Team Slotland.com Strong Into Ontario Curling Provincials.

Playing more tournaments this season thanks to sponsorship funding, Team Slotland.com has shown steady improvement and is strong heading into the Provincials.

'Our team has come a long way this season,” reflects Skip Gerry Guerts. “We’ve still got a ways to go to make it to the Olympics but hey we’ve got four more seasons till then!”

Difficulty arose when Greg Palmer left the Team just hours before their first game at the Kia Cup Men’s Tankard in December. Team Slotland.com found a spare at third and, after a rocky start, came out of the tournament with a solid result -- Top 4 in the zone. Skip Gerry Guerts played his best shot of the year through a tight port to hit and roll off a rock and behind cover. Their opponents failed to remove it taking Team Slotland.com to 3-2 for the tournament. The team played well at the City of London Bonspiel January 13 – 18 going 3-0 in the preliminary round and earning a berth in the A semifinals where they were outplayed by David Heinrichs. A 3-1 weekend including one game that could have gone either way. Their Fourth Place finish at the Tobacco Belt Bonspiel in Tillsonburg January 21 – 23 earned Team Slotland.com an entry into the OCT Championships in March.

Improving throughout the season, despite changes at Third, Team Slotland.com is strong and confident going into the Zones in Brantford February 5 and Tim Horton’s Colts in Perth -- where they’ve been targeting a provincials berth from the beginning of the season -- February 8 - 10.

The debut of team and event sponsorships from condom manufacturers to donut shops this year has raised a few eyebrows. Ontario curlers are divided on the impact of corporate money on their game. In an online forum at www.CurlingZone.com, opinions are divided.

“All this money can be bad for the game. When teams play for bigger money and purses, sportsmanships and the curling code seem to go out the window,” laments one posting. “If it becomes perverted like the NHL, we won’t recognize the game we left behind.”

Another observer has a more positive take on sponsorships: “Think of it this way. The Brier has been sponsored by cigarettes, beer and now coffee. The vices of many great players! Nothing wrong with adding sex and gambling to the list!”

“Little things like the new Team Slotland.com uniforms we bought them really help build the team’s confidence and I think that’s why they’ve been improving throughout the season,” says Hannah Morante, Slotland.com spokesperson. “We’re just glad we were able to make a difference!”

Online Casino offers luxury car in bonus promotion.

Casino Rewards has just introduced a new promotion, the winner of which will drive away in their very own luxury car, a Jaguar XK.

The runner up will be given $500 and 10 lucky people will each receive a brand new IPOD. Players are allowed up to nine entries in the draw so a lucky player could end up with all three prizes.

Each week the 25 people who wager the most will be entered into the main draw and receive a $50 bonus. Then, after 9 weeks, the winners will be drawn. You will be able to see at any time how many entries you have.

The draw for the Jaguar Promotion will be taking place on the 25th March.

Women Account for 40% of Online Gamblers?

Research published by YouGov has found that more women are joining the gambling craze, with more than 40 per cent of online users being female.

Britons have also been named as the biggest gamblers in Europe as they make up 80 per cent of all online gamblers in Europe, with those aged 18 to 29 are more likely to use the internet to gamble than any other age group.

Jon Miller, director at uSwitch.com Communications said: “As broadband services continue to improve and bring speed, convenience and instant access to consumers, internet users can choose to access gambling and gaming websites, along with everything else the internet has to offer, 24 hours a day.”

Despite concerns about the social risks related to people having easier access to the casino environment, the UK Gambling Bill scheduled to go through this year will seek to introduce tough regulatory rules for online gambling, to help prevent the misuse of gambling websites.

Mr Miller added: “With broadband access set to increase to 99.4% by summer 2005, the ever increasing number of offline activities being converted to online media, will continue to grow.

“Broadband users should look at what they use the Internet for and find the best deal for their specific needs.”

The research was conducted by YouGov in December on a sample of 2,056 adults nationwide.

Online Casino releases odds on 77th Annual Academy Awards.

Bodog.com has released the first odds on the 77th Annual Academy Awards, being held in Los Angeles, CA at the Kodak Theatre on Sunday February 27, 2005.

“The Academy Awards is the single largest awards event for Hollywood every year, and we are very pleased to be able to make these odds available to players,” said Calvin Ayre, Founder and CEO of Bodog.com Sports Casino Poker. “There were so many good movies this past year, and with no Lord of the Rings movies in this year’s nominations, we could see a much broader spread of recipients.”

Currently Jamie Foxx is leading the way for Best Actor in a Leading Role, for his portrayal in Ray. Foxx is sitting at 3/2 odds. Leonardo DiCaprio is close behind at 2/1 odds. For Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Golden Globe winner Clive Owen, is the current favorite at 3/2 odds. Next in line is Thomas Haden Church, for his role in Sideways. Haden Church is listed at 2/1 odds. Hillary Swank, who bulked up substantially for her role in Million Dollar Baby, is currently the favorite for Best Actress in a Leading Role at 3/2.

The Best Director category has Martin Scorsese tied with Clint Eastwood at 3/2 odds. The coveted Best Picture category has Martin Scorseses’ The Aviator listed as the early favorite at 3/2 odds, with Sideways coming up behind at 3/1. Finding Neverland is next in line at 6/1 odds, with the powerful depiction of Ray Charles at 10/1 odds.

“Jamie Foxx did an unbelievable job in his portrayal of Ray Charles, and after his rousing speech at the Golden Globes, he could be a shoo-in for his first Academy Award,” said Calvin Ayre. “Million Dollar Baby, The Aviator, and Sideways were all excellent movies, and all are very deserving of the nominations, and potentially the awards.”

Bingo gets vote of young women.

Bingo is increasing in popularity among younger women who are attracted by its relaxed atmosphere according to a popular gaming group.

Gala Group, the privately owned bingo and casino operator, said it had seen buoyant trading over the Christmas period with like-for-like sales for the seven weeks to January 7 rising by 5.9%. Total group sales rose by 6.9% to £71.5m.

The sales growth was largely driven by the success of its bingo halls, which attract an increasing number of younger women. Research suggests women prefer non-threatening, non-aggressive situations where they can gamble without fear or intimidation.

Online Casino doubles its advertising budget.

AngelCiti Entertainment has announced that it is more than doubling its marketing budget and kicking off a new national marketing campaign that will run over the next six months.

AngelCiti's newly hired Director of Operations, Oliver Treumann, has begun targeting numerous advantageous marketing opportunities. The recent $300,000 capital infusion provides the Company with a unique opportunity to immediately capitalize on those opportunities.

