Super Bets -- Nevada's 153 licensed sports books set new Super Bowl records this year for turnover and profit, according to figures released by state officials on Wednesday. Sports books won a record $15.4 million when the New England Patriots failed to cover the spread, marking a 24 percent increase from the 2004 Super Bowl. The state also set a record in the amount wagered on the Super Bowl: $90.7 million, compared to $81.2 million a year ago.
UK Investment News -- Public U.K. companies in the I-gaming sector soared in 2004, thanks in large part to speculation of mergers and acquisitions and the profit potential of online poker. Dresdner Bank analyst Andrew Lee said online gaming stocks are in the process of being re-rated to reflect new growth prospects. AIM-listed Sportingbet predicts the Internet poker market will be worth $1.5 billion this year. The company's stock value has increased by 88 percent since acquiring Paradise Poker in October 2004.
Russia's New Lottery System -- The Economic Security Council of Russia last week announced that it has selected Global Trust Partners to finance its all-Russian electronic lottery system, which is targeted to launched by October 2005. Global Trust Partners, an American investment division of Global Trust Group, will help implement the system that could operate as many as 50,000 terminals throughout Russia and is anticipated to cost up to $300 million. It's intended to be the largest such system in the world, and it will be managed by Investment Lottery Corporation Limited.
FOBTs and Debt -- While the rise in popularity of fixed-odds betting terminals has been good news for betting shops, The Telegraph says it has meant an increase in debt among problem gamblers--from £15,000 to £20,000 in the last year--in the United Kingdom. An unpublished, government-backed report by the Association of British Bookmakers, meanwhile, concludes that there's no convincing evidence of a
correlation between the proliferation of FOBTs and the rise in problem gambling.
Retirees Resort to Gambling -- New figures released in the United Kingdom this week show a sharp rise in the number of pensioners who have turned to gambling as a way to increase their income. Prudential released the report, which shows that 160,000 have resorted to regular gambling due to their low income.
Federation of Slots -- Online gambling affiliate network Gambling Federation said its rapid pace of development in 2004 has carried into this year. In a span of less than four months, the company created seven new themed slots and redesigned its software. All progressive Gambling Federation slots have five scatter symbols, and players can get up to five times the progressive jackpots on the max bet. Jackpots start at $25,000 and can reach amounts in excess of $150,000. Both progressive and traditional slots feature special bonus symbols, which if aligned in one of the three bonus patterns, can win players up to a 100-times their bets.
IVTs in Finland -- Ålands Penningautomatförening (PAF) commenced commercial operation of its new interactive video terminals this week in Finland. The terminals, developed by EssNet Interactive and loaded with leading slot and casino games, were installed at the international Casino PAF in Mariehamn. EssNet said the pilot implementation of the IVT System in Mariehamn is the first step toward a full-scale launch onboard cruise liners during the fall of 2005.