Today (11th May 2009) Richard Branson pledged his support for the Prince of Wales “Frog” Campaign. Richard stated “As you all know, for many years I have been concerned with climate change and its impact. The plight of the world’s rainforests is a massive influence on this and perhaps the single most important factor in protecting our environment – that is why I have served on the steering group for this project.
“I will use my speeches and contacts to reinforce his message. The Prince is looking for public support across the globe by seeking millions of sign ups for his web based petition.”
Simon Burridge CEO of Virgin Games (poker, casino and bingo games) commented “This is another great initiative by Richard and The Prince of Wales. They are setting the standard when it comes to campaigning on climate change. Virgin Games is thrilled to be a part of helping bring awareness of the devastation that it’s having to rainforests all over the world.”
To find out more and get involved with the The Princes Rainforest Project please go to www.rainforestsos.org and pledge your support to saving the worlds rainforests.
About Virgin Games Virgin Games, a subsidiary of Virgin.com Ltd, launched in June 2004 and has quickly established itself as one of the leading gaming websites in the UK. Virgin Games comprises three distinct entertainment offerings, giving consumers the chance to play their favourite online games the Virgin way:
Virgin Casino, part of the Wagerworks network, provides a taste of Vegas online, with classic casino offerings like blackjack and roulette, as well as popular feature slots like Elvis, Cleopatra and Vegas, Baby!
Virgin Poker, offers a huge array of games and content for beginners through to experienced pros – as well as the most generous loyalty scheme in the industry. The successful Virgin Poker Festivals, which take place in casinos around the UK throughout the year, now allow gamers to experience the fun of Virgin Poker offline too.
Virgin Bingo offers cash prizes worth thousands of pounds in the progressive jackpots, as well as regular promotions and an unrivalled loyalty scheme.
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Wednesday, April 29, 2009
A New Chance for Online Gambling in the U.S., By Eric Pfanner - The New York Times - 26th April 2009
PARIS — Is online gambling coming in from the cold?
When the U.S. Congress cracked down on Internet betting in 2006, the big, publicly traded European companies that had dominated the business closed up shop in the United States. Growth in the booming industry shifted away from these companies, once the darlings of the stock market, to private operators in offshore locations like Antigua and the Isle of Man.
But now, executives of some of the European companies whisper excitedly that they may soon get a second chance in the United States. Meanwhile, a number of European countries that have long maintained barriers are moving, under pressure from regulators, to legalize, and tax, online gambling.
“There’s still a lot of gambling going on, where there’s no revenue coming in to the governments,” said Gavin Kelleher, an analyst at the research firm H2 Gambling Capital in Ireland. “They realize they could use the revenue.”
The biggest potential change would be in the United States, where, perhaps within days, Representative Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts, is expected to introduce legislation aimed at overturning the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
“He supports the repeal and wants to move forward on it,” said Steve Adamske, communications director for the House Financial Services Committee, of which Mr. Frank is chairman.
Mr. Frank tried and failed to do so once before, in 2007. But advocates of liberalization think they might get a friendlier hearing in Washington this time around. President Barack Obama, they note, boasted of his poker prowess during the election campaign. And the Democrats, who are seen as less hostile to Internet gambling than the Republicans, have tightened their grip on Congress.
A study by PricewaterhouseCoopers says the U.S. government could raise more than $50 billion over 10 years from taxes on legalized online gambling.
“I’d be amazed if it didn’t happen over the next two or three years,” said Clive Hawkswood, chief executive of the Remote Gambling Association, a trade group based in London. “It’s just a question of what exactly the regulations will say.”
Some analysts say that may be getting a little bit ahead of the game. Opponents of a repeal, including the Christian Coalition of America and the National Football League, have vowed to fight any new effort to end the ban.
Michele Combs, a spokeswoman for the Christian Coalition, said the group was gearing up for a “massive campaign” of letter-writing and lobbying to try to prevent any loosening of the law.
“We’re not saying people shouldn’t go to Las Vegas,” she said. “But when it’s in your home, it’s too easy. It breaks up families.”
U.S. sports leagues, meanwhile, worry that the ease of online betting increases the chances of game-fixing. Even the most bullish advocates of online gambling acknowledge that Internet sports betting — as opposed to poker or casino games — is highly unlikely to be legalized.
“There’s a better chance now for some sort of gaming legislation to be approved,” said Nick Batram, an analyst at KBC Peel Hunt, a brokerage firm in London. “But it took longer than expected to put anti-gaming legislation in place, and it will probably will take longer than expected to remove it.”
Since the 2006 law was passed, North America, once the biggest market, has been passed by Europe and Asia, according to figures from H2 Gambling Capital. The law makes it illegal for financial institutions to handle payments to online gambling sites. But enough people have found ways around it, some by using overseas payment processors, to ensure that online gambling remains a thriving business. H2 says online gambling generated revenue of $6 billion last year in North America, more than a quarter the global total of $22.6 billion, up from $17.6 billion in 2006.
Pulling out of the United States cost PartyGaming about three-quarters of its business. Its position as the biggest online poker provider has been taken over by PokerStars, a privately held operator based on the Isle of Man.
This month, PartyGaming agreed to a $105 million settlement with the U.S. attorney’s office in New York, involving the period before 2006, when it acknowledged that its activities had been “contrary to certain U.S. laws.” In turn, the U.S. authorities agreed not to prosecute the company, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, or its executives.
The agreement fueled speculation that PartyGaming might be trying to position itself for a return to the U.S. market, if online gambling were legalized.
Analysts say one possibility for European companies like PartyGaming, should the ban be lifted, would be to form partnerships with American casino operators. That would allow the European companies to share their online expertise. Operating alone, they might struggle to obtain licenses, given their history of run-ins with U.S. law enforcement, analysts said.
“It’s my feeling that even if the market were opened up, the U.S. government, in a palatable way, would probably find a way to give local companies a favorable position,” Mr. Batram said.
So far, Las Vegas executives have maintained a cautious stance about legalization of online gambling. Steve Wynn, chief executive of Wynn Resorts, said in an e-mail message that he thought it would be “impossible to regulate.”
“Even though it would be a benefit to our company, we are strongly opposed,” he said.
But speculation that Las Vegas casino operators were looking into the possibilities was fueled by recent reports that Harrah’s Entertainment, which owns Caesars Palace and other casinos, recently hired Mitch Garber, former chief executive of PartyGaming, for an unspecified role. Harrah’s did not return calls.
Mr. Ryan said that PartyGaming planned to focus on acquisition opportunities to increase its market share in Europe and elsewhere, something that was difficult as long as investors were worried about the U.S. litigation. “We think Mr. Frank’s efforts are quite meaningful to the sector,” he said.
Several other online gambling companies whose shares are traded in London, including 888 Holdings and Sportingbet, are still in talks with the U.S. Justice Department. Analysts expect them, along with companies like Bwin International, whose stock is traded in Vienna, to be involved in a round of consolidation in the industry — along with a possible eventual move back into the United States.
As they await developments in Washington, online gambling companies are looking for growth in Europe and Asia. Under pressure from regulators in Brussels, several European Union members, including France, Italy, Spain and Denmark, have been moving to legalize some kinds of online gambling, turning it into a regulated and taxed business. Britain was the first big European country to do so, in 2005.
Other countries, like Germany, Greece and the Netherlands, continue to hold out, though, in what the European Commission sees as an effort to protect government-sponsored gambling monopolies from private competition.
The commission in March published a report arguing that the United States was violating World Trade Organization rules by keeping out European online gambling companies, given that online betting on horse racing is permitted in the United States. But the commission said that it favored negotiations, rather than legal action, to end the dispute.
Also in March, however, the European Parliament adopted a separate measure supporting the right of individual E.U. member states to make their own rules on online gambling.
“It’s interesting that the European Commission is telling the U.S. it’s persecuting European companies when it can’t even get its own house sorted out,” Mr. Batram said.
(Credit: The New York Times)
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When the U.S. Congress cracked down on Internet betting in 2006, the big, publicly traded European companies that had dominated the business closed up shop in the United States. Growth in the booming industry shifted away from these companies, once the darlings of the stock market, to private operators in offshore locations like Antigua and the Isle of Man.
But now, executives of some of the European companies whisper excitedly that they may soon get a second chance in the United States. Meanwhile, a number of European countries that have long maintained barriers are moving, under pressure from regulators, to legalize, and tax, online gambling.
“There’s still a lot of gambling going on, where there’s no revenue coming in to the governments,” said Gavin Kelleher, an analyst at the research firm H2 Gambling Capital in Ireland. “They realize they could use the revenue.”
The biggest potential change would be in the United States, where, perhaps within days, Representative Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts, is expected to introduce legislation aimed at overturning the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
“He supports the repeal and wants to move forward on it,” said Steve Adamske, communications director for the House Financial Services Committee, of which Mr. Frank is chairman.
Mr. Frank tried and failed to do so once before, in 2007. But advocates of liberalization think they might get a friendlier hearing in Washington this time around. President Barack Obama, they note, boasted of his poker prowess during the election campaign. And the Democrats, who are seen as less hostile to Internet gambling than the Republicans, have tightened their grip on Congress.
A study by PricewaterhouseCoopers says the U.S. government could raise more than $50 billion over 10 years from taxes on legalized online gambling.
“I’d be amazed if it didn’t happen over the next two or three years,” said Clive Hawkswood, chief executive of the Remote Gambling Association, a trade group based in London. “It’s just a question of what exactly the regulations will say.”
Some analysts say that may be getting a little bit ahead of the game. Opponents of a repeal, including the Christian Coalition of America and the National Football League, have vowed to fight any new effort to end the ban.
Michele Combs, a spokeswoman for the Christian Coalition, said the group was gearing up for a “massive campaign” of letter-writing and lobbying to try to prevent any loosening of the law.
“We’re not saying people shouldn’t go to Las Vegas,” she said. “But when it’s in your home, it’s too easy. It breaks up families.”
U.S. sports leagues, meanwhile, worry that the ease of online betting increases the chances of game-fixing. Even the most bullish advocates of online gambling acknowledge that Internet sports betting — as opposed to poker or casino games — is highly unlikely to be legalized.
“There’s a better chance now for some sort of gaming legislation to be approved,” said Nick Batram, an analyst at KBC Peel Hunt, a brokerage firm in London. “But it took longer than expected to put anti-gaming legislation in place, and it will probably will take longer than expected to remove it.”
Since the 2006 law was passed, North America, once the biggest market, has been passed by Europe and Asia, according to figures from H2 Gambling Capital. The law makes it illegal for financial institutions to handle payments to online gambling sites. But enough people have found ways around it, some by using overseas payment processors, to ensure that online gambling remains a thriving business. H2 says online gambling generated revenue of $6 billion last year in North America, more than a quarter the global total of $22.6 billion, up from $17.6 billion in 2006.
Pulling out of the United States cost PartyGaming about three-quarters of its business. Its position as the biggest online poker provider has been taken over by PokerStars, a privately held operator based on the Isle of Man.
This month, PartyGaming agreed to a $105 million settlement with the U.S. attorney’s office in New York, involving the period before 2006, when it acknowledged that its activities had been “contrary to certain U.S. laws.” In turn, the U.S. authorities agreed not to prosecute the company, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, or its executives.
The agreement fueled speculation that PartyGaming might be trying to position itself for a return to the U.S. market, if online gambling were legalized.
Analysts say one possibility for European companies like PartyGaming, should the ban be lifted, would be to form partnerships with American casino operators. That would allow the European companies to share their online expertise. Operating alone, they might struggle to obtain licenses, given their history of run-ins with U.S. law enforcement, analysts said.
“It’s my feeling that even if the market were opened up, the U.S. government, in a palatable way, would probably find a way to give local companies a favorable position,” Mr. Batram said.