AngelCiti President George Gutierrez stated, 'The online gaming market is perpetually evolving. We are extremely pleased to have Mr. Treumann's stewardship to guide the company's operational growth through what we anticipate will be another major corporate growth phase. We have taken numerous measures throughout the years to emphasize the interest of our investors and we continue to have that policy at the forefront of our corporate philosophy.'

Gutierrez continued, 'In addition to attention to corporate operations, management continues to explore and pursue additional synergistic corporate activities. Our spin-off of the online poker operations, which resulted in a dividend to shareholders and left the company with 4.6 million shares of Midas Entertainment, is a prime example of what the company has done and will strive to look for in the future.'

Online gaming company negotiates for license.

Chimera Technology Corp is pleased to announce that it has entered into negotiations with 777 Entertainment Corp. for the right to license Chimera's online gaming platform, which includes a multitude of the most popular games available online.

In anticipation of successful licensing negotiations, 777 Entertainment Corp. has retained the domain of www.777Betz.com. Upon successful conclusion of these negotiations, it is anticipated that the implementation period will be approximately 30 days once the formal licensing agreement has been executed.

James Cheung of 777 Entertainment Corp. stated, 'We are extremely excited about our prospects with the Chimera suite of online gaming products. We conducted a thorough review of other similar products & services available to us, and compared those to Chimera's fully turn-key solution. The applications, including an online wagering platform, full suite of casino games, thoroughbred horse betting platform, double redundancy hosting services, top-notch customer service department, integrated payment solution and all related back-end services, led us to conclude that the Chimera program was the most robust and cost-effective available. We look forward to a successful conclusion of these negotiations and a prosperous and long-term relationship with Chimera.'

Online Casino software company expansion.

Microgaming has announced the opening of its new corporate Head Office in the Isle of Man and the launch of its new look website. The announcement marks the completion of a strategic restructuring begun in 2004 to better support Microgaming's expanding business.

In addition to the company's executive operations, Microgaming sales and marketing divisions have been moved to the extensively equipped new headquarters in order to improve client support internationally and internal communications among its operators.

'We're proud to have become the driving force behind the most successful online casinos across the globe,' noted Microgaming CEO Roger Raatgever. 'By expanding our internal capabilities in 2005, Microgaming will be best positioned to meet the needs of our growing customer base and to support new business opportunities around our premier poker network, Prima Poker.'

Bust made on Chinese Online Gambling sites.

Chinese officials have arrested 597 people allegedly connected with a 500 million yuan ($78 million dollars) online underground gambling network.

The Ministry of Public Security said the network was run by a Taiwan-based gambling company which jointly organised online gambling activities in 22 provinces in China with Chinese criminal syndicates.

China launched its assault on gambling websites as part of a sweeping campaign to prevent officials from betting away public money after last year's public scandals.

The Ministry of Information Industry, the top Chinese agency in charge of the Internet, will tighten supervision of online content and crack down on offenders, state sponsored media said earlier.

French Handball sponsored by Online Sportsbook.

Prior to the start of the world handball championships in Tunisia, the betandwin Group has entered into an extensive sponsoring venture with number one favourite, France.

As official sponsor of two-time world handball champion France, betandwin hopes that the team headed by Jackson Richardson will achieve many victories. The company will have a special focus on handball between 23 January and 6 February 2005, offering not only a wide spectrum of standard bets ranging from victory and head-to-head to special bets, but also live betting on all games played by France (which will be meeting Tunisia, Angola, Canada, Denmark and Greece in the preliminary round), as well as on all matches played by Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

New US political odds released by Online Sportsbook.

With George Bush officially beginning his second, and final, term in office, William Hill have installed Hillary Clinton as 5/1 favourite to succeed him by winning the next Presidential Election.

Hills also offer 8/1 Rudolph Giuliani; 10/1 John Edwards; Condoleeza Rice; Bill Richardson; 12/1 Tom Ridge; 14/1 Jeb Bush; Bill Frist; Colin Powell; 20/1 Evan Bahy; Arnold Schwarzenegger; 25/1 Barack Obama; George Pataki.

Casino Mogul to be named in Encyclopaedia.

The Chicago-based World Book Encyclopaedia has decided to put the real estate and casino mogul, Donald Trump in the encyclopaedia after 13 years of waiting.

World Book editors had rejected an entry for Donald Trump since 1991 but his biography has been added to the encyclopaedia’s online reference centre and Trump appears in the 22-volume print edition of the 2005 World Book published in December.

Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, James Bond, swimmer Michael Phelps, author Don DeLillo, baseball great Jim Palmer, composer Carol King and Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson all were added to the 2004 edition of The World Book Encyclopaedia.

The 2005 edition includes Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, singer Wayne Newton and actors Mel Gibson and Russell Crowe.

Editors said Trump's hit television show The Apprentice helped him show the staying power required for an encyclopaedia entry.

BingoMania Voted 2004 Online Bingo Site of the Year.

WhichBingo has awarded BingoMania the Online Bingo Site of the Year award for 2004. This award is highly regarded throughout the industry because it is chosen by players themselves.

In addition to the top prize, Parlay licensees dominated this year's awards, landing eight additional spots in the Top 20 Sites of the Year category and seven spots in the Top 20 New Sites of the Year category.

Stuart Gordon, President of BingoMania said, 'We are very thrilled to have won this award, and we are looking forward to an even more successful year in 2005. We are grateful to all our wonderful players who have made BingoMania.com a success and are humbled that they have chosen us as the number 1 Internet Bingo site in 2004.'

BingoMania awards $5,000,000 in prizes each month to bingo winners and offers both 75-number and 90-number Bingo games.

'We would also like to recognize the role that Parlay Entertainment has played in our ongoing success,' continued Mr. Gordon. 'Parlay has been a solid, reliable partner whose proven Internet Bingo software solution has been developed with an emphasis on user experience and technical architecture.'

'Parlay is proud to be associated with an industry leader such as BingoMania.com, whose strategy and solid management has propelled it into the forefront of this market,' said Scott White, President & CEO of Parlay Entertainment Inc. 'BingoMania's dedication to customer service and marketing is well established, and the combined efforts of our two companies will keep us both at the top of our respective markets.'

Boost your Winnings at VIPCasino.com.

Very important players deserve very impressive promotions, according to VIP Casino (www.vipcasino.com). The popular online casino has been putting its money where its mouth is with their revolutionary Cash Rewards Program. Most casinos offer schemes which reward high rollers, enticing the big spenders to spend more, and ignoring everybody else.

VIP Casino’s unique program is simple and transparent, with no small print or strings attached – each month they throw cash back at you, whatever your status. All players receive a 10% refund up to $10,000 or 1%, up to $2,500, on their monthly winnings. These payouts are wager free!

