ISLE FOR MAN 32Red, the online gambling operator, has become the first inhabitant of GEM Island, a 3-D interactive leisure, gaming and betting portal founded by entrepreneur Mark Campbell.
Mr. Campbell, founder of Gextech, said in a prepared statement he believes that his vision will offer visitors a feast of gaming opportunities and leisure experiences.
“One of the many great things about the island is the flexibility it provides to add new attractions and developments, thereby keeping the entertainment proposition fresh, attractive and topical,” Mr. Campbell said.
The 3-D casino will feature a virtual horse racing course, a football stadium, a gentlemen’s club, luxury boutique shopping mall, a number of lotteries and possibly even an art gallery.
“We believe that securing space for a virtual casino presence on GEM Island will prove a success for everyone involved,” said Mark Quayle, head of marketing for 32Red.
NEW GAMCARE C.E.O. GamCare, a charitable organization that assists problem gamblers, has confirmed that Andy McLellan will take over when current chief executive Geoffrey Godbold steps down Feb. 1.
The United Kingdom-based organization said that Mr. McLellan has previously served as head of gambling for the Department of Media, Culture and Sport and has been acting as strategic consultant to GamCare since October 2007.
Anthony Jennens, GamCare’s chairman of trustees, said that Mr. Godbold “is likely to be taking up a new post in the gambling world in the near future.” He also made reference to a possible statutory levy in the prepared statement released by GamCare.
“2009 will see considerable changes -- for us and the gambling industry,” Mr. Jennens said. “The Responsible Gambling Strategy Board will soon be set up, there will be new arrangements for raising and distributing funds from the industry -- perhaps through a statutory levy -- and the industry itself continues to innovate and expand opportunities for gambling.”
TV ADVERT SPARED The United Kingdom’s Advertising Standards Authority has allowed a television ad promoting St. Minver Ltd.’s Littlewoods bingo to continue airing after a complaint called the ad “misleading.”
According to a statement from the authority, a viewer challenged whether the ad was misleading and could encourage irresponsible gambling behavior because it implied large sums of money could be won on multiple occasions.
The authority ruled that it was not misleading.
The ad in question showed two women in front of computer screens chatting via a Littlewoods bingo chat room and displayed the following chat text: “Leanne: What did you just win??? Kate: £500 ... again X.”
Clearcast, a United Kingdom company responsible for the pre-transmission examination and clearance of television advertisements, responded saying that it did not find the ad misleading. Instead, it said St. Minver had supported the claims made for the number and amount of the payouts, according to the authority. It found the aim of the ad to be setting out how much could be won each day.
According to a statement from the authority, it found that even though St. Minver did not submit evidence that showed £500 could be won twice in a row, it considered that viewers would understand the scenario did not reflect a typical user’s experience and did not encourage irresponsible gambling.
INSPIRED AT ICE Inspired Gaming Group plans to unveil more products and content than ever at this year’s ICE, the company announced on Wednesday.
As part of the International Gaming Expo next week in London, the group’s stand will feature a new casino-style slot machine, “Centurion,” as well as its automatic blackjack table.
Inspired said it will also be launching “Virtual Racing Platinum” with improvements to animation of the horse as well as character interactions. It will also show weather variations like snow to sunshine. Races can even be conducted in a nighttime atmosphere.
“The challenge for the leisure industry in 2009 is to keep existing customers and attract new ones, despite changing markets,” said Luke Alvarez, co-chief executive of Inspired, in a prepared statement. “We’re looking forward to unveiling a raft of innovative games and products we have been developing over the past year for the casino, betting, bingo, adult gaming centre and street gaming markets.”
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