Not Interested in Jail -- World Gaming Chairman James Grossman and non-executive director Clare Roberts have both resigned from the online gaming group on fears they will be arrested in the United States, the Telegraph reported today. This summer's arrests of David Carruthers and Peter Dicks have prompted some in the industry to change travel plans, avoiding the United States unless absolutely necessary. Both Grossman and Roberts are practicing attorneys in the United States outside their work for World Gaming; Grossman is also an adviser to the U.S. government. Roberts is a former attorney general of Antigua. Prior to Dicks' arrest, World Gaming was in talks over a possible all-share takeover by Sportingbet, but Sportingbet shares collapsed after the arrest.
Man U Launch -- Online gaming company Betfred has officially launched the Manchester United online gaming portal, which includes casino and poker sites endorsed and co-branded by Manchester United and Betfred. The new sites, which utilize a high level of graphics and technology from Playtech, are themed and based around the Manchester United football club.
Opportunistic -- BetonSports is claiming that a rival company is trying to cash in on its legal woes in the United States by sending unsolicited e-mails to former BoScustomers offering discounted promotional betting opportunities. BoS has promised to comply with a court order to return money held on account to U.S. customers. The company believes contact details for its customer database have been illegally sold to rival operators, including BetMaker.com, which also offers sports betting to U.S. customers via Internet or toll-free phone service. BetMaker has also been linked to U.K. bookmaker Sportingbet, whose former chairman, Peter Dicks, has been charged with alleged violations of the gambling laws in the state of Louisiana. Sportingbet, which acquired BetMaker in 2000, said on Sunday that it no longer has anything to do with its operations.
VC Mobile -- U.K. mobile gaming company Probability plc and Gibraltar-based online gaming company Victor Chandler International have joined forces to launch VC Mobile casino and slots games. Probability's mobile games suite features games like as roulette, blackjack, video poker and slot machines, including several with progressive jackpots.
Closing Deals -- Internet casino software provider Net Entertainment has closed contracts with four new operators for delivery of its CasinoModule product, which will enable the licensees to expand their product offerings to include casino-related gaming. The new operators are European sports betting site Bets4All, which has a primary focus on the German-speaking market; Bettingstar24, a Malta-based sports betting site focused primarily on the German and Austrian markets; Nova Lusus, a Scandinavian-facing lotteries site and Playbanks, a sports betting site aimed at the Northern European market.
Stateless Forum -- The Australian Jockey Club held a wagering forum today attended by every major player in the New South Wales wagering industry except the state's governing body, Racing NSW, according to Thoroughbred News. Attendees, including Andrew Twaits, director of corporate and business affairs for Betfair; Michael Sullivan, managing director of Sportingbet and Elmer Funke Kupper, CEO of Tabcorp's Australian Business, discussed the state of NSW racing and the decline of recent wagering in the area, and operators called for the Victorian system of thoroughbred governance to be adopted in New South Wales. Both Twaits and Sullivan expressed their organizations' willingness to contribute to racing in NSW through formulas for product fees, just as they do in Victoria. Kupper said that despite Tabcorp's position as an industry leader, it must do better as a customer focus organization, improve its Internet wagering business and face up to the fact that new media is blurring state boundaries from both a regulatory and business aspect. He also said that there would be a "'tremendous upside" to growth for Tabcorp in the NSW wagering market. "Both bookmakers and Betfair are here to stay and as a company and industry we have to deal with it and compete," he said. "Time is running out for us and it is not just good enough to be the biggest; we must be leaders."