South Korea Goes After Players -- South Korean prosecutors are now trying to determine whether it is illegal for its citizens to gamble with an online casino in North Korea. All traditional forms of gambling are illegal in South Korea, with the exception of gambling that takes place in a licensed casino in the eastern Kangwon Province. Hoonnet, a South Korean company that had been authorized to do business jointly with a North Korean company, has had its license as an inter-Korean business cancelled after it was discovered to be operating an online gambling site. About 270 South Koreans logged onto the North Korean gaming site last year, accounting for about $192,300 worth of wagers. South Korean police are pursuing charges against Hoonnet, and the country's Cyber Crime Investigation Unit has referred 16 of the 270 online gamblers to prosecutors.
Right to Wager -- Costa Rica-based online sports book BetOnSports.com is asking visitors to show their support for online gambling in the United States by signing a petition (to be sent to legislators) and/or by submitting a form letter urging policymakers to support legislation that would allow responsible online gambling. The campaign, called "Right to Wager," is the second grass-roots effort in three months from BetonSports, which hit the streets of New York City with a similar drive in October. "Our 'Right to Wager' campaign was launched in an effort to show policy and decision makers that the American public demands the right to choose whether or not they want to participate in wagering online," said David Carruthers, CEO of BetonSports.com. "The government has committed time and energy to restrict consumers' rights when it comes to wagering online and our latest initiatives are giving consumers a voice in the ongoing debate. We believe that making the petition and letter to Congress available online will serve as a powerful vehicle to reach a larger audience who agree with and support our campaign."
World Poker Tour Merchandise -- Following the massive popularity of the first season of the World Poker Tour (WPT) on The Travel Channel, the WPT has hired an independent trademark licensing agency to license and market a variety of WPT products. Brandgenuity, the company selected by WPT to lead its licensing campaign, will assist WPT in creating poker accessories, gaming, interactive games, gifts, collectibles, publishing, apparel, and more.
Minus Forty Plus -- Players slighted by Forty Plus Casino, which abruptly shut down in November, have until tomorrow to issue a claim via e-mail to Odds On, the site's software provider, for whatever funds the casino owed them. Odds On had previously stated that it had no idea what was happening with Forty Plus and that it had no access to the casino's player database. The company's most recent statement read: "Thank you for your patience in the matter of Forty Plus Casino. Although we have not been able to acquire the player database, we have been able to confirm some player information from various sources. We have tried our best to resolve this matter."
Broadcasting Rights -- ThoroughVision, the television production company that holds the media rights to all Victorian racing clubs as well as the Australian Jockey Club and the Sydney Turf Club, today held meetings with four bidders for the broadcasting privileges. Perrin Legal, Telstra, Tentendigital, and Sky Channel, all presented for ThoroughVision. Sky Channel, the TAB ltd.-owned network that recently announced plans to launch an iTV betting service, currently holds a near monopoly on the rights, but the contracts for the Australian Jockey Club and the Sydney Turf Club expire the first week of March and the contract for Victoria racing expires in 2005. Last week when the racing clubs signed the agreement granting ThoroughVision the broadcasting rights, the move was largely seen as the first step in creating the clubs' own racing channel.
PrimeLine Time -- VirtGame Corp.'s race wagering platform, PrimeLine Race Book has passed its beta testing phase, and the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NCGB) has given VirtGame permission to sell the race book to licensed establishments in Nevada. VirtGame will now begin beta testing the PrimeLine Race Book's fully computerized contest solution, which was designed to accord with the NGCB's requirements that all contestant selections, contest results, fees, and prize payouts, be recorded in a casino's computerized race and sports book.