Issue N25, 2007
June 28, 2007
New Boss for Boss Media
The chairman of software developing giant, Boss Media, Mr. Mark Tiveus announced this week that the new CEO of the company, Michael Hallen, will assume his new position on July 1st. Hallen, a 43 year old business wonder, was chosen to head the Swedish company after the previous CEO Johan Berg announced his resignation two months ago. Since then, Markus Holm, the company’s head of development, has temporarily filled the position.
The new boss served as president and CEO of Industrial and Financial Systems (IFS), attaining impressive business achievements along the way and contributing greatly to the reversal of negative trends. It is hoped that Hallen will be able to lead Boss Media as it ventures even further into the field of mobile and online gaming – and help turn a popular software company into one that is even greater and more successful.
New Self-Exclusion Gambling Service Lauded
A new self-exclusion service, aimed to counter problematic gambling, has been introduced by the data sharing fraud management company, Ethaca and already the new technology is being praised by watchdog groups across the board. GamCare, eCOGRA and the Interactive Gaming Council have all given their thumbs up to Ethaca’s idea.
The new system essentially entails the installation of a service into as many online casinos as possible that are willing to take it on. It means that if players feel that they are heading for problematic gambling habits and wish to prevent themselves from accessing online gambling sites, they can impose Ethaca’s system on themselves by having the system deny access to them once they reach a specific limitation, as well as prevent them from opening accounts at any other online casinos that are part of the Ethaca network.
While problem gambling is a small part of the overall world of online gambling, it nevertheless manages to cast a bad light on this industry and watchdog groups are always on the lookout for programs and systems that will help reduce the problem. Ethaca’s new system is definitely good news for the industry.
UK Online Gambling Guide Gets a Face Lift
An online gambling guide that aims to assist English gamblers is being freshened up to allow surfers and players to find what they are looking for in a much easier way. Casino-Britain.co.uk is a popular site for gamblers who are seeking current information on what’s happening in the UK gambling world, including the latest offers and the top casinos. Players will now be able to find all they wish to know about safe and regulated online casinos that offer the best bonuses around, with very little effort. Players will also be able to read about the history and rules of popular online casino games such as poker and bingo in order to improve their skill levels.
Paddy Power Goes Spanish
The Spanish gambling landscape has definitely become more appealing to companies in recent months, as authorities have taken significant steps to relax restrictions and head for a regulated gambling industry. Several top gambling companies such as William Hill and Betbull joined forces with local Spanish gambling operators to get a piece of the action and infuse new life into their own companies. Another company that is joining the ranks is Paddy Power, the Irish online betting group that already has internet operations in the UK, Germany and Ireland.
Paddy Power will be launching a new website that focuses mainly on horse racing, although other sports will feature prominently as well. It is hoped that the site will be up and running by September this year – in time to catch the beginning of the Spanish football season. The company is also examining expansion operations in the form of betting shops in Madrid and in other countries such as Portugal and Italy.
The future of gambling in Spain has never looked brighter, with experts estimating that the industry will be worth an incredible $52.5 billion in four years time. At present, Spaniards spend $30.53 billion a year on gambling. The online gambling segment of the industry contributes significantly to these figures, with the prediction that by 2010, online gambling in Spain will be worth $5.7 billion.
Optimistic Predictions for the Gambling Industry
PricewaterhouseCoopers recently released interesting figures predicting the way that the global gambling industry will look in 2011. A report shows that the industry may be worth as much as $144 billion – a sharp increase from its current value of just over $100 billion.
There are several reasons for these optimistic predictions. Firstly, the United Kingdom and other countries are moving towards the regulation of their gambling industries. There is also a huge trend in the world in the construction of gambling destinations and the revamping of existing establishments.
As a result, in areas such as the Asia/Pacific bloc, where locations such as Macau and Singapore contributing to the growth of the industry, the predictions are that revenues are expected to rise by 15.7% annually - to be worth $30.4 billion by 2011.
Even the United States, despite the UIGEA, will experience a growth of 6.7% a year until it is worth $79.6 billion in 2011. Europe, the Middle East and Africa will also experience steady, albeit slighter, increases.