Friday, Jan. 16
Philippines -- The Supreme Court of the Philippines has issued a 10-page decision rendering Sports and Games Entertainment Corp.'s (SAGE) license to offer Internet gambling null and void. The court ruled that Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR), the government body that regulates and manages gaming in the Philippines, did not have the authority to permit SAGE to operate Internet gaming. According to the court, "While Pagcor is allowed under its charter to enter into operator's and/or management contracts, it is not allowed under the same charter to relinquish or share its franchise, much less grant a veritable franchise to another entity such as SAGE."
European Covers -- Comprehensive Sports Information, a North American media company that features sports news, statistics and odds from a gambling perspective, has created a new subsidiary, Covers Media Group, that will be based in Galway, Ireland. The company is looking to expand its Covers.com brand in Europe.
Affiliate Program -- Online marketing agency IGMD has developed GamingPromo.com, an affiliate program that it says offers members the latest marketing tools, high conversions, personal service, promotions and contests, timely monthly payment, and real time statistics. IGMD has partnered with City Club Casino and Race Track Casino, both of which use Playtech software.
Sport Funding -- A report in this month's Oxford Review on Economic Policy suggests that sports in the United Kingdom can no longer rely on revenue from television or the national lottery, and should instead turn to the gambling industry for help with funding. According to the article's writers, Rob Simons and David Forrest, both of whom are sports economic specialists, "With broadcasting revenues likely to turn down, it is natural that football should consider prospects for gaining significant new income from wagering activity. In some regards, circumstances are favorable." Also, "There needs to be some kind of partnership between sport and gambling. Sports governing bodies need to reach a deal with bookmakers so that they receive money from them for their funding. The gambling industry needs sport but so far, sport has not really benefited from gambling and that situation needs to be addressed."
Jockey Club -- The U.K. Jockey Club is pursuing the first charges of a breach of Rule 247, which was implemented Sept. 1 and states that owners, trainers and stable staff may not lay their own horses to lose with a betting organization. Miles Rodgers, a director of Platinum Racing Club, is under investigation for suspicious betting on Uhoomagoo at Redcar on October 28th and Million Percent at Wolverhampton on Nov. 14. The club is also progressing with enquiries into the activities of Steve O'Sullivan, to determine whether or not the farrier is violating club rules by refusing to give the security department access to his phone and betting accounts after he was suspected of laying Hillside Girl at Carlisle in July. The club is also pursuing questions about irregular betting patterns surrounding Red Lancer at Wolverhampton and Intox III at Ludlow.
Thursday, Jan. 15
p align="justify">Quoteworthy -- "An intimidation tactic to go after the messenger," is what Allen Lichtenstein, general counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Nevada, called recent subpoenas issued by the Department of Justice to publishers and broadcasters who have run advertisements for online gambling sites. If the Department of Justice were to pursue court action against any of the subpoenaed parties, it would mark the first time in U.S. history that the government has attempted to prosecute a media agency based on its advertising content.
Portal Sale -- E Net Marketing Ltd., an advertising group that manages 4Gambling.com, CasinoProfit.com and other gaming portals, has acquired the FairBet.org portal for $1.15 million. FairBet.org says its goal is to provide gamers with honest and reliable information about bonuses, purchase and cash-out requirements, game restrictions and rating information for over 1,800 Internet casinos.
Bet on Mars -- After U.S. President George Bush announced yesterday that America would try to launch a human-led exploration mission to Mars, bookmaker William Hill issued 50/1 odds against a man walking on Mars by Dec. 31, 2030. The British betting group has also issued 10/1 odds against any human returning to the moon by Dec. 31, 2015. This is not the first time William Hill has speculated about space exploration. In 1969, after Neil Armstrong took his famous space walk, the company paid out £10,000 to a man who had bet £10 at 1,000/1 odds the no man would reach the moon by the end of the decade.
Contract Conflict -- The Racecourse Association (RA), which represents 49 of the 59 horse racing tracks around Britain, is engaged in a dispute with attheRaces, the consortium of BSkyB, Channel 4 and Arena Leisure that paid £307 million in 2001 for the 10-year media rights to races at the RA's courses. All of attheRaces' interactive gambling profit comes from the government-regulated Tote betting service, but now that the Tote has cut its profit margin to attract more bettors, revenue for attheRaces has plummeted. The contract between the RA and attheRaces states that if attheRaces' share of Tote revenues falls below 20 percent for over 90 consecutive days (which happened on Oct. 24), then atheRaces can issue a 90-day termination notice (which will expire on Jan. 22). The parties would then have a 30-day period to renegotiate. According to the Guardian, attheRaces won't be able to break even until 2006 and might never recover its outlay. It is therefore quite likely that attheRaces will attempt to lower the amount it pays to the RA.
Sportingbet Affiliates -- Sportingbet plc, a U.K.-licensed betting company in its sixth year of operation, has created a performance-based affiliate network that will operate under the private level domain www.SportingBetAffiliates.com and will pay webmasters up to 35 percent of referred customers gross losses. A few months ago the company hired Cyber Success Group Inc., a third-party outsourced affiliate program management provider, to manage the affiliate network and provide innovative strategies.