So far, Las Vegas executives have maintained a cautious stance about legalization of online gambling. Steve Wynn, chief executive of Wynn Resorts, said in an e-mail message that he thought it would be “impossible to regulate.”
“Even though it would be a benefit to our company, we are strongly opposed,” he said.
But speculation that Las Vegas casino operators were looking into the possibilities was fueled by recent reports that Harrah’s Entertainment, which owns Caesars Palace and other casinos, recently hired Mitch Garber, former chief executive of PartyGaming, for an unspecified role. Harrah’s did not return calls.
Mr. Ryan said that PartyGaming planned to focus on acquisition opportunities to increase its market share in Europe and elsewhere, something that was difficult as long as investors were worried about the U.S. litigation. “We think Mr. Frank’s efforts are quite meaningful to the sector,” he said.
Several other online gambling companies whose shares are traded in London, including 888 Holdings and Sportingbet, are still in talks with the U.S. Justice Department. Analysts expect them, along with companies like Bwin International, whose stock is traded in Vienna, to be involved in a round of consolidation in the industry — along with a possible eventual move back into the United States.
As they await developments in Washington, online gambling companies are looking for growth in Europe and Asia. Under pressure from regulators in Brussels, several European Union members, including France, Italy, Spain and Denmark, have been moving to legalize some kinds of online gambling, turning it into a regulated and taxed business. Britain was the first big European country to do so, in 2005.
Other countries, like Germany, Greece and the Netherlands, continue to hold out, though, in what the European Commission sees as an effort to protect government-sponsored gambling monopolies from private competition.
The commission in March published a report arguing that the United States was violating World Trade Organization rules by keeping out European online gambling companies, given that online betting on horse racing is permitted in the United States. But the commission said that it favored negotiations, rather than legal action, to end the dispute.
Also in March, however, the European Parliament adopted a separate measure supporting the right of individual E.U. member states to make their own rules on online gambling.
“It’s interesting that the European Commission is telling the U.S. it’s persecuting European companies when it can’t even get its own house sorted out,” Mr. Batram said.
(Credit: The New York Times)
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Sunday, April 05, 2009
Online punters rushing to play, by Nick Galvin - The Age - 4th April 2009
In 2000 the Federal Government was interested in attitudes to the embryonic online gambling industry. Would Australians cop a ban on all local gambling sites - and if a ban was enforced would punters simply go offshore for their gambling fix?
Results of the consequent survey seem almost quaint. Ninety-six per cent of people said they had no interest in online gambling, and 1 per cent said they would consider playing on an overseas site if they "stumbled upon it".
"These points suggest that currently involvement in internet gambling is only minimal and not likely to increase rapidly in the near feature," the government report concluded. The next year the Interactive Gambling Act made it an offence to provide online gambling services in Australia; as late as 2004 a review boasted about the ban's effectiveness.
Fast forward to 2009. Exact figures are impossible to obtain, but industry sources agree that hundreds of thousands of Australians regularly play poker on overseas servers.
Causes of this growth are complex. Television exposure played a part; so too did the number of Australians with home internet connections - up from a third of households in 2001 to two-thirds by 2006. And there is no shortage, it seems, of Australians willing to trust the internet with their credit card details. (Credit: The Age)
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Results of the consequent survey seem almost quaint. Ninety-six per cent of people said they had no interest in online gambling, and 1 per cent said they would consider playing on an overseas site if they "stumbled upon it".
"These points suggest that currently involvement in internet gambling is only minimal and not likely to increase rapidly in the near feature," the government report concluded. The next year the Interactive Gambling Act made it an offence to provide online gambling services in Australia; as late as 2004 a review boasted about the ban's effectiveness.
Fast forward to 2009. Exact figures are impossible to obtain, but industry sources agree that hundreds of thousands of Australians regularly play poker on overseas servers.
Causes of this growth are complex. Television exposure played a part; so too did the number of Australians with home internet connections - up from a third of households in 2001 to two-thirds by 2006. And there is no shortage, it seems, of Australians willing to trust the internet with their credit card details. (Credit: The Age)
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Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Internet Filtering Continues to be Hot Topic in Australia - Gambling911 - 31st March 2009
The coverage related to Internet filtering in Australia continues to be a hot topic. A report aired just the other night with some 377 plus people commenting on what was transpiring. As Gambling911.com has been reporting, the Australian government, led by Communications Director Stephen Conroy, has been working to filter some 2000 plus websites they claim were "indecent" but as it turns out, a number of those sites were related to online poker, religion and politics.
One individual wrote:
"The fact that the black list already contains politically controversial sites -of religions with which the government does not agree- should be taken as a sign of things to come. That information on euthanasia has been blocked is fairly hypocritical. It was legal in the Northern Territory under 15 years ago. The filter only covers http traffic - not peer to peer traffic. Anyone hosting illegal content over http is advertising their location. Surely distributors of illegal content would use P2P."
Another had this to say:
"Both during his appearance on Insight and Q&A last week, Conroy described it as a "Genuine conundrum" that blacklists have to be secret in order to work - therefore disenabling legitimate sites from knowing and protesting their blacklisting. I don't really see how it is a "Conundrum". If the sites are blocked, then supposedly people won't be able to access them ANYWAY. So what's wrong with transparency? And those who really want to view illegal sites will already know of them and can bypass."
Our man on the street, Greg Tingle, had this to say:
"I'm an adult and if I wish to watch adult porno that should be my business only. If I want to visit a poker or online casino website to place a bet, so be it. If I want to link to Betfair, I should have every right to. Here's a movie to watch, John Carpenter's 'They Live'. Part science fiction thriller and part black comedy, the film echoed contemporary fears of a declining economy, within a culture of greed and conspicuous consumption common among Americans in the 1980s. In They Live, the ruling class within the monied elite are in fact aliens managing human social affairs through the use of subliminal media advertising and the control of economic opportunity. Rudd, any bells ringing here. Liberal, you have found your next election winner I believe. The way this is going Australia is heading for a riot which will make Cronulla, Maroubra, Thailand, China and France look like child's play. Rudd and Conroy, it's happening on your watch. Is the Australian government happy with themselves now. I would suggest that some Australian politicians are going to do well to get bodyguards, if they don't have them already, such is the dislike of some of their jackass policy, and some of them are the clowns that signed off some of this garbage."
This is a hot topic that won't be going away any time soon.
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One individual wrote:
"The fact that the black list already contains politically controversial sites -of religions with which the government does not agree- should be taken as a sign of things to come. That information on euthanasia has been blocked is fairly hypocritical. It was legal in the Northern Territory under 15 years ago. The filter only covers http traffic - not peer to peer traffic. Anyone hosting illegal content over http is advertising their location. Surely distributors of illegal content would use P2P."
Another had this to say:
"Both during his appearance on Insight and Q&A last week, Conroy described it as a "Genuine conundrum" that blacklists have to be secret in order to work - therefore disenabling legitimate sites from knowing and protesting their blacklisting. I don't really see how it is a "Conundrum". If the sites are blocked, then supposedly people won't be able to access them ANYWAY. So what's wrong with transparency? And those who really want to view illegal sites will already know of them and can bypass."
Our man on the street, Greg Tingle, had this to say:
"I'm an adult and if I wish to watch adult porno that should be my business only. If I want to visit a poker or online casino website to place a bet, so be it. If I want to link to Betfair, I should have every right to. Here's a movie to watch, John Carpenter's 'They Live'. Part science fiction thriller and part black comedy, the film echoed contemporary fears of a declining economy, within a culture of greed and conspicuous consumption common among Americans in the 1980s. In They Live, the ruling class within the monied elite are in fact aliens managing human social affairs through the use of subliminal media advertising and the control of economic opportunity. Rudd, any bells ringing here. Liberal, you have found your next election winner I believe. The way this is going Australia is heading for a riot which will make Cronulla, Maroubra, Thailand, China and France look like child's play. Rudd and Conroy, it's happening on your watch. Is the Australian government happy with themselves now. I would suggest that some Australian politicians are going to do well to get bodyguards, if they don't have them already, such is the dislike of some of their jackass policy, and some of them are the clowns that signed off some of this garbage."
This is a hot topic that won't be going away any time soon.
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Saturday, March 28, 2009
Hitwise Releases Online Performance Awards
24th March 2009
Online research company Hitwise has released the winners of its Online Performance Awards, revealing the most popular Australian websites of 2008.
Across numerous subdivisions within categories including automotive, business and finance, lifestyle, news and media, and sport, Hitwise names the most visited site based the internet usage of approximately 3 million Australians visiting over 140,000 websites.
Following on from the awards last year, new entrants to Australia’s most popular sites include Webjet, which was top of the “Agencies” division within travel, while Toyota was most popular site among “Manufacturers” in automotive. Another new entrant was Fox Sports which had the most viewed site of “Networks and Channels” site within the TV category.
The most popular site for bands and artists was thewiggles.com, while in the food and beverages category coles.com.au topped “Brands and Manufacturers” and taste.com.au was most viewed in “lifestyle and reference”.
The Awards were held at Dalton House in Sydney today. (Credit: B&T)
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Online research company Hitwise has released the winners of its Online Performance Awards, revealing the most popular Australian websites of 2008.
Across numerous subdivisions within categories including automotive, business and finance, lifestyle, news and media, and sport, Hitwise names the most visited site based the internet usage of approximately 3 million Australians visiting over 140,000 websites.
Following on from the awards last year, new entrants to Australia’s most popular sites include Webjet, which was top of the “Agencies” division within travel, while Toyota was most popular site among “Manufacturers” in automotive. Another new entrant was Fox Sports which had the most viewed site of “Networks and Channels” site within the TV category.
The most popular site for bands and artists was thewiggles.com, while in the food and beverages category coles.com.au topped “Brands and Manufacturers” and taste.com.au was most viewed in “lifestyle and reference”.
The Awards were held at Dalton House in Sydney today. (Credit: B&T)
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Playtech 2008 Revenues Climb 70 Percent
27th March 2009
Playtech, a leading global designer, developer and licensor of software for the online and mobile gaming industries, has announced its audited full-year results showing a 70 percent increase in total revenues to €111.5 million.
The Isle of Man-based firm revealed that casino revenues improved 68 percent from €47.4 million for the year before to €79.4 million while those from poker grew 73 percent to €30.1 million from €17.4 million.
Capping off the good news for Playtech while many others in the industry struggle, net profits increased 55 percent to €40.7 million resulting in a net profit margin of 37 percent, which was slightly down on 2007’s 40 percent.
Playtech also reported an encouraging start to 2009 with daily average revenues for the first eleven weeks up 2.3 percent compared to the final quarter of 2008. In addition, revenues from its software licensing deal with William Hill that created William Hill Online were approximately 40 percent greater for the first eight weeks of 2009 than those generated by former customers over the final period of last year.
'Playtech continues to perform extremely well, delivering healthy growth for shareholders and meeting management's demanding expectations,” said Roger Withers, Non-Executive Chairman for Playtech.
'Our landmark agreement with William Hill Online is on course to offer significant benefits to the company's earnings in 2009 and further strengthens Playtech's position.
'Management's strategy to focus on growing its presence in regulated markets has enabled the group to enter Italy, signing-up four leading Italian licensees in the process, and we expect to announce further developments in this regard.
'Our successful share placing in June of 2008 demonstrated the faith investors have in the company and its management. Despite the difficult macroeconomic outlook for 2009, I am confident that the group will successfully navigate these challenges. As a result, the board is highly confident of its prospects for 2009 and beyond.'
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Playtech, a leading global designer, developer and licensor of software for the online and mobile gaming industries, has announced its audited full-year results showing a 70 percent increase in total revenues to €111.5 million.
