Friday, April 8
Betfair's API -- Birmingham-based Image Habitat is the latest company to develop an application using Betfair's Application Programming Interface, which enables software developers to communicate directly with the Betfair database and develop applications with functionality that Betfair does not already have. Image Habitat's new product, "BetANYWHERE" (www.betanywhere.co.uk), lets punters wager through Betfair with any WAP- or Java-enabled mobile phone. Image Habitat says BetANYWHERE boasts a look and feel that is available in full color graphics, is similar in look and feel to Betfair's Internet site, provides the full range of sports betting and enables users to use their standard Betfair account. The Java version of BetANYWHERE is available for £3 a month, while the WAP version is available at a pay-as-you-go rate of £1.50 per 24 hours of access. Thirty-five software developers have signed on to use Betfair's Application Programming Interface since the company launched its developers program eight months ago. . . . Betfair says it expects to match 4 million bets for the Grand National on Saturday; that would more than double last year's record of 2 million matched bets.
Quoteworthy -- "We are in the process of analyzing the WTO appellate body's lengthy and complex decision. From our initial review, we applaud the decision in so far as it reaffirms the sovereignty of United States gaming laws. We look forward to working with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, members of Congress, and other appropriate parties to better understand the concerns of the appellate body as regards the federal gambling laws, including the Interstate Horseracing Act. The horseracing industry has operated for more than 25 years pursuant to the Interstate Horseracing Act, a federal statute that provides a framework for interstate simulcasting of horse races among 42 states. These state licensed and regulated activities account for more than 80 percent of our industry's revenues, generate more than $1 billion in annual local, state, and federal taxes, and are the primary economic engine that supports the 472,000 workers in the $34 billion racing and breeding agribusiness."
- D.G. Van Clief, Jr., commissioner of the
National Thoroughbred Racing Association.
Promotion -- Race wagering and content provider Youbet.com says that a promotion it launched on March 26 called "Mystery Mutuel Rewards" resulted in a 41 percent increase in member sign-ups during its first weekend as compared to other weekends this year. The program gives participants a chance to win one of 34,000 cash prizes totaling $300,000 by redeeming vouchers at the company's Web site. The company is advertising the promotion in the online and print editions of the Daily Racing Form, at ESPN.com's horse racing section, on Ticketmaster.com and on its own Web site.
Poker Beat -- Bodog.com will sponsor the Celebrity Poker Shootout and the Second Annual Treasure Island-Las Vegas Casino Night on April 14 at the Barker Hanger of the Santa Monica Airport. The event will benefit the Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation and feature such players as Marge Hearn, members of the Lakers squad, Debra Messing, Shannon Elizabeth, Mimi Rogers, Will Sasso, Breckin Meyer, Chris, Danny and Jordan Masterson, Donovan Leitch, Gabrielle Union and more. . . . Poker information portal Cardplayer.com is improving its live professional poker tournament coverage by providing live streaming audio and video for all of the Bellagio Five-Star World Poker Classic events, which began on April 5 and culminates on April 25. . . . Pokertropolis.com has posted opening odds for players to win the 37th World Series of Poker finals this year, with movie star Ben Affleck the current favorite at 450-1.
7WIN7 Mobile -- Kahnawake-licensed Jackpot Factory Group has launched a new java-based mobile casino called 7WIN7 Mobile Casino (7win7.com). The casino offers video poker, double magic slots, roulette, blackjack, a scratch card game and a progressive jackpot slot. Wireless casino technology company Spin3 provided its Spinloc security authentication system for the 7WIN7 Mobile, and Microgaming provided its integrated gaming and casino management software.
Sponsorship -- BetandWin.com has extended its commitment to the MotoGP World Championship to sponsor this year's April 10 event in Jerez, Spain, a country which the company has identified as a target for its market expansion. BetandWin's logo will appear on numerous banners at various positions along the track and also on the press board and winner's rostrum. The company is already a three-time sponsor for Grand Prix events in Portugal, Great Britain and Japan.
