iTV Deals -- Global Interactive Gaming (GIG) and its parent company, Interactive Systems Worldwide (ISWI), announced a new partnership with Mindhouse that will see Mindhouse assist GIG in the development of a play-by-play betting system for digital television. The system will be an enhancement to GIG's SportXction platform that is in use throughout Europe and the United Kingdom. ISWI is a U.S.-based firm with its GIG operations in the United Kingdom. Mindhouse brings with it a banner list of clients, having worked in the past with the likes of the BBC, ITV, CNN, Channel 4 and Tandberg TV.
Competition for Ho -- Trying to fend of a growing number of competitors after his monopoly in Macau was lifted, tycoon Stanley Ho said he plans to invest $128 million in three Macau hotel and casino properties in the next several months. . .Ho's company Sociedade de Jogos de Macau (SJM) operated as a monopoly in the territory for 42 years until the American-owned Sands Macau casino opened in mid-May. In addition to the Sands, Galaxy and Wynn Resorts of Las Vegas have increased the number of players on the Macau stage. The three new casinos come on top of the company's biggest expansion project, a $384 million extension of the Casino Lisboa called the "Grand Lisboa." SJM is constructing a 40-story building to house the Grand Lisboa, which will feature 323,000 square feet of gaming space as well as 800 hotel rooms.
The Wireless Front -- Rapid Mobile Media Ltd. has announced the signing of the first licensee for mobet, its Java-based interactive mobile betting solution. Iain Maddox, Rapid Mobiles' managing director, made the announcement through a press release on Friday and said the mobile-only betting service will be formally launched this year, at which time the identity of the new licensee will be made public. Maddox said the licensee is a new company "created specifically to be an early player in the evolving mobile betting market."
Interactive Roulette Coming to UK TV --BettingCorp UK launched a fully interactive roulette game in the United Kingdom after receiving approval from British Sky Broadcasting Limited (BSkyB) , England's leading digital television service provider. The interactive roulette game can be accessed through BettingCorp's PlayMonteCarlo betting and fixed-odds games portal service on Sky Digital's Interactive Main Menu.
Betting on Lance -- Online sports book WagerWeb.com has posted odds on six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong getting busted for blood doping. Dave Johnson, CEO of Costa Rica-based site, told Cycle World magazine the odds were posted mainly to generate interest and bring traffic to the site. The opening lines, posted this week, were +2,000 that he'll get busted and -2,500 that he won't.
Thursday, Aug. 12
Quoteworthy -- "We want a single racing channel, though how long and what form it takes is not for us to say or influence, and we believe the betting exchanges should be paying more money to racing. Any agreement between Racing UK and Betfair is fine by us. The truth is that we told Betfair we would not allow them to use the fact they might be contributing to racing by supporting a racing channel as an excuse for not paying more to racing through the data license. We've no intention of either stopping or supporting a commercial deal between Racing UK and Betfair."
- Martin Broughton, newly-appointed chairman of the British Horseracing Board, providing the Racing Post with a response to allegations from Racecourse Holdings Trust Chairman David James that the BHB spoiled a potential sponsorship deal between Betfair and television network Racing UK that would have allowed the channel to remain free to air. Meanwhile, Betfair says that its decision not to proceed with the deal was based on market research.
Spanish News -- Expansion reports that several Spanish gaming and leisure companies and associations are calling for legislation to govern the country's unregulated Internet gambling industry because they believe it is making it difficult for traditional gaming companies to expand. Some of the companies also want to clarify regulatory differences between Spain's autonomous regions because they often compete with each other to entice companies to relocate by lowering tax levels.
Redesigns -- Betmaker.com, a Costa Rica-based sports book founded in 1996, has redesigned its Web site to "create an accurate representation of what the business stands for in terms of entertainment value and professionalism in customer service" and to improve the way the site is viewed by its affiliates. The redesign has so far only been viewed by staff and a handful of beta-testers, but Betmaker.com says it has received much positive feedback. . . . InterCasino has enlisted the services of graphic design agency Nowwashyourhands to replace all of its euro currency sites in Spain, France, Italy and Germany with a redesigned site that more closely resembles InterCasino's U.S. and U.K. sites. The site has been recreated with a more contemporary approach to appeal to the different attitudes and tastes of European players and avoids the immersion of lights that signify typical Las Vegas-style casinos.
NCH Reactions -- Two weeks have passed since National Children's Home (NCH) published its report claiming that underage gamblers can easily open and then gamble with several British online gambling sites, and the industry is still reacting:
Michael Smeaton, a remote gambling specialist for Gamcare, will soon speak to Britain's Home Office and the ISP Association about ways to impose a code of conduct for online gambling advertising on the Internet to prevent minors from viewing the ads while surfing mainstream sites.
