Friday, April 29
$15,000 Baby -- Melissa Heuschkel of Connecticut gave birth Wednesday at 3:34 a.m. to Golden Palace Benedetto and in doing so cashed in to the tune of $15,500. Golden Palace, the Kahnawake-licensed online casino famous for its unique branding strategies, is paying the sum to Heuschkel in exchange for the baby-naming rights.
Spitzer Sighting -- New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer filed a lawsuit Thursday against Intermix Media for illegally disseminating spyware. The Los Angeles-based marketing company, which operates about 40 Web sites providing games, greeting cards, social networking, trivia and jokes, has issued a statement denying that it "promotes or condones" spyware. Spitzer, who is well known in the Internet gambling industry for his actions taken against transaction facilitators, is seeking a court order restricting Intermix's business practices.
Certifiably Random -- Internet casino software provider AngelCiti Entertainment Inc. reported today that its random number generator has received certification from internationally recognized accredited testing facility Technical Systems Testing. AngelCiti President George Gutierrez said the certification "marks another step in our evolution." Gutierrez added, "Certification of the integrity and fairness of online gaming software is critical because it is important for players to know and understand that they are playing online with the same true odds they would receive in a land-based casino. This accomplishment should assist us considerably in our ongoing marketing efforts."
Norsk Tipping Recognized -- Norway's state lottery, Norsk Tipping, is among 21 finalists in this year's European Most Admired Knowledge Enterprises (MAKE) study, a benchmark to recognize Europe's leading organizations for their ability to leverage enterprise knowledge to deliver superior performance in the areas of innovation, operational effectiveness and excellence in products and services.
Thursday, April 28
Virginia Betting -- The state of Virginia's racing commission yesterday approved the advance deposit wagering license applications of TV Games Network and XpressBet, thereby enabling satellite television customers in the state to wager on the races they've been able to view at home for several years. The commission also renewed the license for CDPhonebet, a Colonial Downs product that's managed by The Racing Channel. Virginia began regulating account wagering in 2003.
Gambling Research -- Family and Community Services Minister Kay Patterson has announced that the Australian federal government will commit $3 million to establishing a national research institute on problem gambling. The institute's work will play an important role in future gambling policy decisions, and the state of Victoria is now favored to be the headquarters of the institute.
Live on Blue Square -- British bookmaker Blue Square has purchased the broadcasting rights to this weekend's SAP Open professional tennis tournament in California. The company will provide live streaming video of the event on its Web site in addition to full in-running wagering. Blue Square has also secured broadcast rights to stream several World Cup qualifying football matches on its Web site, and earlier this year it attracted over 6,000 users for its live webcast of a darts contest in Holland. The abundance of live televised sporting events is no doubt a main driver in the growth of interactive betting, yet many high-profile events are still not accessible via TV. If Blue Square's experiments prove successful, the company could begin broadcasting more events over the Internet in the future. "This is very much a toe-in-water thing," company spokesman Ed Pownall said. "If it goes well, we might expand on the idea very quickly. This is the tip of the iceberg of what we have planned."
Pay-for-Content -- Interactive Games, Inc., a company whose main business is developing and licensing slot machines and other technologies for land-based Native American casinos, has announced the launch of its new mobile gaming division and Web site (igmobilegames.com), from which three games can be downloaded onto cellular phones for free. The company is developing play-for-free casino content and multi-player games that it hopes will eventually work under a pay-for-content model that can be bundled with cellular providers under a subscription model added to the user's cell phone bill. Interactive Games has formed a strategic alliance with Via-Cell Inc., a Florida-based developer of cell phone games and debit card and stored value solutions.
German Football -- Meeting for an extraordinary session in response to the recent match-fixing scandal, Germany's Football Association (DFB) representatives today agreed upon a new code of conduct that would ban players, coaches, referees and officials from betting on football matches. The DFB has also decided against punishing referee Robert Hoyzer 50,000 euro, feeling instead that his lifetime ban from the sport is severe enough. Both the DFB and the German Soccer League (DFL) have signed rolling contract with betting security firm Betradar, which has over 100 betting offices under its monitoring system, to work more closely with bookmakers in the future in identifying suspicious betting patterns. Germany will host the World Cup in 2006.
