Friday, April 1
myCitadel -- Bodog.com has made payment processing services from myCitadel available to its customers. myCitadel enables users to store real cash online, easily transfer funds into a myCitadel wallet directly from a bank, transfer funds to a bank account and purchase from participating Internet merchants--all without charging any fees or sharing any personal banking information.
Welcome Aboard -- Isle of Man-based I-gaming operator betinternet.com has appointed two new members-- Simon Nicholls and Tony Elder--to its senior management team. Nicholls, formerly managing director of gg.com for five years, becomes chief operating officer of European Wagering Services, the pool betting subsidiary of betinternet.com. Elder, who becomes betinternet's financial controller, formerly worked for KPMG and management consulting firm Whitechapel Corporate Services.
AIM Listing? -- Rumors are circulating that Curacao-based online gambling company VIP Management Services may be considering a float on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange. eGaming Review speculates that the company might try a reverse takeover of Leisure & Gaming, a shell company that listed on the AIM in September 2004 with an aim to acquire an online gambling company.
OPAP Stake -- The Greek government announced today that it plans to sell as much as a 17 percent stake in state lottery monopoly OPAP. Considering the company's current share price, a 17 percent stake could sell for as much as $1.5 billion. The government currently owns 51 percent of OPAP but needs money to reduce its budget deficit. Even after the sale of a 17 percent stake, the government would still retain a large 34 percent shareholding of OPAP and would continue to appoint the majority of its board members.
Thursday, March 31
Liberal Casino? -- Web surfers who visit www.choosechange.ca, which was until recently a campaign Web site for Ontario's Liberal Party, will be surprised to find themselves automatically redirected to ZodiacCasino.com, a Kahnawake-licensed online casino. The Liberal party no longer operates the Web site.
Quoteworthy -- "Despite intense skepticism from virtually every quarter, our case is extremely strong and deceptively simple. We have long been optimistic that the impartial dispute resolution machinery of the WTO would function as expected, justice will be served and potential compliance issues facing various U.S. corporations and the U.S. Department of Justice will be resolved in a manner which is favorable to fair and responsible international commerce."
--Mark Mendel, lead legal counsel for Antigua and Barbuda in its
World Trade Organization dispute with the United States. Both Mendel and Ron Maginley, a spokesman for the Antigua Offshore Gaming Association, stated in a press release today that they are confident that the WTO's Appellate Body's ruling on April 7 will be in favor of Antigua.
Final Table Experience -- I-gaming software provider CryptoLogic has announced the launch of a new software enhancement that allows players to enter six-person per table tournaments instead of the industry standard ten-person per table tournaments. The company is calling its new feature "SIXPAK: Short-handed Internet X-citement" and says it creates an exciting final-table experience throughout an entire tournament event. SIXPAK is already available at several CryptoLogic-powered online virtual poker rooms.
Yahoo! Betting -- Yahoo! UK & Ireland and Betfair have completed the launch of a simplified betting exchange called Yahoo! Betting, which is available through Yahoo!'s sports pages or via a direct link at . Yahoo!'s betting exchange offers the same features as Betfair's main betting platform, but the site's trademark decimal odds are complemented by fractional equivalents to make the site as customer-friendly and easy-to-understand as possible.
TheNational -- The Racing Post and television network Racing UK have partnered to launch www.thenational.co.uk, a Web site that will stream live video of the Grand National on April 9 to a global audience. The site also features live prices and interactive betting from nine British bookmakers in addition to racing news, betting tips, analysis, a horse-by-horse form guide and more.
Hi, I'm GoldenPalace.com -- GoldenPalace's latest Ebay acquisition is the renaming of a 33-year-old mother of five for $15,199. The woman formerly known as Terri Ilagen has now changed her legal name to GoldenPalace.com.
Compliance Committee -- Youbet.com, a California-based provider of horseracing content and wagering, has appointed four new outside experts in law enforcement, security, gaming and financial transactions to its independent wagering compliance committee, a group that will provide ongoing insight and independent auditing of the company's compliance procedures and policies. The committee's new members are Gordon Dickie, vice president of compliance and government affairs for Shuffle Master Inc, Edward Hannah, a partner in Toronto law firm Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg, Stephen Rybar, a former FBI agent and now director of compliance and security at Moulin Rouge Development Corporation in Las Vegas and Ronald Williams, a 22-year veteran of the U.S. Secret Service and founder of Talon Executive Services in Fountain Valley, CA.
Wednesday, March 30
Kiosk Removal -- British amusement arcade operator The Leisure Exchange agreed to remove certain Internet kiosks from its adult-only arcades after the Gaming Board pursued a number of actions against the company, including most recently a test prosecution scheduled for trial in May. The machines--supplied by Contented Kiosks Limited of Cyprus--came under dispute last year because they enable users to surf the same Web sites, including gambling sites, they'd be able to surf from an Internet café or from home. The Leisure Exchange had also signed a co-marketing agreement with the Cherry Group's online casino to give a hyperlink to Cherry's casino preferred placement on the kiosks' displays. Players could use funds from their e-wallets to gamble with Cherry's casino and would not have to pay for Internet usage while logged on to Cherry's site. The Gaming Board holds the view that the operation of these kiosks involves the organizing and management of gaming, while The Leisure Exchange argued that the kiosks fall outside the scope of the 1968 Gaming Act because the gambling servers are based offshore. The dispute between Leisure Exchange and the Gaming Board began heating up last summer and has culminated with the kiosks being scheduled for removal by the end of May. The board has agreed to drop its prosecution.
New Entry -- Global Gaming Technologies, a cash shell company that is quoted on the Alternative Investment Market, is preparing to execute a reverse takeover of Event Data Correlation, a company that develops software that detects and analyzes price discrepancies in online betting markets for use in trading decisions.
