iTV USA -- The Wall Street Journal reports that several cable operators in the United States., including Cablevision Systems, Charter Communications and others, have begun taking steps toward delivering interactive television services to their subscribers. The movement to provide iTV services was prompted by the taking over of DirecTV by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp in December.
CryptoLogic -- WagerLogic, Toronto-based CryptoLogic's, software development group, has developed two new products. Millionaires Club, its new single-line, three-reel progressive slot machine, offers a potential jackpot of over $1 million in three currencies, euros, American dollars, and British pounds sterling. Millionaires Club includes a video slot bonus round, in which players can participate at no risk if the Millionaires Club symbol appears on the third reel after a spin. The other new product, Bonus Pack 3, includes Multi-Currency Progressive Blackjack, two slot games-- Top Hat Magic and Star Catcher-- and Caribbean Stud Poker. Players at all Crypto-powered casinos can enter the progressive jackpot by placing a side-bet for each hand. The player wins the jackpot if he receives four aces in one hand. Players of the slot games can accumulate bonus points that are redeemable for cash whenever they match three symbols in a single line. Last week CrypotLogic revealed that it had reached an agreement to develop an online poker room for Betfair.
Draft Bill Scrutiny -- Bill Haygarth of the Association of British Bookmakers recently told members of British Parliament that the draft Gambling Bill introduces increased regulation and cost that would harm the interactive gambling industry because it creates a single set of rules for both traditional and online gaming. Though the rules may work well for land-based casinos, he argued, they could cause online operators to move off-shore. "Licenses would be needed for everything from large scale operators to backroom telephone betting businesses," Haygarth told the joint committee in charge of scrutinizing the bill. "That could lead to betting companies moving off-shore, but if the government gets it right it could mean 3,000-plus jobs." Andrew Tottenham, chair of the Interactive Gambling, Gaming and Betting Association, also spoke to the committee, saying that proper governance would bring high-skill jobs to Britain. "We're optimistic that companies will come to the UK, but jobs that would be brought here would be high-tech, high-skilled jobs," Tottenham said. He added that the bill needs tighter regulation of gaming sites' random number generators.
Rugby Betting Scandal -- The Sydney Morning Herald shook the rugby world by reporting that one referee may be barred from any future international matches due to alleged concerns that a gambling syndicate may have tried to influence his calls during the 2003 Rugby World Cup. The Herald says that in the last few weeks, senior rugby officials have reviewed some of the 2003 World Cup games, and found that in one game there were at least 10 questionable calls by a referee. One international referee, Paddy O'Brien, said there was no mention of any betting scam at the International Rugby Board (IRB) seminar in Aukland this week. "It's a slur on all the referees because it doesn't name any particular game in which there was supposed to have been something suspicious," he said. "I find it disturbing that such a serious allegation can be made with nothing substantial to back it up." New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Chris Moller said he was unaware of any suspicion. "It's complete news to us," he said. "We know nothing more than what has been published in Sydney. If there has been an issue, and we don't know that, then any inquiries should be directed to the IRB."
Super Bowl Stats -- Christiansen Capital Advisors, a management consulting and market research firm specializing in the gaming and entertainment industries, estimates that between $375 and 400 million will be wagered on the Super Bowl next week via online sports books. Last year $325 million was wagered on the game. . . . The official Web site of the Super Bowl says that the 10 most watched programs in television history are all Super Bowls, with last year's game at the top of the list with more than 130 million viewers. . . . BetOnSports.com says that the average bet by one its clients on a Super Bowl is $111, while it is only $55 for playoff games. BetOnSports expects to receive 150,000 calls from customers on game day, and will therefore have over 2,500 staff members on shift to run the call center and Web site.