March 2005 Gambling News Archive

ARGO report says tax threatens U.K. remote gambling industry
March 26, 2005 - A report commissioned by ARGO and published today by Europe Economics found that unless HM Treasury finds a way to reduce the potential tax liabilities for online gaming operators then there is little or no incentive for any of the major players, whose remote gaming operations are all presently based offshore, to be located in the UK when the Gambling Bill comes into force.

Fun technologies partners with Certus A/S
March 26, 2005 - Fun Technologies plc subsidiary, SkillJam Technologies Corporation has teamed with Denmark-based game developer Certus A/S to operate and distribute Certus' multi-player games throughout the SkillJam network.

Antigua still has an advantage with new income tax
March 26, 2005 - Reports this week in the Antiguan press that suggested new taxes might have precipitated the departure of an online gambling group were denied by Director of Off-Shore Gaming Kay McDonald.

Global Interactive Gaming Summit and Expo (GIGSE)
March 26, 2005 - The seventh annual Global Interactive Gaming Summit and Expo (GIGSE) is on schedule to be the largest event of its kind ever held.

Multi-platform Gambling Content Forum
March 26, 2005 - The month of June this year will see an eclectic gathering of online gambling people interested in an in-depth look at the rapidly expanding spread of gambling content across multiple platforms.

Casino Rewards takes over Integrity Casinos
March 25, 2005 - Casino Rewards Group, operators of leading casinos including Blackjack Ballroom and Golden Tiger, and Integrity Casinos Limited, operators of the long established Captain Cooks Casino, today announced that the companies have reached an agreement under which Casino Rewards will acquire all Integrity gaming entities.

Golf: The Players Championship (Sawgrass)
March 23, 2005 - In a lot of ways the Bay Hill Invitational produced more questions about players form than it answered. I mean the course was playing tough all week but a number of the world’s best players threw in a large number into their scorecards then played respectfully to get back into the front page of the leader board.

Bermuda Poker jackpot won for the 2nd time this year
March 23, 2005 - For the second time this year, a sportsbook.com player has won the huge Bermuda Poker Jackpot. Erik K. won 100% of the $357,777 progressive jackpot on March 3rd. But unlike most winners, Erik’s first thoughts weren’t on what type of car to buy. Erik first thought of the people he could help with his good fortune.

Londons Casino offers live dealers and games
March 23, 2005 - The launch of Londonscasino.com - announced by Malta based gaming company Vegas Interactive and the leading live online gaming software company, CWC Gaming - is set to revolutionize the online gaming industry by overcoming players' distrust of traditional Random Number Generator ("RNG") based casino games.

Curling Team Slotland.com has great season
March 23, 2005 - Canadian Curling team, Team Slotland.com, is one step closer to their Olympic dream after their performance in the Ontario Curling Tour (OCT). Their sponsorship from international online casino, Slotland.com, meant that it was possible for the team to enter the competitive curling circuit in pursuit of Olympic Gold in Vancouver 2010.

Boss Media partners with Oberthur gaming
March 23, 2005 - Oberthur Gaming Technologies and Boss Media AB have agreed to formalize terms for a North American, long-term strategic alliance to jointly provide solutions for the converging gaming market.

MFUSE delivers mobile betting service to Bet Direct
March 23, 2005 - British mobile technology provider MFUSE has clinched the Littlewoods Bet direct project to launch a new mobile Java betting service in the UK. The service will be the fourth individual mainstream bookmaking mobile betting service to be launched in the region and is claimed to be the most advanced to date.

iGGBA expels Gambling Federation
March 23, 2005 - Another chapter of the Gambling Federation malware affair closed this week when the iGGBA issued the following press release announcing the expulsion of the company from its membership ranks.

Gaming Transactions licenses Futurebet sportsbook
March 23, 2005 - Gaming Transactions Inc., the online gaming portal management company headed by former WG execs Patrick Smyth and Stephen White, has entered into an agreement with FutureBet Systems Ltd. to license that company's sports book software.

