Sportsbook News

51 month sentence caps a long period in detention awaiting trial

Gary S. Kaplan (50), founder of the failed and now defunct Betonsports plc online gambling site, was sentenced to 51 months in prison by a court in St. Louis Monday.

The man who founded the online sports gambling operation had earlier pleaded guilty and agreed to forfeit $43.6 million in illegally obtained revenue as part of a plea agreement, reports Associated Press.  Prosecutors have said that amounts to more than half of Kaplan's total worth.

Kaplan had earlier wired the entire forfeited amount from his Swiss bank account to the court.

Kaplan pleaded guilty in August to racketeering conspiracy, violating the Wire Wager Act and conspiring to violate it. His arrest in Puerto Rico in March 2007 was the start of a lengthy incarceration awaiting trial in which several bail applications were refused.

U.S. District Judge Carol Jackson said it will be up to the Bureau of Prisons to determine if he is given credit for time served. Attorneys in the case noted that federal rules call for him serving 85 percent of the 51-month sentence, minus whatever credit he may be given for time served.

In 2006, a federal grand jury indicted Kaplan, his company and several associates. Three other former executives, including two of Kaplan's siblings, have pleaded guilty and will be sentenced Tuesday. A fourth will be sentenced later.

Kaplan, a high-school dropout who started out as a New York bookie, founded the offshore betting company in 1995, setting up entities in Aruba, Antigua and eventually Costa Rica. The firm solicited U.S. citizens to place sports wagers by phone and over the Internet directly from their accounts.

In his guilty plea in August, Kaplan said BetOnSports had 1 million registered customers and accepted more than 10 million sports bets worth more than $1 billion in 2004 alone. His company, by then based in Costa Rica, employed 1 700 people.

Kaplan took BetOnSports public on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market in 2004, which netted him more than $100 million that was deposited in Swiss bank accounts. For the next two years, he served as a BetOnSports consultant.

Latterly, BoS was helmed by then CEO David Carruthers, who remains under house arrest in St. Louis after signifying his intention to contest charges against him. Carruthers was arrested whilst in transit through a US airport on his way to Costa Rica in 2006.

Prosecutors said the company falsely advertised that its gambling operations were legal, and misled gamblers into believing that money transferred to BetOnSports was safe and available to withdraw at any time. Instead, investigators said, the money was used to expand operations, including purchase of a rival betting firm.

When BetOnSports ceased operation in 2006, customers lost more than $16 million.

Kaplan told Jackson in August that he initially believed that adhering to the laws in Aruba, Antigua, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and the United Kingdom kept him in good stead with U.S. laws. But he said he became aware as early as 2000 that such dealings violated U.S. law, and got confirmation in a legal opinion in 2002. Yet, he kept operating.

Kaplan apologised to the judge Monday for the "pain and embarrassment" he caused to his family, and said he'd "paid a monumental price for poor decisions." His attorneys said that Kaplan, from his jail cell, has made six-figure contributions to St. Louis-area charities in recent months.

Jackson said while recognising Kaplan's generosity, she was "a little put off" by letters she's received from those charities on his behalf.

"When I make a charitable contribution, I don't expect credit," she said. "I hope you will continue to support worthy charitable organisations even when it doesn't further any personal interest you may have."

The case could have been filed anywhere in the U.S., but the Eastern District of Missouri's former U.S. Attorney, Catherine Hanaway, was aggressive in going after online gambling

Hi Tonster,

Yahoo has their hand in just about everything. I have not seen the move "21" but it sounds like it might be fun to watch!

Lips

Londonmarketing company predicts a 700 percent rise in online spend

Online betting on the football World Cup in South Africa starting next (June) month could reach GBP 500 million, according to the London-based marketing company Latitude Digital.

The company predicts a 700 percent rise in online spend compared to the amount gambled during the previous tournament held in Germany in 2006 following the emergence of ‘laptop loungers’ who spend time consuming the internet on a laptop while watching TV.

And in-play betting, which has been producing major revenue improvements in recent times, is likely to increase opportunities for online bookies.

England, Spain, Brazil and Argentine are listed as the company’s assessed most popular nations in the competition, generating the most betting.

“The media landscape has changed beyond all recognition since the last tournament four years ago,” said Alex Hoye, chief executive officer of Latitude.

“Football fans will even be able to watch the tournament while they are on the move with the streaming of games online which is set to encourage in-game betting to come to the fore.

