Social sports betting launches from Win, FlowPlay; new GigaMedia platform

win-gigamedia-flowplay-social-casinoThe social gaming offshoot of UK-listed online gambling operator Bwin.party has released its social sports betting app on Facebook. Sportster Bet and Win, a co-venture of Nordeus and Bwin.party’s social gaming division Win, made its closed beta debut back in February. The new open beta product, which is available in 15 different languages, allows players to wager on real-world football matches, including marquee matchups in the English Premier League, German Bundesliga and Spanish Primera Division.

However, players seeking instant gratification can also wager on virtual match-ups, in which results are determined via real-world stats and the software’s odds-prediction engine. As players progress through the app’s various levels, they can also unlock interactive quests or challenge other users in ‘bet races’ to help pass the time while waiting for a real-world event to conclude.

The social sports betting field is already crowded and new entrants continue to angle for a slice. Earlier this month, FlowPlay announced the introduction of BetZone into its massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Vegas World social casino. BetZone offers Vegas World players the ability to virtually wager on NFL or MLB games and FlowPlay says election betting and prop wagers on elimination-themed entertainment shows like Dancing With The Stars will be made available soon. FlowPlay said 35k bets were made during the first weekend following BetZone’s beta launch.

Also looking to cash in on the burgeoning social casino field is Taiwan’s GigaMedia, which has officially recovered from its ill-fated dalliance with real-money online gambling. GigaMedia has launched Fortune888.com.tw, an open platform that serves as a distribution channel for Asian-facing operators and currently features social casino games from MicroGaming. In December, GigaMdia plans to launch ClubOne, a complete proprietary solution for desktop and mobile that will feature a broader selection of social games, all developed in-house by GigaMedia.