Cracking Down -- According to Yogonet.com, the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago will crack down on Internet gambling, having already banned casino slot machines after Prime Minister Patrick Manning said they "encouraged vice." At his budget proposal meeting last week, Manning called gambling-related activities "a great concern" for the country and announced his plans discontinue the country's national lottery. As of today, no timetable for the Net gambling ban has been announced. The announcement follows shortly after President George W. Bush enacted the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA).
Appointing -- Online casino and poker room operator 888 today announced the appointment of Jon Sumroy, former managing director of Israel-based Johnson & Johnson Consumer Division, as its new chief marketing officer. Sumroy's tenure with 888 will begin Dec. 15, 2006, and he will report to Gigi Levy, current COO and CEO with effect from Dec. 31, 2006.
Bracing -- Somewhat less ceremoniously, Gibraltar Chronicle reported that employees of Cassava Enterprises (888) are bracing themselves for imminent cutbacks that will affect operations in Gibraltar at the end of the year, according to informed sources with Chronicle. Cassava employees are reportedly awaiting individual interviews with senior staff, during which they will be notified of whether their services will be required after Jan. 1, 2007. Current 888 CEO John Anderson was quoted as saying a consultation period with senior staff was ongoing, and that so far no decisions had been made.
Another . . . -- Ongame Network 's PokerRoom.com announced today that it will no longer serve customers based in the United States. According to reports, industry observers have been expecting the announcement, as Ongame was acquired earlier this year by online casino, sports book and poker operator bwin. PokerRoom.com said it will stop accepting new U.S. player accounts today, and as of Nov. 6 will no longer accept bets from current U.S. customers. "We regret that the U.S. has taken this step to make it virtually impossible to offer real money entertainment to U.S. customers," the company said.
Quoteworthy -- "[Prohibition is] going to affect the average player most dramatically. And those players are the ones that have kind of filled the ranks. The hardcore [players] will find somewhere; they won't care whether it's regulated. That's what a prohibition does: it drives everything underground."
Michael Bolcerek, head of the Poker Players Alliance, regarding the effects of prohibition on Internet poker players.
So Go Play -- U.K.-based mobile games developer Rockpool Games today announced the launch of a new casual gaming company, SoGoPlay, following a June announcement revealing its intentions to enter the market. The new company will reportedly deliver games via its dot-com portal, as well as its distribution network of major portals like Real Networks, MSN, Big Fish, Oberon and TryMedia. The company's business model will employ the try-before-buy system for PC games; developments are also underway for a subscription-based model, the company said.