Makin' Deals -- Skill games provider CYOP Systems International Inc. announced Wednesday the signing of an agreement with SMS@ctive Technologies Inc. through which CYOP's "Pay for Play" gaming software will be licensed to SMS@ctive on a revenue-share basis. CYOP will additionally provide a backend financial processing system, Easy-Brand(tm) site integration and customer support. ... Israeli content provider Zone4Play today announced the development of virtual casino games for mm02 through software developer Pinpoint's "Fuel" platform.
Bit from India -- Bangalore, India-based Arena Multimedia is launching a training course for games developers. The course will cover development of games for CD-ROMs, the Internet and wireless devices. The leader of Arena Multimendia, Sudhir Mathur, said the games design course will be called the Arena Gaming Specialist Program. "This program will enable students to develop the most ingenious, advanced games of international standards," he said. "We aim to produce games development professionals on par with the best in the world."
New Stuff -- Omni Casino, a subsidiary of Peak Entertainment NV of Curarao, said Wednesday that it will offer the "21 Days of Christmas Multi-Player Blackjack Tournament" again this year. The tournament's grand prize will be a luxury vacation for two.
Conference -- The Harvard Medical School's Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders, the National Center for Responsible Gaming and the Nevada Council on Problem Gaming recently held a three-day conferece to address the problem of gambling addiction. Howard J. Schaffer, the director of Harvard Medical School's Division on Addicitions, told attendees he is concerned about gambling as a potential public health hazard.