Free Casino On Line

The online gambling partnership in France between UK gambling group Ladbrokes and French media group Canal+ appears to have reached its end this week with the news that the UK company has decided not to enter the French internet gambling market.

A Ladbrokes spokesman revealed that the company would be pulling out of its partnership with Canal+ and indicated that high French taxation was one of the motivations behind the decision.

Commenting on Ladbrokes’ decision Gary McIlraith, Ladbrokes managing director of digital channels, international and strategy said: “Together with our partners we have concluded that the French market is now taxed at such a prohibitive level that it does not represent an attractive investment. We will continue to monitor the French marketplace but for the time being will not progress with the launch plans.”

Ladbrokes joins Sportingbet and Paddy Power as high-profile operators who have decided against entering the market on a B2C basis, with Sportingbet also opting to cancel its B2B agreements with newspapers Le Monde and L’Express.

In related news, French media are currently reporting that internet gambling group Unibet, which had earlier voiced reservations regarding the French market, has achieved licencing status with French regulator ARJEL in respect of sports betting, poker and horse racing operations.

Unibet hopes to be operational in the French market by Q4,2010 / Q1,2011

The European television production giant Endemol, developer of blockbuster concepts like Big Brother and Deal or No Deal, has announced the formation of a new division that will bring new and fresh ideas and games to the online gambling space.

The new division, titled Endemol Games, will bring popular television formats to the gaming world, and is headed by former Endemol brands chief Jurian Van de Meer, who opined this week that the company’s major shows “seamlessly cross over in to branded gaming”. Van de Meer added that Endemol products attracted huge fan bases, and the new division will build on this, creating fresh concepts to invigorate the online gaming market.

Endemol is no stranger to gaming, with a Deal Or No Deal title already featuring in online gambling games and the XBox live and Facebook libraries. Other thematic possibilities might be concepts like Doctor Who and X-Factor.

Endemol disbanded its dedicated digital unit recently when global digital media and new business head Adam Valkin and UK digital head Peter Cowley left.

New Media Age reports that Endemol Games will specialise in licensing and monetising both its own and third-party entertainment properties in the gaming space. The publication quoted Endemol UK chief operating officer Lucas Church (to whom Van de Meer reports) as saying: “Endemol UK has already established a strong position in the gaming space and the launch of Endemol Games underlines the importance of this significant growth area to our business.”

In May this year 888.com concluded an agreement with Endemol to merge the companies’ respective strengths for the benefit of the Italian gambling public.

The deal saw 888 and Endemol co-invest in the lucrative Italian market, with Endemol providing a variety of games under its exclusive brand. Games to be provided included Deal or No Deal and Big Brother, with implementation planned to coincide with the regulatory green light for online casino operations in the Italian market.

Other Endemol deals with online gambling companies include an agreement to provide The Million Pound Drop game to Bet365.

More action for Endemol is in the pipeline, Van de Meer reports, claiming that a major announcement is imminent, and that a further five or six gaming deals are currently in the pipeline.

Confirmation of rumours that have been circulating for months came this week with the release of a prospectus on Betfair’s flotation of 10% of its stock on the London exchange.

The company has set a price range per share of £11 to £14, valuing the group at almost £1.50 billion. The wide price range reflects mixed views that have been expressed on the company’s prospects for growth in countries with strict regulations on gambling, such as the U.S., and for its new financial-trading platform, LMAX.

Betfair’s majority holders, which include founders Andrew Black and Edward Wray and Japanese telecommunication company SoftBank Corp., are offering at least 10% of the company’s stock.

The prospectus reveals that Betfair has some 3 million registered users, and that revenue in the year to April 30 was up 13% at £340.9 million.

Betfair has US horse racing interests in TVG, which is licensed in 17 states, and plans to use this as a bridgehead into the lucrative US market in the event of any relaxation in tough online gambling laws either at federal or state level.

The company advises that the final IPO price will be set October 22 and the stock will start trading conditionally on that day, going to full unconditional trading just under a week later. Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. are advising the company.