Issue N2, 2010
January 13, 2010
Party Gaming Signs Gambling Deal with Danish State Owned Group
Party Gaming, the London listed Gibraltar based online gambling operator, has entered into a lucrative five year deal with the Danish owned gambling group, Danske Spil. Under the terms of the deal, Party Gaming will supply Danske Spil with internet gaming technology as the country gets ready to move into a more liberal gambling market. Denmark’s government signed draft legislation last year and is expected to finalize the laws in 2011.
The Chief Executive Officer of Party Gaming, Jim Ryan, said that deal with Danske Spil, one of Europe’s largest betting operators with an annual turnover of over $2 billion, was a “landmark” deal. “The agreement validates our strategy to become a leading provider of B2B services to both corporates and governments around the world,” he said.
This is the first time that Party Gaming has entered into an agreement with a government owned operator. According a gambling industry analyst, “we should expect a number of other deals like this.”
“As these European markets liberalize, incumbents and operators within these countries are likely to be well placed to win the licenses,” said the analyst. “So the strategy for companies like Party Gaming is to target various local partners and provide business-to-business services to them.”
Bet on Sports Boss Gets Three Years in Prison
The former Chief Executive Officer of Bet on Sports, once considered one of the world’s leading betting operations, was sentenced to three years in prison by a Missouri court. David Carruthers was arrested in the United States in 2006 and served for 32 days in prison, before being released to house arrest. In return for leniency, Carruthers reached a plea deal with the Department of Justice and agreed to plead guilty to one case of gambling racketeering.
Carruthers always maintained that he was unaware that he was breaking any US law, however Judge Carol Jackson said that she was not convinced and sentenced Carruthers to 3 years in prison for his role in the company’s activities. Bet on Sports, once listed on the London Stock Exchange, has since terminated its operations. The founder of Bet on Sports, Gary Kaplan was sentenced late last year to jail time and $43 million in fines payable to US authorities.
The DOJ issued a statement saying: “The prosecution and conviction of Carruthers is significant to the Government’s efforts at enforcement of U.S. laws against offshore Internet and telephone sports wagering businesses, because Carruthers was both a foreign national and a top executive of BetOnSports... Both the conviction of, and sentence handed down against Mr. Carruthers should send a message to any foreign business conducting illegal activities in the United States, that geography does not render it untouchable.”
ChiliGaming Targets Irish Gambling Market
ChiliGaming, the French gambling operator, has entered into a deal with the Irish media giant, Setanta to provide gaming services to the Irish market from next month. Setanta, which provides sports broadcasts to over 600,000 households, will help launch Setantabet.com on February 1st on the Odds Matrix software platform. An online poker site will also launch under the Playtech powered ChiliPoker brand name.
“This partnership showcases the potential for a media organisation to target its own audience with its own gaming product,” said co-founder of Sentanta, Michael O’Rourke. “We believe that we can enhance the entertainment experience of our customers with premium sports and gaming products, and are confident that this will allow us to become a key player in the Irish gaming industry.”
“In addition to the online betting, we will jointly promote Chilipoker in Ireland and will become the new premium home for Irish poker players,” said ChiliGaming head, Alexandre Dreyfus.
32Red Welcomes Hellboy to Slots Arsenal
This week, online casino 32Red launched one of the most eagerly anticipated slot games to it already prestigious games portfolio in the form of Hellboy. The game, based on Mike Mignola and Dark Horse Comics’ story of the same name, offers players immersive action, top rewards and some of the most exciting features seen in a slots game in a long time.
Hellboy inspired two blockbuster movies, released in 2004 and 2008 respectively.
The Head of Marketing at the award winning 32 Red online casino, Mark Quayle said: “The addition of Hellboy to our casino means were able to offer players a number of themed slots with real star appeal, but none match Hellboys stylised graphics, stereo sounds and potent slot engine,”
“From spinning the reels to entering the Underworld bonus, Hellboy offers players something special and, of course, a shot at the games £92,000 jackpot. It all makes Hellboy arguably one of the best slots in our online casino and the perfect way to start the New Year,” said Quayle.