The Isle of Man-based firm revealed that casino revenues improved 68 percent from €47.4 million for the year before to €79.4 million while those from poker grew 73 percent to €30.1 million from €17.4 million.
Capping off the good news for Playtech while many others in the industry struggle, net profits increased 55 percent to €40.7 million resulting in a net profit margin of 37 percent, which was slightly down on 2007’s 40 percent.
Playtech also reported an encouraging start to 2009 with daily average revenues for the first eleven weeks up 2.3 percent compared to the final quarter of 2008. In addition, revenues from its software licensing deal with William Hill that created William Hill Online were approximately 40 percent greater for the first eight weeks of 2009 than those generated by former customers over the final period of last year.
'Playtech continues to perform extremely well, delivering healthy growth for shareholders and meeting management's demanding expectations,” said Roger Withers, Non-Executive Chairman for Playtech.
'Our landmark agreement with William Hill Online is on course to offer significant benefits to the company's earnings in 2009 and further strengthens Playtech's position.
'Management's strategy to focus on growing its presence in regulated markets has enabled the group to enter Italy, signing-up four leading Italian licensees in the process, and we expect to announce further developments in this regard.
'Our successful share placing in June of 2008 demonstrated the faith investors have in the company and its management. Despite the difficult macroeconomic outlook for 2009, I am confident that the group will successfully navigate these challenges. As a result, the board is highly confident of its prospects for 2009 and beyond.'
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Friday, March 27, 2009
Gaming Operators to Merge?
23rd March 2009
Online gaming is now a well established industry with thousands of operators offering the service's of casino, poker, bingo and betting games. The UK market is one of the largest and as a result has become extremely competitive in recent years.
Areas such as online bingo have performed better than predicted with over 3 million players every year. In a saturated market many industry experts believe smaller operators may look to merge with each other, creating larger more stable businesses.
William Hill recently merged with software operator Playtech to create 'William Hill Online', and its predicted many others will do the same. Smaller operators are beginning to struggle in the current market place with the larger companies exploiting their brand awareness and entering new sectors.
Names such as Ladbrokes, Bet 365 and Coral all have products in casino, bingo and poker as well as sports betting, making it difficult for smaller game specific operators to attract new players.
Meanwhile some of so called 'Super' brands could look into acquiring medium to large sized brands like, 888.com or Party Gaming merging with Bwin. These business opportunities are now a real possibility as the market place becomes crowded and market share is fiercely fought over.
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Online gaming is now a well established industry with thousands of operators offering the service's of casino, poker, bingo and betting games. The UK market is one of the largest and as a result has become extremely competitive in recent years.
Areas such as online bingo have performed better than predicted with over 3 million players every year. In a saturated market many industry experts believe smaller operators may look to merge with each other, creating larger more stable businesses.
William Hill recently merged with software operator Playtech to create 'William Hill Online', and its predicted many others will do the same. Smaller operators are beginning to struggle in the current market place with the larger companies exploiting their brand awareness and entering new sectors.
Names such as Ladbrokes, Bet 365 and Coral all have products in casino, bingo and poker as well as sports betting, making it difficult for smaller game specific operators to attract new players.
Meanwhile some of so called 'Super' brands could look into acquiring medium to large sized brands like, 888.com or Party Gaming merging with Bwin. These business opportunities are now a real possibility as the market place becomes crowded and market share is fiercely fought over.
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Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Gambling News Down Under: Australia Website Blacklist Debacle - Gambling911 - 24th March 2009
Evidence is mounting that the list of websites published by Wikileaks is almost certainly ACMA's "secret" blacklist. Senator Stephen Conroy claimed the first leaked list, dated August 2008, was too long to be real. 2395 URLs instead of 1600-odd. However, more recent lists, leaked late Friday night, are another story.
"There's not much if any room for doubt that the Wikileaked lists of 11 and 18 March are anything other than the ACMA blacklist," says Irene Graham, who maintains censorship information website Libertus.net.
Even apart from the giveaway file name, "Websites_ACMA.txt", ACMA' statistics for November 2008 say they added an item "RC-Publication" that month. That means an electronic version of a print publication, like a book or magazine (remember them?), which had been "Refused Classification". It's the only "RC-Publication" item ACMA has ever blacklisted.
When books are banned, it's not a secret. The Classification Review Board's database shows, to choose a completely random example, that on 27 February, 2007, they banned The Peaceful Pill Handbook by Phillip Nitschke and Fiona Stewart.
Mainstream media reported that Nitschke then published the book online in October 2008, hosted outside Australia. The leaked blacklist dated 11 March, 2009, shows the relevant website added on 12 November, 2008 -- the same month ACMA added their solitary banned book to their list. Coincidence? Yeah right.
"This is turning into the Grim Reaper and Y2K of 2009 all in one!" says Australian Media Man, Greg Tingle. "I wouldn't be surprised if this stays one of the hottest news stories in Australia for all of this year. This effects ever man, women and child. The word on the street is that the Australian government has gone to far and will be thrown out of office at the next election." (Credit: Gambling911)
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"There's not much if any room for doubt that the Wikileaked lists of 11 and 18 March are anything other than the ACMA blacklist," says Irene Graham, who maintains censorship information website Libertus.net.
Even apart from the giveaway file name, "Websites_ACMA.txt", ACMA' statistics for November 2008 say they added an item "RC-Publication" that month. That means an electronic version of a print publication, like a book or magazine (remember them?), which had been "Refused Classification". It's the only "RC-Publication" item ACMA has ever blacklisted.
When books are banned, it's not a secret. The Classification Review Board's database shows, to choose a completely random example, that on 27 February, 2007, they banned The Peaceful Pill Handbook by Phillip Nitschke and Fiona Stewart.
Mainstream media reported that Nitschke then published the book online in October 2008, hosted outside Australia. The leaked blacklist dated 11 March, 2009, shows the relevant website added on 12 November, 2008 -- the same month ACMA added their solitary banned book to their list. Coincidence? Yeah right.
"This is turning into the Grim Reaper and Y2K of 2009 all in one!" says Australian Media Man, Greg Tingle. "I wouldn't be surprised if this stays one of the hottest news stories in Australia for all of this year. This effects ever man, women and child. The word on the street is that the Australian government has gone to far and will be thrown out of office at the next election." (Credit: Gambling911)
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Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Web watchdog changes tack after blacklist leak, by Fran Foo - The Australian - 17th March 2009
The communications regulator has been forced to change its internal processes after the address of a prohibited anti-abortion web page in its top-secret blacklist was widely distributed on the internet.
The move comes after the Australian Communications and Media Authority threatened a fine of up to $11,000 a day against a web host for displaying the banned web page link.
The host supplies services to popular internet community website Whirlpool.
The problem began on January 5 when a Melbourne internet user, known online as Foad, complained to ACMA about "offensive content" on an anti-abortion web page (not the entire website).
Two weeks later ACMA replied, confirming the web page contained prohibited or potentially prohibited content.
ACMA's response contained the link to the offending web page, which soon found its way to various blogs and forums, including Whirlpool.
ACMA has since learned from its mistake. "ACMA has modified its replies to complainants to omit the URLs of prohibited content and potential prohibited content," a spokesman said.
ACMA must advise complainants of the outcome of their complaints, the spokesman said, and it was usual to include the relevant URL in the response to ensure that complainants, particularly those who had complained about several URLs, were aware of the action ACMA had taken.
"ACMA is aware of only a handful of instances from the 6000 investigations completed since January 1, 2000, where a complainant has published ACMA's response," the spokesman said.
Other Australian websites and blogs continue to display the location of the banned web page, but ACMA says no action will be taken as "ACMA has not received any other complaints about links to the content concerned".
Whirlpool, which has 276,000 members who regularly provide comments on the internet and broadband in Australia, removed the web page after its web hosting company, Bulletproof Networks, received an "interim link deletion" notice from ACMA.
ACMA said it took action against Bulletproof in accordance with the Broadcast Services Act.
Whirlpool owner Simon Wright questioned why ACMA slapped the notice on Bulletproof instead of Whirlpool since it was the latter that had published the web page.
"ACMA should have contacted us first. We felt compelled to remove the link to avoid getting Bulletproof into trouble," Mr Wright said. "Threatening friendships is something mobs do, not governments."
Bulletproof spokesman Lorenzo Modesto said it had complied with the notice because it was the responsible thing to do when authorities came calling.
Bulletproof notified Whirlpool, which removed the link.
Greg Tingle comment...
I'm an adult and if I wish to watch adult porno that should be my business only. If I want to visit a poker or online casino website to place a bet, so be it. If I want to link to Betfair, I should have every right to. Here's a movie to watch, John Carpenter's 'They Live'. Part science fiction thriller and part black comedy, the film echoed contemporary fears of a declining economy, within a culture of greed and conspicuous consumption common among Americans in the 1980s. In They Live, the ruling class within the monied elite are in fact aliens managing human social affairs through the use of subliminal media advertising and the control of economic opportunity. Rudd, any bells ringing here. Liberal, you have found your next election winner I believe. The way this is going Australia is heading for a riot which will make Cronulla, Maroubra, Thailand, China and France look like child's play. Rudd and Conroy, it's happening on your watch. Is the Australian government happy with themselves now. I would suggest that some Australian politicians are going to do well to get bodyguards, if they don't have them already, such is the dislike of some of their jackass policy, and some of them are the clowns that signed off some of this garbage.
Media Man Australia Profiles
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The move comes after the Australian Communications and Media Authority threatened a fine of up to $11,000 a day against a web host for displaying the banned web page link.
The host supplies services to popular internet community website Whirlpool.
The problem began on January 5 when a Melbourne internet user, known online as Foad, complained to ACMA about "offensive content" on an anti-abortion web page (not the entire website).
Two weeks later ACMA replied, confirming the web page contained prohibited or potentially prohibited content.
ACMA's response contained the link to the offending web page, which soon found its way to various blogs and forums, including Whirlpool.
ACMA has since learned from its mistake. "ACMA has modified its replies to complainants to omit the URLs of prohibited content and potential prohibited content," a spokesman said.
ACMA must advise complainants of the outcome of their complaints, the spokesman said, and it was usual to include the relevant URL in the response to ensure that complainants, particularly those who had complained about several URLs, were aware of the action ACMA had taken.
"ACMA is aware of only a handful of instances from the 6000 investigations completed since January 1, 2000, where a complainant has published ACMA's response," the spokesman said.
Other Australian websites and blogs continue to display the location of the banned web page, but ACMA says no action will be taken as "ACMA has not received any other complaints about links to the content concerned".
Whirlpool, which has 276,000 members who regularly provide comments on the internet and broadband in Australia, removed the web page after its web hosting company, Bulletproof Networks, received an "interim link deletion" notice from ACMA.
ACMA said it took action against Bulletproof in accordance with the Broadcast Services Act.
Whirlpool owner Simon Wright questioned why ACMA slapped the notice on Bulletproof instead of Whirlpool since it was the latter that had published the web page.
"ACMA should have contacted us first. We felt compelled to remove the link to avoid getting Bulletproof into trouble," Mr Wright said. "Threatening friendships is something mobs do, not governments."
Bulletproof spokesman Lorenzo Modesto said it had complied with the notice because it was the responsible thing to do when authorities came calling.
Bulletproof notified Whirlpool, which removed the link.
Greg Tingle comment...
