Party Gaming Sponsors Grand Prix Series
PartyGaming on Monday signed a sponsorship deal with Benfield Sports International (BSI), rights holders of the world championship FIM Speedway Grand Prix Series (SGP). Using the PartyPoker.com name, Party will be the brand sponsor of the 2007 SGP Series and the title sponsor of three of the eleven Grand Prix rounds. The events will be officially referred to as The FIM PartyPoker.com Swedish Speedway Grand Prix; The FIM Party Poker.com Slovenian Speedway Grand Prix and the FIM PartyPoker.com Czech Republic Speedway Grand Prix. The terms of the agreement have not been released.
Bwin Severing Ties with Germany?
Austrian sports betting operator bwin has cut its marketing budget in Germany by almost 40 million euros ($52.9 million) this year in light of the problems with Germany's political and legal authorities. Its 2006 budget in the region amounted to around 64 million euros ($84.6 million), the main recipients having been football and other sports clubs. But at the end of 2006, heads of regional governments in Germany established a state monopoly on sports betting and gaming through the end of 2011.
In other news, the company on Feb. 14 announced a sponsorship contract with Spanish football club Real Madrid worth 75 million euros ($99.2 million).
Tattersall's Approved for Talarius Takeover
Australian gaming firm Tattersall's on Feb. 1 said all conditions for the acquisition of U.K. gaming firm Talarius plc have been satisfied, after approval by a U.K. court. Talarius is being acquired by European Gaming Ltd. (EGL), a joint venture between Tattersall's and Macquarie Bank Ltd. EGL shareholders in January accepted the $353 million takeover offer.
Lottery Privatization Opens Market for Intralot
Greece-based Intralot has announced plans for international expansion, which may expand include the United States, thanks to possible privatization of lotteries. Intralot, in partnership with unnamed major world banks, has reportedly expressed interest in bidding for Indiana's state lottery, which recently went up for sale, and the Illinois state lottery, which is expected to go up for sale soon. Internationally, Intralot will soon be launching a sports betting system in Spain following the country's liberalization of the gaming market. But Intralot's immediate goals include the expansion to the Asian market, in which Intralot has significant presence.
UIGEA Can't Keep Bettors Away on Super Bowl Sunday
USA Today reported that an estimated $8 billion was wagered on the Super Bowl this year via illegal U.S. sources, such as back-street and offshore bookmakers and Internet operators. The figure vastly outweighs the $93 million in bets that were made through bookmakers in the state of Nevada, where sports betting is legal.
Sportech Expects Positive Results
The decline in football pools players has slowed dramatically, said Liverpool-based operator Sportech on Feb. 1. Sportech, which runs Littlewoods Gaming, said customer decline has slowed to single digit levels while the direct business (allowing players to file entries online) has seen an "absolute halt" in customer decline. Furthermore, the company said in a trading update on Feb 1. that financial results for the year to Jan. 5 would be in line with market expectations. Operating profits should come in at around £18.4 million, the company said. Full results will be released on March 29.