Gambling minister Tessa Jowell has expressed her disapproval of the NCH study and has indicated that after the new Gambling Bill becomes law, the newly created
Gambling Commission will conduct spot checks on gaming sites and then fine or revoke the licenses of those that have not implemented sufficient age verification processes. The Interactive Gaming Council, meanwhile, said that the problem of minor's gambling online is universal and not limited solely to Britain and stated that it is eager to do its part in solving the problem.
IWC media, an independent London-based media company is searching for teenage gamblers from Hull to make a documentary film about teenagers who gamble online, use fruit machines or play the National Lottery. Jamie Balment, a company spokesman, said, "Teenage gambling is a growing problem in the U.K. and a very prescient issue after the recent National Children's Home online gambling inquiry. The proposed relaxation of the current gambling laws by the government later this year is also causing concern."
Making Deals -- eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA) and Casino City have signed a joint collaborative agreement that includes the introduction of features that will identify eCOGRA-certified online casinos on Casino City's online directory of I-gaming sites.
Wednesday, Aug. 11
Women Only -- 888.com will launch a "women only" poker room in response to research showing an increasing number of female players use the secure and non-intimidating environment of online poker rooms as a way to learn and play what was once perceived as a male dominated game. 888.com's table will include special design features to appeal to the female audience, including larger chat boxes so players can spread the latest gossip, tables that can be customized with hot pink baize and disco balls and a virtual bar from which players can order Sex and the City-style cocktails. According to 888.com's U.K. marketing manager Matt Robinson, "Men don't really care what the site looks like as long as it is realistic, fun and entertaining. However, women notice their surroundings a lot more and as with fashion, demand the very latest colors and styles, as well as the desire to chat while playing." The site will launch before the end of the year.
Quoteworthy -- "I believe Betfair were contacted by (BHB chef executive) Greg Nichols, with the support and agreement of Martin Broughton, and were told they should withdraw the offer immediately because within a month Racing UK would fail and they would be forced to go in with At The Races."
-David James, chairman of Racecourse Holdings Trust, which constitutes 13 of the 30 courses from which racing is broadcast on television network Racing UK. The network is currently free-to-air but will likely have to launch as a subscription-based service on October 1st in order to draw needed revenue. The company has been seeking sponsorship deals with a number of bookmakers so that it can remain free-to-air. James' statement was made to the Racing Post, which asked him whether it was true that the British HorseRacing Board had spoiled a potential deal between Racing UK and Betfair.
He added, "I was told they had done it because the highest priority of the BHB is to extract the most amount of money for British racing from the biggest number of sources, including betting exchanges. We're furious. We’ve lost a substantial amount of money and the opportunity to stay free-to-air."
At the US Races -- At the Races has signed a five-year agreement with U.S.-based The Racing Network International (TRNi) whereby At the Races will show U.S. and international racing on its Sky Channel service and receive a percentage of wagering profit. TRNi will also promote British racing in North and South American markets.
Roulette -- BettingCorp UK Ltd. has launched an interactive roulette game on its PlayMonteCarlo fixed-odds gaming service on the Sky Digital Network. Nearly one month ago Sky Subscriber Services, the interactive services division of British Sky Broadcasting, informed gaming operators that it would permit roulette games to return to its network. Sky digital viewers will be able to access BettingCorp's roulette game through PlayMonteCarlo on Channel 7 on Sky's Interactive Main Menu as well as through the Sky Active portal.
Chinese I-Gaming -- RTG Ventures, an Internet-based gaming and events promoter, has licensed database technology from NewCoTech Inc. for use with Internet gaming portal that it plans to launch in China in early 2005. In 2002 RTG Ventures signed an exclusive contract with the Chinese Sports Ministry to bring Internet-based games of skill and chance to China, including Chinese chess, mahjong and Chinese poker.
Restructure -- Online betting company Sportingbet and gaming software firm World Gaming have restructured the terms of their relationship with each other after a few months of uncertainty as to the future of their arrangements. The companies are now initiating a three-year minimum limited liability partnership that includes funding and developing software for NewCan, a newly incorporated British Columbian company owned by Sportingbet. In addition, World Gaming will transfer 50 percent interest in its gaming software for $10 million in cash. Sportingbet, which accounted for 80 percent of World Gaming's royalty revenues last year, would have saved close to $5 million if the restructured deal had been in effect during the 12 months ended July 31, 2004. Sportingbet says it will reinvest a reasonable portion of its future savings back into the development of software. . . . Sportingbet's founder and executive vice chairman Mark Blandford purchased 50,000 shares in Sportingbet at 92 pence each today. His holding now amounts to 14,980,173.
