Czech Fine -- The Prague-based Council for Radio and TV Broadcasting (RRTV) has slapped Czech TV with a 1 million Kc (US$40,000) fine for broadcasting a commercial for Austrian Internet gambling operator Betandwin. RRTV chairman Petr Pospichal told Czech News Service that the fine was imposed because Betandwin is not licensed by the Finance Ministry to run betting games and other lotteries.
Dauber Down -- The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) last week thwarted an attempt by the Royal Canadian Legion (a Canadian veterans' organization) to start up an online bingo site last week for the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The Legion voluntarily shut down the site (daubers.ca) immediately upon being informed by the RCMP that online gambling is illegal in Canada. Cpl. Glen Demmon of the Yellowknife RCMP said the Legion will not be charged because this was the first case of online gambling in the region. The territorial and municipal governments said they will not pursue charges either.
InterCasino Is Old -- The world's longest-running Internet casino, InterCasino.com, is now nine years old. To celebrate, the Antigua-based operation is giving away $9,000 in cash and prizes to customers throughout the month of November. To qualify, players must deposit $25 into their accounts and play in the casino anytime between Nov. 7 and Nov. 20. InterCasino randomly selects 22 winners each day.
Hiring -- Sportech PLC has announced the appointment of John Barnes as a non-executive director. Barnes, 56, is currently non-executive chairman of Spanish restaurant chain La Tasca Group Plc and technology company Zoo Digital Group Plc.
Scandinavian Skills -- Sweden-based online games developer Jadestone Group AB and Aland-based gambling operator Penningautomatförening (PAF) have partnered to launch a new online skill games network called GamArena AB in the first quarter of 2006. The network will offer a mix of skill-based sports, casino and arcade games in English and Scandinavian languages. GamArena Managing Director Andrew Pegler said this is the first of many partnerships Jadestone will be forming in Europe.
High Five -- SportingbetUSA has just launched a dream-come-true contest for punters who like both poker and football. "High Five Football Poker" enables players to assemble poker hands by choosing one NFL team for each of their five "cards." Winning hands are based on the teams' scores that week. There are weekly cash prizes and a $100,000 bonus prize.
Raising Awareness -- eCOGRA, an independent regulatory body for the online gaming industry, today announced plans to launch a global campaign to raise awareness of responsible online gaming. The group has hired two public relations agencies, Lotus Public Relations in New York and Chameleon PR in London, to promote its "Play It Safe" Seal for the online gambling industry, which is granted to sites that follow eCOGRA's safety and fairness standards. To earn the seal, members must undergo a third-party inspection, ongoing reviews and regular monitoring of all player-interactive aspects of their operations.