Paddy Power set to withdraw Facebook gambling venture

It seems that the conclusion of the International Social Games Association that there is only limited cross-marketing opportunity between play-for-fun social gambling and real-money betting (see previous report) is increasingly being confirmed by practical operator experience.

The latest online gambling group to discover the difference appears to be Paddy Power, which is reportedly about to join other operators like 888 and Gamesys in withdrawing its In-Play real-money social wagering product from Facebook (see previous reports).

The company has revealed that a lack of player interest has motivated the decision despite the group’s vigorous technical and marketing efforts. Originally launched in August last year as a primarily sports betting app, the offering met with only limited response and was subsequently taken back to the drawing board for more work.

In May this year the revamped and rebranded product was relaunched, and initially attracted punters keen to wager on the FIFA World Cup football festival in Brazil.  However, that early success has apparently since waned, persuading the company to again take the project down within the next few weeks once player notifications have been completed.

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