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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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| 17 AUGUST 2007 : HEADLINES |
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From September 1 UK remote gambling operators face a 15 percent tax rate
The advent of the new gambling dispensation in Britain on September 1 carries the promise of legality and better business for UK remote gambling licensees....and the downside of taxation by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs department.
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From betting groups to jurisdictions, the 'white list' is creating change
The publication of a UK government 'white list' identifying online gambling jurisdictions which are regarded as acceptable homes for companies that wish to advertise in Britain continued to reverberate throughout the industry this week as companies and jurisdictions alike manouevred for better positioning.
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Caribbean licensing jurisdiction says it its requirements are parallel to those of the Gambling Commission
With online gambling companies and licensing jurisdictions still mulling their next moves in the wake of the UK government's decision to restrict gambling advertising to operations with credible licenses (see previous InfoPowa reports) officials of the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda have told local newspapers that they were confident of making the "white list".
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British psychiatrists demand better safeguards
A report in the BBC's "Waveguide" publication claims that UK doctors are concerned over a surge in the addiction to gambling rate when the first television commercials for casinos and bookmakers appear next month as the new Gambling Act comes into force.
The publication says that the Royal College of Psychiatrists has attacked as "crazy" the decision to lift restrictions on gaming commercials, and stress that planned safeguards went nowhere near far enough and should be further considered.
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Well established brand to benefit from name change and site revamp
Starting this week, the well established Microgaming powered online casino brand Grand Monaco.com will disappear from the Internet, making way for a new title and a revamped website as Grand Mondial Casino.com makes its debut.
In its newsletter to customers, the parent company Playshare informs that Mondial is the French word for "world", "worldwide" or "global" and reflects the casino's expansion into new markets around the globe. Whilst Grand Monaco has perhaps been more Eurocentric than most, Grand Mondial will cater for and embrace a wide range of different markets.
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Putting the pursuit of online gambling into perspective
One of the more sensible articles we've seen this week appeared on the CNET News site, where freelance author Don Reisinger wrote an op-ed piece on the determined pursuit of online gambling by US federal authorities and its consequences.
The article raises the appropriate question of whether government resources would not be better spent going after paedophiles, for example who damage the great fabric of the Internet.
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e-Wallet expanding eastward with Aussie deal
With its US market exit and the hassles with the American legal authorities now almost behind it, the Isle of Man e-wallet Neteller has gone up a gear in its international expansion strategy with the announcement this week of a new Asia-Pacific involvement.
Describing itself as an independent global online payments business, the AIM-listed company disclosed this week that it has recently completed the acquisition of a strategic stake in Centricom Pty Limited. The key points of the investment are:
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A sad end to a great sporting partnership
Online gambling group Unibet.com has announced the end of a great sporting sponsored partnership, and the Unibet internationally respected cycling team is to disband at the end of this year as a consequence, reports the Associated Press news service.
The decision by the Swedish gambling company follows a long drawn-out dispute with French race organisers, who refused to invite the team because France bans foreign gambling advertising. The Unibet team was excluded from taking part in this year's Tour de France, and was also banned from the Paris-Nice road race in the three way cross-fire between French bureaucracy, the race organisers and Unibet.
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Widening interest in poker recognised by provincial lottery
"Be the best in the west at poker," urges a news article from the British Columbia province of the Great White North this week as it reports on the involvement of the British Columbia Lottery Corporation in a Vancouver area poker tournament.
"Do you have the nerves of steel to be the best poker player in the west?" the piece continues, advising that the BCLC is to present the second annual Pacific Poker Shootout Aug. 31 to Sept. 2 at the Cascades Casino in Langley.
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40 year old hits major Euro lotto prize
Getting widespread TV and newspaper coverage this week is the massive lotto win by a Scots postal worker, who is a stunning GBP35.4 million richer after winning the EuroMillions draw.
The BBC reported that Angela Kelly (40) was "flabbergasted" after landing the UK's biggest lottery prize.
The East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire postal worker was not aware of her win until several days after the draw, as her prizewinning ticket was in her handbag and was checked only when she heard the main prize had not yet been claimed.
