GP Tour -- Richard Rowe, CEO of GoldenPalace.com, appeared live on popular German television show Stern TV to deliver a US$244,590.83 check to Benjamin Albe, the man who set up an eBay auction for the 1999 Volkswagen Golf formerly owned by Pope Benedict XVI. The company will soon take the holy auto on a worldwide tour that will raise money for charity. People can vote for a tour stop in their hometown by participating in an SMS text messaging campaign. Golden Palace will take the car to the major towns and cities with the most votes, and profits from the text messaging will be donated to charity. The SMS voting will begin this week in Germany, and the first stop of the tour will be in Cologne.
Revamp -- Pointspread.com, which allows users to compare sports betting odds offered by sponsored bookmaking partners, has revamped its Web to include a new layout, new graphics and new content. The site now features a parlay and teaser calculator and articles relating to sports, entertainment, casinos and gaming in addition to wagering odds from some of the most popular Internet sports books that target the American market, including PinnacleSports.com, BetCRIS.com, Bodog.com, TheGreek.com and more.
Marketing Conference -- Costa Rica-licensed betting company Bodog.com has announced the second Bodog.com Poker & Sports Marketing Conference will take place at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas July 6 and 7. Topics on the agenda include future trends, technologies, regulation and consolidation of the online gambling industry as well as legal issues and the adoption of Internet gaming as a popular form of entertainment by mainstream markets.
Community Features -- Online skill gaming site Worldwinner.com has announced the launch new community features that allow players to issue direct challenges to opponents of their choice, rather than having to face opponents who are automatically appointed, as is the case with most skill gaming networks. Players are also now able to customize their personal profiles, use advanced search settings to find other players, create buddy lists, wage instant rematches and receive awards and badges for tenure, number of competitions played and other accomplishments (such as winning big tournaments).
Poker Beat -- UltimateBet.com has signed up as the presenting sponsor of Camp Hellmuth, a poker fantasy camp weekend running Aug. 18-21 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Led by poker pro Phil Hellmuth with assistance by fellow players T.J. Cloutier, Josh Arieh, David Williams, Evelyn Ng, John Bonetti and Barry and Jeff Shulman, the event will offer poker lessons, tournaments, workshops and entertainment. UltimateBet.com will promote the camp through online satellite tournaments. . . . Meanwhile, another venture of Hellmuth's--the Phil Hellmuth Poker Challenge, scheduled for May 21 in Houston--has been canceled because the venue that was to hold it, Reliant Park, has withdrawn. Complaints from an anti-gambling activist in Colorado led to questioning by legal authorities and the inevitable cancellation by the park. Between 600 and 1,000 players were expected to enter the $500 entry tournament from which all proceeds were to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.