I'm an adult and if I wish to watch adult porno that should be my business only. If I want to visit a poker or online casino website to place a bet, so be it. If I want to link to Betfair, I should have every right to. Here's a movie to watch, John Carpenter's 'They Live'. Part science fiction thriller and part black comedy, the film echoed contemporary fears of a declining economy, within a culture of greed and conspicuous consumption common among Americans in the 1980s. In They Live, the ruling class within the monied elite are in fact aliens managing human social affairs through the use of subliminal media advertising and the control of economic opportunity. Rudd, any bells ringing here. Liberal, you have found your next election winner I believe. The way this is going Australia is heading for a riot which will make Cronulla, Maroubra, Thailand, China and France look like child's play. Rudd and Conroy, it's happening on your watch. Is the Australian government happy with themselves now. I would suggest that some Australian politicians are going to do well to get bodyguards, if they don't have them already, such is the dislike of some of their jackass policy, and some of them are the clowns that signed off some of this garbage.
Media Man Australia Profiles
Technology News
Friday, March 20, 2009
InterPoker and ParBet Move to International Poker Network, by Tom Jenkins - Poker News Daily - 19th March 2009
Thursday marks the official move of InterPoker and ParBet from the CryptoLogic Network to Boss Media's International Poker Network (IPN). The move stems from a November agreement between the two networks whereby Boss would absorb CryptoLogic's remaining online poker sites.
The past two days have seen the final rooms on the CryptoLogic Network make their way to Boss. On Tuesday, Extreme Poker jumped to IPN. Yesterday saw the moves of Classic Poker, Opoker, DTD Poker, and BetJacks. Atul Bali, President of GTECH's New Media and Sports Betting Company, commented in a press release distributed on Thursday, “With the addition of six new poker licensees including InterPoker and ParBet, we are significantly increasing the liquidity that can be offered to both the new licensees' players as well as our existing customers' player base. We look forward to further developing our relationship with CryptoLogic and further increasing the size of the IPN over time." GTECH is the parent company of Boss Media and is based in Providence, Rhode Island.
According to a market update issued by CryptoLogic on Tuesday, the move of InterPoker and ParBet on Thursday represents the final "integration of all poker customers." The company will instead focus its efforts on creating industry-leading online casino software. In 2008, it signed on 10 new customers in total, including 888.com, Party Gaming, BSkyB, and GigaMedia. The developers at CryptoLogic rolled out 34 new casino games last year featuring such well-known brands as Street Fighter, Sub-Mariner, and King Kong.
The 2008 calendar year saw CryptoLogic post revenues of $61.5 million, which it claimed was in line with market expectations. Comparatively, revenues were $73.7 million in 2007, meaning a drop of 17% occurred. Two years ago, CryptoLogic posted a net profit of $5.5 million. Last year, the company incurred a net loss of $32.7 million, which it pinned on "write downs of impaired assets, non-recurring restructuring costs, and currency factors." Fourth quarter revenues of $11.7 million in 2008 were half of the $20.4 million that the company posted during the final quarter of 2007.
Information available on InterPoker's website reveals that the process for players involves downloading IPN's new software. Funds will automatically be transferred over. However, My Poker Points (MPPs) will become merely a vestige, as InterPoker and other CryptoLogic players transition to using Frequent Player Points (FPPs).
As a result of the influx of new customers, IPN has grown leaps and bounds. It includes CelebPoker, Fortune Poker Paradise Poker, and Poker Heaven and is currently the ninth largest site worldwide in terms of cash game traffic, according to PokerScout.com. It boasts a seven day running average of 1,900 real money ring game players with a 24 hour peak that is nearly double that amount.
Brian Hadfield, President and CEO of CryptoLogic, commented in the same release, “GTECH and Boss Media are the right partners for CryptoLogic, thanks to their independence and commitment to innovation and technology. This is all part of CryptoLogic’s commitment to a superior experience for our customers and to profitability and growth for our shareholders.” CryptoLogic is traded on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange under the symbol "CRYP." At the time of writing, its shares are unchanged on the day at $4.27. Over the past 52 weeks, the stock has fetched anywhere between $2.00 and $21.97.
Just behind the IPN is the 10th largest network worldwide, the Cake Poker Network. It recently saw the additions of Doyle's Room and Poker Host to its already impressive lineup of PlayersOnly, Lock Poker, and Red Star Poker. Its flagship site is, of course, Cake Poker. Unlike the IPN, the Cake Poker Network accepts customers from the United States, which has helped fuel its growth.
Recent online poker sites that left the CryptoLogic Network included Betsafe, which joined the Ongame Network last month. In December, Sun Poker became a part of the iPoker Network, the largest that does not accept U.S. customers. Playboy Gaming shut down entirely in January. In November, a for-profit online poker room operated by the World Poker Tour (WPT) referred its members to InterPoker; the WPT's site had been part of the CryptoLogic Network. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
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The past two days have seen the final rooms on the CryptoLogic Network make their way to Boss. On Tuesday, Extreme Poker jumped to IPN. Yesterday saw the moves of Classic Poker, Opoker, DTD Poker, and BetJacks. Atul Bali, President of GTECH's New Media and Sports Betting Company, commented in a press release distributed on Thursday, “With the addition of six new poker licensees including InterPoker and ParBet, we are significantly increasing the liquidity that can be offered to both the new licensees' players as well as our existing customers' player base. We look forward to further developing our relationship with CryptoLogic and further increasing the size of the IPN over time." GTECH is the parent company of Boss Media and is based in Providence, Rhode Island.
According to a market update issued by CryptoLogic on Tuesday, the move of InterPoker and ParBet on Thursday represents the final "integration of all poker customers." The company will instead focus its efforts on creating industry-leading online casino software. In 2008, it signed on 10 new customers in total, including 888.com, Party Gaming, BSkyB, and GigaMedia. The developers at CryptoLogic rolled out 34 new casino games last year featuring such well-known brands as Street Fighter, Sub-Mariner, and King Kong.
The 2008 calendar year saw CryptoLogic post revenues of $61.5 million, which it claimed was in line with market expectations. Comparatively, revenues were $73.7 million in 2007, meaning a drop of 17% occurred. Two years ago, CryptoLogic posted a net profit of $5.5 million. Last year, the company incurred a net loss of $32.7 million, which it pinned on "write downs of impaired assets, non-recurring restructuring costs, and currency factors." Fourth quarter revenues of $11.7 million in 2008 were half of the $20.4 million that the company posted during the final quarter of 2007.
Information available on InterPoker's website reveals that the process for players involves downloading IPN's new software. Funds will automatically be transferred over. However, My Poker Points (MPPs) will become merely a vestige, as InterPoker and other CryptoLogic players transition to using Frequent Player Points (FPPs).
As a result of the influx of new customers, IPN has grown leaps and bounds. It includes CelebPoker, Fortune Poker Paradise Poker, and Poker Heaven and is currently the ninth largest site worldwide in terms of cash game traffic, according to PokerScout.com. It boasts a seven day running average of 1,900 real money ring game players with a 24 hour peak that is nearly double that amount.
Brian Hadfield, President and CEO of CryptoLogic, commented in the same release, “GTECH and Boss Media are the right partners for CryptoLogic, thanks to their independence and commitment to innovation and technology. This is all part of CryptoLogic’s commitment to a superior experience for our customers and to profitability and growth for our shareholders.” CryptoLogic is traded on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange under the symbol "CRYP." At the time of writing, its shares are unchanged on the day at $4.27. Over the past 52 weeks, the stock has fetched anywhere between $2.00 and $21.97.
Just behind the IPN is the 10th largest network worldwide, the Cake Poker Network. It recently saw the additions of Doyle's Room and Poker Host to its already impressive lineup of PlayersOnly, Lock Poker, and Red Star Poker. Its flagship site is, of course, Cake Poker. Unlike the IPN, the Cake Poker Network accepts customers from the United States, which has helped fuel its growth.
Recent online poker sites that left the CryptoLogic Network included Betsafe, which joined the Ongame Network last month. In December, Sun Poker became a part of the iPoker Network, the largest that does not accept U.S. customers. Playboy Gaming shut down entirely in January. In November, a for-profit online poker room operated by the World Poker Tour (WPT) referred its members to InterPoker; the WPT's site had been part of the CryptoLogic Network. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
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Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Playtech Signs Up Major Spanish Land Operator
Agreement could give gambling software provider a solid entry to a Spanish regulated online gambling market
March 16, 2009 (InfoPowa News) -- London-listed online gambling software developer Playtech plc has scored another important coup, signing up Casino Gran Madrid, one of the largest and most prestigious land-based gaming operators in Europe, as a licensee for its online casino and poker products.
Under the terms of the license agreement, Playtech will provide CGM with its casino platform and poker product, through its iPoker network, as the operator launches its online operations.
Mor Weizer, Chief Executive Officer of Playtech, said: "We are delighted to have secured this agreement with one of Europe's largest and most respected land-based operators. We expect this to be a significantly value accretive relationship, exemplifying our strategy to increase the number of regulated markets in which we operate."
Both parties are committed to meeting all the Spanish regulatory requirements, a Playtech spokesman stressed. CGM has already been working closely with Playtech's development and customer support teams to devise a suite of products tailored to meet the unique demands of CGM's players, offering a wide variety of games specifically designed to appeal to the gaming patterns of CGM's customer base.
Weizer continued: "We are pleased to add further regulated markets to our sphere of operations. Playtech's gaming platform is supported by a transparent and efficient management system which an increasing number of customers view as integral to their future business plans."
Jorge Casanova, Director of Information Systems of Casino Gran Madrid, commented: "Our agreement with Playtech strengthens CGM's leading position in the Spanish casino market. With our casino brand and games available online we are delighted to be leading gaming development in Spain through Playtech's innovative, secure and transparent system."
Industry analyst Collins Stewart described the deal as strengthening Playtech's credibility in a growing regional market. "The Madrid region is one of the leaders of Spain's online gambling regulation drive, meaning the deal also reinforces Playtech's strengthening regulated position," the company said.
Playtech plc is due to release its full-year results on Thursday this week, in what is anticipated to be a positive annual report.
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March 16, 2009 (InfoPowa News) -- London-listed online gambling software developer Playtech plc has scored another important coup, signing up Casino Gran Madrid, one of the largest and most prestigious land-based gaming operators in Europe, as a licensee for its online casino and poker products.
Under the terms of the license agreement, Playtech will provide CGM with its casino platform and poker product, through its iPoker network, as the operator launches its online operations.
Mor Weizer, Chief Executive Officer of Playtech, said: "We are delighted to have secured this agreement with one of Europe's largest and most respected land-based operators. We expect this to be a significantly value accretive relationship, exemplifying our strategy to increase the number of regulated markets in which we operate."
Both parties are committed to meeting all the Spanish regulatory requirements, a Playtech spokesman stressed. CGM has already been working closely with Playtech's development and customer support teams to devise a suite of products tailored to meet the unique demands of CGM's players, offering a wide variety of games specifically designed to appeal to the gaming patterns of CGM's customer base.
Weizer continued: "We are pleased to add further regulated markets to our sphere of operations. Playtech's gaming platform is supported by a transparent and efficient management system which an increasing number of customers view as integral to their future business plans."
Jorge Casanova, Director of Information Systems of Casino Gran Madrid, commented: "Our agreement with Playtech strengthens CGM's leading position in the Spanish casino market. With our casino brand and games available online we are delighted to be leading gaming development in Spain through Playtech's innovative, secure and transparent system."
Industry analyst Collins Stewart described the deal as strengthening Playtech's credibility in a growing regional market. "The Madrid region is one of the leaders of Spain's online gambling regulation drive, meaning the deal also reinforces Playtech's strengthening regulated position," the company said.
Playtech plc is due to release its full-year results on Thursday this week, in what is anticipated to be a positive annual report.
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Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Australian Censor Celebrates Safer Internet Day 2009 - Gambling911 - 9th February 2009
Protect our kids. Protect our pets. Protect ourselves from ourselves. This may be the message that Australia is trying to convey in recent months as some in government attempt to block websites.
