Remote Extortion -- Mobile gaming providers face a growing risk of a denial of service attacks, according to a report release this week by research and analysis firm Gartner. The report specifies that criminal DoS gangs are looking to extort mobile companies via techniques such as threatening an SMS storm (in which mobile networks crippled by a flood of text messages) unless a ransom is paid.
Chelsea Lite -- Coral Eurobet's online betting arm, Coral.co.uk, signed a two-season deal this week with Chelsea Football Club's official Web site, ChelseaFC.com, to provide an exclusive micro site featuring football odds and Chelsea-related bets. ChelseaFC.com will concurrently promote the dedicated Coral micro site on its homepage as well as in a dedicated betting and gaming section.
More Mobile Bingo -- Mobile phone gambling services company Probability Games Corporation has released a new 24/7 bingo application to all of its existing mobile content partners. British customers 18 and over can play in a virtual bingo hall on their mobile phones with games starting every five minutes.
Again with the Underwear Analogy -- A recent survey conducted by cyberslotz.co.uk revealed that the average I-gamer spends US$3,240 a year on Internet gambling. Data from the survey of over 800 people showed that on average, the online gambler visits an online gambling site at least once every two weeks, staking an average of $124 during each session. Other data showed that 31 percent visited a bingo hall within the last year and 30 percent played bingo online. "Playing at home in the comfort of your living room is more enjoyable and certainly means that you do not have to negotiate public transport late at night," said Brian Morgan, CEO of cyberslotz.co.uk. "On top of that, you don't have to pay for babysitters and can even play in your underwear if that takes your fancy".
Another One for FUN -- Online gaming provider FUN Technologies plc announced today that its subsidiary, SkillJam Technologies Corporation, has signed an agreement with European sports channel Eurosport SA to develop, operate and support a skill-gaming platform for Eurosport's English-language Web sites. Eurosport is the most widely available channel in Europe, reaching over 95 million homes and 250 million viewers in 54 countries.
ID Check -- A new ID verification system that checks the age, identity and vital status of customers is now available from automated payment provider Metacharge. The service works with online directory service 192.com to integrate the automated age and identity checking service with payment processing, and it costs GBP1.50 per query. To justify the hefty fee, Metacharge points out that fraudulent card usage costs over GBP1 million a day in England alone. The system enables operators to automatically accept or decline customers or hold a transaction, triggering a manual ID check upon which a customer may be required to fax a copy of his driver's license.