Online casino to resurrect parlour game

Long-forgotten card games are being dusted down and given a new lease of life on the internet as online casinos vie for custom.

This month, bookmaker Blue Square is launching a Web version of the Victorian parlour game Ace Race. It has been developed in house to go alongside another obscure game called Hoggenheimer.

Ace Race will also offer in-running betting (where punters can place bets during the game) which would not be possible in a real-life setting as it would not be possible to calculate the odds in time, says Blue Square communications officer Ed Pownall.

Most poker sites and online casinos offer a range of different games, but these new games are considered less intimidating than games such as poker and hence are expected to have wider appeal.

Gala, Mecca and Virgin have all launched bingo sites in recent weeks, and several new backgammon sites have gone live this month amid claims that the game is set to become “the new poker”.