Approved -- CryptoLogic Inc., the London-listed software developer, said its shareholders on Thursday approved a proposal to reconstitute the company into an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of CryptoLogic Ltd., incorporated under the laws of Guernsey with corporate headquarters in Dublin. The company said it expects its new corporate headquarters to be operational by June 2007.
Appointed -- John Fitzgerald, former general counsel for CryptoLogic, has been appointed as chief executive of the Interactive Gaming Council.
Inked -- Boss Media, the Sweden-based software provider, agreed to supply the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) with an Internet gaming system. The news follows a prepared statement released Feb. 7, wherein the company said it had been awarded a five-year contract by the World Lottery Association (WLA) in North America. The ALC is a member of the WLA, and represents four Canadian provinces. Acting president and chief executive Markus Holm said: "Thanks to our high-quality gaming products and excellent cooperation with Svenska Spel . . . we have succeeded in securing an additional customer within the WLA sphere.
Meeting Expectations -- Management for Intralot, the Greece-based betting technology company, said they were confident that the company would remain competitive enough in Turkey to win a new tender through its joint venture, Inteltek, and that the company is in line with market expectations for 2007. In a conference call this afternoon on its first quarter results, management also addressed the possibility of legalized I-gaming in Poland, saying that a liberalized Polish market would not present a threat to their operations, as long as current operators will be given room to continue providing I-gaming services.
New Releases -- Totesport, the U.K.-based operator, has added new lotto, bingo, slot and keno games to its instant, flash-based games suite.
Offloading -- Australia's Publishing & Broadcasting Ltd. (PBL), which was recently entangled in Tabcorp takeover rumors, said it was in talks with buy-out group CVC Asia Pacific to sell a further 25 percent of its media business. Six months ago, PBL sold half of its free-to-air television assets, magazines and Internet portal to a joint venture with CVC for $3.7 billion. The Financial Times reports that no agreement has been reached, but that the talks come as PBL executive chairman James Packer moves to relinquish control of the "media empire his father built up and step up investment in his more profitable gaming operations."
Coming Soon -- The FT also reports that Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is set to legalize terrestrial casino gambling next year. Seiko Noda, head of an LDP study group drafting the legislation, told the paper that the target was to pass a bill by the end of the next ordinary Diet session in June 2008. "Opening up Japan to casinos is also likely to provide big opportunities for foreign operators, as few Japanese companies have the expertise necessary to develop the large-scale operations being envisioned," the paper says.
Stock Watch -- On the LSE, Ladbrokes was up 3.75p to 408.50, PartyGaming was down 0.75p to 42.25 and Sportingbet was down 3.25p to 50.75.