Now along comes Safer Internet Day 2009 in Australia. Guess who's behind the event?
If you guessed Senator Stephen Conroy, you got it right!
This is the same Senator Conroy who was behind the attempts to have websites blocked in Australia.
"The themes for Safer Internet Day 2009-safe social networking and the prevention of cyber-bullying-are particularly relevant given the popularity of services such as Facebook, MySpace, Habbo Hotel and Bebo among young people," the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy said.
Translation: "You're next on our priority list of sites to block Facebook."
"They are playing the ‘protect the kids" card, but we all know that governments and big business is about... business - money... and with the government - Control;" remarked Australia's media man, Greg Tingle.
Gambling911.com has been following developments in Australia on the "censorship" front as online gambling typically sits next on the food chain after the politicians rid the land down under of porn.
"Young people are highly engaged with the online world and it is important that they have the knowledge and experience needed to be responsible cyber-citizens," Conroy insists.
Safer Internet Day 2009 is being held tomorrow, February 10. (Credit: Gambling911.com)
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Now along comes Safer Internet Day 2009 in Australia. Guess who's behind the event?
If you guessed Senator Stephen Conroy, you got it right!
This is the same Senator Conroy who was behind the attempts to have websites blocked in Australia.
"The themes for Safer Internet Day 2009-safe social networking and the prevention of cyber-bullying-are particularly relevant given the popularity of services such as Facebook, MySpace, Habbo Hotel and Bebo among young people," the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy said.
Translation: "You're next on our priority list of sites to block Facebook."
"They are playing the ‘protect the kids" card, but we all know that governments and big business is about... business - money... and with the government - Control;" remarked Australia's media man, Greg Tingle.
Gambling911.com has been following developments in Australia on the "censorship" front as online gambling typically sits next on the food chain after the politicians rid the land down under of porn.
"Young people are highly engaged with the online world and it is important that they have the knowledge and experience needed to be responsible cyber-citizens," Conroy insists.
Safer Internet Day 2009 is being held tomorrow, February 10. (Credit: Gambling911.com)
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Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Press Room - Australians continue to bet online - 5th February 2002
The Federal Government’s Interactive Gambling Act 2001, introduced in June 2001, has failed to curb Internet casino-type gambling and is forcing Australians to use offshore and largely unregulated online gaming sites, the Australian Casino Association (ACA) announced today.
The Federal Government’s Interactive Gambling Act 2001, introduced in June 2001, has failed to curb Internet casino-type gambling and is forcing Australians to use offshore and largely unregulated online gaming sites, the Australian Casino Association (ACA) announced today.
Quoting the ACA/ Hitwise Online Gaming Report, Executive Director of the ACA, Mr Chris Downy, said more than 40 per cent of Australians gambling online are visiting offshore sites.
“This research proves that Australians are actively visiting offshore casino-type gaming websites which are clearly not subject to the same stringent regulation as Australia.
“The failure of the Act is underlined by the finding that in December 2001, one international online casino and one casino portal featured in the Top 10 gaming sites accessed by Australians,” he said.
Between February and December 2001 the number of international Entertainment-Gambling websites visited by Australian Internet users had increased 38 per cent. During February 2001, Hitwise monitored 304 Entertainment - Gambling websites, 100 of which were based in Australia. By December 2001, the total number of Entertainment - Gambling websites monitored had increased to 419, with the number of Australian sites remaining constant at 100.
“The level of interest in online gaming remained relatively consistent throughout the year and actually increased in July 2001 at the same time as the introduction of the Interactive Gambling Act.
“The Entertainment-Gambling category attracted nearly .5 per cent of total Internet traffic in Australia per month between February and December last year.
“We said at the time that the government was using a sledgehammer to crack a peanut and the latest evidence would certainly appear to support our view,” Mr Downy said.
The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 prohibits Australians from gambling on Australian online casinos, but does not prevent Australians from online horse racing and lottery wagering.
Mr Downy said the research clearly demonstrates the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 has not prevented Internet casino-type wagering, but has forced Australians to gamble overseas on unregulated and potentially harmful sites.
“It is extraordinary that Australians are forced to gamble on offshore sites when our local sites have in place player protection measures which are among the toughest in the world.
“Countries worldwide are recognising that government regulation is the key to successful online gambling management.
"Even countries that were looking to ban Internet gambling have now recognised that this is ultimately a futile exercise, and are now looking to regulate and control this activity," he said.
The ACA actively supports the rigorous customer protection measures already in force and promoted by Australian operators.
Other notable findings of the ACA/Hitwise Gaming Report include:
· NSW (38 per cent) and Victoria (31 per cent) supplied the majority of traffic to the Entertainment-Gambling sector;
· The level of traffic to websites in the Entertainment-Gambling category was strongest on Saturdays;
· 40 per cent of all visits to the category went to the Top 10 websites;
· In comparison to the share of visits to the Entertainment-Gambling category (which remained relatively consistent throughout 2001), visits to Business and Finance-Stocks & Shares fell significantly from 1.292 per cent in February 2001 to .907 per cent in December 2001.
The ACA plans to monitor online gaming traffic throughout 2002 and will release results of a similar study in July 2002 and January 2003 respectively.
The association has also published a number of guidelines Australians should consider before wagering on offshore, potentially unregulated Internet casino sites. These guidelines and other information related to online gaming can be found on the ACA website www.auscasinos.com.
ENDS…
5-Feb-02
For further information please contact:
Chris Downy
Executive Director
Australia Casino Association
Office: (02) 6232 6481
Mob: 0407 411 043
Hitwise Methodology:
The Hitwise Online Gaming Report tracks Australian Internet Traffic in the Entertainment-Gambling category between February – December 2001. Each day, Hitwise monitors approximately 3 million Australian Internet users and reports on over 100,000 online businesses. Hitwise monitors a range of Internet Service Provider (ISP) networks to capture usage patterns of Australian Internet users. The ISPs represent a diverse range of metropolitan and regional areas that includes Internet access from home, work and educational institutions. (Credit: www.auscasinos.com)
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The Federal Government’s Interactive Gambling Act 2001, introduced in June 2001, has failed to curb Internet casino-type gambling and is forcing Australians to use offshore and largely unregulated online gaming sites, the Australian Casino Association (ACA) announced today.
Quoting the ACA/ Hitwise Online Gaming Report, Executive Director of the ACA, Mr Chris Downy, said more than 40 per cent of Australians gambling online are visiting offshore sites.
“This research proves that Australians are actively visiting offshore casino-type gaming websites which are clearly not subject to the same stringent regulation as Australia.
“The failure of the Act is underlined by the finding that in December 2001, one international online casino and one casino portal featured in the Top 10 gaming sites accessed by Australians,” he said.
Between February and December 2001 the number of international Entertainment-Gambling websites visited by Australian Internet users had increased 38 per cent. During February 2001, Hitwise monitored 304 Entertainment - Gambling websites, 100 of which were based in Australia. By December 2001, the total number of Entertainment - Gambling websites monitored had increased to 419, with the number of Australian sites remaining constant at 100.
“The level of interest in online gaming remained relatively consistent throughout the year and actually increased in July 2001 at the same time as the introduction of the Interactive Gambling Act.
“The Entertainment-Gambling category attracted nearly .5 per cent of total Internet traffic in Australia per month between February and December last year.
“We said at the time that the government was using a sledgehammer to crack a peanut and the latest evidence would certainly appear to support our view,” Mr Downy said.
The Interactive Gambling Act 2001 prohibits Australians from gambling on Australian online casinos, but does not prevent Australians from online horse racing and lottery wagering.
Mr Downy said the research clearly demonstrates the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 has not prevented Internet casino-type wagering, but has forced Australians to gamble overseas on unregulated and potentially harmful sites.
“It is extraordinary that Australians are forced to gamble on offshore sites when our local sites have in place player protection measures which are among the toughest in the world.
“Countries worldwide are recognising that government regulation is the key to successful online gambling management.
"Even countries that were looking to ban Internet gambling have now recognised that this is ultimately a futile exercise, and are now looking to regulate and control this activity," he said.
The ACA actively supports the rigorous customer protection measures already in force and promoted by Australian operators.
Other notable findings of the ACA/Hitwise Gaming Report include:
· NSW (38 per cent) and Victoria (31 per cent) supplied the majority of traffic to the Entertainment-Gambling sector;
· The level of traffic to websites in the Entertainment-Gambling category was strongest on Saturdays;
· 40 per cent of all visits to the category went to the Top 10 websites;
· In comparison to the share of visits to the Entertainment-Gambling category (which remained relatively consistent throughout 2001), visits to Business and Finance-Stocks & Shares fell significantly from 1.292 per cent in February 2001 to .907 per cent in December 2001.
The ACA plans to monitor online gaming traffic throughout 2002 and will release results of a similar study in July 2002 and January 2003 respectively.
The association has also published a number of guidelines Australians should consider before wagering on offshore, potentially unregulated Internet casino sites. These guidelines and other information related to online gaming can be found on the ACA website www.auscasinos.com.
ENDS…
5-Feb-02
For further information please contact:
Chris Downy
Executive Director
Australia Casino Association
Office: (02) 6232 6481
Mob: 0407 411 043
Hitwise Methodology:
The Hitwise Online Gaming Report tracks Australian Internet Traffic in the Entertainment-Gambling category between February – December 2001. Each day, Hitwise monitors approximately 3 million Australian Internet users and reports on over 100,000 online businesses. Hitwise monitors a range of Internet Service Provider (ISP) networks to capture usage patterns of Australian Internet users. The ISPs represent a diverse range of metropolitan and regional areas that includes Internet access from home, work and educational institutions. (Credit: www.auscasinos.com)
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Monday, January 26, 2009
CryptoLogic Expects to Deliver Net Income of $9-$10 Million in 2009
DUBLIN, IRELAND, Jan 15, 2009 --CryptoLogic, a world leader in Internet casino and branded gaming software, today provided an update on its new growth strategy and restructuring program that positions the company for a return to profitability and cash generation in 2009, and further growth in the years to come.
Highlights
Restructuring program
Under the plan announced in October 2008, the company is on track to achieve:
- Reduced total operating costs of approximately $13 million on an annualized basis by the end of Q2 2009.
- Restructuring to result in $3.5 million cash costs and up to $20 million in further non-cash charges.
- Outsourcing of poker network through strategic partnership with GTECH Corporation to be completed by the end of Q1 2009. Partnership will improve poker-room liquidity for CryptoLogic customers, while eliminating the costs of operating a standalone network.
- Rationalization includes reconfiguration of network, a 75% reduction in servers and office rental costs.
New strategy for growth
- Growth to be driven by Internet casino business, and by development and licensing of branded online games to leading gaming and entertainment brands.
- Recently contracted customers including 888.com, PartyGaming and GigaMedia expected to generate new revenues of at least $8 million in 2009.
- Continued aggressive expansion of casino business through licensing contracts, with a robust new business pipeline for 2009.
- Yesterday signed a new licensing contract with Gaming Technology Solutions plc, whose customers include Unibet, bwin and many other top brands.
2009 outlook
Based on no significant further deterioration in economic conditions and stabilization of currency rates, the company expects:
- Return to profitability and cash generation from Q2 2009.
- Full year cash generation post restructuring of $11-$13 million.
- Net profits in the range of $9-$10 million.
- Diluted earnings per share of 65-71 cents.
"CryptoLogic has taken radical steps to focus on its core strengths as a developer of exciting online gaming content," said Brian Hadfield, CryptoLogic's President & CEO. "We are on track to return to profitability and generate cash from the second quarter of 2009."
"Our streamlined operations, lower operating costs and commitment to creating compelling customer experience, together with a highly profitable build-once-sell-often model, provides a solid springboard for long-term growth and shareholder value."
