Camelot Site Signs Deal for New Content Suite

A leading provider of Web site content infrastructure is slowly making inroads with the interactive gaming industry.

Interwoven Inc. signed its second deal with a major gambling player last week when it agreed to provide Camelot Group plc with its content suite to help the U.K. lottery company manage its Web strategy.

"Our platform provides Camelot with the means and security to manage their Web assets now and in the future. Only our software allows them to capture and scale all assets within a given initiative, which in turn promises to deliver a compelling Web experience for players of the National Lottery."

- David Ogidi, managing director of Interwoven U.K. and Ireland

Camelot is the operator of the United Kingdom's official lottery and is laying the foundation for bringing its service to the Internet. Although company officials said they are still two to three years away from offering Camelot's services via the Internet, they said Interwoven has the right experience and technology know-how to help make the convergence a smooth and successful process.

With Interwoven's technology, Camelot will be able to provide users with a large amount of site content, including streaming media and high resolution moving graphics.

Launched in November 1994, the National Lottery is played regularly by an estimated 29 million adults, which is approximately 61 percent of the total U.K. population. A major priority for Camelot is the ability to develop and scale any type of content within and beyond the enterprise.

"Interwoven's content infrastructure software provides Camelot with a scalable and flexible e-business solution that offers the support of rapid implementation," said Rachel Lawton, content technical manager for Camelot Interactive. "Interwoven's product suite offers ease of integration with Camelot's existing systems, including the IBM Websphere application server platform, as well as those in which Camelot may invest in the future."

For Interwoven, the Camelot deal signifies the company's second major agreement with a gaming company. The company is the content manager for Harrah's Entertainment Web site.

Interwoven's director of content technologies, Mark Hale, said his company has gained valuable experience in dealing with Harrah's and is able to incorporate what consumers want in a gaming experience with Web sites.

"They (the online gaming industry) really need diverse assets to retain customers," he said. "It is more than just a variety of games. If you have ever been to Vegas, it isn't necessarily just playing a slot. It is this whole package of site and sound. We have to bring that to the Internet too."

Camelot spokeswoman Jenny Dowden said that although it will still be a couple of years before consumers are able to buy lottery tickets on the Internet, the company feels it is important to align with Interwoven now.

"We will be going through another period of licensing in the next month or two and this is an important step for us to take to show that we are moving forward with our plans," she said.

Hale said that much like a real-life visit to the strip, his company has to incorporate many aspects into the site so it can maximize a user's visit.

"There is a database for counting and tracking," he said. "If money is coming in, we have to track it. There is audio for all the sound files. We have been to Vegas and we have to move users gently through the Web site with all the Web pages just as easy as it is for them to move from room to room at the casino."

David Ogidi, managing director of Interwoven U.K. and Ireland, said his company's software will create the best option for an already well-respected lottery.

"Our platform provides Camelot with the means and security to manage their Web assets now and in the future," he said. "Only our software allows them to capture and scale all assets within a given initiative, which in turn promises to deliver a compelling Web experience for players of the National Lottery."

Hale is hopeful that Interwoven can use the leverage it is gaining by working with Harrah's and now Camelot to sell its services to more interactive gaming companies.

"We have an enterprise content management solution specially for the gaming industry," he said. "It has a heavy emphasis on digital asset management. We will continue to pursue the sector."