Latest Israeli Bust -- Israeli police have arrested at least seven men with alleged connections to Internet gambling Web site Play2Bet.com. Click here to read more.
Watch Out, Stanley -- Bodog will reportedly enter the Chinese Internet gambling market with the launch of its Web site, Bodoglife.com/Chinese, which includes landing pages and customer support in both Mandarin and Cantonese. Per the Web site, Chinese-language ads will feature Evelyn Ng, a professional poker player sponsored by the group. "Stanley Ho, watch out!" said Bodog Chief Executive Calvin Ayre. "Bodog wants to be known as the Macau of the online world."
Fire Slows Online Lotto -- I-gamers in the nation of Trinidad & Tobago were unable to access Play Whe, Lotto and Cash Pot services after fire damaged overhead cables, interfering with Internet and communication services across the island of Trinidad. The National Lottery Control Board, which operates online gambling services for the Caribbean nation, said Monday that cables belonging to telecom provider TSTT were in the vicinity of the fire, therefore affecting the service delivery of the NLCB's service provider Gtech as well as several other communications companies. Customers of a Play Whe/Lotto agent told Trinidad daily Express that they were disappointed they could not "play their mark" that day but resigned themselves to play later.
Betting Hubbub on Hubdub -- (Try saying that five times fast.) Bet-for-fun Web site Hubdub.com launched Monday at a technology start-up conference in California. Membership at the Web site is free, with users receiving upon sign-up 1,000 "Hubdub dollars" for betting on how major stories in the news will play out. "I've always been a heavy news consumer, but I wanted to do something more," the site's co-founder, Nigel Eccles, told AFP. I thought it would be great if you could bring the passion and enthusiasm of sports betting across to news and politics." The AFP called Hubdub a "frugal operation" backed by investors. The Web site will rely for now on online advertising for revenue.
Land-Based Mobility -- U.K. based software developer BetXTech has launched a mobile betting solution, XSS-Mobile, for use on PDA, PCs and Touch Screen Tablets within the confines of a land-based casino. The company says the solution offers casinos the opportunity to equip their employees with a "walkabout" sportsbook solution to take bets from customers. "We believe that the flexibility of mobile betting is a very attractive proposition for any gaming operator and their clients," said BetXTech Director Melcom Copeland.
Stock Watch -- On the LSE today, 888 was up 1.25p to 125.25, Playtech was up 6.25p to 328.00 and PartyGaming was up 1.25p to 28.50.