Overview
CryptoLogic is making significant progress in executing its new growth strategy and restructuring program, first outlined in October 2008. These plans were developed after a fundamental review of the business by the company's management under Brian Hadfield, following his appointment as President & CEO at the end of February 2008.
This new strategy is to achieve long-term growth, sustained profitability and strong cash generation by adopting a radically new business model that focuses on CryptoLogic's successful Internet casino business and the development and licensing of the company's highly acclaimed software.
Restructuring for profitability
As announced previously, the company is implementing a plan to reduce annual operating costs by $13 million through various initiatives. Approximately $8.5 million of the savings are attributable to a reduction in employee expenses; about $2.5 million are from infrastructure and facilities downsizing; and some $2.0 million in savings are expected from operational efficiencies across the business.
Poker partnership cuts costs, adds liquidity
In November 2008, the company announced the outsourcing of its hosted poker business by entering into a strategic partnership with GTECH Corporation's International Poker Network. The move gives CryptoLogic's poker licensees and players access to a larger network with a combined average of 15,000 active players.
The transfer of poker licensees and systems to the GTECH network is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter. The company will continue to provide a full-service offering for its licensees through the GTECH network and receive ongoing revenues from its transferred customers.
New customers to drive revenue growth
CryptoLogic significantly increased its customer acquisition activities in 2008, resulting in 10 new contracts for both hosted Internet casinos and the licensing of branded games. Yesterday the company further expanded its channel to market with a strategic partnership with Gaming Technology Solutions plc, a leading global supplier of platform solutions for online gaming operations. Under the agreement, CryptoLogic's top performing games will be made available to GTS customers, which include Unibet, bwin, Expekt and Betclick among many other top brands.
Going forward, the "build-once-license-often" model offers excellent revenue potential at low cost and will be the major driver of growth. The company's new customers include 888.com, PartyGaming, GigaMedia, SkyBet (part of BskyB Group), Orbis, The Poker Channel and Betjacks. These agreements offer significant revenue potential for 2009 and beyond.
Investing for future
In order to leverage its industry leadership in the development and deployment of casino games, the company is introducing the CryptoLogic Centre for Innovation where customers, partners, universities and others can participate in defining and guiding the future of e-gaming.
As part of the new strategy and image, the company will also unveil its new branding program and logo based around "extraordinary e-gaming innovation" with the production of the new annual report due in May.
Outlook
The company is in the process of finalizing its results for the fourth quarter and full year 2008. While trading levels were broadly in line with management expectations in the fourth quarter, revenues were affected by the continued strengthening of the US dollar, the company's reporting currency, against the Euro, Canadian dollar and the British pound. As a result, reported revenues are expected to be approximately 14% lower than the previous quarter. Against that, recurring operating expenses will also be lower due to currency fluctuations. Net cash at the year end was between $42-$43 million.
Given difficult global economic conditions, the company is taking a cautious view of top line growth in 2009. Nevertheless, CryptoLogic's actions to reduce operating costs and execute its new growth strategy will enable the company to return to profitability and cash generation from Q2 2009. In addition, the company expects full year cash generation post restructuring of $11-$13 million, net profits in the range of $9-$10 million, and diluted earnings per share of 65-71 cents. The above guidance assumes no significant further deterioration in economic conditions and stabilization of currency rates.
Investor/analyst conference call
CryptoLogic will hold a conference call today at 8:30 am Eastern time (1:30 p.m. GMT) to update investors on the progress of its plan to return to growth and profitability in 2009. The details of the call are as follows:
Toll Free North America:
1-877-677-0837 Toll Free UK: 00 800-6578-9898 Toll Free International (Country Code) 800-6578-9898 Toronto Dial-In Number:
416-695-6616
To participate, please call five to ten minutes prior to the start of the teleconference. This conference call will be recorded and available for replay approximately one hour after the completion of the call, up until midnight January 22, 2009. To listen to the replay, please dial 416-695-5800 or 1-800-408-3053, passcode 3277967#. A transcript of the call will also be made available on CryptoLogic's website at www.cryptologic.com under Investor Information.
About CryptoLogic(R: 32.92, -0.23, -0.69%) (www.cryptologic.com)
Focused on integrity and innovation, CryptoLogic Limited is a leading blue-chip public developer and supplier of Internet gaming software. Its leadership in regulatory compliance makes it one of the very few companies with gaming software that is certified to strict standards similar to land-based gaming. WagerLogic(R: 4.4, -0.01, -0.23%) Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CryptoLogic, is responsible for the licensing of its gaming software and services to blue-chip customers that offer their games to non-U.S. based players around the world. For information on WagerLogic, please visit www.wagerlogic.com.
CryptoLogic's common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (CRY, CXY), the NASDAQ Global Select Market (CRYP: 16.09, -0.06, -0.37%) and the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange (CRP).
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:
Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws and safe harbors, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of historical fact. When used in this document, the words "may," "would," "could," "should," "will," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to CryptoLogic or our management, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include, without limitation, statements regarding cost savings expected to materialize from our reduced operating costs and restructuring plan; revenues anticipated from licensing contracts; and future cash generating activities, net profits, and earnings per share. Forward-looking statements reflect CryptoLogic's current views with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, without limitation, risks associated with CryptoLogic's financial condition and prospects, legal risks associated with Internet gaming and related governmental legislation and regulation, risks associated with market acceptance and technological changes, risks associated with dependence on licensees and key licensees, risks relating to international operations, risks associated with competition and other risks detailed in CryptoLogic's filings with securities regulatory authorities. These and other factors could cause CryptoLogic's actual results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements to vary from those made in this press release, or that are otherwise made by or on behalf of CryptoLogic. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. CryptoLogic does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements.
Contacts: CryptoLogic Stephen Taylor Chief Financial Officer 353 (0) 1 234 0415 www.cryptologic.com
Argyle Communications Jason Graham (North American and gaming industry media) (416) 968-7311, ext 229 jgraham@argylecommunications.com
Argyle Communications Daniel Tisch (North American and gaming industry media) (416) 968-7311, ext 223 dtisch@argylecommunications.com
Corfin Communications Neil Thapar (UK media only) +44 207 977 0020 Corfin Communications Harry Chathli or Alexis Gore (UK media only) +44 207 977 0020
Media Man Australia Profiles
CryptoLogic
PartyGaming
888
Online Casino News
Highlights
Restructuring program
Under the plan announced in October 2008, the company is on track to achieve:
- Reduced total operating costs of approximately $13 million on an annualized basis by the end of Q2 2009.
- Restructuring to result in $3.5 million cash costs and up to $20 million in further non-cash charges.
- Outsourcing of poker network through strategic partnership with GTECH Corporation to be completed by the end of Q1 2009. Partnership will improve poker-room liquidity for CryptoLogic customers, while eliminating the costs of operating a standalone network.
- Rationalization includes reconfiguration of network, a 75% reduction in servers and office rental costs.
New strategy for growth
- Growth to be driven by Internet casino business, and by development and licensing of branded online games to leading gaming and entertainment brands.
- Recently contracted customers including 888.com, PartyGaming and GigaMedia expected to generate new revenues of at least $8 million in 2009.
- Continued aggressive expansion of casino business through licensing contracts, with a robust new business pipeline for 2009.
- Yesterday signed a new licensing contract with Gaming Technology Solutions plc, whose customers include Unibet, bwin and many other top brands.
2009 outlook
Based on no significant further deterioration in economic conditions and stabilization of currency rates, the company expects:
- Return to profitability and cash generation from Q2 2009.
- Full year cash generation post restructuring of $11-$13 million.
- Net profits in the range of $9-$10 million.
- Diluted earnings per share of 65-71 cents.
"CryptoLogic has taken radical steps to focus on its core strengths as a developer of exciting online gaming content," said Brian Hadfield, CryptoLogic's President & CEO. "We are on track to return to profitability and generate cash from the second quarter of 2009."
"Our streamlined operations, lower operating costs and commitment to creating compelling customer experience, together with a highly profitable build-once-sell-often model, provides a solid springboard for long-term growth and shareholder value."
Overview
CryptoLogic is making significant progress in executing its new growth strategy and restructuring program, first outlined in October 2008. These plans were developed after a fundamental review of the business by the company's management under Brian Hadfield, following his appointment as President & CEO at the end of February 2008.
This new strategy is to achieve long-term growth, sustained profitability and strong cash generation by adopting a radically new business model that focuses on CryptoLogic's successful Internet casino business and the development and licensing of the company's highly acclaimed software.
Restructuring for profitability
As announced previously, the company is implementing a plan to reduce annual operating costs by $13 million through various initiatives. Approximately $8.5 million of the savings are attributable to a reduction in employee expenses; about $2.5 million are from infrastructure and facilities downsizing; and some $2.0 million in savings are expected from operational efficiencies across the business.
Poker partnership cuts costs, adds liquidity
In November 2008, the company announced the outsourcing of its hosted poker business by entering into a strategic partnership with GTECH Corporation's International Poker Network. The move gives CryptoLogic's poker licensees and players access to a larger network with a combined average of 15,000 active players.
The transfer of poker licensees and systems to the GTECH network is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter. The company will continue to provide a full-service offering for its licensees through the GTECH network and receive ongoing revenues from its transferred customers.
New customers to drive revenue growth
CryptoLogic significantly increased its customer acquisition activities in 2008, resulting in 10 new contracts for both hosted Internet casinos and the licensing of branded games. Yesterday the company further expanded its channel to market with a strategic partnership with Gaming Technology Solutions plc, a leading global supplier of platform solutions for online gaming operations. Under the agreement, CryptoLogic's top performing games will be made available to GTS customers, which include Unibet, bwin, Expekt and Betclick among many other top brands.
Going forward, the "build-once-license-often" model offers excellent revenue potential at low cost and will be the major driver of growth. The company's new customers include 888.com, PartyGaming, GigaMedia, SkyBet (part of BskyB Group), Orbis, The Poker Channel and Betjacks. These agreements offer significant revenue potential for 2009 and beyond.
Investing for future
In order to leverage its industry leadership in the development and deployment of casino games, the company is introducing the CryptoLogic Centre for Innovation where customers, partners, universities and others can participate in defining and guiding the future of e-gaming.
As part of the new strategy and image, the company will also unveil its new branding program and logo based around "extraordinary e-gaming innovation" with the production of the new annual report due in May.
Outlook
The company is in the process of finalizing its results for the fourth quarter and full year 2008. While trading levels were broadly in line with management expectations in the fourth quarter, revenues were affected by the continued strengthening of the US dollar, the company's reporting currency, against the Euro, Canadian dollar and the British pound. As a result, reported revenues are expected to be approximately 14% lower than the previous quarter. Against that, recurring operating expenses will also be lower due to currency fluctuations. Net cash at the year end was between $42-$43 million.
Given difficult global economic conditions, the company is taking a cautious view of top line growth in 2009. Nevertheless, CryptoLogic's actions to reduce operating costs and execute its new growth strategy will enable the company to return to profitability and cash generation from Q2 2009. In addition, the company expects full year cash generation post restructuring of $11-$13 million, net profits in the range of $9-$10 million, and diluted earnings per share of 65-71 cents. The above guidance assumes no significant further deterioration in economic conditions and stabilization of currency rates.
Investor/analyst conference call
CryptoLogic will hold a conference call today at 8:30 am Eastern time (1:30 p.m. GMT) to update investors on the progress of its plan to return to growth and profitability in 2009. The details of the call are as follows:
Toll Free North America:
1-877-677-0837 Toll Free UK: 00 800-6578-9898 Toll Free International (Country Code) 800-6578-9898 Toronto Dial-In Number:
416-695-6616
To participate, please call five to ten minutes prior to the start of the teleconference. This conference call will be recorded and available for replay approximately one hour after the completion of the call, up until midnight January 22, 2009. To listen to the replay, please dial 416-695-5800 or 1-800-408-3053, passcode 3277967#. A transcript of the call will also be made available on CryptoLogic's website at www.cryptologic.com under Investor Information.
