The news in brief for the week of May 22-28
BetCris is prepared to finance the new Florida Marlins stadium in return for exclusive naming rights.
BetCris is prepared to finance the new Florida Marlins stadium in return for exclusive naming rights.
Bingo.com launched cash-based bingo gaming powered by Chartwell Technology.
The British bookmaking and racing industry unanimously rejected Channel 4’s request for the £8 million subsidy needed to secure future coverage of racing. However, the deregulation of the Broadcasting Code, which granted bookmakers the permission to sponsor television programmes, created new commercial opportunities. Bookmakers could direct money to Channel 4 in a way that could be deemed to be commercially beneficial to them and therefore not classified as a subsidy.
Chartwell Technology completed the acquisition of online poker software developer, Micropower, for approximately $4 million.
Paddy Power has teamed up with this year’s Big Brother to be the reality TV show’s official betting partner.
Safe Deposit Sports was named again this week when the New York police busted an illegal gambling operation and found evidence that the Costa Rican bookmaker handled some of the illegal money transactions in that case.
SkillJam Technologies signed an agreement with Zone4Play to provide skill based games to 180,000 LodgeNet Entertainment’s hotel rooms across North America.
Unibet named Petter Nylander as the new CEO. He will replace Pontus Lesse on August 1.
Victor Chandler lost the case against BHB and pre-race data service provider, PA News, when the London’s High Court confirmed the BHB’s right to charge for pre-race data. The Gibraltar-based bookmaker will now have to pay the money owed under its data contract. The BHB now faces similar actions brought by Stan James and by a group of 60 Irish bookmakers.
Virgin Games has selected global marketing agency Rainey Kelly to handle its advertising business ahead of a £10m brand awareness campaign, which would coincide with a relaunch of the website and the launch of new products such as Virgin Bingo.
William Hill launched on their website the Live Betting Console, allowing players to view all current live betting events and place bets on any of the live markets from just one page.
Yahoo! UK & Ireland launched its online bingo brand on St. Minver’s bingo network, which is powered by Parlay Entertainment’s software.
Betfair reported punters wagered more than £10 million on the Champions League final. Liverpool traded at 359-1 to win the Champions League after falling 3-0 behind against AC Milan. When AC Milan scored the third goal, £142,603 in bets were wagered on Milan at 1-100, while £750 were placed on Liverpool at 340-1 or above. William Hill said £15 million was wagered in the UK, a record for any soccer final, and Ladbrokes estimated that the industry lost more than £2 million on the outcome. “We’re just thanking our lucky stars that it was a draw after 90 minutes, otherwise industry losses would have been at least doubled,” said a Ladbrokes’ spokesman.
British bookmakers celebrated the FA Cup final result after both Arsenal and Manchester United failed to make a breakthrough over the 90 minutes. They were also delighted to see Arsenal prevail in the shootout. “There was a nationwide gamble on United, so we were relieved to see Arsenal win,” said William Hill’s spokesman Graham Sharpe.
The Alderney Gambling Control Commission reported record revenues for 2004, with six new gaming licenses and five certificates of prior approval awarded during the period. The regulatory body is now considering ways to improve its product in order to remain competitive and create a more attractive business environment. André Wilsenach, Chief Executive Officer of the AGCC since 2002, has been chosen as “Regulator of the Year 2005” by World Online Gambling Law Report.
Legal proceedings have been commenced in the California Federal Court against the former owner of BC Bets to recover fraudulently conveyed assets.
The Nevada Senate approved Assembly Bill 471, which would allow gamblers to bet with hand-held devices while in public areas of the casinos. The state Gaming Commission will now draft the regulations that will govern the use of the devices.
The US announced that it intends to comply with the WTO Appellate Body ruling on the measures affecting the cross-border supply of gambling and betting services. At a May 19 meeting of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body in Geneva, the US added that it had begun to evaluate options and it stood ready to discuss this matter with the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, which asked the US for more precision on its implementation plans and required not only a clarification of the US’ internet gambling restrictions but also market access. The parties have until June 6 to agree on a reasonable time for compliance or the matter will be submitted for mediation.
Betdaq owner Dermot Desmond is planning to open a casino in Dublin. The financier, whose wealth is estimated at over one billion euro, is a major shareholder in Glasgow Celtic.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer, who has taken effective control at Manchester United by buying up 76% of shares, has been asked by the NFL to explain a planned joint venture between United and the Las Vegas Sands for a so-called ‘supercasino’. Furthermore, United have deals with Ladbrokes and Skybet’s parent company Sky which would seem to be at odds with NFL gambling policy.
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