Friday, Jan. 17
A Tidbit from Down Under -- It's just about time for Internet gambling to once again take its place as a hot topic of discussion among Australia's federal policymakers. The federal government this year is expected to review the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001, a bill prohibiting online casinos from offering their services to Australian citizens. The review will be carried out by the Department for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, which will be seeking submissions from industry and community groups in the near future. Australia' casinos are expected to lobby for the removal of the ban.
New Stuff -- Access Gaming Systems today announced the debut of Internet-based "Cote & Match" football betting in France. The fixed-odds draw game enables players to bet on the results of upcoming football matches by marking the win, loss or draw fields alongside each fixture. The game complements 12 instant lotto games already running on the French platform, which is operated by La Francaise des Jeux, the French National Lottery. . . . Magna Entertainment Corp. last week announced plans to launch a 24-hour cable channel offering horse racing coverage. The channel, HorseRacing TV, began broadcasting in July to paying subscribers on the Racetrack Television Network, but has not been available via cable. It will broadcast racing from 70 U.S. and Canadian tracks. . . . GoldenPalace.com announced today that it has commenced accepting the euro as a currency option in addition to the U.S. dollar. The company hopes the new feature will boost its European player base. "There is enormous potential for us in Europe, and now we can truly cater to the European market,” GP President and CEO Richard Rowe explained. "Golden Palace has always been at the forefront of the casino industry, and this is just another example of our continued dedication to our customers." Rowe also said players can "expect to see more big things from GoldenPalace.com in 2003."
A Tidbit from the Far East -- One of Malaysia's leaders is urging the country's government to amend state laws to cover illegal activity at cyber cafes, the country's Daily Express reports. Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Ismail said there's a need for "a comprehensive state law which covers all aspects of operating cyber cafes in order to curb criminal activities in such establishments." Ismail said he'd heard complaints from several parents about kids spending their pocket money on Internet games, including gambling-related games.
Super Bits -- Bookmakers worldwide have to be thrilled at the prospect of a competitive Super Bowl, especially after last year's game, which was expected to be a blowout. Intertops.com got the ball rolling this week by putting odds on the favorite to win the Super Bowl MVP award. The favorite coming out of the gate is Oakland Raiders QB Rich Gannon at 9/4. Meanwhile, the New York Post reports that BetWWTS.com of Antigua has expanded its Super Bowl betting menu beyond the activities on the field. The online sports book is offering an over/under bet for the percentage of U.S. homes that will tune in to this year's championship game. The magic number has been set at 41.5 percent. Last year's game drew a 40.4.
Jeeves -- Ask Jeeves, the popular search engine, recently released its list of top 25 searches for 2002, and "free online games" came in fourth. The top search term was "song lyrics," followed by "dictionary" and "halloween costumes."
Thursday, Jan. 16
News from Down Under -- A bevy of Australian newspapers reported today that the Australian Casino Association will probably ask the government to allow its members to offer online gambling to Australians. The country's 2001 law that prevents Australian companies from offering online gambling to Australians is up for review in a few months, as is required by the act.
New Stuff -- King Solomon's Casino has added a French-language casino site to its online gaming offerings. The site, www.roidescasinos.com, features 40 games including blackjack, poker, roulette and slots. King Solomon's said the number of its French-speaking customers has increased by 60 percent and includes 49 French-speaking countries and regions.
Legal Stuff -- Solvang, Calif.-based company i2corp said today that it has settled its legal dispute with Caribbean Online Ltd. , also known as DrHo.com. According to i2corp, Caribbean Online Ltd. has validated and licensed i2corp's patent for at-home gambling.
Names and Faces -- Paul A. Harvey has joined Virtgame Corp. 's board of advisors. Harvey, who is on the board of directors of the National Center for Responsible Gaming, is the former executive director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission. ... World Gaming plc said today that it is returning to in-house communications and has rehired Robert Grace as its director of corporate communications. Grace was last with the company from February 1999 to April 2001. The London-based company also said that David Craven, who had been suspended, was permanently let go. World Gaming noted that Craven feels he "has been unfairly dismissed, an allegation strongly denied by the company."
Wednesday, Jan. 15
Making Deals -- Rimpac Resources Ltd. said today it has signed an agreement with a group of 815 Internet cafes in Vietnam that will help facilitate sales of lottery tickets through its online lottery Web site, www.InternetLOTO.com. Thomas M. Johnson, president and CEO of Rimpac, said the affiliate cafes will help promote the lottery site as well.
Data Hub -- Buffalo Business First, a business publication serving western New York State, reports on a University of Buffalo gambling study today. The study, undertaken by the schools' Research Institute on Addictions, found that the number of Americans who say they have gambled in the past year increased to 82 percent this year from 63 percent in 1998. John Welte, a senior research scientist at the institute, said the country's gambling population is changing. "The growth of gambling opportunities throughout the country has been associated with a shift in the profile of the gambling population to become more female, older and less white," he said. "Gambling pathology or 'problem' gambling is still rather uncommon, but is becoming more prevalent among less affluent Americans."
News from Down Under -- An executive at Tabcorp said recently that he would be interested in expanding his company into the United Kingdom. Matthew Slater, the group's chief executive, said the deregulation of the gambling industry in the United Kingdom that is suggested in the Budd report makes it an attractive expansion ground. "The Budd report has been positive, and the U.K. government has been positive about implementing it," Slater said.
Tuesday, Jan. 14
Bit from the US -- The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority tried to buy an advertisement to run during the Super Bowl, but the National Football League turned it down, the Associated Press reported Monday. Brian McCarthy, spokesman for the NFL, said the organization will turn down any organization that is affiliated with gambling. "The league decided it was not in our best interest," he said."
Makin' Deals -- Chimera Technology Corp. 's subsidiary, 724Bingo.com, said today that it has entered an memorandum of understanding with Market System Inc. of Singapore. Market System will receive a non-exclusive license to Chimera's online gambling software, which includes bingo and a sports book. The deal is 724Bingo.com's first licensing agreement.
New Focus -- Feverpitch International, which had formerly offered person-to-person gambling software, recently announced a deal with KidiCorp, which manages more than 40 daycare centers for children in the upper North Island of New Zealand. Feverpitch is essentially purchasing the child care company for NZ $11.7 million worth of Feverpitch stock. Feverpitch Managing Director Derek Handley said the deal gives his company's investors the opportunity to gain from the "exciting developments that the Australian share market has seen recently in childcare."
Monday, Jan. 13
Names and Faces -- Australian gaming company Centrebet has appointed Mats Johnson as general manager. Johnson will focus on new marketing opportunities in Asia and Europe.
News from Asia -- The South China Morning Post is reporting that 3,000 people recently protested the government's plan to make soccer betting legal in the SAR. The protesters included religious leaders who fear the plan will entice children to bet. The government, however, believes that soccer betting will increase money brought in from taxes and discourage illegal gambling.
Bit from the UK -- Camelot said today that it has signed a letter of intent with La Francaise de Jeux, the operator of the French lottery, as well as Loterias y Apuestas del Estado, the Spanish lottery operator. Camelot, the operator of the United Kingdom's National Lottery, is planning a pan-European lottery called Euromillions that will launch in 2004.
Deadline for Excellence -- The Responsible Gaming Council said today that its deadline for submissions for its 2003 Excellence in Achievement Awards is Jan. 31 at 5 p.m. EST. The awards recognize the achievements of people who work in problem gambling in the following areas: community service, gambling industry programs, public policy, research, youth initiatives and international initiatives.