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The electronic money solution Ukash has recently explanded their operations in Europe. Ukash is an e-wallet that works already with gambling sites, such as Ladbrokes, 888.com, PartyBets and bwin and was available until now in UK, Germany and Spain.
According with their official press release, Ukash is now available in 16 additional European countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden.
Basically, Ukash is a pre-paid card, a voucher that can be purchased by cash at retailers or through the buyer’s bank, and the 19 digit voucher number can be despatched to the buyer via email or SMS for immediate online use at any company that accepts this.
The information has already been picked up by some blogs that have explained the system.
Ukash is very safe, since the 19 digit code is unique and it was created by Smart Voucher Ltd., a company authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority in the United Kingdom as an electronic money institution.
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A report published by the research group MECN predicts that Italian Gambling market will grow with 64% until 2010. Internet Betting is one of the biggest growth driver !
Accordingly with the new decisions of the European Court of Justice, at the
beginning of 2007 nearly 14.000 new betting licenses (for sports and horse race betting
shops/terminals) were awardedm, including major companies of global gambling:
Ladbrokes, Intralot, William Hill, Betfair, Gala/Eurobet, etc.
Also more than 30 new online/interactive gambling operators obtained a license and will push the market forward to new heights.
The study identifies several reasons why Italy is perceived as so attractive:
- Another phase of liberalisation is expected in the near future – Two-thirds of the experts surveyed expect another phase of liberalisation in the near future that will go even further than the steps planned for 2007.
- Growing relevance of foreign operators – A large majority of the experts believe that by 2010 international operators, such as Ladbrokes and Intralot, will capture a relevant share of the gambling market.
- Growth potential, especially for retail betting and interactive gambling – Overall, Italy’s gambling market is expected to grow to Euro 61 billion in turnover by 2010 (+64 percent). By 2010, the retail betting market is expected to grow to ca. Euro 14 billion, which is about 200 percent its current size (CAGR of 32 percent).
- Another growth driver will be interactive gambling, which is expected to reach ca. Euro 3.7 billion by 2010, a growth of ca. 240 percent over the current level (CAGR of 40 percent).
See the summary of the report.
Buy the entire report – Italian Gambling Market – A Forerunner in the Liberalisation of European Gambling Markets
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The most important Czech betting companies will move to Malta, after being discriminated from their own national government, that want to pass a law that will make illegal online betting. The Czech online betting market was estimated at 190 million USD in 2006 and is on the rise, but the Czech Ministry of Finance is expected to submit to Parliament later this year a new gambling bill that doesn’t include the legalization of online betting.
Based on the recent Plancanica Decision of the European Court of Justice (presented by us in an earlier post) the two main actors on the market Tipsport and Fortuna have begun looking at ways to establish betting branches abroad so they can penetrate the Czech online market.
According with Czech Business Weekly Jana StudniÄková, spokeswoman for Czech and Slovak private equity firm Penta Investments, the group that controls Fortuna said :’“We’ve repeatedly failed in our request [to the Ministry of Finance] to receive a license for online betting, so we’re forced to consider other options“
According to Maltese sources, Penta has already submitted a request for an online betting license in Malta, where it could start another online betting company – Fortunawin, that should receive the same treatment as any other European company.
Tipsport is considering moving to Slovakia where online betting is legal and where they have acquired in July 2006 theSlovak Doxx-Stávkové kancelárie betting chain.
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If you wanted to bet on one of the companies listed in the FTSE, probably the best option would have been PartyGaming. Not because this is the parent company of PartyBets and Gamebookers, but because PartyGaming has performed great this year, after they withdrawn from the US market due to legislation issues. The PartyGaming shares has raised with 66c this year thus leading to company to the top of FTSE 250.
PartyGaming, that also has promoted brands such as PartyPoker, PartyBingo or PartyGammon, seemed struck hard last year after losing 76 pc in just a couple of months.
