NHLers Implicated -- Rick Tocchet, an assistant coach for the Phoenix CoyotesNational Hockey League (NHL) team, is one of three individuals who have been charged with running a New Jersey-based sports betting ring that processed more than 1,000 wagers exceeding a cash value of $1.7 million. Authorities revealed that about half a dozen NHL players are alleged to have placed bets with the ring, but the names of the players have not been identified, and no bets are believed to have been placed on hockey. The wife of Coyotes head coach Wayne Gretzky has also been implicated as a bettor. . . . Last week the NHL joined four of America's other most prestigious sports organizations in writing a letter to all members of the House of Representatives to ask for support in passing the Unlawful Internet Gambling Prohibition Act.
BAW in Court -- Financial Times Deutschland reports that a German regional court has ruled that Austria-based online gambling company Betandwin.com Interactive Entertainment may not operate or advertise certain of its betting and lottery products in Germany. The court has banned the Supertoto and Supertoto XXL brands and ordered BetandWin to deliver information regarding turnover in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. A spokesperson for BetandWin stressed to the newspaper that service from its Betandwin.de German platform is unaffected by the court ruling, and that the ruling applies only to the more extensive service of its international Betandwin.com platform, which is operated by BAW International in Gibraltar. The court's ruling is the result of a complaint filed by German company Westlotto in September 2004. Betandwin is said to be planning an appeal and considering filing a compensation claim against Westlotto if it suffers financial damage.
ND Initiative -- The Associated Press reports that North Dakota state Rep. Jim Kasper still hopes to campaign for an initiative to license Internet poker in his state, although he is running out of time. If Kasper were able to get enough citizens of North Dakota to sign a petition to make the state a licensing jurisdiction for Internet poker, the motion could bypass the state legislature and go directly to a popular vote in November. In 2005 Kasper presented a bill that won approval in the House but was handily defeated in the Senate after the Federal Department of Justice delivered its opinion that such a law would be illegal. Kasper told the AP that he has discussed the potential $1 million campaign cost with various representatives of the online gambling industry, but that he has not been able to get commitments from anyone. "I need to figure out, and I haven't yet, how to get the industry to make a commitment to fund an initiated measure, and they're not organized. They're all over the world," he stated. "Hold do I bring them all together? That's my problem, and I have not solved that problem yet."
Parlay 4 -- Online bingo software provider Parlay Entertainment has released Parlay 4, the latest version of its online bingo product. Among some of the new addictions and enhancement to the latest version is a new game interface with an improved screen layout, new tabbed components and a larger area for chat messages. The new interface also makes it easier to pick, purchase and play dozens of bingo cards at once. Back-end functionally has been enhanced as well, particularly in the areas of scheduling, reporting, bonusing and chat management. Parlay 4 will be deployed both in 75-number North American and 90-number European versions, and it will debut on several Parlay-licensed sites this month.
Gaming Business Directory -- Casino City Press, a publisher and distributor of gambling industry reference books, has released the 2006 edition of its Online Gaming Business Directory. The publication profiles 350 online gaming site owners and provides their executive contacts. Profiles and popularity ranking are also provided for more than 2,200 online gaming sites and 2,100 Web portals along with a directory of I-gaming software providers, regulatory jurisdictions, industry suppliers, and I-gaming products and services.
Partouche Enters UK -- France's largest casino operator, Groupe Partouche, has made its first entry into the U.K. market by teaming with Probability Games Corporation to launch later this week a mobile gaming service that will feature traditional casino games.