History of Chartwell Technology

The name Chartwell Technology may be recognizable to online casino players, because the company is best known for its gaming software. Over the years it has supplied a number of well-known gambling sites, including Bwin and Betfair, with casino games and other gambling related software. It has also provided software for land based casino games.

The company began in a very different industry, originally being involved with mineral exploration. In 2011, Chartwell Technology was purchased by Amaya Gaming Group, which also operates in the online gambling industry. Below we have taken a brief look at the history of this company.

Early Beginnings of Chartwell Technology

Chartwell Technology was effectively created in 1987, although it was called Napier Explorations back then. Its purpose was mineral exploration in the region of British Columbia, where the company was based. The company changed its name in 1988, to Brockton Resources, and continued as a mineral exploration company until 1992.

In 1992, the company moved into the oil and gas industry, changing its name again to Chartwell Ventures. A complete change of direction followed in 1998, with the acquisition of computer software company Gateway Technology. Another name change followed, to Chartwell Technology, as the company moved into the online gambling industry and began manufacturing and licensing software.

The Evolution of Chartwell Technology

Over time, Chartwell Technology became an industry leader. It offered a range of casino games to a number of online casinos, providing support in multiple currencies and languages. In 2005 it made another acquisition, of MicroPower, and went on to create an online poker platform for the European market. Chartwell software was considered versatile, as it could be easily customized to suit the needs of individual gambling sites.

In 2006 the United States government passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). This act was aimed at preventing financial institutions from processing customer payments to gambling sites, and it changed the legal landscape for gambling companies servicing the US. Many operators ceased to accept customers from America as a result.

Chartwell made the decision not to license its software to any gambling site that dealt with US customers. As the company was largely focused on the European markets, this wasn’t a huge setback, but revenues did suffer a little. There was also the matter of increased competition as other software providers turned their attentions from the US to Europe.

Chartwell Technology Acquisition

Chartwell was acquired in 2011, by the Amaya Gaming Group. This group is an international gaming provider to online gambling sites and land-based gambling operations. Involved in casino, sports betting and poker, its software is licensed to a number of partners including Bet365, 888, and William Hill.