BANNED
The United Kingdom’s
Advertising Standards Authority has pulled
ShortsandLongs.com’s print advertisement after ruling it “irresponsibly linked gambling with sexual success.”
The regional press ad showed a dapper man with two women wearing gowns and full makeup holding on to his arms with the headline: “We believe all traders deserve privileges ... which is why we offer: Free guaranteed stops.”
The ad goes on to say: “And that's not the only privilege you'll find at ShortsandLongs.com ... They're just business as usual -- just a small part of our commitment to make spread betting more rewarding.”
The authority only upheld one of the two issues outlined in the complaint, which said the ad glamorized gambling.
The authority interpreted the women’s contact with the man as intimate, and said that readers “were likely to infer from the ad that one of the ‘rewards’ of success with spread betting was enhanced attractiveness and increased sexual success with the opposite sex.”
Meanwhile, the spread betting company said it was “disappointed” by the decision, especially since the authority only received one complaint about the advertisement.
“In these difficult times, we feel that we are leading the way in responsible gambling rather than glamorising betting,” said Andy MacKenzie, a spokesperson for ShortandLongs.com, in a prepared statement. “In no way do we mean to suggest that opening an account with us is going to make you any better looking.”
SHOP CLOSURES
According to the Irish Times, William Hill confirmed it will shut down 14 shops affecting 53 jobs in Ireland due to the economic downturn.
The paper said that outlets in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Clare, Wexford and Waterford would soon close.
On Tuesday, MarketWatch reported that Goldman Sachs cut the bookmaker from buy to neutral because “the business is resilient but not immune to the wider economic environment.”
DEAL MAKERS
PayByCash, a United States-based subsidiary of PlaySpan, has signed a deal to now to include Ukash in its payment portfolio.
“We are really pleased to work with such an active global payment service as PayByCash,” said Mark Chirnside, chief executive of Ukash, in a prepared statement. “This agreement gives our customers in Europe the choice to use Ukash at a great range of merchants, including some of the most popular online games and communities.”
According to Ukash, which allows consumers to buy goods and services via prepaid vouchers, it has experienced a 140 percent increase in sales in the last year.
FUNDING
On Monday, Bingo.com announced it closed a$525,000 private placement, which the company’s chief executive said will help fund its expansion beyond the United Kingdom market.
According to the company, a private placement of 3.5 million common shares at 15 cents per share raised net proceeds of $525,000. The shares were placed with non-United States residents under “Regulation S” exemptions, the company said.
“We are pleased to have completed this financing during these turbulent times and believe these funds will help alleviate the currency risks recently encountered as we move towards profitability,” said Tarrnie Williams, Bingo.com’s chief executive, in a prepared statement.
The news of the placement came after the online gaming company posted a loss of $1.4 million for the financial year ending Dec. 31, 2008.
OVERHAUL
“BETandRACE,” a city racing game, has received a “major overhaul,” Vanilla Live Games announced.
The I-gaming software provider said the update includes a new auto-join feature, which puts the player immediately in a room upon logging in, a boost element that will move cars up in the race, as well as a software addition to improve game play on older computers.
Nambling Notes is .