Promoted -- Digital pay-TV technology solutions company NDS has appointed David Loveday as vice president. Loveday will also serve as the managing director for NDS subsidiary Orbis, which develops online gambling software. Loveday joined Orbis in 2002 and worked closely with James Caddy, the co-founder whom Loveday is now replacing as managing director. Before joining the company, Loveday worked for Sun, Sybase, Informix, Kana and Kiva Software.
Wednesday, Jan. 14
South Korea Goes After Players -- South Korean prosecutors are now trying to determine whether it is illegal for its citizens to gamble with an online casino in North Korea. All traditional forms of gambling are illegal in South Korea, with the exception of gambling that takes place in a licensed casino in the eastern Kangwon Province. Hoonnet, a South Korean company that had been authorized to do business jointly with a North Korean company, has had its license as an inter-Korean business cancelled after it was discovered to be operating an online gambling site. About 270 South Koreans logged onto the North Korean gaming site last year, accounting for about $192,300 worth of wagers. South Korean police are pursuing charges against Hoonnet, and the country's Cyber Crime Investigation Unit has referred 16 of the 270 online gamblers to prosecutors.
Right to Wager -- Costa Rica-based online sports book BetOnSports.com is asking visitors to show their support for online gambling in the United States by signing a petition (to be sent to legislators) and/or by submitting a form letter urging policymakers to support legislation that would allow responsible online gambling. The campaign, called "Right to Wager," is the second grass-roots effort in three months from BetonSports, which hit the streets of New York City with a similar drive in October. "Our 'Right to Wager' campaign was launched in an effort to show policy and decision makers that the American public demands the right to choose whether or not they want to participate in wagering online," said David Carruthers, CEO of BetonSports.com. "The government has committed time and energy to restrict consumers' rights when it comes to wagering online and our latest initiatives are giving consumers a voice in the ongoing debate. We believe that making the petition and letter to Congress available online will serve as a powerful vehicle to reach a larger audience who agree with and support our campaign."
World Poker Tour Merchandise -- Following the massive popularity of the first season of the World Poker Tour (WPT) on The Travel Channel, the WPT has hired an independent trademark licensing agency to license and market a variety of WPT products. Brandgenuity, the company selected by WPT to lead its licensing campaign, will assist WPT in creating poker accessories, gaming, interactive games, gifts, collectibles, publishing, apparel, and more.
Minus Forty Plus -- Players slighted by Forty Plus Casino, which abruptly shut down in November, have until tomorrow to issue a claim via e-mail to Odds On, the site's software provider, for whatever funds the casino owed them. Odds On had previously stated that it had no idea what was happening with Forty Plus and that it had no access to the casino's player database. The company's most recent statement read: "Thank you for your patience in the matter of Forty Plus Casino. Although we have not been able to acquire the player database, we have been able to confirm some player information from various sources. We have tried our best to resolve this matter."
Broadcasting Rights -- ThoroughVision, the television production company that holds the media rights to all Victorian racing clubs as well as the Australian Jockey Club and the Sydney Turf Club, today held meetings with four bidders for the broadcasting privileges. Perrin Legal, Telstra, Tentendigital, and Sky Channel, all presented for ThoroughVision. Sky Channel, the TAB ltd.-owned network that recently announced plans to launch an iTV betting service, currently holds a near monopoly on the rights, but the contracts for the Australian Jockey Club and the Sydney Turf Club expire the first week of March and the contract for Victoria racing expires in 2005. Last week when the racing clubs signed the agreement granting ThoroughVision the broadcasting rights, the move was largely seen as the first step in creating the clubs' own racing channel.
PrimeLine Time -- VirtGame Corp.'s race wagering platform, PrimeLine Race Book has passed its beta testing phase, and the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NCGB) has given VirtGame permission to sell the race book to licensed establishments in Nevada. VirtGame will now begin beta testing the PrimeLine Race Book's fully computerized contest solution, which was designed to accord with the NGCB's requirements that all contestant selections, contest results, fees, and prize payouts, be recorded in a casino's computerized race and sports book.
Tuesday, Jan. 13
The P2P War -- The battle between bookmakers and Betfair now spans three continents. Thoroughbred Times reported today that New York Racing Association plans to withhold its signal from the attheraces interactive TV wagering networking starting in mid January. The move is being made to keep Betfair and other betting exchange services from offering bets on NYRA races. NYRA Senior Vice President Bill Nadar told Thoroughbred Times, "It's certainly not attheraces' at fault here; it's the accessibility of our races to Betfair that we find troubling. I would suspect that Betfair's business on NYRA would drop drastically without their users being able to view the signal." The publication also reported that Magna Entertainment dropped its signals from attheraces in late December.