Tuesday, Aug. 10
VictorMobile -- Gaming company Victor Chandler has launched a new mobile sports betting service that allows customers to bet on all sports, browse latest prices, and deposit or withdraw funds. VictorMobile's technology, provided by London-based Mfuse, works with nearly all Java-enabled mobile phones. Chandler is supplementing the launch of its mobile system with a £150,000 advertising and public relations campaign.
No Extradition -- A spokesperson for the UK's National Hi-Tech Crime Unit this week reiterated that the three young men arrested in Russia three weeks ago for black-mailing and extorting money from online gambling companies will not be extradited. The men will instead stand trial in Russia for charges related to article 163 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Russia's Interior Ministry recently revealed that the culprits also launched attacks on some British banks.
The Sport of Poker -- Full Tilt Poker is sponsoring PokerinAthens.org, a site that is "passionately dedicated toward bringing poker to the 2004 games." The site is filled with humorous articles (Torch Bearer Loses Torch in Poker Game and Poker Players Submit to Drug Testing) and ads depicting baton twirlers, synchronized swimmers, and others accompanied by the caption "if this qualifies, why not poker." Visitors can also view an open letter to the International Games Sanctioning Committee and earn 100 free chips at Full Tilt Poker by signing the letter's accompanying petition. But with the Olympic Games beginning in just a few days, don't bet on poker being admitted this year.
Welcome Aboard -- ATE Ltd., a provider of business and gaming information, has appointed Roger Withers as company chairman. 62 year-old Withers is a former British Amusement Catering Trade Association president. He has also served in senior positions for Coral, Ladbrokes, Littlewoods Leisure, Tote Direct, Barcrest Inc., Maygay Holdings, Monyaka/Thabong, Bass Leisure, and BLMS.
WirelessStudios -- I-gaming software provider Parlay Entertainment and Cameron Thomson Group, a business development firm for information technology and media and entertainment, have chosen wireless technology provider Phantom Fiber Corporation as the wireless delivery partner for WirelessStudios, a subscription-based service that lets I-Mode users in Italy play casino games for points and promotional awards. Developed by NTT DoCoMo of Japan, the I-mode mobile phone service, has been very successful in Japan and has lately received a big push in Italy from WIND Telecomunicazioni, the country's third largest cellular carrier. With Parlay's help, WirelessStudios plans to expand its gaming services to Internet portal Libero.it so that customers can play WirelessStudio games from mobile devices or the Internet.
Monday, Aug. 9
Sydney Racing -- Tabcorp, which acquired television network Sky Channel as part of its purchase of TAB Ltd, has reached an agreement with ThoroughVision (TVN) that will permit Sky Channel to again broadcast races from Sydney. Racing in Sydney has been blacked out since March when negotiations between Sky Channel and the Australian Jockey Club and the Sydney Turf Club broke down after the expiration of the channel's broadcasting license. Coverage for Sydney races should return to the channel by Saturday. The broadcasting rights agreement is only part of a joint venture between Sky Channel and TVN that will produce a new thoroughbred racing and sports channel for PubTAB and ClubTAB operators that will launch near the end of the year. There will also be another thoroughbred and sports channel that will be available to domestic customers.
At the Races Files Suit -- At the Races, the joint venture between British Sky Broadcasting and Arena Leisure, has issued High Court proceedings against the Racecourse Association and 30 racecourses in the UK in an effort to recover rebates the company believes it is owed after the collapse of their original media rights deal at the end of March. At the Races believes it should recover £51million. At the Races canceled the media rights agreement in March, just one week before the Office of Fair Trading declared the racecourses had aligned in an uncompetitive way in order to have better bargaining power.
Poker Network -- London-based sportsbook Betsson has launched a poker room with Ongame poker software from Poker Network, which offers software in downloadable formats and also in non-download Java versions, thereby allowing Mac, WebTV, and Linux users to also participate in the games. Poker Network plans to feed all of its licensed poker rooms into PokerRoom.com, a Kahnawake-licensed operator under the same management as Poker Network. Poker Room.com boasts that it has the fifth largest online poker room.
ABB admits Tote -- Two major online bookmakers, Australia-based International All Sports (IAS) and UK-based Canbet have announced a merger deal. As part of the deal, Canbet will become a subsidiary operating under the IAS banner. IAS will provide Canbet with a $1 million line of credit to assist with its immediate working operations. IAS will also purchase 51 million shares of Canbet at $2.04 per share, constituting a $1.04 million deal. IAS will take over the management and operation of Canbet next Monday, and the merger should take about two months to complete.