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IAS veteran to change over immediately
The Microgaming Poker Network signed up another new poker room this week as veteran online gambling site Canbet.com announced that it was switching to the network, which now boasts some 40 brands.
Canbet parent International All Sports (IAS) broke the news that Canbet was moving to Microgaming from Ongame, effective immediately.
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Ireland's biggest bookie chooses Swedish software
Boss Media, the Swedish gambling software developer and turnkey provider has inked an agreement with Ireland's biggest bookie - Paddy Power - to supply a multi-lingual online casino in the near future.
The online casino will be based on Boss Media's latest casino platform including a sophisticated back-office tool-kit that will be integrated with Paddy Power's existing customer base and payment solution, enabling cost effective communication with the established player database, says CEO Michael Hall�n.
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New law will boost underage limit upward by three years
Finland's Minister for Social Affairs and Health is about to tighten up on underage gambling in the northern European country, according to a report in the publication Helsingin Sanomat this week.
New legislation proposed by the Minister seeks to absolutely prohibit those younger than 18 years old from gambling of any sort - including slot machines and lottery games.
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A new fad that is creating waves of interest in the blog and mobile niches
The title says it all - Swamble, or a fun mix of swopping and gambling that is causing a growing wave of interest with early adapters on the blog and mobile scene.
Pulling it all together on sites like Swamble.com and its associated blog, are Gerard and Scott at Swamble Inc., a Las Vegas firm formed this year. And if the location concerns you, relax - no cash changes hands on the beta Swamble platform, where participants can bet against each other on just about anything, and as long as no finance is involved the instruments or material of settlement is decided between the bettors.
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First the director of operations moves to Gibraltar, and now a change of chairman
The news earlier this week that the British Gambling Commission's director of operations, Phill Brears is leaving to become chief regulator in Gibraltar was followed today (Wednesday) by news of a change of chairmen.
Peter Dean is to make way for new chairman Brian Pomeroy, who had been appointed by the British minister for Culture, Media and Sport, James Purnell.
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Quarter 2 net profits down SEK 16.3 million
The quarter 2 for 2007 results from Swedish turnkey provider Boss Media show a disappointing drop in net profits from SEK 26.9 million to SEK 10.6 million.
In an Interim Report covering the period 1 January 30 June 2007 the company revealed that:
Sales increased by 5 percent to SEK 161.9 (154.5) million.
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First fall in profits for three years
Investors in the European gambling group Unibet will be disappointed by the first fall in profits in the last three years, announced by the company this week. Apparently the bookie took a hammering in what is described as a "punter's quarter" recently.
Unibet shares dipped by over 15 percent after the firm reported quarterly profits that fell nearly 60 percent from GBP 5.6 million (US$11m) to GBP 1.7 million. Gross winning revenues fell to GBP 16.5 million compared with GBP 18.4 million in the same period last year.
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BackgammonMasters.com expands games inventory
Backgammon Masters.com has added blackjack to its proprietary All-in-One Game Software family of popular community games that includes backgammon, perudo and poker.
The free networked game software offers all of its games in one download from one site, available in ten languages including English, Spanish, Arabic, Turkish, Hebrew, French, Japanese, Danish, Greek and German.
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UK Gambling Commission exec to move to The Rock
The UK Gambling Commission, which controls all UK gambling starting September 1 will be missing an important member of the executive team. Phill Brear, currently the Director of Operations will be leaving the Commission to take up a position as the head man in the Gibraltar Gambling Regulatory Authority.
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The U.S. religious right and the National Football League join against Frank proposal to regulate online gambling
It would appear that the American National Football League is seriously concerned about legislation to regulate U.S. online gambling proposed by Congressman Barney Frank, which has received growing political support.
The Financial Times claims that the NFL has "...enlisted the support of
the Christian right to help drum up opposition to Congressman Barney Frank's proposed internet gambling regulation, apparently not content with the existing carve-outs for fantasy football which it already enjoys.
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Ladbrokes to provide exclusive sportsbetting and poker online for The Sun and News of the World
Ladbrokes will be boosting its online presence and player base soon following an agreement signed this week to provide Internet sportsbetting and poker services to two of Britain's biggest and most recognised tabloid newspapers.
