BINGO! -- Yahoo! UK & Ireland has launched new real-money bingo games on its Games Channel site using software from Parlay Entertainment. In conjunction with white-label gaming solutions provider St. Minver Limited, Parlay is working on launching an aggregated bingo network that features 75- and 90-number bingo so that all of its partners, including Gala Bingo and Virgin Games, can share liquidity and jackpots. Yahoo! UK & Ireland's bingo games will also aggregate through that same network. The massive search engine and Web services company took its first step into real-money gaming only recently with the launch in late March of a simplified betting exchange called Yahoo! Betting, a partnership with Betfair.
Arrests in Korea -- The Korea Times reports that South Korean police have arrested about 13,000 people for gambling on foreign Internet gambling sites. Police estimate that that the suspects wagered an estimated US$12 million at about 50 different gambling sites. According to the Times, "Police requested an arrest warrant for seven suspects on charges of habitual gambling, while 26 others, including a diplomat identified as Kim, 41, were booked without physical detention." Diplomat Kim allegedly used his credit card 122 times to spend a total of $30,000 with foreign gambling sites. Police say that only individuals who have spent more that $25,000 or used their credit cards more than 100 times will face criminal charges. Police have also asked the Ministry of Information and Communication to block access to detected foreign online gambling sites, and they estimate that up to $100 million has been leaked offshore due to gambling, $25 million of which is thought to go via online gambling wins.
Partnership -- Betfair has entered into an exclusive international agreement with land-based casino technology company TCS John Huxley whereby TCS John Huxley will create and maintain a sports betting system that will be available for land-based casinos to offer cash betting based on prices and liquidity available on the Betfair betting platform. The two companies will offer their product to casinos on a risk-free basis, and casinos will only be able to back bets. The systems will operate on a trial basis for 10 months; the agreement excludes properties in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States and Nordic countries.
What on Earth -- I-gaming software provider Microgaming has released four new games for its online casino suite. The centerpiece of the rollout, a five-reel, nine-payline video slot called "What on Earth," features rich graphics and a wide range of bonuses. Other games include "Off the Hook," a three-reel, one-payline jackpot slot with a fishing theme; "Aces and Faces 50 Play," which lets gamers play 50 hands of video poker simultaneously; and "All American Video Poker," which lets them play single hands.
WINPlay Ads -- An advertisement campaign to promote WINPlay--the SkyBet-branded version of Interactive Systems Worldwide Inc.'s SportXction play-by-play wagering platform for interactive television on the Sky Digital network--was kicked off this weekend to coincide with the start of the West Indies-South Africa international five-day test cricket match. The initial campaign includes multiple newspaper placements as well as banner ads on SkyBet's interactive TV site.
KenoBook.com -- Gaming Transactions Inc., the company that owns the Keno.com portal, has launched its new online sports book, KenoBook.com, using software from FutureBet Systems Ltd. The site offers a full range of sports betting options, including straight bets, parlays, over/unders, money-lines and teasers. It emphasizes betting on North American sports, but also provides betting lines on soccer from 60 countries.