Ladbrokes' Expertise -- Ladbrokes could enter a deal to provide Vietnam with betting and gaming football lottery services and help control rampant illegal betting on the country's premier football competition, the V-League. Ladbrokes International Projects Director Kevin Hopgood met last week with Vietnam Football Federation officials and members of a government-appointed committee charged with drafting a new football betting policy for the country. Earlier this year, Ladbrokes was tapped as a consultant in China for the opening of a chain of new pools betting shops.
Quoteworthy -- "I think [the legislation] is a great infringement on liberty. When it comes to an individual decision on how to spend your own time and money, that's not my position. That's not my business. I am skeptical of people who want to protect people from themselves. In a free society, it's very hard to keep people from doing what they want to do themselves...There isn't a human activity I'm aware of that some people don't do in excess. Some people drive their cars too fast. Some people drink too much. Some small percentage of adults misuses any activity. If that's a reason do ban it, [the United States] would be a very boring place."
--Representative Barney Frank, D-Mass., who discussed his views on current legislation to stymie Internet gambling recently with PocketFives.com's co-owner Adam Small on the site's weekly Podcast. Frank likened the online gambling ban to the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Prohibition), which was ratified in 1919. Following the passage of the Amendment, a black market for alcohol existed for over a dozen years until its repeal in 1933, as society continued to enjoy liquor.
Cagayan Endorses eCOGRA -- The Philippines-based Asian e-gaming regulator, Cagayan Economic Zone Authority through its master licensor, First Cagayan is the latest independent online gambling body to back e-Commerce Online Gambling Regulation and Assurance's (eCOGRA) authority and standards. First Cagayan President Albee Benitez signed off on the acceptance after several months of due diligence, during which the standards and outcomes-based testing methods used by eCOGRA in awarding the "Play It Safe" seal were closely studied by a team working under the direction of First Cagayan corporate legal counsel Katrina Nepomuceno. Malta's Lotteries and Gaming Authority made a similar agreement in April and Canada's Kahnawake Gaming Commission did so in November of 2005.
Money Gaming -- Michael Spencer, the tycoon behind the money-broking firm Icap, has reportedly poured several million pounds into London-based online backgammon firm, The Money Gaming Corporation in return for a 30 per cent stake. Spencer made the investment through his private vehicle IPGL, through which he also owns stakes in the spread-betting firm City Index as well as interests in media companies and fund management groups. Founded two years ago by Liad Shababo and Jonathan Caplan, Money Gaming offers web-users a range of games in addition to backgammon, including chess, mahjong, gin rummy, Othello, Connect 4 and virtual snooker and pool. Other branded games such as Monopoly and Scrabble could follow if licensing arrangements can be agreed. Shababo said the company's business model was similar to PartyGaming's in that players play against one another instead of the house.
CasinoShare -- After the successful relaunch of PokerShare.com, which was shut out of the Excapsa poker network in November 2005 for reportedly creating unfair competition for UltimateBet, its parent company Gamshare has launched a gaming partner, CasinoShare.com. Powered by Microgaming, CasinoShare.com offers over 300 casino games.
Spread the Spread Betting -- Spread betting should be promoted more heavily to women, the elderly and members of ethnic minorities, a report by researchers at Cass Business School, part of London's City University, recommends. According to the report, the number of people with a spread betting account in the UK could more than double from 400,000 to 1 million by 2011 if spread betting firms extend the activity's appeal. Women currently account for only 10 percent of spread bettors.
Lingerie Bowl -- In a press conference today from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum's 50-yard line, Horizon Productions, Inc. announced the return of the Super Bowl halftime special, the Bodog.com Lingerie Bowl IV, an event that features supermodels playing full-contact tackle football, celebrities, a lingerie fashion show and musical performances. The live Super Bowl XLI halftime special will air on Sunday, February 4, 2007. Horizon is currently in discussions with several corporate sponsors in reference to partnerships surrounding this year's Lingerie Bowl broadcast as well as lingerie football league play in summer 08'.