French and Swiss police have launched a cross-border manhunt for an armed gang who stormed a casino in Basle and broke open cash desks before vanishing into the night with hundreds of thousands of euros.
The raid, which prosecutors said was a professional operation orchestrated with "brutal" efficiency, was carried out at 4am this morning at the city's Grand Casino by about 10 masked raiders armed with machine guns and pistols.
After one man burst through the front entrance with a sledgehammer, his accomplices ran inside and ordered guests to the floor while firing into the air. "The criminals fired a number of shots, but luckily no one was hit," the Basle public prosecutor said in a statement.
Some of the gang tried to break into the safe room but failed, despite firing bullets into the door. Others went to the cash desks and managed to steal "several hundreds of thousands of [Swiss] francs".
The gang then sped off across the border in two silver Audi cars whose numberplates were registered in the Bas-Rhin area of eastern France. The Grand Casino, which describes itself as "the Swiss Las Vegas", is just 200 metres from the French border. Witnesses said the gang members spoke in French.
Today, as the authorities in both countries stepped up the manhunt, casino staff said they were left shaken by the heist. "This is the first time we've been robbed. We are all very shocked. You can prepare for it, but when it happens it's something else," a manager, Michael Favrod, told Swiss television. "Thankfully nothing happened to my colleagues or the guests," he added. While none of the staff or guests were shot, several were kicked or manhandled. One woman, who accidentally blocked the gang's getaway, was dragged from her car and beaten, said the authorities. "The perpetrators knew what they were after. They proceeded quickly, professionally and brutally," said Peter Gill, a spokesman for the Basle prosecutors.
When the heist began, around 600 people were still in the casino for late-night gambling which under normal circumstances would have gone on until closing time at 5am. With nearly 360 slot machines, 15 gambling tables, four bars, two restaurants and a "designer" hotel, police said the casino would have been an appealing target for robbers.
This was not the first time that criminals have targeted a European gambling centre this month. On 6 March attackers held up a Berlin poker tournament and threatened guests with a revolver and a machete as they helped themselves to €240,000. German police say they have since arrested five people suspected of involvement.
March 29, 2010
Turkish police arrest dozens in football fixing probe
Turkish police have arrested scores of people in connection with a Europe-wide football match-fixing scandal that began four months ago in Germany.
The scandal is dominating the news in Turkey, pushing aside ongoing judicial and political crises.
The arrests were made in 26 towns and cities across the country. Some of those detained are household names in Turkey where football is fanatically followed by tens of millions.
One of those arrested is former international star Arif Erdem, who shot to fame in the 2000 European football championship by scoring the fastest international hat trick. He is seen as the most significant arrest in Turkey's match-fixing investigation.
Erdem is now coach of a first-division team, and denies involvement in the scandal.
He says he has nothing to do with the accusations and has nothing to hide. Erdem said because his name is included in the investigation he turned himself into authorities. He thanked the police for his treatment and said he spent the night helping them with the inquiry.
The investigation is the biggest of its kind in Turkey. It was prompted after German police said four months ago they had broken the world's biggest match-fixing conspiracy. German investigators believe 200 matches in 11 countries were fixed by players and referees.
But the Turkish Football Federation said these arrests are not related to the German investigation. This latest inquiry is suspected to involve as many 30 Turkish games. While most of the games are believed to involve lower-league games, the arrest of a coach from the first division is fueling allegations the scandal could implicate some of the country's most prestigious teams.
Football is big business in Turkey, with the top 20 teams earning $6 billion last season.
On the streets of Istanbul there is shock and resignation. "We loved them actually they were famous players, we did not think that they could do this. We are shocked. But it has happened. But it must be good actually in the end, because the guilties must be punished," one person said.
Another added "Because this is Turkey, it is very normal, because we have corruption everywhere. When I saw it on TV, I said it is very normal that they are also fixing the games. They are fixing everything in Turkey, there is so much corruption."
Rumors of match fixing are frequently heard with claims that clubs or referees threw games, but are usually dismissed as sour grapes from losing supporters. With so many arrests and more expected, any supporters' claim of vindication will be overshadowed by the realization the nation's favorite game may have fallen victim to the scourge of corruption.
The scandal is dominating the news in Turkey, pushing aside ongoing judicial and political crises.
