Virgin Marketing -- eGaming Review reports that Virgin Group's online gaming site, Virgin Games, has experienced a 300 percent increase in its number of players following a major promotional campaign in the company's U.K.-based mega-stores. Over 1 million flyers were distributed to the company's retail customers.
GFed Resignation -- I-gaming software provider Gambling Federation voluntarily resigned from the Gambling Portal Webmasters Association (GPWA) following the revelation that the company altered its hosts file on players' computers to block those players from accessing the Web sites of other operators who had allegedly stolen Gambling Federation's client list. The GPWA took action against Gambling Federation on Monday by fining the company $5,000, which was donated to Gambler's Anonymous. The company's resignation from GPWA was not sanctioned by the organization but self-imposed.
Hold'Em Law -- Minnesota State Sen. Dave Kleis introduced a law that would add Texas Hold'em to the definition of social skill games that are legal in the state. If the bill passes, social games of Hold'em would be legal as long as there is no direct financial benefit to the organizer and the sum of all prizes do not exceed $200. Phil Gordon, a professional poker player, analyst, and co-host of the Celebrity Poker Showdown on the Bravo television network, will travel to Minnesota on March 21 to testify in support of the bill.
EU Services Directive -- The European State Lotteries and Toto Association (European Lotteries), an organization composed of the state lotteries and toto companies of the EU member states and 16 other European countries, held a "high-level" conference in Brussels yesterday to address the impact of the European Commission's Services Directive on the internal market. According to Hans Jürgen Reissiger, president of the European Lotteries, the reforms proposed by the directive will lead to a dangerous deregulation of the European gambling sector. The European Lotteries opposes such liberalization and instead favors the current exclusive rights model, the restrictive policies of which provides better control over the market while protecting consumers from the harmful effects of gambling. The European Lotteries therefore believes that gambling must be removed from the scope of the Services Directive.
Redesign -- Littlewoods Casino is the process of redesigning its Web site to convey the image of a long-established and well trusted brand and also to create a fresh, contemporary look. The revamp will be launched in April and accompanied by a six-figure ad campaign targeting demographics that are inclined to play online casinos.
Race Fixing -- Former six-time champion British jockey Kieren Fallon is suing News of the World and News Group Newspapers Ltd. for printing allegedly libelous articles which claimed that Fallon had informed undercover reporters that he had fixed the Ballinger Ridge race.