Closed -- PartyGaming has pulled the plug on its Turkish operation, in response to the recent passage of legislation that prohibits unauthorized companies--domestic and foreign--from offering I-gaming services in the country. The company said it had "now taken all reasonable steps to ensure that customers in Turkey are denied access to any of the group's gaming sites." Party added that revenue from Turkish customers did not represent a material proportion of its revenue.
Acquired -- Mobile content provider Player One Sports has acquired the mobile content rights for to the Aintree Grand National for the next three years. The agreement sees Player One provide live streaming from this year's race, tips and previews from racing pundits and archived footage of historic Grand Nationals races.
Good News, Italy -- Gambling, TV advertising and online gambling research firm MECN in its latest report lauds Italy as a "forerunner in the liberalization of European gambling markets," and expects its gambling market to grow to $81.9 billion by 2010.
The Saga Continues -- Reuters reports that International Cycling Union (UIC) president Pat McQuaid has threatened action against Tour de France organizer Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) after arguing that it had broken an agreement with cycling's governing body. "The agreement has clearly been broken by [the ASO] and we'll now study what action we can take," McQuaid told the news service before the start of the Ghent-Wevelgem race today. McQuaid's comments followed the ASO's recent decision to disallow Unibet's cycling team from participating in the in the Pro Tour Classics La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège in Belgium later this month.
Enhanced -- Crazy Mobile Casino will incorporate Spin3's GameWire software platform to enhance its current system.
US Closure -- Online-Casinos.com reports that 49er Casino.com will close its U.S.-facing site from April 23, 2007.
Coming Soon -- ATE on May 25, 2007 will host its Gaming Investor conference at Guoman Tower, London, covering investment topics and opportunities across the I-gaming industry.
Heat is On -- Financial Times reports that the search continues for the remaining fugitives in the U.S. government's case against BetonSports (BoS), after the recent arrest of company founder Gary Kaplan on March 28. The U.S. Justice Department is seeking Norman Steinberg, Kaplan's alleged business partner, who is rumored to be in Costa Rica. The paper briefly describes Steinberg's checkered past, which (among other indiscretions) includes "two counts of possessing with intent to distribute more than half a million tablets of prescription narcotics" in 1999.
Stock Watch -- On the LSE today, 888 is up 1.25p to 128.50, PartyGaming is down 1p to 55 and CryptoLogic is up 5p to 1,288.