Hoyzer Update
Judge Gerti Kramer has delivered a prison sentence of two years and five months to German referee Robert Hoyzer for Hoyzer's central role in a football match-fixing scandal despite prosecutors rewarding his cooperation throughout the legal process by seeking only a suspended sentence. The term should give him ample time to write a book about his exploits, which he told the court he would do. Referee Dominick Marks received a suspended sentence of one year and six months for his role in the scandal, while Ante Sapina, the man who placed wagers on the fixed matches, received a sentence of two years and 11 months. Sapina's brothers, Filip and Milan Sapina, were also convicted for assisting criminal activity. (Filip received a suspended sentence of one year, while Milan received a sentence of one year and four months.) Separate proceedings continue against former player Steffan Karl in connection to the scam, and prosecutors are still investigating 19 additional players and officials suspected of being involved.
Ironically, the German bookmakers--whom prosecutors say paid out more than £1.3 million to Hoyzer's betting ring--had taken bets on the outcome of the trial and are believed to have made a great profit.
AFL Cooperation
The Australian Football League in late October entered into separate agreements with Tabcorp and Betfair, allowing each company to market and brand itself with the AFL trademark. Both companies will pay AU$1 million in license fees each year and will provide the AFL with betting data information.
The Victorian state government has reportedly written a letter to the AFL to express its concerns that encouraging the use of Betfair could lead to corruption within the sport. The AFL's general manager, Gillon McLachlan, said the league would be happy to meet with the government, although he disagrees that the sport would face any increased integrity risks if betting exchanges were licensed. "If, for example, you back Carlton when they're playing Collingwood, then you're already betting on one party to lose. So the integrity is not really relevant for our sport," McLachlan said. At any rate, the AFL's deal with Betfair contains an element that is similar to memorandums of understanding that Betfair has signed with other international sports organizations, permitting them to access betting information when necessary for an investigation.
Bookmakers Hurt by British Racing Results
Bookmakers William Hill, Ladbrokes, Paddy Power and UKbetting all issued warnings Friday that profits won't meet expectations due to poor racing results. The bookmakers have been battered by a racing season filled with many meetings in which the favorites have won. Meetings at Epsom and Aintree took their toll earlier this year, then as the books where finally beginning to recover, Keiron Fallon rode three winners at the Arc de Triomphe meeting, and recently punters had huge success at Cheltenham.
Some analysts, however, are suggesting that the poor results can be attributed to more than just punters' luck. At least two investment banks, Bridgewell Securities and Morgan Stanley, published reports placing at least part of the blame on "structural" issues. Specifically, the banks believe the off-course bookmakers are performing poorly because they get their starting prices from on-course bookies. The on-course prices may not be accurate because they are affected by betting exchanges. (On-course bookies use the exchanges to hedge their risk.) Spokespersons from both William Hill and Ladbrokes have indicated that they might develop their own starting prices and hedge their bets with betting exchanges.
Gamebookers Develops Russian Presence
Online bookmaker Gamebookers says it has launched a Russian language version of its Web site because of explosive growth in the region in the last six months, and the company says it expects its volumes there to double as a result of the launch. Gamebookers will advertise the site through various partnerships and sponsorship deals, including signage at St. Petersburg's game at Reebok stadium against Bolton in the UEFA Cup.
UK Football Club Launches Online Casino
The West Ham United football club has launched an online casino at Hammerscasino.com. Using software supplied by Playtech, the site features a graphic interface that places gamblers in a virtual stadium through which they can navigate to play 70 traditional gambling games.
Mobile SportXction through Betdirect
Littlewoods Betdirect and Interactive Systems Worldwide Inc. (ISWI) have extended their agreement to launch ISWI's SportXction play-by-play sports wagering platform on Betdirect's Internet site by signing a deal to also launch the product on Betdirect's mobile site. The site will be accessible to punters with mobile devices that support WAP and Java technologies.
ESPN Is Bluffing
Bluff Magazine has signed a deal to provide poker-related content and information to the Poker Club section of ESPN.com. Bluff will contribute columns, tips, lifestyle stories and live tournament updates as well as information, profiles and ratings of poker professionals.