Boss Hog -- Boss Media has agreed to supply Alands Penningautomatförening (PAF), the Swedish online lottery and bingo operator, with a multi-lingual downloadable poker system. Boss said the product will be linked to its partner-based poker network. "We are pleased to be able to initiate cooperation with Boss Media," said PAF director Stefan Pettersson. "Our strength is being able to arrange poker tournaments on ships and on Aland." On April 24, PAF announced a deal to supply Stena Line, a European ferry operator, with its Internet-based b2bGaming services onboard from May 2007.
Developing -- CryptoLogic subsidiary WagerLogic has secured an agreement for the rights to develop the first-ever slot version of iWin's Jewel Quest puzzle-match game.
Referred -- The U.K. Office of Fair Trading said on Thursday that it had decided to refer Sportech's acquisition of the Vernon Pools business to the Competition Commission, an independent public body that inquires into mergers and markets. In March, Sportech agreed to by the Vernons business from Ladbrokes for £50 million ($99.4 million).
Educating -- WDMP, the London-based communications company, has created a welcome pack for Betfair to educate new members on how to use its service.
Promising Entrance -- Yahoo U.K. & Ireland, the newest entrant into the Europe-facing online poker market, may register in excess of 100,000 players, reports Casino City Times. The influx of registrants could immediately vault the global Internet services company into prominence, among the ranks of PokerStars and PartyPoker, the report said.
Another One -- Following a flurry of deals this week, Scientific Games has inked a $13.8 million agreement to upgrade Golden Casket's lottery system and terminals.
Solid Start -- Rank Group said it has made a "solid start" as a focused gaming business with like-for-like revenue up 3 percent for the first 16 weeks of the year. The London-listed operator said in an AGM statement that the rise in revenue, together with cost savings, has pushed its group profits higher in the year to date. The company also said its Blue Square interactive gaming and betting business saw a 40 percent jump in revenues during the period.
Sharing is Caring -- The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced plans to allow Tabcorp, Sky television network and ThoroughVision Pty to share thoroughbred horse-racing content. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that ACCC has drafted a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to bring to an end the "split vision" dispute, which has led to a decrease in wagering revenue, bettor confusion and a decrease in funding to the racing industry. The MOU will result in improved output, quality and innovation of the Sky and TVN channels, the paper quotes ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel as saying.
From the PRC -- A unit of VODOne, the Beijing-backed Internet video venture, has become the first officially approved online agent for China's welfare lottery, according to company chairman Zhang Lijun. The Financial Times reports that approval from the China Association of Social Workers, which oversees welfare lottery issuance, "heralded a clampdown" on unauthorized sales through the Internet. "I will be involved in the very important job of cleaning up online sales," Zhang told the FT. The approval comes amid strong interest among Beijing officials in promoting and expanding the coutnry's welfare and sports lottery systems--the only legal forms of gambling in China--both to raise funds and provide an alternative to underground betting, the paper said.
Boosting Players, Losing Profits -- The Times reports on yesterday's profit warning issued by PartyGaming. Its shares, which floated at 116p nearly two years ago, fell by 3.25p to 43 as the company said that a push to boost its player base--later devastated by the U.S. I-gaming prohibition--had hit profits.
Nothing on the Sly -- The Guardian reports that the Professional Players Federation (PPF), an umbrella group consisting of unions from football, cricket, rugby and racing, is "on a collision course with the government" over legislation that could see athletes jailed for two years if they pass information to gamblers who use it to profit. The PPF will reportedly lobby the U.K. government for the measures to be softened. PPF chairman Brendon Batson, speaking at the organization's launch, told an audience--which included the sports minister, Richard Caborn--that the Gambling Act was "bad news" for athletes. Caborn defended the act, saying that the legislation was necessary given the new realities of the gambling industry, the paper said.
No One Likes Messy -- The Sydney Morning Herald says "a plan that avoids the messiness of a PBL takeover of Tabcorp and all the regulatory tangles it would entail sounds like a good idea." The paper reports that ABN Amro gaming and media analysts are refocusing investor attention on industry consolidation with a "bold" plan for a joint venture between the two. The joint venture would include a merger of their casino assets, which would allow PBL and Tabcorp to take the casinos and Tattersall's to "grab the NSW Tab," it said.
Stock Watch -- On the LSE today, PartyGaming is up 0.75p to 43.75, 888 is up 1p to 125.75 and Sportingbet is up 2.50p to 60.50.