Making Deals -- Boss Media is announcing an agreement for an Internet casino with HIT Enterprise, the state-owned casino and hotel association in Slovenia that operates five casinos. HIT's casinos accommodates 1.5 million visitors per year, 90 percent of whom are from other countries. Peter Bertilsson, CEO of Boss Media, said the deal gives his group a foothold in a geographical area where gaming is increasingly popular. "HIT is a perfect customer for us, as it operates in a region where there is a rapidly growing market for the type of gaming products we develop and supply."
New Stuff -- Parlay Entertainment Ltd. announced today that WinwardCasino.com is the first online casino to launch with Parlay's fully functional suite of wireless casino games. The site opened for business on June 27. "Players can now experience the next level of functionality, enjoying a wide range of gaming options from both their PC and wireless device with one WinwardCasino.com account," said David Outhwaite, CEO of Parlay. The wireless service works on cell phones and PDAs powered by PocketPC or PalmOS. The wireless games were developed in conjunction with Phantom Fiber.
Semi-New Stuff -- Peak Entertainment yesterday announced the re-launch of its One on One Online Casino. The online casino is "invitation only," and to receive an invitation, interested players must fill out a request on the front page of the site. Peak says the site offers a higher level of customer service than most Internet gambling sites, and that it includes perks like concierge services, higher table stakes and customized billing systems. "Our focus is simply delivering the utmost, personalized service solely devoted to the dedicated, discriminating casino player, enabling us to provide the ultimate online casino experience," said Shelley Noon, the VIP manager.
Hong Kong Bit -- About 24 Christians kept an overnight vigil outside Hong Kong's Legislative Council building to protest the impending legalization of soccer betting, the Associated Press reports. The protestors sang hymns and cried, and one held a sign that said "soccer betting will ruin your life." The bill that would legalize the practice is to be considered by the LegCo on Wednesday, and so far it is unclear whether the bill has enough votes to pass. The Hong Kong government says that it could raise about $192 million per year in tax revenue from soccer betting.
Tidbit from Germany -- Scaraboo, a German company, is developing a wireless betting platform for horse racing that will work on both UTMS and WAP technology. "The UTMS horse racing platform opens up the path to new applications with a high level of interactivity," said Dietrich Ulmer, CEO of Siemens Mobile Acceleration, which is a funder of Scaraboo. "The Scaraboo platform focuses on concrete benefits for the user."