ATEOnline Gaming News / Februar 2006

[Casinonews]

Casinonachrichten, Februar 2006

Hilton rejects CVC bid
The Hilton Group has rejected a £3.7 billion bid from CVC Capital Partners for Ladbrokes according to the UK's Financial Times newspaper. The offer by CVC was fully financed, and discussed at a Hilton meeting last Friday.

Culture minister invites Tory support on casinos
Richard Caborn has invited the ministers responsible for gambling opposition Conservative party to work with the government to ensure more supercasinos are built. Speaking in the House of Commons, the culture minister said that the government had always intended to build more [casinos] across the country, but scaled back the plans because of Conservative opposition..

BALPPA plans DDA seminar
BALPPA is to chair another seminar aimed at informing members about the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). Planning is still in the preliminary stages, but will be held at Blackpool Pleasure Beach on March 8th.

Littlewoods signs online bingo deal
Littlewoods Gaming has signed a deal with gaming technology firm St Minver to join its UK bingo network. Littlewoodsbingo.com will link up with Yahoo! Games, Virgin and Wanadoo on St Minver's Gibraltar gaming license.

Second Olympic scratchcard launched
Camelot launched its second Olympic scratchcard, Win Gold, today to tie in with the upcoming Turin Winter Olympics. The original Go For Gold scratchcard raised £7 million towards the £750 million total the lottery is expected to raise.

Smoking ban vote given options
The Department of Health has put up two alternatives for the free vote on a total smoking ban in pubs due later this month. Ministers will now have the option to vote for a ban on smoking in pubs but not in private clubs and on the government's original plan of a ban on pubs serving food.

Keane appointed chairman of appeals body
Former chief justice of the Irish Supreme Court Ronan Keane has been appointed chairman of Irish racing's new appeals body. Keane, who retired last year after 25 years as a judge, will be joined on the new regulatory body by former Attorney General, Eoghan Fitzsimons

Pool gets promoted
Hainsworth and uk8ball.com have teamed up to form a new pool promotions company called UK Pub Pool Ltd. The new venture aims to improve the quality of pool across the UK according to the joint parties.

888 looking for sports-betting operation
888.com is looking to buy a sports-betting operation according to chief executive John Anderson, for “customer retention and organic growth”. The announcement comes days after the gaming group reported a £43 million (56 per cent) year-on-year increase in fourth quarter gaming revenues.

Vodafone to host SWPs
Games Media has announced the launch of an agreement with Vodafone that will see SWPs played on the mobile company’s network. Classic titles such as Monopoly, Snakes and Ladders and Golden Balls will all be available to subscribers through the Vodafone live! portal.

Blackpool’s Grovesnor evacuated
Sixty gamblers at Blackpool Sandcastle's Grovesnor Casino had to be evacuated at 3am this week when a passer-by spotted flames cascading from above the sign on the entrance. The fire, caused by an electrical fault, caused minor damage and no-one was hurt.

Deeming accounting for RLMS
Roy Deeming has been appointed to the role of accounts manager for RLMS Sales. Deeming will be reunited with former DMD colleague, executive chairman Reg Morosoli.

GMB calls for lifetime ban
GMB is calling for casino operators to impose lifetime bans on customers who harass or attack casino staff. The move comes after a customer doused staff in London's Grovesnor Connoisseur with petrol.

Ladbrokes referred to Luxembourg
A court in Oslo has referred Ladbrokes legal challenge against the Norwegian government to the European Free Trade Area court in Luxembourg. The British-based bookmaker is challenging the legality of the Norwegian Lottery Act after a betting license application was rejected in 2004.

Euro bingo organisation launched
EUBingo, a joint organisation consisting of the British Bingo Association and the Spanish Confederacion Espanola de Organizaciones de Empresarios del Juego del Bingo (the Spanish confederation of organisations of bingo games managers) has been launched in the European Parliament. The Brussels based organisation plans to represent bingo interests at EU level.

Leisure economy will improve
Business advisors BDO Stoy Hayward has predicted that the UK's leisure industry will improve if current economic trends continue. It cited rising consumer confidence and expected economic growth as factors.

Brent secures Comestero agreement
Brent Electronics has secured the exclusive rights to distribute the Comestero range of change machines and money handling equipment. Brent now holds over 30 exclusive distribution agreements.

Groupe Partouche to launch mobile casino
French casino operator Groupe Partouche will launch a mobile-phone gaming service, featuring roulette and blackjack, at the end of this week. Probability Games Corporation, which provides mobile payment and gambling services, will partner Partouche in the venture.

