One of the best things Playtech ever did was acquire British Bingo company Virtue Fusion a couple of years back. This has turned out to be a very canny investment and Playtech have added another UK gambling firm to their portfolio of companies for what may turn out to be a bargain £5.5m. During 2010 Playtech's revenue increased by 24% when companies such as Cryptologic are struggling to just keep their doors open. According to the unaudited financial results for 2010, revenues increased to a rather healthy looking €142.3 million.

Their share in William Hill Plc online alone increased from €22.5 million to €30.8 in 2010 – a huge 37%! Playtech still needs to make a final payment of €15.1 million for the William Hill acquisition! This acquisition was seen as a vital strategic move for the future of Playtech as on their own they lacked direction regarding future expansion. When a company this big can no longer expand, difficulties often ensue.

The latest in the line-up of Playtech acquisition is a UK software-based casino management systems company – IGS or Intelligent Gaming Solutions Ltd. Playtech paid £2.5 million up-front and an additional £3 million in escrow payments which will be financed by their current cash-flow. IGS has its systems installed in 9 UK casinos as well as one in Greece and Playtech says this complements their current business, plus enhances plans to assist land-based operators with cross platform capability when they wish to develop online ops. This is apparently an important trend being seen in the industry currently. Playtech is particularly keen on the IGS Videobet product.

Playtech are experts in the regulated market and offer a vast as well as pioneering product portfolio. They are an Israeli company with the well known Mor Weizer at the helm and their cross-platform offering facilitates broadcast, online, mobile and land-based games platforms all to be operated by one joint administration system. Players use one account which is username and password activated, and this also means they are able to play a specific game on the live casino floor, continue playing the same game from their mobile handset when they leave the casino, and or access the same casino game online, if they have recently been playing it on their TV or other electronic device; hence the term "cross-platform".

The obvious advantage to the operator is a gambling platform which is seamlessly integrated and does not bear additional costs. For the online or live casino gambler, the convenience is incomparable. The game flow from land-based, to mobile to internet makes sure all the bases are covered, and maximizes profit for operators, it also enhances the players' experience into a high-tech roller coaster of non-stop play. As well as being inter-compatible these products may also be used as standalone applications.

Playtech already offers an extensive range of products across the UK and Europe, as well as the Asia pacific regions, and the iPoker network is the largest network of its kind globally.