Gamblingnews / Gaming Industry News, April 2006

[Casinonews]

Gambling advertising code open to public
The Advertising Standards Authority and the Gambling Commission's new gambling code will go out to public consultation this summer. New legislation, which is replacing the current 40 year old rules could allow online gaming firms and casinos to advertise on television.

Redknapp questioned over insider betting
The English Football Association has questioned Harry Redknapp over names that have appeared on a Betfair print-out of gamblers who won money as part of his move to Portsmouth FC. Speaking to the UK's News of the World, he said that he knew nothing of the accusations and stated: "I have done nothing wrong. I didn't have a bet and that's an end to it."

Caricom tells US to act responsibly
Caricom (The Caribbean Community and Common Market) has called on the US to act as a responsible stakeholder in international trade after telling the US Trade Representative that the region is 'dismayed' at America's failure to comply with the World Trade Organisation's ruling over online gambling. Edwin Carrington, Caricom's Secretary-General, said that the issue 'continues to be of concern to the regional grouping'.

Bookmaker suspends betting on Irish premier league match
Paddy Power was forced to suspend betting on an Irish Premier League match over the weekend after noticing unusual betting patterns. The bookmaker confirmed that large sums of money had been placed on third from bottom Glenavon beating twelfth-placed Armagh City. Glenavon ran out 4-0 winners.

Bookies 'soft targets' according to Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard has warned that betting shops are being targeted by new 'chaotic' gangs of robbers, who don't plan raids and see bookmakers as soft targets. These gangs are thought to be young and quick to use violence.

Online gambling companies make Rich List mark
Half of the new entries in this year's Sunday Times Rich List with fortunes of £500 million or more have made their money hosting internet gambling or owning casinos. Trevor Hemmings, owner of the Blackpool Tower and the resorts three piers, made an entry at 58 with an estimated fortune of £928 million.

Noble funeral tomorrow
Over 300 mourners are expected to attend Michael Noble's funeral which takes place tomorrow (Tuesday) at St Michael's Church in South Shields, Tyne and Wear. The joint chairman of the Noble organisation passed away last week after losing his fight against cancer. He was 54-years old.

£1 million staked on marathon
UK Bookmakers have estimated a record £1 million was staked on this year's London Marathon. The increase they claim, was due to a new system of identifying the leading men's contenders with coloured racing strips. The experiment is expected to be extended to the world marathon major series and to women's events.

Caborn supported Man Utd's lottery bid
Sports Minister Richard Caborn has supported Sport England in awarding lottery money to Manchester United, and was 'fully involved' in the decision, according to the UK's Sunday Telegraph newspaper. Former Labour sports minister Kate Hoey branded the award as "just stupid".

Sportingbet sign software deal with Global Interactive
Global Interactive Gaming (GIG) and Sportingbet subsidiary Interactive Sports have signed a deal which will see GIG provide software and manage the wagering for Sportingbet's play-by-play betting service.

Coventry to plead casino case with government
Ken Taylor, Coventry City Council leader, has said that he will be writing to the government to plead for a super-casino after Peugeot decided to close its Ryton car plant in the area, resulting in 2,300 job losses. He commented: "We will be writing saying 'we hope you realise we now have a greater need than prior to this. We need the jobs. We will be saying, 'Come on guys, see where we are. Here's a genuine opportunity for us'."

South African gambling amounts to less than 1 per cent
A study commissioned by the South African National Gambling Board has found that the gambling industry in the country amounted to under 1 per cent of South Africa's economy. The study by the Bureau of Market Research at the University of South Africa also revealed that only 1.7 per cent of the average household budget was spent on gambling.

Blackpool outlines 'spectacular' Conference Leisure Quarter
Blackpool council has said that the city's proposed 'Conference Leisure Quarter', which will include the super-casino development, would be a 'spectacular new flagship' for tourism in the area. The council was talking as it released a draft planning brief aimed at giving potential investors guidance about how the council wants the site to evolve.

Hungary's 'Disneyland' given the go ahead
A 170 million euro amusement park, dubbed 'Hungary's Disneyland', has been given the go ahead by Hungarian economics minister Janos Koka. The development, located in the village of Bezenye near the Austrian border, will open in 2009 and will initially include a hotel, amusement park and a shopping mall.

Waitress wins £5.6 million on slots
A retired waitress in the USA has won an Atlantic City record £5.6 million on the slots. 84-year old Josephine Crawford had spent $40 and 10 minutes playing the machines before hitting the jackpot.

Portugal's casinos revenue rise
Portuguese casino revenue rose to 83 million euros over the first quarter of 2006, a 10.6 per cent increase on the same period last year. The increase has been attributed to recent legal authorisation, which allows mixed gaming rooms in the country.

New lottery company announces 'Monday' game
New UK lottery operator Chariot plc's shares rose by 14 per cent after announcing details of its new game, due to begin on May 8th. Named 'Monday', the game will be the first serious rival to Camelot's National Lottery game.

[Casinonews]

Mixed fortunes for companies after smoking ban
The Rank Group announced that entries to its Mecca Bingo halls had fallen along with spend per head since the Scottish smoking ban had begun, and warned that profits were now under pressure. Conversely JD Wetherspoons said that sales, since the ban, had experienced a 3.2 per cent increase in the 13 weeks to April 23rd across its pubs in Scotland.

Conservatives urge opposition to casino increase
The Conservative party has urged members to oppose changes to the initial number of super-casinos proposed by the government according to claims in the UK's Financial Times newspaper. The opposition party's shadow culture secretary, MP Hugo Swire, said in a letter to party members"...we will be reaffirming our commitment to oppose any increases in the number of regional casinos until the pilot project has been properly and thoroughly assessed."

