Flying High -- 888 has announced an agreement with DTI Software (DTI) to launch an in-flight casino product, featuring blackjack, slots and roulette. 888 said the games will be available both in real-money and free-play format on numerous international airlines. "By partnering with DTI, the clear in-flight entertainment market leader, we are redefining interactive gaming in flights and expanding even further our global reach," said 888 CEO Gigi Levy.
Evolving -- Dynasty Gaming subsidiary Mahjong Systems Ltd. has announced a distribution agreement for its Mahjong Mania software with Evolution Gaming Ltd.. "This agreement with Dynasty is a fantastic opportunity for both companies because it enhances our own product offering and it further increases the revenue potential of Mahjong Mania once it becomes fully operational within our agent network," said Evolution CEO Jens von Bahr.
Sunk -- JPM International has announced an agreement with Ladbrokes, which sees JPM's Battleships game added to the Ladbrokes.com games portfolio. “Based on the success of our previous games available through Ladbrokes.com, we expect Battleships to be an extremely popular title," said JPM media director Duncan Cheadle.
Reporting -- Probability, the London-listed mobile gambling firm, released its fourth quarter results, which show a 49 percent increase in the number of cash depositors and an 83 percent rise in gross wagers processed to £6.6 million ($13.2 million). The company also said its cash balance, £1.7 million ($3.4 million), is in line with expectations following significant investment in previous months. It also said it expects the number of registered players in the United Kingdom to increase by an average of 10,000 during each month of the second quarter.
Reporting -- NetPlay TV has released its full year results, which reveal a pretax profit of £1.71 million ($3.4 million) against £1.79 million ($3.6 million) in 2005. The company said it sees 2007 as a year of continued investment in its acquired businesses that have "excellent growth potential," and that it is well placed to build a sustainable interactive television gaming business.
Reporting -- BetOnMarkets, the fixed-odds betting operator, has released its full year results, which show a 34 percent increase in turnover to $100 million and a 290 percent jump in gross profit to $5.3 million. "These are excellent results, which clearly demonstrate BetOnMarkets' superior customer offering and international appeal," said company CEO Jean-Yves Sireau. "We have accepted over 10 million transactions since the group was established in 2000 and we look forward to continued growth in 2007."
Reporting -- Global Gaming Technologies has said it will continue looking for acquisitions outside of the I-gaming sector while reporting a narrower first-half pretax loss. The London-listed company reported a first-half loss of £126,000 ($252,074) against £940,000 ($1.8 million) in 2005. It also said its search for a new chief executive continues and plans to change its name in due course.
Coming Soon -- British Sky Broadcasting has said it will release its third quarter results for the nine months ending March 31, 2007 on May 2. Betsson also said today that it will release its interim report on May 10. And Lottomatica on Monday said that it will release its first quarter results on May 3.
Launched -- Casual multiplayer skill games provider Certus has agreed to supply its Blockwar game--"a modern version of the traditional Tetris game"--to TV4, Sweden's largest commercial television channel. Certus said the game went live recently on the media company's Web site, www.blip.se.
Slipping -- On news of U.S. Rep. Barney Frank's regulatory I-gaming legislation Thursday, shares in PartyGaming fell 12.8 percent to 51p. BettingMarkets.com theorizes that the shares dropped in response to market sentiment that Frank's bill was likely to benefit incumbent operators. "The market did not take into account the fact that PartyGaming might still be able to enter the U.S. market," it says, "or, that the company, with its global spread, might actually be an attractive takeover target for any U.S.-based company wishing to enter the global online poker arena."
Helping Hands -- The Times reports that Congressman Barney Frank drafted the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act with UC Group, a British Internet payment services provider, and Baker Tilly, the accountancy firm. The paper quoted UC Group CEO Kobus Paulsen as saying, "It is clear that prohibition in the United States isn't working for anyone."
A Line -- The British media is reporting that the recent WTO ruling, which found in favor of the Caribbean island nation of Antigua, could bode well for former BetonSports CEO David Carruthers. The Guardian reports that Carruthers' attorneys are likely to have the prosecution thrown out on the grounds that it relies on a regulation judged illegal under international law. Carruthers is currently under house arrest in St. Louis, Mo. The United States has yet to respond to the WTO ruling.
Stock Watch -- In late afternoon trading on the LSE, CryptoLogic has jumped 125p (9.1 percent) to 1,500, PartyGaming is down .50p to 50.50 and 888 is up 1p to 119.75.