Holland Casino, the state-licensed operator, saw its Internet ambitions dissolve Tuesday as the Dutch Senate, by a narrow margin, voted down a proposal that would have given the operator a three-year exclusive license to offer I-gaming services to Dutch residents. Visit IGN Thursday for the full story.
Inspired Gaming, the software developer, has agreed to supply Stanley Bet International with fixed odds betting products, and Sportsbet International with server-based virtual racing content for distribution across Serbia, Croatia, Venezuela and Cyprus. Inspired has also agreed to develop a "specialized racing product" for Ladbrokes International, the operator's tax-free, Gibraltar-based betting arm.
Boss Media, the software devloper, has acquired Dynamite Idea, a U.K.-based games development studio. Boss said the acquisition, for which financial terms were not given, will allow it to expand its Flash-based instant games portfolio. "We believe that our own, new instant casino, combined with Dynamite Idea's fixed odds and slots portfolio, is a very compelling offering for operators," said Eric Matsgård, Boss' vice president of products.
The autonomous region of Madrid, Spain, has awarded sports betting licensure to Victoria Apuestas SA, a joint venture between William Hill and Codere SA. Victoria said it expects to begin operating from Canoe, the largest bingo hall in Madrid, in the "next few days." It said it plans to secure a further 70 points of sale across 2008. William Hill and Codere each put forward an initial investment of 10 million euros in the venture.
The Poker Channel, a dedicated poker television channel, has gone live with its programming in the Netherlands on the UPC digital platform, as well as on KPN. Under the terms of the deal, UPC will distribute programming to 550,000 subscribers via its digital basic package on Channel 127, with KPN to do the same on Channel 316.
Lee Rousso, a Renton, Wash.-based attorney and Poker Players Alliance state director, has dropped out of the Washington gubernatorial race. Rousso was seeking to unseat the state's governor, Christine Gregoire, who signed off on a bill in 2006 which made gambling online in the state a felony offense, punishable by hefty fines, prison time or both. Rousso was profiled by IGN in January.
On the London Stock Exchange today, London Capital Group was down 18p, or 5.3 percent, to 323.00, William Hill was up 5.75p, or 1.4 percent, to 407.00 and Rank Group was up 2.75p, or 2.8 percent, to 99.75.
Chris Krafcik is the editor of IGamingNews. He lives in St. Louis, Mo.