Playtech to Supply PKR -- Playtech has agreed to supply poker operator PKR.com with its bespoke online casino product, which will be fully integrated with PKR's three-dimensional poker software. With the deal, PKR hopes to up its revenue-generating potential, Playtech CEO Mor Weizer observed, though the site, in its first year of operation, has seen as many as 7,000 customers playing concurrently during peak hours.
Q2s from Crypto -- Having released second-quarter results this morning, CryptoLogic reported a post-tax loss of $2.6 million, or $0.19 per fully diluted share, due principally, it said, to $4 million in "reorganization costs" related to its transatlantic move. Crypto also reported that revenue for the quarter, $16.2 million, was down 37.6 percent against the previous-year period. The company said, however, it had increased its recurring operating revenue by $1.2 million, or 7.7 percent, compared to figures from Q1 2007. "CryptoLogic took major steps this quarter toward a return to growth and profitability--with an increase in operating revenue, and a decrease in operating costs," said chief executive Javaid Aziz.
Appointed -- London-listed Betfair has appointed former Virgin Games managing director Oscar Nieboer brand director on an interim basis. Nieboer, the company said, is to oversee brand development through the crucial stages ahead of, during and after the introduction of the U.K. Gambling Act.
'Staggering Inconsistencies' -- Various British media reports carry the reaction of a miffed Jeremy Hunt, U.K. shadow minister of culture, who responded to Thursday's publication of the white list (and accompanying, unapologetic remarks from culture minister James Purnell). "How can [the government] claim that their number one priority is protection when they ban operators from relatively tough regulatory regimes such as Tasmania yet allow those based in much more lenient countries like Gibraltar," said Hunt. "[The white list] will not ban 1,000 Web sites but simply force those that can move from one regime to another--in many cases from one which offers real protection for the young to others that do not."
More on Ladbrokes -- The Times reports that Ladbrokes is set to return £250 million to shareholders via a share buyback program. Analysts told the paper that the move could potentially make the company less attractive to private equity firms, which, it says, tend to fund acquisitions largely with debt. However, the paper adds that the "credit crunch" currently affecting the global marketplace significantly reduces the chances for such an acquisition. Ladbrokes chief executive Chris Bell is quoted by the paper as saying that the possibility of renewing takeover talks with 888 is "very unlikely," and that Internet gambling was "a very hard space in which to find value."
Stock Watch -- On the LSE, 888 was down 4.75p to 110, Playtech was down 32.25p to 304.75 and PartyGaming was down 1.75p to 27.25.