No Deal -- Representatives of Britain's horse racing and betting industries met yesterday to discuss Channel 4's request that it be paid £8 million to continue broadcasting live racing through 2006. Those in attendance unanimously voted that the channel's request should not be met. Channel 4 set a May 31 deadline for an agreement to be reached. . . . Paddy Power has become the official betting partner of reality TV show "Big Brother" on Channel 4. Fans can wager on a wide variety of propositions on the show by visiting Channel 4's Big Brother Web site at www.channel4.com/bigbrother.
The China Scene -- This week China's Ministry of Public Security paid bonuses ranging from US$360 to $1,200 to 18 individuals who had given police tips to help their investigations into illegal gambling. Police have reportedly received more than 1,300 tips about illegal gambling activities. . . . Peter Vellapan, general secretary of the Asian Football Conference, is concerned that allegations of corruption and match fixing in Chinese football could lead to a collapse of the league. Last month Chi Shangbin was fired as coach of last year's champions Shenzen Jianlibao after the team got off to a winless start of the season. Chi stated that his team was deliberately playing poorly because of salary cuts while his assistant resigned in protest and accused players of fixing matches. This is not the first time allegations of corruption have surfaced in the one-year-old super league. Most games are reportedly attended by a very small number of fans, presumably because the corruption allegations have driven the audiences away.
Responsibility -- A major item on the agenda for Norwegian gaming operator Norsk Tipping was to establish a responsible gaming platform under the supervision of problem gambling expert Thomas Nilsson of the Gaming Institute (Spelinstitutet) in Sweden. The plan was initiated in various phases throughout the year, beginning with the introduction of an 18-year age limit on the game Oddsen, which involves the greatest risk of abnormal behavior. The company also began new training courses for its store owners and employees so that they could be more aware of and better understand problem gambling. The back of all coupons have been changed to clearly show the chances of winning and to display the logo and phone number of the country's helpline. The company also sought to build solid relations with research communities and volunteer organizations, and toward that end it is in frequent contact with PTS, Blue Cross Norway, Østnorsk kompetansesenter, the SNSUS, the Helpline and the Norwegian Gaming Board.
Partners -- Swedish gaming software provider Boss Media has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Svenska Spel, the operator of Sweden's national lottery. The two companies have worked together for several years on digital gaming projects, and they now plan to leverage their experience to promote their offerings to members of the World Lottery Association. Boss Media will be responsible for technical and platform development, while Svenska Spel will handle daily operations and develop game concepts. According to Jan Stocklassa, "If more companies within the WLA sphere increase their level of technical competence and improve their product offering, they will have significantly better ability to withstand competition from Internet companies and other competitors."
Record Wagering -- British bookmaker William Hill reports that the £2.5 million it received in wagers for the Champions League final broke all of the company's previous records for any football final.
Chartwell Poker -- Canadian I-gaming software developer Chartwell Technology has acquired Gibraltar-based online poker software developer MicroPower for US$4 million. Chartwelll says it canvassed a number of acquisition candidates before deciding on the MicroPower platform. The new product will integrate seamlessly into the Chartwell gaming system and with existing client platforms for stand-alone or community deployment. Micropower's poker software has been deployed on the Web sites of ESPN, NTN, FHM, Easybets, Bodog and more.
Welcome Aboard -- U.K. Gambling Minister Lord McIntosh has been appointed president of problem gambling charity Gamcare. Upon welcoming McIntosh to the organization, Chairman Anthony Jennens stated, "We have a new president who is politically plugged in, who has spent the last two years steering the Gambling Bill through Parliament and has always been interested in and supportive of GamCare and it's aims."