US News -- MGM Mirage, which recently made a splash in the I-gaming world by pulling the plug on its Isle of Man-based online casino, is being named one of America's 50 best companies for minorities in the July 7 issue of Fortune magazine. MGM Mirage is No. 31 on the list and No. 9 in terms of total number of minorities in its workforce. The company doesn't plan on relaxing its efforts to diversify. "We take tremendous pride in seeing our diversity efforts recognized in such a prestigious forum," said Chairman and CEO Terry Lanni. "While we are honored by this recognition, we are not satisfied that the job is done."
Contests -- Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest -- the "Super Bowl of competitive eating," if you will -- will take place on July 4, and BetWWTS.com is offering several betting options. Last year's winner, Takeru Kobayashi is the favorite to win with odds of 1-6. The Web site's sponsored winner, former football player William "the Refrigerator" Perry, is a long shot at 100-1. The contest takes place at Coney Island in New York.
Making Deals -- A partially owned subsidiary of Earthport plc, ensurePay Ltd. , recently signed on with bet365 Group Ltd. bet365 has 50 betting licenses in the United Kingdom and takes more than 350,000 weekly. ensurePay has also agreed to license its payment solution to The Gaming Federation. Tim Reeve, the CEO of ensurePay, said the agreements show ensurePay's growing market share in the online gambling business. "With Ladbrokes already using the payment system, Sportingbet recently going live, Betfair expected to follow shortly and transaction volumes developing as expected, earthport is experiencing sustained demand," he said.
Legal Stuff -- Adrian McPherson, the former quarterback for Florida State who was recently in court on theft and Internet gambling charges, has pleaded no contest and has been given a sentence of community service and 30 months of probation. He was facing up to 20 years of jail. "I'm just relieved it's all over," he told the Associated Press. "I'm ready to get back in school and get on with my life."