DDoS Hacker Faces Charges -- An alleged computer hacker who carried out denial-of-service attacks aimed at companies in Scotland and the United States is s scheduled to face charges today in Scottish court under the Computer Misuse Act, marking the second time such charges have been brought against a hacker. The National Hi-Tech Crime Unit of Scotland and the U.S. Secret Service worked together on what was dubbed "Operation Casper" to find the man and bring charges against him.
More Gambling on Channel 4? -- British TV network Channel 4 has successfully tested a new gaming operation on its E4 channel and might launch it on the Freeiew free-to-air satellite service. The new operation, 9 Live, would fill a slot opened to Channel 4 by improvements made to Freeview. The games were tested for seven weeks prior to Christmas on E4, and Channel 4 officials said they were pleased with the results. "We can confirm that negotiations with 9 Live are taking place but stress we are in the very early stages of development," a spokesperson for the network said. Programming for the new slot is expected to debut April 1, 2005. The buyer will be tied into a 12-month contract.
Hill Pulls Big Brother Bets - Leading British bookmaker William Hill recently pulled bets on the British TV show "Big Brother" off its board due to "sensitive information" about the show being leaked. The sports book made the move after four people tried to place bets on Friday's surprise double eviction. William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams said the long-shot bet was "highly unlikely to have been an inspired guess." The bookmaker said its suspicions had been aroused by betting for the last two contestant evictions, when people were still trying to place large sums, despite odds as short as 1/14. But William Hill's "overwhelming evidence" came Friday when four unknown callers asked to place bets on the show's surprise double eviction. Model Caprice and actor Jeremy Edwards subsequently left the show as prognosticated.
German Referee Resigns -- Caught in the middle of a major betting scandal, a referee who was suspected of betting on a German Cup match he officiated resigned his position Friday with the DFB, the German football association. Robert Hoyzer, 25, was under investigation by the DFB for suspected betting on the result of the first-round German Cup tie (rematch) between SC Paderborn and Hamburg SV last August. The regional side surprisingly beat their Bundesliga opponents 4-2, and the DFB said it suspected that Hoyzer had sought to influence the result of the game and was considering bringing a charge of unsporting conduct against him.
Thais Busted in Cambodia -- Six Thai nationals were charged Sunday with theft for allegedly using an electronic device to cheat a casino in Cambodia. Ham Meng Se, an investigating judge, said he had the suspects--four men and two women--detained during a court appearance late Saturday. He said police took the suspects into custody after staff at a casino caught them operating an electronic device to win more than $2 million in bets. The alleged cheating took place at Star Vegas casino in the border town of Poipet on Wednesday. The judge provided few details about the electronic device or where it was used inside the casino, which has 130 slot machines and 88 table games.