Friday, Aug. 26
IAS' TAB -- International All Sports has signed an agreement with PH Holdings Ltd. and Austote Pty Ltd. to acquire Norfolk Island-licensed totalisator AusTote. Established two years ago, AusTote is unique in that it is entirely Internet-based and offers commission rates as low as 2 percent (compared to the 17 percent deductions applied by traditional Australian totalisators). It has nevertheless struggled to gain customers because it has lacked the funding to advertise properly--a shortfall that should be remedied by this week's acquisition. IAS will provide an initial sum of AU$250,000 and a further amount of $250,000 in one year in exchange for no less than 76 percent of the shares of AusTote. AusTote's current CEO, Mike King, will be retained to manage the business.
Hedging Down Under -- When presenting information to Parliament, Tasmanian Greens racing spokesperson Kim Booth did not name the on-course bookmaker he claims to have caught hedging bets via a computer connected to betting exchange Betfair, but he has reportedly named the bookmaker in a letter he wrote to Racing Minister Jim Cox. Tony Murray, the director of racing in Tasmania, has launched a formal inquiry into the matter to determine whether anything illegal has taken place and whether any bets were registered with Betfair during the race meeting in question. Any licensed on-course bookmaker who places bets on Tasmanian races via an off-course operator may be in breach of its license. Murray says that such action is clearly a violation of the Racing Regulation Act when the bets are on thoroughbred horse races, although there may bit a bit of gray area concerning the application of the law to wagering on pacers and harness racing. Betfair spokesperson Andrew Twaits has stated that his company is happy to cooperate with the investigation.
Quoteworthy -- "If anyone's losing money because of the bots, it's the players. It's inevitably going to become a serious problem when they figure out that bots win hundreds of thousands of dollars per year."
- Kurt Lange, CEO of Poker Academy, a company that produces poker training software. Lange's comments appear in an article on Wired News that discusses the infiltration of bots in online poker rooms.
A New Way -- The Russian Patent Office has approved the application of a gaming system called "Roulabet" that enables players to participate in live casino table games via video-streaming to remote locations. Rather than using the Internet, the system uses a combination of digital satellite and digital cable technology.
Ten Percent Pledge -- British bookmaking giant Ladbrokes has pledged to deliver 10 percent of its gross profits from British horseracing back to the racing industry after the current method of statutory payment ends in 2009. CEO Chris Bell believes the country's other major bookmakers would probably follow suit, assuming they agree on an appropriate system for a levy replacement. Bell, like many others, believes that the replacement will likely be a system whereby bookmakers pay for the use of live pictures and data.
Focusing on Japan -- Gibraltar-based online gambling operator Carmen Media Group has increased its focus on the Japanese market by introducing Japanese-language telephone support for its one-year-old Gaming Club Japan Web site. The company has also launched a Japanese version of its corporate Web site.
Nine.com -- Costa Rica-based online gaming operator Nine.com has signed a deal with British software provider VS Gaming whereby VS Gaming will provide Nine.com with a soft gaming suite. Nine.com is the result of a measure undertaken by the GCS Group, which last month merged all of its Internet-based properties--Betcom, My Bookie, Parlaybook and Sportsbook 911-- into a single, easy-to-remember brand. At the moment, all four of the sites appear to operate exactly as they did before the emergence of Nine.com. The Quebec Gazette recently reported that Nine.com has offered to sponsor the college tuition of a baseball fan who jumped onto the security netting at Yankees Stadium a couple weeks ago.
DDoS Counterattack -- German online gambling site jaxx.de (operated by Fluxx AG), says it has been receiving threats of a DDoS attack since Sunday. Rather than pay the 40,000 euros demanded, the company is offering the same amount to anyone who can bring the perpetrators to justice. The company says it has been working with the Federal Criminal Police Office and the German Bureau for Security in Information Technology toward finding the extortionists, who are believed to be located in Ukraine.
