Ladbrokes Movement -- British bookmaker Ladbrokes' case against the Norwegian government for rejecting its application for a betting license in Norway has been referred by the district court in Oslo to the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) court in Luxembourg. Ladbrokes filed the suit after the application was denied, arguing it should be allowed to offer its services in competition with the state-licensed monopoly under the principles of free and fair trade embedded in the Treaty of Rome. Ladbrokes is also hoping to secure a referral to the ECJ in its case against the Netherlands.
Not Tough Enough -- British consultancy firm XTN Data released the results today of a survey of 1,000 Internet users on where they gambled online, their views on gambling, and their thoughts on the industry and found that only one in five people think that the U.K. government is doing enough to regulate online gambling. More than 35 percent of respondents thought overseas-based gambling sites were less trustworthy than if they were based in the United Kingdom. They also found that while the people surveyed said they planned to use the Internet more to gamble, over 50 percent didn't know how to play most casino games and weren't getting much help from online casinos.
Betfair MOU -- Online betting exchange Betfair and the English Rugby Football Union have signed a memorandum of understanding that will allow Betfair to monitor rugby betting. It is the 17th such agreement that Betfair has signed with sports regulatory bodies around the world.
Focus on Party -- U.K. software company Sage Group Plc announced today that Chairman Michael Jackson will step down after 22 years of service effective Aug. 1. Vodafone Group Plc outgoing deputy chief executive Sir Julian Horn-Smith will join the company March 3 first as a non-executive director and then as chairman of the board beginning Aug. 1. According to the Telegraph, Jackson's appointment last summer as chairman of online poker group PartyGaming Plc raised concerns among shareholders at both groups over his ability to fulfill the two roles simultaneously. U.K. corporate governance rules dictate that an individual should not be chairman of more than one FTSE 100 company.
The Doyle Debacle -- The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, still in pursuit of information relating to poker legend Doyle Brunson's $700 million bid for World Poker Tour Enterprises, has twice subpoenaed Wallace Nakano, the operator of Brunson's poker room, Doylesroom.com. Nakano has thus far refused to testify because, according to his lawyer, the subpoenas were incorrectly served, rendering them invalid.
Fun in the Sun -- SkillJam EU Limited, a subsidiary of online gaming provider Fun Technologies plc, has agreed to create a private-label skill-gaming platform for the Sun Online, the official Web site of England's tabloid newspaper, the Sun.