Montana overseas dispute resolution
March 23, 2005 - InfoPowa has never hesitated to criticize turnkey provider Real Time Gaming when one of its licensees strays from the path of righteousness, and it is therefore needed that we take note of interesting information from a reliable company source this week.

Casino on Net high roller manager joins Get Minted
March 23, 2005 - Getminted.com, the UK based online gaming site, has recruited high roller manager, Pasquale De Lucia, from 888.com, and is boasting about it.

New Playtech games
March 23, 2005 - Online gamblers at the wide range of Playtech powered casinos have four more games to tickle their fancy this week, as the turnkey provider launches its latest gambling creations, which brings the number of games in this gambling suite to 75.

SportingbetUSA.com launches $1 million weekly lotto
March 18, 2005 - SportingbetUSA launches a brand new free online lottery with a whopping $1million weekly jackpot. The lottery adds the most popular numbers game on the planet to sportingbetUSA’s existing assortment of sports wagering, casino gambling and poker.

New licensing fees for Costa Rican sportsbooks
March 18, 2005 - Sports911.com reported this week that current lobbyist information suggests *licensing* fees for sportsbooks (and presumably online casinos in the territory) will be determined by the number of employees.

BetCom announces 2 exciting tie ins to NCAA March Madness Tourney
March 18, 2005 - Betcom, a 7-year-old offshore gaming entertainment company based in San Jose, Costa Rica, today announced two exciting tie-ins to March Madness, both designed to increase interest in the NCAA tournament itself as well as giving their clients some fun, easy-to-play contests while watching some great basketball.

Littlewoods gets marketing facelift
March 18, 2005 - Online gambling site Littlewoods Casino.com, part of the Littlewoods gaming group, is backing an April revamp of its site with a six-figure advertising and publicity campaign.

Gaming Transactions thinks big
March 18, 2005 - It certainly looks as if Gaming Transactions Inc., the online gambling venture founded by ex World Gaming execs is gathering momentum following an agreement to purchase a million dollars of advertising at its Keno.com site.

Gambling Federation's CEO comments on IGC expulsion
March 18, 2005 - Gambling Federation has now issued a further statement dealing with it's Malware crisis and the IGC action. It would seem that CEO Flaviano Fogli is a little disappointed at the actions taken against his group for deliberately including blocking malware in their software download to unknowing players!

The Financial Times speculates on Cassava flotation
March 18, 2005 - Reuters is reporting that online casino 888.com is set to float in the second half of this year for around $1.6 billion (840 million pounds), quoting the venerable Financial Times in an unsourced article.

Sportsbook.com perfect bracket challenge
March 18, 2005 - Think you know your college hoops? Sportsbook.com is offering $10 million to anyone who can predict the winner of all 63 games in the 2005 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

2005 Global Gaming Expo (G2E)
March 18, 2005 - Global Gaming Expo (G2E) 2005, to be held Sept. 13-15 this year at the Las Vegas Convention Center, will feature the iGaming Business Pavilion - a featured presence for online gaming operators at this important gaming exhibition.

GameAccount pays out over $1 million to Skill Gamers last month
March 18, 2005 - Last month alone, GameAccount (www.gameaccount.com), Europe’s biggest supplier of online skill gaming, paid out over $1 million in cash winnings. GameAccount’s hub of online skill gaming community is constantly growing as players from over 130 countries log on to a vast array of multi-player and single-player games, entering tons of daily and weekly tournaments for cash and prizes.

Cool Cat Casino takes over Palace of Chance
March 18, 2005 - InfoPowa received a press release from the USA this week indicating that the consolidation trend in the industry continues, with Cool Cat Casino.com taking over Palace of Chance and Club Player Casinos, which have had a checkered history in recent times.

Royal Dutch Casino soap continues ...
March 18, 2005 - Royal Dutch Casino management reached a dubious record low with their sixth consecutive appearance in InfoPowa's Casino Cautions this week.

Integrity Casino Group fights bonus abuse
March 18, 2005 - Industry observers were this week interpreting a press release from the established and successful online casino group Integrity Casinos as a clear warning that the management has no intention of doing business with so-called *sharp* players, and intends to do something about it.

