UK betting operator Rank Group Plc has inked a two-year deal to utilize the GameShaper+ platform offered by social gaming provider enteraction. The GameShaper+ platform will allow Rank to incorporate social games from a variety of developers via mobile and on Facebook, and centrally manage user, marketing and product data as well as wallet functionality. The deal will start with enteraction integrating Rank’s X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent social bingo games. It will also enable Rank to integrate the new X Factor Role Playing Game, Rank’s first stab at a non-casino or bingo-style social game. Rank Group’s head of social and mobile Lee O’Donovan said the company was looking for a platform “that allowed for the quick deployment of multiple products with a single point of data management.”
US-based social sports betting outfit BetBomb.com has added poker to its flagship product. At least, it claims to have combined “poker style wagering with sports betting,” although there’s precious little mention of poker to be found on their website, beyond the addition of paid tickets to the 2013 World Series of Poker on the list of prizes to be won … via sportsbetting. What the hell, we can play this game, too… BetBomb put the hurt locker on your sports betting opponents by combining sports betting with the thrill of dismantling explosive devices. (See website for nonexistent details.)
Speaking of things that go boom, Zynga Poker may have become a tool in the hands of Israel’s cyber enemies. The Times of Israel reported that up to 16k Israeli poker players were hit by a Trojan horse going by the name Poker Agent. The Trojan infiltrated Zynga’s popular free-play poker app with the intention of purloining players’ login and credit card info. Anti-virus outfit ESET claims it has been tracking the Israel-specific Trojan for a year, and director Ronen Moas said he “wouldn’t be surprised if this attack turned out to be part of the international cyber terror campaign being conducted against Israel daily.” (Speaking of terror, have you seen Zynga’s stock price? Ba-dum!)
GSN’s interactive division GSN Digital has launched GSN ChaChingo Bingo on GSN.com. A “reimagined” version of Bingo Blitz, ChaChingo Bingo players are awarded one bingo card per hour, with a jackpot starting at $1,500 and rising $50 each hour until someone matches all five numbers. GSN Digital president Jeff Karp said the new game offered players “more chances to win … without spending a dime in the process.”
