Alderney's First -- British gaming group Gala Coral is the first recipient of Alderney's new e-gambling license. The Alderney Gambling Control Commission announced in July that it had revised and updated its regulatory framework, which now gives operators greater flexibility, as it doesn't restrict the type and number of gambling activities an operator can run under the license. With the addition of Gala Coral, the commission has a total of 20 full e-gambling licenses and five associate certificates in issue.
3,000 Gambler March -- The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) "Phone March" on Washington last week yielded more than 3,000 phone calls to the offices of U.S. senators. The PPA asked members and concerned citizens to call their senators' offices to voice their opinions on the Internet Gambling Prohibition and Enforcement Act (H.R. 4411), which passed in the House of Representatives in July. "We hope that the Senate will take a more enlightened approach to online poker," PPA Executive Director Michael Bolcerek said. "Rather than prohibiting the game, Congress must work towards regulation to ensure the security of online sites while upholding the rights of their constituents to play the game they love."
Playtech and Technology -- Online gaming software provider Playtech Cyprus Ltd. announced today the signing of a licensing agreement with Internet and multimedia company 1st Technology LLC. The agreement gives Playtech access to 1st Technology's core multimedia patents applied to advanced online gaming products. The patents, developed by multimedia pioneer Dr. Scott Lewis, CEO of 1st Technology, are targeted at providing enhanced interactivity and optimized delivery of high-quality multimedia information over networks of various bandwidths, including narrowband and broadband telephone, cable and wireless Internet.
Resignation -- Online gaming software developer CryptoLogic Inc. announced today that Edward Greenspan has resigned as a director of the board of the company. Greenspan said his ample workload associated with his law practice no longer permits him to devote the time and attention to serve fully as a director of CryptoLogic.
Squeaky Clean -- Vietnamese police are calling 2006 the cleanest year yet for the country's scandal-ridden soccer league, thanks to a campaign to end match fixing, local reported on Thursday. Police said that in the last year, they busted 334 cases of illegal gambling, which led to 1,554 arrests across 39 of the country's 64 provinces. The busts brought in cash and assets worth 3.5 billion dong (US$219,000), including 160 motorcycles, 13 cars, 382 mobile phones and 54 computers, police said. Gambling is illegal in Vietnam, although the government recently announced it may legalize soccer betting by the middle of 2007.
Stock Watch -- U.K. gaming company Stanley Leisure, which last week agreed to a takeover bid by Malaysian gaming group Genting Bhd, fell 7p today to 867, while Playtech, which announced a patent licensing deal with multimedia company 1st Technology, gained 8p to 248. Other movers included Neteller, which gained 17p to 349, and Fireone Group, which dropped 11.82p to 180.18.