Online Casino Company Invades Facebook and Myspace Territory
Online casino operator bwin is testing technology to combine aspects of social networking sites with its Internet gambling pages. Company officials say bwin wants to allow patrons to interact and capture some of the feel of a live casino experience.
Chief Technological Officer Thomas Kiessling says bwin views technological development in improving social comforts to be one of the coming things in the online casino world. Among the products being examined are instant messaging, alerts to when acquaintances are online and where in the casino they are, and buddy lists.
A tool called Shoutbox is the main development under way. It would permit players to comment on play and bets placed by themselves and others, and invite friends to join tables or accept wagers.
Poker may be the first gaming to feel the impact of the new technology. Kiessling and his department have finished a totally new poker platform whose $45 million cost encompassed almost the entire bwin tech budget.
"It's really the customer experience that's key," Kiessling told silicon.com in an interview. "That is a major priority for me."
If bwin has its way, Internet casinos will be part of the social exchange that users have previously gained from Facebook and Myspace.
