The news in brief for the week of April 24-30
Betfair signed a two year agreement with Frontiers Group, reinforcing its commitment to the upcoming summer of cricket by becoming the ‘The Official Betting Partner of the Test Match Grounds’.
Following the recent regulatory developments such as the UK Gambling Act, the bingo portal Bingo.com has decided to take advantage of its brand and dominant position in the play-for-fun bingo industry to diversify its business model and enter the play for real money market through a deal with Chartwell, a Canadian provider of gaming software.
DFB, the German soccer federation, announced plans to set up its own bookmaking operation and banned all betting on matches by players, coaches, officials and referees in reaction to the country’s worst match-fixing scandal in more than 30 years. Robert Hoyzer, the referee that admitted fixing and attempting to fix a series of matches, was banned for life.
Expekt hired CTXM to provide 10 soft games for the Scandinavian market.
FireCash, the company behind online payment provider FirePay, is planning to float on the London’s AIM.
Ladbrokes launched three new games, including a virtual greyhound race, produced by CTXM.
MyBookie.com signed an exclusive product placement agreement with Warner Brothers to have its website featured in the upcoming film ‘Lucky You’, as well as within the storyline.
The New Zealand Racing Board reported a 4.8 per cent increase on horse racing betting from the beginning of the season on August 1 until April 17.
The Greek Government is looking for new ways to boost revenues and is proposing to sell a further 15 per cent stake in the gaming company OPAP that would leave the state with a less than 50 per cent share. In a separate news, the new CEO of OPAP said he plans to ensure the company’s presence on the internet market once betting online become legal in Greece.
Paddy Power launched live multiplayer backgammon powered by GameAccount.
Playtech signed a deal with Quova to incorporate GeoPoint, a geolocation software, into Playtech’s unified gaming platform.
Technical Systems Testing has provided RealTime Gaming with its TST seal of certification, ensuring that RTG’s Random Number Generator is both random in outcome and fair in operation.
Antigua-based WSEX has launched Matchbook, a new betting exchange aimed to US bettors.
Yahoo! UK launched a real money bingo site powered by Parlay Entertainment.
Antigua & Barbuda and the US to meet on May 19 in Geneva to discuss WTO’s final ruling.
France Parliament debated to change its highly restrictive legislation and allow online casino gambling.
The Nevada Assembly unanimously approved Bill 471, which authorizes the use of mobile communication devices for gaming in public areas in Nevada casinos. The Bill now rests with the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Oregon Senate passed Bill 929, which would allow off-track betting to go year-round at Portland Meadows and other locations. The bill now moves to the House.
Arizona’s Senator Jon Kyl is planning to try again to push through Congress a prohibition on internet gambling.
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