London Police crack online gaming bonus abuse scam

A man has been sentenced to three years in jail for fraudulently using international passports, identity cards and false utility bills to open various online gaming accounts to take advantage of bonus bets being offered by operators.

Andrei Osipau, 35, was apprehended following a joint investigation by detectives from the Metropolitan Police Service Gambling Unit, Project Amberhill, and the UK Gambling Commission.

In the first prosecution of its kind, Osipau was found to have commited 'Bonus Abuse', the practice of using other people's identities to open online betting accounts to take advantage of bonus bets on offer.

He also used online payment institutions to transfer the criminal gains from the online betting account and opened bank accounts under false names. Osipau is said to have made nearly £80,000 from the activity.

“This joint investigation with the Gambling Commission demonstrates the Met's commitment to combating high tech organised crime,” said Detective Inspector Ann-Marie Waller, head of the Met's Gaming Unit. “The sentence imposed by the judge today should deter anyone considering committing crime involving stolen or compromised identities."

The scam was identified on February 26th 2011 when an online betting company received two UK passports bearing different names but the same image within 12 minutes of each other. The matter was subsequently reported to the Gambling Commission who passed it on to the Gaming Unit for investigation.

Met officers initially believed the passports were sent from two addresses in Hove and Eastbourne. Further investigations established that Osipau had masked his own IP address in order to prevent his actions being discovered.

At his address, officers discovered more than 5,900 scans of passports, identity cards, utility bills and bank statements relating to individuals from countries including the U.S, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Europe.

Osipau was sentenced yesterday to three years imprisonment at Southwark Crown Court, having pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to five counts of fraud, eight counts of possession of articles for use in fraud and one count of transferring criminal property.

“I expect and intend that you will be deported at the end of your sentence,” Judge Loraine-Smith told Osipau after his sentencing.

NJ bill OKs online bets from other states, nations

An Internet gambling bill approved by a New Jersey Senate committee Tuesday would let Atlantic City casinos take bets from gamblers in other states and even other countries, as long as federal and state authorities agree it's legal.

New Jersey has been racing to try to get Internet gambling up and running and stake an early claim to leadership in a potential multi-billion-dollar industry.

But even as the bill edges closer to approval, and supporters try to address legal concerns that led Gov. Chris Christie to veto it last year, its scope is growing.

The bill would allow bets to be accepted from other states and nations if the state Division of Gaming Enforcement determines it doesn't violate federal laws.

Why Nevada offers just about every type of gambling possible — except a lottery

Watching Nevadans form long lines across the California border last week, hoping to strike it rich gambling, would seem akin to Idahoans emigrating for potatoes or Wisconsinites taking a road trip for cheese. Gambling is, more than anything else, supposed to be Nevada’s franchise.

But California offers something Nevada doesn’t: lottery tickets.

Record lottery ticket sales of $1.5 billion last week for a jackpot of $640 million once again raises the question of why Nevada doesn’t participate in a lottery.

“Nevada is sending people out of state to gamble,” said Assemblyman Paul Aizley, D-Las Vegas, who authored a resolution in 2009 to change the state’s constitution. “That, to me, is crazy.”

Casinos see it differently. A lottery in Nevada would be, in their mind, competition.

The Nevada Constitution has prohibited lotteries since it was ratified in 1864. Over the past 30 years, efforts to change that have been squashed by the gaming industry at the Legislature. (Voters did change the constitution in 1990 to allow charitable groups and not-for-profits to hold small lotteries — think church raffles.)

Since 1975, the Legislature has considered a lottery resolution almost every session to start the ball rolling on a five-year process to amend the constitution. It has yet to pass.

A lottery in Nevada would bring in between $30 million and $50 million a year, according to one Legislative analysis done in 2005. Another study, by the Governor Kenny Guinn’s Task Force on Tax Policy, estimated in 2002 that it would net the state $40 million to $70 million a year.

Considering that the state has cut its budget four times since 2008, that money would by no means solve the state’s budget problems.

And gaming lobbyists said that it would cut into their business.

During a 2009 hearing, when Aizley’s proposal was in front of the Assembly, lobbyists articulated their opposition.

