888 IPO -- A spokesperson for HSBC Holdings, the manager of 888 Holdings' initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange, told Reuters that "The book was well covered last week. We expect to close the book probably Tuesday evening or Wednesday and it will be priced on Wednesday afternoon." Roger Jones, a UK fund manager at F&C Asset Management who speculated on what this means, stated, "My guess is that 'well covered' means two to three times. The fact that they have brought forward the date shows they don't have any problems selling it."
Match Fixing -- Brazilian football has been rocked by the arrest of referee Edilson Periera de Carvalho, who allegedly accepted bribes from an Internet betting ring in order to influence games. Brazilian police secretly recorded some of Carvelho's conversations and claim that he would receive instructions—often moments before kickoff—on which team to favor in First Division matches. Carvalho has been suspended by Brazilian football authorities, who have also asked FIFA to suspend his status as an international referee. Carvalho has officiated 11 First Division matches this year, and at least eight of them are under suspicion and may have to be replayed. Another referee, Paulo Jose Danelon, who officiated four second division games, has also been suspended for similar allegations.
Quoteworthy -- "I really enjoyed showing these City boys how to play poker. I'm sure they are great at their day jobs but they sure have a lot to learn about Texas Hold'em! I'd be happy to take them on anytime at Paradise Poker.com."
--Supermodel Caprice, ambassador for ParadisePoker.com. Last Thursday ParadisePoker, which is owned by Sportingbet, co-hosted a poker tournament with financial firm Investec at the Gutshot Poker Club for over 100 members of London's financial community including top managers, bankers and brokers. The top four finishers from the event now go forward to a Paradise Grand Final where they could win at seat at next years World Series of Poker in Las Vegas worth $10,000.
Launches and Upgrades -- Over the next two weeks, Phantom Fiber will deploy its newly released wireless horse racing products at BetCris.com, 2BetDSI.com, Tradewinds.co.cr, Regency.co.cr, GGC.co.cr, ExtremeLines.co.cr and Badlands.co.cr. Phantom has incorporated several new features into its technology platform, and will deploy the enhancements to its licensees.
New Entry? -- Video game software developer Bits Corp Plc, which recently reported a drop in profit for its latest financial year, stated in its financial report that it is now actively pursuing ventures in online gambling. The company's top game titles include Constantine- the video game, Rogue Ops and Die Hard Vendetta.
Welcome Aboard -- Sportech's board of directors has appointed Ian Penrose as its CEO to take over for Roger Withers who has been acting in an interim capacity as the company's managing director since November 2004. Penrose's most previous employment was serving as managing director and then CEO of Arena Leisure. During Penrose's time at Arena Leisure, the company established the At the Races joint venture with BSkyB and UK racecourses. Sportech, operator of the Littlewoods and Zetters brands, today reported a decline in pre-tax profit to £5.2 million for the first six months of 2005, compared to £6.0 million during the first half of 2004. Revenue at Littlewoods' and Zetters' pools operations has fallen by 15 percent during the first half of the year, and Sportech expects a similar decline in the second half.
Poker at College -- SUBtv, which broadcasts in 115 student unions across the UK, has signed a deal with Titan Poker to launch a new gambling site aimed at students. Titan will provide the poker software and technology, and SUBtv will promote and arrange online tournaments beginning in October that will lead up to a final tournament at the end of the year.
Sponsorships -- Supermodel Kate Moss, whose contracts with Chanel, Burberry and H&M were dropped after pictures of her supposedly snorting cocaine were leaked to the public, has been offered a $5 million contract to become the "superspokesperson" for online gaming company Nine.com… Unibet Group Plc has decided to sponsor the former MrBookmaker.com cycling team and rename it the Unibet Cycling Team. The company will invest around 3.5 million euro in the team during 2006 and 2007, with an option for an additional two years.
Quickies -- Poker professionals Mike Caro—"The Mad Genius of Poker"—and Phil "Unabomber" Laak have joined Bluff Magazine as columnists… eGaming Review speculates that Austria-based BetandWin might pitch a bid to acquire Gaming VC. Both companies do most of their business in Germany, and the casino sites of both operations use software from Boss Media… Costa Rica-based Sportbet.com has introduced in-game sports betting for the 2005-2006 NFL and NCAA football seasons.