Illegal Ads? -- British HM Customs and Excise is reportedly examining certain advertisements at English Premier League football grounds to ensure that they comply with the Betting and Gaming Duties Act of 1961, which forbids the advertising of foreign betting services. The agency may soon begin advising companies and soccer clubs that it considers advertisements and sponsorships from overseas companies a breach of the Act.
IT Director Award -- Betfair's chief technology officer, David Yu, has won the Daily Telegraph's "IT Director of the Year 2004" award. Earlier this year Betfair won the South East National Business Award for "Best use of Technology," and in 2003 the company was given a Queen's award.
Mission Accomplished -- Subscription-based horse racing television network Racing UK has already passed its break-even target of 20,000 subscribers, one full year ahead of schedule. The company began broadcasting free-to-air in May to fill the void left by the termination of the original attheraces in March 2004. "At the Races" was resurrected in June as a free-to-air channel, becoming a direct competitor of Racing UK, whose business model entailed eventually becoming a subscription-based service. When Racing UK finally began operating on a subscription basis on Oct. 1, it estimated that it would need to obtain 20,000 subscribers to break even. The company hoped to hit that mark within 12 to 18 months, but has reached its goal in 11 weeks. Racing UK is owned by the 31 race tracks for which it broadcasts.
Americans Welcome -- 32Red.com, a British online casino licensed in Gibraltar, has begun accepting customers from the United States again after banning U.S. play in January 2004. The company ceased taking American bets because it worried that U.S. federal legislation to prohibit I-gaming was inevitable. But the lack of progress with I-gaming legislation in the United States, combined with the near certainty that Britain's Gambling Bill will pass, has caused 32Red to rethink its stance. One of the main motivators for the company is that the U.K. bill will license and regulate online casinos and will not require operators to ban U.S. players.
New Jersey Bill -- New Jersey Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew, chairman of the Assembly Tourism and Gaming Committee, has introduced a bill to the state's legislature that if passed would legalize sports betting in the state. The bill will probably receive its first reading in December and will have to overcome more obstacles than a typical state law. Federal U.S. law prohibits sports betting in all but four states, but based on precedence, Van Drew believes a challenge to the federal law would be successful.