iGaming Business – UK bookmaker Ladbrokes has signed a multi-year agreement to add the entire portfolio of online slots games from the Williams Interactive subsidiary of Scientific Games. Through integration with the Williams Interactive Remote Game Server, customers of the official Ladbrokes website will have access to a library of Vegas-style slot games such as ‘Spartacus Gladiators of Rome’ and ‘Zeus III’. A number of the online slot titles are already available to customers in the bookmaker’s betting shops, courtesy of an existing arrangement with Scientific Games’ SG Gaming UK division. “The expanded access to themes already popular in our…

iGaming Business – Online gaming software supplier Playtech has announced the launch of its Live Games offering across the various platforms of UK bookmaker Ladbrokes. Playtech’s Live Games will now be distributed by Ladbrokes across its platforms, with the mobile platform featuring both HTML5 and native versions for iOS and Android devices. Ladbrokes will also be able to provide an exclusively branded ‘Live’ area, a private area that Playtech said is the largest it has ever developed. In addition, Playtech said a new multi-game interface will allow customers to play three game simultaneously via a single window where games or…

The Guardian – Amid criticism bookmaker vows to link executive pay to targets tackling issue and set up a board committee to investigate policy Ladbrokes will seek to calm the row over the lucrative fixed-odds gambling machines in high-street bookies this week with a vow to link executive pay to targets on tackling problem gambling. The bookmaker also plans to set up a board committee to investigate responsible gambling policies as it responds to widespread criticism of machines dubbed the “crack cocaine of gambling” by campaigners. Ladbrokes has written to the minister responsible for gambling, Helen Grant, and industry stakeholders…

iGaming Business – Bookmaker Ladbrokes said it remains optimistic about 2014 despite having posted what it described as “disappointing” results in the 12 months through to December 31, 2013. With the firm recording net revenue of £1.1 billion (€1.35 billion/$1.85 billion) during 2013, a decrease of 0.6% on the previous year’s figure, total operating profit fell by 32.9% from £206.1 million in 2012 to £138.3 million. Ladbrokes’ digital division suffered the most significant fall by generating £8.2 million in operating profit, a drop of 74.2% on the previous year’s figure of £31.8 million. UK retail operating profit amounted to £133.9…

Gambling911 – Ladbrokes, the UK bookmaking behemoth, has endured a rough ride in recent months but Deutsche Bank sees things changing for the better. Analyst Richard Carter upgraded the share price of Ladbrokes from ‘hold’ to ‘buy’, believing that the stock is worth 232p and noting that the ‘headwinds’ affecting the group’s recent performance are now factored into the bookmaker’s valuation. “We think the historical operational issues of inadequate sports trading capabilities, weak client risk management, lack of online customer relationship management insight and limited product offering have been addressed,” he added. Merchant Securities analyst Amisha Chohan had this to…

From iGaming Business – UK gambling firm Ladbrokes has completed a €6 million ($7.8 million) acquisition of Dublin-based on-course betting company Chronicle Bookmakers. According to the Irish Independent newspaper reports, Chronicle Bookmakers offers a range of on-course betting services. It also previously operated a website, but this closed in October last year. The firm is owned by Justin Carthy and financier Dermot – the latter of which also teamed up with the company in 2005 to launch the Sport Emporium casino in Dublin. The sale is the second major deal both Desmond and Ladbrokes have been involved with in recent…