Friday, Oct. 17
Poker Tourney -- Poker School Online, which teaches players the game of poker via Internet lessons, tests, and articles, has announced the dates and locations of the PokerSchoolOnline Live Tour 2004. The tour will feature an invitational tournament each month in some of the top cardrooms around the U.S and in one European cardroom that has yet to be announced. The highest scoring school member at each location will gain entry into the PSO Grand Live Tour Final in January 2005. PSO members can also qualify for the final by playing in the www.pokerschoolonline.com's Big One tournaments next winter, summer, and fall. The top four players in each online Big One tournament will participate in the final along with the invitational winners. The winner of the final wins a $25,000 seat to the World Poker Tour Championship at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
Enhanced -- BetWWTS.com on Friday launched a revamped version of its web site, which now features streamlined navigation, enhanced graphics, and an improved banking system that uses 128-bit SSL digital encryption technology to guarantee customer security and seamless transactions. Customers can now access all of the services offered through BetWWTS.com and its sister properties-- sports wagering, online casino games, exchange bets, and horse racing wagering-- using one account at the BewWWTS.com web site.
Slot Banners -- IgamingMedia, an interactive marketing & media agency for the online gambling industry, has created banners that feature fully functional slot games inside the banner, accompanied by realistic animations and sound effects. Called iSlot iBanners, they deliver streaming, interactive media in a low-bandwidth format. GameDay Sportsbook & Casino has already begun using the new banners.
No Tax -- Last weekend Irish betting company Stanley Racing lowered the prices of its services by making them all tax-free. The move is expected to lower the margins of major rivals like Paddy Power. The tax removal will also be helpful in combating loss of business to untaxed offshore businesses. The company hopes the loss of income will be balanced by attracting more customers.
Casino Simulcasts in the U.S.? -- According to PRNewswire, lottery agents in the U.S. might soon begin transmitting "Bet As You Watch Casino" to satellite television users. Lottery players would be able to buy admission tickets to simulcast broadcasts of live casino table game action, which would be accompanied by casino entertainment and commentators who could assist players with rules and strategies. PRNewswire reports that in June the company that hopes to launch the program obtained a U.S. patent for its microprocessor that will handle the wagers. A patent is still pending for the method to incorporate lottery terminals into the system.
Thursday, Oct. 16
Fined -- Camelot, the UK's National Lottery operator, was recently fined £50,000 for breaching a license requirement that ensures that players would be able to receive prizes and refunds in the event that Camelot were to cease operations or if the company's license were to be revoked. Camelot failed to maintain contingency software that would enable its players to quickly receive money they might be owed if such a scenario were to occur. Neither the availability of funds nor the gaming systems have been affected. An interim software solution is already operational.
Ad Dispute -- The UK's Advertising Standards Authority has taken action against spread betting firm IG Index because of its summer advertising campaign that claimed that its "online trading system" was the fastest, most advanced, and most reliable. Another spread betting firm first brought the matter to the attention of the ASA and other complaints are currently pending.
Casino Purchase -- Unibet, one of the largest sports book in Scandinavia, has purchased one of Net Entertainment's Casino Modules, non-download casino suites that are designed for easy integration into online sports books. The games will appear in the sports book in all 12 of the languages currently offered at www.unibet.com.
Match-Fixing -- Following allegations of match-fixing in the men's Association of Tennis Professionals, the Women's Tennis Association is drafting harsher penalties for match-fixing, although it says that there is no indication of such activity among its players. Beginning next year, players would be fined $100,000 and suspended for an as yet undetermined period of time for match-fixing.
Wednesday, Oct. 15
Who's Casino? -- Gaming software company Boss Media has sold an online casino to a company that for now would like to remain anonymous "for reasons of competition." Boss says the company began in 1985 as a telephone-betting operator, and 10 years later became one of the first betting companies on the Internet. In the past the company has had a casino linked to its sports book. Boss will provide the company with software that can be downloaded or played as a web-based instant game.
Promoted -- Internet race betting company Youbet has promoted Joseph J. Hasson to general manager of mobile products for North and South America, Asia and Europe. Hasson will be responsible for leading the development of sophisticated wagering and gaming information products that can be used via phone and wireless devices. He will also focus on international marketing for all forms of pari-mutuel wagering, lottery, bingo, casino games, live entertainment and sporting events.
