Press Releases
Intertops celebrates 25 years since online gambling first
A milestone in gambling and ecommerce history took place 25 years ago this month when Intertops became the first company ever to accept an online bet.
The Austria-based operator’s brand new Intertops website handled a $50 wager, placed by a Finnish punter, on Tottenham Hotspur to beat Hereford United in an FA Cup fourth round tie on January 17, 1996.
At odds of just 1.04, the Premier League side’s 5-1 demolition of their lower-league opponents meant the punter profited by just $2, but it was a game-changing day for the betting industry, which until that day had been restricted to in-person and telephone wagering.
That $50 wager was the first of billions placed in the intervening quarter of a century, during which time Intertops has remained at the forefront of online betting. In 2000, the operator, responding to the growing potential of cell phones, launched the first-ever mobile betting site, and two years later introduced live betting.
In the years since 1996 Intertops has expanded beyond sports, with the creation of Intertops Casino in 1998 and the launch of Intertops Poker in 2003, thus always ensuring that its valued players can enjoy a full range of online gaming entertainment.
Intertops marks a quarter of a century of online betting by this year launching its new, redesigned in-play Sportsbook.
“We remain proud of our unique place in gambling history,” an Intertops spokesperson commented. “Gambling in one form or another had been around for millennia, yet Intertops brought it into the digital world in January 1996 thanks to our foresight and pioneering spirit, which remains the same today.
“In the years since that historic day, we have striven to stay at the head of the gambling sector, offering entertainment to millions of players each year through our comprehensive Sportsbook, Poker and Casino platforms.
“We will always be the first, but the introduction of our new Sportsbook will also ensure that we remain the best.”
Intertops was actually established in London back in 1983, and initially offered bookmaking services to players in Germany through a combination of telephone interactions and cash sent through the post.
It relocated to Austria almost a decade later to avoid British postal delays, but even in 1992 the World Wide Web was still more than a year away from common usage. Pizza Hut is considered to be the first company to complete an online transaction through the sale of a large pepperoni pizza in 1994, and it was Intertops that soon after took gambling into cyberspace.
“After all the years of success in the past, we remain committed to the future and providing players with the games they love to play,” the Intertops spokesperson added. “Here’s to 25 more years of a fun in a safe gaming environment.”
partnerships
QMRA launched in Greece – Game Lounge offers launching member website
Quality Mark Responsible Affiliates (QMRA) is a Quality Mark for iGaming Affiliates. QMRA outlines Compliance Codes for various markets. Among which Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the UK, Italy and more. Affiliate websites that adhere to the market-specific codes will be allowed to carry the QMRA logo for one year, after which full recertification is initiated. Members will receive compliance reports, for instance to be shared with operators or authorities. Next to that, members have an online QMRA certificate for the duration of membership.
QMRA is a follow up of the Dutch Affiliate Quality Mark KVA, operating since 2021. KVA and QMRA members uphold the highest standards when it comes to iGaming Compliance.
As of today, QMRA is available for Greek iGaming Affiliates. Game Lounge, one of the first QMRA members, is launching member for QMRA Greece with HellasCasinos.Com.
Quote by Yiannis Mercouris, Head of Eastern Europe at Game Lounge: “Greece’s regulatory landscape is one of the strictest in the iGaming sector, and at Game Lounge, we take great pride in ensuring full compliance with these standards. Working with QMRA has been an excellent experience, and we’re committed to upholding responsible gambling practices for Hellascasinos.com. We look forward to strengthening this partnership as we continue to move forward.”
Quote by Steven Vrolijk, QMRA Director: “We are very happy to be live in Greece now, and proud to have a dedicated launching member right away. We thank Game Lounge, Yiannis Mercouris specifically, for having faith in our newest operation!”
Awards
ReferOn Wins SiGMA Awards and Highlights a Stellar End to 2024
ReferOn, the state-of-the-art affiliate management system, received the prestigious SiGMA Europe Award during the conference from November 12 to 14. The multi-day event saw over 27,000 delegates attend, with exhibitors like ReferOn able to interact with valuable B2B traffic and develop their professional networks.
Alexia Gauci, B2B Sales Manager, and David Harris, B2B Affiliate Team Manager, represented ReferOn at the event. They discussed the company’s tools and solutions with visitors and outlined its plans to develop its educational content with initiatives like the ReferOn Insights Seminars, which aim to support operators and affiliates in navigating the platform and increasing its effectiveness. The ReferOn team also highlighted the importance of an ever-changing market, with new features launched in the coming months and beyond.
Additionally, Alexia and David met with MicroGame’s CCO, Diego Mendez, to celebrate their recent landmark partnership. The collaboration will see ReferOn make significant strides to become Italy’s leading affiliate management system as MicroGame’s extensive portfolio of brands will implement the company’s solutions.
ReferOn team won the “Best Partner for Customer Acquisition & Retention 2024” category at the esteemed SiGMA Awards 2024 event. The company was presented with this award due to its commitment to improving the affiliate engagement process and its efforts to provide the best tools to address current operator and affiliate challenges.
Alexia Gauci commented, “The team is thrilled to receive this reputable award from a distinguished organisation like SiGMA. It’s an important milestone for us as we continue to develop our products and services to help operators and affiliates succeed. We have a lot of plans for 2025.”
Affiliate Compliance
Rightlander and RavenTrack Partner to Boost Affiliate Marketing Compliance and Advertising Opportunities
Leading iGaming compliance and tracking platforms unite to bolster affiliate marketing integrity.
Rightlander, a leading provider of marketing compliance and intelligence solutions, has announced a strategic partnership with RavenTrack, a prominent affiliate tracking platform. This collaboration aims to enhance marketing compliance and risk management for Raven Track clients and help identify untapped advertising opportunities with affiliates across global markets.
The partnership will offer access to Rightlander’s comprehensive suite of innovative marketing compliance solutions, including web, search, and social media monitoring to track affiliate promotional activities, content compliance scanning to ensure adherence to regulatory requirements and monitoring services.
RavenTrack’s diverse client base spans established and emerging markets, and this partnership addresses the growing need for robust compliance measures in regions with evolving regulatory landscapes.
Sarafina Wolde Gabriel, CEO of Rightlander, commented on the partnership: “We’re excited to partner with RavenTrack to offer our cutting-edge compliance and marketing solutions to their global client base. As marketing regulations tighten in established and emerging markets, our tools will help brands and affiliates navigate the complex landscape of marketing compliance and capitalise on advertising opportunities.”
RavenTrack is a leading affiliate tracking platform specialising in providing advanced tracking and analytics solutions to help brands optimise their affiliate marketing programs. Its client base includes prominent brands such as Jumpman Gaming, Betfred, Bet9ja, and Mr. Q, to name a few.
Adam Rowley, RavenTrack’s Managing Director, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership: “At RavenTrack, we understand the critical importance of marketing compliance. Our collaboration with Rightlander represents a significant step forward in our mission to provide our clients with robust, innovative and effective tools for managing their affiliate programs.”
“By integrating Rightlander’s advanced compliance solutions with our cutting-edge tracking platform, we’re empowering our clients to navigate the complex regulatory landscape with confidence while maximising their marketing potential.”
This partnership represents a significant step forward in promoting responsible and compliant marketing practices in the rapidly evolving affiliate marketing industry. By combining RavenTrack’s expertise in affiliate tracking with Rightlander’s advanced compliance tools, the collaboration aims to set new standards for transparency and regulatory adherence in the sector.