Farewell -- Sportech, parent company of Littlewoods, has confirmed that Steve Taylor is no longer director of sports betting at Littlewoods Bet Direct. The company, which last month reported that half of its gross win came from non-sports betting activity, says Taylor has left on a "mutual and amicable agreement" because of "strategic differences regarding the continued development of the company." Kevin Dale, former marketing director of Betfair has been appointed to fill the vacancy for the interim. Sportech will release its financial results for the year 2004 on March 31, and it is likely to post a pre-tax profit in line with expectations at about £9 million.
Caricom Support -- Leaders of Caribbean nations are today concluding the 16th inter-sessional meeting of Caricom (Caribbean Community and Common Market) in Suriname. Many anticipate that Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer will ask the body to pass a resolution giving support to his country's I-gaming conflict with the United States in the World Trade Organization. Yesterday representatives from Antigua and Barbuda filed a document with the WTO listing certain findings of the dispute settlement panel that the nation plans to challenge.
Z4P Deal -- iTouch, a company that provides a wide range of information, entertainment and messaging to mobile users, has signed an agreement with I-gaming software developer Zone4Play. iTouch will provide a technology platform to distribute Zone4Play's mobile gaming services to iTouch customers through its direct mobile channel model and also via its media, telco and broadcast partners in the United Kingdom.
Arcadia -- Mobile gambling developer Cometa Games has launched its "Arcadia" mobile casino system, which enables users to download games via text messages. Arcadia operates as a stand-alone solution that provides an entry-point into the mobile gaming industry as a turnkey solution or white-label gambling site. The system also incorporates an affiliate tracking system that tracks players and automatically awards a percentage of revenue to sites that generate traffic.
Betting on Five -- Five, the United Kingdom's fifth terrestrial channel, today launched a service that enables interactive TV viewers to wager on the station's UEFA football coverage. The new service, made possible by a deal with Sky Bet, will enable punters to access sports wagering by simply pressing the red buttons on their remote controls.
Maybe Not -- Interactive Systems Worldwide Inc. has announced that the feasibility study it said it would conduct for the Carolina Bobcats NBA team will not happen after all. The company announced yesterday that it had entered into an agreement to investigate the feasibility of deploying the SportXction non-wagering sports prediction game, called "SportXction Competition," for Bobcats games, but now the company says the study will not proceed.