The arrests were made in 26 towns and cities across the country. Some of those detained are household names in Turkey where football is fanatically followed by tens of millions.
Erdem is now coach of a first-division team, and denies involvement in the scandal.
He says he has nothing to do with the accusations and has nothing to hide. Erdem said because his name is included in the investigation he turned himself into authorities. He thanked the police for his treatment and said he spent the night helping them with the inquiry.
The investigation is the biggest of its kind in Turkey. It was prompted after German police said four months ago they had broken the world's biggest match-fixing conspiracy. German investigators believe 200 matches in 11 countries were fixed by players and referees.
But the Turkish Football Federation said these arrests are not related to the German investigation. This latest inquiry is suspected to involve as many 30 Turkish games. While most of the games are believed to involve lower-league games, the arrest of a coach from the first division is fueling allegations the scandal could implicate some of the country's most prestigious teams.
Football is big business in Turkey, with the top 20 teams earning $6 billion last season.
On the streets of Istanbul there is shock and resignation. "We loved them actually they were famous players, we did not think that they could do this. We are shocked. But it has happened. But it must be good actually in the end, because the guilties must be punished," one person said.
Another added "Because this is Turkey, it is very normal, because we have corruption everywhere. When I saw it on TV, I said it is very normal that they are also fixing the games. They are fixing everything in Turkey, there is so much corruption."
Rumors of match fixing are frequently heard with claims that clubs or referees threw games, but are usually dismissed as sour grapes from losing supporters. With so many arrests and more expected, any supporters' claim of vindication will be overshadowed by the realization the nation's favorite game may have fallen victim to the scourge of corruption.
March 26, 2010
France's FDJ buys LVS ahead of World Cup
LA Française des Jeux (FDJ), the French national lottery operator and the second largest lottery operator in the world, has acquired LVS, the betting software supplier that FDJ in January signed to provide its fixed-odds sports betting platform.
FDJ chairman and chief executive Christophe Blanchard-Dignac said: “This is an important acquisition in the context of the opening of the French online betting market to competition. By buying this company, La Française des Jeux reinforces its technological control on the overall activity – sports betting and lotteries – in the stake of the safety of our customers.”
The acquisition for an undisclosed sum of the software house by FDJ follows January’s announcement that LVS had won the contract to deliver fixed-odds sports betting online for FDJ once the French online sports betting market opens this year.
French budget minister Eric Woerth recently announced the country’s online gaming law will come into effect by 1 June, opening the country’s egaming market for competition ahead of this summer’s football World Cup.
LVS chief executive Simon Ordish said: “We’re delighted that La Française des Jeux has chosen to strengthen even further the successful relationship we already have. It will enable us to take the business to the next level and exploit new opportunities.”
FDJ’s range of sports bets increased by 24% year-on-year and accounted for sales of €783m in 2009, representing around 8% of turnover. Online bets increased 61% to €43m. FDJ has set a target of €1bn-worth of sports bets in 2010 through online and retail sales, representing 10% of overall sales.
UK and Gibraltar-based LVS, which employs around 40 people, is currently working with FDJ to build a new live betting platform.
FDJ chairman and chief executive Christophe Blanchard-Dignac said: “This is an important acquisition in the context of the opening of the French online betting market to competition. By buying this company, La Française des Jeux reinforces its technological control on the overall activity – sports betting and lotteries – in the stake of the safety of our customers.”
The acquisition for an undisclosed sum of the software house by FDJ follows January’s announcement that LVS had won the contract to deliver fixed-odds sports betting online for FDJ once the French online sports betting market opens this year.
French budget minister Eric Woerth recently announced the country’s online gaming law will come into effect by 1 June, opening the country’s egaming market for competition ahead of this summer’s football World Cup.
LVS chief executive Simon Ordish said: “We’re delighted that La Française des Jeux has chosen to strengthen even further the successful relationship we already have. It will enable us to take the business to the next level and exploit new opportunities.”
FDJ’s range of sports bets increased by 24% year-on-year and accounted for sales of €783m in 2009, representing around 8% of turnover. Online bets increased 61% to €43m. FDJ has set a target of €1bn-worth of sports bets in 2010 through online and retail sales, representing 10% of overall sales.
UK and Gibraltar-based LVS, which employs around 40 people, is currently working with FDJ to build a new live betting platform.