“Betting firms will be competing hard for deposits from regular and first time punters during the World Cup.”

Bets on Lampard scoring will be honoured

With the repercussions of England’s stinging 4-1 World Cup defeat by Germany still reverberating around the internet, major online bookies in the UK have confirmed that they are honouring bets that Frank Lampard would score a goal in the match.

Millions of television viewers watched the slo-mo replay of a Lampard shot that clearly rolled over the line and into the net, apparently unseen by match officials. Photographs of the critical second have since been widely published. Had it been awarded, the goal would have meant that England and Germany would have gone into the second half of the game drawn.

Bookmakers have seized the opportunity to provide some form of consolation for England fans by classifying the midfielder's effort as a true goal.

William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe said: "Even [FIFA president] Sepp Blatter knows Lampard scored so we have already begun paying out to punters who backed him to do so at odds of 10/3 (4.33). It will cost us a six figure sum."

Ladbrokes was one of the bookmakers to have offered a 'Geoff Hurst special' market with odds of 10/1 on a strike from an England player going in off the crossbar, and the company also paid out for it.

Spokesman Nick Weinberg said: "It was the most popular special market prior to kick off. Everybody could see that it was in apart from the men that mattered most."

I call these criminals "evil geniuses"

That's a great movie Lips.

Hi Tonster,

 

Yahoo has their hand in just about everything. I have not seen the move "21" but it sounds like it might be fun to watch!

 

Lips

Spanish fans have bought the World Cup final football in an online auction to raise money for charity.

The finall ball was sold for a whopping $74,000 and the money raised is due to go to 46664, Nelson Mandela's campaign to prevent HIV/Aids.

The Spain/Netherlands ball was auctioned off on ebay.

Poker proponent says the West Coast state could benefit from legalised online sports betting

Californian state senator Roderick Wright was in the headlines again this weekend, indicating that he supports legalised sports betting, which experts say could generate an additional $1 billion for state coffers.

Wright is perhaps better known for his attempt (currently on the back burner whilst he considers opposition comments) to licence and regulate online poker in California (see previous InfoPowa reports).

The state senator is a Democrat from Inglewood who chairs the legislative committee overseeing gambling, and he supports a lawsuit filed by New Jersey officials challenging a federal law that limits sports betting to Nevada and a few other states.

Wright told the LA Times this weekend that he might ask the California Legislature to join the suit.

"If you took the sports book in Nevada and other places, it's a pretty healthy piece of money, and we currently don't get squat,'' Wright said.”I don't know how much longer we can afford to basically be providing the revenue to all these other states from California people.''

The newspaper reports that under California law, it is a misdemeanor to bet on a sporting event.

The federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act prohibits the state from sanctioning sports betting, according to Whittier Law School professor I. Nelson Rose, an expert on gambling law.

The lawsuit by New Jersey argues that the 1992 federal law violates the U.S. Constitution by allowing betting in some states but not others. Rose said the law has "major constitutional problems.''

It is widely estimated that more than $100 billion is wagered in the U.S., legally and illegally, on sporting events each year, according to Marc Lefkowitz, an expert at the UCLA Gambling Studies Program.

About $2.6 billion is bet on sports legally in Nevada, and the state takes a share with a tax on the profits of casinos where the betting occurs, according to Frank Streshley, a senior research analyst for the Nevada Gaming Commission.

Last year, the tax brought in more than $9 million, he said.

California could reap much more, according to Professor Rose. He said California could generate more than $5 billion in legal sports betting and about $1 billion in annual revenue for the state, depending on how much the state would take from the operators it would licence.

Allowing sports betting could mean 10,000 or more jobs for California, said Breon Corcoran, managing director of the Irish bookmaking company Paddy Power, which would like to operate sports gambling in California.

"It's a curiosity to us that Nevada is really the only state where you can do [unlimited] sports betting in the U.S.,'' Corcoran said.

Lefkowitz said any effort to legalise sports betting in California would be fought by professional sports leagues that don't want the taint of gambling in states where they have franchises. Nevada and Delaware have no NFL or NBA teams, and different levels of sports betting are allowed there.

The National Football League does not want the federal or state law changed, according to NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy, because the organisation considers gambling a corrupting influence.

"We recognise that many states have many pressing economic issues, but more state-operated single-game wagering presents a threat to the long-term health and integrity of our sport,'' McCarthy said.

