Quoteworthy -- "We launched that about two years ago and it accounts for the lion's share of our interactive sales. We went on to interactive TV with SkyActive (www.sky.active.tv) and launched on mobiles at the end of last year. People have accused us of being slow but the lottery's integrity is critical; the day anyone could claim they could hack into our systems and change the outcome is the day the lottery would be finished. We launched initially with 'instant win' games, as they are small and self-contained. We had to check that all our firewalls and security worked properly."
- Dianne Thompson, CEO of U.K. National Lottery operator Camelot. Her statement is a response to the question, "How important has online gaming been to the revival of the lottery?"
Open Shop -- Bookmaker Victor Chandler has opened its first betting shop in Ireland, representing an initial investment of €1 million in the Irish market. The new shop targets high rollers rather than the normal small-stake punters that frequent most betting shops; it does not impose limits on the size of stakes or payouts. Victor Chandler says it will eventually open at least six more similar shops.
Finnish Fix -- Ari Tiittanen, the former coach of Finnish top-division club Allianssi, says that two years ago he was offered a significant amount of money to fix the final result of one of his team's games. Tiittanen, who was fired from the club this June, refused the offer, and Allianssi is now being investigated for alleged match fixing after losing 8-0 in a match that involved far heavier betting than usual.
Welcome Aboard -- I-gaming software provider RealTime Gaming has appointed Michael McMain to take over the role of CEO from co-founder Michael Staw, who will become chairman.
It's Legal? -- Privately owned betting group Trident Gaming has acquired European online bookmaker Gamebookers in a deal financed by £20 million of convertible debt and over 9.3 million shares in Trident. Because Trident Gaming also acquired Canada-based peer-to-peer sports betting exchange BetBug last month, it now claims to be the only online gambling company that can legally operate in both the United States and Europe. BetBug says its operations are legal because it markets software that enables bettors to deal directly with one another rather than with an unlicensed gambling provider. John O'Malia, CEO of Trident Gaming, stated, "Trident will license its sport betting platforms so that other top-tier global online casino and poker groups can legally offer sports betting across the U.S. and in Europe. Because we have designed a product that clears all legal hurdles, we expect to build on our current licensee base and rapidly expand our white-label partnerships with major online gaming providers."
Flash and Mobile -- Interactive casino software developer Virtue Fusion has signed a deal to provide Gaming Corporation with a casino.co.uk-branded casino solution that's accessible via mobile devices as a Java-based product or via the Internet as a flash-based product. Available at www.games.casino.co.uk, the casino offers Internet users 15 flash games and mobile users nine Java games.
Dutch Delay -- A Dutch court was scheduled to deliver a verdict Wednesday on Ladbrokes' challenge on the merits against Dutch Lottery operator De Lotto, but the court has issued a six-week delay.