Bet in Play -- Ladbrokes has launched a new live betting service that enables punters to wager on multiple live events as they occur. The new service, called "Bet in Play," was developed by Victoria Real, which is part of entertainment producer Endemol. Ladbrokes rolled out the product in response to demand for an interactive live betting format and also to complement the increased amount of sports coverage on TV. The service features a statistics center, live news, text commentary and highlights of price movements.
Virgin Loyalty Plan -- Virgin Casino has launched a customer loyalty program through which players earn "Virgin Atlantic Flying Club" points whenever they play cash games. The points can later be converted to Flying Club miles or to additional casino chips. Each Virgin Casino player receives five High Flyer points for every £100 wagered; one High Flyer point is equal to one Flying Club mile, or to 1p.
MOU Refusal -- Ireland's Turf Club has refused to sign a memorandum of understanding with British betting exchange Betfair because of a disagreement with the company over how much Betfair should pay to the club for the use of its data. Betfair's offer to pay 10 percent of profits made on Irish racing--the same fee paid for the use of British data--was rejected by the Turf Club, as was an improved offer. The Turf Club has also reportedly written a letter urging Tasmanian Premier Paul Lennon not to award an operating license to Betfair.
Quoteworthy -- "We must not see the abolishment of the monopoly only as a threat, that you will lose a share of the domestic market. It also provides endless opportunities."
--Vassilis Neiadas, managing director of Greek betting and lottery monopoly OPAP, explaining to investors why they should see an opening up of the Greek betting market as an opportunity rather than a reason to worry. OPAP's new betting system--set for a completed upgraded by 2007--will enable the company to accept bets via satellite from around the world.
Chandler in China -- Gibraltar-based gaming operator Victor Chandler has launched Chinese online gaming site at vcbet88.com with the help of Macau-based marketing and technology agency Macom. The site is available in traditional and simplified Chinese and was developed by Chinese people for Chinese people. One way in which the site has been tailored for Asian bettors is that users can place bets and view price movements directly on the home page, something that Victor Chandler's operations director Ian Dunning considers very important for Asian handicapping. Vcbet88 also features live-dealer baccarat because Asian gamblers are said to distrust random number generators.
FUN Deal -- SkillJam Technologies, the subsidiary of skill gaming firm FUN Technologies, has signed an agreement to become the exclusive skill-gaming provider for Flextech Television's U.K. multi-channel television and online operations. As the content division of Telewest Broadband, Flextech Television consists of 10 wholly owned channels, has business interests in certain transactional channels, and is a 50 percent partner in UKTV. Skilljam will develop, operate and support a skill-gaming platform specifically tailored to reflect the look and feel of several Flextech Television Web sites, including Challenge and Bravo.