Casino Manager Kate Berkeley says: “Treating everyone like a VIP is at the heart of the company philosophy. We know that players appreciate a reward scheme with real fairness and equality. Most players are occasional gamblers who play for fun and low stakes, and they deserve to be rewarded too. Simply put: our scheme is about boosting your winnings and cutting your losses, whoever you are.” Well, you can’t say fairer than that.

In addition, throughout January, VIPCasino is lavishing $15,000 worth of bonuses and rewards on their players just for the fun of it. With free cash draws, competitions and exciting $2,000 roulette tournaments, the VIP treatment is going to be hard to resist this month.

Record revenues reported by Gaming company.

International Game Technology has announced its first quarter operating results with record revenues of $641.2 million, up 33.1 million, and cash flow from operations up 13 per cent to $153.7 million.

Matthews, IGT's Chief Executive Officer, said 'We saw strong operating cash flows during the quarter at IGT. Our results demonstrate that despite a slowdown in domestic machine demand, we continue to execute on our strategy to grow the profitability of our international business and our efforts to expand the contribution from non-machine product sales. Further, IGT's strong financial position and pipeline of highly anticipated new MegaJackpots(R) products to be rolled out later this year should further enhance our strong cash flows.'

First quarter income from continuing operations was $122.4 million or $0.33 per diluted share, an increase from $116.7 million or $0.32 in the prior year quarter. Net income for the quarter was $122.4 million or $0.33 per diluted share versus $176.3 million or $0.48 per diluted share in the prior year quarter.

The UK’s Largest Casino Operator is Online!

Casino operator Stanley Leisure has made yet another investment in the growing online gaming market, securing its foothold in the $20 billion dollar interactive gambling industry. Stanley, which purchased the Acropolis Casinos brand (www.AcropolisCasinos.com) in 1999, has re-launched the site to the US market using technology provided by gaming software giant Playtech.

“We are delighted to be able to offer our existing and new customers the benefits that Playtech brings to the world of online gaming entertainment. Acropolis and the planned Stanley Entertainment brands being integrated with the software, will utilize the latest technology to offer products including poker, bingo and fixed odds games. We will soon be in a position to present an entire suite,” according to Jonathan Steinberg, Head of Operations for Stanley’s Interactive Gaming.

Stanley Leisure plc (LSE:SLY) is the UK’s largest casino operator with 41 casinos. Stanley owns and operates exclusive casinos throughout Britain including the world famous Crockfords Casino.

Stanley’s online casino operates through their wholly owned subsidiary Stanley Entertainment N.V. Their online casinos have unprecedented credibility in the interactive gaming market through their association with Stanley Leisure plc and the company’s extensive terrestrial casino and betting shop experience.

“Stanley is about entertainment. We don’t believe that an online casino experience has to be the next-best thing to a bricks and mortar casino experience. We know both sides of gaming, and while the experiences are different online and off, the entertainment value can be extraordinarily rich in each,” continues Steinberg.

100 millionth bet taken by Sportsbook.com.

A sports enthusiast from Texas had no idea that when he placed his wager last week, he had not only made a successful bet, but had also made history as Sportsbook.com's 100 millionth wager, a first in US online gaming.

'We're taking an average of about 8.3 bets per second,' said Alex Czajkowski, Marketing Director, Sportsbook.com. 'No one else is even close to that volume, on any metric. This is a tremendous milestone.'

'First, it underscores Sportsbook.com's position as the definitive leading gaming brand and a massively successful, profitable pure-play online business,' Czajkowski said. 'Second, and equally important, this achievement validates the online gaming industry in general. The demand is there: America has voted, and bet, with its mouse.'

'Sportsbook.com continues to relentlessly grow and expand in the US marketplace by offering our customers a trusted, reliable platform and service organization that gives them the chance to be part of the action,' Czajkowski added. 'In the run-up to this year's Super Bowl, which is anticipated to be the most bet on event in US sporting history, our customers continue to enjoy the industry's largest selection of betting options. You want to bet on it, you can come to Sportsbook.com to find it.'

New License Agreement Signed between Phantom Fiber and IGW Software.

IGW software has announced a 5 year deal with Phantom Fiber Corporation, a provider of secure wireless technology and mobile solutions. IGW Software will offer mobile solutions using Phantom Fiber's advanced wireless framework to its sportsbook, racebook and casino operators worldwide.

Bryan Abboud, President for IGW Software said, 'Phantom Fiber is a real solution that meets our philosophy for delivering value-added products to our customer base. As well, Phantom Fiber's growing support of mobile platforms and devices ensures our clients a vast potential audience. IGW's clients are now firmly positioned to take advantage of the positive trend in mobile wagering.'

Jeff Halloran, President and CEO for Phantom Fiber commented, 'When we developed our framework, our philosophy was that mobile enablement should not come at the expense of complexity. Like IGW, we believe that any solution that extends functionality should seamlessly bolt-on to existing infrastructure to ensure speed-to-market and maximum return on investment. Many of our existing client relationships have resulted in a 'shock and awe' response with respect to our advanced wireless framework and its seamless integration to existing systems. We're proud to have partnered with another solid technology vendor such as IGW Software and are excited that their mobile solutions suite will enable sportsbook, racebook and casino operators to capture a worldwide audience in a short period of time.'

Entertainment and Value Added by Gambling.com.

Gambling.com, the internet’s number one gambling portal has revealed its new site, which offers more information, entertainment and value for gamblers. For the past 12 months Gambling.com has been operating as the internet’s largest gambling specific pay per click (PPC) directory, filling the void left when Yahoo! and Google stopped accepting pay per click (PPC) gambling advertising.

“We spent the past 12 months perfecting our PPC model. To promote our unique gambling PPC engine, we made the PPC search engine our most prominent feature. We are now introducing several layers of value added services that will allow our visitors to engage even more with the site,” said Tim Rosenberg, spokesman for Gambling.com.

One of the most unique features on the newly released Gambling.com is a set of one-of-a-kind casino games, which Gambling.com had built for their users. The 13 games are play for fun, offering Ludo Chips as the virtual currency. Ludo Chips will determine placement on Gambling.com leader boards and will be used to determine Gambling.com tournament winners.

Gambling.com has also focused on providing visitors up-to-date information about all forms of online gaming and offers casino and poker news, gambling horoscopes and blackjack tips in its news section. Gambling.com has also dedicated an additional page to poker room listings, providing an easy to use reference for the net’s most popular game.

To provide users with the ultimate in value, Gambling.com has created quick lists to the best casino and poker rooms on the net, and has listed best bonuses and offers on additional, easy to use, pages. The new site also includes an interactive voting section which helps gamblers help other gamblers by encouraging them to vote for top sites in a variety of categories like top online casino and best bingo site, and then displaying the results to guide newcomers.

