Malta-Bound -- The Times of Malta reports that island nation expects to receive "no less than 27" international companies that have elected to uproot--presumably to gain access to the lucrative British I-gaming market. "Malta's becoming the natural hub of online gaming," Mario Galea, chief executive of the Lotteries Gaming Authority, told the paper. Intercasino, William Hill, Littlewoods, Playboy Casino, Virgin Games and others will join the 84 operators already operating under Maltese licensure. Companies licensed on the island, by virtue of its inclusion in the European Economic Area (EEA), may advertise to residents of the United Kingdom as of Sept. 1 under the Gambling Act 2005.
Unibet Partners with Liverpool FC -- Unibet has inked a three-year deal with Liverpool to become the football club's official betting partner. Under the agreement, Unibet will develop a club-branded Web site, scheduled for launch later this year, offering sports-betting, poker and casino products. The deal is the second of its kind in as many days, as Thursday, Newcastle United and Jaxx UK Ltd. agreed to similar terms. This morning, Unibet also announced a partnership agreement with affiliate network Income Access.
Soft Predictions -- Analysts at Euroxx Securities project that Intralot's second-quarter results--scheduled for release on Aug. 29--will be "weak" in comparison to those released a year ago. The firm predicts turnover to fall by 1 percent and net income to drop 24 percent to 23.8 million euros against the previous-year period. Euroxx said it maintains a "positive" view of the company but has placed Intralot stock "under review" pending the publication of the results. Marfin Securities has logged a similar prediction, noting that the expiration of its agreement with OPAP to supply its Stihima product expired at the end of January.
WorldWinner, PlayFirst Partner Up -- FUN Technologies subsidiary WorldWinner has joined with PlayFirst to develop, launch and market real-money competitions for the online casual game, Diner Dash, as well as for its sequels. "Based on the past success of Diner Dash, we expect the WorldWinner cash competition versions to be a hit," said WorldWinner president Peter Blacklow.
Capital Spending -- Circulating media reports have that, worldwide, gambling companies dropped in excess of $1.3 million on lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C., during the first half of 2007. According to figures from the Senate Office of Public Records, the American Gaming Association ($900,000), Partygaming ($140,000), Harrah's ($100,000), Station Casinos ($60,000) and World Poker Tour Enterprises ($20,000) were among the top spenders. Click here to view the full story.
Free Transfers -- Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet have announced an agreement allowing players on both sites to transfer funds between Absolute Poker and UltimateBet accounts without incurring any charges. In a joint release, the companies said that under the new agreement, players with accounts on both sites can move their funds without having to make new deposits.
Heat of the Moment -- In news of the truly spectacular, Reuters reported Thursday that according to the Moscow police, a woman set fire to her ex-husband's penis as he sat naked, watching television and drinking vodka. Asked whether the man would make a full recovery, a police spokeswoman said it was "difficult to predict." According to the report, the attack climaxed after three years of "acrimonious, enforced co-habitation." (The couple divorced three years ago, but had continued to share a small flat.) "It was monstrously painful," the wounded ex-husband told Tvoi Den newspaper. "I was burning like a torch. I don't know what I did to deserve this."
Slight Postponement -- The hearing on ex-BoS founder Gary Kaplan's motion to revoke his detention order has been moved to Sept. 5 at 1:30, according to court documents.
Stock Watch -- On the LSE, Ladbrokes was up 12.50p to 418, William Hill was up 3p to 610.50 and Leisure & Gaming was up 0.75p to 11. In Vienna, bwin was up 0.85 euros to 20.30 euros, and in Stockholm, Unibet was up SEK 1.00 to SEK 185.50.