Keski-Uusimaa, the Finnish daily, reports Finnish residents collectively spend $79.5 million on commercial poker sites each year, though the paper did not cite the source of the figure. A report on YLE.fi, an English-language portal, says IIkka Juuva, communications manager of Veikkaus Oy, suggested the government could reclaim up to two-thirds of $79.5 million in out-flowing revenue by launching its own online poker offering.
Currently, Austria and Sweden lay claim to state-run online poker products, and momentum for a third is gathering in Finland. In January, Stefan Wallin, Finland's minister of culture and sport, said the country could use online poker revenue to fund public services and fight gambling addiction. An internal affairs committee has reportedly been given until December to compose its recommendations on how best to regulate Internet gambling within the framework of both domestic and European community law.
Politico, the U.S.-based political magazine, reports the Poker Players Alliance is expected to announce Tuesday that it has registered more than 1 million members. "Reaching 1 million members puts the PPA on par with such political powerhouse as AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) and the National Association of Realtors," said former Senator Alfonse D'Amato, who chairs the Washington, D.C-based grassroots group.
(D'Amato, Politico says, may be bluffing a little: AARP has around 39 million members.)
MSN.com, the news portal, reports that Sony has taken a keen interest in developing console gaming content laced with Indian cultural themes -- Bollywood, cricket and Indian mythology, for example. "There is an emerging interest in Indian themes across the world, especially in the Middle East, North America, South Africa, the United States and the United Kingdom," said Zeno Colaco, vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.
IGN's take: Thematic content has proven successful with PartyGaming and CryptoLogic, who have signed licensing deals with Hollywood's Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment, respectively. India, should it ever elect to clarify its position on Internet gambling, could prove an enormously lucrative market for thematic content by market size alone. According to Internet World Stats, India's Internet penetration rate has grown by 700 percent since 2000. In 2007, the country, with a population of 1.1 billion, claimed 42 million Internet users with a 3.5 percent penetration rate. India, we think, is certainly a jurisdiction to watch.
On the London Stock Exchange today, 888 Holdings was up 4.50p, or 2.96 percent, to 156.75, Neteller was up 4p, or 6.8 percent, to 63.00 and London Capital Group was up 7p, or 2.2 percent, to 324.00.
Chris Krafcik is the editor of IGamingNews. He lives in St. Louis, Mo.