Sportingbet, Sapient Interactive Partner Up -- Sportingbet has appointed digital marketing firm Sapient Interactive to redesign certain areas of Sportingbet.com. Earlier this year, the London-listed operator appointed bd-ntwk to handle its online promotional and CRM activity, and in 2006, creative agency Nitro was given the company's £2 million pan-European ad account.
Betbrokers, Gold Sheet Ink Distribution Deal -- Betbrokers has obtained the rights to distribute the Gold Sheet, an American handicapping information service, to wholesale and retail clients based outside of North America. The U.K.-based betting brokerage said initial revenues will be derived from online subscriptions and divided between Betbrokers and the Gold Sheet. Betbrokers has also secured the rights to Gold Sheet College and Professional Football Annual, and all contents of Gold Sheet parent company Nationwide Sports. The news comes a week after Betbrokers announced that its acquisition of Las Vegas-based Winning Edge would be delayed indefinitely.
Betting with Integrity -- Betfair has signed a product fee and integrity agreement with the Football Federation of Australia (FFA), whereby the FFA will have access to the personal information of Betfair customers, which includes betting records. The deal is the twenty-seventh of its kind between Betfair and sporting bodies worldwide, including the U.K. Jockey Club, the International Cricket Council and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
The Maltese Delay -- The Maltese Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA) on Monday said that it had received an "unexpected increase" in the number of applications for new licenses, and that the authority, as a result, would not be able to process new applications "within the normal time-frames." The LGA added that applications received after July 9, 2007 could be processed as late as October. The LGA made a similar announcement in July.
Cutting Back -- After last week's partnership agreement between ITV and PartyGaming was announced, ITV said this morning that it would eliminate jobs as the company transitions from a growth model to a "content-led growth plan." ITV Chief Executive Michael Grade told the Times that, "inevitably, there will be job cuts, but it is not helpful at this stage to throw about numbers." The commercial broadcaster, struggling to reverse slumping advertising sales, reaffirmed its target of claiming a 38.5 percent share of advertising reach among viewers for its family of ITV channels in 2012. As part of its strategic plan to expand Web offerings (and thereby lure advertisers), the paper says, the company has committed to developing ITV.com and its gambling agreement with Party.
Tackling the Decline -- After Tuesday's release of interims from Sportech, The Financial Times suggests that its strategy--which includes launching new games, distribution agreements and technology solutions--could "help tackle the historic decline in pools." The paper says however that the company is "having to work hard" to slow and ultimately prevent the decline in its customer base. Analysts at Investec told the paper that the shares are trading on a "forward" price-to-earnings ratio of 8.3 times, "which is at a justifiable discount to the gambling sector."
Stock Watch -- In late afternoon trading on the LSE, Sportech remains even at 13.25p, Ladbrokes is up 12.75p to 443.75 and William Hill is up 12.50p to 643.50.