Issue N32, 2007
August 16, 2007
New Chief Elected for Head of Gibraltar’s Gambling
A new Head of Gambling for Gibraltar’s Regulatory Authority has been elected and will commence work on October 1, 2007. The GRA announced that it had chosen Phill Brear - whose last position was as Director of Operations for the United Kingdom Gambling Commission – for the job. Chief Executive of the GRA said in a statement that it was important for his organization to have at its head somebody with experience and innovation to help maintain the strict social standards that the GRA sets in such a huge global industry. “Phill brings strength in depth from his role as one of the top team with the UK Gambling Commission,” he was quoted as saying.
Phill Brear is a former policeman and will move from the United Kingdom to Gibraltar to take up his posting. Brear is reportedly excited about the new job and has noted that the Gibraltar government continues to demonstrate commitment to regulation and the ability to handle the licensing needs of many of the online casino industry’s major players. Brear is determined to ensure that Gibraltar’s excellent reputation in the industry is maintained and expanded under his leadership.
William Hill Online Division to Move to Gibraltar
William Hill, the popular English sportsbetting and gambling company, is due to move its online gaming division from the Caribbean to Gibraltar. The move is thought to be connected with the fact that the United Kingdom will ban advertising through local media by companies that do not operate within the European Economic Area (EEA). William Hill’s present address on Netherlands Antilles is not included in this area, while a move to Gibraltar will ensure that the company is eligible to advertise its products within the United Kingdom.
UK’s new advertising laws will come into effect on September 1st when the country faces a new dawn in gambling legislation. For several years, the UKGambling Commission has been moving towards this date to create a reformed gambling industry in the country – one that will be regulated by the government. From this date, restrictions will be placed on all types of gambling activities and will relate to any form of media, ranging from radio and television, to taxis and the tube. William Hill will join other big names in the industry such as PartyGaming and Ladbrokes who have already established themselves on Gibraltar. It is expected that other companies will follow suit and relocate to Gibraltar in order to qualify for advertising rights in the United Kingdom after the first of September.
Playtech Set to Conquer Europe
Playtech, the online casino group publicly listed on the UK stock exchange, has announced its intentions to seek a more active role in the European gambling scene. The group intends to perform a mass buy-out of rival companies on the Continent and thereby increase its own customer base, while at the same time eliminating competition. Playtech’s Vice Chairman, Mr. Avigur Zmora said: “We think that this is the right time to prepare the company to be almost the only alternative out there.”
Playtech, founded in 1999 and considered the world’s largest publicly trading online gaming software supplier, has an expansive portfolio of games in every division of the industry, including bingo, poker, mobile gaming, kiosks, arcade games and video bet. It is rumored that the company is eying several online casino groups in its takeover bid, including Net Entertainment. The industry shouldn’t be too surprised to see Playtech acting swiftly on its plans. Zmora has said that his company is “looking for the opportunity and when the opportunity is there we usually move very quickly”.
Best Games Introduces Bingo Site
St. Minver, the gaming group, has partnered with the online gambling group, Best Games, to introduce a new product to the latter’s expanding range of games offered to players. This time, Best Games is set to launch a bingo site, in keeping up with the trendiest forms of gambling entertainment on the internet. The new site, to be known as bestbingo.com will work off the Parlay Bingo software platform. Parlay is a Canadian firm and has extensive experience in bingo operations.
Partnering with St. Minver means that Best Games has 90,000 active bingo players already in its customer base. 700,000 others are registered with St. Minver and the companies are hoping to target these players and offer them an exciting site where they can have fun and wager for real money. The new bingo site will include progressive jackpots, as well as advanced chat features to foster a vibrant egambling community. Best Games is already well known in Scandinavian countries for its popular poker room, BestPoker.com, which was introduced in March 2007 to meet the growing demand for quality poker rooms in the European gambling market.