Bet Your Life -- Sky One is documenting the travails of a 32-year-old professional poker player from Britain named Ashley Revell, who is now in the process of selling all of his possessions and properties. On April 11 at Hard Rock Casino, Revell will place all the cash he has accumulated from the sale of his possessions on one spin of the roulette wheel. If he wins, he will double his earthly riches, but if he loses he will be completely broke and own nothing. Revell hopes to raise enough cash to break the world record of £105,000 on a single spin. Sky One is creating a four-part series about Revell, called "Bet Your Whole Life," that will show him selling his belongings, telling his family about his wager, traveling to the United States and putting his entire life's earnings on either red or black.
ACCESS -- ProQuent Systems, a provider of mobile data infrastructure, has launched its solution for operators wanting to actively filter and control customer access to inappropriate and offensive content. ProQuent boasts that the ProQuent ACCESS (Authorized Content Control & Electronic Subject Screening) Mobile can avert access to inappropriate mobile sites and content, can filter mobile messages from unapproved sites and can allow operators to manage services based on content classifications. The system should help mobile operators create tailored service packages for subscriber groups like children and teenagers.
E-mail Postage Fee? -- With legislation and filters failing to dent an increasing amount of spam, some Internet service providers in the United States are contemplating the option of levying a postage fee on marketers who send large amounts of commercial e-mail. The system's supporters argue that it would help separate legitimate marketers from spammers of questionable content, since spammers would likely not be able to afford sending millions of messages a day.
Slashing Pokies -- Over the next few weeks, South Australia's gambling minister, Jay Weatherill, will write legislation reducing the number of poker machines from 15,000 to 12,000 in accordance with the recommendations of the Independent Gambling Authority (IGA) report into poker machine numbers. Premier Mike Rann said that he will extend the current freeze on poker machines that is supposed to end on May 31 and will urge every member of Parliament to support a reduction in the number of machines. The act is intended to lower problem gambling, but it would also reduce government revenue. The IGA has suggested that venues with more than 28 machines should lose eight, and venues with 21 to 27 should cut back to 20.
Sportingbet's Suitors -- Rumors buzzed last week that a group of Russian investors was interested in taking up stakes in British online gaming group Sportingbet. As a result of the speculation, the company's shares closed 7.5p higher on Wednesday to close at 80p. Sportingbet seems to have recovered from its low point in April 2003 when its shares bottomed out at 18p. The company is now valued at his highest level since mid 2002.
A Birthday for Las Vegas -- The year 2005 will mark the 100th birthday of Las Vegas. In celebration of the centennial, key businesses and community leaders are working with a Centennial Celebration Committee to plan a massive yearlong bash. Clear Channel Entertainment has been recruited to produce all Centennial events, sell sponsorship packages, handle merchandising and licensing, and develop Centennial television broadcasting rights. The festivities will peak in summer with a globally televised live concert and performances extravaganza featuring Vegas superstars on the famous Las Vegas Strip.