France's PMU selects PartyGaming for online poker launch
In yet another standout B2B deal for the company, PartyGaming plc said Friday that it has signed an exclusive multi-year agreement to provide an online poker service to France's state controlled bookmaker PMU, one of Europe’s largest betting operations.
Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will co-operate to create a PMU-branded online poker service based on PartyGaming's poker software which will be integrated into PMU's own player account systems.
The PMU poker service will also provide access for players to the shared player liquidity on PartyGaming's French poker network which will include Partypoker.fr.
With the imminent opening of the French online gaming market to competition, PartyGaming said that the poker service will be available once the two parties have both obtained the required French licences.
“Today's agreement with PMU is consistent with our stated strategy of securing a small number of high value partners in regulated markets,” said Jim Ryan, Chief Executive Officer of PartyGaming. “PMU is widely recognised as one of Europe's leading betting businesses and we look forward to providing them with a world class poker service.”
PMU recently announced its twelfth year of consecutive growth with turnover of €9.3 billion, of which €660 million was generated from its PMU.fr online betting site. The company earned gross profit of €2.2 billion in 2009 and numbers more than 6.5 million customers in France.
The deal with PMU comes just two months after PartyGaming sealed its most significant B2B deal to date, signing a five year contract to provide an online casino and poker platform to Danish gaming monopoly holder Danske Spil.
Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will co-operate to create a PMU-branded online poker service based on PartyGaming's poker software which will be integrated into PMU's own player account systems.
The PMU poker service will also provide access for players to the shared player liquidity on PartyGaming's French poker network which will include Partypoker.fr.
With the imminent opening of the French online gaming market to competition, PartyGaming said that the poker service will be available once the two parties have both obtained the required French licences.
“Today's agreement with PMU is consistent with our stated strategy of securing a small number of high value partners in regulated markets,” said Jim Ryan, Chief Executive Officer of PartyGaming. “PMU is widely recognised as one of Europe's leading betting businesses and we look forward to providing them with a world class poker service.”
PMU recently announced its twelfth year of consecutive growth with turnover of €9.3 billion, of which €660 million was generated from its PMU.fr online betting site. The company earned gross profit of €2.2 billion in 2009 and numbers more than 6.5 million customers in France.
The deal with PMU comes just two months after PartyGaming sealed its most significant B2B deal to date, signing a five year contract to provide an online casino and poker platform to Danish gaming monopoly holder Danske Spil.
March 25, 2010
Bwin and PartyGaming update
Bwin Interactive Entertainment AG, PartyGaming Plc and William Hill Plc, the companies with the biggest shares of Europe’s online gambling revenue, and their competitors may face higher costs as the expansion of that 8.3 billion-euro market comes with new regulations.
French senators have approved regulations that will grant online gambling licenses to foreign companies, ending a ban. Denmark may do the same, and Italy is opening its market in stages. Germany’s prohibition faces a challenge at Europe’s highest court.
Companies moving into the expanded markets face tight restrictions. Building operations that can comply with new regulations in multiple countries requires a minimum investment of about 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion), said Norbert Teufelberger, co-chief executive officer of Vienna-based Bwin.
“This opening up of the market may not be as attractive as PartyGaming and Bwin say,” Martin Oelbermann, director of MECN, a Munich-based consulting firm, said by phone. “Are we really getting more betters, or are we going to get the same clients as before, but now we have to pay taxes on them?”
Europe’s online gambling industry is the world’s largest. Among publicly listed companies, Bwin has the largest European market share by revenue with 8 percent, followed by Gibraltar- based PartyGaming with 6.3 percent and London-based William Hill with 4.5 percent, according to 2008 data from Barclays Capital.
Online gambling in “offshore” markets, in which some companies may have customers in countries with official bans, expanded more than 10-fold between 2003 and 2010 to about 6.5 billion euros, according to figures from H2 Gambling Capital, a Manchester, England-based consulting firm. That growth will slow to 13 percent through 2012 as more countries permit gambling, H2 said. Regulated onshore revenue will climb 37 percent, to 5.11 billion euros.
PartyGaming’s 2009 revenue was $446.2 million, the company said March 4, while William Hill reported 203.5 million pounds ($305 million) in sales from its online division last year. Bwin’s 2008 sales were $488.5 million.
