Survey Says -- Guardian yesterday published the results of its 2003 ICM lifestyle poll of the United Kingdom. Out of a random set of 1,001 surveyed adults, 65 percent had played the lottery within the last year, 38 percent had participated in a raffle, and 17 percent had bet on a horse. Only 2 percent of those surveyed had gambled online.
Quoteworthy -- "There's no hope for growth unless you internationalize your product," said Mark Read, executive chairman of Australian gambling firm International All Sports. Read was commenting to the Australian Financial Review in support of P2P operator Betfair 's expansion into Australia.
ITVi -- British Sky Broadcasting has declared ITVi as the brand name of its new and improved interactive television division, which will have a constant 24-hour presence beginning next month. ITV's Premier League football program has already been updated and now lets users access statistics and match results, pose questions to the presenters, and vote on weekly questions. Champion's League and Pop Idol will also receive upgrades with betting at their core.
Bettor Ban -- According to NEWS.com.au, Australian bookmaker SportsTAB has put a punter's account on alert because he wins too much. Hamish Davidson, the successful punter who reportedly wagers around $2 million a year with SportsTAB, has been barred from making most online wagers, and he encounters much scrutiny from TAB representatives whenever he tries to place a wager by phone. Apparently SportsTAB's license does not require the company to accept all bets.
Makin' Deals -- Interactive Systems Worldwide Inc. 's wholly owned subsidiary, Global Interactive Gaming Limited, has signed an agreement with Sportingbet, whereby ISWI's SportXction system has been incorporated into Sportingbet's U.K. and European sports wagering Web sites. GIG will operate and provide the technology for the SportXction system, and Sportingbet will market it. A soft release was launched yesterday, and now SportXction's integration into Sportingbet is complete and service is fully functional.