Nambling Notes - Sep 28, 2001

A Tidbit from South America -- The provider of simulcast racing in Brazil, Carnegie Cooke & Company, announced last week that its IBM data command headquarters in Porto Alegre has been completed and that its newly mechanized jockey clubs have increased betting revenue by 88 percent. Internet betting could be in the future for the 22 clubs, which Carnegie Cooke is mechanizing as per its contract with the Brazilian Association of Jockey Clubs in order to streamline the country’s manual betting system.

A Tidbit from the U.K. -- The British Tote said Tuesday that it will now accept single bets on non-televised Premiership football games—a move that marks the end of one of the few major restrictions on British betting. Timed to coincide with the abolition of the betting tax, scheduled for Oct. 6, the Tote’s decision will allow for an increase in betting turnover for Premiership games. “In the past, with tax being paid, football odds were often too short to attract single bets,” said Matt Chapman, the Tote’s public relations director. “But with tax disappearing, backing at short odds has now become much more profitable and attractive.”

A Tidbit from the U.S. -- Former Nevada Sen. Richard Bryan told an audience of online and land-based gaming professionals on Wednesday not to expect U.S. Congress to address Internet gambling-related legislation anytime soon. While speaking at a reception for the Interactive Gaming Expo and Conference in Las Vegas, Bryan said Congress is concentrating on policy relating to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 and that bills not pertaining to the crisis are not high priorities. "In light of the Sept. 11 events, the (congressional) focus has shifted," Bryan said. "No one is talking about Social Security or Medicare." Before the attacks, it was speculated for several weeks that U.S. legislators fueling the Internet gambling prohibition movement were on the verge of taking another crack at getting something passed. Rep. James Leach's, R-Iowa, Unlawful Internet Gambling Funding Prohibition Act and Rep. John LaFalce's, D-N.Y., Internet Gambling Payments Prohibition Act were awaiting committee action and Rep. Robert Goodlatte, R-Virg., had indicated several times that he was close to reintroducing his prohibition bill. If Bryan's words hold true, it won't be the first time Internet gambling prohibition takes a back seat to a more pressing issue. With the Kyl bill already passed in the Senate and Goodlatte's House version gaining momentum, the prohibition effort was brushed aside during the Clinton impeachment hearings of '98.

New Stuff -- On Thursday Real Entertainment Ltd. launched RaceBook.com, a site dedicated to pari-mutuel wagering that will take bets on horse racing, harness racing and greyhound racing. The site features live Webcasts of each race and also offers casino, lottery and bingo games. RaceBook.com accepts bets on events at Monticello Raceway in Monticello, New York; Northfield Park in Northfield, Ohio; Scarborough Downs in Scarborough, Maine; Phoenix Greyhound Park in Phoenix, Ariz.; Tucson Greyhound Park in Tucson, Ariz.; Dania Jai Alai in Dania, Fla.; and Miami Jai Alai in Miami.

Names and Faces Changing Places -- British Sky Broadcasting Group appointed David Evans as its independent non-executive director. Evans was most recently the president and CEO of Crown Media Holdings Inc.

Help to WCT Victims -- OmniCasino.com pledged a portion of its revenue from online gambling to the victims and families affected by the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Calling itself a “long-time foe of the U.S. government, Attorney General (John) Ashcroft and even Janet Reno before him,” the Internet casino said that even though the United States is trying to abolish Net betting, it feels compelled to help the tragedies’ victims. OmniCasino.com will be donating to the American Red Cross and the New York Firefighters Fund.

Makin’ Deals -- Millennium Software Inc. on Thursday announced that its subsidiary, Millennium Software and Systems Inc. has licensed its Internet gaming software to Numura Technologies International. The one-year master license agreement allows Marshall Islands-based Numura use of Millennium’s package of casino games, sports wagering and a government-sponsored lottery system.

Delaware-based WagerWorks Inc. and Orbis, a NDS Group plc company, said Thursday that they will work together to develop an online wagering platform. The platform is to include casino games and sports wagering.

The Chance Group, an Isle of Man-based company that oversees and regulates accredited Internet gambling sites, announced Wednesday that its ChanceRewards program has signed an agreement and paid a fee to join pointxchange. ChanceRewards is a loyalty program for online gamblers that rewards players for each wager they make; pointxchange is a loyalty-based currency exchange.

Legal Stuff -- In a vote of 125-18, the Philippines’ House of Representatives approved a bill on money laundering last week. The country was given a deadline of Sept. 30 to authorize a law against money laundering in order to avoid international financial sanctions. House Bill 3038 was expected to be signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Friday. The bill, which needs to be reconciled with the Senate’s version, sets the amount a transaction needs to be in order to be classified as suspicious at 5 million pesos and calls for the creation of an anti-money laundering unit that will be supervised by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. A person found guilty of money laundering will face between seven and 14 years in prison and a fine of at least 1 million pesos.