The exclusive partnership deal with The Sun and The News of the World newspapers will see Ladbrokes being recognised as the official gaming partner of TheSun.co.uk and the Newsoftheworld.co.uk, which will offer co-branded online betting and gaming powered and operated by Ladbrokes.
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Hacksaw Hemingway spills the beans on the house that Kaplan built
It was only a matter of time before one of the many insiders involved with the now moribund BetonSports online gambling empire burst into print, but many thought that the still confined ex-CEO David Carruthers would be the author. Apparently this is not the case, as publicity has been launched on a new e-book titled "The Rise and Fall of Bet on Sports" written under the unlikely pseudonym of "Hacksaw Hemingway."
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Delay expected to September 4 hearing date for iMEGA
Jacqueline Coleman Snead, a U.S. Justice Department legal eagle from Washington DC will be defending the government in the iMEGA case....but not for a further two weeks. Originally set down for hearing in New Jersey by a federal judge for September 4, the government has requested a two weeks stay, presumably to prepare its response.
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Inaugural Party Poker Women's World Open concludes in London
The wife of comedian/poker-player Norman Pace, Beverley took home $50 000 and the title of first Party Poker Women's World Open Champion this week after a tough competition and a tense heads up with runner-up Jen Mason in London. After a number of swings Pace's pocket sixes held-up all-in against Mason's Ace Jack off suit.
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Spelkoll making an impact at Svenske Spel
The introduction of a potent new responsible gaming tool at the Swedish government gambling website Svenske Spel went largely unnoticed early in July (see previous InfoPowa report) but is increasingly catching the eye of Swedish players.
"Spelkoll" roughly translated as 'player or gambling control' is an ingenious technology development specifically designed to identify gambling patterns that may suggest a gambling problem developing in an individual. Svenske Spel has made Spelkoll available as a voluntary sign-up aid that players can use to monitor their playing activity and warn of any indication of a problem.
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One bank claims it has so far turned down $50 000 in cheques from e-processor
For at least some U.S. players waiting for their frozen Neteller balances to be paid the arrival of the cheques from the Isle of Man-based e-wallet was just the start of further stress and anxiety.
Reports are appearing on Internet gambling message boards of banks refusing to recognise some cheques, and one bank is quoted as revealing that it had so far turned down over $50 000 in payments to US players.
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NM Rothschild guiding possibly GBP 600 million listing
The British online gambling and betting shop group Betfred is likely to be the next gambling company to list on the London stock exchange. The company, founded by Fred and Peter Done is the fourth largest bookie in the UK and is believed to have hired NM Rothschild to advise it on the possibly GBP 600 million listing.
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Bowmans Holdings Limited deal signed
According to a press release from the technology and service provider for mobile and interactive TV gaming Mobile Gaming Solutions plc, it is about to acquire online gaming group Bowmans Holdings Limited for an undisclosed amount.
The two companies reached agreement on August 10, and subject to the approval of MGS shareholders the deal will shortly be finalised.
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Gaming group says that virtual horseracing a big fave with UK punters
The hi-tech gaming and leisure group Inspired Broadcast Network has revealed that almost one in five bets on horse racing in British betting shops are being placed on virtual races.
The company speaks with some authority - Inspired Gaming UK is a major provider of open server-based gaming, leisure and vending platforms. Headquartered in the UK, Inspired has operations in Europe, Australasia and the US, and its software powers a worldwide estate of over 20 000 networked terminals in casinos, betting shops, bingo halls, pubs and shops worldwide, processing over 60 million transactions every month.
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UK financial site reports that American enforcers may impose a heavy price for legality
The British financial news site ThisIsMoney.co.uk is reporting that unidentified sources have speculated that the US Department of Justice could try to recoup all profits made by online gambling groups 888.com and Party Gaming.com in the United States prior to their exit following the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
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Jon Mendelsohn named as Labour's director of general election resources
Britain's Sunday Telegraph newspaper made much of the appointment this week of Jon Mendelsohn as the Labour Party's director of fundraising, flagging his previous involvement as a spokesman for Ruth Parasol's Party Gaming online gambling group.
The newspaper claimed that Mendelsohn "...represented a colourful businesswoman who made a fortune from sex chatlines and online gambling," naming Parasol as the co-founder of the internet company PartyGaming "....and the Internet Entertainment Group (IEG), which offered paying customers real-time footage of women stripping."
