Friday, Aug. 16
New Stuff -- Kerzner Interactive Ltd., formerly SunOnline Ltd. , is taking its advertising campaign for Casino Atlantis Online to the United Kingdom's national print media. The company began the campaign Aug. 1 with ads in The Times and The Observer, and it is following up the print ads with online ads on sites including msn.co.uk, BTOpenworld and Dennis Interactive. If the ads are successful, the company said it would continue them in the fall. Alex Czajkowski, Kerzner Interactive's marketing director, said they are hoping the print ads will reach players who haven't ventured online yet. "With CasinoAtlantis.com, we brought our offline property online--the games, the promotions, the buzz," he said. "Now, with this campaign, we're taking our online property offline to reach those casino players who haven't trusted anyone enough to play online." ... Gala is stepping up its presence in the interactive gambling market with plans to open three new online gaming Web sites. Galacasino.co.uk, galabingo.co.uk and galagames.co.uk are scheduled to launch by the end of the month and will also be available via Telewest's interactive TV service.
Names and Faces -- World Gaming plc is appointing Simon Coulthard as its group finance director. Coulthard was most recently with Wembley New Media Services and 24dogs, both of which are sections of Wembley plc. His appointment is effective Sept. 2.
Tidbit from Asia -- The Macau Jockey Club is asking permission from the Hong Kong government to offer bets on races at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. The move could be taken as a response to the Hong Kong government's ban on Internet betting in May, since the Macau Jockey Club has faced drastically lower gambling take as a result of the ban. The week after the ban was put in place, the Macau club's take fell 46.7 percent. The Hong Kong Jockey Club told the South China Morning Post that it was not aware that the Macau club had asked for the ability to take bets on Hong Kong races.
Thursday, Aug. 15
UK Tidbits -- Ladbrokes is expecting this year's football season to bring record-breaking betting based on this year's World Cup, tax-free betting in the United Kingdom and simplified betting rules that allow people to place single bets on U.K. football games. ... British Telecom today said today that when it launches its online payment method, Click&buy, it won't be offering the service to online gambling or pornography sites. Helen Davis, a BT business director, said the company is not going to do business with just anyone. "The need is definitely there for this service, but we're going to be selective about who we bring on board," she said. A rival payment service, Ymogen, said it will deal with gaming and adult sites. Ymogen CEO Mark Harding said some of his partners did not want to engage with adult sites, however.
Names and Faces -- Two members of Magna Entertainment Corp. 's board of directors are resigning. Joseph Harper, whose resignation was effective Aug. 7, is president of a competing California racetrack company and felt his association with Magna was no longer appropriate. Terence Lanni, who is leaving Aug. 31, said his duties as president and chairman of the board of MGM Mirage gave him little choice but to resign.
US Tidbit -- The 1961 Interstate Wire Act applies just as much to Native American tribes as it does to states, Indian Country Today is reporting. The publication interviewed John Harte, general counsel of the National Indian Gaming Association, who explained that the Wire Act means that "right now, it wouldn't be a good investment for anyone to get into the (U.S.) Internet gaming market." The story, reported by Tom Wanamaker, also quotes Cristala Allen, a member of the Texas Chamber of Commerce, as saying that many tribes can't wait to find a way to legally get into the Internet gambling business. "There are a lot of tribes, believe me, if they could figure out how to do this without losing their gaming license they'd have done so already," she said.
Wednesday, Aug. 14
New Stuff -- Canadian software
developer CryptoLogic announced today that its licensee, Littlewoods Leisure, has achieved regulatory certification for the operation of an online casino in the Isle of Man. Lewis Rose, CryptoLogic's interim president and CEO, said the announcement marks the continued expansion of land-based standards into the online gaming industry. "CryptoLogic has long advocated that regulation is the best solution for everyone, and I'm proud that CryptoLogic's software has been independently tested and approved for use under the Isle of Man's rigorous regulatory requirements for online gaming," he said.
Makin' Deals -- Zetters Group plc of Great Britain said it will shift its focus to spread betting and other financial investment products. Zetters will sell its core its football pools business to Littlewoods Promotions Ltd. , a unit of Sportech plc, for £1.35 million. In line with its new core activity, Zetters is changing its name to IFX Group plc. Sportech said the purchase will add 60,000 gamblers to its roster of players. Zetters and Littlewoods Promotions also entered an agreement
wherein they will promote each other's service to their customers.
Tuesday, Aug. 13
US Bit -- The Interactive Gaming Council, a trade association for the Internet gambling industry, warned in a press release Monday that recent actions of the U.S. government and a handful of U.S.-based companies are driving legitimate business operations out of the industry. Those actions include New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer subpoenaing PayPal and Yahoo! 's decision to stop running
advertisements for online betting sites, said Rick Smith, executive director of the IGC. "The cumulative message to the highly regulated U.S. casino firms, many of which would like to extend their business into cyberspace, is loud and clear: Stay away," he said. "But people should consider the implications of keeping some of the most responsible businesses from participating in this form of gambling."
New Stuff -- Websense Inc. , a maker of software that helps companies manage their employees' Internet usage, said employers in California should be aware that with legalized Internet wagering on horse races comes the temptation for staff to bet from the office. "Corporations may face a losing battle with dwindling worker productivity, increased legal liabilities and network congestion, as employees legal place horse racing bets over the Internet for the first time in California history," the group stated.
Monday, Aug. 12
Makin' Deals -- Ladbrokes has signed an agreement with earthport, a payment infrastructure company, to provide an e-wallet service to its players. A spokesman for Ladbrokes eGaming said the service will enable people to gamble online even when they are from countries where there is a reluctance to use credit cards for Internet purchases.
A Tidbit from Down Under -- Spread betting firm IG Index, just weeks after opening its doors in Australia, is facing accusations of illegal advertising that could go all the way to the High Court. The dispute has arisen because the firm, which is licensed under the Australian Securities and Investments Commission financial services regime, is facing claims from New South Wales that it has ignored NSW gaming laws by advertising services in NSW while not a licensed bookmaker and advertising services that are illegal
in NSW.
Names and Faces -- MGM Mirage signed new employment agreements that expire July 3, 2006, with several members of its management staff. Among those who signed new agreements were J. Terrence Lanni, chief executive, who will earn $2 million yearly as base compensation; James J. Murren, CFO and treasurer, who will receive $1.2 million; and Gary N. Jacobs, general counsel and secretary, who will receive $700,00. ... ukbetting plc has appointed David Annat as content director of ukbetting plc. Annat joined ukbetting in October 2001 when it bought Sporting Life Ltd., where he was managing director. Annat will also join the company's board.