Glu Mobile ventures into gambling market

US mobile games publisher Glu Mobile has partnered with UK outfit Probability PLC to break into the gambling market.

The deal will see Probability developed real-money betting apps featuring Glu branding and IP, with both companies sharing marketing and publishing duties.

The first titles will arrive on iOS in early 2013 though the tightly regulated nature of the gambling sector means that they will initially debut in only the UK and Italy.

This is not anything more than an ancillary revenue stream for Glu,” Glu CEO Niccolo de Masi told InsideMobileApps. Our core business remains where it is, but it’s exciting for us because we’ve noticed the trends in real money gambling and the potential for other markets to open up.

You could have real-money rewards systems and real-money gambling mechanics as part of the soft currency/hard currency system in the countries that allow that. We think it could take off and be a interesting long-term monetisation compliment.”

Casual games giant Zynga has also expressed its intentions to break into the gambling sector in the first half of 2013.