Update from the Senate -- The anti-Internet gambling bill that passed the House last week is facing some opposition in the U.S. Senate and will not come up for a vote before the chamber takes its August recess, according to an aide Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. The aide said lawmakers are still working on the bill, which is virtually identical to the House bill in that it seeks to prohibit most forms of Internet gambling and make it illegal for banks and credit card companies to make payments to online gambling sites.
NoDog -- Bodog.com CEO Calvin Ayre announced Wednesday that the Bodog.com Marketing Conference, scheduled for next week in Las Vegas, has been postponed in light of concerns raised over the arrest of BetonSports CEO David Carruthers on Monday. Ayre stated in a letter to conference delegates that"the actions taken by the authorities have nothing to do with our organization; we are simply acting prudently for all concerned. We will continue to lead the way in digital entertainment." Bodog will release more details about the new date of the conference in coming weeks.
Mobile in Nigeria -- Mobile telephone subscribers can now participate in the re-launch of the Nigeria Lottery (NLot) part two, but only those who subscribe to Glo, MTN and Starcomms, according to the Guardian. The report said that subscribers to those mobile services need only text any six-number combination from 1 to 49 to 35777. The player then receives a confirmation SMS which serves as the lottery ticket. The first draw, expected to be for N15 million (US $113,000), will be held on Saturday.
Spin3 and Tomb Raider -- Spin3, powered by Microgaming, announced today the launch of its SpinLite line of play-for-fun casino-style mobile games with the popular "Tomb Raider" video slot being the first game featured. The game is a five-reel, 15-payline slot machine.
Quoteworthy -- "While it appears as if the legal storm clouds have retreated for the online gaming industry, at least for the time being, my guess is that it will be a few more years before any of the respective chief executives books a family holiday in Florida."
- Peter Coates, chairman of online betting company Bet365, as quoted in the Sentinal. Coates is taking a wait-and-see approach to the question of whether he and online gambling executives are at risk of suffering the same fate as BetonSports CEO David Carruthers.
Full Contact Journaling -- World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker (WSOP) champion Daniel Negreanu has launched a video diary--full of frank commentaries on poker and life--available at fullcontactpoker.com. For the last three weeks Negreanu has been sharing his behind-the-scenes thoughts on the 2006 WSOP in Las Vegas.