Gambling Bill -- iGGBA (Interactive Gaming, Gambling and Betting Association) estimates that more that £2 billion in business and over 17,000 jobs will be lost by the British economy if the country's Gambling Bill does not pass this year. The bill would open the door to Internet gambling companies by regulating their activities and would provide thousands of jobs and billions of pounds in profits, taxes and investments to the economy. However, with an election date of May 5 looking increasingly certain, the bill must somehow pass Parliament before its likely dissolution on April 5.
Casino Stadium -- Online casino English Harbour.com says it submitted a bid on Feb. 23 to the National Football League's New York Giants franchise for the rights to name the team's new $700 million stadium, but hasn't received a response. It now plans to offer a second bid in response to the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority's announcing that it intends to offer a naming rights package on the entire Meadowlands complex. "Our intention to purchase the naming rights of the new stadium have been made clear to the Giants," English Harbour President Paul Sudolski explained, "but now we feel it's time to reach out to the state." Though its intentions may be noble, English Harbour's efforts are not likely to succeed considering the U.S. government's hostile attitude toward online gambling.
ATR Poker & Casino -- British horseracing and betting channel At The Races has launched an online casino and poker room, both of which are licensed in Alderney and powered by Wagerworks. "At The Races Casino" and "At The Races Poker" offer members loyalty rewards schemes and promotions that include access to racing event hospitality and tickets. At The Races Casino provides more than 56 non-download games for fun or real money, and At The Races Poker gives players the chance to play against some of the TV channel's presenters and pundits in special tournaments.
Payout Solution -- I-gaming software provider Chimera Technology Corp has announced that effective April 2005, customers of the company's licensees will be able to receive privately-branded debit cards under the 724Pay program as a payout option. Players will be able to request fund transfers through the debit card accounts, and the funds will be accessible from any ATM around the world. Chimera says it recently completed a test program which indicated that the cards could reduce operating costs to licensees by 75 percent while allowing player to receive fast, secure payouts.
Tuesday, March 29
ID Verification -- UK-based payment services and solutions provider DataCash has signed a deal that will allow its clients to use identity verification service URU to detect underage gambling and potential fraudulent activities and also to prepare for new money laundering and gambling legislation. The URU service, jointly developed by BT and GB Group, assures the verification of consumer identification within seconds by checking national reference databases such as mortality, electricity, telephone and financial industry records and passport and drivers license details. DataCash will be able to provide combined age, identity and fraud screening of credit cards and debit cards to all organizations that use its payment facilities.
ARGO Report -- ARGO (Association of Remote Gambling Operators) has released a report called Fair, Honest and Safe: cross border remote gambling within the European Union. ARGO says that its report's key finding is that a large number of EU Member States are currently imposing unfair and illegal trade barriers to prevent remote gambling operators in other Member States from accessing their markets. The report also demonstrates that in some instances the restrictions on remote gambling operators are applied to protect domestic gambling monopolies and tax revenues, rather than to protect the public's interest, as many governments claim.
Welcome Aboard -- Online skill games provider CYOP Systems International has appointed Michael Ozerkevich Peterson to the company's board of directors. Ozerkevich is one of the founding partners of management consulting firm EMC Partners and has gained other valuable experience by serving as a deputy minister for the government of Alberta and as a partner in Price Waterhouse (now PriceWaterhouseCoopers). He has also authored several publications and reports.
Keno.com Bingo -- Gaming Transactions Inc, owner of the Keno.com online gaming site, has begun discussions with vendors for the licensing and purchase of bingo games. The company plans to integrate bingo games into Keno.com and to market them as part of its increasing suite of products.
Monday, March 28
Land-based Expansion -- Tim Johnson-- CEO of Carmen Media Group, which owns several Gibraltar-licensed online gaming properties, including River Belle Casino, Jackpot City, Lucky Nugget, the Gaming Club and more-- recently told eGaming Review that his company is contemplating an expansion into land-based gaming opportunities. The company is reportedly testing poker tutorials and branded poker equipment but may have larger plans for traditional betting.
North American P2P -- New betting exchange site Matchbook.com hopes to find success by serving the North American market. The company provides a marketplace for predictions on sports, politics, financials and more and receives a two-percent commission rate on winning bets. A press release announcing the launch of Matchbook.com states that Antigua-based betting company World Sports Exchange "has been working with Matchbook management to identify possible areas of cooperation and thinks the exchange format may be ideal for some of its clients." Matchbook.com uses a proprietary trading platform, and its customer support offices are based in Ireland while its transaction processing servers are based in Antigua.
Levy Board -- UK Sports Minister Richard Caborn has announced that the British horseracing industry will continue to receive funding from the Levy Board until at least 2009. Caborn announced the extension of racing's funding through the Levy Board after an independent review group chaired by Lord Donoughue ruled that the sport needs more time to develop alternative commercial options in the aftermath of a European Court of Justice decision which stated that bookmakers are not obligated to pay the industry for the use of information, thereby seriously damaging the industry's plans to fund racing through the sale of database rights. Caborn said the extension of the Levy for another three years should "give all the parties involved the time they need to come up with a long-term, viable solution to the funding of racing."
GameAbyss -- GameAbyss.com Corp has relaunched both its GameAbyss.com online gambling reviews site and its GameAbyss.net gambling search engine with new designs and additional features.
Skill Games -- Fun Technologies (formerly CES Software), a provider of peer-to-peer skill gaming, betting exchange technology and online sports information, announced that its SkillJam Technologies Corp subsidiary has entered into a licensing agreement with Denmark-based games developer Certus A/S to operate and distribute Certus' multiplayer games through the SkillJam network. Certus has created over 30 java-based web games and nine mobile games based using its SYMFONI proprietary technology.