Media Centre: Press Release
Sky Sports Presenter to Host OpenBet Virtual Charity Derby
Alex Hammond to host inaugural OpenBet Virtual Charity Derby at ICE Totally Gaming show in London on Tuesday 25 January 2011 as part of OpenBet product launch
The OpenBet stand will be the hot favourite at ICE Totally Gaming, where Sky Sports’ Alex Hammond will host the screening of the OpenBet Virtual Charity Derby* in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital’s Raising the Stakes initiative. OpenBetPromote, the new betting promotion display software from
OpenBet Retail will be showcased at the event.
Delegates are invited to meet Alex with OpenBet’s CEO David Loveday and their team on stand number 5165 from 3:00pm on Tuesday 25 January 2011, where she will be giving tips on the virtual runners and riders. Guests will be encouraged to place charity bets at the OpenBet Tote and take their place at the virtual trackside for the 3:30pm Raising the Stakes race and 4:00pm OpenBet Handicap.
The two virtual races will be shown on 120” screens with commentary by the legendary Peter Hood. The lucky punters who select the horses ‘first past the post’ will be entered into a ‘top hat’ draw to win six Ascot Premier Admission tickets and a bottle of champagne.** The virtual racing will be created using OpenBetPromote, the new betting promotion display software from OpenBet Retail and the virtual content is supplied by Inspired Gaming.
Sky Sports’ racing presenter, Alex Hammond, said; “I’m delighted to be helping OpenBet with its Virtual Charity Derby as part of its retail product launch which will not only provide exciting entertainment but raise much needed funds for this important children’s charity.”
OpenBet is proud to be a founding partner of the groundbreaking Raising the Stakes initiative at Great Ormond Street Hospital. All funds raised by the OpenBet Virtual Charity Derby will be used to create a new high dependency bay in the hospital’s lifesaving Cardiac Care Unit. For more information on
the Raising the Stakes initiative please visit www.gosh.org/raisingthestakes.
OpenBet Retail, the no. 1 end to end technology provider for betting shops in UK and Ireland, will offer a number of benefits with the new promotion display software, aimed at increasing revenue opportunities in high street betting shops. Designed for major and independent bookmakers, OpenBetPromote is available now and enables big screen promotion of high profile sporting events and more flexibility on betting options to enhance their offering in the retail industry.
OpenBetPromote is a software-only solution which gives bookmakers the flexibility to select their own PC hardware and support their own estates independently. OpenBetPromote has been designed to display pictures and promote betting opportunities on up to 255 separate displays, which can be flexibly mapped across up to 40 physical high definition screens. Without restrictions on screen location, layout, content or style, it is the most flexible and dynamic screen system available. Sports zones and virtual zones can be created as HD video walls or displayed on single HD screens, delivering a vibrant cinematic betting experience with multiple betting choices that cannot be replicated online.
–ends–
* Terms and Conditions apply
** The Ascot Premier Admission badges can be used on any raceday except for the Royal Meeting, King George Day (Saturday 23rd July), the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup (Saturday 6th August) and British Champions Day (Saturday 15th October).
For more information about OpenBet, please contact:
Susanna Underwood or Jayne Cardnell
susanna.underwood@openbet.com or jayne.cardnell@openbet.com
+44 (0)20 8742 1600 / 07884 000531 / 07808 791044
For further product information or sales enquiries, please contact: Clare Barber, OpenBet
Retail clare.barber@openbet.com
Tel +44 (0) 1483 293 900 Fax +44 (0) 1483 533 333
OpenBet Retail Head office
Bishopsgate House Broadford Park Shalford Guildford, Surrey GU4 8ED
Notes to Editors:
About OpenBet Retail (www.openbetretail.com)
OpenBet Retail is focused on the provision of end-to-end technology to high street bookmakers, predominantly in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. It delivers a comprehensive range of integrated software and hardware to major bookmakers and the independent bookmaking marketplace. Customers include William Hill, Ladbrokes, Coral and the Tote together with many of the larger and smaller independent bookmakers.
About OpenBet (www.openbet.com)
Founded in 1996, OpenBet Ltd, formerly Orbis Technology Ltd, is the world’s leading provider of interactive gaming and betting solutions. As the leading sportsbook and gaming software supplier, the OpenBet no.1 betting technology platform enables operators to provide their customers with the ability to bet and play in multiple languages and currencies across multiple channels including web, mobile
devices, retail outlets, call centers and interactive digital television, all with a single login and a centralised OpenBet Account.
OpenBet’s platform and products are used by the world’s leading gaming operators including Ladbrokes, William Hill, Betfair, Paddy Power and SkyBet. With a strong reputation and proven track record in compliance, OpenBet is a key player in the business to the government sector, working with a number of governmentbacked
organizations including the Tote, Macau Slot in Asia and PMU following the regulation of online gaming laws in France in 2010. OpenBet partnered with BCLC (British Columbia Lottery Corporation), the first jurisdiction to legalise online gaming in North America, and is also the primary ecasino provider and software supplier for Loto Quebec.
In addition to being the betting technology platform of choice, the acquisition of Electracade and NT Media strengthened OpenBet’s commitment to developing cutting edge and innovative games for OpenBet Casino and other partnering platforms. In May 2010, the acquisition of Alphameric Solutions Ltd, now called OpenBet Retail, positions OpenBet further enhances OpenBet’s position at the forefront of the retail and betting industry.
NDS, the leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV,
announces on Thursday 13 January 2011 that it has signed an agreement pursuant to which funds managed by Vitruvian Partners will back a management buyout of OpenBet, an NDS subsidiary. The completion of the transaction is conditional upon the receipt of certain regulatory approvals. At completion, Vitruvian will assume a majority holding in OpenBet with the remaining stake held by OpenBet.