Gambling-industry associations and companies have called for more open markets since online betting became popular in the early 2000s. Efforts to open markets have suffered court setbacks, and more cases are pending.
Changing Minds
“What has happened lately is that some of the toughest opponents have changed their minds,” Petter Nylander, the chief executive officer of Unibet Group Plc, said in an interview in London.
French rules endorsed by the Senate require companies to establish separate sites for French clients and provide permanent records on players to the government, while prohibiting some kinds of betting.
Full prohibition “has never functioned, because gambling has always been part of our history,” then French budget minister Eric Woerth told the Senate on Feb. 23. “The absence of state regulation would lead to untenable situations for players and their families.”
The Remote Gambling Association, which represents operators, in January said it was considering suing France to push for more expansive rules, citing “restrictions which are disproportionate” and disadvantageous to foreign companies.
‘Tough and Expensive’
“Companies have got top lawyers in each country, figuring out how to comply,” Simon Holliday, the director of H2, said by phone. “It becomes tough and expensive.”
Some companies, including Paddy Power Plc and PartyGaming, are teaming up with national gambling monopolies. Paddy Power, Ireland’s biggest bookmaker, in November said it would help manage online betting for France’s Pari Mutuel Urbain. PartyGaming in January signed a similar agreement with Denmark’s Danske Spil A/S.
“While costs will vary, regulation in the market is a good thing,” John Shepherd, a spokesman for PartyGaming, said by phone. “The conditions have to be workable, but they also have to conform with the treaties” of the European Union, he said.
Bwin has already incurred “significant” costs to prepare for the opening, Teufelberger said.
David Hood, a William Hill spokesman, declined to comment.
The European Commission, which has pushed national governments to legalize online gambling under market-access rules, will help determine the shape of regulations, said Sigrid Ligne, the secretary-general of the Brussels-based European Gaming and Betting Association.
Much will depend on the direction taken by new internal market commissioner Michel Barnier, she said.
Legal Setbacks
Bwin in September lost a challenge to Portugal’s state gambling monopoly at the European Court of Justice, the EU’s highest court, which ruled that restrictions may be justified to combat crime as long as they aren’t discriminatory.
Barnier left the door open to commission action against member states to force open gambling markets, telling the European Parliament on Feb. 11 that the Portuguese decision “does not fundamentally change the evolution and evaluation of infraction procedures.”
In addition to a case against German laws at the ECJ, Ladbrokes Plc and Betfair Ltd. have challenged Dutch rules. In December an advocate-general said in a non-binding opinion that the Netherlands doesn’t have to recognize their claims.
Governments are “trying so hard to find a way to define this as a special industry in order to keep the revenues coming,” William Hill general counsel Thomas Murphy said at a conference in January. “This issue is not going to go away.”
French senators have approved regulations that will grant online gambling licenses to foreign companies, ending a ban. Denmark may do the same, and Italy is opening its market in stages. Germany’s prohibition faces a challenge at Europe’s highest court.
Companies moving into the expanded markets face tight restrictions. Building operations that can comply with new regulations in multiple countries requires a minimum investment of about 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion), said Norbert Teufelberger, co-chief executive officer of Vienna-based Bwin.
“This opening up of the market may not be as attractive as PartyGaming and Bwin say,” Martin Oelbermann, director of MECN, a Munich-based consulting firm, said by phone. “Are we really getting more betters, or are we going to get the same clients as before, but now we have to pay taxes on them?”
Europe’s online gambling industry is the world’s largest. Among publicly listed companies, Bwin has the largest European market share by revenue with 8 percent, followed by Gibraltar- based PartyGaming with 6.3 percent and London-based William Hill with 4.5 percent, according to 2008 data from Barclays Capital.
Online gambling in “offshore” markets, in which some companies may have customers in countries with official bans, expanded more than 10-fold between 2003 and 2010 to about 6.5 billion euros, according to figures from H2 Gambling Capital, a Manchester, England-based consulting firm. That growth will slow to 13 percent through 2012 as more countries permit gambling, H2 said. Regulated onshore revenue will climb 37 percent, to 5.11 billion euros.
PartyGaming’s 2009 revenue was $446.2 million, the company said March 4, while William Hill reported 203.5 million pounds ($305 million) in sales from its online division last year. Bwin’s 2008 sales were $488.5 million.
