Redevelopment -- Online gaming software provider Orbis will provide Paradisebet Ltd.--an Italian bookmaker based in the United Kingdom--with its OpenBet interactive gambling platform. Orbis will completely redevelop the Paradisebet Web site and back-office operations to accommodate the company's growing demands. Paradisebet's CEO, Michele Martiradonna, stated that the company is experiencing huge growth and expects annual turnover to double this year. The company plans to expand beyond sports betting by adding casino games to its offering, and the OpenBet technology would also enable it to add betting exchanges, lotteries, pari-mutuel pools and more if it desires, with all of the services being accessible via the Internet, mobile devices, retail outlets, call centers and digital television. The OpenBet platform will also provide a fully multi-lingual multi-currency system with which Paridesebet will be able to service its international customer base.
Only Eight -- Richard Caborn, a deputy of British Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell told a parliamentary committee on Tuesday that the new Gambling Bill will limit the initial number of giant regional casinos to eight. Ministers originally wanted market demand to determine the number of new casinos and expected that 20 to 40 would be established, but they lowered the initial limit significantly due to concerns among citizens and MPs that the casinos would lead to an explosion in gambling addictions. The bill is still under scrutiny by the parliamentary committee and will eventually need the approval of both houses of Parliament before it can become law.
Making Deals -- Rumors were verified today when Australia's richest man, Kerry Packer, announced that his company, PBL (Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd), is investing US$163 million in a 50-50 joint venture with gaming tycoon Stanley Ho's Melco International. Under the deal, PBL obtains a 28 percent stake in Macau's yet-to-be-built Park Hyatt Hotel and Casino. The deal marks the first non-Australian gaming venture for PBL, which owns Melbourne's Crown Casino and Perth's Burswood Casino. PBL also announced a joint venture with Betfair earlier this year.
Payments in Asia -- Germany-based alternative Internet payment solution provider CLICK2PAY GmbH is expanding its services into Asia. Beginning in December, merchants who have signed agreements with local strategic partners can use CLICK2PAY to accept direct debit payment in China and Hong Kong, and consumers can fund their CLICK2PAY accounts in Chinese yuan and Hong Kong dollars. CLICK2PAY also announced that users from Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States can now fund their accounts by wire transfers, and soon users in Belgium, Ireland, Hungary and Turkey will have the same wire transfer option.
For Charity -- GoldenPalace.com's charity spending spree continued this week with the purchase of a Don Cherry one-of-a-kind goalie mask for $16,010, with proceeds benefiting Shoot for a Cure, a hockey-focused fund-raising campaign for spinal cord research. Don Cherry, a former National Hockey League player and coach who now broadcasts hockey games, was a front-runner in the CBC "Greatest Canadian" contest. With the addition of the Don Cherry mask, Golden Palace's charity auction purchases now total over $200,000.
PokerNetwork -- I-gaming software licensing company PokerNetwork has launched sites for two new licensees. The first site, U.K.-based CelebPoker.com, is a poker room that enables players to compete against celebrities such as Lou Diamond Phillips and Lawrence Dallaglio. The site was previously running on a different software system, but chose to switch providers "because of the much higher quality software that Poker Network was able to provide us with," stated the company's founder David Donovan. The second new licensee is BetOnBet, a U.K.-registered betting exchange. Both sites will funnel their players into the PokerNetwork community that already has more than 3 million players worldwide. The PokerNetwork gives players the option of playing through a non-download- Java-based platform or through a downloadable platform for Windows.
Quoteworthy -- "We think splitting the license would be a big mistake. The reason this lottery is the most efficient in the world is because we actually get the economies of scale which you would lose if you actually split into multi-licenses."
-Dianne Thompson, CEO of Camelot, operator of Britain's National Lottery.