Why Bet at the Track? -- TCBets.com, a Costa Rica-based betting company, recently a 35-by-100-foot banner that says "Why bet at the track?" around the vicinity of the Saratoga Raceway in New York in an effort to promote its Web site as well as the benefits of wagering with offshore bookmakers. Not only does the company plan to fly the banner over several other tracks in the United States, but in the near future it intends to bid on the New York Racing Association franchise, which expires in 2007.
CYOP Bingo -- Online gaming software and games portal operator CYOP Systems International Inc. has launched an alpha version of its online bingo game on the Web site of its U.K.-based subsidiary, Red Felt Software. The company will license the bingo software as well as launch its own bingo portal, which it will market directly to new players and those already in its SkillArcade.com database.
Thursday, Aug. 25
Skills -- MoneyGaming.com, a new high-stakes skill gaming site, says it has acquired 35,000 players since launching early this week (in addition to the 125,000 players who signed up prior to launch). Players have so far participated in over 40,000 games, and 15 percent of the registered players have made real-money deposits. One unique site feature is the ability to raise the stakes against opponents during play, forcing them to either match the stake or resign from the competition. The site also features a poker-style linear lobby applet, the ability to participate in multiple tournaments simultaneously and limits as high as $10,000 per game. MoneyGaming offers nine games of skill from software provider Game Trust's catalogue of 45 titles. . . . Betcorp, owner of online gaming sites BetWWTS.com and CyberSportsBook.com, and U.K.-based skill gaming software provider GameAccount have inked a deal through which the latter will dvelop two skill games sites for the former.
Tas Inquiry -- Kim Booth, the Greens' racing spokesman in Tasmania, alleges that he saw an on-course bookmaker at last weekend's Hobart pacing meeting using the Betfair betting exchange. Tasmania's director of racing has consequently set up a two-week inquiry to determine whether the bookmaker has violated the Racing Regulation Act.
Cassava Watch -- When will Cassava Enterprises float on the London Stock Exchange? While several publications (including IGN) have reported that the company will go public on Sept. 1, The Independent has reported that the IPO road show will not even begin until the end of September. Cassava, which according to Financial Times made $180 million in profits in 2004, has been silent on the matter.
Mobile Bingo -- Nevada-based Internet gaming software developer World Entertainment Corp. (called World Bingo League Co. Inc.) has signed a deal to develop and promote a mobile bingo site for Media5.
Squares -- Irish bookmaker Paddy Power is plugging a new game called "Squares" under the games section of its Web site. Developed by Orbis Technology and Dynamite Idea, the game lets players make a variety of bets on the result of a drawing of six balls from a grid of 36. Players plan multiple bets, including odd or even, position on the grid, combined value, high or low and more.
Sponsors -- Ukbetting has become the primary sponsor of the BackgammonMillion tournament, which will be produced by Backgammon Ltd. and will involve a series of online tournaments. The top finishers will compete in the final in the Bahamas in December against backgammon professionals and celebrities for a share of a US$1 million prize pool. Ukbetting's sponsorship includes the production of TV coverage and a DVD to be released later. . . . PartyPoker.com has signed a deal with GPS Industries, a company that supplies portable handheld and golf cart-mounted wireless and GPS-enabled units to golf courses, whereby GPS Industries will display Party Poker promotions to golfers at 15 of the courses it supplies. Golfers use the GPS units to obtain distance measurements and view graphics of the courses as well as communicate with the pro shops and clubhouses. As part of the 45-day deal, GPS Industries will display promotions offering ball markers, golf tees and a matched $50 deposit to each golfer who opens an account with PartyPoker and deposits $50. The golfers will also be invited to participate in a tournament with a grand prize of $10,000. The promotions should reach an estimated 80,000 golfers during the course of the pilot, and PartyPoker will compensate GPS Industries for every player who signs up through the GPS units. . . . Slotland.com will sponsor a Super Bowl Novice Bowling Tournament at four bowling centers in and around Vancouver in September and October. Each participating bowler will receive a voucher for $200 to spend at Slotland.com, and winning teams in each qualifying match will win $300 and advance to the championship where they'll compete for a Slotland.com sponsorship, a $300 voucher at Slotland.com for each team member and an additional $500. . . . U.K.-based online betting company Totalbet has become an official betting and gaming partner of the Nationwide Football Conference. By paying an undisclosed five-figure sum, the company has become a second-tier sponsor and has gained access to the league's 66 club Web sites, the official conference Web site and various offline advertising opportunities.
