Rejection -- Donald Trump has rejected Casino's Fortune's $400 million offer to buy a 31 percent stake in Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts. Trump never seemed to take the offer seriously, stating "It's just a publicity stunt they're playing." Shortly after making the offer, Casino Fortune hired one of the contestants from the second season of The Apprentice, the reality television program starring Donald Trump, to serve as Casino Fotune's spokesperson.
Poker Launch -- BetOnSports.com recently celebrated the launch of its Internet poker room at a Beverly Hills mansion with a $100,000 poker tournament and party with a celebrity-filled guest list. The new poker site features software from U.S.-based Drobosoft. BetOnSports recently published its financial results for the six months ended Aug. 31, 2004, revealing that while its turnover has fallen from $430 million to $403 million, its pretax profit has grown from $4.1 million to $4.4 million.
Taking a Position -- Paul Innes, chairman of the Australian Jockeys' Association recently made statements indicating that his organization is throwing its weight in support of the Australian Racing Board in its struggle to prohibit betting exchanges from becoming licensed in Australia. "No operator should be issued with a license to operate a betting exchange in this country," he said. "Betting exchanges have the potential to damage public confidence in racing, which is a great concern to our association and the entire industry. Betting exchanges throw open the opportunity to make a great profit from a horse losing, which creates the perfect recipe for malpractice, such as racing fixing."
ukbetting -- Sports content and online betting company ukbetting has purchased Campbell's Bookmakers Ltd for £1.2 million, a deal which will funded through a senior debt facility. The company will be acquiring seven licensed betting offices in London and the South East of England that have an annual revenue rate of £10 million and are expected to be profitable in the year ended Dec 3, 2004. ukbetting's executive chairman Peter Dubens said the company plans to "substantially increase the size of this nascent portfolio" through agreements with third parties.