Thursday, April 7
Tas Speculation -- Tasmanian newspaper The Mercury reports that Geoff Harper, chairman of the Tasmanian Thoroughbred Racing Council, is certain that the Tasmanian government will not award a betting exchange license to Betfair despite reports of negotiations between Betfair and the government. According to Harper, the negotiations were held so that Tasmanian Racing could get a better deal from Victorian betting firm TABcorp, to whom TOTE Tasmania pays 17 percent of its own operating costs as a fee to participate in the SuperTAB wagering pool. The fee significantly lowers the TOTE's contribution to the Tasmanian racing industry. "This is all about the state government reducing the payment," Harper said. "We would be hoping the Victorians drop the unjust fee they are charging us and the matter will go away." Harper also said that if Tasmania licensed a betting exchange it would be expelled from the SupterTAB pool and from coverage on Sky Channel, and that Tasmanians would not be able to race horses in other states because they would not be recognized by the Australian Rules of Racing.
Quoteworthy -- "This is the election of a significant head of state, and quite frankly, the Catholic Church is getting on with electing a head of state. I don't see why we shouldn't be able to give our clients and the people of Australia an opportunity to be part of that."
- Michael Sullivan, CEO of Sportingbet Australia, responding to criticism from representatives of the Catholic Church over the company's taking bets on who will be the next pope. Sportingbet Australia and many other sports books have been taking bets on the pope's successor for several weeks (and for over a year in Paddy Power's case), but most suspended betting during the days preceding and following his death.
Cash Out -- Mark Blandford, founder and executive vice chairman of Sportingbet, raised £6.5 million yesterday by selling just 17 percent of his stake in the company. According to Blandford, "I have had more than 90 per cent of my wealth tied up in one company for more than eight years. This is just a tiny readjustment of my assets. I am still absolutely committed to Sportingbet and its continued success." Blandford still owns 4 percent of Sportingbet, which is now valued at about £34 million.
Welcome Aboard -- Gaming Corporation, owner of casino.co.uk, has appointed William Grimes, a former senior executive of London Clubs International, to its board of directors. Grimes has over 35 years of experience in the gaming industry, having served as a director for London Clubs and Head of International Development for London Clubs Limited as well as director of London Clubs' Mayfair casino and manager of several casinos in the United Kingdom and abroad. Meanwhile, David Rogers and Charles Black are resigning as directors of Gaming Corp. The company has made several moves and announcements in the last few weeks, including the acquisition of Got2Bet.com, the launch of a mobile casino for cellular operator Orange, the launch of gaming portals skillgaming.co.uk and Findpoker.com, and a raising of £10 million through a share placement.
Wednesday, April 6
Magna in Europe -- North American racetrack owner and betting house Magna Entertainment Corporation has opened its MagnaBet online horse betting platform to the European market. Located at www.magnabet.co.uk, the site is available in five languages and allows customers to bet on races at 58 tracks around the world, including 32 in the United States, 25 in central Europe and one in Dubai. The site also offers live streaming of up to 160 races each day in addition to downloadable racing programs, expert tips, form statistics and other related information. The betting and information services are also available via WAP-enabled mobile devices.
Quoteworthy -- "People will have to accept the exchanges are there. You're better off regulating them, legislating for them and charging them appropriately rather than pretending they don't exist.
-Alan Delmonte, spokesperson for the British Horseracing Board. Members of the board and the Jockey Club have recently made statements that seem to support Betfair's efforts to seek a license to operate a betting exchange in Tasmania. Meanwhile, Australia's The Mercury reports that Greens Senator Bob Brown has written a letter to Prime Minister John Howard, urging a federal ban on betting exchanges, while welfare group Anglicare Tasmania is adamant that the government hasn't done proper research on existing forms of gambling and that consumer protection is especially difficult when gambling is done online.
Soap Gaming -- Sportech, operator of the Littlewoods brand of gaming services, has signed an agreement with British media company ITV to produce interactive betting games linked to "Coronation Street," England's longest running soap opera. Viewers can now play Coronation Street-themed fruit machines and scratch cards by pressing the red button on their remote controls. Sportech is reportedly planning to launch similar games in conjunction with daytime talk shows. Edinburgh-based Rodime developed the new games.
Got2Bet Deal -- Gaming Corporation, owner of gaming site www.casino.co.uk, has acquired Got2Bet.com, an online gambling portal that has provided online casino information, reviews, ratings, news and message boards in Chinese and English since March 2000. Gaming Corp will pay $270,000 for the site, which generated a net profit of US$106,340 for the six-month period ended Jan. 31, 2005. Brokerage for the deal was provided by River City Group. . . . In recent weeks Gaming Corp. has launched portal sites skillgaming.co.uk and Findpoker.com, as well as a mobile casino, on the Orange World cellular portal. The company raised £10 million last month through a share placement.
