Sky Bet Vegas Web Site a Big Plus for Wagerworks, BSkyB

Wagerworks and BSkyB have teamed up to bring gamers Sky Bet Vegas, an online casino suite that features 24 games, including the Price is Right and several traditional favorites like pokers and slots.

The site was officially launched June 25, but has been running since its soft launch in the beginning of May. It's now operating at full capacity at www.skybetvegas.com.

Sky Bet Vegas utilizes Wagerworks' proprietary Wagerware software, which consists of the underlying gaming platform that supports the delivery of the content as well as the backend tools.

Sky Bet's managing director, Nick Rust, said they chose Wagerworks "because of the vision they had for the future with regard to gaming, the qualitiy of their games and the potential to use third-party products and brand names to assist with the development of their services."

Rust added, "Another reason was the approach that they took to regulation, which allowed us to go to Alderney, which is one of the premium locations with the highest standards being set in regulation.”

For Wagerworks, the newly launched site is a reentrance into the I-gaming space. The company also developed the software for MGM Mirage's online casino, but that site shut down last month. As a U.S. company and Isle of Man licensee, MGM Mirage was subject to rules and regulations that many of its competitors, like British Sky Bet Vegas, were not.

This, said Wagerworks CEO Andrew Pascal, put MGM Mirage at a considerable disadvantage.

"Because of MGM's concern regarding the domestic view of Internet gambling, they were overly restrictive in terms of who they would allow access to their sites and operations," Pascal explained. "That just made the business and the uptake on customer acquisitions probably a bit slower than they or we would have anticipated. So in the end they are very intrigued by the space and feel it has tremendous potential, but until some of the regulatory issues are cleared up in the U.S., they have chosen to suspend their activity."

BSkyB, meanwhile, now has the opportunity to operate a full-service interactive casino via its Alderney license. The group originally launched the Sky Bet Vegas service through its Sky Digital Interactive television network, but the iTV service must operate within the framework of U.K. laws. Those laws prohibit interactive casino games (blackjack, craps, etc.) and until they're changed, which could happen within the next two years, BSkyB can only offer fixed-odds games via Sky Digital. Rust said BskyB will likely release a full casino on through Sky Digital if and when British laws allow it.

BskyB also provides a wagering service, Sky Bet, via the Internet as well as interactive television.