Nambling Notes | July 11, 2008

FARING WELL Gaming VC Holdings, an online gambling operator in Luxembourg, revealed total revenue for the first six months of the 2008 fiscal year was up 15 percent on strong trading in its German casino business.

Revenue across its three main revenue-generative properties -- casino, poker and sports betting -- was up 12 percent, 46 percent and 117 percent, respectively, against the second half of the 2007 fiscal year.

"The results of the first half demonstrate the continued growth of the business," Kenneth Alexander, the company's chief executive, said in a prepared statement. "This despite the expected adverse effects of Euro 2008 on the Casino and Poker business."

Most recently, Gaming VC launched its Spanish-language bingo offering, Winzingo.com, on software from Parlay Entertainment Inc.

While revenues for Winzingo.com, which targets the Spanish female demographic, were not reported, for sake of comparison, 888 Holdings said in May that second-quarter net gaming revenue was rising due, in part, to strong trading in its 888Ladies bingo offering.

In Friday's trading update, the company said it remains in bid negotiations with a third party, the identity of whom the company has yet to publicly release.

ON THE UP In the highly competitive online poker business, PKR.com of Alderney has jumped two places on PokerScout.com, a Web site that ranks poker sites by seven-day average player counts.

The company has passed the poker networks of CryptoLogic Ltd. and Entraction Holding A.B., and now sits in 15th place with a seven-day average of 670.

PKR.com's next closest opponent that does not take United States play is ParadisePoker.com, owned by 888 Holdings in Gibraltar, with a seven-day average of 1,000.

Far and away the strongest poker network currently is PokerStars.com, with over 21,000 real-money players, though PokerStars is one of few poker networks left that successfully target the United States market.