On the Premises -- Wireless communications solutions company Diamond I, Inc. has launched its new Web site (diamonditech.com), which provides a preview of its WiFiCasino GS hand-held Wi-Fi based gaming system. The WiFiCasino GS system is designed to enable patrons to gamble remotely from anywhere on the premises of a casino, cruise ship or race track, including from the patron's room or the bar or pool area. The system can also extend beyond gambling applications, allowing patrons to surf the Internet, obtain resort information, order drinks and meals and access concierge services.
Backgammon -- British skill gaming systems provider GameAccount is supplying Irish bookmaker Paddy Power with a multiplayer backgammon game equipped with seamless login, real-time exchange rates and multiple languages.
Roulette Diagnostics -- CWC Gaming (Casino Webcam), an I-gaming solutions provider whose products enable customers to wager on live action at an actual land-based casino in Costa Rica via streaming webcast transmissions, has installed the TCSJOHNHUXLEY Roulette Wheel Analysis solution, which spots bias and trends so casino managers can easily check the performance of any roulette wheel at any time. Winning number data is automatically and securely collected through the TCSJOHNHUXLEY Reader Head-a software program that instantly converts data into various reports, such as individual number bias, wheel sector bias, performance change, spin speed and table performance.
Welcome Abaord -- Youbet.com has appointed Christina Myers to the position of vice president of strategic marketing. Myers, who has extensive experience in online, direct and database marketing with major gaming organizations, will oversee the coordination of all marketing functions at Youbet. She has been charged with developing data-driven marketing initiatives to increase revenues from Youbet's new and existing advanced deposit wagering accounts. . . . Simon Noble, former CEO of Intertops and BetWWTS, has joined online betting company Pinnacle Sports. Noble is returning to the world of sports betting after a five-month stint with English Harbour, an online casino group, as executive vice president of business development. "I have joined Pinnacle and the simple reason is that I just missed the sports too much," Noble told InfoPowa News. "I guess after 15 years as a bookmaker it's in the blood."
Wednesday, April 27
Albatross Race -- This year Ladbrokes will again sponsor and take wagers on the "Big Bird Race," in which the migration of 17 Tasmanian shy albatrosses from Tasmania to South Africa will be charted via satellite transmitters. Each albatross has been adopted by a celebrity, and all income generated from betting will benefit the BirdLife International Save the Albatross Fund. The race's main goal is to call attention to the dangers that longline fishing techniques presents to the endangered birds. Last year's event raised more than £200,000 and yielded a treasure trove of information for scientists studying the albatross and its migratory flight patterns, but only one of 18 birds actually completed the voyage.
Geolocation -- Quova Inc., a company that provides Web geography services and technologies, has signed a contract to provide I-gaming software provider Playtech with geolocatation data for regulatory compliance and fraud prevention. Quova's GeoPoint service, which determines the geographic location of a website user and the cyber-location of an online transaction in real time, has been incorporated in Playtech's unified gaming platform to help Playtech's customers screen out potentially fraudulent users and remain compliance with multinational regulations on Internet gambling.
WTO Report Adopted -- The Dispute Settlement Body of the World Trade Organization on April 20 adopted the Appellate Body report "United States - Measures Affecting the Cross-Border Supply of Gambling and Betting Services." The report is now sanctioned by the international trade body, and the United States has a reasonable amount of time (the precise length of which will be determined by Antigua and the United States) to implement the report's recommendations.
Instant Bodog -- Bodog.com has added instant-play, Flash versions of craps and roulette to its online casino, enabling players to play these games without downloading any software. The company has also added three new slot machines to its downloadable casino suite.
Mismanagement Allegations -- In response to allegations of mismanagement, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor) will open its books to an external audit to prove that its finances are well managed. Sen. Jinggoy Estrada this week accused Pagcor of paying the Hyatt Marina Hotel Casino over US$9 million for rent, which is more than half the sum used to pay for rent at Pagcor's 13 other wholly owned casinos. Last month Estrada alleged that the Pagcor has been involved in illegal 60-40 joint venture operations of slot machine arcades whose profit-sharing agreements have funneled close to $37 million to private companies at a time when the government is "crying for financial deficit and imposing new and back-breaking taxes on the people."
