Wembley -- Lincoln Park and its CEO, Nick Bucci, as well Nigel Potter, CEO of Wembley, appeared in court yesterday and pled not-guilty to charges of allegedly bribing a law firm to obtain approval of additional slot machines and to block a rival casino. Bucci was released on $50,000 bail and Potter was released on $100,000, while the company also had to pay $100,000.
Internet Stadium -- Toshiba, systems integrator Wireless Workplace and the British Football League are negotiating a deal that would equip 72 football club stadiums with Wi-Fi Internet access that can be used anywhere in the stadium, from the bleachers to the executive boxes. Reading FC and Nottingham Forest FC have already been set up as test sites, and installation should be complete in all clubs by January.
Quoteqworthy -- "The business isn't going away and the demand is growing at an exponential rate but the supply in terms of competition has diminished." -- Andrew Burnett, gaming analyst at Merrill Lynch. Burnett was explaining to the Financial Times that high-profile companies are becoming increasingly profitable as a result of several companies falling out of the interactive gaming industry.
Dealing -- GTECH Corp. has extended its deal with Dansk Tipstjeneste A/S, the operator of Denmark's national lottery, for two more years. GTECH, which has provided online lottery equipment and services to Dansk Tipstjeneste since 1989, will continue to provide support, maintenance and repair through Aug. 31, 2005. . . . Stanley Leisure has become the latest company to offerGlobal Interactive Gaming Limited's SportXction play-by-play betting software. The agreement between the companies is for an initial 12-month period and states that GIG will provide and operate the technology and Stanley Leisure will market it, provide customer support and process customer transactions. Interactive Systems Worldwide, Inc., GIG's parent company, has recently launched a new Web site at www.isw.com.
Free Games -- Casino de Castilla-León has signed a deal with Cirsa Interactive to offer Cirsagames' casino suite to new customers of its casino. Gamers can play casino games for free on a series of touch screen terminals that are connected to a central server. The system is designed for newcomers who are unfamiliar with traditional casino games and would like to learn the basic rules before placing a bet.
'Bowmans' not 'Bowman' -- Since the recent closure of the Bowmans land-based sports betting services, the online operation bearing the "Bowman" name, Bowman International Sports Ltd., has been inundated with "What the heck?" e-mails and phone calls from concerned and confused customers. To set the record straight, the online sports book is a separate entity, which remains fully operational.