LONDON (Feb 07, 2013) – Playtox, a leading provider of mobile browser games in Russia, has today announced an agreement with WorldPay, a global leader in payments processing, risk and alternative payments. The agreement means that WorldPay will offer gateway and acquiring services, as credit card and alternative payment acceptance functionality is integral to Playtox’s international growth plans.

WorldPay is connected to more than 50 local currency clearing systems and has more than 400,000 merchants worldwide, accepting over 200 alternative payment types.

Playtox develops multi-platform browser-based multiplayer mobile games across all devices and operating systems. With a large share of the Russian market (>35%), Playtox has more than 23 million registrations, and is the leading browser-based gaming portal in Russia[1].

WorldPay’s Optimising your Alternative Payments report, an in-depth global whitepaper of the alternative payments landscape found that cultural differences influenced the ways consumers shop and pay for goods online. The report found that payments made without a debit or credit card (known as alternative payments) account for €165 billion of global eCommerce transactions (22% of total transactional value)[2]. WorldPay expects the alternative payments landscape to grow by 13% by 2015 as popularity in non-card payments continues to increase.

To ensure optimum transaction acceptance for the one million unique daily users that Playtox serves, the agreement will enable the company to accept a wide range of alternative payment types, aiding its expansion internationally using WorldPay’s extensive payment offering.

Phil McGriskin, Chief Product Officer, WorldPay, comments: “As consumer demand for alternative payments increases, Playtox’s employment of WorldPay’s alternative payments and gateway service provides the perfect foundation to grow internationally. WorldPay offers over 200 alternative payment types, and has the expertise of working with merchants selling to customers in multiple countries globally. WorldPay will work with Playtox to ensure it is able to offer the most appropriate alternative payments to its customers and provide them with the best online purchasing experience.”

Artem Zinoviev, CEO, Playtox comments: "In line with Playtox’s plans for international expansion, Playtox requires a partner with vast expertise in the payments market and a reliable service that meets the demands of our customers. The agreement between Playtox and WorldPay reflects this, providing a secure service with maximum uptime.”

[1] http://vmmo.ru
[2] Optimising Your Alternative Payments, WorldPay’s report on Alternative Payments (May 2012).