Police take statements from three players and seize cell phones

News of a cricket betting scandal involving the touring Pakistani team broke over the weekend and has topped most British, Australian and Pakistani headlines. British police detained bookie Mazhar Majeed, interviewed four players including captain Salman Butt, and confiscated cell phones for further examination.

The 'News of the World' newspaper, which carried out a sting editorial operation, claims that two Pakistani players deliberately cheated at pre-arranged moments in the match by overstepping the ‘no ball’ line.

Bowlers Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Asif and wicket keeper Kamran Akmal were all interviewed by police investigators.

The News of the World reported that it’s under cover reporters, posing as Far Eastern businessmen, paid a middleman GBP150 000 (Euro182 000) and in return were told exact details relating to play during the following day.

The reporting team claims it was told exactly when three no balls would be bowled during the current test against England.

On Sunday evening Majeed was bailed pending further enquiries.

The allegations are the latest in a string of match-fixing accusations that have dogged the team since the 1990s. In May this year, the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption unit looked at the team's poor performance after being heavily beaten by Australia during a tour of the country.

England won the Test at Lord's by an innings and 225 runs - Pakistan's heaviest Test defeat - securing a 3-1 series victory. Team officials said that Pakistan will complete their England cricket tour, which includes seven one-day internationals, starting next Sunday.

The undercover video was shown on the BBC News Channel over the weekend showing details of when the "no balls" should take place.  Footage of the game was then shown at the points the no balls should take place and indeed they were no balls.

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Liverpool Football Club today announces that the Board has agreed the sale of the Club to New England Sports Ventures (NESV).

New England Sports Ventures currently owns a portfolio of companies including the Boston Red Sox, New England Sports Network, Fenway Sports Group and Roush Fenway Racing.

Martin Broughton, Liverpool FC Chairman, said:

"I am delighted that we have been able to successfully conclude the sale process which has been thorough and extensive. The Board decided to accept NESV's proposal on the basis that it best met the criteria we set out originally for a suitable new owner. NESV's philosophy is all about winning and they have fully demonstrated that at Red Sox.

"We've met them in Boston, London and Liverpool over several weeks and I am immensely impressed with what they have achieved and with their vision for Liverpool Football Club.

"By removing the burden of acquisition debt, this offer allows us to focus on investment in the team. I am only disappointed that the owners have tried everything to prevent the deal from happening and that we need to go through legal proceedings in order to complete the sale."

NOTE: The sale is conditional on Premier League approval, resolution of the dispute concerning Board membership and other matters.

Author:  LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB

Side note

The fans are "up in arms" over the sale and are protesting quite aggressively against this  Only time will tell whether the sale will go ahead or not.

Indictment of US Politicians wife 

Takes full responsibility for managing bank account that handled $7 million in internet gambling funds

Patrice Tierney, the wife of seven-term Massachusetts Democrat Representative John Tierney, has been indicted on charges of aiding and abetting her brother Bobby Eremian's online gambling activities.

Eremian is alleged to operate a well established internet sports betting site from Antigua, using a bank account in the United States that was managed by his sister and facilitated the movement of funds to the value of over $7 million.

Prosecutors have revealed that Tierney is charged on four counts including tax fraud.

Reporting on the case, local media noted that her brother Bobby was apprehended by US authorities for tax evasion in 2000 in Antigua, and was recently again indicted for racketeering, money laundering and the operation of his Antiguan sports betting operation PlayLegal.com.

Addressing the court at her indictment, Tierney told Judge William G. Young: "I take full responsibility for what my part in this was." Judge Young released her on a personal recognisance pending a hearing for sentence on January 13.

Nevada Approves Betting via Blackberry

American Wagering, Inc. reports of its success

A new announcement has come this week from a US sports wagering service and technology provider American Wagering, Inc. (AMI), which has reported good news for the Nevada residents; namely, that Nevada Gaming Control Board has approved its application for a mobile phone-based sports betting app titled Leroy’s App, which was developed with the assistance of Computerized Bookmaking Systems, Inc. Prior to giving its approval, the Board went through an extensive field trial.

American Wagering, Inc. is a publicly-traded company that primarily operates through wholly-owned subsidiaries including Leroy's Horse & Sports Place, Inc., Computerized Bookmaking Systems, Inc., AWI Manufacturing, Inc., and AWI Gaming, Inc.

