Almost There -- Britain's Competition Commission today officially cleared Sportech's acquisition of the Vernons Pools business from Ladbrokes. The deal, on hold since being referred to the commission in May, brings together two of the country's largest pools operators. "Although Littlewoods and Vernons pools provide customers with similar products, we found little evidence that customers have switched between the two in the past," said commission Inquiry Chairman Peter Davis in a prepared statement. "(W)e provisionally conclude that Littlewoods and Vernons are not exercising a substantial competitive constraint on each other, and therefore allowing the merger would not result in a substantial lessening of competition." Sportech said it welcomed the announcement and pledged to work with the commission through to its final decision, which will be made by Oct. 17.
Sounding Off -- In response to Thursday's news regarding Sweden's refusal to amend its gambling legislation, Unibet chief executive Petter Nylander has reportedly said: "It looks like the market will be opened up by European Commission rather than the government and it doesn't make any political logic. However, from a financial point of view, the gambling monopoly is one of the biggest cash cows for the government and it doesn't want to change the current set up."
Malta Gets Another One -- A search conducted via networksolutions.com has revealed that recently established Bodog domain Newbodog.com is registered in Malta. The Web site lists Mani Chagtai of Lyon Finance Ltd. as the registrant. The domain was secured on Aug. 27 and is under Bodog control until Aug. 28, 2008. The company has said repeatedly that it plans to launch its products in Europe by the end of 2007--registering the domain name in Malta is presumably in line with this strategy.
Year-Ends from Centrebet -- Australia-based online operator Centrebet has released results for the year to the end of June, which show revenue up 26 percent--A$47 million to A$59 million--against figures from the previous year. Post-tax profits totaled A$11.8 million, slightly ahead of it’s A$11.6 million forecast.
Failing to Deliver -- The Guardian editorializes that the U.K. Gambling Act, set to be effected at midnight this evening, "has failed to deliver even the government's watered down intentions," after former Treasury Chancellor (and current Prime Minister) Gordon Brown turned I-gaming companies away with the 15 percent remote gambling duty rate. "Back in the days when Tessa Jowell was happy to pose in front of a roulette wheel, the big idea was to make Britain a friendly place for online gambling operators," it says. "Unlike the blunt-headed Americans, Britain would be pragmatic: the operators would be treated as legitimate businesses if they agreed to act responsibly. It hasn't worked. A mere 14 online poker and casino operators have registered for U.K. licenses and virtually none is a mainstream company. The explanation is simple: nobody wants to pay tax at the U.K. rate of 15 percent of gross profits."
Consumer Control -- Bloomberg also carries a report on the Gambling Act, in which Julia Smith, a spokeswoman for the U.K. Department for Culture, Media and Sport, is quoted as saying: "We aren't banning people from using Web sites based in the United Kingdom. It's up to the consumer what they do." While one I-gaming executive has called Britian the industry's "model citizen," the news source says that companies looking to exploit the U.K. advert market have applied for licenses in "low-cost countries like Malta, which has a 5 percent corporate tax and no extradition treaty with the United States."
Two Cheers Maybe -- Our British brethren at eGaming Review have editorialized that while Brown's remote gaming duty rate has significantly reduced the likelihood of attracting potential licensees, the Act stands alone as "a shining beacon of liberalization in a regulatory world otherwise beset by legal restrictions and monopoly." In sum: "Two cheers maybe. But cheers nonetheless."
Stock Watch -- On the LSE, 888 was up 2.25p to 115, Ladbrokes was up 8.25p to 435.50 and PartyGaming was up 0.50p to 28.25. In Stockholm, Unibet was up SEK 5.00 to SEK 196.00.
A Laborious Holiday -- The IGN staff will be out of the office on Monday as the United States celebrates Labor Day. Fear not: We'll return on Tuesday with news of how great Monday was.