News from Down Under -- Australian online gaming company eBet Ltd. is purchasing Paecu Pty. Ltd. , which operates Turbo Bonus, the country's largest maker of card-oriented gambling loyalty systems. eBet
will pay AU$6 million in cash for the company and its assets. eBet will fund the purchase with an AU$8 million convertible note issue.
UK Bit -- The Ritz Club London online casino has a unique marketing advantage in its affiliation with the The Ritz Hotel. This week, the online casino is embarking on an e-mail marketing campaign in which 250,000 users of the site will be given a chance to win a weekend at the hotel.
New Stuff -- attheraces is gearing up to launch interactive television betting by the end of October. The venture, which is supported by BSkyB, Channel 4 and Arena Leisure, went live last year, and the television channel started in May. The interactive betting launch is being timed to begin at the same time as Channel 4's program, "Lunchtime at the Races."
What Others Are Saying -- Kansas City Star columnist Rick Alm addressed the plight of an online gamer claiming his Betonsports.com account wasn't credited to reflect his winnings. After Alm intervened on the part of the player, Betonsports found that it had made a mistake. Later in the column, Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon is quoted as calling Internet gambling "not an easy wildfire to stamp out."