“It would directly compete with our business,” said Michael Alonso, a lobbyist representing Terrible Herbst, according to minutes of the hearing. “We do not think the state should be directly competing with its largest industry.”

Lesley Pittman, a lobbyist representing Station Casinos, also pointed to the government competition. “Now is not the time for the state Legislature to make a conscious choice to make it more difficult for our gaming industry to regain its financial health,” she told the committee.

Lawmakers asked if there wasn’t a way that the local operators could figure out how to make money from lottery sales.

But that math would be difficult.

Retailers in California get 6 percent of lottery ticket sales. Education gets about 50 percent to 55 percent, according to a spokesman for California Lottery.

In Nevada, the gaming tax on its largest casinos’ gambling wins is 6.75 percent.

Gov. Brian Sandoval opposes a state lottery.

“It’s not appropriate for the state to compete with our No. 1 industry,” his spokeswoman said.

MGM Resorts International Chairman and CEO Jim Murren told KSNV Channel 3 last week that he also opposes a lottery. His company creates jobs, he said.

“How many jobs does a lottery create?” he asked.

Lottery business on the other side of the border, meanwhile, is doing just fine.

Forty-three states participate in lotteries, generating $17 billion in revenue for those states.

The convenience store just across the California border at Primm is consistently the top seller of lottery tickets in California.

“And it wasn’t close,” said Alex Traverso, spokesman for California Lottery.

Aizley said he doesn’t like to see Nevada money going to buy California lottery tickets and helping fund their schools. But he has given up.

“It just doesn’t pass,” he said. “It’s not a winner for me.”

Openbet to overhaul Ladbrokes gaming software

Ladbrokes has signed a new software supply agreement with Openbet which it says will enable it pursue revenue growth opportunities and increase the range of games it offers.

The new agreement is Ladbrokes’ latest renegotiated contract with its technology suppliers as the company acts to rejuvenate its underperforming online gaming business.

In addition to the supply of support and games services, OpenBet will also undertake a re-architecture of the company’s existing software, which Ladbrokes says will enable it to provide a reliable, scalable and efficient yet differentiated service to OpenBet's standard offering.

Ladbrokes added the new terms will enable it to provide customers with a premium range of content and product from OpenBet, other existing suppliers and new suppliers.

“We are pleased to extend our long-standing relationship with OpenBet through a more flexible agreement which offers revenue opportunities to both parties and increases the range of games we offer,” said Ladbrokes CEO Richard Glynn. “This is another step on the road to developing a unique Ladbrokes customer experience.”

Openbet chief executive David Loveday added: “Today's announcement is confirmation that OpenBet not only delivers what our customers need but that we develop the necessary products that enable them to continue to grow while offering their customers the very best content and gaming experience available.”

bwin.party to launch social gaming products in 2012

bwin.party digital entertainment says it will deliver a number of operational and product developments this year as it looks to refocus its efforts on growth opportunities.

bwin.party said that the company continues to invest in its technology, products and brands in order to attract and retain real money players.

In 2011, the company’s live betting offering improved significantly with a new interface and increased coverage by live-betting traders through greater automation, allowing bwin.party to redeploy bookmakers to cover additional events.

In casino, the company launched into Italy and added 21 new casino games, of which 14 were developed in-house, while also launching a no-download casino onto the existing bwin technology platform. In poker, the company changed to a weighted rake calculation that benefited more recreational players, while in bingo the company consolidated its UK bingo networks into a single liquidity pool with bigger prizes and higher jackpots.

The company said that while completing the integration of its products and platforms remains a key priority, it will also continue to deliver a number of operational and product developments in 2012.

These include expanding the number of live events covered by its sports betting product, repositioning the PartyPoker product and brand, and completing the sale of Ongame.

In casino the company will launch a download casino for bwin.com and add 28 new casino games developed by its in-house production team. The opening of the Spanish market will see bwin.party launch sports betting, poker, casino as well as a brand new Spanish bingo brand, all of which will be running on the new integrated back-office platform.

The company also plans to establish a proprietary social game technology platform in 2012, as well as launching online and smartphone applications in several of its core product verticals, and an independent social game destination website.

