Lottomatica enters Italian skill games market

Set for launch during the third quarter of 2009, the Lottomatica skill games site will enable its customers to take part in real money online tournaments from GameAccount’s portfolio of online skill games including poker dice, gin rummy, backgammon, dominoes and briscola.

"We are delighted to partner with Lottomatica, a leading regulated lottery, sportsbook & gaming operator in one of Europe’s fastest-growing regulated online gaming markets," said Dermot Smurfit, GameAccount's Chief Operating Officer.

"Later this summer we launch real money tournaments heralding a new suite of skill games for the fast-growing Italian market. Passing the technical tests of AAMS, the Italian Regulator, was one of the proudest milestones in our company’s history and the result of many months painstaking development effort.

"With our established market lead in Italy, we’re on course to become a major software supplier to the new regulated online gaming markets in Europe," said Smurfit.

Francesco Mastantuoni of Lottomatica, said: "GameAccount leads the market for skill games in Europe and were natural partners for Lottomatica in the newly regulated Italian market.

"GameAccount was chosen after an exhaustive process investigating the commercial potential and cultural appetite in Italy for GameAccount’s Skill Games portfolio, the experience of potential suppliers and the technical & regulatory capabilities of their respective platforms."

GameAccount has also recently signed up Italian betting giants Sisal, Cogetech, Snai, as well as Gala Coral's Eurobet and Gaming VC's Betpro.it, as the company looks to make its mark on the expanding Italian skill games market.

In related news, Italian AAMS sent a tender to the European Union for the Italian Scratch and Win concession, in order to launch the bidding process for up to four new concession holders to replace incumbent Lottomatica, whose concession expires next May. The company will be participating in the new tender with a consortium including Scientific Games Corporation and the Tobacconist Association.