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Welcome to Bet Sage's
Online Gambling News Section, featuring the latest breaking
gambling industry news courtesy of
InfoPowa
News. This is your
one stop source for all
and any of the latest
developments concerning
all aspects of the
Online Gambling
Industry. InfoPowa News
headed up by senior
partner Brian Cullingworth
are recognised as one of
the leading and most
respected independent
gambling news services
in the online gambling
industry.
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| 5 OCTOBER 2007 : HEADLINES |
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Dragons and a monster follow on the heels of 'The Osbournes'
Hot on the heels of last week's launch of the new 'The Osbournes' video slot, the Isle of Man based online gambling software provider Microgaming has announced two more additions to its extensive games inventory.
For those with a ghoulish turn of mind, FRANKEN CASH is a shocker of a game! Remember those scary movies with creepy castles, mad scientists and cobbled together monsters? They're all back in a 5 reel, 20 pay-line thriller of a slot that has big bonuses, scatters and free spins aplenty - all wrapped in a brilliantly executed Franken-theme with awesome sound effects.
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Pretax loss widens as UIGEA bites
Playwize plc (formerly Bits Corporation) an online poker software provider, has unveiled disappointing full-year pretax losses which have widened to GBP 1.96 million compared with GBP 1.84 million last year.
Commenting on the loss, a company statement said that the United States passing legislation banning Internet gambling financial transactions had had a chilling impact on the online gaming sector generally, making the raising of further funds difficult. Without adequate funds it was difficult to promote the product effectively.
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GBP 10 billion predicted in losses next year
The money lost by British gamblers will exceed GBP10 billion annually next year - a rise of 50 percent in nine years, and the biggest jump since the 1960s, The UK newspaper The Guardian claims in an article over the weekend.
The losses have been driven by the abolition of betting duty, the emergence of online betting, poker and casino sites, and a steady unwinding of regulatory constraints. But the biggest single drain comes from a new type of slot machine, offering video roulette in betting shops, says the author, Simon Bowers.
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Betting on the go with Stan James mobile
Gibraltar based bookmaker Stan James has announced the launch of a new mobile betting service available to their growing number of customers, using the latest technology from industry leaders Mfuse.
Stan James Mobile has created the new service to give their users the In-Running experience, allowing customers to place bets from anywhere and at any time.
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Stronger currency means better opportunities says online poker network
On 1st October 2007 the Boss Media network, the software provider to CelebPoker.com, will be changing its currency from US Dollars to Euros.
With the US market closed and the majority of players on the network based across Europe, a change to Euros as the main playing currency is seen as a positive move that will benefit CelebPoker and its players, the company said in a statement this week.
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Is Norway's Trond Griske planning to dislocate financial transactions with gaming companies?
According to weekend reports in Gambling News Review, 4Flush and Launchpoker, the Norwegian government minister responsible for matters gambling (and churches, too we believe!) is planning a Norwegian equivalent of the US Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act which has caused so much grief in the industry by inhibiting financial transactions with online gambling companies.
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Shareholders could be in for a share of a large cash pile
Reports in the weekend UK press indicate that online gambling group Betfair will reveal this week that the company is sitting on a cash pile of GBP 180 million which it may deploy to return money to investors.
The Times reports that Betfair, which is part-owned by Softbank, the Japanese technology investor, will publish financial results that will show a 30 percent increase in revenues to GBP182 million.
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UK bookie group to offer its own board prices for all British Horse Racing until Christmas.
Gibraltar-based bookmaker Stan James has announced that it would be breaking ranks from its competitors by offering its own board prices for all British horse racing until Christmas.
Rather than offer industry-led prices to racing punters, Stan James will offer its own SJ price; claiming this means better value for customers. The company is also giving a best odds guarantee on every British horse race from now until Christmas.
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Euro Partners takes a new marketing line - green is good!
Euro Partners has taken a new and innovative marketing line, repositioning online operation Casino Del Rio as the first online gaming venue to promote environmental awareness.
Casino Del Rio has partnered with The New Green Group (NGG), a non-profit organisation that facilitates action for businesses that strive to be part of a sustainable solution on global environmental issues.