According to the statement given to Telegraph by Darren Sinden of Lite Trading a number of factors have put PartyGaming back on a winning streak. “Since the start of the year, talk of consolidation in the sector and hopes of a possible reversal of the worst of last autumn’s US gaming regulations, combined with figures from the company showing that it is seeing recovery in its core markets, have led to a pick-up. “
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The Sweden’s gambling state-owned monopoly called Svenska Spel received some harsh criticism from the survey commissioned from the parliamentary research authorities by Moderate member of parliament Tomas Tobé. According with swedish site The Local, the survey showed that Svenska Spel was targeting poor areas with its Jack Vegas slots machines. In Botkyrka, a suburb of Stockholm with low average incomes, Svenska Spel has 52 Jack Vegas gambling machines and in Danderyd, one of Stockholm’s wealthiest suburbs, it has no Jack Vegas machines.
Tobe explained that Svenska wants “to place machines in areas with low incomes and major social problems, at the same time as avoiding areas where the opposite is true. The fact that support for gambling addicts is so low as to be next-to non-existent at the same time as the state’s own company is increasing access [to gambling] rings false.”
He also called for a privatisation of the company and the introducing of a licensing system for gambling companies.
“Sweden needs a model that ends the state’s role as a player on the market. At the same time its role as a regulator needs to be strengthened and monitoring of the gambling market needs to be made more independent,” he said.
Tobé said he and party colleagues from Gävleborg would put a proposal to abolish the gambling monopoly to the Moderate Party’s conference in October.
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Antigua&Barbuda, the small state that is the well-known paradise of the offshore gambling companies, will improve its gambling regulations, acording to the core ethical and responsible gaming principles established at the International Gaming Summit held in UK in October 2006.
According to Antigua Sun the mai actor is the Division of Gaming in the Financial Services Regulatory Commission that worked in close cooperation with Mark Mendel, Antigua & Barbuda’s attorney in the World Trade Organisation gaming dispute, and other consultants.
“That went very, very well. We had a one day symposium last week. We had a very interactive and robust session but at the end of the whole day we came out with very comprehensive regulations. I think it’s balanced. It keeps in mind national best practices while at the end of the day incorporating the commercial realities of our operators,†Director of Gaming Kaye McDonald said.
“Substantively, the regulations still remain but Antigua & Barbuda, being one of the pioneers within the Internet gaming environment, is always endeavouring to enforce the international best practices and best known industry standards. The process is always evolving,†she explained.
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The famous rowing race between Oxford and Cambridge crews will take place this year on 7 April 2007 at 4:30 PM.
Oxford have won four of the last five races but Cambridge lead the series by 78-73, since 1829 being considered the favourites by the bookies this year, with a slight advantage.
Today’s odds from Gamebookers show the Cambridge crew with a stake of 1.55, meanwhile Oxford has a 2.30 odds.
Both crews are making the latest adjustments, with Cambridge’s stroke man Thorsten Engelmann weighed in as the heaviest oarsman the Boat Race has ever seen. The 25-year-old German rower tipped the scales at 110.8kg.
According with unofficial sources, a Cambridge based bettor has wagered £15,000 – the biggest bet in Boat Race history- on a Light Blue victory this Saturday. He also staked £1,000 on the course record – 16 minutes19 seconds- being broken, prompting bookies to cut the price from 10/1 to 8/1.
See below more info about the Boat Race :
Read more »
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A hold up by an armed man was reported in a UK betting shop at approximately 7.15pm on Wednesday 4 April 2007 in Bolton.
According with the Bolton News he pretended to fill out a betting slip. He then went to the counter, where he produced what is believed to have been a gun and threatened staff with it. He ordered them to hand over cash, before leaving the shop with a substantial amount. He escaped in a silver Peugeot, which was parked outside on Chorley New Road, driving off in the direction of the Beehive roundabout.
Be smart and bet online. 
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A new contest sponsored by Gamebookers can send you to the Champions League Final ! Just bet who will be the next winner of Champions League and you will be entered in the prize drawing.
Don’t have a Gamebookers account ? Click here and get also a 100% bonus on your first bet up to an amount of Eur 20.
See below the official announcement : Read more »
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There is more than one month until this year’s Eurovision Song Contest that will be held in Helsinki, Finland, but the rumours have already started regarding the winner. 24 countries have reached the final stage and they are all hoping to get the number one sport that will ensure the organization of the next year event.
The final will be on 12 May 2007 and, as ussual we can find more info about it on wikipedia.
The bookmakers have taken this opportunity to find a new betting opportunity. Here are the odds today by Gamebookers :