“We are bringing the most sought after features to our visitors in what we feel is the easiest-to-use format online...” continued Rosenberg. “...we will continue to develop and add more features over time.”

iGGBA’s AGM is to be held at ICE.

iGGBA will hold its 4th Annual General Meeting on 27 January. The meeting will be held from 10:00 – 13:00 in the Cromwell Room, Earl's Court, London in association with the ICE-I exhibition.

The programme will feature speakers Sarah Thomas of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport who will speak about the developments of the UK Gambling Bill as it relates to remote gambling, as well as Nigel Payne, CEO of Sportingbet, who will consider the commercial future of the remote gambling market.

IGGBA Director Wes Himes states, 'This is a tremendous time for the remote gambling industry with the UK draft Gambling Bill in full flow and the EU Services Directive making its way through the European Parliament. We will be touching on this issues and welcome guests who want to see what iGGBA is all about.'

The Association will also elect a new iGGBA Council and the new Chairman on the day as well as cover major topical issues affecting the industry.

New advertising tool from Online gambling company.

GameAbyss.com has announced the acquisition of PartnerHits.com, a gambling related website page exchange. Presently casino reviews are performed by individual reviewers and presented at GameAbyss.com, while GameAbyss.net provides a search engine for Gambling and related sites. PartnerHits.com is the newest addition to the GameAbyss portals providing a gambling, and gambling related, webpage exchange.

PartnerHits.com allows gambling sites and gambling related sites to advertise in front of a highly targeted audience. By changing the focus of PartnerHits, which used to allow all types of sites to join to now only allowing gambling and related sites, the free advertising is now more targeted and effective.

Individuals leaving a gambling related site will now be shown another gambling related site. The individual is obviously looking for these types of sites and therefore the presentation of another is highly relevant. This allows the gambling or related site to be presented to the right person at the right time.

PartnerHits.com has over 2,000 website owners and will be actively marketing to increase the growth. A referral program also exists to further allow those that refer others to earn additional free exposures for their gambling related site.

Tsunami Relief : InterCasino’s $111,000 Donation.

Inspired by the enormous worldwide humanitarian response to the tsunami disaster in South-East Asia, the online casino industry has been galvanized into lending their support. The industry has been one the success stories in recent years, and this made two highly respected gaming portals and consumer watchdogs, CasinoMeister and Got2Bet.com, realise they were in a unique position to raise some serious money for the relief effort.

Last week, Bryan Bailey and Ted Loh, operators of the two sites respectively, joined forces and decided to auction off a prime advertising banner spot on each of their sites. The highest bidder, they said, would get to ‘own’ the coveted banner spots for twelve months and 100% of the proceeds will go to the tsunami fund.

The auction prompted a frenzy of bidding from the industry big hitters and within minutes of launching, bids had reached $20,000. When the auction closed one week later, the total stood at a staggering $111,000, with popular site InterCasino.com (www.InterCasino.com) and its sister casino VIPCasino (www.VIPCasino.com) taking the top spot.

Ryan Hartley, Casino Manager at InterCasino, said: “We’re really pleased that we’ve won the bid and we hope the money we’ve pledged will make a difference to people’s lives. UNICEF does such an important job around the world. The auction was a great idea and we hope that it will inspire our players to get out there and give them support.”

CasinoMeister Bryan Bailey said the success of the auction surpassed his wildest dreams. “I’m absolutely excited and enthused. We raised more than I ever expected and it’s all going to such an important cause.”

UNICEF has been tireless in fundraising and delivering relief to all areas affected by the disaster, and helping children all over the world.

Branson vision of casino gambling in the clouds.

The world’s biggest passenger airliner was presented to the world at a lavish ceremony attended by European leaders and almost 5 000 guests on Tuesday.
Virgin Atlantic’s owner Richard Branson says his new planes will be equipped with an in-flight casino with blackjack and roulette, as well as gyms and 35 private double beds when the Airbus starts flying in about three years’ time.
“Since you have gaming and you have private double beds, maybe there are two ways of getting lucky on a Virgin plane,” entrepreneur Branson told reporters in France.

Lucky survey by online casino.

The online slots site, Cyberslotz.co.uk has conducted its own survey into what the British people think is lucky. The researched revealed that there are over one million pairs of lucky knickers in Britain and Ozzy Osbourne, Wayne Rooney and Madonna are at the top of the chart that identifies the luckiest celebrities in Britain. Among the perceived unluckiest are Victoria Beckham and Men Behaving Badly star, Leslie Ash.

Although 77% of Britons believe that you have to make your own luck in life, most of us don't measure luck by fame, wealth and the associated accolades and plaudits. Happiness is what really counts.

Poll respondents unanimously said that people viewed as lucky all share a common trait - a sense of happiness and contentment - or so it appears on the surface. Camilla Parker, Bowles (18%) has got her man, Madonna (15%) seems to posses it all, Ozzy Osbourne (14%) has Sharon, while Robbie Williams (12%) and Wayne Rooney (9%) both have hugely successful careers.

Although we are generally a nation of cynics, 44% of Britons would define themselves as being lucky - lucky in love, money and ultimately in life. Of the 21% who believe in luck, 40% claim that a special number is likely to tip the balance of probability in their favour and increase their fortunes. And when it comes to the gender divide, one million women claim to own a lucky pair of knickers. Men however favour clothing such as football and sports tops, often believing that their effort will contribute to their team's success.

Brian Morgan, managing director of RAL Internet, the company that operates Cyberslotz, commented:

'Deep down, the majority of us know that a lucky object such as underwear or a special number won't increase our odds of winning something, being offered that great job, or even making us lucky in love.'

'What we do know is that certain objects and numbers give us that extra confidence and edge, making us believe that we can get what we really want out of life. Ultimately, the only way to be lucky is to increase and maximise your opportunities - and obviously if you don't play you can guarantee that you won't win,'

Mr Morgan, added: 'By no means are we suggesting that Britons should go out and blow their wages on gambling. People that play games to win prizes should only ever stake the amount they can afford, otherwise their luck may just run out!'

Online Casinos raise five grand for Tsunami disaster.

All the Vegas Partner Lounge Online Casinos (Crazy Vegas, Sun Vegas, Cinema, 777 Dragon, Maple, Casino US and Arthurian Casinos) donated 25% of casino profits on two of their games, Double Magic and Hi Five, to help the UNICEF initiative in the Tsunami stricken area.

The total of $4,247 was rounded up to $5,000 and will assist in the urgent humanitarian aid and critical need of basic care and support in the affected areas.

