The New Lasseters -- Australia-based Lasseters Online has launched a new version of its online casino at www.lasseters.com.au. The casino now features a new look, revised graphics, more promotions and 21 new games, bringing the total to 59.
SMS Clampdown -- Newmediazero reports that mobile operators in the United Kingdom are shutting down some cheap offshore Short Message Service (SMS) routes to eliminate the large numbers of spam and scams that originate from overseas locations. The clampdown on these routes, from where messages cost just around 1p, could double the cost of legitimate SMS marketing.
Bus ads -- Costa Rican online bookmaker BetonSports.com says that ads displaying the company's logo and telephone hotline number will appear on 250 New York City buses until the end of October. Since the beginning of the American football season in August, BetonSports.com has also run ads on radio stations and billboards in the United States.
Mobile Advisor -- Newmediazero reports that betting advisor The Winning Line has launched a horse racing information service for professional gamblers with SMS. The site is run by Opera Telecom.
Playtech -- Playtech today announced that it has developed online casino software for both Sports Interaction (Sports Interaction Casino) and BetWWTS.com (BetCasino.com). Both casinos will be available as both a downloadable and Flash suite and will boast over 60 games, a three dimensional lobby, real-time game and transaction histories, VIP rating, a cash-convertible comp points scheme and participation in WinAJackpot.com, which is Playtech's progressive jackpot network. BetWWTS.com customers will be able to use the same account for BetCasino.com that they use for all its managed properties.
Virus Report -- Symantec's Fourth Semi-Annual Internet Security Threat Report shows that compared to the last six months of 2002, the first half of 2003 has seen a 20 percent increase in the amount of blended threats, which combine characteristics of viruses, worms, Trojan horses and malicious codes. Symantec also claims that there has been a 400 percent increase in viruses and worms that target instant messaging and peer-to-peer networks in the last six months.
Spam Challenge -- Following last week's enactment of legislation in California that allows recipients of unwanted spam to sue for $1,000, Mailblocks, a provider of consumer e-mail services, has announced that it is incorporating a warning message into its patented Challenge/Response anti-spam technology. Unlike most e-mail filters that sometimes delete valid e-mails, Mailblocks' service puts all questionable messages in a pending folder and automatically sends a request to unknown senders to authenticate themselves by typing in a code shown on the computer screen. E-mail generated by a machine is not able to reply to the code, but valid e-mail senders can, so their legitimate e-mail will be sorted correctly. The recently added warning threatens prosecution and is intended to eliminate "stalkers," individuals who may complete a code challenge in order to send unsolicited and unwanted commercial e-mail.
Czech Lotto -- SAZKA, the Czech Republic's operator of lottery and betting games, has extended its contract with GTECH Corporation for 12 more years (Jan. 1, 2006- Dec. 31, 2017). GTECH will replace SAZKA's current online and instant ticket system with GTECH Enterprise Series architecture, which will give SAZKA's network the ability to use mobile and Internet channels.