UK Mobile News -- England's five major mobile carriers--Vodafone, Orange, Virgin, 02 and T-Mobile--have agreed to adhere to new regulations designed to protect children from adult content, including pornography and gambling. The agreement means that children under 18 won't be able to use third-generation phones with unlimited access. Handsets will come with filters that are removed only if the buyer proves he's 18 or over. The policy comes after child protection charities, led by NCH Action for Children, expressed concerns over pedophilia and the dangers of Internet chat rooms. The concerns were fueled by research showing that almost 60 percent of secondary school students and 20 percent of primary school pupils own handsets. The code of practice will go into effect by year's end.
New Stuff -- Online poker technology provider Tribeca Tables will use the International Casino Exhibition (ICE) in London as a platform to introduce several new features to its software, including the debut of two games: Omaha High and High Low. The new games will be available in ring and tournament format. Additional software features being rolled out include a "Buddy List" to which users can add their favorite players and friends; a "Rebuy Tournament," enabling players to re-buy in the early rounds (which builds up larger prize pools); new satellite tournaments with $100,000 in guaranteed free rolls each month; and a $15,000 guaranteed prize jackpot every Saturday. The conference will take place Jan. 27-29 at Earls Court 2.
Hiring -- Betfair today announced the appointment of Andrew Silverman as its director of public affairs. The position was created to address U.K. Parliament's consideration of new gambling policy. Silverman was previously a senior partner and public policy advisor with Brunswick Group Limited.
Monday, Jan. 12
eCOGRA Chairman Recognized -- Michael Hirst, Chairman of eCOGRA, has received recognition for superior work in the U.K. tourism industry by being appointed as an Officer of the British Empire in Britain's 2004 New Year Honors List. Among other accomplishments, Hirst was voted "Personality of the Year 2003" by readers of Meetings & Incentive Travel, and he has been a board member of Ladbrokes Group (now the Hilton Group). He also served as executive chairman of Hilton's hotel division and CEO and chairman of Hilton International. Hirst only recently joined eCOGRA, an online gaming industry regulatory and player assurance body. Hirst said of his award, "Whilst I am naturally honored to be receiving this award, it signifies enormous appreciation to all those involved in the U.K. business tourism sector for the important contribution they make. I hope I can achieve the same sense of purpose and recognition for the integrity and professionalism of the online gaming industry in its treatment of players and provision of fair play."
Child Mobile Restrictions -- England's six largest mobile phone operators- Orange, O2, T-Mobile, Virgin, Vodaphone, and 3- have agreed upon new mobile phone sales regulations that will prohibit customers under the age of 18 from purchasing mobile phones with unlimited Internet access. Becoming effective later this year, the new regulations will prevent children from viewing chat rooms, porn sites and gambling services. Vodaphone's public policy executive Rob Borthwick, said, "Our aim is to ensure there are safeguards in place before there's a mass market in phones with Internet access. All our mobiles will be fitted with filters to block adult content, including pornography, gambling, and chat rooms. You will have to verify that you are 18 or over in order to get them lifted."
Lingerie Bowl -- One of the world's largest online poker rooms, PartyPoker.com, has signed on to become the title sponsor of Lingerie Bowl 2004 after Dodge stepped down due to a negative public reaction. The Lingerie Bowl will be broadcast during halftime of the 2004 Super Bowl and will feature a seven-on-seven tackle football extravaganza between two scantily clad teams of female models and actresses, including Angie Everheart and Nikki Ziering. The two teams, Team Dream and Team Euphoria, will be coached by NFL hall-of-famers Lawrence Taylor and Eric Dickerson.
iTV in Australia -- Australian pay-TV services provider Foxtel announced that it had secured $550 million to upgrade its systems to digital transmission. In addition to offering more and clearer channels, the upgrade will give users access to interactive features, including betting services. Two Way TV Australia has worked with Tab Ltd. and its Sky Channel subsidiary for two years to develop a betting system and could have a channel ready for launch as soon as Foxtel completes its upgrade. Two Way TV speculates that iTV would lead to an increase in wagering in Australia like it has done in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, ThoroughVision, the company that holds the broadcasting rights to all horse races in Melbourne and Sydney, is holding meetings this week with Sky Channel and other interested parties to sell the rights. Sky Channel is hoping that its work with Two Way TV should give it more leverage toward securing the broadcasting licenses and maintaining its near-monopoly on broadcasting races in Australia.
Benchmark Plan to Alleviate Problem Gambling -- As part of the Australian Federal Government's $5 million national gambling research program, state and territory governments will be required to meet certain harm-minimization benchmarks. Each government will have to submit a public report to the Council Of Australian Governments detailing the actions it has taken to combat Australia's large numbers of problem gamblers. Kay Patterson, minister of Family and Community Services and chair of the Ministerial Council on Gambling, said that the gaming ministers have already agreed to the plan that will begin later this year.
Australian Laundering Probe -- Austrac, the Australian government's financial intelligence agency, has launched a probe into Internet and private bank money laundering. Austrac has enlisted John Walker--the man whose 1995 report on money laundering received global recognition for its analysis of money laundering and organized crime--to spearhead its investigation. Walker and his team of experts will explore how criminals use technology, the Internet and private banking, and also whether casinos, professional sports clubs, the booming property market, tax evasion and holiday resorts are being used to eliminate evidence of laundering.