Rose Out, Aziz In -- Toronto-based I-gaming software developer CryptoLogic has appointed Javaid Aziz as the company's new President and CEO, replacing Lewis Rose, who announced in September 2006 his intention to step down when the company announced plans to establish its new global headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. Aziz previously served as CEO of IBM United Kingdom Ltd. and went on to found Aspective Ltd., a wireless application service provider and consulting firm.
Here Comes 'G' -- The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), formerly known as the European Betting Association (EBA), officially launched in Brussels on Tuesday. The body carries on the same principles as the EBA, promoting cross-border gambling businesses in Europe, and believes that consumers should have access to a greater choice of regulated European operators and access to the highest possible standards in protection and care, which is more likely to be achieved through regulated competition than in a monopoly environment. Members include bwin, Carmen Media Group, Expekt, Interwetten, PartyGaming, and Unibet, all of which abide by a code of conduct listing a common set of strict rules enforcing socially responsible Internet gaming and betting.
Getting Worse -- U.K. charity organization GamCare is fearful that gambling addiction is on the rise following the release of its 2006 Care Services Report. The annual report, which GamCare said is only a glimpse at the clientele using its service, revealed that an increased number of people contacted GamCare in 2006 (30, 247 inbound calls were made to the GamCare Help Line in 2006, a 33.9 percent increase on the previous year), but showed no evidence to suggest a correlation between client numbers and an increase in problem gambling per se, the organization said. "It may equally be that an increasing number of people have become aware of the services provided by GamCare," the report said. "Whilst the number of people making use of GamCare's care services has increased, the diversity of our clients in terms of age group, gender and ethnicity has also broadened."
Rezoning -- Interactive games developer Zone4Play today announced a re-prioritized business strategy with plans to focus on two products: cross-platform, interactive TV betting brand the Winner Channel, and its multiplayer blackjack tournaments software. Zone4Play says it is forming the world's first multiplayer blackjack tournaments network, Get21.com, and is aggressively seeking partnerships for expanding the network. Finally, the company said it will attempt to reduce its operating cash expenses from $450,000 per month to less than $250,000 per month and has already downsized its workforce from 70 employees to 41.