<TABLE height=291 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=10 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]eBay teams up with Fun to debut in egaming [/font]</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top>[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The online auction site eBay, which is also the owner of payment system PayPal, has moved into the skill gaming sector. [/font]</TD></TR><TR><TD height=17>[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The firm will launch a range of branded skill games through a deal with Canadian software firm Fun Technologies (Fun).
Fun’s skill-gaming subsidiary SkillJam will initially create eBay co-branded games, with tournament-style trivia games set for launch in October.
It marks the first time eBay has entered the egaming sector.
But it is unlikely to move into harder gaming offerings with its PayPal system famously unavailable to gambling operators.
However, it is testament to the growing profile of skill gaming and it is the latest in a series of deals Fun has struck with major US online brands such as AOL and MSN.
Lorne Abony, chief executive of Fun, said the eBay deal was a “fantastic opportunity” for his firm.
“We are thrilled to be working with one of the internet’s – and indeed the world’s – leading consumer brands,” Abony said.
And crucially for Fun, eBay’s 147 million users are already comfortable transacting online.
Fun has also moved a step closer to developing its iTV skill gaming system.
The firm said it has entered into an agreement with a major US cable provider to develop new interactive television applications.
[/font]
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
http://www.egrmagazine.com/cgi-bin/articles.pl?action=display&id=841§ion=3&keyword=
Fun’s skill-gaming subsidiary SkillJam will initially create eBay co-branded games, with tournament-style trivia games set for launch in October.
It marks the first time eBay has entered the egaming sector.
But it is unlikely to move into harder gaming offerings with its PayPal system famously unavailable to gambling operators.
However, it is testament to the growing profile of skill gaming and it is the latest in a series of deals Fun has struck with major US online brands such as AOL and MSN.
Lorne Abony, chief executive of Fun, said the eBay deal was a “fantastic opportunity” for his firm.
“We are thrilled to be working with one of the internet’s – and indeed the world’s – leading consumer brands,” Abony said.
And crucially for Fun, eBay’s 147 million users are already comfortable transacting online.
Fun has also moved a step closer to developing its iTV skill gaming system.
The firm said it has entered into an agreement with a major US cable provider to develop new interactive television applications.
[/font]
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
http://www.egrmagazine.com/cgi-bin/articles.pl?action=display&id=841§ion=3&keyword=
