Chimera Casino -- Las Vegas-based software company Chimera Technology Corp has developed an online casino platform to complement its sports wagering product. Chimera expects to launch the casino suite-- which includes blackjack, roulette, craps, pai gow, slots, and more-- within the next 60 days.
Tab War -- On Friday the New South Wales government issued a letter to Qeensland's UNiTAB, stating that it would let the shareholders of NSW's betting company, TAB Ltd, decide which bid to accept without having to fear government intervention. The letter seems to be a blow to Victoria's Tabcorp, which a little over a week ago raised its bid for TAB to $2.03 billion. Though the amount is less than UNiTAB's proposed $2.1 billion offer, Tabcorp's offer at first seemed sweeter because it carried the approval of NSW's horseracing industry, which the government had earlier indicated was necessary for either proposal. The government's letter has prompted financial services organization Goldman Sachs JB Were to downgrade its rating of Tabcorp from "outperform" to "marketperform." According to analyst Matthew Reynolds, the government's letter, "represents a material change to our previous expectations. The government does not intend to intervene in a decision that it considers is ultimately one for Tab shareholders."
Chartwell -- Canadian I-gaming software company Chartwell Technology Inc has appointed Lee Richardson as the Chief Executive of the company's subsidiary Chartwell Games Corp. Richardson will supervise all of Chartwell Games' European operations, such as sales, marketing, and business development. A Fellow of the UK Chartered Institute of Marketing and a member of the UK Academy of Marketing, Richardson has over 20 years of experience in the gaming and leisure industries. He has previously served as Chief Operating Officer of Coral Eurobet, Managing Director of Totalbet.com, Managing Director of Tote Direct, and Marketing Director of the British Horseracing Board.
Fallon Folly -- British racing officials will investigate jockey Kieren Fallon, who on Tuesday failed to ride out a victory after obtaining a huge lead midway through a race. Betfair contacted the Jockey Club shortly before the race to report suspicious betting patterns. Apparently the race was quite spectacle, inciting an angry crowd of bettors to heckle and jeer Fallon outside the weighing room later on.
Martians Close Ladbrokes Book -- Ladbrokes will no longer take bets on whether or not there was ever life on Mars now that NASA's rover, Opportunity, has discovered strong evidence suggesting that the planet once had enough water to sustain life. In the 1970s when the book first opened, Ladbrokes offered 1,000 to 1 odds on life ever having existed on Mars. Before closing, the odds had been 16 to 1.
New EBA Members -- The European Betting Association-- a recently formed organization of sports betting companies that seeks to ensure a cross border, competitive market with the same regulations for all betting companies, state or privately run-- has gained four new members: bet365, Blue Square, intertops, and MrBookmaker. The new additions will join founding members BETandWIN, Expekt, Globet, and Unibet in lobbying the European Parliament and Commission, national governments, and other relevant parties. Other companies are also in discussion to join the EBA soon.
Tabfair -- NSW's TAB Ltd has registered trademarks for the names "Tabfair" and "Tabexchange." British betting exchange Betfair, who is attempting to establish operations in Australia, says this is evidence that TAB plans to set up its own betting exchange. TAB, however, denies that claim, maintaining that the trademarks are a safeguard in case Betfair were ever able to obtain a license to offer betting in Australia. Betfair, which has offered to back-date product and tax fees to Australian racing if were to obtain a license, will be sending three senior executives to Australia as soon as their work visas are granted.
Not This Year -- Senator John McCain, R-Ariz, told the Las Vegas Review Journal that this year he will not try to pass his bill that would prohibit Nevada sports books from accepting wagers on college sports. "I don't want to bring up something that we can't win," said McCain.
Chimera Casino -- Alliance Gaming, a Las Vegas, Nevada-based company involved in the design, manufacture, and operation of gaming devices, has completed its acquisition of Sierra Design Group, another gaming device manufacturer based in Reno, Nevada. The acquisition deal was threatened last month when the Missouri Gaming Commission attempted to revoke Sierra Design's supplier's license in the state because the company owned a subsidiary that offered skill games for pay to residents of Missouri. The conflict was resolved when Sierra Design shut the site down.