World Gaming -- I-gaming software provider World Gaming has announced the signing of two new licensees for its online sports betting and casino solution in addition to extending a contract with one of its existing licensees for another five years. The company has not named any of the licensees, but stated that the already existing client is a major one and that the two new clients have significant experience in direct and affiliate marketing within the online gaming industry (although this is their first operating venture).
Gaming Law Symposium -- The next annual gathering of the International Masters of Gaming Law will take place May 12-13 in Dearborn, Michigan. The symposium provides an opportunity for gaming attorneys and regulators to share and information and insight on such topics as responsible gaming, gaming developments in specific geographic areas, bingo, slot machines, Native American and First Nation gaming, charitable gaming and more. As part of the organization's commitment to public education on gaming law issues, the IMGL has opened its day-and-a-half conference to the gaming industry.
Solution for Land-Based Operators -- A company called Legal iGaming says it has developed a secure remote access gaming solution for closed-loop networks that would enable licensed land-based casinos to provide connectivity to their casino floor from their hotel rooms. LiG is finalizing a private placement round of financing at $2 per share, however, most investors will not be able to participate because the company is not at liberty to discuss its future plans or exit strategy.
Tuesday, April 5
DDoS -- A ZDNet UK article published today contains several statements from Blue Square's chief technology officer, Peter Pedersen, who recently spoke at the e-Crime Congress in London. Blue Square and other online gambling operators have created a forum through which they are lobbying Internet service providers to take a larger role in combating distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS). Pedersen explained that one crucial point on which the forum is trying to persuade ISPs is that they should distribute firewalls to their customers because firewalls are able to determine if a computer has been infiltrated and is taking part in a DDoS attack. The forum has also been lobbying MPs to make DDoS attacks explicitly illegal in the United Kingdom, and MP Derek Wyatt seems likely to introduce such measurements to Parliament today or tomorrow. However, due to the impending election and dissolution of Parliament, Wyatt's proposals hardly have much of a chance to pass, let alone receive more than 10 minutes of attention on the floor.
DDoS solutions provider Prolexic announced that it has extended its global reach by signing a partnership with collocation and IT infrastructure management provider TeleCity whereby TeleCity will provide a secure hosting location for Prolexic. Prolexic says its infrastructure is already live in TeleCity, with several online gambling firms, including Sporting Index, using the service.
Meanwhile, the Kommersant newspaper in Russia this week offered the latest scoop on the Russian hackers who were arrested in July 2004 for alleged DDoS assaults on Canbet and other British bookmakers. The Investigative Committee of Russia's Ministry of the Interior has almost finished conducting a technical examination of the hackers' confiscated computers, and once the investigators confirm that the computers were used in the attacks, they will begin legal proceedings. Suspect Ivan Maksakov of Saratov has been released under the condition that he not leave the city because he has confessed and is cooperating with the investigation, while another suspect, Denis Stepanov of St. Petersburg, has also admitted to his involvement and is being held at a holding facility in Moscow. Two other suspects, Timur Arutchev and Maria Zarubina, both of Pyatigorsk, are still at large but have been placed on a federal watch list and will be tried in absentia. The suspects will be charged with using harmful programs with serious consequence--punishable by three to seven years imprisonment--and extortion by an organized group--punishable by seven to 15 years imprisonment.
Paddy Power -- Irish bookmaker Paddy Power has revealed that it has begun the process of recruiting a new CEO because current CEO John O'Reilly plans to leave the company after 2005 for personal reasons. O'Reilly has been with the group since its inception, and after he became CEO in 2002 he oversaw its expansion into the U.K. market and into interactive gaming. . . . Paddy Power recently launched two new dice games--Dragon Dice and General Mayhem--using technology from U.K.-based companies Electracade and Orbis Technology. The new games mark Electracade's first product release, but Orbis already has extensive relationships with Paddy Power and several other I-gaming operators.
SkillJam -- FUN Technologies has signed an agreement with Inspired Broadcast Networks through which FUN's SkillJam Technologies subsidiary will become the backend provider of skill games for Inspired, which is the digital arm of Leisure Link, a manager of public-space gaming and entertainment machines that has over 90,000 machines operating in over 25,000 retail venues. SkillJam will provide skill gaming for Inspired's Internet offering and also for its network of 8,000 U.K. itbox terminals. The companies say they may extend their agreement in the future to cover services over mobile phones and other channels.
