Lotteries Succeed in Korea
Koreans love lotteries, according to Lottery Insider, which reports that free lottery sites are attracting players there in large numbers, despite the slim chance of actually winning. Among the most popular sites are Joyluck.co.kr, which has reportedly signed on 370,000 members since launching last August. The site receives about 1 million hits per day, with players competing to win one of four monetary prizes of 500,000 won, 1.5 million won, 3 million won or 20 million won. So far, only three players have hit the grand prize.
Shamrocks and Punters
Irish punters are betting with bookmakers more this year than last, says The Irish Times. According to the
paper, punters have spent 35 percent more on bets during the first half of 2000 than they did during the same time last year. During this time, Irish bookmakers brought in a record £450 million, and paid £22 million in duty as a result. During the same time last year bookmakers in Ireland only earned £334 million. It's estimated that by this year's end, Irish punters will wager a whopping £1 billion. A Revenue Commissioner's spokesman attributes the wagering increase to several factors, including Ireland's strong economy, the overall growth of gambling, and the cut in Ireland's betting duty last year from 10 percent to five percent.
Somebody's Got E-mail
Quit complaining about the number of e-mails you're receiving. After all, research firm IDC estimates that there are nearly 10 billion e-mails sent daily. If that amount doesn't boggle your mind, then get ready for even more. By 2005, IDC predicts a staggering increase to 35 billion e-mails being sent every single day. The author of one article reporting on the vast number of e-mails sent broke down current figures this way: With an estimated world population of 6 billion, current e-mail rates mean every person should be receiving at least one e-mail per day. In other words, you're not the only one who's got mail!
WWW and the World
Internet usage and e-commerce continues to grow and change around the world, according to various sources. One report from the United States Internet Council says that Internet use outside the United States may be rising much faster than previously thought. "The growth in the number of non-English-speaking Web sites, combined with rapidly rising number of Internet users in Asia and Europe, is transforming the Internet from an American-dominated medium to a true international communications backbone," said Bill Myers, CEO of the council. "Although English-speaking users in North America continue to be the largest single block of the online population, already there appear to be at least 15 million more users in Asia and Europe combined," Myers added.
Building upon the 1999 State of the Internet Report that tracked trends in the growth of e-mail use, radio content on the web, and both business-to-business and business-to-consumer e-commerce, this year's report also discusses efforts in Europe to proliferate cell phones as both a primary voice and Internet communications device. Copies of the 2000 report may be accessed at the group's web site at http://www.usinternetcouncil.org or from the web site of International Technology and Trade Associates at http://www.itta.com.
Meanwhile, an article from NewsEdge Corporation says that web-capable phone usage in Thailand is set to increase 100 percent this year. This growth comes despite the fact that only 3.1 of Thailand's 1.9 million citizens actually own a WAP-capable phone.
E-Commerce Times discusses the need for e-tailers to understand China's regional differences for
success in that country. After taking a look at Greater e-China Insights, a report jointly published by Cheskin Research and Chinadotcom Corporation, the E-Commerce Times suggests that China's large
population - estimated at 1.3 billion - is likely to have a large impact on online retail sales. "With China's
imminent acceptance into the World Trade Organization, a giant barrier to global trade is about to fall. U.S.
companies will now have an historic opportunity to participate in the growth and development of China's
Internet and telecommunications industry," a Cheskin spokesman said. "Now that the doors are open, the next step will be to thoroughly understand the 17 million current online users in mainland China who are behind these doors. The Chinese are not one homogeneous group, but differ greatly across geographic regions."
Another Internet story comes from the U.K. Tiny Scotland is home to more companies trading online
(defined as "either the company or its customers are ordering and making payments online") than any other
nation, Ananova reports. So far, 29 percent of all Scottish companies are trading online, higher than the 27
percent reported for the entire U.K. Further, 79 percent of Scottish businesses have established themselves
online, up from only 60 percent last year.
More and More Cybercrime Reported
Corporate cybercrime is a growing problem, according to an article in Computer User, despite companies
increasing expenditure on security technology. A survey by Information Security magazine found that the
number of American firms spending more than $1 million a year on IT security has nearly doubled in the past year. "Companies are starting to sit up and take notice of the fact that there's more to IT security than antivirus software and firewalls, and they probably need to do more," explained Lawrence Walsh, managing editor of Information Security.
Although companies have increased security spending 188 percent over the past two years, Information
Security found that security breaches, from both inside and outside the company, is on the rise as more
hackers and careless employees cause problems. A complete copy of the survey is available in PDF format at www.infosecuritymag.com.