Unibet ends Playtech bingo partnership as operator pushes for stand alone product in 2015

Unibet Plc has announced that it will not renew its online bingo platform provisions partnership with Playtech’s Virtue Fusion network, as the operator will look to develop and launch its in-house bingo product using development studio Relax Gaming.

The decision to discontinue its partnership with Virtue Fusion/Playtech follows last year’s launch of its standalone poker room, as the operators looks to bring product development competencies in-house.

Unibet announced that it would use the Virtue Fusion network till its planned product launch in mid-2015. At present Relax Gaming are developing and researching online bingo products and trends under the guidance Unibet.

The operator will look to migrate bingo brands Maria.com, Unibet Bingo and recently acquired bingo.com into its new in-house bingo platform. Unibet will hope that the move will revitalise its brands by outperforming growth in the European online bingo market which has seen a market stagnation in recent years.

Daniel Eskola, Head of iGaming at Unibet, said: “With the success of the new standalone poker, the natural next step was to look at bingo.

“This project has enabled us to start fresh and define what we believe is important for a fun and entertaining bingo experience with more winners, while facilitating cross sell to our casino and games.

“Our ambition is to reinvigorate Bingo, make it more exciting than current products on the market and appeal to a wider audience.

“Unibet would like to thank Playtech for the five years during which the bingo revenues have shown healthy growth