Nambling Notes - Feb. 6, 2003

News from the UK -- The U.K. Telegraph reported recently that Londoner Azad Mahomed has been banned from certain online gaming events for electronically spying on other players' cards. Mahomed, an online bridge player, went online during bridge competitions and looked at other players' cards after signing on as a spectator with a different name. He has been banned from English Bridge Union online competitions.

Tidbit from the IOM -- NewMediaAge is reporting today that several online casinos licensed in the Isle of Man are considering pulling out of the jurisdiction. Kerzner International announced last week that it is throwing in the towel on its online version of Casino Atlantis. The publication also reports that Club Fiore is considering moving its operations to the Kahnawake jurisdiction in Canada and that a marketing representative from MGM Mirage is calling Isle of Man's online gaming regulations "myopic."

Data Hub -- During the last fiscal year, Nevada's casinos posted a collective loss of $33.5 million. As the Las Vegas Sun reports, this marks the first time the industry has not achieved a profit in the last 15 years. According to the state's Gaming Control Board, profits after asset write-downs were 105 percent lower than during the 2001 fiscal year.

Bit from Asia -- The executive director of racing for the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, told the South China Morning Post today that Hong Kong can learn from the techniques used by the Netherlands to keep unauthorized online gambling from being offered to its citizens. A Dutch court recently ruled that Ladbrokes must block all Dutch punters from its site because the sports betting group is not licensed to offer online gambling to Dutch citizens. In May, Hong Kong passed the Betting Ordinance, which makes it illegal for offshore gaming sites, including operators like Ladbrokes, to take Hong Kong bets. "The case establishes a precedent and is going to impact on how Internet operators are able to do business," Engelbrecht-Bresges said. "This is a significant step in Europe and I expect other racing authorities will be looking at a similar solution."