Acquisition Completed -- Betbrokers announced this morning that it had completed the $6.5 million acquisition of Las Vegas-based sports and information tipping service Winning Edge. The London-listed company said that the deal will be partially funded by the issue of 64.36 million shares at 5 pence per share. "With the acquisition of Winning Edge now completed, we can focus on expanding the business and driving earnings in this exciting new division," said Betbrokers Chief Executive Wayne Lochner.
Now Protected -- iovation has agreed to supply its fraud-protection services to eight new clients in the I-gaming industry, including BetOnline, Intertops and Sportsbook.com.
New Life for the Frank Bill? -- The Guardian carries a report on the European Union's compensatory dealings with the United Sates, and quotes an EU trade official as saying that, under one proposal, "U.K. operators and others who have lost out would get nothing, but the Frank bill (the U.S. Internet Gambling and Regulation Act) would go a long way to meeting our demands." According to this proposal, the paper says, companies like PartyGaming that lost heavily last October would not receive any cash; instead, Brussels may solicit the United States to open up other lucrative areas of its services industry. Press reports from across Europe suggest that lawyers are urging the European Union to demand anywhere in the neighborhood of $90 billion to $100 billion in compensation.
Rumors -- Norwegian Culture and Church Affairs Minister Trond Giske reportedly said that the Storting, the country's legislature, is working to draft and introduce prohibitive I-gaming legislation. Calls to the Culture Ministry and Giske's office have yet to be returned.
Stock Watch -- On the LSE, PartyGaming was up 2p to 29, Neteller was down 2.75p to 83 and Ladbrokes was up 1p to 425.75.