Carib's Accounts -- After Belize's Financial Inteligence Unit froze the bank accounts of Carib Sports on Thursday because of a U.S. money laundering investigation, the company was able to have its funds temporarily restored on Friday so that it could pay its 80 employees, most of whom showed up outside the Supreme Court in Belize to protest the seizure of Carib's cash supply. Carib's lawyer, Dean Barrow, who presented the company's case for nearly an hour and a half in Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh's chamber, said "The funds are unblocked to the extent of meeting salaries, emoluments of employees, utilities bills, and legal expenses. So the eighty people who are worried about their jobs still have to worry in the longer turn because the matter is not finally resolved." The hearing will resume on Wednesday in the Chief Justice's chambers to determine whether the account should remain permanently frozen.
EGET's Event Betting System -- Finnish I-gaming solution company European Game and Entertainment Technology (EGET) has developed a new event betting system that enables 15 different game variations, making it possible to bet on a wider variety of happenings, from song contests to stock market changes and more. The system lets players set their own preferences and allows operators to support as many online betting sites as they would like.
Taxing Queries -- Belinda Stronach, the former CEO of Magna International who is now a candidate for the leadership of Canada's Conservative party, is trying to distance herself from the operations of her former company and the Caribbean tax advantages from which one of its divisions benefited. On Thursday the Canadian Press discovered that Futuristic Holdings, an I-gaming company registered in Barbados, was at one time owned by Magna Entertainment Corp. The Conservatives have recently tried to exploit the fact that their rival, Prime Minister Paul Martin, took advantage of Barbados' low two percent corporate tax rate when he controlled Canada Steamship Lines, but this new revelation could damage what the party believes to be one of its strongest arguments against the current leadership. On Friday Stronach replied to questions about Futuristic Holdings by saying, "First of all I resigned. I'm no longer authorized to speak on behalf of Magna. I resigned Jan. 20. I was never an officer of Magna Entertainment, so you'll have to ask Magna and Magna Entertainment."
Instant Wins -- This week Gamesys will begin operating the instant win games area that it developed for thisislondon.co.uk. The sites' Games Channel now features slot machines, lotto, bingo, number and card games, and also topical games like Rugby Hero and Beat the Keeper. In order to keep player interest, new games will be refreshed regularly. Later this month Gamesys will launch another instant win site on thisislondon.co.uk's sister site, femail.co.uk.
New UK Laws -- In accordance with Europe’s Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, the UK has enacted new anti-money laundering and tax evasion rules that take effect today, March 1st. Under the regulations, anyone who handles large amounts of other people's money must report any suspicious activity to the National Criminal Intelligence Service, and all high cash businesses must register with Customs and Excise.
Soccer Lottery -- Creator Capital, the Bermuda exempted company that owns Sky Games and Sky Play, announced that its www.worldwidelotteries-china.com web site has gone live. Users from all over the world can now guess the outcomes of 13 soccer matches from the British, Italian, and German premiere leagues for a chance to win up to $600,000. Until now the tickets were available only in China.