Issue N27, 2008
July 3, 2008
Senior Gambling Executive to Head UK Tote
The United Kingdom government has been making plans to move away from direct involvement in the administration and financing of the country’s horseracing industry. As such, decisions are being made on how to successfully bring about the open market sale of UK Tote, based on options submitted by advisors. To assist in the changes that will be occurring at UK Tote in the upcoming months, the UK government appointed a new chairman to head the Tote, Mike Smith.
Sixty one year old Smith has many years experience seeing several top UK gambling companies through important changes, including sales and acquisitions. In his lucrative career, Smith has headed firms such as William Hill, Ladbrokes and Rank. “I am delighted to join the Tote and to work with its established team, some of whom I already know,” said Smith. “I will prioritize getting to know all the staff at Tote HQ in Wigan in the coming weeks. We all recognize the need to bring certainty to the Tote’s future as quickly as possible.”Gerry Sutcliffe, the UK Sports Minister said of the appointment: “I’m very pleased Mike Smith has agreed to take on the role of Tote Chair. He has significant industry expertise that will prove invaluable during this important period for the Tote, as will his extensive track record in leading gaming businesses through mergers and acquisitions. I am confident he will provide the kind of leadership needed to help grow the Tote’s business at the same time as seeing it through any sale process.”
Future of Dutch Casinos Uncertain in Wake of Smoking Ban
The future of the fourteen casinos that are operated in the Netherlands by Holland Casinos is unsure as the new smoking ban comes into effect this week in the country. As from today, nobody is allowed to smoke in areas deemed for leisure and hotel activities.
The Chief Executive Officer of Holland Casinos, Dick Flink said that the company was bracing itself for a significant loss of revenues in the coming years, especially based on the experience of other countries who went through a similar process. In places like Spain, Australia and the United Kingdom, gambling revenue was cut by double digit percentage figures after official smoking bans were put in place by local governments.
Smoking bans in land-based places of gambling have directly affected the popularity of online gaming sites, according to statistics. However, Holland Casinos are not permitted to run an online site and thus cannot depend on an increase of revenues from this end.
eCOGRA Gets Lucky
LuckyAceCasino.com and LuckyAcePoker.com were proud to announce that their online sites had received the prestigious Safe and Fair online casino seal from the Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA). Lucky Ace, a 888 Holdings white label company, is the 106th online casino to receive an approval from this land-based industry watchdog group.
The Chief Executive Officer for eCOGRA, Andrew Beveridge said: “'Recently, LuckyAceCasino.com applied for the eCOGRA seal accreditation. After extensive testing and inspection, the team and the independent directors who scrutinized the result of the compliance process, are satisfied that all issues have been fully addressed and that the owners of LuckyAceCasino.com are now fully aware of what is expected of them as eCOGRA seal holders.”
“Like all eCOGRA operations,” continued Beveridge, “the LuckyAce brands will be continuously and closely monitored for compliance with our wide-ranging player protection and operational standards going forward and players who have any complaints will have full access to the online assistance of our Fair Gaming Advocate, Tex Rees.”
Cantor Gaming Signs Heavy Metal Deal
The cult fantasy publication, Heavy Metal, has signed a deal with the online arm of Cantor Gaming to have games produced based on characters from the magazine. Cantor Casino will carry a line of innovative new offerings starring the well-known comic-book personalities from Heavy Metal and is sure to offer this brand new online casino an edge in the ever-growing competitive world of internet gambling.
The Managing Director of Cantor Gaming, Manu Gambhir, said: “Heavy Metal has long been a cult classic and our design teams immediately saw the ability to build innovative, cutting-edge casino games based on the brand. The games will be edgy, highly animated and deliver a completely new experience for our players.”
Kevin Eastman, who co-created the Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles, and is founder of Heavy Metal, said about the deal: “I am delighted to have reached an agreement with Cantor Gaming to bring the unique characters and storylines to a new marketplace that I am sure will appreciate the vibrancy and originality of the brand.”
Cantor Gaming also offers online players several other unique features, such as StatJack, which informs players of their best options and counts cards for them; and Cantor Financial Odds, providing players with the option to wager on live stocks, commodities and currency.