Snooker MOU -- The Sunday Mirror reports that the World Snooker Association (WSA) is expected to enter into a memorandum of understanding with betting exchange Betfair, through which Betfair would share betting information with the WSA in situations in which either organization suspects illegal activity. The memorandum has been drafted and is expected to be signing within a few days. Betfair already has similar arrangements in place with several international sports' governing bodies.
Laundering -- The Press & Dakotan, the newspaper of Yankton, South Dakota, reports that an attorney named David Wintroub has been indicted on 15 counts of money laundering and conspiring to launder money. Wintroub is said to have allegedly laundered $175,000 in proceeds from the operator of a marijuana distribution network and invested it in a Web site that provides an online casino and sports book as well pornography.
Betdaq in China -- Irish betting exchange Betdaq is teaming up with CITIC Pacific, a publicly listed Chinese company, to launch abex88.com, a Macau-licensed betting exchange that will target the Chinese betting market. Primarily a manufacturing and construction company, CITIC Pacific posted US$175 million in profit during the first half of 2004.
Bonds -- GamSure, a U.K.-based I-gaming bond guarantee company that incorporated in September, stated that the demise of Sporting Options could have been prevented if the company had a player's bond scheme in place. GamSure says that it works closely with government jurisdictions, banks, insurance brokers and bank processors to implement an industry-wide bond scheme that provides a guarantee for the financial liability of both operators and players. The scheme entails operators taking on a small cost per user, with the GamSure bond assuming financial responsibility for the operation based on pre-defined trigger events, such as bankruptcy or license withdrawal.
Welcome -- iGGBA (interactive Gaming, Gambling and Betting Association) has announced the addition of iGlobalMedia as its 51st member. Based in Gibraltar, iGlobalMedia owns and operates PartyPoker.com, StarluckCasino.com and PartyBingo.com and is one of the largest I-gaming companies in the world. iGGBA is an E.U.-based I-gaming industry body that works with governments and regulators to formulate fair and proper regulation, uphold probity and trustworthiness in the industry and support standards of appropriate social responsibility.
Angered Soprano -- Actress Jamie-Lynn DiScala, who plays Meadow Soprano on the HBO series "The Sopranos," had signed an agreement to join I-gaming company Casino Fortune in an effort to raise awareness and money to fight eating disorders, but she terminated the deal after Casino Fortune's senior vice president, Dennis Rose, made several comments that DiSacala found offensive, including, "Why did we hire her? Mainly because she was fat, then scrawny, and finally found a way to control her eating disorder." Casino Fortune last made national news in the United States when it hired a former contestant from Donald Trump's reality TV series "The Apprentice" and then pitched a bid for a stake in Trump's casino company.