BURNABY, Canada—Fortuna Gaming Corp., a Canadian-based company focused on online and mobile gambling, sees mobile gambling as a big part of its future and eventually wants to launch a mobile virtual network operator for gambling.
“The long-term vision is to develop the ultimate Mobile Virtual Network Operator for the gambling sector, providing a branded mobile subscription service directly to consumers with a goal of being synonymous with mobile gambling, like the recently launched Mobile ESPN is with the mobile sports sector,” the company said in its annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Fortuna has operations in Nevada.
Fortuna, formerly MoneyFlow Capital Corp., used to provide short-term loans and check cashing as well as a foreign exchange service. In June 2005, the company changed its name to Fortuna and shifted its focus to online and mobile gaming. The company exchanged shares with United Kingdom-based gambling company Fortuna Gaming Ltd.; the U.K. company has purchased a license from MobileGamingNow for its proprietary gaming software, which “enables licensees to offer the game of poker to qualified players via the Internet and via cellular phones and other similar handheld devices,” according to the annual report.
Fortuna said it planned to become a leader in mobile gambling by developing Web sites that would allow real money gambling for casino games, poker, lottery and sports. The company already offers its poker games for download through a Web site and sells Motorola Inc.’s Razr phone for $100 with its Online Mobile Poker pre-installed.