Friday, Nov. 15
Makin' Deals -- Much to IGN's chagrin, Gaming Insight plc is changing the name of GoBarkingMad.com. The adorably named greyhound race wagering Web site and interactive TV channel is being re-branded as "Red Button
Racing" in connection with a deal the company made with NSAB of Scandinavia to deliver the service to more than 1.5 million Scandinavian homes. The name change is part of the company's plan to increase the product's consumer appeal. Gaming Insight is also refocusing away from online casinos. The company plans to cut its gambling involvement outside of racing. It has already halted the operation of Harrods-Casino.com, which was offline at the time of publication. Gaming Insight plans to sell its proprietary casino software, which it launched earlier this year. ... Boss Media has entered a deal with Bingo Entertainment Ltd. for the bingo company to lincense Boss's online casino platform. Both companies said they also see Bingo Entertainment eventually licensing Boss's recently released bingo software as well. Bingo Entertainment operates sites including Bingo Mega, Glamour Bingo, Main Street Bingo, Bingo Blowout and Bingo Splash.
Quote Worthy -- Michael Hoblock, chairman of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board, said recently that laws overseeing pari-mutuel organizations need to keep pace with technology to prevent another wagering scandal like what recently occurred with the Breeders' Cup Ultra Pick 6. "They've got to be accountable to someone," said Hoblock of the OTB organizations. "We need to strengthen the oversight of pari-mutuel activities of the OTBs. This has served as a wake-up call to the racing industry."
Thursday, Nov. 14
Names and Faces -- Gaming technology company dot com Entertainment Group Inc. is adding David Outhwaite to its staff as CEO and as a member of the board of directors. Scott White, the current president and
CEO, said he will be relinquishing the position of CEO to Outhwaite, who was the COO and vice president of compliance and regulatory affairs for CryptoLogic Inc. from April 2000 to August 2002. "David's experience as a successful senior executive and board director within the software industry generally will have a significant and immediate positive impact on our quest to compete internationally as a major supplier to this exciting and evolving industry," White said. The Toronto-based company is
also adding lawyer Michael Lipton to its board of directors. Lipton is a senior partner with Elkind, Lipton & Jacobs LLP.
New Stuff -- BskyB launched digital interactive television service in Ireland on Wednesday. Irish users will now be able to use their TVs to play
games, send e-mail, bet on sports with either Sky Bet or Blue Square and respond to interactive advertising. Sky has 255,000 Irish subscribers.
Wednesday, Nov. 13
Bit from Canada -- Poker.com said its third-quarter earnings will be lower than expected and will, in fact, amount to a loss of $100,000. The company, which is based in Vancouver, said the projected shortfall is due to problems with its casino software provider, Trimon Systems Inc. "The sale of casino licenses has long been a strong revenue generator for the company, and licensing problems impact the company's revenues," Poker.com stated in a release. "Based on this and its impact on current licensees, an allowance for doubtful accounts in the amount of $250,000 has been accrued for." The company expects to release its third quarter results within the next five business days.
New Stuff -- The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) released a report on Nov. 8 advocating the addition of three more top-level domain names to the Internet. The group is soliciting comments on the plan from its Web site. In 2000, ICANN, a non-profit organization that is responsible for allocating IP addresses, added seven more top-level domains to the original five domains, which include ".com" and ".gov."
What Others Are Saying -- Sports Illustrated writer Bill Scheft noted that one of the two shirtless men who recently attacked a Kansas City Royals first base coach during a game had called his local newspaper to apologize.
Scheft suggested the assailant's only regret was not displaying a Goldenpalace.com tattoo.
Tuesday, Nov. 12
Legal Stuff -- Three men surrendered to the FBI in connection with a Breeders' Cup bet that netted them $3 million. A spokesman for U.S. Attorney James Comey said the bet was placed along elaborate lines. Derrick Davis of Baltimore, Glen DaSilva of New York and Chris Harn of Newark, Del., will be charged with wire fraud conspiracy, the New York Daily News reported Monday. Harn was employed by Autotote, a subsidiary of Scientific Games, at the time of the incident. He has since been fired.
Bit from Asia -- Taiwan's minister of the interior, Yu Cheng-hsien, promised to submit results from an objective opinion poll on the legalization of gambling to the Home and Nations Committee within three months. The country's legislators have doubted the validity of opinion polls regarding the legalization of gambling on Taiwan's offshore islands. The minister said he would commission a private company to conduct the survey. Last week, the country's Cabinet rejected a proposal to legalize gambling on the islands, saying there was no public consensus on the matter.
Tidbit from the IOM -- Jane Dellar has been appointed head of international services for the Isle of Man government. The position, formerly held by Michael Gates, includes providing support to the island's businesses and promoting the island internationally.
Makin' Deals -- Cellular content provider Zone4Play announced it has developed a casino game for mobile services provider Orange. Zone4Play says it's the first time a cellular service provider has offered an interactive casino game channel. The games will be integrated with other Orange OBox services.
Zone4Play is a U.S. company that conducts its marketing and development work in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Monday, Nov. 11
Tidbit from the UK -- Mobile phone company Orange announced it will build a mobile phone geared specifically toward online gaming. The product will be developed with In-Fusio, which designs games, and handset manufacturer Sagem. The Sagem handset will feature a 101x80 pixel color screen and increased audio functioning. Games like Mission 3D and IF Racing and Football Fans will be available for download on the phones. Giles Corbett, co-CEO of In-Fusio, said the venture marks the first time a cell phone provider and games developer have worked together to produce a mobile gaming system. "This landmark offering represents an exciting stage in the development of mobile value-added services," he said.
Names and Faces -- Joseph F. Barletta has been nominated to Youbet.com's board of directors. The Los Angeles-based company
will address the nomination at its annual meeting on Dec. 9. Barletta is a lawyer and a former TV Guide executive.