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BetonSports founder's ill-health appeal fails
The Bloomberg business news agency reports that Gary Kaplan (48), the BetonSports plc founder captured 10 months after fleeing a U.S. government indictment for illegal Internet betting, has lost his bid to be freed on bail due to health considerations as he awaits trial.
U.S. District Judge Carol Jackson in a St. Louis federal court denied Kaplan's request to be released. He was initially denied bail by a federal magistrate in June after being extradited from Dominica where he was arrested by FBI agents working in concert with local authorities .
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Quick final table pays Mouawad GBP 611 520
Lebanese poker ace Joseph Mouawad made poker history for his country when he took down the Poker Stars European Poker Tour London final table this week to pick up a main prize winner's check of GBP 611 520.
Almost 400 players in all entered to pursue the big money and poker respect of the EPT event, and by day three this had been whittled down to 40 players who returned to the Grosvenor Victoria Casino in London on Friday to play down to the final table.
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Feds may have finally produced long delayed regulations
It appears that the way overdue regulations to support the US Unlawful Internet Gambling
Enforcement Act may be imminent, judging by courtroom indications and a recent report from Bloombergs business news.
The first indication that the US Treasury and the AG's Office may have finally managed to get their act together on the regulations came during oral arguments in last week's court case launched against the US government by iMEGA (see previous InfoPowa reports)
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Just short of a year since it was signed into law, regulations are up for discussion
US government officials were given 270 days to produce regulations supporting the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act when it was passed by Congress late last year. And after weeks of 'will he, won't he' speculation, President George Bush signed the unpopular legislation into law on October 13, starting a train of business events that cost international companies billions of dollars and created untold hardship for employees and investors.
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Online gambling group takes top honours in eGaming Awards
Online betting group Betfair took away the top prize at the third annual eGaming Awards held at the Natural History Museum last Friday night.
At a glittering industry awards banquet in London, the great and the good of the online gaming world gathered together to celebrate another great year, reports eGaming Review.
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Best out of 186
Israeli poker player Ziv Bachar from Tel Aviv survived an initial starter field of 186 players in the Poker Stars Asia Pacific Poker Tour Seoul over the weekend to take down the final title and biggest $139 872 prize.
It was clearly Bachar's day when the final table convened, as he had the highest chip count, more than 60 000 ahead of his closest rival, Jozef Berec. And that's the way they finished after a tense heads up....but back to the start of that final table.
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GBP 170 million deal finalised
The Racing Post has been acquired from Trinity Mirror by the Irish company FL Partners for a reported GBP 170 million. The deal includes the Racing Post newspaper, its website and other titles in the betting business, according to British business press reports this week.
The acquisition seems to have brought on some executive changes, with former editor Alan Byrne appointed CEO and Editor In Chief, and FL directors Peter Crowley and Neill Hughes joining the board as co-chairmen.
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Optimism and a large turnout for industry event
The sixth annual European i-Gaming Congress and Expo got underway at the spacious
Barcelona Diagonal Conference Centre today (Tuesday) with some impressive attendance statistics: 80 expert speakers, 60 top industry exhibitors and over 1 000 pre-registered delegates from 40 different nations...figures destined to grow judging by the number of late attendance delegates standing in line to register this morning.
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New lobby gets players to the right tables faster
Using the European Interactive Gaming Congress and Expo (EiG) as a launchpad, online gambling software developer Microgaming today unveiled its new online poker lobby.
The innovation is currently being rolled out across over 40 top poker rooms on the Microgaming Poker Network, with the goal of getting players to the right tables faster and easier.
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Playtech and MySpace icon in Barcelona
MySpace, and now MTV, star Tila Tequila arrives in Barcelona this week to meet with top online poker and casino affiliates attending the CAP Euro conference.
The youth star's reality TV show premiers October 9 on MTV in America, and she will be on hand at her Tila Casino.com booth during the event to further promote the site to industry affiliates and insiders.
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No internet gambling on cafe computers say authorities
The Municipality of Paphos on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus is planning a blitz on shops and cafes which they claim have illegally converted themselves into illegal cybercasinos, island media reports claim..
Paphos mayor Savvas Vergas told reporters this week he was �very concerned� with the latest developments and is set to meet with police officials to discuss the matter. Vergas claims that many shops and cafes have converted their business PCs into �mini-casinos� by allowing customers to play on illegal online betting machines. He did not stipulate which gambling sites were involved.
