications, their numbers steadily grow as a number of companies enlarge their offering by these new editions.
Betfair and Cozy Games were among those, with Betfair’s new sportsbetting app and Cozy’s Classic and European Blackjack for the iPhone/iPad and other smart phone platforms.
Bwin was another company to introduce a novelty, launching ‘bwin live’ where users can place bets using an intuitive user interface, and also check the status of those bets and retrieve a detailed list of bets placed.
Kama Games issued an iPhone Texas Hold’em app, whereas Probability plc’s novelty was the iPhone/iTouch Roulette, multi-hand Blackjack and the Poseidon slot, released through its LadyLuck brand.
WagerWorks’ online casino Kerching.com was among those who introduced blackjack for iPhone and iPad, 20+Blackjack.
888.com teamed up with Mkodo and introduced a mobile sports book which can be used on any mobile device, including iPhone and iPod.
Mobenga and Paddy Power together introduced a real-money iPhone application, and the interactive television and internet company NetPlay TV provided its Supercasino enterprise with a new application.
Card Player Magazine fulfilled the wish of all poker players who wanted a poker calculator application, when they released their Card Player Poker Odds Calculator for iPhone.
On the other side, in the sector of more traditional games, software providers presented a great number of new releases.
Microgaming has been maintaining its release rate of four new games a month. First, at the beginning of the quarter, they launched four five-reel slots, which offer an abundance of features: Dolphin Coast, Monsters in the Closet, Tiger’s Eye and Steinfest. Not long after them, the software developer released three new bingo mini side games: Lord of the Rings, Thunderstruck and Bush Telegraph.
Still, the largest Microgaming release in 2010 came in September. It was a brand slot game Lord of the Rings, featuring superb graphics and cinematic spins based on the epic fantasy novels by T.R. Tolkien and the movie directed by Peter Jackson.
Apart from all these, in November, the Isle of Man-based company launched another four rich-featured five-reel games: Retro Reels, Robin Hood – Feathers of Fortune, Reel Gems and Mad Dash.
On the other side, the famous European television production house Endemol has apparently decided to reinforce its presence in the internet gambling industry, as it formed a specialist division titled Endemol Games, whose first customers are 888.com and Bet365.com, but there are six more in perspective to come.
Playtech has also been highly active in the Q3 period, with its recently acquired Virtue Fusion releasing three new side games for its licensees: Challenge Roulette; an arcade Fruity Burst and a three reel slot Sacred Seven’s.
There are also Playtech’s new releases, which brought the numbers in its game suite to over 500: a horse racing themed 5 reel, 25 pay-line slot Frankie Dettori’s Magic Seven and Christmas-themed Santa’s Surprise.
In terms of scratchcards, NeoGames has justified its reputation as a scratchcard specialist with a traditional instant win game Crazy Cat, the multi-match offering Road Racing, a standard scratchcard product Candy Tale and a new 90 ball instant bingo game titled Bubble Bingo. Previously, they launched a couple of other products, namely a Holiday Hotel slot, Pub House, and Memory Madness, an instant win memory game. Some of the other games NeoGames released in this period are 'Outer Space' and 'Triple Carnival.'
Party Casino noted one of the biggest releases in Q3, with its five reel, 30 pay-line comical slot Kung Food, using the company’s proprietary software.
Net Entertainment had a couple of releases, including slots and scratchcards: slot Secret Code, and four new scratch-card games - Ace or Fortune, Seven Gold Scratch, Hall of Fame and Max Win.
Due to a deal with William Hill online group (which usually operates on Playtech software), the IGT subsidiary Wagerworks will supply the UK gambling giant with a variety of games via its Openbet Fixed Odds gaming framework.
Apart from this, Wagerworks has also released new video slots on the same framework. Those are feature-rich Pharoah’s Fortune and the Curse of Frankenstein.
In the domain of skills games, GameAccount and Genting Games teamed up to offer skill-based, person to person online games, such as Head to Head Blackjack, Backgammon, Brag and Dominoes. Genting also issued a few Marvel slots, including Blade, Daredevil and Electra, each of which offer four jackpots.
Quicksilver, a Talarius subsidiary, presented its first 3D slot Le Posh Nosh.
An Austrian online gambling giant Bwin Interactive, inked a three-year deal with Jadestone and Play ‘n Go to release fourteen new mini-games.
A novelty issued by Rushmore Casino is an exclusive slot of its own - Rushmore Riches, which is inspired by Presidential heads sculpted into Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. It also released a slot game and a 90 ball bingo on its RTG platform: Lucky Tiger and Roaring Twenties Bingo.
From Probability plc, a new symbol drop game saw light via its Lady Luck mobile franchise. It’s branded Gem Buster, and it allows players to amass jewels and receive prize money.
A live dealer provider Media Live Casino.com closed a deal with Italian licensed online poker site Italy Poker.it, to provide it with its services as soon as the Italian market opens to online casino gambling, which is expected to occur soon.
The Finnish state monopoly PAF signed up for a suite of games, due for delivery in Q1/2011, from Parlay Entertainment.
Moving to the bingo sector, Openbet Tech subsidiary Electracade will provide Cozy Games with a series of games. Apart from this, Cozy Games released a Facebook game Big City Bingo, and Electracade launched two slots: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Robocop.
A social gaming network targeting Latino market, Quepasa.com is to receive a whole suite of skill games from its partner Hollywood Creations.
A Latvian developer CTXM and Betinternet.com have closed a deal to release a number of fixed odds casino games. CTXM will also provide a full suite of games to Red Star Poker.com on the Cake Network, via its X-Casino system.
Despite its usual reputation of a rather prolific online slots developer, Rival Gaming, has not been extremely active in this period. It has, however, presented a new i-slot themed on bowling alleys, Bowled Over.
Together with 21GNet, Cake Poker has released Online Tournament Blackjack, in which players compete against each other instead of against a dealer, and there is also Cake Poker’s version of War with a new adult twist.
There are also new releases by Jackpotjoy: ‘Twins of Evil’ developed by Gamesys, branded House of Horror, as well as Bejeweled-2.
GTech G2, an online gambling giant which includes St Minver, Boss Media, Finsoft and Dynamite Idea has shown decent activity during the period, releasing a five reel, 25 pay-line Sherlock Holmes slot, along with Break the Bank, Caribbean Draw Poker, Mineva’s Luck, Demonio and Mobster Cash. Apart from these, there are also instant-play casino games Flush Bonus Poker, Triple Ace and Mini-Bingo Hi Lo.
There is also news from Vegas Technology: a slot Agent Cash, played on five reels and 30 pay-lines.
Considering the offering of a relatively unknown live dealer technology provider Global Gaming Labs, they have joined with SBG Global’s, and presented Blackjack, Baccarat and Roulette, thus adding a fresh dimension to SBG’s traditional RNG offer.
Another Slots3 game came from BetSoft Gaming, enriching their suite with a fifteenth title. Gold Diggers has five reels and 30 line, offering a number of special features.
According to analysts’ forecasts for 2010, this year will be filled with new releases, which at this moment is proving as true. And even more so considering the fact that more games are yet to come before the year ends.
