Virtual Gaming Gives William Hill Optimism for 2004
William Hill, Britain's No. 2 bookmaker, expressed a positive outlook for 2004 last week following the successful implementation of interactive gaming options at many of its betting shops.
The introduction of games like virtual horseracing in 2003 helped drive profits up toward the high end of analysts' expectations.
The company, which runs about 1,600 betting shops and offers telephone and on-line gambling, said profits had risen in all three of its divisions.
"The group had an excellent trading year. We look forward to further progress in 2004," Chief Executive David Harding said.
Britain's betting shops have been benefiting from a relaxation of gaming laws, and were given a particular boost in November when the government allowed them to continue running fixed-odds betting terminals.
The terminals, which offer games such as virtual roulette, have driven profits at bookmakers in recent years.
TABCORP Defends Decision to Increase Minimum Bet
TABCOPR, the Australia-based interactive betting operator, came under fire last week after announcing it was raising the minimum bet for operator-assisted telephone wagers.
Starting in February, punters who use a telephone operator to place a bet will be required to wager at least $10, up from the old minimum of $5.
TABCORP'S Bruce Tobin said punters can still wager less through the company using other means.
"They may go to the Internet, they may go to touch tone, they may go to voice recognition, which means there will be fewer people betting at that $10 limit, making a faster service, less people in the queue for those that do want to bet $10 or more will get on faster."
Australian Regulators Target Problem Gambling
The Australian federal government is trying to institute a plan aimed at curbing problem gambling.
Under the proposal, state and territory governments will be required to meet harm-minimization benchmarks. The plan, delivered this month to the Council Of Australian Governments, will require each government to outline measures it has taken to address the problem.
After every state and territory has provided the information, it will be released to the public.
Family and Community Services Minister Kay Patterson said gaming ministers had agreed to the plan, due to begin later this year. The Family and Community Services Department says 2 percent of the adult population suffers from problem gambling.
Betfair Inks Deal with UK Broadcaster
The world's leading P2P betting exchange, Betfair, this month signed a sponsorship deal with U.K.-based sports broadcaster North American Sports Network.
The agreement makes Betfair the exclusive sponsor to NASN's road to the Super Bowl coverage. Betfair customers can take advantage of a free trial subscription to the network and other Internet promotions geared toward the Super Bowl as part of the deal.
Paddy Power to Launch Online Casino
Irish bookmaker Paddy Power has announced plans to launch a virtual casino to by the end of the month. The casino will be accessible through Paddy Power's existing site and will offer roulette, blackjack and slots. It will be based and licensed in Alderney.
The company hopes the venture will enable it to compete with British betting giants Ladbrokes, Coral and William Hill, all of which already have online casinos. Its Internet division handled 93 million euro worth of bets in the first half of last year.
Sunday Times reported that Paddy Power is also moving its London-based phone betting operation to the Isle of Man for the purpose of avoiding British betting taxes.
Betfair Hires Public Affairs Officer
With deregulation and levy changes on the horizon in the United Kingdom, Betfair has appointed Andrew Silverman fulltime public affairs representative.
Silverman will work alongside Mark Davies, the group's director of communications.
Davies will be in Australia for the next 10 months to work with regulators there and expand Betfair's business.
BetWWTS Launches Chinese Site
BetWWTS last month announced plans to expand its market share among Asian punters by launching both simplified and traditional Chinese versions of its online sports book. The site will also provide complete call-center support in both Mandarin and Cantonese.
The new site offers full Asian handicaps on European soccer and on all major league sports, including the NBA, to cater to the preferences of the local Asian betting market.
China is second only to the United States in terms of the number of Internet users and anticipates becoming the biggest market within four years, according to a study by the Internet Society of China.
Hill Challenges Easibet.net License
William Hill is reportedly mounting a judicial review of the decision to grant a betting shop license to Easibet.net.
Easibet.net plans to open an Internet betting exchange shop in Glasgow this year; the group opened a betting exchange shop in Scotland in 2003.
Under the business plan, Easibet doesn't accept bets itself, but provides the facilities for customers to bet against other punters around the world.
Easibet.net offers higher odds, but then takes a commission for itself from customer's winnings. Betfair powers the Easibet.net betting exchange.