Complaint -- The Australian Financial Review reports that the Australian Racing Board has filed a complaint against leading betting exchange Betfair for violating copyright laws by posting local information without permission. The Australian Federal Police is investigating the matter. Betfair spokesman Mark Davies said he is unaware of any investigation.
Upgrade -- The Web site of SportsInsights.com, a provider of online sports book statistics, is now compatible with WAP-enabled mobile phones. New features added for the NFL 2004 season include statistic updates every 30 seconds, e-mail alerts, a major Web site infrastructure upgrade, increased bandwidth and the addition of BetWWTS.com as a contributing sports book.
New Games -- The Jackpot Factory Group, an online casino licensed in Kahnawake, has announced that software provider Microgaming has added five new games to its Viper-powered casinos. New games include French roulette, a ten-hand video poker game called "Joker Poker," a Colonial English-themed slot called "Tally Ho" and two progressive slots: "King Cashalot" and "Tunzamunni."
Subscription Model -- British broadcaster Racing UK has announced that beginning Oct. 1 it will become a subscription-based service charging customers £20 a month or £200 for a full year. The company's chairman, Simon Bazalgette, told the Racing Post that a subscription-based business model allows Racing UK to focus on quality racing while having little dependence on advertising. Racing UK, which currently broadcasts free-to-air on channel 425, will begin broadcasting tomorrow with a new look on channel 432. It will continue to broadcast on both channels throughout September so that viewers will be aware of the change and will cease airing on channel 425 on Oct. 1. The company, which is in negotiations to obtain broadcast rights for international racing, anticipates that it will need 20,000 subscriptions to break even.
Ball Returns to TV -- GoldenPalace.com CEO Richard Rowe will appear on the British TV quiz show "They Think It's All Over" on BBC1 Sept. 9 along with the ball from David Beckham's missed penalty kick in the Euro 2004 tournament. The ball will be used in a celebrity shootout midway through the program. Its first television appearance since sailing wide of the goal in June will serve to promote its upcoming U.K. tour.
DDoS Struggle -- Northern Territory News recently reported on Internet bookmaker Multibet's struggle with DDoS attacks. According to the report, Multibet's Web site was brought down several months ago, at which time extortionists demanded $28,600 to bring the site back online. Over the next few months, the extortionists demanded regular insurance payments to keep the site free from attack. When the site was eventually attacked again, Multibet's owner, Terry Lillis, contacted the original extortionists seeking protection, but they claimed they were not responsible for the new attacks and offered no assistance. Lillis then contracted an American company to provide security and has not had experienced any problems since then. Most disappointing, he said, was that Telstra and the other Australian telcos were unable to offer any protection. It is not known whether the extortionists who attacked Multibet are same ones who were arrested by Russian police last month.
Betting Zone -- U.K.-based Fast Web Media has added a new "Betting Zone" to its Web site at www.4thegame.com. Besides offering content such as editor's picks, horse racing tips and a how-to guide, the Betting Zone enables punters to shop around for the best prices from its bookmaking partners, Stan James, Betfair, Stanley Bet, and GameAccount. The Zone is now offering users free bets funded by its betting partners and worth £20 and £25.