Gambling Federation resigns membership from GPWA
March 18, 2005 - In a statement today, sent to John E, and Marlene Derossett, owners of Gambling Portal Webmasters Association, http://www.gpwa.net , Talia Paschini, Public Relations Manager for Gambling Federation, http://www.gamblingfederation.com , announced the resignation of Gambling Federation from membership of the Gambling Portal Webmasters Association, effective immediately.

Golf: Bay Hill Invitational
March 17, 2005 - The USPGA moves to Arnold Palmer’s spiritual home for the Bay Hill Invitational at the Bay Hill Golf Club. Played around the Palmer designed course since 1979 it offers a sever challenge to all participants.

Orbis Technology Limited joins Zone4Play
March 17, 2005 - Technology provider Zone4Play, Inc. scored another coup this week when it signed up with Orbis Technology Limited to provide mobile devices, broadcast TV and iTV gambling through the latter's Open Bet interactive gambling platform.

The real power behind Casino on Net
March 17, 2005 - The Israeli publication Haaretz this week carries a fascinating article on the Israelis wo own the parent company of online gambling giants like Casino On Net, Pacific Poker and Random Logic.

Sportsbook.com releases March Madness odds
March 17, 2005 - March Madness has started! With the field announced earlier today by the NCAA, Sportsbook.com is the first to offer odds on the tournament with its March Madness bracket.

Gaming Mastery reveals itself
March 17, 2005 - Last week InfoPowa reported on the strange reticence at Luxembourg-based Gaming Mastery, a turnkey company responsible for loosing Lucky Chance.com on the Internet and on unsuspecting online gamblers.

World Bingo League goes public
March 17, 2005 - Common stock in Nevada based World Bingo League became available this week as the company announced commencement of trading and launched an information website at World Bingo League.com.

Online Gamblers and Odds Makers Prepare for March Madness
March 17, 2005 - March Madness, the second most popular gambling event in the U.S., is just days away and all across America fans are sizing up online gambling sites and their office pools. Some big money will be won over the next month.

Golden Palace Casino signs up with Phantom Fiber
March 17, 2005 - Golden Palace Casino is the latest online operator to sign up for mobile gaming with the ubiquitous Phantom Fiber Corporation, a provider of secure wireless technology and mobile solutions.

U.K. skill gaming site launched
March 11, 2005 - UK public company Gaming Corporation plc has launched their new of Skill Gaming.co.uk, a new website targeting the rapidly growing skill gaming market.

Chartwell technologies reports good quarter
March 11, 2005 - Turnkey provider Chartwell Technology Inc announced solid financial results for the first quarter ended January 31, 2005 this week.

Casino Agency to handle Gambling.com marketing
March 11, 2005 - Casino Agency - formed last year as a marketing, communications and consulting offshoot of UK-based HPS Group is to handle search facility Gambling.com’s GBP 350,000 through-the-line marketing campaign.

Backgammon resurges online
March 11, 2005 - All in, full house, straight flush…our world is inundated by the game of poker. It's on our TVs, in our homes, and on our computers. But poker isn't the only game in town. The newest way to fatten your wallet is actually a game that's been around for 5000 years: backgammon.

Southern England is online gambling territory
March 11, 2005 - Researchers at InterCasino.com released the results of an interesting study of the members of the giant Cryptologic-powered online casino this week.

US claims Antigua is 'susceptible to money laundering'
March 11, 2005 - London-based Law and Tax News this week says that the 2005 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, published last Friday, claims that Antigua and Barbuda are "susceptible to money laundering activity."

Casino moves
March 11, 2005 - Three weeks back we reported on the imminent takeover of Portofino, Hampton and Connect to Casino by the Doloplex group.

International All Sports in legal troubles
March 11, 2005 - Theft of A$ 19 million by an Australian bank official who gambled the money away is the subject of a sequel being played out in the Australian civil courts this week.

Turkish anti online gambling bill proposed
March 11, 2005 - According to the Turkish daily news the burgeoning Internet gambling industry in Turkey could face legislative difficulties in the months ahead. Government ministries and other organizations are to launch a campaign to fight online gambling and betting, by blocking Web sites, following credit card transactions and introducing new taxes.

