Another week, another major development in the British bingo industry.

This time it’s the new interactive gaming channel Challenge Jackpot which has hit the headlines after having a multi-million pound launch last night with support from the entrepreneur corporation Virgin.

The campaign, created by Publicis London, is a TV and web advertising assault with the slogan 'your favourite place to play.'

The channel also features a website with streams of the TV broadcast and online games. Challenge Jackpot has an interactive service with Virgin Media also.

The flagship game will be 'Roulette Nation', with live bingo and blackjack shortly joining it. Viewers will be able to play Two Way Gaming-created automatic games including Face-Up Hold'em and Hotshot Keno.

Johnny Webb, managing director of Virgin Media Television, said: 'Challenge Jackpot is the first step to reinventing Challenge for the 21st century. We want this new channel to continue the values of fun and excitement that have long been synonymous with Challenge -- but also to take the relationship with our viewers to the next level of interactivity.'

Neil Simpson, chief executive of Publicis, said: 'Online gaming in the UK is evolving rapidly away from functional betting into a rounded entertainment experience. Publicis is delighted to be working with Two Way Gaming and Virgin Media Television on the creation of this multi-platform gaming brand.

The Challenge Jackpot announcement comes on the back of Sky’s interactive bingo launch and ITV’s nightly bingo show showing that television is now being seen as the new vehicle to bring bingo related websites forward.

Challenge Jackpot is available 24 hours a day on Virgin Media Channel 154 offering a range of bingo games though will it have something new and fresh to offer a market which is nearing saturation point in the UK on a weekly basis?

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