For the Greeks -- BetandWin.com has launched Betoto.com, a new Web site targeting the Greek market. The site features poker, casino, sports book and games sections and is available in both the Greek and English languages. Betoto's casino section now serves as the replacement for a former BetandWin online casino, TheCroupier.com. Customers who type in the "thecroupier.com" URL are automatically redirected to Betoto's casino section.
Go Vegas Go -- U.K.-based mobile content provider Mobile Streams has launched its fully licensed mobile gaming and gambling service, Go Vegas Go, which offers poker, blackjack, roulette and several slots games to Java-enabled mobile phone users. Another U.K.-based company, Virtue Fusion, is providing the gaming software for the service. Players can download the games by sending an SMS code to the network where the software is located. Mobile Streams also plans to make Go Vegas Go available to partners on a white-label basis.
Online Fancy -- Interactive media group YooMedia has launched an online version of its Fancy a Flutter number games brand. Featuring new games "Neptune's Keno," "Grand National Keno," "Kenosaurus," "Horror Show" slots and "Monte Carlo Millions" slots, the site boasts animation, a winners area and the ability to adjust volume and picture quality according to the user's connection speed. Fancy a Flutter launched on Sky Active's Betting Zone in February 2003 and was later acquired by Yoomedia in March 2004. The company recently merged with Digital Interactive Television Group (DITG), whose assets include the Avago and William Hill channels on BSkyB.
Franchise Bids -- Trinindad-based Casino Fortune.com, part of the Sunny Group, plans to outbid a Detroit businessman for the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team. The bid is for all intents and purposes probably only a publicity ploy, following in the pattern of other similar stunts attempted by the group. Months ago the company tried to purchase the Phoenix Suns basketball team for $380 million. Other widely publicized moves on behalf of the online casino include hiring one of the contestants from Donald Trump's the reality TV series "The Apprentice," attempting to purchase a portion of Donald Trump's land-based casino empire, attempting to purchase a seat on NASA's space shuttle and hiring one of the stars from TV series "The Sopranos," only to have her quit days later after a company spokesperson made tactless remarks about her weight. . . . Casino Fortune wasn't the only I-gaming company to place a bid for an American sports franchise this week. EmpirePoker.com, the largest affiliate of the PartyPoker network, has offered to provide $500 million toward the financing of the Washington Nationals' new baseball stadium in exchange for naming it "Empire Poker Stadium." The company would also like to place Internet kiosks in the stadium that would enable people to play poker online.
Making Deals -- CES Software, a provider of betting exchange and skill gaming software, has entered into a three-year agreement to become the exclusive provider of skill-gaming products to the Sunny Group of Companies. Under the deal CES will build, host and manage branded skill-gaming platforms for Sunny Group.
New Payment Processor -- First Atlantic Commerce has launched a new e-commerce payment solution from Cyprus. Called "cGateRSecure Verify," the new payment solution is based on 3-D SecureT technology and can process in euros, U.S. dollars, pounds sterling, Cyprus pounds and Swiss francs. It also offers the benefits of Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode and protects against fraud, chargebacks and unauthorized payments. cGateRSecure Verify is available to all European companies.