The first social gaming product to launch will be a poker-based product followed by a casino and sportsbook application by the end of 2012, the company said. In mobile, bwin.party will launch a new PartyPoker mobile app and also plans to launch HTML5 mobile versions of its key gaming sites.

“We expect to gain competitive advantage this year from additional scale and improved flexibility that will flow from the integration and migration of our main products to a single technology platform,” said bwin.party co-CEOs Jim Ryan and Norbert Teufelberger, Co-CEOs. “As integration projects are completed, we are channelling more resources into driving innovation across the business and through new channels including our proprietary mobile gaming platform. We are also extending our reach into new areas of digital entertainment such as social gaming where we see significant potential.”

bwin.party confirmed that it will launch sports betting, poker, casino and bingo in the newly regulated Spanish market when its receives licence approval from the regulator, while the company plans to launch all products except bingo in Germany under the Schleswig-Holstein regime, should the company successful secure a licence there.

No legal basis for Spanish injunction, claims Sportingbet

Sportingbet will file an appeal against an injunction issued by a Madrid court against the company’s Spanish facing sites which comes into effect today, having received advice that there is no legal basis for the action.

Last December, Codere sought a number of injunctions against companies operating in the Spanish online betting and gaming industry, including Sportingbet. Codere claims that overseas operators have gained an unfair competitive advantage by operating in Spain without a licence, while Codere has been subject to local regulation and taxation.

Sportingbet says however that Codere’s actions are part of a campaign to “restrict the online industry prior to the granting of licences under new Spanish legislation.”

In a statement released this afternoon, Sportingbet said that it was not notified of the application against it and was given no opportunity to defend itself.

All of Codere's applications were rejected by various Spanish courts, with the exception of one made against Sportingbet in the Commercial Court in Madrid, where the court found against Sportingbet and issued an injunction against the company’s Spanish facing sites Miapuesta.es and Miapuesta.com.

Sportingbet subsequently attended a hearing at the court in Madrid on February 16th at which it defended its legally compliant position. Despite this, the court granted the injunction stating that “any offering of gaming or betting activity that has not been granted a prior administrative authorisation is, indisputably, prohibited”.

“Sportingbet firmly believes that Codere's injunction application was based on erroneous information presented to the Court and is a blatant attempt to disrupt the market in the run up to the issue of licences,” said Sportingbet in a statement Tuesday.

Sportingbet is filing an appeal against Codere's claim having received advice that there is no legal basis for the action. The company says that this is supported by the decisions of other Spanish courts to reject Codere's applications for injunctions against other companies in the Spanish online gaming sector such as bwin and PokerStars.

The injunction comes into effect today, March 27th, although Miapuesta.es has already been closed down until the Spanish licensing process has been completed, while Miapuesta.com is still live at the time of going to press.

Sportingbet confirmed that it has applied for a licence under the 2011 Spanish Gambling Laws, and following regular meetings with the Spanish regulators, expects to be granted its licence on or before May 25th.

Shares in Sportingbet plc (Co. Data) (LSE:SBT) have dropped 2.56 per cent to 38.00 pence per share in London today, after the company announced earlier today that it has completed payment to the U.S Department of Justice in accordance with the terms of its non-prosecution agreement.

Sportingbet prepares for U.S return with final DoJ payment

Online gaming operator Sportingbet said Tuesday that it is reviewing various opportunities in the U.S market following the completion of its third and final payment to the United States Department of Justice in accordance with the terms of its non-prosecution agreement.

Sportingbet confirmed that it has paid $6m to the Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, with a total sum of $33m now having been paid in accordance with the terms of the non-prosecution agreement which the company entered into on September 21st 2010.

“This final payment formally closes any risk which the company may have faced from its former activities in the US,” said Sportingbet chief executive Andrew McIver. “Given that the US market continues to show signs of regulating both by product, and by state in the near future, various opportunities exist to re-enter the US market and we are reviewing these.”

Sportingbet had previously admitted that it provided online gambling services in the United States between 1998 and 2006, and that it took steps to conceal the nature of credit card transactions.