On behalf of the Vegas Partner Lounge Online Casinos, Sun Vegas Casino Manager Austin Green said, “We at Vegas Partner Lounge are happy to do our part. The whole world has shown such generosity in the face of such a disaster. A thank you must also go out to our players who have shown such willingness to help. This donation also comes from them.”

Online bingo giant offers monthly bonus package.

InterBingo.com has recently announced its new incentive. The online bingo site is offering monthly cash match bonuses of 100 per cent to its members. This means every month players will get double their deposit at the maximum specified on InterBingo's web site. This amount is currently a maximum of $90.

So for example, if you deposit $20, InterBingo will double your bankroll and you'll have $40 to play with.

If you deposit $50, you'll have $100. Deposit the maximum of $90 and you'll have a huge $180 to play bingo with.

Remember, this is monthly bonus, not a new player sign-up bonus. So regular players can enjoy the benefits of this bonus month on month.

Online Casino celebrates Australia Day.

All players who deposit $25 or more at Lasseters online casino, will receive an additional $10 bonus in celebration of Australia Day, on Wednesday 26th January 2005.

One bonus is available per player and in order to receive the bonus, players should contact Customer Support, quoting “Happy Australia Day” in the subject line of the email.


In addition, a fabulous slots tournament will be held on the Down Under slot where the 10 players accumulating the highest turnover on the Down Under slot will each receive a prize of US$100. Players must deposit a minimum of $10 to be eligible.

Texas reaps benefit from bingo charity prize offering.

The state of Texas has announced over $6 million in awards to cities and counties as a result of charitable bingo monies collected from big prize winners late last year.

Over 150 local authorities stand to benefit from the scheme, which is showing a near ten percent rise in collections from last year’s figures. Example awards include $120,455 to Harris County, one of the top five areas to receive funds.

'Thanks to the leaders in these local jurisdictions that see the social and charitable value of bingo, long-time fans, as well as new charitable bingo players can enjoy themselves playing bingo all they want,' said Billy Atkins, charitable bingo director of the Texas Lottery Commission. A 2.5 percent share of all bingo winnings goes to the state, distributed by the General Revenue Fund.

There are 1,329 conductors of charitable bingo in Texas. Players won a total of $104,429,138 in prizes in the third quarter of 2004, with $74.9 million of that from regular prizes and $29.5 million from instant pull tabs.

A Las Vegas casino granted new high rollers suite.

Las Vegas casino the Venetian welcomed news that a new private gaming salon could be opened on its site, after the State Gaming Control Board of Nevada announced the go-ahead yesterday.

The casino’s proposals were praised by the committee, who were impressed by an “aggressive, effective approach”, before voting unanimously to allow the suite. Private salons have attracted controversy because they allow gambling behind closed doors, but are deemed necessary to retain high money players.

The room, provisionally named the Paiza Club, will be located on the 36th floor of the resort, allowing enough space for a private gambler and three tables, plus several slot machines. Frederick Kraus, vice president of the Venetian, said they hoped to open the salon in March.
Las Vegas Sands Inc., who operate the Venetian and the recently opened Sands Macau, are also planning a second salon off the main casino that will be open to the public when not in private use.

Online Casino celebrates its millionth customer.

The betandwin Group, is giving away EUR 10,000 in cash to sports fans and betting enthusiasts. Anyone placing a bet with the betandwin Group on the Internet between 15 and 31 January 2005 qualifies to take part.

Betting with the betandwin Group now attracts twice as many customers as the UK’s second city- Birmingham.

'We are thrilled that our products have been so well received by sports and betting enthusiasts the world over,' comments Manfred Bodner, the betandwin Group's Co-CEO, on this success. 'A million registered customers is a fantastic recognition of our efforts. This is a clear mandate for us to continue our successful strategy in the future, too. We intend to expand our extensive range of bets and improve our quality even further, with the result that our customers will continue to enjoy an exciting betting experience in the future.'

New online skill gaming site launched.

Senticore has recently announced the release of its highly anticipated new Internet skill games site www.skillking.com.
CEO Jay Patel said, 'Today marks the first step in Senticore's entry into the world of Internet games and skill gaming, well ahead of our originally projected release schedule. We are excited to offer a fun, user friendly, low-cost game site for Internet aficionados.'

SkillKing.com is the end product of Senticore's strategic alliance partnership with SkillJam Technologies Corp., announced two months ago. There are literally dozens of games to choose from, including all the popular card games like poker and blackjack as well as trivia games, sports-related games and even arcade games.

Each new customer will receive a complimentary start up balance in their account of $6.00 to use while they become better acquainted to SkillKing.com. Many of the games will offer both low and high-stakes tournaments, which are designed to cater to players of all skill levels, from novices to professionals.
Unlike casino games, otherwise known as games of chance, a skill-based game is defined as a game whose outcome is predominantly determined by the respective skill level of a game's individual player. Skill gaming is one of the largest and fastest growing markets within the online sector because players feel they control their success.

Bluff Magazine Catches Poker Wave.

Bluff Magazine, now in its third issue, has been caught up in the poker phenomenon that is sweeping the nation. The magazine, in its third issue, has surpassed more traditional poker titles in terms of popularity and distribution by focusing on the new breed of poker enthusiast that has been spawned by the omnipresence of poker on television, in the papers and in the stores this Christmas season.

“We have been fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. The poker bug has bitten America, and we had the right blend of entertainment and information to become the nation’s best selling poker periodical,” said Editor Michael Caselli.

But it’s not just the poker players who are getting famous off America’s favorite card game. Bluff Magazine co-founders Eric Morris and Eddy Kleid have appeared in numerous television programs and publications, most recently on CNBC, talking about the poker craze.

More than 80 million Americans play poker at home, in card rooms and online, where over $170 million is wagered each day. If this trend continues, more than $250 million will be wagered on poker on the Internet alone each day by January 2006.

“We have seen an exponential growth in poker,” says Morris. “In our first issue we printed 90,000 copies. To meet demand, we increased our second print run to 150,000 copies, and our third issue will have 170,000 copies printed and distributed. Additionally, we’ve already confirmed that the print run for our fourth issue will exceed 200,000, further securing our position as the largest poker publication in the nation.”

It’s not just the public that are enamored with the game of poker; “Poker is huge in Hollywood,” says Kleid. “We have had James Woods and Donald Trump grace our covers, and Issue 3 will have Kevin Nealon on the cover to coincide with his hosting of the new TV show Poker Royale. There are a few new poker movies in the pipe and every channel seems to have something poker related in its line up – who knows how big this thing is going to get?”

With Bluff being sold in such mainstream outlets as Borders, Barnes & Noble, Wal-Mart and 7/11, it looks like poker has finally made it mainstream.

