Acquired -- Optimal Group today announced that its offer for payments processor FireOne, pitched Dec. 22, has been accepted by FireOne shareholders. FireOne is expected to de-list from the London Stock Exchange (LSE) on Feb. 12, 2007.
Bad for Biz -- Online gambling at work costs England-based businesses in excess of £300 million ($589.1 million) each year in lost productivity, the BBC quoted one survey as saying. Researchers claim 30 percent of office workers nationally had either placed a bet online or knew someone who had. The survey, commissioned by consultancy firm Morse, suggested workplace I-gamblers were likely to spend 13 hours doing so, annually. "Many employees have unmonitored access to the Internet," said Morse spokesman Philip Wicks. "And the fact that they can now follow most sporting events online, coupled with the rise of Internet gambling Web sites, has tempted people to place a 'quick' bet online." Of the 664 participants, 38 percent of the male respondents--and 21 percent of female respondents--admitted to gambling online. Bets were most often placed on the National Lottery, followed by football matches, horse races and online poker games.
Rebounding -- Asia-focused lottery and gaming company Betex today announced that it expects its full-year gross profit to be "slightly below" expectation due to incorrectly priced new products in November. The company added, however, that sales of services from lottery software had been stronger than projected, at £7.9 million ($15.5 million). In a separate release, Betex said that its China-based unit had been authorized by the Chonqqing Welfare Lottery Issuance Center (CWILC) to distribute Shi Shi Cai, a high draw frequency lottery game. The three-year agreement has Betex in receipt of a base commission of seven percent on annual sales up to £3.3 million ($6.4 million), with a further one percent bonus payable in annual lottery sales exceed the figure. The company also said that it will have to deposit a refundable £67,000 ($131,655) as surety against achieving the sales target, and if this is not met in any year, 20 percent of the risk deposit can be retained by the CWILC.
Mac-Friendly Poker Rooms on the Decline? -- Mac-friendly online casino and poker sites serving U.S.-based players are disappearing, reports poker news site Compatiblepoker.com. Golden Palace and Casino on Net, two major sites offering online blackjack and Mac online slot games, withdrew from the U.S. market in compliance with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), though FullTiltPoker.com and Bugsyclub.com now cater to Mac users, the site says.
Patent Pending -- Mobile casino games developer Zero 36 on Jan. 8 announced that it had filed a patent for its location-based filtering system technology, which ensures that mobile network carriers adhere to established legal guidelines for gambling.