Nambling Notes - April 12, 2002

Tidbit from South America -- GTECH is the winner of a contract to provide on-line and real-time lottery services for the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. GTECH will be providing games development, systems management and operations. In addition, Santa Catarina will launch another Internet bingo site on April 15. The game's software was developed by BC Games and has been give regulatory approval by the Santa Catarina State Lottery.

New Stuff -- Toronto-based Phantom Fiber Inc. is launching a wireless software framework that will allow Internet casino software creators and operators to offer interactive gambling on hand-held devices including cell phones and PDAs. Jeff Halloran, president and CEO, said the software uses data streaming rather than 3G technology. Bentley Communications Corp. is releasing its ATM@HOME technology, which it says will allow Internet gamblers to receive instant payouts from online wagering sites. The machine is described by Bentley as a small keypad device that plugs into a computer's USB port. The launch of three new progressive games on the Jackpot Madness network has upped payouts to record highs, the Curacao-based gaming company reports. The network, which includes 60 casinos, has awarded more than $60 million in payouts, pushing Jackpot Madness beyond its growth projections, said Marilyn Glazier, a Jackpot Madness press agent.

Legal Stuff -- The Las Vegas Sun reports that MGM Mirage's recent attempt to halt alleged trademark infringement has been turned down by U.S. District Judge Lloyd George. MGM Mirage had sued two online casino operators based in North Miami Beach. The companies, Riverwood Resources Corp. and Stargate Enterprises Group Inc. , operated I-gaming sites including "mgmcasinoandsportsbook.com" and "miragecasinoandsportsbook.com" from Antigua. George said MGM Mirage did not meet the requirements to justify a temporary restraining order against the companies.

Makin' Deals -- Interactive Gaming & Wagering, a subsidiary of Global Entertainment Holdings, announced this week that it has sold a license to BlackJackPlayer.com. The site was launched on Wednesday after a record three-week development process, IGW said. BlackJackPlayer.com is operated by IGW's strategic partner, VIP Services. Trident Entertainment Group has acquired KingNeptunesCasino.com. The gaming site offers games by Microgaming Systems and is licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. Orbis Development Inc. and Unified Gaming Software said they have reached an agreement about licensing of their jointly developed online wagering product. The product allows for online betting on pari-mutuel racing; Orbis expects a definitive agreement to be reached by April 30. The software was recently beta-tested by WWW Global Interamericana Ltd. , an Orbis subsidiary.

US Tidbit -- Casino win in Nevada increased 7.7 percent in February, the first month-to-month increase since August. According to the Nevada Gaming Control Board, casino win rose by $54.1 million to $752.6 million. In January win dropped by 14.8 percent; it dropped by 7.5 percent in both November and December. Compared to February 2001, however, casino win was down 4.9 percent statewide and down 10.2 on the Strip. Alan Feldman, senior vice president of MGM Mirage, said the economic recovery of the state's gaming industry is far from complete. "I think there's a lot of misunderstanding of where the industry is right now," he said.

Names and Faces Changing Places -- Lottomatica, an Italian lottery operator, has appointed Marco Staderini as its chairman. Antonio Belloni has been named vice chairman of Lottomatica and Rosario Bifulco has been named managing director. Grand Virtual announced changes to its management team on Tuesday. The new lineup includes David Solomont as president, Bob Cahill as CFO, Marc Camm as senior vice president of marketing, Keary Griffin as vice president of development, Dickson Jay as vice president of business development and Keith Trexler as director of product management. Stewart S. Miller has joined VirtGame as an advisor. Miller, an author of 10 books and hundreds of magazine articles on computers, is the former director of IBM's CyberSecurity.