It is based on a competition between online users

After more than three years BetClic Everest Group, Isabelle Parize was appointed last week, President of SkillStar, a new entity of the Group of games online Mangas Gaming, owned by businessman Stéphane Courbit and the Corporation of bath of sea (SBM) of Monaco. In an interview with the "Echos", she explains her new role. Isabelle Parize pilot a diversification of Mangas Gaming - called to change name - address and games skills, an emerging market on the Internet.

What is your mission

The mission entrusted to me by Stéphane Courbit and the SBM, is to develop a new activity around the games address and skills, commonly referred to as "skill games". This includes quizzes, word games, card type patience, mahjong games, for example. This market, which is mostly North American and European, is 2-2.5 billion. We are convinced that this amount could double in three years. For the France talk today of an embryonic market, $ 150 million, i.e. 112.3 million euros, and high potential. Somehow, the economic model is similar to online poker. The operator performs a levy on all players place, 15 to 20 according to the games. There is another crucial aspect that motivates this diversification: the complementarity of the customer. It is women 80, average of over thirty-five years-old, rather cross on a sociological level, while betting online customer is very largely composed of young men. We start with the conquest of a new target of players on the Internet. We are on a strategic project and our aim is a leading European position.

How

We have a cornerstone this week with the official launch of the Skillstar site. We leave on a ten game. Especially, we prepare a general-purpose string the launch of a 40-minute television programme which will be the illustration of the convergence between Internet and TV. This is a first world with the key an exclusive agreement. It is based on a competition between online users. We are working since the end of the first half of 2010. We believe start with several games existing on the site in order to pace the show and to exploit the different qualities of our candidates Internet users: timeliness, knowledge, address, sagacity. A first pilot of the show, the host is chosen, must be finalized in the second half of January. The programming of the game is scheduled for March 2011. Initially, we'll test several times to find the good driveability.

What is your partner

At this stage, we cannot say anything. We are finalising our agreements. This unique project has the ambition to be an international product. As such, we will be present at the MIPTV in Cannes early April. Our agreement we not prohibited to develop other programs with other channels on other types of games.

A word on sports betting. BetClic has invested. Refers to a loss of more than EUR 20 million

Under the impetus of Nicolas Béraud, the Group chose to invest at the outset of the French market. Result: BetClic Everest Group is today leader with more than 45 of market share and the number three in Europe. Overall, the Group recorded a growth in double digits in 2010.