BAW Sponsorship -- The Barcelona Football Club and online sports betting company Betandwin may soon reach an agreement regarding the sponsorship of the team's T-shirts for the next three seasons, as announced yesterday on the Spanish TV channel Televisió de Catalunya. Betandwin made an offer of €16 million (UDS$ 19,300 million) fixed for each season plus €5 million more in incentives for achieving proposed objectives. Betandwin almost reached a similar agreement with the team in 2004, but public opinion put a stop to the negotiations.
Hand-held Legislation -- The Nevada Gaming Commission Jan. 26 reviewed proposed regulations for hand-held, wireless gambling devices that would let gamblers roam the casino while placing their bets. Under the new law, which the Nevada legislature enacted last year, the devices can be used only in public areas of casinos that have 100 or more slot machines and offer at least one other game. The devices are barred, however from hotel rooms, garages, and other private areas. The devices would be linked to a main casino server that verifies the gambler is the person who checked out one of the devices at a casino. Proponents of the law say the devices will help Nevada casinos compete with Indian casinos, Internet betting and resorts elsewhere in the country and around the world.
Hand-held Systems -- Infogame UK unveiled their Skypad hand-held wireless gaming system at the International Casinos Exhibition (ICE) 2006 last week in London. The system uses three different technologies to create fun and freedom for the player and offers a new opportunity for casinos. Besides the games, which are wireless and cashless and run from a live table, the system includes a secure wireless environment with the ability to block the signal to the pad in non-gaming areas. "The response at the show has been overwhelming as we now have a ready to go product," said Stephen Robins of Infogame. "We have been working extensively with a large operating group here in the UK and we are in discussions with major companies in the industry who can help us penetrate the global market as we have enquiries from all over the world."
Huge Lottery -- UK media sources report that the National Lottery has emailed registered customers telling them to log on to the lottery Website today to buy tickets for tomorrow's £100m EuroMillions draw, and Web users are reportedly heeding the advice. A spokesman for the National Lottery said traffic on the site was up 338% and that while he expects the site is robust enough to handle the strain, it is worth purchasing tickets sooner rather than later.
Responsible Gaming Efforts -- The Canadian Province of Nova Scotia launched a three-month, $150,000 public awareness campaign Jan. 27 aimed at people between the ages of 19 and 29 to make them aware of the dangers of gambling addiction. The project, friends4friends, was developed by the non-profit Responsible Gambling Council in Ontario and will use TV and print media and a dedicated website geared towards young adults. "Sports betting and online poker have been increasing exponentially and we are hearing this across campuses in Nova Scotia and across Canada and the U.S.," said Marie Mullally, president of the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation. "Prevention has worked in other areas. We've seen it in seatbelts with education about wearing them and preventing injuries."
Pro Poker Tour -- WPT Enterprises, Inc. and the Travel Channel entered into an agreement to air WPT's highly anticipated Professional Poker Tour television series, featuring a series of invitation-only tournaments limited to the highest-ranked players in the world. The program is expected to air Wednesday nights from 9-11 PM ET/PT beginning in third quarter of 2006, following the completion of season four of the World Poker Tour.