According to the company’s CEO Vic Salerno, "American Wagering is pleased that the regulators approved our technology, finding it to be problem free. We did not have a single issue during our trial period. The Leroy App is working great, customers love it, and it has exceeded our expectations.”

In addition, Salerno said that one of the fastest growing segments of the smart phone market is actually the sales of Android smart phones, an estimated sale pace of 200,000 units per day.

According to him, American Wagering is the first company in the US market that has an approved sports wagering application, adding that the AMI technology contains several layers of security including a patent pending geographic location process and encrypted communications, which will provide safe and secure wagering intrastate to the company's centralized and licensed bookmaking facilities in Las Vegas.

Salerno explained: "Smart phones and other mobile devices will be key products on our development path for the coming year. The approval of the Leroy’s App is the creation of a new market segment for sports wagering and the Nevada regulators placed significant challenges on American Wagering to provide a means of offering account wagering on a mobile device whereby we could verify that the bettor was in the state.”

To describe how effective the mobile product is in boosting the bottom line, the American Wagering Senior Vice President of Business Development and Public Affairs, John English said: “It is a low cost, convenient, and efficient way of communicating with the customer and taking wagers. There is no equipment to purchase or maintain. The relationship is simply between the sportsbook and the bettor through his or her smart phone.”

In terms of their plans to develop a mobile app that would work only on a licensed land casino property, AMI explained that it has given up on this project, as it is too geographically limiting on the bettor to be considered "mobile" and it is not considered to be a financially viable project as compared to a true mobile application for sports wagering.

BREAKING NEWS....Roy Hodgson has left Liverpool Football Club by mutual consent and is replaced by Kenny Dalglish until the end of the season.

Owner John Henry said: "We are grateful for Roy's efforts over the past six months, but both parties thought it in the best interests of the club that he stand down from his position as team manager.

"We wish him all the best for the future."

Hodgson added: "Being asked to manage Liverpool football club was a great privilege.

"Any manager would be honoured to manage a club with such an incredible history, such embedded tradition and such an amazing set of fans.

"Liverpool is one of the great clubs in world football. I have, however, found the last few months some of the most challenging of my career.

"I am very sad not to have been able to put my stamp on the squad, to be given the time to bring new players into the club in this transfer window and to have been able to be part of the rebuilding process at Liverpool.

"The club has some great, world-class players, with whom it has been a pleasure to work and I wish the entire squad well for the rest of the season."

blue

Poor Roy, he shouldn't have left Fulham last summer...

£2 bet brings record-breaking £1.4million win on Tote  jackpot for one lucky punter

A very lucky punter won £1.4million by backing an unlucky jockey riding a horse on a three-year losing streak.

61 year old, Steve Whiteley, picked a 12-1 shot called Lupita,  ridden by Jessica Lodge to make it six wins in a row. He put £2 on the accumulator and the combined odds were 879,137 to 1.  He couldn’t bear to watch the last race, "I am shaking like a leaf.” he said.  He won £1,425,309 which is the biggest ever Tote Jackpot by predicting the winners running at Exeter.

Everything rested on the last race.  The amateur jockey Jessica had not had a win in 28 races. 

A very interesting news article about Wimbledon betting:

Wimbledon Receives Betting Watchlist

Fight against betting corruption

According to the latest reports from the UK media, officials from Wimbledon have received a watch-list of "undesirables" suspected of betting corruption, compiled by the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU).

This investigations team is run by a former Scotland Yard detective, and on its list it included a range of individuals who became suspicious due to betting irregularities on other matches or a match-fixing investigation into tennis professional Daniel Koellerer, who has been given a life ban.

In relation to this, the officials of the world’s oldest tennis tournament should react by restricting access to players' changing rooms, eating areas and practice courts.

Rubbing It in…

Is it bad taste or just a cruel joke?

A rather cruel bet has been offered by the Irish-based bookmaker Paddy Power.com on whether Full Tilt Poker will offer real money games on July 27 – the day after it’s hearing with the Alderney Gambling Control Commission.

According to Paddy Power, this is unlikely to happen, as it is offering 1/8 odds that there will be no real money poker on July 27, and 9/2 that there will be.

In addition, the company is offering a promo: if a player bets on there being no real money play at Full Tilt on July 27, Paddy Power will boost his or her player PP account with an amount matching the bet.

