Survey Says -- World Poker Exchange (worldpx.com) recently commissioned opinion and marketing research firm KRC Research to conduct a survey of 301 American male and female poker players aged 18 and up. Of those surveyed, 39 percent play poker at least five times a month. Forty-five percent prefer to play poker online, while 45 percent prefer to play face-to-face with friends. Forty-eight percent of women prefer playing online to playing in a casino, while only 8 percent of men prefer playing online over a casino. Nearly 60 percent of respondents reported preferring online play because it is less intimidating than playing at a casino, while 75 percent reported that they enjoy the comfort and convenience that online poker offers and 43 percent reported liking the quicker pace of online games. Only 6 percent of the respondents wager enough money to supplement their incomes, and just 2 percent said they play full-time as an occupation.
Passed the Test -- Technical Systems Testing, an accredited facility that offers a full range of testing and consulting services to ensure that gaming operations are fair, secure and auditable, has certified the software of Gambling Federation's G-Fed Games.
Mobile Casinos -- TV Commerce Holdings--a company that owns and operates specialized television channels that seek to take advantage of the convergence of TV, telephony and the Internet--has launched a mobile casino in conjunction with its psychic-oriented television channel Your Destiny, which can be seen on the Sky Digital network in the United Kingdom. The mobile casino will offer Your Destiny-branded games, such as a mobile phone fruit machine called "Fortune Teller," which also provides players with a daily horoscope. The free-to-download mobile casino software facilitates play for free or for real money and also provides station-related content, such as program schedules and promotions. The white-label mobile casino software was developed by Probability Games Corporation. TV Commerce has an initial budget of around £100,000 to market the site, which it will begin doing in September. . . . British high street amusement arcade operator Quicksilver, which is owned by Talarius Plc, has also teamed up with Probability Games to launch its own mobile casino that will target low-stake players who bet as little as 10p but do it often.
OPAP -- The Greek government sold 16.4 percent of its holding in monopoly betting company OPAP on Friday to foreign and local investors. The government earned 1.26 billion euro through the offering, the highest amount ever from a Greek privatization equity deal. Demand for OPAP shares exceeded supply by four times and then rose nearly 5 percent on the Athens market Monday.
CYOP Growth -- I-gaming software provider CYOP Systems International says its users base has grown to 250,000 play-for-fun members on its CrediPlay skill gaming network through its affiliates and the proprietary game site Skillarcade.com.
Nevada Proposition -- Nevada's Gaming Control Board has begun reviewing a new set of regulations that would permit the state's casinos to accept wagers from out-of-state gamblers on horse and dog races. The new regulations would allow bettors who reside in states where wagering on races is legal to establish credit accounts with licensed casinos. Seventeen other states already permit out-of-state gamblers to wager with licensed operators, but at the moment Nevada's laws permit only in-state gamblers to wager on races in other states. Public comment on the new rules could be permitted at the Nevada Control Board's meeting in August. If the Control Board favors them, the regulations would appear before the state's Gaming Commission before becoming law. Out-of-state gamblers would only be able to participate in account wagering with Nevada casinos via telephone; Internet communications will not be permitted.
Quoteworthy -- "I don't think Paul Lennon will drag Australia down (to that level). . . . Paul Lennon is a keen racing man but he has only had one side of the story. The integrity issues are far too big. When he hears what they are from us, we hope he sees things differently."
--Andrew Ramsden, chairman of the Australian Racing Board (ARB). Ramsden told The Australian that he does not believe Tasmania's government will license British betting exchange Betfair if he listens to the ARB's concerns that the ability to lay horses to lose could introduce corruption to the sport. Ramsden was supposed to meet with Lennon in Melbourne today, but the meeting was canceled.
Seminar -- Last week eCOGRA held an educational seminar on problem gambling to coincide with the new responsible gaming requirements recently approved by its board. The program was designed to brief the casino managers of eCOGRA-certified casinos on the new regulations and to provide them with information to set up policies and training programs in preparation for the introduction of the safety precautions contained within the eGAP requirements. Forty delegates representing 55 seal-bearing casinos attended the event, which included expert guidance on the prevention of underage gambling, the psychology of problem gamblers, how to identify compulsive gamblers and the best way to handle cases of this nature.
Boss Deal -- Boss Media has signed an agreement to provide an online gaming system for Sports Café, which operates a chain of sports entertainment venues in the United Kingdom. The new site, Sports Café Casino, will initially offer online casino games and poker and will eventually include sports betting as well.