Advising -- The Financial Times reports that PartyGaming is believed to have appointed Deutsche Bank to advise on the potential purchase of Empire Online, a marketing firm that drives an estimated 9 percent of the entire global online poker market to PartyGaming's PartyPoker.com. Empire received a £700 million offer on Sept. 2 from online gaming company Sportingbet, and if Sportingbet were to acquire Empire, it might be able to redirect the players to its own site, ParadisePoker.com. Among Deutsche Bank's accomplishments in the I-gaming sector is running William Hill's initial public offering two years ago and the representation of Gala's shareholders when they recently sold a 30 percent stake in the company to private equity firm Permira. FT reports that Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, the bank that handled PartyGaming' IPO, is now advising Sportingbet, but will continue to act as a joint-advisor to PartyGaming. Sportingbet has also recruited the assistance of Investec.
Compulsion Controls -- The Jackpot Factory Group, which operates All Slots Casino, All Jackpots Casino, First Web Casino and Wild Jack Casino and Poker, has implemented the responsible gaming program guidelines formulated by eCOGRA (eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance). All of the Jackpot Factory Group's casinos provide advice on how to gamble responsibly and how to detect potential gambling problems. Customers can also take a confidential diagnostic test from the National Opinion Research Center of the University of Chicago to determine whether they have symptoms of gambling addiction.
Superheroes -- I-gaming software provider CyrptoLogic Inc. says it will soon release a series of Marvel superheroes-themed slot machine games as part of an exclusive multiyear licensing agreement signed in late 2004 with Marvel Enterprises. The first set of five 9-line progressive jackpot video slot games feature The Hulk, Daredevil, The X-Men, Blade and The Punisher and offer multi-stage, interactive bonus levels with three separate jackpots available.
Ontario Stats -- The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto has published a population study called "Internet Gambling Among Ontario Adults," which examines the prevalence of Internet gambling among adults in Ontario. Data for the study was collected from 2000 and 2003 and shows that 5.3 percent of adults reported gambling over the Internet in 2000. The percentage declined to 3.2 percent in 2001 before climbing to 6.8 percent in 2002 and 6.6 percent in 2003. The survey found that 8.2 percent of adults aged 18-34 gambled online, while the percentage was significantly lower for older age groups (4.6 percent for ages 35-54 and 3.9 percent for ages 55+).
3D Poker Platform -- This fall will see the launch of StacksPoker.com, a site that promises to improve the online poker experience by integrating video game technology and graphics, thereby offering a visually stunning and animated three-dimensional table. Players will choose whether they want to run the three-dimensional table view or the classic overhead two-dimensional table. A teaser trailer of the software is available on the StacksPoker Web site, which is operated by CTT Group Enterprises.
Regional WPTs -- WPT Enterprises has signed deals with ABS-CBN Broadcasting Crop in the Philippines and Aidan Tracey in Canada that will create regional World Poker Tour tournament events in casinos in each of the respective countries beginning in 2006. ABS-CBN will create and exclusively air four episodes of the regional World Poker Tour in the first year of the contract, while Aidan Tracey--a marketing, promoting and sponsorship firm--will develop, stage and market a regional tour in Canada. The World Poker Tour television series is broadcast in 116 countries and territories around the world. WPT Enterprises anticipates licensing additional regional tours.
Two Way TV deal -- Interactive media firm Two Way TV Australia Ltd. has signed a deal allowing it to operate interactive competitions using mobile phone-to-TV technology on Asia Television Ltd.'s "Kick Off Hot Talk" football program, which should catch an estimated US$130,000 to $330,000 in revenue. More importantly, the agreement could lead to more deals in Asia. Two Way TV Australia already provides subscription games channels on pay TV providers Foxtel and Austar, and its interactive racing product has been integrated into Tabcorp's NSW wagering system. The racing product's integration into the Victorian wagering system is now underway.