Playtech
Encyclopedia
Playtech Ltd. is a gaming software development company founded in 1999. The company provides software for online casinos, online poker
Online poker
Online poker is the game of poker played over the Internet. It has been partly responsible for a dramatic increase in the number of poker players worldwide...

 rooms, online bingo
Online bingo
Online bingo is the game of bingo played on the Internet. It is estimated that the global gross gaming yield of bingo was US$500 million in 2006, and it is forecasted to grow to $1,000 million by 2010....

 games, online sports betting, scratch games, mobile gaming, live dealer games and fixed-odds arcade games online.

Playtech gaming software and casinos

Playtech supplies many of the industry's leading operators, including sportsbooks and specialist gaming operators, such as Casino Plex, Titan, bet365, William Hill Online, Betfair, Betfred, Casino.dk and Mansion. The Company has a significant presence in the regulated markets across Europe, working with local operators like SNAI, SISAL and Casino Gran Madrid; and state-owned or state-sponsored entities including the Serbian Lottery and RAY in Finland.

Playtech's gaming software has been tested and certified by leading industry bodies to ensure consistency and fair play. The Company holds a certificate of evaluation from TST and an official Certificate of Prior Approval from the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC).

Playtech casino

The Playtech Casino features slot games, table and card games, fixed odds games, scratch card games, video poker and a range of Asian-facing games. Licensing agreements with Marvel, MGM, Universal and Paramount led to the creation of a selection of branded slot games. An agreement was signed between the UK betting company Betfred and Manchester United to initiate and develop the Man Utd branded gaming site. The deal will last at least for three years.

Playtech bingo

Through the acquisition of Virtue Fusion in 2010 - Playtech offers a large bingo network, which is similar to a network of online poker
Online poker
Online poker is the game of poker played over the Internet. It has been partly responsible for a dramatic increase in the number of poker players worldwide...

 rooms: the participating sites have shared jackpots, games, chat and backend, with each online bingo site offering different graphics and websites to differentiate them from one another. More than 30 online bingo sites use Playtech's Virtue Fusion software.

Playtech poker

Playtech software powers a leading network of online poker
Online poker
Online poker is the game of poker played over the Internet. It has been partly responsible for a dramatic increase in the number of poker players worldwide...

 rooms. This network of poker rooms, called iPoker, share the same software and backend, but each online poker site provides a unique look and feel and brand to the actual playing experience. Playtech has dedicated networks for the Italian and French regulated markets.

The iPoker network is very popular around the world, with some of the highest liquidity (number of players) in the market. This popularity has maintained strength even without the acceptance of U.S. based poker players being allowed to play on the iPoker Network.

Playtech sport

In November 2009, Playtech added sports betting to its online gaming repertoire, with the addition of sports betting software, which allows sports bettors the opportunity to place real-time wagers online, on a multitude of sporting events around the world.

The first site to employ this new sportsbook
Sportsbook
In the United States a sportsbook or a race and sports book is a place where a gambler can wager on various sports competitions, including golf, football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, horse racing, boxing, and mixed martial arts. The method of betting varies with the sport and the type of...

 software is Titan Bet.

Investor information

Playtech was founded in 1999 by Teddy Sagi who realized $295m from the IPO of Playtech. The United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 based company floated early in 2006 on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...

 under the symbol PTEC for approximately £550m at a flotation price of 257p.

After the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006
Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 is United States legislation regulating online gambling. It was added as Title VIII to the SAFE Port Act which otherwise regulated port security...

, the company's stock suffered a one-day fall of over 40%. It subsequently recovered the losses to stand at near its 52-week peak in February 2007. The firm has excluded all US players from its properties.

Playtech employs about 1000 people (September 2011) in five countries: 10 in the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...

 where the headquarters are located, 123 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, 171 in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

, 154 in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

, and 518 in Tartu
Tartu
Tartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...

, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

, where most of the development occurs.

On 22 October 2008 Playtech announced that it would acquire private assets from Teddy Sagi in return for $245m. This would be the second liquidity event for Sagi from Playtech totaling his proceeds to $540m in cash. Sagi also controls 41% of Playtech through his investment vehicle Brickington.
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