Intralot to Supply NetEnt Games for Internet Gambling in Italy

Intralot Interactive, a subsidiary of Intralot, has partnered up with Net Entertainment (NetEnt) software in anticipation of receiving a license to operate and opening an online casino in Italy.  

Intralot will be releasing an online casino subject to the forthcoming opening of the Internet gambling market in the country and specific approval from Italian authorities. Company spokesmen stated that both events were expected to happen sometime in the second half of 2010. 

NetEnt will be integrating its CasinoModule software into the extant Intralot Interactive Gaming Platform. In addition, the NetEnt “Casino Café product” (namely, the online slots and table games offered at a typical NetEnt-powered casino) will be offered through Intralot’s proposed Italian network. 

George Zenzefilis, general director of Interlot, said that “We believe that online casino in Italy will be a very lucrative market with high potential.” 

NetEnt is certainly finding this to be true, as Intralot becomes NetEnt’s fifth notable client to contract the CasinoModule software in anticipation of the Italian market opening: Bwin, Microgame, Betsson and Bertil are already on board with NetEnt to provide Italian-language and Italy-based product. 

The European Commission recently dropped a lawsuit it had filed in 2006 against the state for maintaining a government-run monopoly on online gambling in Italy. An agreement was reached earlier this year which will see changes made to Italian gambling laws and effectively end Italian monopolies on internet gambling. 

Intralot Interactive has been focused on providing technology to lotteries and state organizations and on obtaining online-gambling licensing opportunities in recently liberalized markets such as Italy’s. Intralot Interactive is a subsidiary of the Intralot Group, a public listed supplier of online gaming technology and services, which reported revenue of €903.6 million in 2009.