Yahoo to acquire Hitpost, American publisher of sports betting mobile applications

American Internet services company Yahoo has bought the assets of US sports application developer Hitpost, the latter announced on its website, on the 01/10/2013. Hitpost is a start-up founded in 2009 in San Francisco (California), specialising in the design of applications for smartphones and tablets.

Sportsbet, the main application in the Hitpost catalog, allows users to bet on American sports competitions with virtual money, as paid sports betting are not allowed in the United States. With virtual money accumulated, bettors can afford gifts.

The company also proposes "social" applications, based on user interactions, such as virtual sports leagues or survey modules on which users can vote, review and respond to other users.

Yahoo's acquisition is part of a strategy to invest in mobile applications, social media and sports. In June 2013, the firm managed by Marissa Mayer bought the start-up Bignoggins specialising in "fantasy sports" (virtual sports leagues) applications on mobile devices. It is the 23^th acquisition made by Yahoo since the appointment of Marissa Mayer to head the…