Rank faces calls to halt bingo hall demolition
Edinburgh community leaders and councillors are calling for a stop to the demolition of Fountainbridge's Mecca Palais bingo hall claiming it is a Scottish institution and a local landmark. Rank is planning to replace it with a modern bingo facility at the nearby Fountainpark Leisure Complex.

Betfair wants its starting prices included
Betfair wants the Starting Price Regulatory Commission (SPRC) to include its odds in any recommendations for a new starting price mechanism. The commission plan to finish its independent review by early-summer.

Gextech to provide Skybet with virtual betting football.
Gextech have signed with gambling channel Skybet to supply a fixed-odds betting virtual football game. The 3D, 12 team Fantastic League will be aired from May 2006.

Super-casino advisor Crow has open mind
Following claims last week that the government had already decided on a location for the new regional casino, Professor Stephen Crow, chairman of the panel reviewing proposals for the UK's first 'super-casino', has said that he still has an "entirely open mind".

Residents object to casino’s smoking area
Residents near the Gala Maybury Casino in Edinburgh have objected to a planned 'smokers courtyard' outside the premises. They fear noise disruption from smokers as the proposed area backs onto the rear gardens of local homes.

Cyberview to supply multi-draw jackpot to South American bingo halls
Cyberview Technology has announced that it will supply over 35 Venezuelan bingo halls with a multi-draw jackpot game via its wide area network. The downloadable technology company expects to earn £7 million over a 5 year contracted period in the venture.

Debate over stakes and prizes still ongoing
Whilst facing a series of questions on the aborted triennial increase of AWP stakes and prizes in the House of Commons, the DCMS minister responsible for gambling, Richard Caborn, refused to give the nod of approval for an early boost to levels, without ruling it out altogether. Caborn said: "Discussions with the industry on stakes and prizes for AWPS will continue. If those can be satisfactorily concluded, I have no doubt that we can move forward." For more analysis and further industry news see Coinslot issue 1937, published today.

MPs support AWP level increase with EDM
Support is gathering for a bid to get the government to increase the stake and prizes for AWP machines. Twenty-six MPs have signed an early day motion (EDM) calling for the stake and maximum prize for £25-jackpot fruit machines to be increased to 50p and £35 respectively. The EDM, tabled by All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group chairman John Grogan, has received cross-party support, with MPs from all three major parties adding their name to the list.

Survey suggests more remote regulation needed
Only 20 per cent of people think that the Government is doing enough to regulate online gambling, according to research consultancy XTN Data. The news comes ahead of the introduction of the Gambling Act next year that for the first time allows internet casinos to be based in the UK. The survey, which questioned 1,000 people, also discovered that 35 per cent thought overseas gambling sites were less trustworthy than those based in the UK.

ABB fuming over disregard of darts federation
The Association of British Bookmakers has expressed concern that the bookmaking industry will shun darts betting after the sport's governing body failed to act over irregular betting patterns preceeding last month's Lakeside World Championships first round match between Gary Anderson and Gary Robson. William Hill was forced to suspend its market within two hours of opening betting on the match, having been inundated with thousands of pounds of 3-1 correct score bets for Anderson, and no detectable support for Robson. For more infromation see this month's issue of Betting Business.

DCMS document confirms 47 applications for regional casino licence so far
A document released by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has confirmed that 47 local councils across the United Kingdom have so far applied for a chance to become the home of the one regional casino licence to be issued under the terms of the new Gambling Act. A further 28 have lodged their interest in playing host to either large or small casinos as defined by the Act.

Camerlin ventures into UK gaming industry
Camerlin Group Bhd, via its associated company BIL International Ltd, which owns Thistle Hotels Group, is venturing into the gaming business in the UK. BIL International’s wholly-owned subsidiary, BIL Gaming Operations UK Ltd, was approved as a licensed operator of casinos by the Gambling Commission of Great Britain on February 2.

Bravo enters Top Ten
The UK's third largest bingo operator, Top Ten Holdings plc, has agreed to acquire three Bravo branded freehold bingo clubs in Worksop, Leicester and Blackwood for a consideration of £1.85m. Having purchased Apollo Bingo Limited in January 2006, and in so doing obtaining an agreement to lease a new bingo club in Worksop, the acquisition will now allow Top Ten to rationalise its operations in the town into a single club.