New S&M Director for online casino software company.

World Gaming plc a UK-based Internet gaming software company is pleased to announce the appointment of Jon Moss as Director of Sales and Marketing.

In keeping with the Board's stated strategies we are delighted to announce the appointment of Jon Moss.

Jon has been employed in line with the companies new strategy to reinvigorate sales and marketing efforts of the Company's leading gaming software.

Immediately prior to his appointment, Jon held the position of Business Development Director at WagerLogic Limited, the licensing and services subsidiary of CryptoLogic Inc., one of the industry's leading iGaming software providers.

Jon was successful in attracting high quality European brand-name clients to CryptoLogic's casino and poker solutions including Betfair, Littlewoods Gaming, The Ritz Club of London and ukbetting PLC. Jon has also played a key role in industry lobbying efforts related to the forthcoming UK Gambling Bill and is an experienced speaker at international iGaming conferences.

Commenting on the appointment, Daniel Moran, CEO said:

'Jon's proven track record in the iGaming industry fundamentally strengthens the Company's strategic direction to attract new high quality licensees and white label partners. In addition, Jon brings a wealth of experience to our management team. We are delighted to have Jon on board.'

10/1 Celebrity Big Brother Mass Walk-out.

William Hill are offering odds of 10/1 that all of the original housemates in Celebrity Big Brother will walk out before the end of the show. Hills also offer Even money that new arrival, Jackie Stallone, will walk out early.

'Once again a reality TV show has been disrupted by a new arrival - along with the betting', said William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe.

Hills now make Bez 7/4 favourite to win Big Brother and also offer: 5/2 Kenzie, 11/4 Jeremy Edwards, 8/1 Caprice, 10/1 John McCririck, 20/1 Jackie Stallone, 20/1 Brigitte Nielsen, 33/1 Lisa I'Anson.

Bookies All Shook Up.

After taking a number of large bets, bookies William Hill have slashed the odds on Elvis having the 1000th UK No.1 this weekend from even money to a 1/8 near certainty.

On Sunday Elvis racked up his 19th number 1 single and this weeks release of One Night looks almost certain to rack up his 20th No.1 on Sunday. There are a number of other contenders who are in with a sporting chance and Hills make Ciara, a 19 year old R & B act from the States, joint second favourite with the Scissor Sisters at 14/1. The outsiders include The Killers 20/1, Steve Brookstein 25/1 and the Roosters at 33/1.

'Last week we were offering Even money that Elvis would have the 1000th number one but we had not factored in the fanatical nature of Elvis fans. Judging by the weight of money that we have seen for Elvis it looks like the Elvis juggernaut is definitely on the road. That said, we probably owe Elvis fans a payout as we have a taken a number of bets over the years on Elvis to be found alive which is currently 1000/1.' said Hills spokesman Rupert Adams.

New Irish Online Casino.

LotteryExtra has re-launched its home site and has expanded its operations with a new online casino for European and Worldwide customers alike.

The LotteryExtra Casino includes a Lottery Draw every 60 seconds, Blackjack, Video Poker, Roulette, Slot Machines, Craps, instant win games and many more. You need to complete a simple casino registration form which is separate from your existing LotteryExtra.ie account and you will be able to play instantly.

They offer both play for fun or for real options, with full instructions for novice players who are eager to learn. All new accounts will qualify for a cash bonus with your first deposit.

Poker Royal battle of the sexes.

A new games format is just about to hit the screens, as men and women go head to head to see which sex is better at poker. Poker Royal Battle of the sexes, is a seven episode invitational tournament hosted by syndicated radio personality Tom Leykis, who is known for defense of the male species.

The announcement was made today by Ian Valentine, Senior Vice President of Programming, GSN. 'Based on the success of our first poker series, we wanted to follow with a second installment with a unique twist. Poker Royal, Battle of the sexes is entertaining and engaging for players of every skill level.'

Valentine continues, 'There's a real ongoing debate in the poker world as to whether the women are as good as the men. We sit our viewers right at the table to watch the play and hear the banter.'

Leykis, the controversial sharp-tongued broadcast radio personality, will undoubtedly root for the men. The 'Tom Leykis Show' has been syndicated from Los Angeles since 1994, and has developed its reputation as a forum on male/female issues. In the ladies corner is TV personality Kennedy, who will lend her sassiness to the women's corner.

The championship includes the world's top players including Chris Moneymaker (2003 World Series of Poker 1st place), Paul Wolfe (2003 World Championship Online Poker final runner up), Greg 'Fossilman' Raymer (2004 World Series of Poker 1st place), Amir Vahedi (2001 No Limit Texas Hold'em Player of the Year), Layne Flack (5 Time World Series of Poker Champion) and Antonio Esfandiari (World Poker Tour first place champion). In the women's corner are Kathy Liebert (2002 Party Poker Millio champion), Jennifer Harman (World Poker Tour Bellagio 4th place), Evelyn Ng (World PokerTour Ladies Night 2nd place), Karina Jett, Kristy Gazes (2001 World Series of Poker Shoe 5th place) and Clonie Gowen (World Poker Tour Ladies Night champion).

In each of the first six episodes of POKER ROYALE: BATTLE OF THE SEXES three men and three women from the teams of men and women will play a game of No Limit Texas Hold'Em. Every episode champion wins $10,000 and six points.

The player who finishes second receives five points, third place receives fourpoints, fourth place receives three points, fifth place receives two points and last place receives one point. In the seventh episode's final match, the top three point leaders for the men and women will face off for the championship. The winner of the tournament takes home $100,000 and wins an extra $30,000 to be split among the remaining team members.

US Launches WTO Appeal

According to Bloomberg, the United States has, as expected, last week appealed against the World Trade Organization’s ruling that its stance towards online gaming violates global trade agreements. Last November the tiny Caribbean island of Antigua won its case against the US, with WTO Arbiters stating: “The U.S. measures prohibit online gambling in a manner inconsistent with the Geneva-based trade body's rules. We have not decided that WTO members do not have a right to regulate, including a right to prohibit, gambling and betting activities.”

Despite being the world’s biggest consumer of internet gambling, America has said that the decision will not force it to change its gambling legislation. The US has even stated that, should its appeal not be upheld, it could ‘alter its commitments’ to the WTO.

Lode Van Den Hende, a trade lawyer at Herbert Smith in Brussels who represented Antigua in the case, told Bloomberg that: “The U.S. could consider changing its commitments, but the question is whether that would be easy or wise in the broader context' of rules governing commercial services, because it would reduce faith in the system.”

