More Mobile Fun -- Skill games provider Fun Technologies plc announced today that its subsidiary, SkillJam Technologies Corporation, has a new mobile games feature, called SkillJam Arcade, for Verizon Wireless customers with Get It Now-enabled phones. SkillJam Arcade is available for US$4.99 per month (for unlimited access) on select Verizon Wireless Get It Now-enabled phones.
Betfair Is Hiring -- As reported by Accountancy Age, a spokesman for online gambling company Betfair said the search for a replacement CFO and CEO could take months. CFO Owen O’Donnell left in August, and CEO Stephen Hill resigned Tuesday. Despite his contribution to the company's offshore launch in Malta last week, Financial Controller Stephen Morana has been ruled out for the top job because the company is looking for a big name with FTSE experience.
German Poker Tour -- Over 200 German poker players participated during September and October in the first German Poker Tour, sponsored by Everest Poker.com. The finale was held in the Kalsruhe area last week, with prizes going to the top five winnerss. Qualifying tournaments took place throughout September 2005 in Munich, Landau (Karlsruhe), St. Augustin (Cologne) and Berlin, with 16 players qualifying for the final in Landau. The winners of each qualifying tournament received a seat in the final and prizes courtesy of Everest Poker.
Moving to Ongame -- ChecknRaisePoker.com is moving to the Ongame Network and is adding several new features to improve the game experience for its more than 35,000 registered players. Players will have a choice of table limits for ring games and a hundred different tournaments every day, and they can find the game of their choice any time of the day. The software is available in several formats, including a download version for Windows PC and a Web-based Java version for Mac, PC and Linux users.
German Market Study -- Consulting firm Media & Entertainment Consulting Network has released a study on the German betting market, targeting state-controlled and private betting companies as well as businesses that consider entering the market. The study found that the betting market accounts for about 5 to 10 percent of the total German gambling market and that German betting providers achieve betting stakes totaling an estimated €2.2 billion annually. The industry experts surveyed anticipate that this figure will grow to €5 billion by 2010. The study also found that more than 70 percent of betting sales are made by private operators and estimates that there are approximately 2,500 private betting offices in existence. The legal status of the private providers continues to be complicated, and the Federal Constitutional Court is expected to render a landmark decision that will set the course either for a new growing market or a return to the old restricted model.