Land of the Rising Bust -- Two bookmakers were arrested in Japan on Friday for allegedly allowing people to gamble on the Internet. Police raided a betting shop in Fukuoka's Hakata-ku called "Passion" and busted the two men, as well as four customers who were later released to undergo voluntary questioning. Police said the men had 13 computers which used overseas gambling Web sites that did not place restrictions on gambling. The operation reportedly took in about 2 million yen, or $18,200, a day.
The List is Growing -- Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., on Thursday signed on as the 41st co-sponsor of the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act.
Virtual You -- Ladbrokespoker.com has launched a new product that will allow players to create a three-dimensional avatar with life-like characteristics much like state-of-the-art video games. Ladbrokes consulted with Playwize on the project, which develops video games for XBOX, PS2 and Nintendo GameCube.
Life after Unibet -- According to Velonews.com, former Unibet.com rider Gustav Larsson has found a new team for next season. Larsson signed a one-year deal with Denmark's Team CSC for 2008. According to the Web site, Larsson is one of only a handful of riders that have secured work for next season, as "scores of riders and staff have been left on the street following the team's controversial demise this season."
GigaGrowth -- Taiwan-based software provider GigaMedia has released third-quarter results, revealing a 76 percent increase in profits to $43 million as a result of continued growth from Everest Poker and online games in Asia. Revenues from Everest grew to $22 million, an increase of 163 percent over Q3 2006, while revenues from the company's Asian online games platforms FunTown and T2CN climbed 122 percent to $10 million.
Stock Watch -- On the LSE, London Capital Group was down 24p to 365.00, William Hill was down 23p to 502.00, Playtech was down 12.50p to 350.50 and Ladbrokes was down 8p to 331.