Partnership to deliver more benefits for 2006
Games Media and Cool Games have announced a joint agreement that will see the Oldham-based games design company supply exclusive SWP content to the Midlands game house for publication onto its own range of entertainment terminals and for wider publication to other networked terminals. It will, said the two firms, deliver further accomplishments in 2006, with a full range of both traditional and digital gaming content in development.

Casino operator found dead
Barry DeLacy,one of the best known characters in the UK casino sector, was found dead in his Leeds city centre flat on Friday, February 3. After subsequently launching a murder inquiry police confirmed that a 27-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the death and was being held at a police station in the city.

Knowledge of customer behaviour can protect against fraud
Researching the typical behaviour of customers online is a good way for remote gambling operators to quickly detect if criminal activity is being conducted on their sites. Speaking at last month's Combating Cybercrime conference, Betfair's head of risk investigations Sandra Barton-Nicol advised operators to take the time to find out the customer behaviour patterns on their own sites, as that knowledge would make it easier to notice irregular activity. For more information see this month's issue of Betting Business.

Gamebookers launches Polish-language website
Internet betting company www.gamebookers.com has announced the launch of a Polish-language version of its website, marking the tenth language in which its users can bet on their favourite sporting events. The company tends to see traffic double within 60 days in regions where it launches a native-language version, which if replicated in Poland would see it become one of the top 10 jurisdictions for the company.

UK tourist industry still feeling effect of terror attacks
Figures for foreign tourism are still expected to rise in 2005, but it appears the London bombings in July have still had a a big impact on levels. Speaking at the Visitor Experience Show 2006 seminars, Tourism Alliance policy director Kurt Janson revealed that the growth in inbound tourism for the UK will be much lower than was expected before last year's terror attacks.

GamCare appoints new CEO
GamCare, the charity established to help problem gamblers, has appointed another new CEO following the recent departure of Jill Davidson from the job. Replacing her in the hot seat with immediate effect is Geoffrey Godbold OBE. The reason for Davidson's resignation has not been made clear by the organisation.

BGRB faces fight to keep self-regulation on greyhound welfare
The Animal Welfare Bill recieved a second reading in the House of Commons last month, with some of the debate focusing on the regulation of greyhound racing. Parliamentary under-secretary of state Ben Bradshaw warned that there could be state regulation of the sport if it was thought that the British Greyhound Racing Board's (BGRB) self-regulation was not effective. For more information see this month's issue of Betting Business.

Kremlin opposes Gambling Bill
Vladimir Putin's State Legal Department of Presidential Administration has prevented the State Duma from hearing the country's new gambling bill on 'State Control over Gambling Business'. In a letter to the Duma, the Kremlin stated that 'the bill protects interests of gambling tycoons and, therefore, should be excluded from consideration.'

Gala in Leo Casino purchase
Bingo operator Gala is to buy Liverpool's Leo Casino for £14.5 million within the next two weeks. Gala will add the 4 year old venue to its existing portfolio of 30 UK casinos.

Atari’s future in doubt
Videogame company Atari has warned that there was 'substantial doubt' about its ability to continue after an unexpected quarterly loss. The company's shares have fallen by over two-thirds in the past year, and finance boss Diane Baker had resigned.

Asian billionaire wants Les Ambassadeurs?
Indonesian cigarette billionaire Putera Sampoerna wants to purchase London's Les Ambassadeurs casino according to Forbes. The report stated that Southeast Asia's 13th richest man is now in advanced talks with London Clubs International over the purchase.

Hungarian advertising law challenged in EU court
Sportingbet is challenging an anti-advertising ruling by the Hungarian Government's Gambling Commission in the European Union Court. The online bookmaker is contesting a ruling that its advertising is illegal because it is not licensed as a gambling operator in the country as required by Hungarian law.

PartyGaming close to setline Empire dispute
Empire Online is close to settling its legal dispute with PartyGaming for terminating its 'skin' arrangement the UK's Independent newspaper reported. PartyGaming are set to pay Empire £114 million and are in advanced discussions regarding settlement according to the paper.

Britain’s tourists rise by 8 per cent
Overseas visitors to Britain in 2005 rose 8 per cent to 30 million according to figures published by VisitBritain. The organisation also stated that visits from South-east Asian, Russian and Eastern European tourists have grown by 35 per cent, with spending increasing by 20 per cent, since 2004.

Video games provide mind exercise
Researchers at Canada's York University have found evidence that playing video games provides benefits similar to bilingualism in exercising the mind. Studying 100 university undergraduates in Toronto, the study found that video gamers consistently outperformed non-playing peers in a series of mental tests, and if they also happened to be bilingual, they were unbeatable.

