Issue N6, 2009

February 12, 2009

Betdirect Incorporated onto Stan James Platform

Betdiret, one of the leading sportsbetting brands in the industry, will be fully incorporated onto the Stan James gambling operator platform, in line with a strategic decision made by the latter. Stan James purchased Betdirect from 32Red in 2007 and said at the time that Betdirect would not operate as a distinct gambling brand for longer than 15 months. With that time period fast approaching, Stan James has decided to begin the final stages of incorporation onto its platform.

“In December of 2007, we made a decision to operate Betdirect as a distinct brand for no more than 15 months in order to maximize customer retention following the acquisition from 32Red,” said Peter Fisher, Chief Executive Officer for Stan James. “Both Stan James and Betdirect have gone from strength to strength and we believe that the time is right to merge the brands.”

“One of our strategic objectives is to promote and develop our single core brand of Stan James products,” continued Fisher. “The merger of the Betdirect business is a positive step for achieving that objective. The merger enables us to streamline overheads and is a fantastic opportunity to extend our industry leading service to our Betdirect customers. Betdirect customers have been made aware of the plans and can continue to access a full range of sportsbook and egaming products via the internet, telephone and mobile channels.”

High Pennsylvania Court To Decide on Poker Status

Is poker considered a game of skill in the state of Pennsylvania or isn’t it? That is the question that everyone is asking after two different judges, ruling on similar cases, gave totally different opinions on the issue. In the middle of January, poker proponents were pleased to note that some headway had been made in the fight to have poker recognized as a game of skill, after Judge Thomas James ruled that it could not be considered an illegal pastime.

In his ruling in the case against the couple accused of operating a poker tournament in their own home, Judge Thomas wrote: "Using the predominance test, in conjunction with analyzing skill versus chance using the four prong factor test, it is apparent that skill dominates over chance in Texas Hold 'em Poker. He said, therefore, that poker is not “unlawful gambling under the Pennsylvania Crimes Code.”

However, a case heard earlier this month found Judge Richard McCormick saying that poker is NOT a game of skill and therefore a man accused of organizing poker tournaments should be charged for illegal gambling activities.

Due to the confusion, it has been decided that the Pennsylvania Superior Court will decide on the true status of gambling in the state.

Doyles Room Opens on Cake Poker Network

Following weeks of speculation, it was finally confirmed that Doyle’s Room, one of the most popular poker rooms in the industry, will be moving from the Microgaming poker network to the fast growing Cake Poker Network. “We wanted to offer our players a rewarding place to play and the liquidity and integrity associated with the Cake Poker Network made this an easy choice for our new partnership,” said the legendary Doyle Brunson, founder of Doyle’s Room and World Series of Poker bracelet winner.

One of the main decisions for Brunson’s decision to shift his poker room to the Cake Poker Network from Microgaming was the fact that the latter has stopped players who are United States citizens from opening accounts at its partner sites. This has caused much frustration for Doyle’s Room, considering the image of the big Texas hat clad Brunson as the logo image of the site. It is believed that the change to the new network will provide US players with the poker experience they are looking for in the industry.

New Live Gaming Brands for 888 Casinos

The Gibraltar based online gambling operator, 888 Holdings, has signed a new deal with Evolution live gaming solutions provider. Under the terms of the deal, the UK based Evolution will provide 888 casino sites with several top of the range live gaming brands, including live blackjack, baccarat and roulette.

“The perception of live gaming dealer products has changed considerably,” said the Chief Executive Officer for Evolution, Jens von Bahr. “When we started out in 2006, many live dealer products were broadcast from non regulated jurisdictions and the product did not look that great. We have changed all that and although these things are always evolving and are never satisfied, we think we have a high quality product to offer.”

Evolution has signed live gaming agreements with several other top names in the industry, including William Hill, Party Gaming and Gala Coral.

The Chief Executive Officer for 888 Holdings, Gigi Levy, said that live casino gaming was a significant revenue stream for his company.