Online Gambling Bust in the US? -- Police in Pflugerville, Texas, today raided an Internet café that was running 8-liner style gambling on its computers, according to local media reports. Police were tipped off by customer complaints received last month, the Travis County Sheriff's office said. It is not yet known whether the gambling was conducted across the Internet or on programs on the individual computers. The café's owner, Zorica Vilotic, was arrested and charged with gambling promotion, keeping a gambling place, possession of a gambling device and possession of gambling paraphernalia.
Seedy Deal -- London-based technology company Seed Capital Ltd. has announced it will delay the launch of its nascent payment processing service, YouTeller.com. The company cited its hazy relation to--and associated legal problems with--Neteller as the reason behind the move. On Feb. 28, Neteller's corporate counsel, Neil F. Kathol, served YouTeller with a cease and desist order, alleging that YouTeller was infringing on Neteller's trademark. "It is in everyone's interest that YouTeller will not be confused with Neteller," said Seed Captial spokesman Florian Schweitzer in a prepared statement today. The company said that if it failed to "make the legal situation clear," it would introduce a new payment system next summer.
Reporting -- bwin has released its fourth quarter and full year results. The company reported an EBITDA loss of 7 million euros ($9.5 million) on the year, compared to a 15.09 million euro ($21.6 million) profit in 2005. Earnings before interest and taxes were also down, falling 587.5 million euros ($799.1 million), after a profit of 7.7 million euros ($10.4 million) the previous year. Following its exit from the U.S. market, bwin absorbed an impairment charge of 515.5 million euros ($700.5 million), which contributed to net losses of 539.6 million euros ($733.9 million) after a net profit of 6.38 million euros ($8.67 million) in 2005. "The company changed its strategic approach with effect from the beginning of Q4 2006 in reaction to the legislative developments in the United States, and in view of the resistance mounted by the monopolies in several European countries," it said. bwin also said it had initiated an efficiency enhancement program, the resultant savings of which should be reflected in its Q1 2007 figures.
Coming Soon -- Las Vegas From Home.com has launched a beta version of its Asian mulit-player play for fun Web site, 178pai.com. The company said that the multi-lingual site, which features both traditional and popular Asian games, is expected to go live in the coming weeks.
Volatility -- Spread betting firm London Capital Group reported strong first-quarter trading due to volatile market conditions. The company said that it expected solid trading to continue but emphasized that a run of low volatility could bring it back in line with first-half expectations.
Inked -- Game Account has extended its software licensing agreement with Paddy Power and launched its next-generation skill-gaming software.
Merging -- Online operators BestlineSports and BetOnline.com have merged and re-branded as BetOnline.com. In a joint prepared statement, the companies said that most operations will be run out of Bestline's Panama-based offices.
Land Ho! -- Casino Red has announced plans for a £5 million ($10 million) land-based casino in Huddersfield, United Kingdom, scheduled to open next year.
Added -- Wild Jack Mobile Casino has added baccarat to its suite of mobile games.
Behind Betex -- The Times reports on Wednesday's announcement from Betex, in which the company said two of its senior staff at its Beijing operation had been detained by Chinese authorities. The paper said its business is almost entirely dependent on the Chinese market, and that its shares collapsed from a high of 80p shortly after floating on the AIM a year ago. They were suspended at 32.5p. The company, founded by entrepreneur Johnny Hon and operated by former banker Peter Greenhill, said it suspended sales of its major software product across China. The product relates to a service provided for China's daily national lottery draw, the paper quotes a Betex spokeswoman as saying.
Busted -- The China Post reports that Taiwanese prosecutors and police on Wednesday uncovered a $45 million online gambling Web site, and found that police officers were involved in the scam. The Panchiao District Prosecutor's Office announced that 120 police officers raided 18 offices and residences of 12 members of the online gambling ring seeking evidence relating to the operation. The paper quoted prosecutor Lee Chi-hsiang as saying that the 12-member ring solicited members via its Web site, afterward offering members "betting choices, including underground futures trading, professional basketball games in the United States, Mark Six lottery game in Hong Kong and five-star lottery in Taiwan, with a minimum stake set at [an estimated $300]."
Compulsory Reading -- The French media reports that, according to this week's British Medical Journal, online gambling presents "a special peril" for those suffering from Parkinson's, a disease that reportedly "boosts compulsive risk-taking."
Quoteworthy -- "In a number of areas, I am a libertarian. I think that John Stuart Mill's 'On Liberty' is a great statement, and I was just rereading it. I believe that people should be allowed to read and gamble and ride motorcycles and do a lot of things that other people might not want to let them do."
- U.S. Congressman Barney Frank, taken from the Las Vegas Review Journal today.