Wednesday, Aug. 24
Impending Battle -- Portugal's Casino Association and the Holy House of Mercy, a charity that maintains a monopoly on lotteries and pari-mutuel betting in the country, are poised to challenge a recently announced partnership that makes BetandWin.com Interactive Entertainment the official sponsor of the Portuguese Professional Football League. The four-year deal calls for the 18-team premiership to be renamed the "betandwin.com League," and Holy House objects to it on the grounds that only Holy House gambling operations may be legally advertised in Portugal. The charity says it intends to pursue legal action.
Business Leader of the Year -- European CEO Magazine has awarded Andrea Wilson, CEO of Bermuda-based e-commerce solutions provider First Atlantic Commerce, with the honor of being "Business Leader of the Year 2005." The award's panel of judges chose Wilson because of "her outstanding contribution to secure and safe eCommerce payment processing transactions." They also stated that "The First Atlantic Commerce model engenders confidence to all those involved in the transaction and therefore drives the wider acceptance, confidence and value of eCommerce." Other candidates for the award included Tony Hayword of BP, Franck Riboud of Danone, Werner Wenning of Bayer, Alfredo Saenz Abad of Banco Santander and Peter Kruse of DHL Express Europe.
888 Target Date -- The launch date for Cassava Enterprises' initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange has been set for Sept. 1. The float is expected to value the company at more than US$1.3 billion.
Acquisition -- Diamond I Inc., a developer of wireless gaming products, will acquire U.K.-based Touchdev Limited for a combination of cash and stock. Touchdev's suite of 12 mobile games--including Texas Hold'em poker--will be integrated into Diamond I's WifiCasino GS wireless hand-held gaming system, which is being marketed to Las Vegas casinos.
Custom-Built Fantasy -- Costa Rica-based Bodog.com has launched a free, custom-built fantasy football game that enables managers to select new teams each week. Each real-world football player is assigned a different cost each week, depending upon is his anticipated performance against the opposing team that week, and managers must keep their teams under a spending cap. Winners are eligible for weekly prizes totaling $8,000.
Temporary Downturn -- A report from financial analysts at UBS Warburg indicates a recent downturn in wagering revenue due to the split racing telecasts in Australia, but suggests that the trend is only temporary and that regular wagering levels should return once viewers get used to there being two different racing channels.
Quoteworthy -- "Shop at Wal-Mart for all your Texas Hold 'Em back-to-school needs!"
- Overhead playing through the public announcement system as an IGN staff member walked through a local Wal-Mart store.
Tuesday, Aug. 23
NZ Lotto -- The New Zealand Lotteries Commission and GTECH Global Services Corporation have signed a contract whereby GTECH will replace New Zealand's entire line of 1,450 Lotto terminals with more modern products. GTECH will also upgrade the new terminal network to Internet protocol and supply the terminals with Web interface support. The network replacement should be completed around the middle of 2006, and soon after GTECH will begin introducing remote gaming products that New Zealanders can play from home over the Internet. The total cost of the systems renewal program is estimated to be around $40 million over the life of the nine-year contract.
Mobile Lots -- News Media Lottery Services Inc, a company that supplies lotteries with digital lottery technology and management support, has signed a deal with wireless platform software developer Phantom Fiber Corporation whereby Phantom Fiber will enable NMLS's suite of lottery games to be operated through mobile lottery terminals. NMLS will use mobile lottery terminals in retail and public locations to sell lottery tickets to consumers in a number of select markets. The company says it plans to offer dozens of video lottery games plus multi-million-dollar progressive jackpots in contracted countries across mobile, Internet and retail channels and also plans to partner with charity lotteries in many markets to gain first-mover advantage.
QArea -- Ukrainian mobile software designer QArea has completed the development of a wireless casino product and has begun testing it on mobile devices. The company says its product supports a range of mobile platforms and can easily be converted to most others in less than 30 hours.