Jim Crompton passes away
The coin-op industry has lost one of its true pioneers following the death of Jim Crompton last week. The octagenarian was jointly responsible for the development of the "penny falls" pusher, one of the cornerstones of the seaside amusement business. His name also became synonymous with some of the best amusement equipment exported throughout the world over the last five decades. A full obituary and details of his funeral arrangements will be published in this week's Coinslot.
Bwin not ruling out capital increase to raise funds
Austrian gaming company Bwin said that it was not ruling out a capital increase to raise funds in order to buy the UK-based Sportingbet. Konrad Sveceny, head of investor relations, said that all possible financing options were being considered, although he gave no timescale of when the deal would progress.
ITV play cleared to resume services
ITV Play has been cleared to resume its interactive services by parent company ITV after audit firm Deloitte said that it was satisfied the channel operated in accordance with the Icstsis and Ofcom codes. ITV had suspended all interactive services amid allegations of irregularities with premium-rate phone lines.
Lottomatica posts core profit rise
Italian gaming company Lottomatica announced a core profit rise of 55 percent driven largely by contributions from US subsidiary GTech, which it acquired in August last year. The lottery operator said that its net profit had fallen to 800,000 euros for 2006 from 114.2 million euros the previous year due to the cost of the merger.
Nintendo's 'guru' calls for positive games
Nintendo's top game designer Shigeru Miyamoto said that the gaming sector's reputation had suffered in the past decade because of an influx of violent, but popular video games. Miyamoto - who was referred to as the 'Spielberg of video games' by Time magazine - added that designers had failed to deliver titles which brought joy to the widest possible spectrum of players, and focused too often on hard-core gamers and their lust for gore and realism.
Jowell to address 'spiralling' Olympic budget
Tessa Jowell is due to announce the revised cost of the 2012 London Olympics this week, which reports are suggesting could top £9 billion. The culture secretary will admit that costs have 'spiralled out of control' and will face calls from opposition MPs to cap the bill at £5 billion.
Swedish Gaming Board threatens publisher
Sweden's Gaming Board (Lotteriinspektionen) warned Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet that it would be in contempt of court if it went ahead and published an advertisement for Maltese gambling company Expekt. The Södermanland district court confirmed last Thursday that the Board could fine Aftonbladet 150,000 kronor for every foreign gambling advertisement published.
Placanica discussion at EGB
The European Gambling Briefing (EGB) in Brussels (8-9 May) will feature a number of lawyers and regulators - including the EU's Jean Bergevin, CIRSA's Eduardo Antoja and Betfair's Legal Counsel, Fiona Russell - to provide an insight into the current issues affecting the industry. Seminars across the two-day event will be cover topics such as the recent Placanica ruling, how legal issues affect the current business climate in Spain and how to conduct effective lobbying in Europe.
South Africa suspends lottery contract
The South African National Lotteries Board has suspended the award of a seven-year exclusive national lottery contract pending a review after it said that winner Gidani and rival bidder Uthingo had not revealed sufficient information about their shareholders at the time of the tender. The board announced that it would now have to reconsider the process.
Gaming executives have hard time on billionaires list
PartyGaming founders Ruth Parasol and Russell DeLeon, and Bodog's Calvin Ayre have all lost their billionaire status on Forbes annual billionaire survey due to the new restrictions and laws governing online gambling in the US. Sheldon Anderson, chief executive officer of casino operator Las Vegas Sands Corp, fared somewhat better ranking sixth on the chart with a fortune of $26.5 billion.
Hill signs £3 million automated commentary deal
Automated solutions provider Eckoh has signed a £3 million deal with UK bookmaker William Hill to provide an automated horse racing commentary and results service. The deal, which will run through 2010, allows customers listening to live horse racing commentary via their phones to connect directly to betting agents.
Fun subsidiary renews contract with EA
Fun Technologies' subsidiary WorldWinner has renewed its exclusive contract with Electronic Arts to provide cash tournaments for gaming portal Pogo.com. Under terms of the agreement, WorldWinner will develop a customised cash tournament site for Pogo.com as well as running adverts across its affiliate sites. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Singapore to continue licence checks
Singapore's casino regulatory body said that it will continue to carry out 'probity checks' on casino operators and owners, even after licences are issued to ensure only the right people were involved. The announcement comes after tycoon Stanley Ho was forced to pull out of a deal with Malaysia's Genting International to develop a resort in the country.
Vegas considers legal action against games developer
Las Vegas tourism officials are considering legal action against video-game maker Surreal Games who are attempting to trademark the phrase "Only in Vegas", saying that it infringes their own trademarked phrase "Only Vegas". Terry Jicinsky, senior vice president of marketing for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said that they were concerned that the similarity would lead to confusion and imply that the game was endorsed by the authority.
Video games reduce pet numbers
The Australian Veterinary Association said that pet numbers are dropping in the country because kids are more likely to be playing computer games. President Kirsti Seksel said that although 53 percent of homes had a cat or a dog, advances in the gaming sector over the past 15 years had resulted in a steep decline of pet ownership due to changing lifestyles.
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