Gambling Bill -- As expected, British Prime Minister Tony Blair met with the Queen today and asked her to dissolve Parliament so that a general election may take place on May 5. Although the Parliamentary session is scheduled to end Monday, there is renewed expectation that the Gambling Bill may pass after all, now that Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell has conceded to permit only one regional super casino rather than the eight that were previously planned. To pass, the bill must clear the committee stage in the Commons before progressing to the Lords, where it still could face rejection.
Orange Casino -- Gaming Corp., owner of gaming site casino.co.uk, has revealed more details of its agreement with cellular network operator Orange. The WAP site will be accessible via the Orange World portal and will feature a suite of nine java-based games for real and cash play. Customers will be able to register and make deposits directly from their mobile device, and age verification will be in accordance with the U.K. mobile industry's Code of Practice. Launch date is later this month.
Global Cash -- Curacao-based e-commerce solutions provider Global Cash announced that it now offers a complete bank-provided Internet payment system for the online gambling industry. The company's solution enables pre-qualified merchant establishments to offer their players an instant online bank account that can be funded by any Visa or MasterCard regardless of geographic location of the issuing-bank.
Monday, April 4
UK Gambling Bill -- The U.K. Gambling Bill appears to be in serious jeopardy. It will run out of time unless it receives immediate opposition support, and various news agencies are reporting that Tory leader Michael Howard may refuse to back it to undermine Labour before next month's election. In doing so, Howard could also portray himself as one who is attempting to prevent a gambling epidemic. Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to call an election and dissolve Parliament as early as tomorrow.
The Evening Standard reports that next month's election in the United Kingdom should yield more than £10 million for bookmakers. William Hill spokesperson Graham Sharpe says his company has already accepted bets of £50,000 and £20,000 for Labour and two bets of £10,000 for Conservatives.
New Looks -- Curacao-licensed VIPCasino.com has upgraded its Web site by launching Version 6 of CryptoLogic's casino gaming software and by creating a fresh new look. VIPCasino says the look was inspired by a desire to focus more on the gaming element and to reflect the company's core values. . . . Australia-based Lasseters Online Casino (lasseters.com.au) is celebrating its six years online by introducing a new look and feel to its site. Highlights of the redesign include new slots, improved navigation and expanded player promotions.
Welcome Aboard -- Fun Technologies (formerly CES Software), a provider of person-to-person skill gaming and betting exchange networks, has appointed Geoffrey Rotstein as a director. Rotstein is currently CFO of publicly traded Cyberplex Inc., where he is responsible for developing and implementing financial controls, budgets and management policies. He also serves as a director for Cyberplex as well as for Chrysalis Capital Corporation.
Poker Beat -- Travel Channel has announced that it has picked up the World Poker Tour for a fourth season, which will air in 2006. The third season of World Poker Tour began March 2 and airs every Wednesday night in the United States. The World Poker Tour is the highest rated show ever on Travel Channel and is now seen in over 60 countries. . . . U.S. television network GSN has announced that in December 2005 it will produce the first annual awards show to celebrate the very best casino players, casino entertainers and casino-related television programs and movies. The GSN Casino Awards will be broadcast live from Las Vegas and feature dozens of award categories, including best professional poker player, best celebrity poker player, best professional blackjack player, best celebrity blackjack player, best casino-related move, best casino-related TV scenes and more. . . . Poker Pro Magazine, a new 80-page bimonthly publication, will premiere in major bookstore outlooks and in 90 airport newsstands in the United States and Canada in July. The new magazine will target beginning to intermediate players of all ages and provide a diverse offering of features and columns ranging from tutorials and instruction from the game's biggest players to poker-related lifestyle articles and coverage of the game's biggest tournaments.
Financial Info -- IGamingNews.com has updated the financial section of its Web site to feature a list of over 70 publicly traded companies in the I-gaming sector, including gambling operators, technology providers for Internet, mobile and interactive TV systems, payment processors, portal operators, content providers and more. The improved section is easy to navigate and offers current news and profiles for each company as well as links to each company's homepage and stock quotes, and all information is regularly monitored and updated. The financial section can be accessed by clicking "financial" in the top menu at www.IGamingNews.com.