Instant Bad Karma for Lennon -- Tasmanian Opposition Leader Rene Hidding is calling for Premier Paul Lennon's head on a platter after learning that Lennon may have lied to Parliament during Betfair's bid for Australian licensing. Lennon, who has already come under fire for allegedly accepting an upgrade in a Publishing and Broadcasting Limited-owned Crown hotel during last spring's Melbourne Cup, may have misled Parliament by saying he could not have been influenced by the generosity of PBL because the State Cabinet had already voted to license Betfair on Oct. 24, five days before the race. But Parliament records indicate that Lennon told the House on Oct. 25 that no decision had been made but that it would probably come within 10 days. "Can we believe anything this man tells Parliament?" Hidding said. "This new date about Betfair and Cabinet shows once again that Mr. Lennon has misled Parliament and actually worsens his case because it shows us that the Premier had a live contract in his pocket--that was within his power alone to issue after Cabinet had approved it--at the same time he was accepting this very substantial hospitality from one of the companies involved. All of these things should rule him out of remaining Premier of Tasmania."
Another Exchange Hedger -- Mike O'Kane, trading director for British bookmaker Ladbrokes, confirmed Tuesday that his company has joined competitors Coral and William Hill in changing their hedging practices to employ betting exchanges as well as the course market. William Hill made the switch from the racecourse to betting exchanges in early November 2005, and Coral quickly followed suit by splitting its hedging between the course market and exchanges. "We have obviously monitored the racecourse market for many years and we have been concerned by the use of exchanges by course layers, particularly in 2005," O'Kane said. "We are using the exchanges when it is appropriate, although the majority of our hedging is still on the racecourse, but we do want to use all the markets available to us."
Focus on Bingo -- Leeds-based online bingo company Focus Online Management Ltd. has launched freebingo.co.uk, a 90-ball free-play bingo site that simulates the games offered in land-based bingo halls. Cards are "purchased" with the game's unique currency, FB£ (FreeBingo Pounds). Balls are pulled by a computer, announced by a caller using old-style rhyming calls and players' cards are daubed automatically. "We know that online bingo players can be very committed; over half of the free-play market says they play at least once a day," FreeBingo CEO Phil Fraser said. "We therefore felt that it was important to offer a free game, to complement the existing pay-to-play sites, so that people can indulge in their passion for online bingo without necessarily spending significant amounts of money."
Hiring -- GameAccount, which days ago reached a deal to supply its gaming services to British Sky Broadcasting's Gamestar portal, announced the appointment of ex-Tote Business Development Director Ed Comins to the newly created role of sales director. Comins has also worked for Coral Eurobet and Ladbrokes Casinos.
Exit the Mob -- The Hendon Mob has amicably ended its relationship with Prima Poker. The Mob signed a $1 million, one-year sponsorship deal with Prima at the beginning of 2004 that quickly extended to two years, and during that period the Mob became the face of Prima Poker. "Both Prima and the Mob have enjoyed and benefited from our work together over the past two years," said Prima Network CEO Roger Raatgever. "The Mob are world-class players, and we wish them the best of luck at the tables and beyond."
Flop, Turn, River Belle -- Online casino RiverBelle.com today launched River Belle Online Poker, creating the opportunity for players to form private tables to replicate weekly poker nights with friends online at any time. Other features enable players to pre-select seats at tables, locate specific players and search for their favorite tables. River Belle Online Poker also offers a free poker school with lessons covering Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi/Low, 5-card stud and 7-card stud.