Irish Tote Jackpot -- The Irish Independent reports that Horse Racing Ireland, which owns the Irish Tote, will discuss renovating the Tote's Jackpot at its board meeting next Wednesday. With revenue for the year up an estimated 14 percent from last year, the Tote is performing well, but the Jackpot is doing poorly and has not kept pace with the rest of computer betting. Part of the problem can be traced back to the introduction of the Euro two years ago. Previously the basic Jackpot unit was 50 pence, but it was raised to 1 euro as a matter of convenience. If the board speculates that the price increase is too much for punters to bet on the desired number of combinations, it will likely suggest a price reduction for the Jackpot as part of its overhaul in February.
Hill Updates Mobile -- Volantis Systems Ltd. is supplying an MCS server to William Hill that will give mobile users access to the sports book at www.williamhill.co.uk no matter what type of handset and network they are using. For some time now, William Hill has been using WAP services to deliver interactive services to phone users, but the early technology is only able to accommodate a small number of mobile handsets from the main manufacturers. The first phase of the two-phase project--providing access to the URL from any phone and network--is already complete. The second phase will improve the audio and visual experience of customers using the most popular devices.
Spammer Indictment -- Two of the world's most prolific spammers have been indicted by a grand jury in Virginia on four felony counts of sending bulk unsolicited e-mail. The two men (one of whom is No. 8 on the top 10 worldwide spammer list) used America Online's network in Virginia to launch spam campaigns, for which they could face up to 20 years of imprisonment. Virginia has the toughest anti-spam laws in the United States; the state can prosecute violators on specific criminal charges, whereas other states can only take civil action.
AGA Code of Conduct -- The American Gaming Association has composed a 25-page Code of Conduct for Responsible Gambling for casinos to use as a behavioral guideline for curbing compulsive gambling problems. Among other things, casinos are advised to ban gamblers who ask to be excluded, to prevent visibly drunk gamblers from playing and to explain the odds of winning at any game. The 17-member AGA board voted unanimously to adopt the code, which administers no penalties for non-compliance.
Security Standard -- The 2020 Committee of the Thoroughbred Racing Association in the U.S. voted unanimously on Wednesday to adopt an industry wide standard for tote systems in the event of a host-to-guest communications interruption. The new system seeks to increase wagering security by automatically suspending the guest's pari-mutuel betting for the host's entire card until the transmission link has been re-established. Such a system will prevents any wagering after the start of a race. The Thoroughbred Racing Assocation has asked AmTote, Autotote, United Tote, and Las Vegas Dissemination Co.-- the four U.S. companies that handle tote wagering in the U.S--to implement the system as quickly as possible.