Making Deals -- Virtgame Corp. has chosen McMahan Securities Co. L.P. as its investment bank. Bruce Merati, president and CFO of Virtgame, said McMahan shares his company's outlook on the future of online gaming. ... The relationship between Boss Media and Svenska Spel was extended last week when the Scandinavian gaming company chose Boss to develop digital scratch cards, lotteries and other quick games for its Internet site. Boss is the designer of Svenska Spel's online casino at www.casinocosmopol.se. "Svenska Spel is probably the most expert gaming operator in Europe," said Peter Bertilsson, the president and CEO of Boss. "The fact that it is putting even more trust in Boss Media is, of course, great and very stimulating."
Legal Stuff -- Israeli online news site Ha'aretz Daily reported today that the country's police are having a hard time keeping up with all of the complaints they get about Internet crime. "Israel has become a paradise for Internet gambling and pedophilia sites, which feature harsh pictures of child abuse," said Meir Zohar, who heads Computer Crime Department of the Israel Police.
Bit from Down Under -- Richard Face, the longest serving MP in the New South Wales parliament, confirmed today that he will not seek reelection in March. Face, who has kept his seat through 10 elections, said he will take a short break before embarking on a new career. "At present I am the longest serving member of the NSW parliament, and in fact, the longest serving member of any parliament in Australia," he said at a recent meeting of the Australian Labor Party.
Bit from the UK -- Gaming Insight, which recently said it would move away from online casino operations to focus more on greyhound race betting, is said to be in talks with bookmakers, including William Hill and Ladbrokes, to establish fixed-odds betting for its digital TV race wagering channel. The Financial Times reported today that Gaming Insight, which is giving up operating the Harrods online casino, will continue in a revenue-sharing agreement with Harrods until the contract ends next year.