Stats -- The Australian Associated Press reported that the racing and gaming industries pumped $4.2 billion into the New South Wales economy in 2001-02, according to research from independent economic consultancy group IER. $2.3 billion came from the Sydney metropolitan area and $1.9 billion came from the surrounding regions of NSW. The industries paid $720 million worth of taxes to the federal and NSW governments. Peter Kadar, TAB's wagering CEO, said TAB has paid about $215 million to the government in just the last 12 months.
TAB War -- The New South Wales Government says it will amend legislation so that TAB Ltd. can merge with either UNiTAB or Tabcorp. A 10 percent shareholding limit will be placed on the new entity, regardless of whom will be TAB's partner. The law that prohibits a company from holding both a totalisator and a casino license is also likely to be changed. Tab shares rose 22 cents (5 percent) on the news to close at $4.10…. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones reports that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Chairman Graeme Samuel refuses to comment upon whether Tabcorp's $1.9 billion bid for Tab ltd. is acceptable.
Mobile -- ATE reports that Birmingham-based mobile company Opera Telecom might list on the public stock market. The company, which hopes to obtain £100 million in turnover this year, has nine offices in Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and the U.S. Just last week Opera announced that it had signed a deal with software group Chartwell Technologies to create its GamRock brand of mobile casino gaming. Opera's Managing Director Gary Corbett indicated that a stock market listing is not likely to occur at least until spring. He also noted that merging with another company was also a viable business option.
iTV Lottery -- Richard Flynt, Commercial Director for iTV Gaming at BSkyB, said today at the European I-Gaming Congress and Expo in Barcelona that Camelot, the operator of the UK National Lottery, is preparing to launch an iTV service in early 2004. Customers would then be able to purchase lottery tickets through their television.