It has been stated by a company spokesman this week: “Whether Full Tilt Poker is opened or closed on the 27th, players will have good reason to be playing poker on Paddy Power Poker.com. Either way it’s a no lose situation for our punters and poker players as they get paid one way or the other regardless of the outcome.”

Shocking Shutdown of Veteran Sportsbooks

The Greek.com, Bet Jamaica.com and Poker World close their doors

A sudden announcement this week shocked many players and industry observers, as they received notice that the reputable sportsbook The Greek.com closed its doors to its target market - US customers. The fact that no reason has been provided for the closure triggered speculation that the decision may have been made due to the unfavorable climate in the US.

The company’s non-US players have been assured that they will still be served, but the question is for how long, because they comprise a relatively small percentage of the company's client base.

In addition, reports have been arriving that the Greek.com's associated online poker site on the Cake Network, Poker World.com have closed to US action as well.

Prior to this, a subsidiary Bet Jamaica.com advised its players it was closing and transferring them to The Greek.com if they had accounts there, or to Heritage Sports if not.

"Players with balances are free to play or withdraw their funds from Heritage as if accounts were still at The Greek or Bet Jamaica," it was stated on that occasion. "Players will be asked to acknowledge the account transfer to Heritage when they log in to their accounts."

Now with the closure of The Greek.com, players are once again being moved to Heritage Sports.

Bet24 Faces Worst-Case Scenario

Sensitive information on customers stolen?

Bet24.com has been undergoing a serious drama this week, facing a possible theft of sensitive and private financial information on customers.

The Malta-licensed company on this occasion issued a warning to its customers, advising that a breach took place back in December 2009 during which their sensitive data may have been exposed.

Why does this notice come so late, as much as 19 months after the breach occurred, has not been explained. However, the company tried to reassure players that it had taken other measures at the time of the incident.

The company CEO Thomas Petersen on this occasion stated: "We have been informed by police authorities that they have arrested third party individuals who were in possession of unauthorised copies of personal customer information relating to various companies including Bet24."

"The Bet24 customer information was stolen from Bet24 by means of illegal electronic access to our database, which is believed to have taken place in December 2009. We have no information to indicate any unauthorised access to our database or breach of our security systems since December 2009, and we have no reason to believe that accounts registered after 31 October 2009 are affected in any way," he added.

The stolen data involved customer names, addresses, email addresses, user account IDs, account passwords and encrypted payment card numbers. In regards to the ways the information has been used, Petersen specified: "The stolen information is so far known to have been used to access a limited number of customers' Bet24 accounts, third-party accounts and personal email accounts. A small number of customers have alerted us to unauthorised activity on their Bet24 accounts and we have fully reimbursed them for any financial loss incurred on their accounts."

It is still unclear how the hackers gained access to Bet24's database. The site only stated that it is continuing to work with police authorities in their investigation into the breach, and that it had carried out a security audit after the breach.

In its notice, the company asks all customers to monitor and report any suspicious activity on their bank and online gaming accounts, as well as to avoid using the same password on more than one site. Customers who used a Bet24 password for their email account are encouraged to change log in information as a precaution. This warning was particularly addressed to players who registered a Bet24 account before October 31 2009.

The company also advised that "no payment card security codes are stored on the Bet24 database.

"We are working closely with the police authorities to establish how the information was stolen, how it has been used, and which customers are affected. We implemented a thorough security review in 2010, which included an audit by industry specialists and simulated hacker penetration tests, and we have further upgraded the security of our network.

"The Bet24 passwords for all customers who had registered accounts as at 28 April 2007 were reset during 2010. We continue to monitor our systems and customer transactions constantly, and to upgrade our systems regularly."

As far as the recommended security points for players who have an account registered as at April 28 2007, those were the following:

“•If you have ever used your Bet24 password for your email account, then please immediately change your email account password and then change all passwords that you use for any other accounts including your BET24 account

•If you have not used your Bet24 password for your email account but have used it for any other services or accounts, please immediately change the passwords for such services or accounts

•If you believe that your Bet24 account has been compromised in any way, please contact us immediately by email at [email protected].”

Sports Betting Approved by New Jersey Voters

Gambling supporters have reason for joy after the referendum

The much expected referendum organized in New Jersey on the legal right to sports betting was held on Nov. 8 and its results sway in favor of the gambling proposal, proving that 66 percent of residents voted in favour and 34 percent against the ballot question.

