Expert Says No Dice for UK Gambling Act -- Up to 1 million people a year may become addicted to gambling after the United Kingdom regulates the industry, argues addiction expert Jim Orford, a professor at Birmingham University. With the U.K. Gambling Commission set to enact the Gambling Act next September, Orford has criticized the government for being "naïve" and "playing dice" with people's health by liberalizing the law. "We could be talking a million people affected by it in any one period of 12 months, and that begins to put it on par with drug addiction problems," Orford said. UKGC figures have shown that an estimated 1 million Britons visit gaming and gambling Web sites each month.
Service Stinks -- An independent audit by customer service specialist Talisma revealed that many of England's most popular gambling Web sites are failing to deliver satisfactory customer service. Talisma audited 100 companies and, posing as a customer, asked sites whether Internet betting is legal in the United Kingdom. The results, released Monday, were less than satisfactory: 40 percent of e-mails were ignored; 16 percent of the calls made to sites were not answered; and 30 percent of inquiries made during online chat sessions were not replied to. The audit, carried out in August of this year, also concluded that online self-service support for customers was not up to snuff. Only 4 percent of sites could provide users with a service that allowed them to search online "help" documents for solutions.
Coming up for Air -- Payment processor Neteller on Tuesday announced the launch of two new localized versions of its service in Turkey in Poland. The company also reported that non-U.S. customer sign-ups have increased after the implementation of the "refer-a-friend" program.
Sold! -- Las Vegas From Home.com on Wednesday announced the sale of its subsidiary, Action Poker Gaming, for $2.6 million--an increase of $250,000 from the original sale announced Oct. 26, 2006. Following the sale, the company reported it was debt-free and maintained a cash balance of $8.5 million.
Mercury Rising -- Shares of gaming giant Harrah's Entertainment, already subject of a $15.5 billion buyout proposal, rose Tuesday after CNBC reported that a group including Penn National Gaming and hedge fund D.E. Shaw & Co. may bid for the company. The stock closed up $1.91 (2.5 percent), at $78.46. Two months ago, Harrah's received a takeover offer from private equity firms Apollo Management and Texas Pacific Group. Penn National, with $1.41 billion in revenue last year, is five times smaller than its takeover prospect.