BetonSports didn’t cash in on Superbowl
BetonSports has said that pre-tax profits for the year to February 5th would be in line with forecasts despite 'neutral' results on the US Superbowl betting bonanza. It cited favourites, the Pittsburgh Steelers, win as contributing to its lacklustre results.

Andrews appointed to 32Red
32Red has appointed Ed Andrews as its new development director and will be responsible for marketing, commercial partnerships and new product development for the company. Andrews was previously managing director for Victor Chandler, and will be based in 32Reds Gibraltor HQ.

Luton in the hunt for ‘super-casino’
Luton council has announced that Napier Park will compete against Manchester and Glasgow for the regional 'super-casino' license after submitting its bid. The former Vauxhall site has also been earmarked for a homes, shops and hotel development.

GGT punters to compare exchange odds
Global Gaming Technologies today launched a betting platform which allows punters to compare betting prices on Betfair and Betdaq. Global, using its new proprietary technology, reached an agreement with the two exchanges to display prices and will be adding new exchanges and betting information in the near future.

At The Races hires international director
The former managing director of Tote's pool business, Nigel Roddis, has been hired by At The Races as its new international director. Roddis' role will be to maximize distribution and revenue opportunities for the companies 56 racecourse partners according to the racing channel.

Gambling academy open
The UK’s first gaming academy has been officially opened and will provide students of Fylde College with the opportunity to learn industry relevant skills including slot machine engineering and how to operate a roulette table. Manchester has already submitted plans to a government appointed panel for a similar school.

EU excludes gambling activities
Eurobingo welcomed the European Parliament’s decision to exclude gambling activities from the scope of the draft framework services directive. The federation of European bingo associations now plans to focus its lobbying efforts on the wording used to define gambling in the proposal, which it thinks has 'deviated from existing definitions'.

Middlehaven casino plans unveiled
Middlesbrough has revealed plans for a £180 million super-casino and leisure complex at the north edge of its Middlehaven dock site. Tees Valley Regeneration has named Aspers as its preferred developer for the project.

London tourism suffered 10 per cent drop after bombing
The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) has said that tourism in London suffered by more than ten per cent due to the 7 July bombings. It did go on to comment that recovery in November and December was strong and it was expecting the market to grow by 1.2 per cent overall in 2006.

Sportingbet announce £27 profits
Sportingbet announced second quarter pre-tax profits of £27 million, a 72 per cent increase on figures from the same period in 2005. The company has said that it might now beat full-year forecasts of £103 million in operating profits.

Brighton recommends casino
Brighton and Hove city council officers have recommended for approval plans for a casino in the city's Hilton Metropole Hotel, despite concerns from local residents and the police. The report concluded that the casino would be able to operate without undue disturbance.

Fatspanner appoints Twist
Games developer Fatspanner has appointed Anthony Twist to look after its technical after-sales and spares department. Twist previously spent 12 years with Maygay as an electronic research engineer.

UK’s first female gambling magazine for Future
Future Publishing plans to launch the UK's first female orientated gambling magazine in May. The as-yet untitled publication will initially be distributed with some of Future's other female focussed titles and will be on newsstands by the year's end.

Paddy Power rumours quashed
Rumours of an approach by Greek lottery and football pools company OPAP for Paddy Power have been quashed. George Papiggelis of Ignatia Finance in Athens said that any European acquisition would jeopardise the company's monopoly rights in the Greek market.

Singapore’s casinos will not deter Islamic investors
The Monetary Authority of Singapore said that it doesn't think that country's recent move into the casino industry will affect its campaign to attract Islamic investors. The south-east Asian country wants to market itself as a centre for Islamic finance.

VSS appoints Crown Leisure
Crown Leisure has been appointed by Canadian manufacturer Visual Sports Systems (VSS) as the exclusive distributor for its products in the UK/Eire. The decision comes after Crown launched VSS's RealSoccer Jumior at ATEI in London.

Barcelona shirt sponsorship breaks down
BetandWin.com's talks with FC Barcelona over shirt sponsorship have reportedly broken down according to the Spanish press, as the club couldn't meet the deadline for agreement. The proposed deal would have been worth a record breaking £12 million and made BetandWin the first shirt sponsor in the club’s history.

Rowland’s 33 years honoured
Jim Rowland has been honoured at the Blackpool Tourism Awards for his 33 years of service to the resort’s tourist industry. Rowland, who is the group director of Blackpool's Pleasure Beach, started his career in 1972 and was part of the team responsible for building the world's tallest rollercoaster, the Pepsi Max Big One.