Thanks to the passage of the proposal, Govenor Chris Christie will set everything in order to legalise the activity, as soon as the Federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which bans sports wagering in all States but Montana, Delaware, Oregon and Nevada, has been repealed.

According to Govenor Christie, "With this referendum, we have an opportunity that gives the state more solid footing to challenge the federal ban on sports wagering outside of a few select places."

In addition, a statement arrived from State Senator Raymond Lesniak who plans on introducing a new legislation attempt by the end of this week, with which New Jersey's Casino Control Commission would be able to introduce a sports betting licensing programme at establishments in the State County's of Monmouth, Meadowlands, Mays Landing and Freehold.

In the statement, he said: "I expect to get it to Governor Christie for his signature before the end of the year. By the start of next year's NFL season, when the Eagles play the Giants, you'd better reserve your room soon in Atlantic City, because it will be packed, just like Las Vegas is now."

Source: LSB News

That's good news, hopefully more states will follow.

That's good news, hopefully more states will follow.

It is very good news Johnny.  I hope so too.

blue

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blue

This was quite interesting for me because Savic is a low-ranked Serbian player.

The Serbian tennis player who received a life ban for attempting to fix matches denied the accusations and said Tuesday he will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The Tennis Integrity Unit found 659th-ranked David Savic guilty Saturday and fined him $100,000 for three violations of the sport's international anti-corruption program.

The 26-year-old Savic said in a written statement that he was set up by a "current top player" who told the TIU that Savic asked him to fix a match in exchange for money.

"That is an absolute lie," Savic said.

In the statement, Savic said that he was friends with the unidentified top player during their junior days, and that he has not spoken or contacted him in the past 11 years. He said that he could not reveal the name of the player because a judge ordered the TIU ruling be kept confidential.

"I was obviously chosen as a scapegoat," Savic said. "Without any concrete evidence, I became a drastic example for other players."

Savic is the second tennis player to get a lifetime ban. In May, Austrian player Daniel Koellerer was banned for match-fixing.

Savic reached a career-best 363rd in the rankings in 2009 and never played above the challenger circuit.

Match fixing usually occurs among low-profile players or teams and many of them do succeed in weaving through the fish net.

BetOnline acquires Sportsbetting.ag

PANAMA CITY, PANAMA — Investors, consisting of shareholders from BetOnline.ag, are all excited to announce a sizeable investment into online gaming site SportsBetting.ag.

With this transition come significant improvements to the SportsBetting.ag brand; including bigger bonuses, faster software, better odds and most importantly – reliable payouts.

A representative from SportsBetting.ag touched upon the upgrades:

“The investors decided that if they were going to take over majority ownership, the site needed to be upgraded to ensure improved customer satisfaction. Instead of providing reload bonuses only on Thursdays, our members will now earn deposit bonuses every day of the week.”

The extra value doesn’t end with bigger bonuses; SportsBetting.ag members will experience better betting value as well. The SportsBetting.ag representative continued:

“Additionally, our players will have access to much improved betting value. At the old SportsBetting.ag, MLB dime lines didn’t exist. At the new and improved SportsBetting.ag, not only will they now get dime lines, but they’ll get the best dime lines in the business - all the way out to -199.”

Most importantly, the new investment team is committed to get SportsBetting.ag winners paid in a more expedited manner.

"The new shareholders unconditionally guarantee past and future payouts from SportsBetting.ag,” the rep stated. “However, since there is a sizeable backlog of pending payouts, they need to be run through various fraud checks, prioritized and fulfilled. Once the backlog is complete, clients will experience drastically improved payouts thanks in part to upgraded payment options, including same day options.”

offering sports wagering, horse betting, digital casino, poker and live casino, SportsBetting.ag will continue to be a standalone brand. Backend services will be supplied by BetOnline.ag, ASI, DGS and other well known software and backoffice service providers.

I wonder what will happen to Lance Armstrong if they prove that his blood test was positive. He was a great champion and this would be very devastating for him.

AUSTIN, Texas — Lance Armstrong’s legal team said Monday that it will go to court again this week to try to halt the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s drug conspiracy case against the retired Tour de France champion.

Earlier Monday, federal judge Sam Sparks dismissed Armstrong’s temporary restraining order filed in federal court, informing Armstrong’s team that it was thrown out because it came in at more than 80 pages.

Tim Herman, Armstrong’s Austin-based attorney, said the lawsuit could be filed again as soon as today.

