SkillOnNet has revealed its plans to release 14 new online slots during April. 

This will be the largest number of releases in a single month for SkillOnNet and will include both original titles as well as branded games from WMS Interactive. The games will be released over four weeks and SkillOnNet licensees will be holding extensive localized marketing campaigns.

"Usually we release one new slot game per week but with our recent WMS Games deal and a huge increase in our own Slot game production we are shifting gears to provide all our casino licensees with three or four new titles every week throughout April,” said Kevin Cremer, European product manager of SkillOnNet.

WMS Gaming, a subsidiary of WMS Industries, has announced that the company has been approved by Nevada Gaming Commission for both an interactive gaming manufacturer licence and a service provider licence in the state of Nevada.

The interactive gaming licences enable the company to partner with Nevada casino operators to provide online poker to players. Nevada is the first state to adopt statutes and develop a regulatory framework for online poker in the US and the Nevada Gaming Commission is the first regulatory agency to award online gaming licences.

“The granting of WMS’ interactive gaming licences in Nevada is an important milestone in the initiatives we’ve undertaken to support our casino customers’ online gaming entertainment needs,” said Orrin J Edidin, president of WMS. “We can now offer casino operators in Nevada an online, real-money poker platform along with a comprehensive, industry-leading suite of white-label, casino-branded, interactive, play-for-fun gaming entertainment products and managed services.

“These products and services are fully expandable to provide a proven foundation for the eventual transition to other online real-money gaming capabilities, when it becomes legally enabled in other markets. Nevada is a recognised leader in gaming regulation and is moving consistently forward with rules and regulations for interactive gaming enablement and we are looking forward to providing our customers in the state with industry-leading products and services in a safe and secure online environment,” he added.

WMS offers a comprehensive and flexible suite of products and services that will bridge and connect in-casino, online, social, casual and mobile gaming entertainment into an integrated gaming ecosystem.

Williams Interactive, a subsidiary of WMS Industries, has signed a deal to supply Bonnier Gaming with the full portfolio of WHM online slot games. 

"Bonnier has a long and distinguished tradition of launching and managing great media content and by providing consumers with access to exciting gaming content Bonnier Gaming has achieved significant growth in recent years while establishing itself as a leader in interactive gaming.

“Our game server integration team has an established relationship with Bonnier Gaming and we are excited to expand that relationship to include the online launch of our classic WMS slot games,” said Orrin J Edidin, CEO and president of Williams Interactive.

"Our company’s success has been built on the basis of offering the highest level of entertainment products and content to consumers that address their particular interests,” commented Jacob Lindorff, Bonnier’s chief marketing officer. 

“WMS has a well-established history for providing innovative games that players enjoy and is an ideal partner for Bonnier Gaming.”

 The WMS games will be available on Bonnier’s website in the first half of 2013. 

WMS Industries’ subsidiary, Williams Interactive, has signed a multi-year online content licensing agreement with Rank Group to provide content using Remote Gaming Interface from OpenBet.

With this agreement, the WMS online library of games (Zeus, Jackpot Party, Reel ‘Em In and more) will become available on Rank’s Meccabingo.com and Grosvenorcasinos.com brands. 

"Over the course of the last 75 years, the Rank Group has thrilled millions of people the world over, building iconic and much-loved entertainment brands in the process. WMS slot games will further support the continued growth of Rank and expand its entertainment offering with the launch of our classic WMS slot games,” said Orrin J Edidin, president of WMS and CEO and president of Williams Interactive. 

“We continuously strive to keep our product offering fresh and as a result the user experience both thrilling and entertaining and we believe that WMS games will do just that,” commented Joe Hine, head of commercial at Rank Interactive. 

The Federal Trade Commission has given Scientific Games a permission to terminate the waiting period on its acquisition of WMS Industries Incorporated. 

Termination of the waiting period is one of the conditions Scientific Games had to meet in order to complete the $1.5 billion deal to purchase WMS Industries. A statement from Scientific Games read: “The transaction remains subject to additional conditions including the approval of the merger agreement by WMS Industries stockholders and receipt of required gaming approvals.”

The acquisition should be completed by the end of the year and the company states that it will transform its business and allow to provide ‘a complete portfolio of lottery and gaming products and services to both new and existing customers around the world’.

The acquisition of WMS by Scientific Games has been approved by the WMS Industries’ stockholders. 

The merger, which is expected to be completed before the end of this year, will make WMS a wholly-owned subsidiary of Scientific Games. It still needs to receive approvals from certain gaming jurisdictions, as well as to satisfy other customary closing conditions. 