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Following Full Tilt withdrawal, MM organisers say the Russian spectacle will go on
Despite the withdrawal of Full Tilt Poker on grounds of full commitment elsewhere (see previous InfoPowa reports) the organisers of Russia's inaugural Moscow Millions poker tournament say it is still viable and ready to go. However, the date has been changed from October 20 - 22 to just over a month later on November 24-26.
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888.com adds a new dimension to online betting sites
Bodog group was one of the first in the online gambling business to "get" the value of convergance inherent in combining entertainment with gambling, and it appeared this week that 888.com was thinking along similar lines.
The online gambling company announced the advent of 888 Flash Back (http://www.flashones.com/): a trend-setting animated Flash production that will feature random bites of trivia.
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Experienced ex-Virgin Games exec to advise on branding
The former managing director of Virgin Games, Oscar Nieboer has been inspanned by online gambling group Betfair to consult on branding matters.
Nieboer will counsel the firm on brand expansion strategies in time for the implementation of the Gambling Act 2005 in the UK next month. He will additionally give Betfair the benefit of his experience in developing a marketing plan that will capitalise on the availability of wider advertising opportunities, including television, for online gambling companies in the United Kingdom.
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Euro 3 million prize-pool underwritten by Paddy Poker.com
Online poker firm Paddy Power Poker.com has announced a whopping Euro 1 million increase in its guarantee for the 2008 Irish Open poker tournament, for which on line qualifiers commence August 13.
The 2008 event sees the Irish Open expand with an increased buy-in of Euro 4 200 + Euro 300 registration fee, capacity for 1 000 players, and a Euro 3 million guaranteed prize pool.
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St Minver to provide white label service
Gibraltar-based white label specialist St Minver has entered into a partnership with Best Games Holdings Limited in providing a new bingo site as a sister operation to Best Poker.com.
BestBingo.com is powered by Parlay Entertainment and targeted on the Scandinavian bingo market, which has seen some of the fastest growth in online bingo in Europe this year.
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Drop in revenues exacerbated by costs of move to Dublin
CryptoLogic, the publicly-listed gaming software developer and turnkey provider whose partners include World Poker Tour, William Hill, Sun Poker, InterPoker and Playboy, has reported a 46.5 percent decrease in revenues in the second quarter of 2007.
The Dublin-based company suffered a second quarter loss of US$ 2.6 million, and said the after-tax loss was due principally to the US$ 4 million in reorganisation costs related to establishing a new corporate headquarters in Ireland. The company has accelerated and completed its reorganisation, moving up certain costs to realise the benefits earlier. As a result, reorganisation costs for the quarter were $2.5 million higher than planned previously.The overall cost of the reorganisation will be US$0.9 million higher than the forecast US$ 8.5 million, which Cryptologic says is due to a non-cash option expense related to the hiring of the new chief executive, Javaid Aziz.
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Next generation poker firm to expand operations with an online casino
Playtech is the gambling software of choice for 3D poker operator PKR, which signed a deal with the turnkey provider for a bespoke online casino product this week. The new product will be fully integrated into the PKR poker product which presently has a peak concurrent levels of 7 000 players.
In less than a year of operation PKR has become an important force in the online poker market. By providing a PKR branded casino product, fully integrated with PKR.com's proprietary next-generation 3-D poker software, Playtech will help PKR to maximise revenue generation from its operations to meet the current and future demands of its large and expanding user base.
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Acquisitions in mind for turnkey provider
A confident Playtech executive told Reuters news agency this week that the company was planning to buy up European rivals to increase its market dominance and boost the number of poker and casino players on its network.
The online gambling games developer and turnkey provider's vice chairman, Avigur Zmora revealed that the firm was looking to buy up rivals to bolster its position in Europe.
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Developers of online gambling software will have to meet strict criteria under proposed new regulatory laws
More details are emerging on the proposed new law to regulate and license online gambling in South Africa (see previous InfoPowa reports) It is becoming apparent that software providers with ambitions in that market will have to be licensed in terms of the new amendments to the National Gambling Act being proposed by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) .
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