Gambling-industry associations and companies have called for more open markets since online betting became popular in the early 2000s. Efforts to open markets have suffered court setbacks, and more cases are pending.
Changing Minds
“What has happened lately is that some of the toughest opponents have changed their minds,” Petter Nylander, the chief executive officer of Unibet Group Plc, said in an interview in London.
French rules endorsed by the Senate require companies to establish separate sites for French clients and provide permanent records on players to the government, while prohibiting some kinds of betting.
Full prohibition “has never functioned, because gambling has always been part of our history,” then French budget minister Eric Woerth told the Senate on Feb. 23. “The absence of state regulation would lead to untenable situations for players and their families.”
The Remote Gambling Association, which represents operators, in January said it was considering suing France to push for more expansive rules, citing “restrictions which are disproportionate” and disadvantageous to foreign companies.
‘Tough and Expensive’
“Companies have got top lawyers in each country, figuring out how to comply,” Simon Holliday, the director of H2, said by phone. “It becomes tough and expensive.”
Some companies, including Paddy Power Plc and PartyGaming, are teaming up with national gambling monopolies. Paddy Power, Ireland’s biggest bookmaker, in November said it would help manage online betting for France’s Pari Mutuel Urbain. PartyGaming in January signed a similar agreement with Denmark’s Danske Spil A/S.
“While costs will vary, regulation in the market is a good thing,” John Shepherd, a spokesman for PartyGaming, said by phone. “The conditions have to be workable, but they also have to conform with the treaties” of the European Union, he said.
Bwin has already incurred “significant” costs to prepare for the opening, Teufelberger said.
David Hood, a William Hill spokesman, declined to comment.
The European Commission, which has pushed national governments to legalize online gambling under market-access rules, will help determine the shape of regulations, said Sigrid Ligne, the secretary-general of the Brussels-based European Gaming and Betting Association.
Much will depend on the direction taken by new internal market commissioner Michel Barnier, she said.
Legal Setbacks
Bwin in September lost a challenge to Portugal’s state gambling monopoly at the European Court of Justice, the EU’s highest court, which ruled that restrictions may be justified to combat crime as long as they aren’t discriminatory.
Barnier left the door open to commission action against member states to force open gambling markets, telling the European Parliament on Feb. 11 that the Portuguese decision “does not fundamentally change the evolution and evaluation of infraction procedures.”
In addition to a case against German laws at the ECJ, Ladbrokes Plc and Betfair Ltd. have challenged Dutch rules. In December an advocate-general said in a non-binding opinion that the Netherlands doesn’t have to recognize their claims.
Governments are “trying so hard to find a way to define this as a special industry in order to keep the revenues coming,” William Hill general counsel Thomas Murphy said at a conference in January. “This issue is not going to go away.”
March 24, 2010
ASA ban another Tombola Bingo TV advert
The ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) have taken the decision to ban another Tombola Bingo advert and this time they cited the fact that it presented a negative racial stereotype. In the later part of 2009, Tombola Bingo launched a series of online bingo TV adverts dictating a Hawaiian theme.
In conjunction with this they ran an Hawaiian style holiday competition at their online bingo site and luckily for them this campaign is now over, as the banning of this advert could have cost them dear. In one of the Hawaiian TV bingo ads aired by Tombola Bingo is showed an older white man dressed up in a tuxedo and sitting next to him was a black man dressed in an Hawaiian shirt singing and repeating everything the white man said.
This caused just two viewers to make a complaint against the advert. They challenged “whether the ad was likely to cause serious or widespread offence, because they believed it presented a negative racial stereotype.” As we know this complaint was upheld, which does mean the ad cannot be show again on our small screens in its current form.
In their conclusion the ASA stated – “We noted that he seemed to look to the white man for reassurance or instruction suggesting that he lacked the confidence or intellect to behave otherwise. We considered that the ad could be interpreted as humiliating, stigmatising or undermining the standing of the black character and was therefore likely to cause serious offence.”
The ASA also took further action by advising Tombola Bingo, to take care not to present negative racial stereotypes in future.
In response Tombola Bingo said, “They did not intend to use the ad again in future.”
