Mobile Lotto in Brazil -- ROK Corporation, a British provider of mobile content, and Fingerprint, a lottery products provider for several state lotteries in Brazil, have jointly formed a company called ROK Brazil Technologies that will create and operate an SMS-based mobile phone lottery in Brazil. ROK will supply the lottery's technology and gaming engine, while Fingerprint will supply business administration and implementation of the partnership in Brazil. ROK will also supply the new company a wide array of content--including ring tones, real tones, wallpapers, logos, Java games, film clips and animations--that can be downloaded from a new Web site to launch later in the year.
Virtual Racing -- Mobile gaming software firm m-connected has launched an on-demand virtual horseracing game called "V-Bet Mobile." Players can view complete virtual races on their handsets and bet on the action.
Apprentice Leak -- BetWWTS.com has stopped taking bets on season two of NBC's "The Apprentice" due to suspicious betting behavior coming from customers in New Hampshire. This marks the fourth time the Antigua-based sports book has suspended betting on a reality TV series. The company's wagering director, Stuart Doyle, said, "We are considering not offering betting on reality shows that have been pre-taped. It simply seems impossible not to have to suspend them very quickly." Several $300 bets--the maximum--have been placed on two contestants: Jennifer Massey, a 30-year-old lawyer from San Francisco, and Kelly Perdew, a 37-year-old software executive from Carlsbad, California. The second season of the Apprentice was filmed early in the summer of 2004, but two competitors remain in the competition. The winner won't be declared until the live season finale this fall.
Poker Compliance -- eCOGRA (eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance), an organization that evaluates and monitors online casinos, announced that it will introduce a set of generally accepted practices for online poker rooms and then award seals of approval to poker rooms that meet the highest standards. As with eCOGRA-approved online casinos, the poker rooms will undergo compliance inspections from an audit panel composed of global firms such as PricewaterhouseCoopers to ensure that that they deliver fast and efficient payouts, effective player dispute procedures, fair gaming tenets, efficient customer support and operator probity.
Philippine Bust -- Newspapers in the Philippines are reporting this week that a number of Internet cafes in at least two cities have been shut down because the operations were actually more like e-casinos than Internet cafes. In Pasig City, where the municipality's council has banned all forms of gambling, the E-Casino Filipino was closed for violating city ordinances. Customers at E-Casino purchased Internet cards to play online games and redeemed the cards for cash when they won money. Several Internet cafes in the city also reportedly faced prosecutions. Three similar establishments in Quezon City were ordered to close this week, and last month four Sports and Games Entertainment Corporation (SAGE) facilities were shut down for operating without the necessary permits and licenses.