New Stuff -- Kerzner Interactive Ltd., formerly SunOnline Ltd. , is taking its advertising campaign for Casino Atlantis Online to the United Kingdom's national print media. The company began the campaign Aug. 1 with ads in The Times and The Observer, and it is following up the print ads with online ads on sites including msn.co.uk, BTOpenworld and Dennis Interactive. If the ads are successful, the company said it would continue them in the fall. Alex Czajkowski, Kerzner Interactive's marketing director, said they are hoping the print ads will reach players who haven't ventured online yet. "With CasinoAtlantis.com, we brought our offline property online--the games, the promotions, the buzz," he said. "Now, with this campaign, we're taking our online property offline to reach those casino players who haven't trusted anyone enough to play online." ... Gala is stepping up its presence in the interactive gambling market with plans to open three new online gaming Web sites. Galacasino.co.uk, galabingo.co.uk and galagames.co.uk are scheduled to launch by the end of the month and will also be available via Telewest's interactive TV service.
Tidbits from Asia -- The Macau Jockey Club is asking permission from the Hong Kong government to offer bets on races at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. The move could be taken as a response to the Hong Kong government's ban on Internet betting in May, since the Macau Jockey Club has faced drastically lower gambling take as a result of the ban. The week after the ban was put in place, the Macau club's take fell 46.7 percent. The Hong Kong Jockey Club told the South China Morning Post that it was not aware that the Macau club had asked for the ability to take bets on Hong Kong races. ... The Hong Kong Legislative Council is expected to decide whether it will legalize soccer betting after its next session starts in October. In the meantime, though, a Christian group is making it known that it is against legal soccer betting in the SAR, saying that once soccer betting is legalized, there will be "no turning back." Public opinion polls, however, show that 66 percent of the population favors the idea of legal betting on soccer.
Names and Faces -- World Gaming plc is appointing Simon Coulthard as its group finance director. Coulthard was most recently with Wembley New Media Services and 24dogs, both of which are sections of Wembley plc. His appointment is effective Sept. 2.