Net Entertainment Signs First Land-based Deal

Sweden's Net Entertainment is entering the land-based sector for the first time after announcing the signing of a new agreement with William Hill.

First Land-Based Deal for Net

The games developer from Sweden and the bookmaker from the UK represents the first land-based gaming machine partnership for Net, and is the latest in a series of cooperative agreements between the two.

As a result of the deal, the games that Net Entertainment offers will be made available in a wide range of licensed betting offices (LBO's) belonging to William Hill. With 2,300 LBO's in the UK, this represents a significant splash for Net into the land-based market. The entry of online casinos into the land-based sector is a rarity, more novel than the opposite industry innovation of land-based casinos expanding into online service.

Expanding Distribution

Bjorn Krantz, Entertainment Malta's Managing Director and head of global marketing, expressed excitement on behalf of Net Entertainment to utilize the retail channels that William Hill represents, enthusiastically explaining that “The deal will allow Net Entertainment to maximize its distribution reach through William Hill's major channels which includes retail, online and mobile.”

Wish Master bolsters Net value

Complementing the momentum of this bold new expansion was Net's announcement earlier this week of the release of The Wish Master, its newest video slot.

Featuring 5 reels and 20 lines, the video slot game them of magic and adventure in pursuit of hidden treasures and jackpots, playing on the theme of other successful Net games such as Arabian Nights.

Key Innovation

The key graphic innovation is the Wish Master feature, which brings the genie out of his lamp whenever a scatter symbol is visible once activated. Once the genie comes out, a whole range of bonus features appears, from random symbols to expanding wilds and multipliers, and an full wild reel.

Nets Shares Rise

After the announcement of the new William Hill deal, Net Entertainment AB trading shares in Sweden were up 0.98 per cent at SEK154.50 on the Stockholm exchange.