Campaign analysis will be excellenter using smartFOCUS

The analysis of email marketing effectivity at online betting exchange group Betfair is to be stepped up using software from the smartFOCUS firm. Datamonitor reports that the betting company has selected smartFOCUS systems in order to develop more personalised and relevant campaigns targeted on its wide range of customers, from football betting enthusiasts to horse racing punters. The tasking for smartFOCUS is to provide Betfair with the right information that will enable it to create new insight and understanding of customers and build innovative approaches to drive customer interaction and engagement. Anton Bell, head of marketing and insight at Betfair, said: "We design and distribute numerous e-mail marketing campaigns that reach millions of potential customers, so it was crucial that we have tools to deliver us the customer insight necessary to personalise campaigns and efficiently analyse results." Chris Underhill, CEO of smartFOCUS, said: "The UK online gaming sector is an ...

“Integration issue” at the base of delayed payment

With the controversy over affiliate commercial relationships and no-slow payments to affiliates still swirling around both affiliate management consultants Affiliate Media Inc. and Effective Media Group, the online poker room at the centre of the controversy, CardSpike.com, issued a statement this week: "The management at CardSpike would like to sincerely apologize to our affiliates, players and service providers for the recent issues relating to the CardSpike.com online casino and poker room. "A lot of inaccurate information has recently been printed in the media concerning CardSpike, and this will be corrected over time. "To date our focus has been and will continue to be getting over the operational hurdles that have arisen and getting all the people that are owed any money paid in full. "One thing that has been accurately reported is that our affiliate payments were delayed and this is something we apologize for. We fully understand the significance of ...

SkyBingo recent offers leaves a lot to be desired

The absolute necessity of having promo and advertising copy vetted by a senior [and sensitive] manager before it is inflicted on the public was illustrated again this week, when Sky Bingo pumped out an email pushing a promo which, it claimed in the heading, would enable players to: "You could pay off your credit cards with our fab new promo." At the best of times, implying that gambling is a solution to clearing debt is reprehensible; in today's credit crunch world its almost criminally irresponsible.

Only casinos term in the top ten

The continued attraction of poker has again been illustrated - for the third consecutive year - by Lycos's "Most searched word for 2008" news released this week, which shows the game not only at the top of the ten most searched words, but the only gambling term on the list. The search term "poker" again headed user searches, with "Paris Hilton" trailing in second place and the ubiquitous "YouTube" third. Other most searched terms included: 4. Golf 5. Sarah Palin 6. Britney Spears 7. Clay Aiken the pop singer 8. Pamela Anderson 9. Facebook 10. Holly Madison Poker generating more search activity with Lycos users in 2008 than any other search term. The continued media coverage of major televised tournaments was probably the reason for this. While Hilton jumps ahead of comeback queen Britney Spears in 2008, it was Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin who literally came out of nowhere to overtake Spears, Pamela Anderson and Hugh Hefner's former main ...

Casinos Poland director says there could be useful synergy with real casinos

Zbigniew Macioszek, a member of the board of Casinos Poland, gave an interesting interview this week to the Warsaw Business Journal, in which he commented on the state of e-gambling in the European Union and opined that there may be good opportunities for Poland in the jurisdictional milieu. Apparently disregarding the UK Gambling Commission, Maciosek said: "The only state that made [online gambling websites] legal is Malta, but the regulations are so heavy that if any other country were to legalise the industry, it would attract investors immediately. "I cannot see any reason why Poland should not do it," the casino executive said, adding that the legalisation and development of online gambling could create a great deal of synergy with traditional casinos. The WSJ reports that the popularity of online gambling is growing rapidly in Poland, giving as an example the e-gambling site Bet-at-home.com, which has tripled its Polish client base to ...

NYX Interactive to start Singapore office

Fresh from its successful acquisition of a sub-licensor imprimatur from the Isle Of Man jurisdiction the Swedish online gambling software provider NYX Interactive has announced a sales initiative into Asia. Staffan Lindgren, CEO of the company, revealed this week that NYX is to open an office in Singapore as part of its strategy to generate Asian business. "As part of our expansion plan this is a strategically important decision," Lindgren said this week. "Europe is within our reach; overall interest in the company is high and the number of customers steadily increasing. We need to extend our capacity to meet the market's need of our products. Now we are able to look towards the East to the gigantic Asian market." Regional operations create increased speed-to-market and boost efficiency, and NYX is also keen to establish a presence where the active market is or will be in the near future, says Lindgren. NYX ...

Karlsson’s rise has been announced

Maria Karlsson has been appointed Chief Executive Officer at online gambling operator Bet24 after a fast rise from management trainee in 2004 at owners Modern Times Group AB. She replaces Lotta Lindquist-Brosjö who is leaving the company to pursue other business interests after two years as CEO. Karlsson is well versed in her post, having been appointed deputy CEO in January this (2008) year. She has worked within Bet24 in various positions, including Chief Financial Officer in 2006. During MTG's ownership Bet24 has undergone rapid development, becoming profitable in 2007 with sales of SEK 386 million, gross profit of SEK 122 million and operating profit of SEK 10 million. During 2008 the business has reported healthy sales growth of 29 percent for the first nine months ending 30 September, together with a similar impressive rise in gross profit. Announcing the appointment, Jørgen Madsen, Chairman of the Board of Bet24, said: "Maria has an ...

Company spokesperson discounts rumours of a out company

The Gibraltar publication "Panorama" followed up on rumours this week that the online gambling group Mansion was about to pull out of the Mediterranean enclave, which hosts and licences many leading industry companies. Unsettling rumours had been circulating that Indonesian-owned Mansion, which employs almost 150 people in the British territory, was planning to shut down its Gibraltar operations in favour of a move to Singapore and, of all places, Israel. Consideration of the former state, which has a personal tax rate of only 8 percent, was perhaps understandable, but Israel has traditionally taken a tough anti-online gambling line when it comes to operators, although it boasts impressive technological capability. The rumours reignited fears of further Gibraltar job losses following retrenchments at 888.com earlier this year and more recent news that Party Gaming may be making staff cuts. Unidentified sources told Panorama that some staff had already been prepared for a move with ...