UK Tax -- According to New Media Zero, rumors are buzzing that the U.K. Treasury would like to implement a 15 percent tax on the gross profit of online casinos, a measure that could hurt the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport's plans to attract online casinos to England. Online operators can already obtain zero percent gross profit tax requirements in Alderney, the Isle of Man and other locations. Many mainstream operators seem pleased at the opportunity to become licensed in the United Kingdom, but feel that a 15 percent tax cannot compete with a zero percent tax.
Owner Charged With Betting -- The U.K. Jockey Club has charged owner Darren Mercer with laying his own horse, Joss Naylor, to lose on Internet betting exchange Betfair during the time preceding the Chepstow race of the Coral Welsh National on Dec. 27. Mercer, who the Jockey Club's security department says laid the horse even though he knew it would not be able to perform in the race, will have to stand before a disciplinary panel next month. In another case, the Jockey Club's disciplinary panel will hear charges on March 25 that the director of Platinum Club Ltd, Miles Rodgers, laid two of his club's horses to lose.
Scam -- A mailing scam that offers insider betting information in exchange for cash to aid the operation has resurfaced in Britain. The letters from Metropole Racing Services are similar to those sent from three other bogus firms--Oakwood Racing, the Roseberry Racing Club and the Thornbury Racing Club--in the past. The scammers pose as owners, stable workers and professional gamblers and offer no-risk information for cash assistance. The letters always supply a mobile phone number that readers can call for questions, and the addresses to which they ask funds be sent are always accommodation locations like bed and breakfasts and guest houses.
PrimaPoker Affiliates -- The BrightShare affiliate referral program has started an online poker affiliate program that lets its members promote two of Microgaming's PrimaPoker.com poker rooms, Wild Jack Poker and Trident Poker. Brightshare boasts an aggregate reporting system that offers a detailed view of account information that enables affiliates to monitor their progress closely.