US News -- The Senate Banking Committee will mark up S 627, the Internet Gambling Prohibition bill, tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. The bill was proposed by Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.
Quoteworthy -- "It may sound like nothing more than glorified sports gambling, but many economists believe that such markets can suss out vital, hidden information about future events -- much in the same way that a soaring stock on Wall Street can indicate that good things are afoot for the company in question. That's why the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has been funding so much research on the topic, hoping that prediction markets can assist military planners." -- Brendan I. Koerner, writing about the Pentagon's now terminated Policy Analysis Market, in Slate.com on July 29, 2003
Making Deals -- WinWin Gaming Inc. is teaming with Las Vegas From Home.com Entertainment Inc. of Vancouver to create lottery and gaming Web sites to be marketed in countries where online gambling is legal. WinWin Gaming is a Las Vegas company that operates international lotteries and casinos; Las Vegas From Home.com is a publicly traded company whose subsidiary, Action Poker Gaming Inc. , which is based in Antigua, provides online gambling software. "We believe the addition of Internet lottery sites allows us to further expand our international land-based lottery operations and provide a greater range of options to potential customers, particularly in Southeast Asian markets," said Patrick Rogers, president of WinWin.
More Deals -- Poker.com Inc. is entering a letter of intent to sell a skill poker sub-license to Blue Diamond International Capital Inc. of Switzerland. Poker.com is pursuing the deal through its wholly owned subsidiary; Skill Poker.com Inc. Blue Diamond intends to operate the skill poker technology at www.pokervisa.com.
Legal Stuff -- The U.S. Department of Justice is settling its case with the National Council on Problem Gambling. The council, which is the largest provider of informational materials on problem gambling in the United States, was the subject of an antitrust complaint. The DOJ on June 13 had filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against the council stemming from the complaint regarding the council's agreements with state affiliates to ensure that service providers don't compete across state lines. The council did not admit guilt in the final judgment, which requires it to stop the behavior specified in the complaint.
New Stuff -- The Hong Kong mobile phone company CSL is launching an SMS-based cell phone betting service, which will urge Hong Kong citizens to take advantage of the recent legalization of soccer betting. The service offers users odds alerts, soccer news and professional commentaries as well as bet placement.
Oddities -- A Canadian tire retailer is holding a charity on Thursday in which Toronto citizens are invited to make bets on where a cow, while wandering around in field marked up to resemble a roulette board will defecate. The event, sponsored by Dunlop Tires, will raise money for the Ontario 4-H Foundation.