Mobile SportXction -- Ukbetting has launched Global Interactive Gaming's play-by-play sports betting product, SportXction, on its mobile network. The SportXction system will be integrated into an already existing suite of products offered by ukbetting to its WAP-enabled users, who will be able to bet play-by-play on live sporting events by phone.
Viper -- King Neptune's Casino announced today that Microgaming Software Systems's Viper software now delivers new games and options. www.kingneptunescasino.com now offers six different blackjack games, high-limit baccarat, video poker games and a vast variety of slots, with 5-cent slots becoming available within the next few days. New features include player preference tools, auto-play functions, strategy levels, coaching tips, statistical information, enhanced music, sound, graphics and more. In celebration of Viper's launch, King Neptune's is giving a 200 percent first-purchase bonus to new players plus the chance to enter a cash prize drawing.
Tuesday, Oct. 14
A Stern Decision -- IGN received confirmation this afternoon that officials with the Howard Stern Radio Show, one of the highest rated syndicated morning radio shows in the United States, sent e-mails out today to interactive gambling and sports book advertisers informing them their ads would no longer be carried on the broadcast. A spokesperson for Golden Palace, a longtime advertiser on the show, confirmed the decision and said the company is preparing documents for representatives of the show that argue the ads are legal and valid. Golden Palace has been an advertiser on the Stern show for more than three years. IGN is monitoring the story and will have more details on the situation as it develops.
PayPal in the UK -- Global online payment service PayPal launched a business in the United Kingdom last Thursday, but said it still will not process payments for online punters in Europe. The company, once the preferred payment option among U.S. online gamblers, early this year had to pay a $10 million settlement to the U.S. Department of Justice for transferring funds for I-gaming.
Monday, Oct. 13
TAB Talk -- According to the Sydney Morning Herald, UNiTAB has confirmed that it is in merger talks with NSW TAB. UNiTAB's CEO, Dick McIlwain said, " The idea of further consolidation in the wagering business is an irresistible concept that ultimately more will happen." He has given no indication of when, if at all, the merger could occur. UNiTAB operates 1,000 TAB outlets across Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory. The company is valued around AU$900 million; NSW TAB is valued around AU$1.5 billion. No final proposals have been made by either company yet, partly due to legislation in Queensland that would require UNiTAB's head office to be maintained in state. . . . Jupiters boss Rob Hines told the Daily Telegraph that he thinks sports betting will continue to grow and poker machine betting will begin to fall. "To some degree Tabcorp has missed an opportunity by having us divest Centrebet because that is in my view, a major growth opportunity internationally," Hines said. "I think the next trend in gambling is going to be sports betting; it already is sports betting." He added, "And although Tabcorp has a sports betting operation in Victoria, they don't have one in Queensland and they don't have one anywhere else."
Sportodds -- In its appeal to invalidated restrictions on advertising and publishing odds in New South Wales, Sportodds opened a new line of argument today before a federal court in Australia. The court will now take written submissions and consider them no earlier than Oct. 23. The solicitor general has been granted the right to deliver an oral argument, but Sportodds still wishes to open a new line of argument.
Taiwan Ball -- A weekly tabloid in Taiwan called Next Magazine has alleged that players from all six of the country's professional baseball teams are accepting money to intentionally throw season games. The magazine names two pitchers for the Chinatrust Whales that it says have received NT$1 million. Over the last two days, league officials and players have put out press releases to refute the claims and denounce them as sensational journalism.
Law Suit -- ODS Technologies, which does business as TVG Network, has been engaged in a legal battle with Magna Entertainment Corp, which owns a majority of Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park in Maryland. Magna, the Maryland Jockey Club and Laurel Racing would like to terminate a contract that permits ODS to simulcast horse racing events from the parks because TVG has failed to achieve a three-month average of $230 million in gross simulcast bets, which it had agreed to do under the terms of the contract. ODS filed for a preliminary injunction Oct. 3 to prevent the other parties from terminating the contract. The group believes the other parties would like it removed so that Magna can install its own simulcast network, HorseRacing TV. The court will respond to the request for injunction by Oct. 20. If ODS is unsuccessful in obtaining the injunction, its contract will end on Nov. 1.