Quoteworthy -- "I was disappointed and surprised when I saw this report. There is no evidence at all that there are any 11-year-olds gambling online. We have been aware of this situation and have been working quietly behind the scenes to tackle these problems for some time."
- David Hood, William Hill's public relations manager, in an interview with NetImperative discussing his company's reaction to an NCH report that claims 11-year-olds can bypass most gambling sites' age verification systems to establish betting accounts. Hood added, "Banks continue to distribute these cards (debit, Visa Electron, Solo cards, etc.) to children, in a bid to get more customers and beat the competition. We need support from banks, and we will happily support them to get new restrictions in place. Banks need to provide a code on these cards to block access to restricted sites. This technology already exists in the U.S."
Pari-mutuel Team -- Scientific Games Corporation and Cantor Index have formed a global joint venture to implement and market a system for new forms of pari-mutuel betting. Scientific Games Racing will create a software platform for the new forms of pari-mutuel wagering that Cantor Index has developed, and the companies would like to run the platform on tote systems across the world. The first of the new bets will likely be a variation of the traditional Pick Six where bettors predict the winners of a set of six races.
Close the Book -- Last weekend Irish bookmaker Paddy Power opened a book on how long of a prison sentence James Hewitt, a former lover of Princess Diana, might receive if he's convicted of possessing cocaine, but it withdrew the book on Monday after discovering that the attorney general would investigate whether accepting such a bet constituted contempt of court.
Promoted -- Interactive Systems Worldwide Inc. (ISWI) has promoted Stephen Salmon to chief operating officer of its subsidiary, Global Interactive Gaming Ltd. (GIG), which licenses and operates the SportXction play-by-play sports wagering system. Salmon, who was director of operations responsible for new project management and gaming operations, will now be responsible for all activities at GIG except for accounting functions. He was once the head of consulting and a founder for Smashed Atom Ltd., a joint venture between Telewest Communications and the Stanford Research Institute.
Wagering Hub -- The National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association board of directors has signed a memorandum of understanding with Simultech, a shell company headed by Stevenson and Associates consulting firm. The companies have agreed that Simultech will operate an offshore wagering hub that would offer bets on American racing to users in the Caribbean and Central and South America and will return a portion of the revenue to jockeys in the United States. The operation, which will not accept wagers from U.S. residents, should be functioning in two to three months.