Upon viewing this particular advert myself, it just seemed like another light hearted advert from Tombola Bingo and one that fit in nicely with their series of Hawaiian themed ads. At no point did I find it racial or degrading to the black man sitting in the Hawaiian shirt, he just looked like he was having fun, however, when you do read into what the ASA had to say about this ad, you do get their point.
In conjunction with this they ran an Hawaiian style holiday competition at their online bingo site and luckily for them this campaign is now over, as the banning of this advert could have cost them dear. In one of the Hawaiian TV bingo ads aired by Tombola Bingo is showed an older white man dressed up in a tuxedo and sitting next to him was a black man dressed in an Hawaiian shirt singing and repeating everything the white man said.
This caused just two viewers to make a complaint against the advert. They challenged “whether the ad was likely to cause serious or widespread offence, because they believed it presented a negative racial stereotype.” As we know this complaint was upheld, which does mean the ad cannot be show again on our small screens in its current form.
In their conclusion the ASA stated – “We noted that he seemed to look to the white man for reassurance or instruction suggesting that he lacked the confidence or intellect to behave otherwise. We considered that the ad could be interpreted as humiliating, stigmatising or undermining the standing of the black character and was therefore likely to cause serious offence.”
The ASA also took further action by advising Tombola Bingo, to take care not to present negative racial stereotypes in future.
In response Tombola Bingo said, “They did not intend to use the ad again in future.”
Upon viewing this particular advert myself, it just seemed like another light hearted advert from Tombola Bingo and one that fit in nicely with their series of Hawaiian themed ads. At no point did I find it racial or degrading to the black man sitting in the Hawaiian shirt, he just looked like he was having fun, however, when you do read into what the ASA had to say about this ad, you do get their point.
Poker now a sport in Lithuania
On March 20, the official ruling body of Lithuanian sports, the Department of Physical Education and Sports issued an official decree recognizing the Lithuanian Sports Poker Federation as an official sports federation, opening the doors for further development of poker as a sport in Lithuania.
This recognition is extremely important because it will allow the LSPF to organize noncommercial poker tournaments outside of casinos in Lithuania. This is sure to boost poker's popularity in the country.
“This is extremely important step in our work,” Andrius Tapinas, president of the Lithuanian Sport Poker Federation, said. “We are receiving congratulations from many of our colleagues abroad and I know that we are breaking thick ice with our progress for similar international initiatives.”
Next week, the LSPF will present its official tournament schedule to the Lithuanian sports media. Undoubtedly, this will generate a lot of attention for poker because of the uniqueness of the sport and celebrity status of LSPF president Andrius Tapinas, who is the presenter of the of the most popular Lithuanian business TV show. His cashes in WSOP and Unibet Open tournaments were also covered on the front pages of biggest Lithuanian daily.
This recognition is extremely important because it will allow the LSPF to organize noncommercial poker tournaments outside of casinos in Lithuania. This is sure to boost poker's popularity in the country.
“This is extremely important step in our work,” Andrius Tapinas, president of the Lithuanian Sport Poker Federation, said. “We are receiving congratulations from many of our colleagues abroad and I know that we are breaking thick ice with our progress for similar international initiatives.”
Next week, the LSPF will present its official tournament schedule to the Lithuanian sports media. Undoubtedly, this will generate a lot of attention for poker because of the uniqueness of the sport and celebrity status of LSPF president Andrius Tapinas, who is the presenter of the of the most popular Lithuanian business TV show. His cashes in WSOP and Unibet Open tournaments were also covered on the front pages of biggest Lithuanian daily.
March 23, 2010
Bingo.com brings two million players to Unibet network
Bingo.com has joined the Unibet bingo and casino network, bringing with it a database of nearly two million registered users.
The Bingo.com group offers multiplayer bingo, slot machines and sweepstakes, and Bingo.com players will enter the liquidity pool on the MariaBingo.com and Bingo.se websites.
Bingo.com chief executive Tarrnie Williams said: “Through this partnership Bingo.com has the ability to maximise the value of its international traffic as it will now support over 20 languages and 10 currencies. Bingo.com will also realise cost savings in technology, finance, customer service and other departments that are included services in the Unibet partner programme."
Unibet’s PoweredByUnibet.com platform offers bingo and casino and features sites including Betty and Carat bingo and the Maria bingo brand Unibet bought in December 2007, the largest online bingo operator in the Nordic market.
