Racing MOU -- Betfair has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Horseracing Authority of South Africa similar to the one the betting exchange has signed with the UK Jockey Club, the International Cricket Council, the English Football Association, the Association of Tennis Professionals, the Darts Regulation Authority and Cricket Australia. Like all the other memorandums, this one states that Betfair will provide betting-related information to the Horseracing Authority in instances where corrupt betting is reasonably suspected.
U.S. Exchange? -- Chris Scherf, Vice President of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations, on Wednesday suggested to the International Simulcast Conference that racetracks in North America consider the possibility of uniting to create their own betting exchange as an extension of pari-mutuel wagering in order to supply more revenue and to ward off overseas exchange operators. Scherf's main concern is that if offshore-based exchanges were to become very popular with American punters, the exchange operators could end up offering very little, if any, revenue back to racing. Rather than futiley attempting to bar exchange wagering, Sherf said, "I would suggest we stop and look at it and figure out how to make a win-win situation for us all."
GP Skill Games -- Golden Palace has signed a deal with CES Software Plc to offer online pay-per-play and subscription-based skill games through CES' subsidiary SkillJam Technologies. Lorne Abony, CEO of CES says that skill gaming and casino sectors are highly complementary, while Golden Palace's CEO Richard Rowe explains that his company chose CES as its skill gaming partner because of its "tournament closing time, number of tournaments served, payout size, and jackpot size."
No P2P Commission -- A new Gibraltar-based betting site launched this week, MANSION.com, promises punters absolutely free person-to-person betting on the MANSION betting exchange. In addition to offering a betting exchange free from fees and commissions on bets, MANSION also provides a sportsbook that boasts some of the highest betting limits in the industry, including up to $36,000 bets on Premiership football and the NFL. MANSION's management team is lead by Managing Director David Dent, Head of Marketing Ashley Lange, (both of whom were partners at I-gaming consulting company Green Room Media), and Head of Betting Operations Michael Tomeny, formerly managing director of Canbet Sportsbook.
Gambling Charts -- A new website at www.online-gambling-charts.com provides an online casino ratings system that give visitors the opportunity to cast votes for or against an online casino or poker operation. The site is project undertaken by Online Gambling Forums (www.online-gambling-forums).