Doyles Party -- Executives at Canada-based online poker company DoylesRoom.com are reportedly reaching out to outgoing PartyGaming CEO Richard Segal, who announced just this week he was resigning because he did not want to relocate to Gibraltar, to discuss the possibility of him joining their company as CEO. They are also reportedly prepared to discuss accommodating Segal's wish to remain in London.
Awareness -- Next week (March 6-12) is National Problem Gambling Awareness Week 2006, a grassroots project sponsored by The National Council of Problem Gambling (NCPG) aimed at educating the general public and health care professionals about the warning signs of problem gambling and raising awareness about the help that is available. According to the NCPG, 2 to 3 percent of the U.S. population (6 million to 9 million Americans) will have a gambling problem in any given year, but only a fraction seeks help.
To Tell The Truth -- British bookmaker William Hill today squelched rumors that it was seeking a merger with a gaming rival as it posted lower full-year profits due to too many winning horseracing favorites. "There are no talks with anybody at the moment," said CEO David Harding. He acknowledged, however, that he is willing to explore "low-risk ways of exploiting this trend to convergence between betting and casino operations," all the while emphasizing that low-risk doesn't mean buying somebody; it could mean partnering with an American casino operator.
Copyright Madness! -- The NCAA has sent cease and desist letters--as they do every year--to numerous businesses that are using the trademarked term "March Madness" in promotional material, and it has been reported that online gambling sites are among the recipients. An NCAA representative confirmed to IGN that such letters have been sent, but could not confirm whether they have been sent to online gambling sites. He added, however, that no specific industries have been targeted and that if I-gaming sites are indeed among the recipients, it is only because they're using the trademark term and not because they're being singled out as gambling services.
Mr. E. Speaks -- USsportsbook.com General Manager Ron E. and others are taking the U.S. government to task for its sour grapes attitude toward the Internet gambling industry. Republican Reps. Bob Goodlatte and Rick Boucher last month introduced the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act to update the Wire Act of 1961, which prohibits making gambling wagers over the telephone. Legal experts, however, are divided as to whether the act applies to the Internet. In a statement Goodlatte said, "The Internet Gambling Prohibition Act is vital to protect our children and communities from the problems of addiction, crime, bankruptcy and family difficulties that come from gambling." But Ron E. doesn't believe this is the whole story. "This is just a smokescreen," he said. "The real issue is that the government doesn’t support what the government can't tax. If our elected representatives are so concerned about Americans and their gambling habits then why do they go out of their way to support slot machines popping up in every patch of Native American-occupied soil from the Mexican border to Canada? The whole thing is ridiculous and illegal to boot."