Report Published on Doomed Betting Exchange

Menzies Corporate, administrators of collapsed betting exchange Sporting Options, have published their report today, revealing the full extent of the firm’s failure. According to Menzies, the betting exchange ceased trading with debts of £5.4m, including £3.5m owed to its customers. The report also states that Kevin Griffiths, managing director, lost £1.1m of his own money by 'seeding' Sporting Options in an attempt to create liquidity.

The reports said that the seeding process started in 2002 soon after the launch of the company. This meant that the company was operating more like a bookmaker, with money at risk, as opposed to a betting exchange: “After the launch,' states the report, 'it became immediately clear to management that in, order to develop, it would be necessary to seed the markets to create liquidity and attain a critical mass of clients to support the business model.'

When administrators were called in, the company had only £100,000 left of the ‘ring-fenced’ £3.6m clients' accounts and owed £250,000 to the inland revenue. Thanks to Betfair’s rescue package, however, all money owed will be repaid. Betfair has already paid out £1 million to Sporting Options' customers

Sportsbook.com Matches Customer Donations for Tsunami Relief

'A tragedy as vast and visible as the South Asia Tsunami touches everyone around the world,' says Alex Czajkowski, Marketing Director, Sportsbook.com. 'We want to offer our U.S. customers a chance to support those ravaged by this disaster. Sportsbook.com will then match their generosity dollar-for-dollar.'

Sportsbook.com has partnered with Northwest Medical Teams International, a non profit humanitarian aid organization working to reduce suffering around the world and in the Pacific Northwest.

'We chose to partner with Northwest Medical because 98 per cent of the donations received go directly to their humanitarian programs and every $1 donated equals $85 in life-saving supplies,' said Czajkowski. 'In addition, all of Northwest Medical supplies are donated by major U.S. medical and pharmaceutical companies.'

To donate, Sportsbook.com customers can simply log on to the site with their customer ID number and enter in a donation amount. Individuals not currently enrolled with Sportsbook.com can also participate by registering through the site and receiving an ID number.

'We are overwhelmed with Sportsbook.com's offer and generosity,' says Paul Morrissey, Special Programs Coordinator, Northwest Medical Teams. 'This donation will mean so much to our organization, our volunteer teams and most important, the tens of thousands of suffering victims in South Asia.'

Please visit www.sportsbook.com/asiafund.html for more information or to make a donation.

Software company snaps up sports information provider

CES Software plc has entered into a conditional agreement to acquire the entire issued share capital of Corcom, and certain assets associated with Corcom's business, Don Best Sports.

Don Best is a leading Internet sports information provider, based in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Its core business is publishing exclusive, real-time wagering odds on the Internet for its Internet subscriber base.

The consideration for the acquisition of Don Best is the payment to the sellers of US$ 40 million in cash, the issuance of one million CES ordinary shares on completion, and the issuance of a maximum of one million further Ordinary Shares pursuant to an earn-out.

Dana Corbo, Don Best’s President and CEO, and the other members of the Don Best management team have agreed to continue to perform in their current roles and will remain with the business following the completion of the acquisition.

Lorne Abony, Chief Executive Officer of CES, remarked: “We believe that the Don Best acquisition represents an enormous leap forward for the Company in terms of its growth in new markets and new distribution channels. Our goal is to leverage the Internet to offer more value and choice for players—and the acquisition of Don Best is directly in line with our strategy. Furthermore, the Don Best business is in keeping with our overall corporate goals of meaningful revenue and earnings growth. With strong, complementary business units, we look forward to an exciting 2005.”

Online sport betting site goes Turkish.

Interactive Systems Worldwide has announced that Global Interactive Gaming has expanded its agreement with SportingBet, one of the world's largest Internet sports betting companies.

SportXction play-by-play sports betting service was incorporated into their Turkish wagering website superbahis.com on December 21, 2004.

This new website will offer wagering on the same range of sports that are currently offered on SportingBet's other UK and international web sites, which include soccer, tennis, golf, cricket, rugby and snooker.

Bernard Albanese, President of ISWI, stated, 'We are pleased to extend this relationship with SportingBet, one of the world's most popular Internet sports betting and gaming companies. Only a few weeks ago we added Spain, and now we can add Turkey to our growing list of countries that also include the UK, Greece and Ireland, where our service is available. Our multi-currency and multi-language enhancements to the system have allowed this expansion and we will continue to increase our coverage of international events to meet the needs of our global partners.'

New Game Developer Launches In The UK.

Electracade have over three years prior industry experience in supplying and developing gaming content, specialising in creating online, FOBT, mobile and iTV gaming content with the emphasis on unique softer gaming product.

The interactive gaming market has shown significant growth alongside the traditional Casino and Poker products, offering players a wider choice of interactive content. Owner Mark Paling said, “Companies who have expanded their product portfolio whether it be via the web iTV and mobile etc are seeing genuine growth and creating additional player loyalty.”

Electracade are building a significant portfolio of games including slot machines, Hi Lo games, Keno products and numerous original gaming concepts.

“Our philosophy is to provide added value to our customers by supplying original state of the art gaming content with truly compelling products which will not only drive players to our customers sites but provide an additional incentive for them to return.”

Paling added, “As players ourselves, we realize the importance of putting the fun aspect into our products. The player who bets on softer gaming products is looking for more than just a specific flutter, they are looking for entertainment. It’s our aim to provide it!”

AbsolutePoker donates for absolute disaster.

AbsolutePoker.com has announced that it will donate all tournament fees from this Saturday's event to the International Red Cross to be dedicated to helping those people injured or left homeless by last weekend's earthquake and subsequent tsunamis in Southeast Asia.

Poker Room Manager Gian Perroni estimates that this amount will reach $25,000, and plans are in the works to provide additional opportunities for players to also make direct donations.

'We have an incredibly generous group of players on our site,' said Mr. Perroni, 'and we believe that they will join us in trying to make an effort to help those that have suffered too greatly this past week.'

In addition to the overall tournament buy-in fees, AbsolutePoker will be hosting a special Tsunami Tourney on Wednesday, January 5, in order to raise funds.

Danish player wins $198,292 on Online Slot Machine.

InterCasino (www.intercasino.com) player, known by his username ‘Sture’, conquered online slot machine Rags to Riches with Viking-like celerity after just $21 of play. Sture, 38 year-old from Denmark, was playing the generous progressive early yesterday morning after his girlfriend left for work. Sture planned on playing through around $20 and then calling it quits; but luckily for him, he played an extra spin and on the 21st dollar Sture hit the jackpot for a staggering $198,292.

“I have been a player at InterCasino for about six months, and I have always liked InterCasino.com. I play slots and European Roulette – just a little Roulette, five dollars on black or red once and a while - but Roulette never paid out $198,292!” said an excited Sture.