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Imprisonment is a real risk for poker hosts
Swedish press reports this week present a sequel to an earlier InfoPowa story regarding the arrest of Swedish hosts at a poker tournament in March this year.
Six people were arrested and charged in a police raid on the Grebbestad, Sweden tournament, billed as the European Poker Challenge ....and if convicted they could be sentenced to up to four years in jail. Police claim that some 700 people had bought in to the tournament for Euro 250 each.
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UK companies sign mutually beneficial deal for fixed odds games
Leading British online interactive games developer Electracade Ltd has announced a deal with casino platform Betsoft Gaming Ltd that will increase the former's selection of fixed-odds games.
Under the contract, Electracade will receive a range of over 100 casino games from Betsoft�s inventory for deployment to new and existing clients. In return, Betsoft will receive 40 unique, new Electracade games to offer moe variety to its clients in a mutually beneficial arrangment.
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Licensed through Mansion, a famous domain rises again
The eminently desirable domain Casino.com is back in business, according to press releases this week which advise that the Gibraltar-based gaming company Onisac Limited is operating the brand under a sub-license from the Mansion group, powered by Playtech.
Although licensed through Mansion Online Casino Ltd, Casino.com is an independent company with its own distinct concept, vision and portfolio of gaming services on a website known previously as the world's largest casino information portal. It has now undergone a complete overhaul in terms of branding with its new slogan, 'fun gaming' reflecting the company's attitude towards its member base.
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Marketers are looking increasingly towards community involvement as Web 2.0 develops
Day 2 at the European Interactive Gaming Congress and Expo in an overcast and humid Barcelona has underlined the importance of developing multi-faceted communities in the evolving Web 2.0 marketing environment, and this has been emphasised in one presentation after another by the more than 80 expert speakers assembled for this key industry event.
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European jurisdictions largely supportive of new problem gambling code
A new global responsible gambling code of conduct to address online gambling procedures has been launched at the industry�s EiG conference in Barcelona. The code � presented to leading European online gambling jurisdictions by senior figures from GamCare, eCOGRA and the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) is designed to act as a set of minimum standards throughout the industry and, it is hoped, increase levels of protection for players.
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Casino games and cutting edge bingo in one package
Dream Bingo.co.uk, a new online bingo site created �by bingo lovers for bingo lovers� has officially launched this week at the EiG in Barcelona. Powered by Microgaming, the site takes advantage of the provider's integrated approach to software provision � marrying a cutting-edge bingo interface with an extensive casino games portfolio to provide greater lifetime player value.
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Nick Jenkins would rather not be moved to Louisiana....
Nick Jenkins, the Washington State lawyer and entrepeneur who introduced a new and he believes legal online business with his Betcha.com site (see previous InfoPowa reports) is anxiously awaiting a decision by State governor Chris Gregoire that has serious implications for him - whether she will allow a Lousiana application for his extradition to that state to go through.
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Online gambling software developer wants audit of Atlantic Lotto after missing out on gaming contract
The Canadian Press reports that well known Oakville-based online bingo games developer Parlay Entertainment is questioning a decision by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation to award a contract to a Swedish company without putting the job out to tender. Parlay has called for an audit of the Atlantic Lottery process.
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Advertisers sponsor new concept at Zero Risk Poker
A game-changing site is starting to make waves on the free online poker landscape. Zero Risk Poker, LLC has launched website, a sponsor-based online poker site that gives Texas Hold'em players the chance to win prizes without opening their wallets.
"We're taking the free online poker concept and turning it on its head," said Adam Majewski, President & CEO of the company behind the website. "We don't believe playing for free should mean playing for nothing and we don't believe that playing poker has to be a risky proposition."
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EiG draws to a close on an optimistic note
Three days of presentations and networking came to an end Thursday with the closing session of the European Interactive Gaming Congress and Expo which traditionally examines the opportunites and threats ahead.
Mitch Garber, the CEO of online gambling group Party Gaming probably offered the clearest view, starting by contrasting the mood with that prevalent a year ago, when the United States president signed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act into law, precipitating the withdrawal of companies from that market and adversely impacting many international groups that had depended heavily on American players.
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| PREVIOUS NEWS ARTICLES... |
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