Stanley Struck -- Stanley Leisure is the latest British betting company to admit that it has been targeted by hackers trying to extort money by launching DDoS attacks. After several other British companies stated earlier this week that their gaming sites had been attacked, Stanley Leisure revealed that at some pointStanley Racing had been closed down for two hours due to DDoS attacks. Like all the other UK-based bookmakers who have spoken openly about the recent DDoS threats, Stanley Leisure maintains that it will never give in to ransom demands.
Irish Lottery -- The Irish Times reports that within three months Ireland's National Lottery will decide whether or not it will permit mobile lottery games. According to a spokesperson for the National Lottery, "We started a tender process late last year for multi-channel gaming. We're in the middle of that process now and hope to have all the proposals in by the start of May." The National Lottery has not yet decided who it would contract to supply the mobile lottery, but GTECH Corporation looks like a strong candidate after having licensed a mobile gaming platform on Tuesday from Valista, an Irish mobile payments software company…. The National Lottery recently reported that Irish people spent €560 million on lottery scratch cards and Lotto games last year, and 86 percent of that was returned to the public either as prizes or funding for good causes. €295 million was paid out in prizes and €187 million was given to health, sports, and arts projects.
Rumor Mill -- Sports911.com reports that Sportbet, an online gaming company based in Costa Rica, is experiencing a power struggle among its ownership. One man who owns 50 percent of the company has invested much money into the operation since 1998 but has not yet received any return. According to Sports911.com, the man is now trying to take over the business…. Sports911 also reports that U.S. officials investigating a money laundering case have requested that the Irish government freeze the personal banking account of a former online gaming site owner. The account is rumored to have over $5 million.
Norwegian Gambling -- Statistics from Norway's Lottery Inspectorate indicate that Norwegians are gambling more than ever, spending a total of $5.2 billion on gambling games, an average of $1,100 per person. Norwegians spent 22 percent more on gambling this year than they did last year, spending most of it on slot machines. In an attempt to lower the gambling levels, authorities will reduce the number of slot machines from 17,350 to 10,000 next year.
Cambodian Wagers -- Cambodia-based Ho Wah Genting Poipet Casino Resorts Co Ltd, a subsidiary of Ho Wah Genting Bhd, is partnering with Curacao-based Pinnacle Sports Worldwide in order to provide Internet wagering facilities at the HWG Poipet Casino's sports bar. HWG Poipet would like to display betting odds on global events broadcast over the Internet by Pinnacle's web sites. Pinnacle will provide marketing support, training, monitoring, and set-up, while HWG Poipet will supply computers, display equipment, and broadband Internet connections.
New Microgaming Releases -- Isle of Man-based Internet gaming software provider Microgaming is launching four new games on all Microgaming Viper powered casinos. The Big Kahuna is a tribal-themed 5-reel, 9 payline video slot with two bonus features. 3 Card Poker is a fast and easy poker variation where the player squares off against the dealer, and Aces and Faces 10 Play Power Poker is a video poker game that lets players use 10 hands at a time from separate decks. Bonus Blackjack is similar to Vegas Downtown Blackjack, but differs in that it offers players a bonus side bet.
Casino Via Web Cam -- Thanks to a partnership with CasinoWebcam, MVPcasino now features blackjack, baccarat, sic bo, roulette, and Caribbean Stud dealt from live dealers in Costa Rica and broadcast in real time via webcast. Players can now see and hear the games run by CasinoWebcam's croupiers to insure fairness and integrity.