Unibet chief executive Petter Nylander said that the Bingo.com deal "shows that we really have a quality bingo network with great understanding for local needs”.
The Bingo.com group offers multiplayer bingo, slot machines and sweepstakes, and Bingo.com players will enter the liquidity pool on the MariaBingo.com and Bingo.se websites.
Bingo.com chief executive Tarrnie Williams said: “Through this partnership Bingo.com has the ability to maximise the value of its international traffic as it will now support over 20 languages and 10 currencies. Bingo.com will also realise cost savings in technology, finance, customer service and other departments that are included services in the Unibet partner programme."
Unibet’s PoweredByUnibet.com platform offers bingo and casino and features sites including Betty and Carat bingo and the Maria bingo brand Unibet bought in December 2007, the largest online bingo operator in the Nordic market.
Unibet chief executive Petter Nylander said that the Bingo.com deal "shows that we really have a quality bingo network with great understanding for local needs”.
March 20, 2010
Chelsea's Abramovich wins gambling slur damages
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, owner of London club Chelsea, won a public apology and substantial libel damages Thursday over false newspaper claims that he had a serious gambling problem.
An article published in Italian newspaper La Repubblica last May alleged Abramovich had suffered a heavy loss in a poker game and had been forced to hand over a luxury yacht worth half a million euros, his lawyer John Kelly told London's High Court.
Kelly said the untrue report, under the headline "A black year for Abramovich as he loses a yacht at poker," had caused distress and embarrassment to the Russian businessman, the Press Association reported.
He told the court the article implied that Abramovich's long-term partner Dasha Zhukova had been forced to issue an ultimatum that he either give up playing poker or she would end their relationship.
It also suggested Abramovich was seriously risking his financial stability and had already been forced to liquidate assets to cover heavy gambling debts, Kelly said.
"Regrettably, these allegations were not put to Mr Abramovich or his representatives before publication. If they had been, the defendant would have been advised of the utter falsity of the allegations," he told the High Court.
The court heard that the newspaper's publisher, Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso, had agreed to pay Abramovich "substantial damages" which he intended to donate to charity.
Sarah Toolan, the publisher's lawyer, said it offered its sincere apologies.
"The defendant accepts that the allegations are untrue and ought never to have been published," she said.
An article published in Italian newspaper La Repubblica last May alleged Abramovich had suffered a heavy loss in a poker game and had been forced to hand over a luxury yacht worth half a million euros, his lawyer John Kelly told London's High Court.
Kelly said the untrue report, under the headline "A black year for Abramovich as he loses a yacht at poker," had caused distress and embarrassment to the Russian businessman, the Press Association reported.
He told the court the article implied that Abramovich's long-term partner Dasha Zhukova had been forced to issue an ultimatum that he either give up playing poker or she would end their relationship.
It also suggested Abramovich was seriously risking his financial stability and had already been forced to liquidate assets to cover heavy gambling debts, Kelly said.
"Regrettably, these allegations were not put to Mr Abramovich or his representatives before publication. If they had been, the defendant would have been advised of the utter falsity of the allegations," he told the High Court.
The court heard that the newspaper's publisher, Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso, had agreed to pay Abramovich "substantial damages" which he intended to donate to charity.
Sarah Toolan, the publisher's lawyer, said it offered its sincere apologies.
"The defendant accepts that the allegations are untrue and ought never to have been published," she said.
March 19, 2010
Supreme Court ruling favors state in Internet gambling case
In a censorship case with international repercussions, the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled Thursday that owners of gambling Web sites must appear in court to defend themselves against Kentucky's attempts to seize their domain names and stop illegal Internet gambling.
The Internet gambling sites had been represented in court by pro-Internet gambling associations and players' groups — such as the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association and the Interactive Gaming Council — not by the owners of the Web sites, who have remained anonymous.
One of the lawyers for the gambling sites said Thursday that he expects the domain name owners to comply with the Supreme Court's decision.
"All of the parties are going to get together and determine how we are going to proceed and comply with this technical issue," said Jon Fleisch aker, a Louisville lawyer who represents Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association. "I think it is a very, very temporary setback. It's a very unusual decision because it signals an interest in the merits of the case and gives us a road map on how to get back to the Supreme Court quickly."