Brian R Gamache, chairman and CEO of WMS said: “This sapproval is an important milestone toward completing the pending acquisition of WMS by Scientific Games. In the meantime, we remain focused on commercialising new innovative game content and products for our casino operator customers.”

Scientific Games has revealed the planned organizational structure and leadership of the new company that will be created during its merger with WMS Industries. 

The new company will be split into two industry groups – gaming and lottery. Senior corporate executives from Scientific Games will stay in their roles with A. Lorne Weil remaining as the chairman and chief executive officer.

William Huntley will be the executive vice-president and group chief executive officer of the gaming group, which will contain the core WMS business, Scientific Games’ server-based gaming business, gaming-related systems businesses of both companies and William Interactive. 

The senior management will include staff from both WMS and Scientific Games with Ken Ken Lochiatto, president and chief operating officer from WMS and Jordan Levin, managing director of Williams Interactive. 

The lottery businesses of Scientific Games (lottery systems and printed products) will be lead James Kennedy as the executive vice-president, group chief executive of lottery. 

“I am excited about the experienced leadership team we have chosen to take Scientific Games to the next level of success. We are uniting two highly complementary businesses and creating a collaborative team focused on delivering new solutions, truly innovative content, world-class technology and industry-leading services to customers around the globe,” said A. Lorne Weil. 

The merger has to still meet certain closing conditions and be approved by gaming regulatory authorities, which is expected to happen in the next two months. 

The Nevada Gaming Commission has approved the acquisition of WMS Industries by Scientific Games. 

It is expected that the acquisition will be completed this autumn, subject to the approval of gaming regulatory authorities and customary closing conditions. The deal was first approved by WMS stockholders in May. 

A. Lorne Weil, chairman and chief executive officer of Scientific Games said: “We are pleased to have received unanimous approval from the Nevada Gaming Commission and thank the Commission and the Nevada Gaming Control Board for their diligence in reviewing and approving our transaction.”

Recently, Scientific Games has released information on the structure and leadership of the new company which will be split into two industry groups = gaming and lottery. 

WMS Industries has been acquired by the gaming solutions provider Scientific Games for approximately $1.5 billion (€1.11 billion). 

In connection with the merger, Scientific Games has entered into a new $2.6 billion credit facility consisting of a $2.3 billion term loan facility and $300 million revolving credit facility. 

Chairman and CEO of Scientific Games, A. Lorne Weil said: “The acquisition of WMS is transformational for Scientific Games as it creates a leading company in the gaming industry with innovative content, world-class technology and an expansive geographical footprint, able to supply an extensive range of products and services to customers throughout the world.

“We are excited to be able to draw on each organisation's core strengths to offer enhanced capabilities, systems and content. The combined company will provide a broader portfolio of products and services to our customers, offer expanded opportunities for our employees and is poised to deliver meaningful long-term value for our shareholders.”

Scientific Games has signed a 3-year extension to its contract with Delaware State Lottery.

The deal has Scientific Games supplying Delaware with lottery and central monitoring systems for draw-based lottery, keno, video lottery games and instant game pass-through transactions. The extension will being in February 2015. 

Additionally, under the extension a minimum of 450 WMS VLTs is to be installed at charitable gaming organisations in Delaware. The terminals will be monitored and controlled by  AEGIS Central Monitoring System.

“Our successful partnership with Scientific Games has contributed considerable growth to the Delaware Lottery. We are excited that for the first time ever, licensed charitable gaming organisations across Delaware will benefit from fan-favourite video lottery terminals with added security and controls of a central monitoring system,” said  Vernon Kirk, Delaware State Lottery Director. 

“The Delaware State Lottery is well known as an industry leader in responsibly regulating new gaming opportunities to create jobs and maximise proceeds for citizens. Starting with the first instant games in 1976, Scientific Games has been a trusted supplier to the Delaware State Lottery, delivering innovative games, technology and services. In late 2013, we also helped the Lottery successfully launch the first comprehensive iGaming system in the US,” commented Pat McHugh, Scientific Games President of North American Lottery Systems. 

“This agreement demonstrates the synergies we envisioned with the acquisition of WMS, whereby Scientific Games can offer a wide variety of premium products and solutions across multiple distribution channels. By leveraging the expanded resources of our combined organisation, we are able to provide the Delaware State Lottery with a comprehensive offering of instant, draw and keno games, a central management system, video lottery terminals, sports betting and iGaming,” added Brooks Pierce, Scientific Games Chief Revenue Officer.