Gambling money a part of chancellor's tax yield
In the wake of Nottingham Trent University's Professor Leighton Vaughan Williams studies into UK's gambling industry, analysts have now suggested that the industry makes an important contribution to the UK tax yield. Williams reported that gambling is now a £40 billion per year industry, with bets on this year's World Cup set to top £1 billion alone.

Internet gaming costs Canada's economy $500 million
Bill Rutsey, head of the Canadian Gambling Association (CGA), claimed that internet gaming takes $500 million out of the Canadian economy. "Millions just disappear - the money is sucked right out of the economy," he told delegates at the CGA's national conference. "Internet gaming is a real competitive threat and law enforcement needs to take steps to deal with the issue."

Gambling ads may carry health warning
Adverts by casinos, betting shops and internet poker sites may have to carry health warnings in the future according to reports in the Independent newspaper. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport issued a statement responding to the alleged warnings saying: "The new code, akin to the rules surrounding advertising for alcohol, seeks to pacify critics who fear the new gambling laws will lead to a surge in gambling addiction.

In-game advertising to reach $732 million
Analyst firm Yankee Group has predicted that the in-game advertising sector in video games would jump by 500 per cent to reach $732 million by 2010. It added that video games present a 'promising window of opportunity' for the advertising medium.

BBPA criticizes government lack of response
The British Beer & Pub Association has expressed concerns over the government's lack of response to its calls for increased stakes and prizes for Section 34 machines. A statement said: "We have called for the changes, but realistically if we don't get an answer from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport by the end of this month, then it's not going to happen."

BBC should learn from video games
The BBC's director general Mark Thompson has claimed that the organisation could 'learn from the world of video games' after a report revealed that younger people currently got little real value from the corporation. Thompson also warned that the BBC needs to "work harder to reach younger audiences."

Ladbrokes takeover rumour boosts London Clubs shares
Rumours of a takeover bid by bookmaker Ladbrokes have helped push shares in London Clubs International up 8.3 per cent to nearly 124p per share. A spokesperson for Ladbrokes, who are thought to be preparing a 155p per share offer, said the rumours did not merit comment.

Free Breakfast Briefings
Gaming Industry News is the media partner for a series of free breakfast briefings for the gambling industry being run by Manches law firm. The first one on the 12th May addresses the taxation of remote gaming and whether it has been finalised. Click here for more details and to book your place.

NCA accuse Chariot of taking away lottery money
The National Campaign for Arts (NCA) has accused new lottery firm Chariot of potentially taking away money from the arts by donating 30 per cent of its proceeds to mainstream charities, none of which were arts based. "What makes the National Lottery unique is that it enables small groups with big ideas to apply for grants which benefit their communities and their culture," said Victoria Todd, NCA chairman. "The new lottery, in contrast, is limited to organisations with larger turnovers."

Empire revenues triple
Empire Online's revenues have tripled at its casino business, from $5.6 million to $15.3 million, during the first quarter. Poker revenue slumped to $5.8 million from $18.8 million due to the sale of Empire Poker to PartyGaming.

Channel Island casino under threat
Plans for a casino development in Guernsey's St Pierre Park Hotel complex is in doubt after its owner, CI Traders (CIT), pulled out of talks. Tom Scott, CIT chairman, said: "We remain of the opinion that a casino would be attractive to the Guernsey market but could not support the scale of associated investment required by the authorities."

FIFA launch anti-cheat campaign
FIFA has announced that it will begin an anti-cheating initiative ahead of the World Cup by asking referees to pledge they would not place any bets on the event. President Sepp Blatter has announced that he will personally address all 29 referees before the event begins.

Ryan Air gambling on mobiles
Ryan Air is planning to introduce a system that would allow passengers to use mobile phones in flight, and, if successful, are looking at offering mobile gambling services to travellers. The cheap flight company is investigating technology that will connect mobiles using an on-board transmitter and a satellite.

BACTA & ATE's Marathon Runners come out on top
Leslie MacLeod-Miller, BACTA's general counsel & head of administrative affairs and Clarion ATE's Jon Hales completed their marathon in commendable style on Sunday. Leslie clocked in a superb time of 3:34:20 in aid of the BACTA Charitable Trust and BACTA's chosen charity, BIBIC (British Institute for Brain-Injured Children). Jon came in close behind in a commendable 4:30:27. He was running on behalf of Asthma UK. You can still reward their efforts - click here to sponsor Jon & here to sponsor Leslie.

Antigua misunderstood ruling claims USA
Antigua & Barbuda has been told by the US that it had misunderstood the WTO's ruling over discriminatory trade regulations, and that they were now in full compliance with the recommendations and rulings. US Ambassador to the WTO, Peter Allgeier, stated that their restrictive legislation deals with 'an issue of public morals and public order' and therefore falls under an exception in the General Agreement in Trade and Services.

Yarmouth attraction top four in England
A survey by the English Tourist Board website enjoyengland.com has found that Yarmouth's Pleasure Beach ranks fourth among UK attractions in terms of annual visitor numbers with 1.4 million. The London Eye, Tower of London and Southport's Pleasureland Theme Park came in the top three.

Inspired wins consecutive 'fastest growing' awards
Inspired Broadcast Networks has won the 'Media Momentum Fastest Growing Companies Award' for the second year running. The company has also jumped to second place in Media Momentum's Top 50 companies to watch list.