Open for Comments -- The U.K. Competition Commission (CC) this morning published an issues statement regarding Sportech's anticipated acquisition of Vernons, the Ladbrokes-owned football pools business. The CC is investigating whether the takeover would significantly diminish the possibility for competition in the sector. “The purpose of making the issues statement public is to inform all interested parties and give them an opportunity to raise any further points with the CC,” Sportech told eGaming Review.
Inked -- Playtech has signed an agreement with Guardian Gaming to be the exclusive provider of its Shuffle Master online games. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
Launched -- Asia-facing gaming technology provider PacificNet said it plans to launch a new, java-based mobile mahjong game for the 2007 World Series of Mahjong.
Taking Sides -- The Tote announced Thursday that it had joined Turf TV, which exclusively broadcasts the running of some of Britain’s top racehorses. The Tote’s decision to join represents a break in ranks between it and major United Kingdom betting houses William Hill, Ladbrokes and Coral, who all owned shares in rival service SIS and have stated that they could weather the drop in revenue brought by Turf TV so long as none broke rank. Ladbrokes has stated that the deal does not affect their decision not to accept Turf TV, and a William Hill spokesperson has stated that the company will legally fight the advancement of Turf TV “all the way”.
Camelot Reports User Growth -- Camelot, the operator of the United Kingdom’s national lottery has announced a large increase in players participating in the lottery. Player participation increased by 28 percent, bringing in £1.5 million ($3 million) for charity and helping Camelot make a case to keep the national lottery under its control.
Transferred -- Full Contact Poker (FCP) will be shutting down its casino and poker operations this week by transferring all remaining accounts to rival poker operator PokerStars. This transfer comes on the heels of PokerStars' entrance into a contract with former FCP pro Daniel Negreanu, gaining his representation in addition to hosting rights for any events Negreanu sponsored at FCP. Despite this transfer, Negreanu’s blog will remain on FCP along with existing forums and a new poker school. FCP said its players will have until June 13 to clear out their accounts.
The Pastoral Welcome -- Despite his membership in the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling, Rev. Tom Grey has stated that he welcomed recent congressional hearings on online gambling, claiming that the existence of gambling legislation will force presidential candidates to take a stand on the issue. Advocates from both sides of the issue debated during the conference at the Rio, with supporters for the bill from the Poker Players Alliance claiming that bills on the issue would allow for state and federal governments to regulate the industry. Grey countered by claiming that the hearings were “driven by self-interest” and would lead to “wide-open hard-core gambling” that would make it difficult for states to regulate gambling within their borders.