About CryptoLogic(R: 32.92, -0.23, -0.69%) (www.cryptologic.com)
Focused on integrity and innovation, CryptoLogic Limited is a leading blue-chip public developer and supplier of Internet gaming software. Its leadership in regulatory compliance makes it one of the very few companies with gaming software that is certified to strict standards similar to land-based gaming. WagerLogic(R: 4.4, -0.01, -0.23%) Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CryptoLogic, is responsible for the licensing of its gaming software and services to blue-chip customers that offer their games to non-U.S. based players around the world. For information on WagerLogic, please visit www.wagerlogic.com.
CryptoLogic's common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (CRY, CXY), the NASDAQ Global Select Market (CRYP: 16.09, -0.06, -0.37%) and the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange (CRP).
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:
Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws and safe harbors, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of historical fact. When used in this document, the words "may," "would," "could," "should," "will," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to CryptoLogic or our management, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include, without limitation, statements regarding cost savings expected to materialize from our reduced operating costs and restructuring plan; revenues anticipated from licensing contracts; and future cash generating activities, net profits, and earnings per share. Forward-looking statements reflect CryptoLogic's current views with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, without limitation, risks associated with CryptoLogic's financial condition and prospects, legal risks associated with Internet gaming and related governmental legislation and regulation, risks associated with market acceptance and technological changes, risks associated with dependence on licensees and key licensees, risks relating to international operations, risks associated with competition and other risks detailed in CryptoLogic's filings with securities regulatory authorities. These and other factors could cause CryptoLogic's actual results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements to vary from those made in this press release, or that are otherwise made by or on behalf of CryptoLogic. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. CryptoLogic does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements.
Contacts: CryptoLogic Stephen Taylor Chief Financial Officer 353 (0) 1 234 0415 www.cryptologic.com
Argyle Communications Jason Graham (North American and gaming industry media) (416) 968-7311, ext 229 jgraham@argylecommunications.com
Argyle Communications Daniel Tisch (North American and gaming industry media) (416) 968-7311, ext 223 dtisch@argylecommunications.com
Corfin Communications Neil Thapar (UK media only) +44 207 977 0020 Corfin Communications Harry Chathli or Alexis Gore (UK media only) +44 207 977 0020
Media Man Australia Profiles
CryptoLogic
PartyGaming
888
Online Casino News
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Kentucky Domain Seizures Struck Down by Appeals Court
PPA heralds ruling as "tremendous victory"
January 20, 2009 -- The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) website is reporting that the Kentucky Court of Appeals has ruled today that the state may not enforce its order attempting to seize 141 domain names, which was pending since last fall.
The PPA's Executive Director John Pappas has made this statement: "This is a tremendous victory for Internet freedom and the rights of Kentucky residents who enjoy playing online poker. We are pleased that the appeals court has forcefully reversed Judge Wingate's earlier ruling and confirmed many of the arguments that have been raised in opposition to the seizure effort. The Court of Appeals has agreed with the PPA's position that Judge Wingate did not have jurisdiction to issue the order that he entered against these domains and that Secretary Brown has no legitimate right to deprive the citizens of Kentucky of the legal right to play poker online."
"On behalf of the thousands of PPA members who live in Kentucky we hope that Governor Beshear and Secretary Brown will abandon this misguided effort and focus new energies into regulation and taxation of Internet poker," said Rich Muny, Kentucky State Director for the PPA, who resides in Union, KY. "This common-sense approach would benefit Kentucky's poker enthusiasts and the revenue will benefit the state as a whole. Rather than spending hard to find dollars on this case, the Governor could actually turn this into a much needed new revenue stream for the Commonwealth."
This quote comes courtesy of the Casino City Times website, which also stated that the ruling may be due to "powerful arguments from a strong coalition of independent voices who opposed the Franklin Circuit Court ruling. Groups like the PPA, the ACLU of Kentucky and the Electronic Frontier Foundation all successfully weighed in with the appellate court from a variety of legal perspectives."
This should be the end of this situation, although Kentucky Governor Beshear may continue to appeal or take other action if he is unwilling to accept this judgment. Still, an important victory has been won on behalf of the online gaming industry today.
Media Man Australia Profiles
Poker News
Online Casino News
January 20, 2009 -- The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) website is reporting that the Kentucky Court of Appeals has ruled today that the state may not enforce its order attempting to seize 141 domain names, which was pending since last fall.
The PPA's Executive Director John Pappas has made this statement: "This is a tremendous victory for Internet freedom and the rights of Kentucky residents who enjoy playing online poker. We are pleased that the appeals court has forcefully reversed Judge Wingate's earlier ruling and confirmed many of the arguments that have been raised in opposition to the seizure effort. The Court of Appeals has agreed with the PPA's position that Judge Wingate did not have jurisdiction to issue the order that he entered against these domains and that Secretary Brown has no legitimate right to deprive the citizens of Kentucky of the legal right to play poker online."
"On behalf of the thousands of PPA members who live in Kentucky we hope that Governor Beshear and Secretary Brown will abandon this misguided effort and focus new energies into regulation and taxation of Internet poker," said Rich Muny, Kentucky State Director for the PPA, who resides in Union, KY. "This common-sense approach would benefit Kentucky's poker enthusiasts and the revenue will benefit the state as a whole. Rather than spending hard to find dollars on this case, the Governor could actually turn this into a much needed new revenue stream for the Commonwealth."
This quote comes courtesy of the Casino City Times website, which also stated that the ruling may be due to "powerful arguments from a strong coalition of independent voices who opposed the Franklin Circuit Court ruling. Groups like the PPA, the ACLU of Kentucky and the Electronic Frontier Foundation all successfully weighed in with the appellate court from a variety of legal perspectives."
This should be the end of this situation, although Kentucky Governor Beshear may continue to appeal or take other action if he is unwilling to accept this judgment. Still, an important victory has been won on behalf of the online gaming industry today.
Media Man Australia Profiles
Poker News
Online Casino News
Monday, January 19, 2009
Cryptologic CEO plans to open innovation centre
15th January 2009
Press Release
LONDON — Software developer Cryptologic plans to open a centre to develop gaming technology beyond consoles and personal computers, the company told Reuters on Thursday.
“We have partners and clients interested and we're speaking to universities worldwide – it should throw up some interesting things,” Chief Executive Brian Hadfield said.
“It [will be] a place where customers, partners, universities and others can participate in defining and guiding the future of e-gaming,” he added.
Mr. Hadfield said he was keen to see what can be achieved by looking at the full extent of opportunities within mobile technology and social websites, as gaming evolves.
He was speaking after the company said its restructuring program, announced last October, is on track. Small cap Cryptologic's shares gained 19.5 per cent.
RESTRUCTURING
Cryptologic said it is on target to reduce total operating costs of approximately $13-million (U.S.) on an annualized basis by the end of second quarter 2009 The company also said the outsourcing of its poker network through strategic partnership with GTECH Corporation will be completed by the end of first quarter 2009.
“We looked at the business asked ourselves “what are we good at?” And we're good at casino games and branded games,” Mr. Hadfield said.
Its partnership with GTECH, allows its customers to gamble on Boss Media's International poker network with a wider customer base, a move which Cryptologic says reduced costs and turned its loss-making poker operation to profit.
Mr. Hadfield said he now sees a return to profitability and cash generation from the second quarter. He said organic growth will be difficult this year but the company's strategy of adding new licensee revenue will help.
In the past few months Cryptologic has added 10 new licencees including 888.com, Partygaming and most recently GTS.
Cryptologic predicts full-year cash generation post restructuring of $11-million to $13 million and net profit in the range of $9-million to $10-million.
Mr. Hadfield said he prefers to be prudent and keeps expectations realistic, given the sharp downturn in the economy in the last quarter of 2008.
“In the current climate cash is king,” he said. Cryptologic has cash of between $42-million and $43-million, but Mr. Hadfield added if there is an acquisition that “adds-value and strengthens operations” then he would look at it.
Media Man Australia Profiles
Cryptologic
Online Casino News
Casino News
Press Release
LONDON — Software developer Cryptologic plans to open a centre to develop gaming technology beyond consoles and personal computers, the company told Reuters on Thursday.
“We have partners and clients interested and we're speaking to universities worldwide – it should throw up some interesting things,” Chief Executive Brian Hadfield said.
“It [will be] a place where customers, partners, universities and others can participate in defining and guiding the future of e-gaming,” he added.
Mr. Hadfield said he was keen to see what can be achieved by looking at the full extent of opportunities within mobile technology and social websites, as gaming evolves.
He was speaking after the company said its restructuring program, announced last October, is on track. Small cap Cryptologic's shares gained 19.5 per cent.
RESTRUCTURING
Cryptologic said it is on target to reduce total operating costs of approximately $13-million (U.S.) on an annualized basis by the end of second quarter 2009 The company also said the outsourcing of its poker network through strategic partnership with GTECH Corporation will be completed by the end of first quarter 2009.
“We looked at the business asked ourselves “what are we good at?” And we're good at casino games and branded games,” Mr. Hadfield said.
Its partnership with GTECH, allows its customers to gamble on Boss Media's International poker network with a wider customer base, a move which Cryptologic says reduced costs and turned its loss-making poker operation to profit.
Mr. Hadfield said he now sees a return to profitability and cash generation from the second quarter. He said organic growth will be difficult this year but the company's strategy of adding new licensee revenue will help.
In the past few months Cryptologic has added 10 new licencees including 888.com, Partygaming and most recently GTS.
Cryptologic predicts full-year cash generation post restructuring of $11-million to $13 million and net profit in the range of $9-million to $10-million.
Mr. Hadfield said he prefers to be prudent and keeps expectations realistic, given the sharp downturn in the economy in the last quarter of 2008.
“In the current climate cash is king,” he said. Cryptologic has cash of between $42-million and $43-million, but Mr. Hadfield added if there is an acquisition that “adds-value and strengthens operations” then he would look at it.
Media Man Australia Profiles
Cryptologic
Online Casino News
Casino News
Saturday, January 17, 2009
iMEGA Legal Challenge May Resume in April, by Dan Cypra - Poker News Daily - 15th January 2009
In November, the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) filed its response brief in a legal challenge to declare the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) unconstitutional. On Thursday, the organization announced that it had been contacted by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals about its availability in April.
The case stems from the 2006 passage of the UIGEA, which was ushered through Congress by former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN). Attached to the SAFE Port Act, an unrelated port security measure, the UIGEA cleared the Senate by unanimous consent and was signed into law by outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush in October of that year. The law did not prescribe what was “unlawful.” Instead, it deferred to existing state and federal laws, claiming that the transfer of money to any “unlawful” enterprise was illegal.
Its vagueness turned the industry upside down, as the largest online poker room at the time, PartyPoker, vacated the U.S. market. Following the Party Gaming owned room were others, including Paradise Poker and Pacific Poker. Payment processors including NETELLER and Citadel Commerce also departed the United States. iMEGA has since been granted standing to sue to declare the UIGEA unconstitutional. Its “void for vagueness” argument may now head to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals as soon as April. The Court contacted both iMEGA and the Federal Government seeking the parties’ availability during the month.
