Doomsday -- Security group Top Layer Networks has teamed up with mnet Internet, a U.K.-based corporate-only Internet service provider and co-location company, to create a 24-hour on-call Doomsday DDoS Disaster Recovery Service. Customers under attack can call for help any time of day, and a DDoS SWAT team will arrive within an hour to install a Top Layer Attack Mitigator IPS 5500 to quell the attack. According to Top Player spokesperson Paul Lawrence, "The Doomsday scenario has hit many unsuspecting clients this last 18 months. One would be surprised at the number of times the IPS 5500 has been purchased over a mobile phone while the engineer was en route to the affected site. This service with mnet recognizes the extreme and unique conditions some customers find themselves in; it provides them with an immediate solution to stop the attack while also introducing them to the power of high-speed intrusion prevention, a message we have been trying to get across to the market for a long time now." Customers can sign up to the service for a small monthly retainer; variable usage-based tariffs are applied when attacks take place.
Rule 247 -- The British Jockey Club's Rule 247, which prohibits horse owners, trainers and stable workers from laying their own horses to lose on betting exchanges, will be extended on Dec. 1 to apply the same prohibition to anyone who provides a service to a trainer, including farriers, equine dentists, veterinarians and more. The penalty for breaching the rule is a three-month to 10-year ban from racing, depending on the gravity of the offense.
Speirtech and Paddy -- Irish bookmaker Paddy Power has added two new betting games to its Paddy Power Mobile service. The new games, High-Low and Virtual Horse Racing, are powered by Speirtech's mobile gaming platform and are compatible with both WAP and Java-equipped devices, making them playable from most mobile devices.
Czech Conflict -- The Prague Post recently reported that U.K.-based Sportingbet has launched a Czech language version of its Web site. A spokesperson for the Czech Republic's Finance Ministry stated in the article that the targeting of Czechs by foreign gambling sites is a clear violation of the law and that the ministry will work with local police to prosecute violators. Sportingbet, however, is hardly the first foreign company to offer services in the Czech language, as Worldbet, Betsson and Eurobet already operate Czech-language Web sites. Betsson drew the ire of the Finance Ministry in April by accompanying the launch of its Czech version betting exchange with advertisements in local media.
SAMVO -- NDS subsidiary Orbis, a developer of interactive gaming software across all channels, will provide its OpenBet gambling platform to SAMVO Entertainment Ltd., a privately owned Asian bookmaker whose site is based in the United Kingdom. SAMVO plans to begin operating a new football and basketball wagering site with multi-lingual and multi-currency options for customers in Europe and the Far East. Orbis CEO David Loveday commented, "It's good to be working with SAMVO, and Orbis is confident that our experience in working with similar sized sports betting sites in the Far East will prove immensely beneficial. Time to market is critical and we know that SAMVO needs to get up and running quickly and seamlessly."
To the Rescue -- The Gaming Club, an online casino operated by Carmen Media, rescued the Caudwell Cycle Challenge last month by donating a Landrover vehicle to the charity. The Caudwell Group's annual bike ride is a 2,300 mile trek from Athens to London, raising money to pay for the medical expenses of children suffering from sickness, disability or terminal illness. This year's ride was in jeopardy after two key supporters withdrew their funding just days before the beginning of the trip, so CEO John Cauldwell printed an ad in the Daily Express asking for a last minute sponsorship of a car and driver for the trek. The Gaming Club was delighted to help.