The Approval -- Internet gambling company Empire Online Ltd. announced that its shareholders have approved the settlement of its legal dispute with PartyGaming PLC, which means PartyGaming is now the proud owner of all things Empire Poker.
The Punishment -- New Jersey businessman Nicholas Drakos, who was indicted in November 2004 on charges of running an illegal gambling Web site, was sentenced Friday to 90 days manual labor and three years probation. After an unsuccessful attempt in October 2005 to get his indictment dismissed, Drakos pleaded guilty in January 2006. Judge Salem Vincent Ahto, who was hearing the case, said Friday that he imposed a lighter punishment on Drakos because he didn't believe Drakos was deliberately breaking the law. "Many people innocently believe that gambling is lawful," Ahto said. "I don't think Mr. Drakos was trying to hide what he was doing. It's not like this was a clandestine operation."
The Greek -- The online betting site known as Olympic Sports Book has changed its name to The Greek Sports Book (thegreek.com). Market research by the company apparently revealed that most clients of the site referred to it as "The Greek," which also represents the owner's nationality. The full transition of the site will take place over the next few weeks. Future offerings from the company include The Greek Casino and The Greek Poker, both of which will be accessible under the same account for customers.
The Liberals -- South Australia's Liberals have promised that if they win the government this election year they will organize a bi-monthly roundtable discussion by experts from the gaming industry and the welfare sector to tackle problem gambling. Liberal party spokesman Robert Brokenshire said the group would be chaired by Gambling Minister Michael Wright, who would also review counseling and early intervention programs. "We've got to get in there and protect those people that could be or are problem gamblers," Brokenshire said. "And the way to do that is to have the concerned sector, the industry sector and the minister meeting every other month to look through the problems and solutions and make sure then proper resources are given."
The Licensees -- Online bingo and software provider Parlay Entertainment Inc. announced Friday that its licensee, The Gaming Network Limited, has signed an agreement with European media company Emap Plc to provide white-label bingo sites for some of the company's top magazine and radio brands. Emap owns more than 150 consumer magazines in the United Kingdom, France and around the world, as well as 40 radio stations, seven digital music TV channels, and one of the biggest digital radio networks in England. . . . Swedish online gaming software developer Designed Quality Entertainment AB (DQE AB), which manages and licenses the program for 3-D poker and blackjack on Swedish Internet gambling site Vegas007.com, has signed with another gaming company. Costa Rica-based Arctic Star S.A. will launch arcticstarpoker.com in the near future.