U.K.-based Inspired Gaming Group plc has signed a four-year contract with William Hill to supply Britain’s largest bookmaker with 6,301 Category B gaming machines across its network of betting shops. The terminals will be deployed in 1,677 branches of William Hill, representing around 75 percent of the bookmaker’s locations.
The new supply deal follows the 2005 Gambling Act legislation which came into force in September, allowing bookmakers to now house up to a total of four Category B2 or Category B3 gaming machines in every betting shop.
The dual-screen “Rainmaker” terminal will feature the new B2 blackjack and poker games introduced in September.
“The four-year contract with William Hill represents a very significant deal for Inspired, and one which further cements a very strong and longstanding working relationship between the two firms,” commented Jim O’Halleran, chairman of Inspired Gaming UK.
Inspired also announced a deal to supply Ladbrokes with Category B content across 1,500 of the bookmaker’s existing “Lara” gaming machines via its Open Server-Based Gaming, or Open SBG platform. The deal reinforces Inspired’s position as the leading player in the Open SBG market, and, like Inspired’s other distribution deal, follows the revised Gambling Act limits of four Category B gaming machines in every betting shop. The terminals went live in February.
Inspired also announced a deal to provide Ladbrokes with Category B content from some of the industry’s leading game developers, centrally managed over a broadband network.
“We are delighted to have signed this deal to supply and work closely with one of the U.K.’s leading bookmakers,” said Luke Alvarez, co-CEO of Inspired. “Incorporating our state-of-the-art operating platform into Ladbrokes’ hardware will ensure an unrivaled player experience for Ladbrokes’ customers, and will lend an extra element to their current FOBT offering. We anticipate much success working together.”
