Ukash -- Smart Voucher and Proc Cyber Services Limited have formed a joint venture company called Universal e-Cash Limited, which has launched "Ukash," a new e-commerce payment brand for cash customers. Consumers can purchase Ukash vouchers from PayPoint outlets, retailers and convenience stores and use the vouchers to purchase goods and services over the Internet. Ukash is intended to appeal to consumers who either do not have credit or debit cards or who do not wish to use them online due to fraud and security concerns. Ukash is available at more than 12,500 PayPoint locations across England in denominations from £15 to £100, and Universal e-Cash Limited is negotiating agreements with e-commerce merchants to make Ukash an accepted form of payment. The company also intends to roll out Ukash across continental Europe.
Real Money Bingo.com -- Bingo.com Ltd. has chosen interactive gaming software and solutions provider Chartwell Technology to supply a cash gaming system for the Bingo.com portal, which currently offers free online bingo games. Bingo.com says the passage of the U.K. Gambling Act led to its decision to diversify its business model by entering the cash bingo market. Under the terms of the new license agreement, Chartwell will provide Bingo.com with its gaming system, including flash-based 75-ball and 90-ball bingo games and a full suite of soft games which will be offered as side games and intermission entertainment. Bingo.com claims to have a player base of over 1 million registered players, with 30,000 visitors and 800 new signups every day.
Quoteworthy -- "It says a lot about us that a bulge bracket U.S. bank is getting involved. It says that in the U.K. especially, where the Gambling Act has been passed, that this is now an institutionally accepted industry."
-John Anderson, CEO of Gibraltar-based Cassava Enterprises, commenting to the Financial Times about his company's appointment of global financial services bank Credit Suisse First Boston as advisors to a flotation that could value the company at £1.6 billion.
Free License? -- ABC Online incorrectly reported last week that Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd. (PBL) has paid the Tasmanian government over $2.5 million for a five-year gaming license that it does not use. In actuality, PBL and Tabcorp both hold inactive gaming licensees for which they do not pay annual fees. It is because of an amendment to Australia's Gaming Act of 2001 that these companies may hold licenses without paying annual fees. PBL would be required to begin paying annual fees if it were successful in obtaining a license to operate a betting exchange in conjunction with British company Betfair.
Lottery Nightmare -- British newspapers today carried the tale of 77-year-old Ken Jackson from Sherrington, Norfolk, who worked as a lottery ticket reseller agent for Overseas Subscribers Agents (OSA). Jackson used to buy up to 2,000 National Lottery tickets every week and then transfer them to OSA, which would resell them at a higher cost. In January 2002, one of the tickets purchased by Jackson became the winner of a £16,628,000 prize--the largest in the lottery's 10-year history. Before claiming the massive jackpot, Jackson spent eight days figuring out how to transfer the prize to the man in Switzerland who purchased the winning ticket from OSA. Camelot, operator of the National Lottery, has investigated whether the bulk purchasing of tickets for OSA is legal and has come to the conclusion that "the operation of a commercial syndicate is not illegal under U.K. law nor is it in principle contrary to the rules governing the National Lottery." Jackson, who ended up earning £40,000 in interest while waiting to transfer the money to Switzerland, has called the realization of the winning ticket and the chaotic days that followed a "nightmare."
Harbour's Superslots -- Antigua-based online gaming company English Harbour New Ventures Inc. has added online bingo hall SuperSlotsBingo.com to its portfolio of managed properties. The new site features daily bonuses, progressive jackpots, tournaments, animated graphics, chat functions, customer support, auto-play and more. Players can play for fun or for real money, with cards selling for as little as $0.05 each. Earlier this month English Harbour announced the launch of its new online poker room, EnglishHarbourPoker.com.
BetDirect -- Sportech, the owner of the Littlewoods brand of gaming, has launched a new casino and a new poker room, available at www.betdirectcasino.com and www.betdirectpoker.com respectively. Utilizing software from Sweden-based Boss Media, the new casino offers over 30 no-download games, while the poker room will funnel Bet Direct players into the Boss Poker network. Like Sportech's other online casino and poker properties (Littlewoodscasino.com and Littlewoodspoker.com), the new sites will operate from the Netherlands Antilles.