The company said that beginning in 2001, it began using payment processing methods designed to misrepresent the nature of its customers’ gambling transactions to U.S credit card issuers that disallowed the use of their cards for internet gambling and that it also took steps to mask payments of winnings to U.S. customers.

The $33m settlement represented proceeds from the online gambling services that Sportingbet provided to U.S customers between 1998 and 2006.

Shares in Sportingbet plc (Co. Data) (LSE:SBT) have gained 1.28 per cent to 39.50 pence per share in early trading in London this morning.

Online betting exchange Betfair to launch as a bookmaker

Online betting exchange Betfair is to launch itself as a bookmaker in a move designed to prevent customers deserting to rivals such as William Hill and Ladbrokes.

Interim chief executive Stephen Morana said the company would shortly be introducing its own fixed-odds sports book, which means it will start taking bets of its own rather than just acting as a marketplace where customers offer bets to each other.

‘Our sports exchange always has been – and always will be – Betfair’s core product,’ said Morana. ‘It has revolutionised the industry and we have a loyal customer base, but we also recognise that there are certain bets at certain times that the exchange, by its nature, cannot offer.

‘Some of our customers are going to traditional bookies for a portion of their betting and we hope to address this with the introduction of an integrated risk product that will complement the exchange, not compete with it.’

Betting exchanges work by having customers offering odds to each other and accepting each other’s bets. But customers who want to get early prices on a race or bet while a match or race is under way might find it hard to find someone to take their bet.

Now Betfair will be taking on the risk itself. Betfair has yet to decide on a name for the bookmaking business.

The company will be hoping that the move changes its fortunes as it has been going through tough times. It was seen as one of the worst flotations in recent years, listing at £13 a share in October 2010, but falling steadily ever since to close at 871p on Friday.

Chief executive David Yu and chairman Ed Wray have both since left the company, which earlier this year was forced to cancel millions of pounds in bets due to a ‘technical failure’.

Some analysts are positive about Betfair’s move into bookmaking. Ivor Jones of investment bankers Numis said that while the result of putting a betting exchange and a fixed-odds sports book together was ‘uncertain’, he believed it had ‘the potential to increase profits by over 50 per cent’.

Betfair currently has four million registered users, of whom 900,000 gamble regularly. In the year to last April, it made pre-tax profits of £26.6million on turnover of £368.6million.

UK National Lottery goes mobile

UK National Lottery operator Camelot has launched a new mobile-friendly version of its website which allows players to purchase tickets for draw-based games, check results and manage their account while on the move.

Camelot said that the new mobile-optimised website is designed to be quicker and easier to use across a range of popular smartphones.

Players simply need to type National-lottery.co.uk into their browser to be redirected to the user-friendly version.

“Customers will be able to buy tickets, access and manage their accounts whenever they wish,” said Richard Bateson, marketing director for Camelot UK Lotteries Limited. “There’s no need to remember a new address: if your mobile is supported, we will recognise that you are on a smartphone and will re-direct you to the mobile version of the website.”

The mobile version has been developed against current accessibility guidelines, and has been audited by both the technology accessibility charity Abilitynet and new standards applied by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

“As a business, we want to keep innovating, giving players new ways to play our games through emerging channels,” continued Bateson. “This latest initiative is another step in our strategy for long-term, responsible growth, which aims to enable more people to play at times that suit them, but with each of them spending relatively little.”

Industry predicts long road to UK remote gaming tax debut

UK Chancellor George Osborne reiterated plans Wednesday to tax offshore online gaming operators, almost a year after the plan was first proposed, however most analysts agree that a UK point of consumption tax is still years away.

In his 2012 budget speech, Osborne attacked the online gambling duty regime introduced by the last government, which he said had allowed much of the industry to avoid taxation by relocating offshore.

“90 per cent of online gambling consumed by our citizens is now supplied from outside the UK and the remaining UK operations are under pressure to leave,” he said. “This is clearly not fair - and not a sensible way to support jobs in Britain.”

The Chancellor’s focus on jobs and competition was a departure from the previously stated objective of the proposed changes, namely the protection of consumers, which had been called into questioned by the industry.