Heads Up, Investors -- Following Tuesday's announcement that William Hill CEO David Harding would be stepping down, the Telegraph reports the consensus among City analysts is that the company has strong enough middle and upper management to run its business until a replacement is found. Speculation has not begun among the British media as to whom the replacement will be, but the paper says the company continues to push ahead with its European expansion and online gaming build-out. "Get ready to buy on the appointment of a new chief executive with strong international and a good nose for a deal," it says.
Equine Flu Hits Aussie Pari-Mutel Biz Hard -- Since an outbreak of equine influenza was reported in Australia last month, the country's pari-mutuel wagering industry continues to lose ground as the virus has now spread to Brisbane's two main tracks, Eagle Farm and Doomben. Thoroughbredtimes.com reports that over 500 horses remain stabled on these courses, while Racing Victoria and Racing New South Wales have both sought federal and state assistance (in the form of cash and vaccine) to keep the industry afloat. On Tuesday, Tabcorp projected that it would lose $4.3 million a week if the trend continues, adding that since late August, turnover has decreased by around $650 million.
Launched -- Fun Technologies subsidiary WorldWinner has launched Seven Seas Sudoku, a real-money, online version of the popular puzzle game. "WorldWinner created Seven Seas Sudoku in response to player demand for an interactive cash competition-version of Sudoku, one the world’s most popular puzzle games," said WorldWinner President Peter Blacklow.
IGT Declares Dividend -- International Game Technology (IGT) declared a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share, payable to shareholders on Oct. 23.
Big Jump -- Despite reporting a first-half pre-tax loss of £1.6 million, NetPlay TV said gross bets from its live roulette TV product jumped 440 percent to £15 million. For the six months to June 30, revenue was down over 50 percent to £2.62 million from £6.14 million last year, it said. The London-listed company said it was working on the addition of more games, which it hopes will increase margins going forward.
Quoteworthy -- "The idea that we should use 'free trade' as a mechanism for championing Internet gambling is a big mistake if the international community is genuinely serious about promoting sustainable development. Countries banning Internet gambling should not be deemed to be 'protectionist' but rather free traders in a moral, 'social environment' friendly framework."
- From Daniel Boucher, director of parliamentary affairs for Christian Action Research & Education (CARE), an organization that aims to "declare Christian Truth and to demonstrate Christ's compassion to the European Institutions from . . . offices in the European quarter of Brussels." According to Christian Today, Boucher has reservations regarding the way in which "free trade" is being used to defend Internet gambling.
The $100 Billion Question -- Representatives from the online gambling industry and U.S. trade experts today urged the European Union to demand as much as $100 billion in compensation, in an attempt to negotiate terms with the United States over its withdrawal of gambling services from its commitments to the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). At a press conference in Brussels, four experts--Naotaka Matsukata, former director of policy planning for U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick, Craig Pouncey, a Brussels-based trade lawyer with Herbert Smith, Clive Hawkswood, chief executive of the Remote Gambling Association, and Mark Mendel, the lawyer representing Antigua and Barbuda before the World Trade Organization (WTO)--were on hand and highlighted the need for a quick resolution to the dispute.
Stock Watch -- On the LSE, William Hill was down 1p to 636.50, Netplay TV was down 0.12p to 27.50 and Fun was up 2p to 162.