More Busts in China -- Statistics emerging from China on Friday show that over 15,000 people have been apprehended in a massive crackdown on traditional and online gambling. The campaign a result of the revelation that government officials have spent large sums of money patronizing foreign gambling operations. More than half of the 230 cases that the government considers serious violations involve Internet gambling. Of the detained individuals, 53 are government or Communist Party officials. Two weeks ago the number of apprehended individuals was below 600.
Cantor's P2P -- Cantor Spreadfair has begun matching British horse racing bets on its spread betting exchange. When Spreadfair launched seven months ago, the company said it was not considering taking horse racing bets, but Managing Director Lewis Findlay stated recently that two of the company's main hesitations--funding problems and concerns about race fixing allegations in the press--have been alleviated. The company believes that the media are beginning to accept that betting exchanges, with their transparent auditing systems, actually do more to protect the integrity of horse racing rather than harm it. Spreadfair is negotiating with the U.K. Jockey Club to enter a memorandum of understanding similar to the one the club holds with Betfair. Spreadfair has also reached an agreement with the British Horseracing Board whereby it will obtain an interim license for pre-race data. In return, Spreadfair will pay the Levy Board 10 percent of its commission revenue from horseracing bets.
Name Change -- U.K.-based betting exchange and skill gaming software provider CES Software is changing its name to FUN Technologies. The company will also begin using a new logo that reflects the new name and the person-to-person nature of its products and services. A new Web site at www.funtechnologies.com is also planned. The company's shares will begin trading on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market on Feb. 2 under the new ticker symbol "FUN."
New Chartwell Software -- Chartwell Technology of Canada has launched Version 6.3 of its online gaming software system. The suite provides an expanded back-office management system called "CyberBoss" that offers new bonus structure capabilities, marketing features and enhanced security and auditing functionality. A new common wallet functionality feature enables players to access funds in different environments (such as poker rooms, bingo sites and casinos) without having to manually transfer funds from account to account.
Farewell -- Betfair's Asian managing director, Tim Levene, is leaving the group to become CEO of a company in Hong Kong. He will start with the new company (whose name wasn't disclosed) in late February.
eBay Activity -- Poker professional Dutch Boyd has begun using eBay to auction off percentages of his stakes at high-profile tournaments. Winning bidders will receive a percentage of his tournament winnings, and Boyd also promises to wear a hat or T-shirt promoting the winning bidder's business. . . Meanwhile Golden Palace continues to use eBay to fuel its marketing machine. The company's latest purchase is advertising space on the cleavage of a size 42GG-chested 27-year-old Scottish woman who promises to wear a temporary tattoo logo of Golden Palace for 15 days and to have pictures of herself taken in front of popular landmarks in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Golden Palace is renting the ad space for £422.00.
Poker App. -- Poker Tracker is the name of a new shareware program that the Las Vegas Advisor recommends to anyone who plays online poker. The program records stats and information about your opponents' as well as your own playing behavior. For example, it can show you how often a player sees the flop, fourth street and fifth street, as well as what percentage of the time he wins, how often he raises, etc.
Sponsorship Deal -- Austria-based online gaming group BetandWin has entered into an extensive sponsorship venture with France's two-time word championship team. BetandWin says it will have a special focus on handball between Jan. 23 and Feb. 6 while the world handball championship in underway in Tunisia. It will offer a wide spectrum of standard bets and live betting on all games played by France, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
A New Malta Gaming Council -- Malta's Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA) will provide administrative services for a new Malta Gaming Council, which will be composed of all of the island nation's companies holding remote gaming licenses. Among the council's main functions will be simplifying the working relationship between the LGA and the licensees and providing a forum for responsible gaming and new technologies.