JUDGEMENT DAY Amalgamated Racing Ltd. claimed victory on Friday in the case brought against the company by bookmakers Afternoon Greyhound Services Ltd., William Hill, Ladbrokes and Betfred, according to Thomson Financial News.
The judgment states Alphameric and Racecourse Media Service Ltd.’s joint venture can continue with Turf TV, a broadcasting company for horse racing, which, according to The Independent, will screen races exclusively of 31 United Kingdom racecourses.
Alan W. Morcombe, chief executive of Alphameric, told Thomson Financial: “It allows AMRAC to continue to develop and improve its business, while we also believe that Alphameric's Leisure division, which had been adversely impacted by this litigation, can return to profitable growth and over time regain lost momentum.”
LOOKING UP According to Bloomberg, Unibet said its profits more than doubled -- with net income soaring £3.55 million, or 12.6 pence a share -- during the second quarter.
The Sweden-based bookmaker attributed the profit to an increase in betting during June’s European soccer championships.
Amount lost went up 74 percent to £27.9 million as did winnings from sports bets, which rose from £5.11 million to £9.56 million. It also shows that Unibet is on its way to meeting 2010 financial goals.
“With the European championship as a highlight, we reached a new record in active customers,'' Petter Nylander, chief executive of Unibet, said in a prepared statement.
OFF TO THE RACES Adding to the list of United States-based and parimutuel account wagering services, BetAmerica.com showcased its redesign and wagering platform today.
The Web site, which is licensed and regulated in North Dakota, offers wagering on parimutuel horse racing and boasts more than 80 racetracks.
"We're a U.S. licensed, based and regulated company, that co-mingles all our bets into the U.S. host track pools and have a proven track record of processing over $200 million in pari-mutuel wagers,” Ken Lien, president of Lien Games Racing, said in a prepared statement.
"With our new Internet based wagering system, BetAmerica.com is making it even easier to watch and wager on horse races,” Mr. Lien continued. “BetAmerica.com offers free video for all members, no wager or subscription fees and most importantly, cash rewards based on every dollar wagered on our designated BetAmerica Bonus Tracks. That's a huge benefit for all players."
NO MERGER Australia's two largest gaming companies will not be merging, Tabcorp Holdings has announced. Rumors of a mega merger between Tabcorp and Tatts Group have been rumbling since mid July.
Elmer F. Kupper, chief executive and managing director of Tabcorp, told ABC's Inside Business that he did not see the benefits of a merger at this time.
"I don't think that's a very good idea for us right now," Mr. Kupper said. "If you look at the benefits of doing that, it would really be in a relatively small part of our company -- the synergies between our two companies are not particularly large right now."
Instead of a merger with Tatts Group, Tabcorp has ambitions to grow Star City Casino and its Keno gaming business in New South Wales hotels and clubs, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.