Royal Dutch Casino saga continues ...
March 11, 2005 - Royal Dutch Casino was this week accused by a player of using misleading promotional tactics...and asked how the beleaguered casino obtained her address.

Be The Dealer goes mobile in Japan
March 11, 2005 - Be The Dealer, a white label online casino provider says that the future of casino gaming has already become a working reality for Japan’s 7.2 million avid cell phone gamers - and it has positioned itself to get some of the action.

Dakota citizens to vote on legalizing Online Poker
March 11, 2005 - The Bismark Tribune carried good news for poker fans this week when it reported that state legislators wanting to legalize Internet poker in North Dakota had won another victory when the House voted 50-44 in favor of a resolution that would put the question to a vote in the June ballot.

IGC terminates membership of Gambling Federation
March 11, 2005 - The Interactive Gaming Council today accepted the resignation of Flaviano Fogli from its Board of Directors. The IGC Board has also terminated, by unanimous vote, the membership of the Gambling Federation, a Canadian company for which Fogli serves as chief executive officer.

eCOGRA speaks up against Gambling Federation
March 11, 2005 - The Gambling Federation malware issue is still the subject of heated discussion among online players after a gambler discovered blocking malware within a standard GFED casino software he had downloaded to his computer some three weeks ago.

BoDog becomes first official online gambling brand to be trademarked in the U.S.
March 11, 2005 - Bodog.com Sports Casino Poker™ is pleased to announce that as of today’s date, Bodog.com is an officially licensed trademark in the United States of America.

Online Gambling escapes from the shadows
March 11, 2005 - Online Casino Slotland.com (www.slotland.com) reports a shift in gambling habits among its users. The slot specialist casino has found that its users have gone from heavy evening and nighttime use to gaming during the daylight hours of mid-afternoon.

Golf: The Honda Classic & Quatar Masters
March 11, 2005 - The US PGA tour remains in Florida this week with the Honda Classic being played at the Sunrise Course at Palm Beach.

Bowmans sets odds on celebrity marriages
March 11, 2005 - Bowmans, the world’s leading online gaming company, are also ‘romantics at heart’, but when our thoughts to weddings, it’s based on reality not romance. Bowmans has set and issued the following odds on these celebrity marriages

CAP terminates Gambling Federation membership
March 11, 2005 - CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com (“CAP”) a leading online gaming industry resource, announced today that they are revoking the certification of Gambling Federation. The decision is in response to published reports that Gambling Federation had installed malware (malicious software) in their software and their recent termination from The Interactive Gaming Council (“IGC”).

European Gambling Briefing
March 6, 2005 - Getting a take on the European legal landscape is the priority for the many delegates who have already signed up for the forthcoming European Gambling Briefing (EGB), which takes place on 25th–26th April at The Conrad, Brussels, Belgium.

Ladbrokes focuses on customer relations
March 6, 2005 - Ladbrokes has appointed interactive agency Agency.com and direct marketing agency WWAV Rapp Collins to improve its customer relations. Both agencies are owned by Omnicom, and together will provide a customer relationship management (CRM) system for Ladbrokes online and telephone customers.

Phantom Fiber signs on 7 new licensees
March 6, 2005 - Phantom Fiber Corporation has been having a run of success in attracting new licensees. The provider of secure wireless technology and mobile solutions, this week announced a flurry of new deployments across several brand operators as a result of the rapid execution of its business strategy.

Casino City's new gaming business directory
March 6, 2005 - Casino City’s Gaming Business Directory has become a key source of information for executives in the online gaming space, and the 2005 edition of this comprehensive, 700-page reference publication is now available, with stacks of current information on gaming properties, property owners, gaming industry suppliers and their executive contacts.

Belle Rock gaming celebrates it's first birthday
March 6, 2005 - Belle Rock Gaming, Carmen Media’s online gaming supergroup will be one year old this March and is celebrating its birthday throughout the month with a fantastic promotion offering players even more chances of huge wins online.

Record profits for Ladbrokes
March 6, 2005 - Ladbrokes, the UK bookmaker owned by the Hilton Group, unveiled record profits this week, up 28 per cent to GBP 273 million, with valuable contributions from internet gambling and virtual roulette machines.

