Five Signs With NetPlay for Live TV Roulette

Channel Five has signed a deal with NetPlay which will allow them to screen live televised gambling on terrestrial TV.

Viewers of Five will now be able to bet on roulette games after the deal between Five and NetPlay was confirmed. After struggling with low advertising income, it has been acknowledged that Five’s foray into televised interactive gambling will allow the broadcaster to increase revenue.

NetPlay currently operate on satellite channels in the UK but this is the first time that a terrestrial channel will feature live gambling after Ofcom relaxed rules that forbade television gambling.

The show will be a four hour programme which allows viewers to open a NetPlay account, deposit funds and place bets with a virtual croupier. Players will be offered the chance to place bets on the spin of a roulette wheel. Players that win will see their name flash up on the screen and winnings will be credited to their NetPlay accounts.

The show will run from 17th September for three nights a week from midnight to 4am. From October the show will be live six nights a week with an aim to being broadcast daily in 2010.

Reacting to criticism regarding televised gambling, chief executive of NetPlay, Martin Higginson said:

"There has been a decline in advertising and they're desperately looking for new sources of revenue, this will help them...If it proves successful, we will look to extend it to other UK channels and into other countries."

The move by Five increases accessibility to televised gambling to the wider general public, drawing attention to other routes of entertainment such as online roulette.

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