Sture isn’t what most casinos consider a high roller, Sture bets for entertainment and makes each bet last. In fact, Sture says he has only wagered about two thousand dollars since joining InterCasino, and by his accounting he was already up one thousand before hitting his MEGA-Jackpot.

“I knew I could win a jackpot but I never expected to. Of course, each spin I make, I want to win it – and this time I did. I was stunned, I just sat in front of my computer for a minute or two without moving or saying anything,” confesses Sture.

InterCasino manager Ryan Hartley wasn’t stunned by Sture’s big win: “Rags to Riches was at nearly $200,000 when Sture won, and the game has a history of paying out around that number.” Hartley commented. He also offered this tip... “Our Millionaires Club’s progressive jackpot is currently at about $425,000, and we are keeping our eye out for a big winner at Millionaires Club very, very soon.”

What will the lucky Danish jackpot winner be doing with his winnings? “I don’t plan any big changes in my life. I will invest most of the money that I’ve won, but I think I’ll be taking some of it to buy a new black and chrome Harley Davidson this coming summer.

New database to aid investment in the gambling industry

Consulting firm MECN has launched a new database which will aid investment in the gambling industry in response to a report published last year.

The report entitled 'Investing in the Gambling/Gaming Industry' received a very positive response, and has caused MECN to launch an extended version of its investment database for the gambling/gaming industry.

Martin Oelbermann, responsible partner at MECN, said, 'There are plenty of promising gambling/gaming ventures that could easily attract financial investors - the investors just have to know about them'.


If a gambling company is looking for investors or if financial investors are interested in potential investments in the gambling industry, they can now register free in the database. MECN will collect all requests and will make them available on a regular basis.

New odds on the first of the football managers to quit

William Hill have slashed Sam Allardyce from 50/1 to 8/1 to be the next Premiership manager to leave his club before the end of the 2004/5 season after Bolton's string of successive defeats.

But the Bolton manager is still only fifth favourite, with Bryan Robson currently 5/2 market leader, with Hills also offering 6/1 for both Chris Coleman and Kevin Keegan.

Hills are also offering 11/4 that no further managers will depart before the end of the current season.

Online Casino bid for bowl

Bodog.com Sports Casino Poker has announced that it has sent a $50 million Bodog Bowl game offer to the NCAA Athletic Committee, Auburn University, USC, and Oklahoma University.

With Auburn having defeated Virginia Tech this evening in the Sugar Bowl, there will be two undefeated teams in the NCAA as both USC and Oklahoma have 12-0 records. Bodog.com will host the Bodog Bowl to put finality to the NCAA Football National Championship.

Calvin Ayre, Founder and CEO of Bodog.com Sports Casino Poker said, 'Every major sport can only have one undisputed victor at the conclusion of the playoffs, however the current BCS system does not allow this to happen, which is why we are offering this bowl game to end all bowl games,'

He continued 'We are issuing formal offers to all three schools and the NCAA directly, and we hope that this game can become a reality so all sports fans and supporters will know who the real National Champion is this year.'

Bodog.com has pledged US $50 million to make this game happen, and with the breakdown of cash distribution, all parties involved stand to gain a significant sum in participating in this game. Each of the two schools involved will receive a US $15 million scholarship fund for their participation, with the eventual winner taking home a secondary US $15 million scholarship fund. The final US $5 million will be allocated to the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee.

Fans of the game have been up in arms for years over the crowning of a National Champion, and with another season coming to end with two undefeated teams Bodog.com has come up with a winning formula to settle the questions. This offer is being extended to all parties who would be involved, and we hope to see this game happen for the sake of all the NCAA Football fans.

'We see this as an extremely viable and lucrative offer which should be taken very seriously by all the parties involved,' said Calvin Ayre. 'We have over 150,000 clients that would love to see this game happen, and that does not account for the millions of people across the country that would also like to see this game.'

Online Gambling search engine reports mammoth growth

GameAbyss.com announced the launch of its Gambling Search Engine, GameAbyss.net at the beginning of November 2004. In less than three months GameAbyss.net has generated substantial search engine traffic. According to Alexa, an Amazon.com company (AMZN), GameAbyss.net ended the year with a ranking of 64,611 on 12/31/04 and according to Ranking.com ended the year with a ranking of 48,412.

In this short period of time over 100 affiliates have joined the affiliate program, increasing the reach across the Internet. GameAbyss.net search results are provided through the site as well as affiliate sites that provide GameAbyss.net search boxes.

Both GameAbyss.com and GameAbyss.net ended the year 2004 with rankings in the top 100,000 sites on the web.

I bet on my life

A British man celebrated his 100th birthday more than £7000 richer on Sunday after placing a bet 10 years ago on his own long life expectancy.

Sunday was Arthur Best’s 100th birthday, and as well as receiving a telegraph from the Queen, he received his winnings after betting on his own life expectancy. He placed the bet ten years ago with 66:1 odds to win the celebratory sum.

A birthday party was thrown in his honour in the town of Shrewsbury in eastern England to which the guard of honour of his old regiment with which he served in India and Burma was invited.

Betfair Bowl to Replace Martell Cup

Betfair has taken over the sponsorship of the Martell Cup at Aintree, renaming it the Betfair Bowl, and further strengthening its ties with British horseracing. The three-year deal will position the world’s leading betting exchange as official betting partner to the John Smith’s Grand National meeting.

The deal will give Betfair a heavy brand presence at the famous meet, which has a 600 million worldwide audience; according to the Racing Post, the company will also supply the official betting prices, which means that for the first time ever the official Grand National odds will be represented in decimals, not fractions.

Betfair will have sponsored 141 races this year, comprising over £1m in prize-money.

Spread-betting Firm Fined for Misleading Public

The Financial Services Authority, the City of London’s financial watchdog, has hit Spread Betting Firm Cantor Index with a £70,000 fine, for failing to sufficiently highlight the pitfalls of spread betting in one of their recent marketing campaigns. The campaign offered those who signed up to its telephone service a free Xda combined handheld computer and mobile phone but, according to the FSA, failed to warn that unsuccessful spread betting could result in the punter losing more than his initial deposit.
Although the adverts contained risk warnings the FSA argued they were not prominent enough, and the authority criticised Cantor for specifically targeting customers with little experience of spread betting.

Anna Bradley, director of the FSA retail themes division, said: 'Cantor Index should have paid more attention to the greater potential risk posed to less experienced investors and the greater need to ensure that the risks associated with spread betting were likely to be understood by them. This should have been done through robust systems and control.'

The FSA, however, said that Cantor acted swiftly in addressing these failings and that no one had lost as a direct result of the campaign.