Royal Dutch Casino pays after 8 months
March 6, 2005 - Royal Dutch Casino has backed off and unconditionally agreed to pay a player the $2 700 he is due. After eight months of stress, this will be welcome news for the player but remains a serious indictment of the way this casino has conducted its business.

Totesport Casino launches on Playtech software
March 6, 2005 - Over 60 download and 40 Flash games form the Playtech gambling suite aboard Totesport Casino.com, a new site operated by an old, well established British gambling company.

Microgaming updates Viper autoplay
March 6, 2005 - Kudos to Microgaming, which has apparently tweaked into conformity the contentious elements in the blackjack basic strategy options for their Viper autoplay.

Cherry AB acquires the Betsson betting exchange
March 6, 2005 - As InfoPowa went to press this week the news was coming in that Swedish public company Cherry AB, which owns the well known online gambling turnkey provider Net Entertainment has acquired the betting exchange Betsson.com.

Harrahs closes it's U.K. online casino
March 6, 2005 - Vegas gambling giant Harrah's Entertainment Inc. has reportedly halted operations at its UK Lucky Me.com online gambling site following losses of $9.3 million last year.

Ownership change at Portofino Casino
March 3, 2005 - Players who were worried about Support glitches and rumors of a shutdown at Real time Gaming (RTG) powered online casinos Portofino and Hampton have been assured by an RTG spokesman that the faults were temporary and the result of changes necessitated by a new ownership structure.

Chimera Technology enters mobile gambling
March 3, 2005 - Turnkey U.S. provider Chimera Technology has entered the mobile gaming race with an announcement that work has commenced on a mobile gambling platform and games that should be ready for licensing in two to three months.

CTXM releases the all new Greyhound Flash game
March 3, 2005 - Greyhound is a fully capable virtual racebook, featuring rich multimedia effects, single and complex bet. The game hosts an 8 races meeting with 6 dogs in each race. The gamers may place bets on any combination within a single race or multiple races in the meeting.

IGC strongly supports North Dakota poker bill
March 3, 2005 - The Interactive Gaming Council strongly supports a bill passed by the North Dakota House of Representatives that would legalize online poker and establish a structure to regulate and tax this form of entertainment. The bill passed the House on Feb. 16 and will be the subject of a hearing in the state Senate on March 8.

Buy Mama a subscription to Bluff Magazine
March 3, 2005 - Bluff Magazine, America’s largest poker magazine, is gearing up for Mother’s Day as a flood of orders are being received by husbands purchasing subscriptions for their wives.

Win $1M at Paradise Poker's Big March Poker Blitz
March 3, 2005 - 888.com, the world’s number one online casino and poker room is set to launch a series of exciting promotions and poker tournaments this March as part of its ‘Big March Poker Blitz’.

Nevada offering Internet gambling ?
March 3, 2005 - In a fascinating study of the WTO dispute on online gambling between Antigua and the USA, the respected publication Las Vegas Review-Journal this week comments on the fact that while Internet gambling may be illegal under federal law, at least one Las Vegas casino is offering online betting to customers within Nevada's borders.

2005 Gambling Oscars
March 3, 2005 - Bluff Media's Gambling Online Magazine was busy contacting portalmasters this week in order to make available to them links to this year's Readers' Choice Awards voting.

World Gaming fancies listing on London's AIM
March 3, 2005 - After a long climb back to corporate health, and some tough restructuring it appears that turnkey provider World Gaming is making a solid comeback.

Playground Casino, Grand Royal Casino and GiantVegas close shop
March 3, 2005 - Montana Overseas has informed us that they are initiating close-down procedures on the properties known as Winners Playground Casino, Grand Royal Casino and GiantVegas Casino.

Golf: Ford Championship at Doral in Florida
March 3, 2005 - The US PGA tour heads east this week with the Ford Championship at Doral in Florida. Affectionately known as the Blue Monster because twelve holes have water on them Doral has been strengthened in length (about 150 yards) and with bunkers now totally over one hundred.