Armstrong has until Saturday to respond to USADA’s charges that he led a doping conspiracy from 1998 to 2010, or the agency could strip away his record seven Tour de France titles and ban him for life from competitive sport.

Armstrong’s complaint stated that: USADA lacks jurisdiction to investigate and penalize Armstrong. It said that any investigation must come from the International Cycling Union, based upon language in the annual licenses each rider signs. The UCI’s main office is in Switzerland, and the motion says that the cycling union has indicated no plans to pursue a case against Armstrong, who retired from the sport in February 2011.

USADA’s entire case was prompted by disgraced cyclist Floyd Landis, who was stripped of his 2006 Tour championship because of a positive drug test. Landis wrote a book denying he’d ever doped and spent more than $1 million in legal fees fighting the charge.

In his book, Landis speculated that USADA could allow a single rider to take down another cyclist and ruin his career. Landis wrote that USADA had offered to shorten his suspension if he testified against Armstrong.

Thanks for posting such a nice information about sportsbook news as many people are interested in various types of sport even though they don't play but they increase their general knowledge. I have also some books related to sports but I have kept in my storage unit as I don't have much space in my house.

LINK REMOVED

sheilmolson, please stop spamming or you will get banned.

New Mobile Betting App in Nevada

A new mobile betting application will go live in October, brought to us by Station Casinos LLC which has received an approval by Nevada State regulators for it.

It was specified by Lori Nelson, a Station Casinos spokeswoman: "We are in field trials now and anticipate a substantial public launch upon completion of testing by the Nevada Gaming Control Board".

At the moment, Station Casino’s "Boarding Pass" club members are offered to sign up for free play at any one of the company's seventeen sports books along with incentives of 10 percent of total wagers of up to $50 in bonus cash.

The "SC Mobile" app became available in the iTunes App Store on September 11, and the blurb for it reads: "Sports Connection Mobile is the premiere, real cash sports betting application, ONLY available in Nevada. Whether you are new to sports wagering, or a regular at the sports book, Sports Connection Mobile is a FREE, reliable and easy-to-use application for all levels of experience. Sports Connection is the most accessible sports wagering system and sports news feed in Nevada."

The company stated that the application is also available on the Android platform and that Blackberry will be added in near future.

Source

888 Holdings, the London listed sportsbook and casino group, has signed new deal that will enhance its sportsbook and allow it to enter more regulated online gambling markets. Kambi Sports Solutions that will see this group deliver a fully managed sportsbook solution to 888's 888sport.com brand.

The web platform for the sportsbook will be improved and will offer more opportunities for players. Just one example: Kambi will add UK horse racing to its product portfolio on online and mobile platforms.

Good news for Russian punters, QIWI is now available as a payment option at Pinnacle Sports! It is one of Russia’s most popular payment methods and using QIWI means that for the first time you can choose Russian Rubles as your Pinnacle Sports' account currency.

Key benefits of a QIWI wallet:

- Transact in Rubles, Euro or US Dollar

- No fee & instant processing of deposits

- Top-up via ATMs, kiosks, mobile phone or online

Please note QIWI is currently the only available deposit and withdrawal option available at Pinnacle Sports for Ruble accounts.

BetDash is a new game created by PaddyPower that turns the thrill of sports betting into a low risk, high reward social game for people who are mad about sports. For more information on PaddyPower, see below.

Ladbrokes, Britain's second largest bookmaker, has issued a surprising profit warning. The company is expected annual operating profits to fall this year after a poor first-quarter performance in horse racing and online gaming.

The reason? Not because of fewer bettors or lower stakes, but because there were too many winners! :)

English Premier League club Aston Villa has become the latest European football club to get a sponsorship from an online sportsbook as they signed an agreement with Asian online gaming site Dafabet.

The two-year agreement will see the Dafabet logo appear on Aston Villa's new kit. Dafabet is one of Asia's biggest online gambling companies.

Ladbrokes ranked top for Money-Back Offers

Research conducted by freebets.com ranks Labrokes top when it comes to sportsbooks money back offers, with Paddy Power in second place and Betfair ranked third.

Playtech continue buying spree

Playtech, one of the biggest online gambling software providers, said it plans to use a €137m capital to fund an acquisition spree in Europe.

The company already has a joint venture with William Hill and provides software to leading gambling website operators such as Paddy Power. They have already spent £38m on two acquisitions since the beginning of December and plan to spend a cumulative total of around £50m on new joint ventures in Germany and South Africa.

