Big Bird Winner -- Ladbrokes.com has declared Aphrodite, the only albatross to successfully complete the voyage from Australia to South Africa, the winner of the Ladbrokes.com Big Bird Race 2004. The company donated funds to have the birds fitted with satellite tracking devices and then permitted wagering on the race to draw international attention to the endangered species, which is falling prey to long-line fishing methods. The flights of Aphrodite and the 17 other albatrosses have apparently yielded a treasure trove of information for scientists studying the species and its migratory flight patterns.
New Ministers -- Australian Prime Minister John Howard has reshuffled his cabinet to "further strengthen and invigorate and refresh the federal ministry as we move through this year." Daryl Williams, the Minister for Communications, Information, Technology, and the Arts, who took over the position from Senator Richard Alston last fall, is one of two retiring ministers to be replaced. The position will now be filled by Helen Coonan, a Liberal Senator from NSW. The Communications Ministry is responsible for overseeing the Interactive Gambling Act and other matters concerning online gambling. Analysts believe the government shakeup is a sure indication that an Australian election will be called in either October of November.
Quoteworthy -- "I was in it but I was wrong and lost money. I lost 1,000 yen."-- Japanese Posts and Telecommunications Minister Taro Aso stated yesterday that he lost 1,000 yen ($9.23) betting on the results of an election which his party lost. Gambling, however, is not legal in Japan and Aso has taken much criticism for the comment. One of his cabinet secretaries told the press that Aso was probably joking and didn't really place the bet. Aso last put his foot in his mouth in 2001 when he publicly stated that he wanted to make Japan the kind of country where "rich Jews" would want to live.
Streaming Celebrity Poker -- CelebPoker.com, a Kahnawake-licensed online poker site that gives members a chance to play poker against celebrities, recently acquired Lou Diamond Phillips as it latest celebrity. Others include Gareth Hunt, Harry Redknapp, Kenny Lynch, Lawrence Dallaglio, Scott Robinson, and Nick Leeson (a.k.a the Rogue Trader). The site's founder, David Donavon, says he hopes to soon integrate live video streaming capabilities into the CelebPoker network so that members can actually see the celebrities they are playing against. Other plans include launching a betting exchange, multi-player bingo and a celebrity auction.
Stop Texting -- Malaysia's Information Ministry has asked radio and TV stations to stop holding contests which award prizes to the person who send the most text messages. The minister's two main concerns are that such contests contain an element of gambling and that the identity of the people operating the contests are usually not known.
Ref Investigation -- Two Serie A soccer referees in Italy have been placed under investigation by Napoli's police for suspected match-fixing and have consequently been suspended by the league. Police in May raided several soccer clubs and announced that several players and club officials were under investigation for alleged mafia-related illegal betting and match-fixing.