Inked -- I-gaming developer Interactive Systems Worldwide on Monday signed a letter of intent with technology provider Techmatics to design and develop a new product that enables fixed-odds race betting while satisfying pari-mutuel regulations.
EU to Join Antigua in Legal Dispute with US? -- In Antigua's ongoing legal dispute with the United States before the World Trade Organization (WTO), Mark Mendel, counsel for Antigua, will reportedly seek a meeting with EU Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy this March, reports The Antigua Sun. McCreevy told the European Parliament recently that he was concerned by the "restrictive practice" the United States employs in relation to I-gaming. Mendel, having considered McCreevy's remarks, thinks the European Union would lend weight to Antigua's case. "I do think they (EU) can add support to our case and help encourage us to get the right results," Mendel said. "They may be able to provide us with some support at the governmental level that could be beneficial to us." McCreevy told Reuters last week that any action against the United States was not "of major momentum."
Project Vietnam -- Several news sources are reporting that U.K.-based bookie Ladbrokes has announced plans to invest $60 million in Vietnam if the country's government liberalizes its sports betting policies by next year. Two Ladbrokes executives, Financial Director John O'Reilly and President Christopher Bell, arrived in Hanoi this week to meet with Vietnamese officials regarding its plans. IGN reported in October that five bookmakers--Singapore Pools, Ladbrokes, bwin, Intralot and Vietnam-based SMS--are waiting on the green light from the Vietnamese government. The country currently prohibits all forms of gambling.
Playing it Safe -- Fortune Lounge's poker room PokerTime said it had been awarded the "Play it Safe" seal of approval from I-gaming industry watchdog eCOGRA.