“We have the firepower to to fund acquisitions and joint ventures and become the dominant provider of online gambling in regulated markets, with Europe as the main focus,” said Mor Weizer, Playtech’s chief executive.

Playtech will pay £11m for the entire share capital of Geneity Ltd, a UK-based company which provides software to the sports book and lottery sectors.

Source: Financial Times

Gaming and betting through mobile devices is growing very fast in the U.K. market and research released this week by mobile data company Onavo confirms that sensation. The research shows that 4.3% of British iphone users now has a sports betting app.

U.K. customers were using bet365’s app an average of 5.6 days every month, William Hill’s 4.1 days a month and 3.3 days a month for Paddy Power’s app.

4.3% of the market means something like 370,000 UK customers and that's a pretty big number. Traditional U.K. gambling companies have been reporting huge increases in mobile revenue year-on-year since the first mobile apps started appearing in 2010.

Betfair attract more customers

The move which saw Betfair open up a simpler Sportsbook product seems an inspired one as they managed to attract more new customers.

The company has revealed that they are attracting more new customers now than in the company's previous history, helping the bookmaker increase UK customer acquisition by 65%.

The Sportsbook offers 'back-only' fixed-odds betting, and exists as a standalone site to Betfair Exchange, in which punters can back, lay, trade and so on.

$16,000 win at William Hill US

Somebody in the US scored a pretty good win last week, he or she bet $400 at 40-1 that there would be a no-hitter pitched in a Cincinnati Reds match and it went right, despite the long odds.

Congrats to the winner, whoever he/she might be!

Paddy Power to launch real-money sportsbook on Facebook

Irish bookmaker Paddy Power confirmed Wednesday that the company will be the first online gaming operator to launch a real-money sports betting offering on Facebook! That sounds quite exciting but unfortunately I don't have any more details about this for the moment, I'll try to find out more soon.

Would you use a Facebook betting platform? 

Probably a good business move but I wouldn't use it; I don't use Facebook anyway. Maybe they'll have some special promos for Facebook users .

I'm sure they will come up with some good promos to launch it.

Bovada has Chris Davis as favorite to win Home Run Derby

Following his 37th homer on Sunday in the Orioles’ final game before the All-Star break, Bovada now has Chris Davis listed as the betting favorite for tonight’s Home Run Derby.

Bovada currently gives Davis 11-to-4 odds of winning the Derby while previous favorite and reigning champion Prince Fielder now owns 15-to-4 odds.

Good luck if you're betting!

Hello, I'm Julie  :)

all i wanted to say was that I can't understand why facebook? Is it really that popular as some sportsbook make them look? I for one would rather go for twitter or maybe tumblr, what would you say?  :-bd

Hello, I'm Julie  :)

all i wanted to say was that I can't understand why facebook? Is it really that popular as some sportsbook make them look? I for one would rather go for twitter or maybe tumblr, what would you say?  :-bd

Facebook is far more popular than anything. The numbers tell the story:

- Facebook > 1 billion users

- Twitter > 500 million users

- Google+ > 170 million users

Bookies Cash In On Royal Baby

William Hill Sportsbook took over £200,000 worth of bets on the royal baby's birth and, much to their delight, the majority of punters believed the baby would be a girl :)

However, somebody from Austria managed a good win having staked £1000 at 11/10 on the arrival of a son.

But the betting frenzy is not over, William Hill are offering odds on a number of options, including:

Baby to eventually play Premier League football: 1000/1

Which University he will attend: St Andrews 2/1, Cambridge, Oxford 3/1, Edinburgh 6/1, King's College London, University of Manchester 14/1, Durham 16/1, Exeter 20/1, Cardiff, York 25/1, Belfast 33/1.

Godparents: Pippa Middleton, Prince Harry, evens, Thomas van Straubenzee 2/1, Eddie van Cutsem, Hugh van Cutsem or William van Cutsem 3/1, Earl Spencer 6/1, Zara Phillips 33/1, Mike Tindall 33/1, David Cameron 50/1, Boris Johnson 66/1, David Beckham or Victoria Beckham 250/1.

LOL

Those bets are fantastic and crazy; One of many headlines: Royal baby name betting tops $1.8M with George and James leading the way

... and it's both George and Alexander! Plus Louis :) Wonder how they are going to settle the bets now :)