The M&A Front -- Two major online casino operators, Trident Entertainment Group and Carmen Media Group, announced today that they are in merger discussions. The deal, if it goes through, will create an Internet gaming super-group. Carmen Media Group operates Riverbelle Online Casino and Online Poker, The Gaming Club Online Casino and Online Poker Room, The Gaming Club Sportsbook, Lucky Nugget Casino, Jackpot City Casino, Aces High Casino, Showdown Casino and Home Casino. Trident's operations include King Neptune's Casino, Trident Lounge Casino, Vegas USA Casino and Trident Poker Room, some of which are available in Japanese, French, German and Spanish language versions. The proposed plan also provides for the continued use of the existing affiliate programs. Terms of the sale have not been disclosed. . . . U.K.-based Internet payment processing company DataCash is buying privately owned payment processor Proc Cyber Services, which predominantly serves the online gaming markets, for £61 million in shares. Proc Cyber Founder and Chairman Ashley Head will receive 44,913,111 DataCash shares at a price of 136.5 pence per ordinary share and will hold 50 percent of the newly combined company. The acquisition is conditional upon approval of DataCash shareholders.
Charity -- England's new lottery, Monday, which gives a portion of its revenues to 70 charities around the country, has reportedly been fairly charitable with its own employees. British Newspaper the Independent obtained the financial documents for Chariot, the company responsible for Monday, and discovered that it awarded its directors shares and bonuses worth almost £10 million. Board members have been given shares worth £3.4 million and stock options worth £5.2 million, plus they stand to gain another £1 million a year from a company bonus scheme and an employee incentive plan.
Real-Time -- Software development company LiveHive Systems announced today that four sports books have added to their platforms the LiveHive NanoGaming System, which enables real-time wagering on sporting events and pop-culture competitions. Carib Sports, Cascade Sportsbook, Major Betting and Bet4Aces will be implementing the system for the upcoming seasons of both the National Football League (NFL) and English Premier League, which are currently being scheduled for LiveHive's 2006/2007 NanoGaming broadcast calendar. Other events include hockey, baseball, basketball, tennis and some reality TV programs.
Backgammon -- Skill games providers Spill Group and GameAccount have teamed up to launch a new online backgammon offering. Browser-based GammonTournaments.com can be played instantly and will feature several options, including money-play and match-play scoring formats. GameAccount also offers single players the opportunity to play against bots of all skill levels.