ON THE UP AND UP The Agence France-Presse reports that spread betting is on the rise in the United Kingdom with punters placing tax-free bets on market performance.
"We have seen a significant increase in betting numbers and trades in alignment with the volatility in the market," Peter O'Donovan, head of financial spread betting at PaddyPowertrader.com, told AFP.
FILTRATION LEGISLATION The Australian government is looking to filter out overseas online casinos as well as hardcore pornography. However, The Opposition said it will take “a lot of convincing” for the legislation to pass, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
The mandatory two-tier I.S.P. filtering policy would first block “illegal materials” including a blacklist by the Australian Communications and Media Authority and overseas online casinos that are illegal to run in Australia. The second tier, which would include items such as pornography, would be optional.
JUST SAY NO Reuters reports that the United States Department of Justice said that federal law will keep states from privatizing lotteries.
According to the news agency, Mitch Daniels, governor of Indiana, said that the federal Office of Legal Counsel decided “states may contract with private management firms to operate their lotteries, but that the state must maintain control over significant business decisions made by the lottery.”
LAUNCHING Sona Mobile Holdings, a software solutions provider, announced on Thursday it will provide the New York Racing Association with mWager, its new mobile wagering application.
The launch follows the recent approval by the New York State Racing and Wagering Board for mobile wagering.
The application will add to NYRA’s current online wagering, which was developed and launched by Sona Mobile last year, by allowing rewards customers to wager via mobile phones and P.D.A.s on thoroughbred races. Sona Mobile will collect a percentage of the wager transaction each time the mobile platform is used.
"This new mobile wagering application will give our customers a new level of wagering convenience, privacy and convenience by giving them the ability to wager on a platform that offers real-time racing and wagering information anywhere, anytime on their own mobile device," said Charles Hayward, NYRA president and chief executive, in a prepared statement.
NEW HIRE Gala Coral Group has announced that Gary Hughes will become the United Kingdom operator’s senior management team as chief financial officer. Mr. Hughes will report to chief executive Dominic Harrison and join the company board.
"Gary has extensive experience in high-profile blue chip companies in both the leisure and media sector and will make a significant contribution to the future growth and development of the company,” said Neil Goulden, Gala Coral’s executive deputy chairman, in a prepared statement.
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