Atari Enters Real Money Online Gambling Arena
(Associated Press) - Atari, the maker of classic video games like "Pong" and "Centipede," is about to make things a bit more interesting for players.
The company said Tuesday that it is getting into real-money gambling through a partnership with gambling company Pariplay.
Pariplay will launch Atari's brands across a number of social, online and mobile platforms. This includes a website with real-money gambling on some of Atari's arcade classics, like Centipede, Asteroids and Pong.
The launch is slated for the fourth quarter.
Atari is rebuilding after its U.S. operations filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2013. That was an effort to separate itself from its French parent company, which had filed a similar motion separately in France. The company said at the time that the move was necessary to secure investments needed to grow its mobile and downloadable video games.
Atari has since emerged from bankruptcy protection and taken back control of its US operations.
Pariplay will also make Atari's games available for its network operators to run at their sites. The company, part of a joint venture with Majesco Entertainment Co., operates games used for online gambling, social casinos and lottery systems.
Shares of Majesco Entertainment added a penny to close at 38 cents per share Tuesday.
