European Commission Ruling

Friday  marks the end of the two month deadline that came with the stage two ‘reasoned opinion’ issued by the European Commission on March 21st 2007, requesting the countries of Denmark, Finland and Hungary to modify their current restrictive online gambling positions.

If the countries do not become compatible with higher level EU laws that permit companies licensed anywhere in the EU to freely move goods and services across EU state borders ,then the European Commission could move onto stage three, where the countries can face possible litigation in the European Court of Justice.

But a report from Swedish economic journal, Veckans Affarer, suggests that the Swedish finance ministry, Mr Borg, is working on a licensing and taxation regime so tough that it would deter all but the most determined foreign competitors.

UK Gambling Commission receive over 2000 licence applications

A recent report on the Gambling Commission website stated;
Applications for operating licences flooded in to the Gambling Commission during the final week before the continuation rights deadline on 27 April.  2,357 licence applications were received which the Commission estimate covers the vast majority of those entitled to continuation rights.

Licensing staff worked all through the weekend to register the applications.  Those that met the deadline are still being processed and are guaranteed continuation rights.

“We are pleased that the vast majority of gambling operators have got the message about the deadline for guaranteed continuation rights,” said Hazel Canter, the Commission’s Director of Licensing, and Compliance.
“Continuation rights mean existing businesses that sent their application in before 27 April can continue to run their businesses without interruption after 1 September 2007, even if their operating licence has not been determined by the Commission.

  Not all existing businesses need new licences for 1 September to continue to operate, but those that do but who have not yet applied need to get their applications in as soon as possible.  The Commission will use its best endeavours to process such applications by 1 September but if they are not licensed by 1 September operators will have to close their business until their application is decided.”

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Rumors abound of Yahoo and Microsoft Merger

Many sources since Friday have been reporting that US software giant Microsoft Corp and web portal Yahoo Inc are exploring a merger or alliance to better compete against Google Inc, but both are remaining tight-lipped about the rumors.

Yahoo’s share price leaped approximately 18 percent as the reports leaked; whilst Microsoft’s slipped slightly after the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post reported that the technology titans might unite to take on Internet search powerhouse Google.

The Journal backed off the report late on Friday, citing anonymous sources as saying that merger discussions took place in recent months but ‘are no longer active’ but the two companies ‘may still explore other ways of cooperating’.

The rumors are at odds with the mood at Yahoo, where morale and optimism have been buoyed in recent months with the successful launch of its new Panama online advertising platform.

Several sources state that when contacted, representatives from Yahoo and Google said they would not comment on speculation or rumors.

Some analysts were skeptical of the notion of an acquisition, saying Yahoo was regaining its footing in the market after a rough patch and had little to gain by selling out to Microsoft.

“Count me among the skeptics; I don’t think it’s going to happen”, said analyst Matt Rosoff of Directions on Microsoft, which tracks the firm.

“I don’t understand what Yahoo would get out of the deal, and there are people there who don’t want to work for Microsoft,” he said.

Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang is reportedly among those averse to working for Microsoft, which technology entrepreneurs in California’s famed Silicon Valley area notoriously regard as a menacing institutional empire.

Matt Rosoff expressed his opinion that “Microsoft and Yahoo could easily be discussing some kind of partnership, perhaps in the area of Internet search or e-mail, where Yahoo has profited and Microsoft has suffered”.

“An outright acquisition would be very expensive, the future growth is not there; there are different cultures, and there is a ton of overlap, implying one would have to shut down what they have to offer.”

At an informal gathering in San Francisco on Thursday, Yahoo executives spoke enthusiastically about the company’s confidence in Panama and told of plans to roll out a host of new products and services.

A year ago, the two had explored the idea of combining to form a greater competitor to search-engine giant Google, but the talks “led nowhere.

Combining the online search engines of Yahoo and Microsoft would give the companies about a quarter of a market ruled by Google.

In March, Google commanded a 48 percent share of the US search market, trailed by Yahoo at 27.5 percent and Microsoft at 11 percent, according to the latest data from comScore Media Metrix.

It is said that Microsoft and Yahoo are strongly motivated to find ways to dethrone Google and the combined mass of the two companies’ client and consumer bases could generate a viable competitor to Google on both the desktop and the mobile device.

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PartyGaming fights affiliate fraud

Online gambling Company PartyGaming has reportedly subscribed to a large affiliate fraud-monitoring contract with Envisional.

Envisional claim that almost all of the big Hollywood studios use them to track movie piracy, as well as global banks, oil majors, software giants, drugs firms, and multi-national food companies.

Envisional will utilise its A31 intelligent search technology to identify, analyse and verify all suspected cases of affiliation to PartyGaming’s six main websites and detect any abuse of PartyGaming’s name and brands.

Envisional’s A3I – Advanced Automated Artificial Intelligence technology scans the World Wide Web for text, logos or images including those used on blogs, auction sites, trade boards, Internet Relay Chat channels and peer-to-peer networks, listing results in order of urgency and importance.

Martin Weigold, Group Finance Director with executive responsibility for corporate social responsibility at PartyGaming, said: ‘We take our legal obligations and ethical responsibilities very seriously.  Envisional’s advanced artificial intelligence capabilities will help us ensure continued compliance with strict marketing regulations, as well as protect the party brands in which we have invested so heavily over the years.’

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BetonSports ready to plead guilty

Reports are circulating that the troubled online gambling firm BetonSports, is ready to plead guilty to a range of racketeering and wire fraud charges against the company in a plea agreement with the US Department of Justice.

Acting on advice from the company’s American lawyers, Clive Parritt, the chairman, has reportedly said a settlement would prevent any as yet un-indicted cases being brought against the board of directors, which includes Lord Glentoran, the Tory shadow minister for Northern Ireland.

BetonSports was one of several online gambling companies plunged into crisis when it was forced to suspend all operations in the lucrative US market after America introduced a controversial ban on offshore internet gambling.  But the US argues that prohibitions predating the October law apply.

Several British executives have been arrested, including BetonSports chief executive David Carruthers who has been under house arrest in Missouri since last summer pending charges of running an illegal gambling enterprise.  His arrest came about whilst he was changing planes in the US during a trip to Costa Rica.  Then in March the US authorities arrested BetonSports founder and long-term fugitive Gary Kaplan in the Dominican Republic.

It is claimed that the rest of the management team, which sacked Carruthers following his arrest, has been in delicate negotiations with the US authorities ever since.  Although a final settlement document is yet to be received from the DoJ, it is said that Parritt appears ready to sign.  Creditors and shareholders will be updated at a meeting on May 16 which will also see BetonSports plc go into liquidation.

One report claims Parritt said: “We are close to an agreement with the DoJ under which the case against BetonSports will be closed.  We will agree the company has been associated with being part of an ‘illegal gambling enterprise’ between 1992 and 2006 but essentially we are being penalised for buying the company from Kaplan.”

He added “US customers are still owed money by the main subsidiary, BetonSports Antigua, which is also being wound down.  This deal will allow the liquidators to deal fairly with the creditors of BetonSports plc.  Without such an agreement the liquidators would have to manage the continuing case in the US.”

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