Save Dreamland campaign hits the streets
Kent's Save Dreamland Campaign is taking to the street and asking for public opinion on the park as the next round of consultations on its future looms. Thanet District Council is looking to redevelop the site despite an independent government commission’s arguing that it should be protected.


Mansion in talks with Manchester United
Manchester United is in talks with the Gibraltar-based online gambling group Mansion over a £60 million shirt sponsorship deal. The four-year contract would become the most lucrative of its kind in football, but would not include the naming rights to Old Trafford.

Betfair blasts Italian legislation
Betfair has spoken out about the new Italian legislation banning the use of offshore gambling sites, saying it was 'passed without due process as it was not notified to the European Commission'. Managing Director of Betfair’s international lobbying arm Mark Davies said: “We’re giving consideration to what legal action we’ll need to take to protect our current position", before adding "censorship for the benefit of a local monopoly is a disgrace; it is the technological equivalent of book burning.”

Ladbrokes consider online takeover
Ladbrokes has sparked further speculation that it is considering a takeover approach for Gibraltor based 888 Holdings after accelerating a review on its policy for not taking bets from the US market. 888, which is run by former Ladbrokes executive John Anderson, is heavily reliant on the US gaming market.

Partygaming shares fall
PartyGaming's shares have taken a dive in the wake of the upcoming US prohibition bill aimed at banning its citizens from gambling online. They now stand at around 120p, after hovering around 154p earlier this year.

Doctor files $14 million lawsuit over ‘compulsive gambling’ drug
An American doctor has filed a $14 million lawsuit with the US District court in Austin, Texas claiming that the drug Requip had made him a habitual 'high-roller' in Las Vegas' casinos. Dr Max Wells claims he lost $7 million in 2005 and another $7 million by January of this year due to the drug, manufactured by the world's second largest pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, causing compulsive gambling.

Russia consider new gambling bill
The Russian State Duma will consider the revised bill for the gambling industry in early March. The new bill proposes the Duma introduce mandatory licensing for casinos and gambling houses and operators would have to provide a bank security of approximately £6 million for such a venture.

Indonesian billionaire to buy Les Ambassadeurs
Indonesian tobacco billionaire Putera Sampoerna's company Twinwood is set to buy Les Ambassadeurs for £115m. London Clubs International, owner of the London casino, said it would use the proceeds to reduce debt and fund further casino opportunities across the UK.

Sega appoint new promotions executive
Mark Beauchamp is set to take the new role of promotions executive at Sega Amusements Europe. Beauchamp will initially be responsible for the promotion of its new World Cup Championship Football (WCCF Sega) arcade game.

Rugby Union’s talks over Murrayfield as casino venue
Scottish Rugby Union bosses have had talks with potential casino operators about developing a proposed super-casino next to Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh. Both Murrayfield, and the other potential site at Granton and Leith Docks, have been backed by councillors in principle as venues due to the economic benefits they would bring.

Nevada step closer to handhelds
Members of the Nevada Gaming Commission have unanimously called hand-held gambling communication devices 'safe and reliable', after official findings found that it could be set up to ensure minors are excluded and the devices can be restricted to authorised casino areas. The Commission will now start the next stage of moves aimed at adopting mobile gambling regulations.

Namco announces Banpresto buyout
Namco Bandai Holdings has announced that it will buyout all remaining shares of Banpresto for 18.3 billion yen. The arcade game manufacturer will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Namco Bandai.

Paddy Power suspects Wembley builders of cashing in
Paddy Power has reported that it suspect’s builders working on Wembley Stadium have cashed in on the failed completion date of the venue by betting against it being ready in time for the FA Cup final in May. The bookmaker cited a number of bets being placed in its shop in north-west London by men in hard hats shortly after Multiplex revealed in January that it had only a 70 per cent chance of meeting the deadline.

Armed robbers given 11 years
Two armed robbers who held up a betting shop close to Heathrow airport with a hand gun have been jailed for a total of eleven and a half years. Kingston Crown Court sentenced Shane Price, 27, and his 17-year old accomplice to seven years and four and a half respectively for threatening staff at the Coral Bookmakers in Hillingdon before escaping on a stolen motor-bike.

Crown the king of ROA
Racehorse Owners' Association's Stephen Crown has been promoted from vice president, and will become the next president in June. He will spearhead the organisation as it enters into a joint partnership with the Racecourse Association to negotiate racing’s commercial deal with the betting industry.