US Mobile Ratings -- The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, a trade group for the U.S. wireless industry, is developing a mobile content rating system that would have adult content separated from other content so that it can be filtered when appropriate. The group could begin testing the rating system by mid year and might have a full system operating by the end of 2005.
TST Certified -- Internationally recognized accredited testing facility Technical Systems Testing (TST) has certified the random number generator of I-gaming software developer Real Time Gaming as fair and random. TST uses fully independent and impartial testing procedures to ensure that gaming software systems and equipment adhere to strict standards of technical compliance.
Kickboxing Wagers -- German online betting company McBet.tv is the official main sponsor of the Thai & Kickbox SuperLeague, a new full-contact international fighting league that has landed over 100 hours of TV deals globally in its first year. McBet.tv provides wagering on the SuperLeague's Web site (superleague.tv), which will feature a live steaming event from the König Pilsener Arena in Germany on May 21. The Web site also features fight reports, analysis, interviews and an official world ranking system. McBet.tv is powered by Sportwetten Gera Ltd.
Tuesday, April 26
Partners -- Following the success of their Grand National Web site earlier this month, The Racing Post and Racing UK are partnering again to provide a permanent broadband horseracing content service. The companies are soliciting tenders for five licenses to operate in conjunction with the project, which will cover live pictures from Racing UK's 31 tracks, racing analysis and forms from the Racing Post and the ability to wager directly on the site. License holders will receive prominent branding and will have the ability to put video content on their own Web sites. The dedicated Grand National site launched by the two companies logged over 157,000 unique users in the nine days leading up to the event. It included archived footage, analysis and live streaming footage on race day.
Virtual Football -- Software developer Ash Leucker has designed a new football-based fixed-odds betting game called "Quick Bet Final Score" for William Hill. The game enables players to place the usual range of bets--including correct scores, penalties and red cards--on a virtual match between two teams of their choice. The 90-minute game is abbreviated so that the punter sees only the highlights. The game is reachable through the arcade section of Hills' online sports book and complements Hills' other Quick Bet products, including Quick Bet Cards and Quick Bet Darts.
Betfair Blimp -- Betfair has signed an exclusive two-year deal with the Frontiers Group to become the official betting partner of the Test Match Grounds. The agreement gives Betfair perimeter boards, tri-vision sight screen advertising and in-stadia sampling and promotional activity at the seven Test Match Grounds. The company also becomes the naming sponsor of the Betfair Blimp, which will provide Channel 4 with aerial footage of the Ashes, for which Betfair is broadcast sponsor. Betfair hopes the sponsorships will increase brand awareness and new customer acquisition both in the United Kingdom and internationally.
Sweepstakes -- A new widely reported legal controversy in the United States involves the operation of Internet café's whose computers are equipped with casino-style games and touch-screen monitors. Patrons can either purchase Internet time or a combination deal that includes a 100-minute phone card, one hour of Internet time and 100 "sweepstakes" points, which can be used to play the casino games. Points earned through playing the sweepstakes games can be redeemed for cash and merchandise. Café operators say their system is tantamount to no-purchase-necessary business promotion plans that involve instant-win twist-off caps or scratch cards, but some state authorities are investigating the matter, claiming the computer terminals are thinly veiled gambling devices. The sweepstakes are operating in Alabama, California, Florida, Hawaii, Massachusetts, South Carolina and Texas, with Arizona and Utah expected to be the next areas of expansion.
Lucky You -- MyBookie.com says it has signed an exclusive product placement agreement with Warner Brothers that will have the MyBookie.com Web site predominantly displayed and featured in the plot of "Lucky You," an upcoming film starring Drew Barrymore. The movie will tell the tale of a college student who makes big winnings gambling online and then travels to Las Vegas where he attempts to win a world championship. Eric Bana, Robert Duvall and Debra Messing will also star in the film.
