Coral and Guinness -- British online betting and gaming company Coral announced today that it has secured a two-year Premier Rugby shirt sponsorship deal for all Guinness Premiership clubs. As part of the sponsorship, Coral will launch a wide range of activities that will benefit the 12 clubs, including a donation "bounce back" scheme, which directly rewards clubs when their supporters open an account with the company. The company has also developed a dedicated rugby Web site. Matt Dawson, the former London Wasps, Northampton Saints and England scrum half, will play a key role in the sponsorship. He has signed as the Coral ambassador and will host a number of poker nights for club supporters around the country.
Nevada and Wireless -- The Nevada Gaming Commission on Thursday gave Reno-based slot machine manufacturer International Game Technology final approval to compete in an emerging market for hand-held, mobile gambling devices. Members of the commission voted unanimously to approve the company for licensing, making it the second company licensed in the state to manufacture and distribute wireless gaming devices. The first, Cantor Gaming, which led the 2005 legislative efforts to allow wireless gambling in Nevada casinos, was licensed in May.
Poker and Lewis -- Online gambling site 888.com is giving its customers an opportunity to "knock out" former boxing heavyweight champion of the world Lennox Lewis, but not in the boxing ring. The company on Saturday will host a one-day multi-table online poker tournament featuring Lewis. With a $25 buy-in and a chance to win a share of $25,000, the player who knocks out Lewis wins $2,500 and a pair of autographed gloves.
Tabcorp and Flexi -- Australian betting and gaming company Tabcorp announced Thursday that it will introduce a new way for punters to bet before this year's Spring Carnival. Flexi-betting is a method in which the punter decides on how much to spend and accepts a percentage of the dividend. It enables smaller punters to take more combinations without necessarily spending more money. Tabcorp said flexi-betting will be launched on Sept. 11.