Justice and Public Safety Secretary J. Michael Brown said the state was pleased with the ruling, "in that it allows us to continue our efforts to curb illegal Internet gambling."
If the state succeeds, online gambling advocates said Internet freedoms could be curtailed around the world.
"There are fundamental freedoms at stake in this case, not only the freedom of poker players in Kentucky and globally, but Internet freedom across the globe," the Poker Players Alliance said in a statement. "The commonwealth's effort at such a bold, broad and, we believe, unlawful seizure sets a dangerous precedent for anyone who uses the Internet."
In 2008, a Franklin Circuit Court judge said the state could seize 141 Internet domain names of online gambling sites that were allegedly taking illegal bets from Kentuckians. Lawyers acting on behalf of the gambling sites appealed to the Kentucky Court of Appeals to stop the seizure, which the appellate court granted.
State officials appealed to the Kentucky Supreme Court, arguing in part that those who have argued on behalf of the domain names had no legal standing to do so.
The court, in a 6-0 opinion, said the associations must disclose the companies that they represent. "The problem, however, is that (the Interactive Gaming Council) fails to disclose who these registrants are," wrote Supreme Court Justice Mary Noble.
The decision leaves open the possibility that the case could move forward if one of the domain owners comes forward to establish legal standing. The court's opinion also does not address some of the thorny underlying legal issues surrounding the case — such as whether the state has the authority to seize domain names run by out-of-state entities.
Those who represent the Internet gambling interests say the state is overreaching its authority. The state, however, contends that the sites are operating illegal gaming activities in Kentucky and therefore are breaking state law.
Gov. Steve Beshear has pushed to shut down the gambling sites, saying they undermine horse racing by creating untaxed competition. By some estimates, online gambling is a $20 billion a year industry, much of which goes untaxed.
The 141 domain names have continued to operate as the case works its way through the courts.
The Internet gambling sites had been represented in court by pro-Internet gambling associations and players' groups — such as the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association and the Interactive Gaming Council — not by the owners of the Web sites, who have remained anonymous.
One of the lawyers for the gambling sites said Thursday that he expects the domain name owners to comply with the Supreme Court's decision.
"All of the parties are going to get together and determine how we are going to proceed and comply with this technical issue," said Jon Fleisch aker, a Louisville lawyer who represents Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association. "I think it is a very, very temporary setback. It's a very unusual decision because it signals an interest in the merits of the case and gives us a road map on how to get back to the Supreme Court quickly."
Justice and Public Safety Secretary J. Michael Brown said the state was pleased with the ruling, "in that it allows us to continue our efforts to curb illegal Internet gambling."
If the state succeeds, online gambling advocates said Internet freedoms could be curtailed around the world.
"There are fundamental freedoms at stake in this case, not only the freedom of poker players in Kentucky and globally, but Internet freedom across the globe," the Poker Players Alliance said in a statement. "The commonwealth's effort at such a bold, broad and, we believe, unlawful seizure sets a dangerous precedent for anyone who uses the Internet."
In 2008, a Franklin Circuit Court judge said the state could seize 141 Internet domain names of online gambling sites that were allegedly taking illegal bets from Kentuckians. Lawyers acting on behalf of the gambling sites appealed to the Kentucky Court of Appeals to stop the seizure, which the appellate court granted.
State officials appealed to the Kentucky Supreme Court, arguing in part that those who have argued on behalf of the domain names had no legal standing to do so.
The court, in a 6-0 opinion, said the associations must disclose the companies that they represent. "The problem, however, is that (the Interactive Gaming Council) fails to disclose who these registrants are," wrote Supreme Court Justice Mary Noble.
The decision leaves open the possibility that the case could move forward if one of the domain owners comes forward to establish legal standing. The court's opinion also does not address some of the thorny underlying legal issues surrounding the case — such as whether the state has the authority to seize domain names run by out-of-state entities.
Those who represent the Internet gambling interests say the state is overreaching its authority. The state, however, contends that the sites are operating illegal gaming activities in Kentucky and therefore are breaking state law.
Gov. Steve Beshear has pushed to shut down the gambling sites, saying they undermine horse racing by creating untaxed competition. By some estimates, online gambling is a $20 billion a year industry, much of which goes untaxed.
The 141 domain names have continued to operate as the case works its way through the courts.
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