Monday, April 25
Ukash -- Smart Voucher and Proc Cyber Services Limited have formed a joint venture company called Universal e-Cash Limited, which has launched "Ukash," a new e-commerce payment brand for cash customers. Consumers can purchase Ukash vouchers from PayPoint outlets, retailers and convenience stores and use the vouchers to purchase goods and services over the Internet. Ukash is intended to appeal to consumers who either do not have credit or debit cards or who do not wish to use them online due to fraud and security concerns. Ukash is available at more than 12,500 PayPoint locations across England in denominations from £15 to £100, and Universal e-Cash Limited is negotiating agreements with e-commerce merchants to make Ukash an accepted form of payment. The company also intends to roll out Ukash across continental Europe.
Real Money Bingo.com -- Bingo.com Ltd. has chosen interactive gaming software and solutions provider Chartwell Technology to supply a cash gaming system for the Bingo.com portal, which currently offers free online bingo games. Bingo.com says the passage of the U.K. Gambling Act led to its decision to diversify its business model by entering the cash bingo market. Under the terms of the new license agreement, Chartwell will provide Bingo.com with its gaming system, including flash-based 75-ball and 90-ball bingo games and a full suite of soft games which will be offered as side games and intermission entertainment. Bingo.com claims to have a player base of over 1 million registered players, with 30,000 visitors and 800 new signups every day.
Quoteworthy -- "It says a lot about us that a bulge bracket U.S. bank is getting involved. It says that in the U.K. especially, where the Gambling Act has been passed, that this is now an institutionally accepted industry."
-John Anderson, CEO of Gibraltar-based Cassava Enterprises, commenting to the Financial Times about his company's appointment of global financial services bank Credit Suisse First Boston as advisors to a flotation that could value the company at £1.6 billion.
Free License? -- ABC Online incorrectly reported last week that Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd. (PBL) has paid the Tasmanian government over $2.5 million for a five-year gaming license that it does not use. In actuality, PBL and Tabcorp both hold inactive gaming licensees for which they do not pay annual fees. It is because of an amendment to Australia's Gaming Act of 2001 that these companies may hold licenses without paying annual fees. PBL would be required to begin paying annual fees if it were successful in obtaining a license to operate a betting exchange in conjunction with British company Betfair.
Lottery Nightmare -- British newspapers today carried the tale of 77-year-old Ken Jackson from Sherrington, Norfolk, who worked as a lottery ticket reseller agent for Overseas Subscribers Agents (OSA). Jackson used to buy up to 2,000 National Lottery tickets every week and then transfer them to OSA, which would resell them at a higher cost. In January 2002, one of the tickets purchased by Jackson became the winner of a £16,628,000 prize--the largest in the lottery's 10-year history. Before claiming the massive jackpot, Jackson spent eight days figuring out how to transfer the prize to the man in Switzerland who purchased the winning ticket from OSA. Camelot, operator of the National Lottery, has investigated whether the bulk purchasing of tickets for OSA is legal and has come to the conclusion that "the operation of a commercial syndicate is not illegal under U.K. law nor is it in principle contrary to the rules governing the National Lottery." Jackson, who ended up earning £40,000 in interest while waiting to transfer the money to Switzerland, has called the realization of the winning ticket and the chaotic days that followed a "nightmare."
Harbour's Superslots -- Antigua-based online gaming company English Harbour New Ventures Inc. has added online bingo hall SuperSlotsBingo.com to its portfolio of managed properties. The new site features daily bonuses, progressive jackpots, tournaments, animated graphics, chat functions, customer support, auto-play and more. Players can play for fun or for real money, with cards selling for as little as $0.05 each. Earlier this month English Harbour announced the launch of its new online poker room, EnglishHarbourPoker.com.
BetDirect -- Sportech, the owner of the Littlewoods brand of gaming, has launched a new casino and a new poker room, available at www.betdirectcasino.com and www.betdirectpoker.com respectively. Utilizing software from Sweden-based Boss Media, the new casino offers over 30 no-download games, while the poker room will funnel Bet Direct players into the Boss Poker network. Like Sportech's other online casino and poker properties (Littlewoodscasino.com and Littlewoodspoker.com), the new sites will operate from the Netherlands Antilles.