The case, which is appeal number 08-1981, lists former U.S. Attorney General Peter Keisler, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Federal Reserve as its defendants. On its main argument, iMEGA claims in its response brief, “The void for vagueness doctrine requires that a policy or statute defines an offense with sufficient definitiveness so that ordinary people can understand what conduct is prohibited.” According to Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, the legality of online wagering on horse racing, for example, “depended on which department you asked,” according to a statement made in 2008.
iMEGA Chairman Joe Brennan commented in a press release distributed on Thursday, “We’re very happy the Court is moving forward to schedule oral arguments. We’re confident we have a strong suit and it will be difficult for the Department of Justice to defend UIGEA because it is so fatally flawed.” The UIGEA charges the financial services industry with determining what is and is not permissible. According to iMEGA, this is grounds for the law being unconstitutional. The press release read, “Congress cannot delegate that necessary determination as to what is ‘lawful’ or ‘unlawful’ to U.S. banks and credit card companies.”
In March, Judge Mary L. Cooper of the New Jersey U.S. District Court granted the organization standing to sue. However, in her judgment, she also disagreed with many of its main arguments. Consequently, iMEGA appealed, but ultimately had standing. In September, it officially filed its brief with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. In its legal case, iMEGA noted that officials from the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve testified before Congress that they would not be able to enforce the UIGEA, as a strict definition of what is legal and illegal was never given. Nevertheless, the regulations of the law were passed by the Bush Administration as part of its “midnight rulemaking” and will be enacted on January 19th (next Monday), one day before President-elect Barack Obama is sworn in. Compliance by the financial services industry is required by December 1st.
iMEGA’s legal team is also one of the main parties involved in the ongoing legal battle in Kentucky involving the seizure and potential forfeiture of 141 internet gambling domain names, including those belonging to some of the world’s largest online poker sites. The state’s Court of Appeals heard arguments during a one hour session in December and the industry now awaits the ruling of the three judge panel, which is expected by the end of the month (although no official timeline has been given). The Interactive Gaming Council (IGC) as well as an attorney who represents several of the sites in jeopardy have both flanked iMEGA in the Bluegrass State battle.
iMEGA was founded in 2007 and almost immediately found itself immersed in the internet gambling industry. Brennan is a former online marketing and strategic analyst whose past clients include Sirius Satellite Radio, CNN, People Magazine, CBS News, and the National Football League. The organization is based in Washington, D.C. and its main counsel in the UIGEA challenge is Eric Bernstein. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
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The case stems from the 2006 passage of the UIGEA, which was ushered through Congress by former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN). Attached to the SAFE Port Act, an unrelated port security measure, the UIGEA cleared the Senate by unanimous consent and was signed into law by outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush in October of that year. The law did not prescribe what was “unlawful.” Instead, it deferred to existing state and federal laws, claiming that the transfer of money to any “unlawful” enterprise was illegal.
Its vagueness turned the industry upside down, as the largest online poker room at the time, PartyPoker, vacated the U.S. market. Following the Party Gaming owned room were others, including Paradise Poker and Pacific Poker. Payment processors including NETELLER and Citadel Commerce also departed the United States. iMEGA has since been granted standing to sue to declare the UIGEA unconstitutional. Its “void for vagueness” argument may now head to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals as soon as April. The Court contacted both iMEGA and the Federal Government seeking the parties’ availability during the month.
The case, which is appeal number 08-1981, lists former U.S. Attorney General Peter Keisler, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Federal Reserve as its defendants. On its main argument, iMEGA claims in its response brief, “The void for vagueness doctrine requires that a policy or statute defines an offense with sufficient definitiveness so that ordinary people can understand what conduct is prohibited.” According to Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, the legality of online wagering on horse racing, for example, “depended on which department you asked,” according to a statement made in 2008.
iMEGA Chairman Joe Brennan commented in a press release distributed on Thursday, “We’re very happy the Court is moving forward to schedule oral arguments. We’re confident we have a strong suit and it will be difficult for the Department of Justice to defend UIGEA because it is so fatally flawed.” The UIGEA charges the financial services industry with determining what is and is not permissible. According to iMEGA, this is grounds for the law being unconstitutional. The press release read, “Congress cannot delegate that necessary determination as to what is ‘lawful’ or ‘unlawful’ to U.S. banks and credit card companies.”
In March, Judge Mary L. Cooper of the New Jersey U.S. District Court granted the organization standing to sue. However, in her judgment, she also disagreed with many of its main arguments. Consequently, iMEGA appealed, but ultimately had standing. In September, it officially filed its brief with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. In its legal case, iMEGA noted that officials from the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve testified before Congress that they would not be able to enforce the UIGEA, as a strict definition of what is legal and illegal was never given. Nevertheless, the regulations of the law were passed by the Bush Administration as part of its “midnight rulemaking” and will be enacted on January 19th (next Monday), one day before President-elect Barack Obama is sworn in. Compliance by the financial services industry is required by December 1st.
iMEGA’s legal team is also one of the main parties involved in the ongoing legal battle in Kentucky involving the seizure and potential forfeiture of 141 internet gambling domain names, including those belonging to some of the world’s largest online poker sites. The state’s Court of Appeals heard arguments during a one hour session in December and the industry now awaits the ruling of the three judge panel, which is expected by the end of the month (although no official timeline has been given). The Interactive Gaming Council (IGC) as well as an attorney who represents several of the sites in jeopardy have both flanked iMEGA in the Bluegrass State battle.
iMEGA was founded in 2007 and almost immediately found itself immersed in the internet gambling industry. Brennan is a former online marketing and strategic analyst whose past clients include Sirius Satellite Radio, CNN, People Magazine, CBS News, and the National Football League. The organization is based in Washington, D.C. and its main counsel in the UIGEA challenge is Eric Bernstein. (Credit: Poker News Daily)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Poker News
Online Casino News
Technology News
Thursday, January 15, 2009
NextGen Gaming Profile
NextGen Gaming is the world’s leading independent supplier of innovative games to the gambling industry. NextGen has delivered hundreds of games to our international partners and gained a reputation for delivering the best player experience. We pride ourselves on our ability to deliver exceptional game performance and game longevity that translates into profit for our partners and a great experience for their players.
We partner with On-Line, Land Based Operators and Software providers and our success has been built on the exceptional performance of the games we have delivered to our partners.
Founded in 1999, NextGen pioneered platform-independent content delivery. Our vision was a new model of engagement focused on the games and from the very beginning we have built our reputation as an innovator. We push the envelope of innovation to enhance the player experience. In this emerging era of digital gaming our strong culture of innovation and responsiveness is embedded within our proven management and development processes. This maturity and longevity of business has enabled us to engage in long-term strategic projects with our partners and deliver sustainable value to their businesses.
NextGen is unique in its ability to offer our partners and clients an end-to-end gaming development service. Our Partner Management team ensures that we communicate effectively with our Partners. Our Product Management team uses our extensive player knowledge database to target games. Our Game Innovation Team is responsible for developing ideas and concepts that expand the boundaries of current gaming products. Our Project Management and Product Development teams ensure that we deliver to quality and timeline expectations. Our Software Integration team helps our partners to integrate new and exciting features. Combined, our management and development teams offer an unmatched service to the industry.
Media Man Australia Profiles
NextGen Gaming
We partner with On-Line, Land Based Operators and Software providers and our success has been built on the exceptional performance of the games we have delivered to our partners.
Founded in 1999, NextGen pioneered platform-independent content delivery. Our vision was a new model of engagement focused on the games and from the very beginning we have built our reputation as an innovator. We push the envelope of innovation to enhance the player experience. In this emerging era of digital gaming our strong culture of innovation and responsiveness is embedded within our proven management and development processes. This maturity and longevity of business has enabled us to engage in long-term strategic projects with our partners and deliver sustainable value to their businesses.
NextGen is unique in its ability to offer our partners and clients an end-to-end gaming development service. Our Partner Management team ensures that we communicate effectively with our Partners. Our Product Management team uses our extensive player knowledge database to target games. Our Game Innovation Team is responsible for developing ideas and concepts that expand the boundaries of current gaming products. Our Project Management and Product Development teams ensure that we deliver to quality and timeline expectations. Our Software Integration team helps our partners to integrate new and exciting features. Combined, our management and development teams offer an unmatched service to the industry.
Media Man Australia Profiles
NextGen Gaming
CryptoLogic Expects to Deliver Net Income of $9-$10 Million in 2009
Branded e-gaming software pioneer on track with new growth strategy to generate cash, reduce costs and deliver profits from expanding its casino business
DUBLIN, IRELAND, Jan 15, 2009 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- CryptoLogic, a world leader in Internet casino and branded gaming software, today provided an update on its new growth strategy and restructuring program that positions the company for a return to profitability and cash generation in 2009, and further growth in the years to come.
Highlights
Restructuring program
Under the plan announced in October 2008, the company is on track to achieve:
- Reduced total operating costs of approximately $13 million on an annualized basis by the end of Q2 2009.
- Restructuring to result in $3.5 million cash costs and up to $20 million in further non-cash charges.
- Outsourcing of poker network through strategic partnership with GTECH Corporation to be completed by the end of Q1 2009. Partnership will improve poker-room liquidity for CryptoLogic customers, while eliminating the costs of operating a standalone network.
- Rationalization includes reconfiguration of network, a 75% reduction in servers and office rental costs.
New strategy for growth
- Growth to be driven by Internet casino business, and by development and licensing of branded online games to leading gaming and entertainment brands.
- Recently contracted customers including 888.com, PartyGaming and GigaMedia expected to generate new revenues of at least $8 million in 2009.
- Continued aggressive expansion of casino business through licensing contracts, with a robust new business pipeline for 2009.
- Yesterday signed a new licensing contract with Gaming Technology Solutions plc, whose customers include Unibet, bwin and many other top brands.
2009 outlook
Based on no significant further deterioration in economic conditions and stabilization of currency rates, the company expects:
- Return to profitability and cash generation from Q2 2009.
- Full year cash generation post restructuring of $11-$13 million.
- Net profits in the range of $9-$10 million.
- Diluted earnings per share of 65-71 cents.
"CryptoLogic has taken radical steps to focus on its core strengths as a developer of exciting online gaming content," said Brian Hadfield, CryptoLogic's President & CEO. "We are on track to return to profitability and generate cash from the second quarter of 2009."
"Our streamlined operations, lower operating costs and commitment to creating compelling customer experience, together with a highly profitable build-once-sell-often model, provides a solid springboard for long-term growth and shareholder value."
Overview
CryptoLogic is making significant progress in executing its new growth strategy and restructuring program, first outlined in October 2008. These plans were developed after a fundamental review of the business by the company's management under Brian Hadfield, following his appointment as President & CEO at the end of February 2008.
This new strategy is to achieve long-term growth, sustained profitability and strong cash generation by adopting a radically new business model that focuses on CryptoLogic's successful Internet casino business and the development and licensing of the company's highly acclaimed software.
Restructuring for profitability
As announced previously, the company is implementing a plan to reduce annual operating costs by $13 million through various initiatives. Approximately $8.5 million of the savings are attributable to a reduction in employee expenses; about $2.5 million are from infrastructure and facilities downsizing; and some $2.0 million in savings are expected from operational efficiencies across the business.
Poker partnership cuts costs, adds liquidity
In November 2008, the company announced the outsourcing of its hosted poker business by entering into a strategic partnership with GTECH Corporation's International Poker Network. The move gives CryptoLogic's poker licensees and players access to a larger network with a combined average of 15,000 active players.
The transfer of poker licensees and systems to the GTECH network is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter. The company will continue to provide a full-service offering for its licensees through the GTECH network and receive ongoing revenues from its transferred customers.
New customers to drive revenue growth
CryptoLogic significantly increased its customer acquisition activities in 2008, resulting in 10 new contracts for both hosted Internet casinos and the licensing of branded games. Yesterday the company further expanded its channel to market with a strategic partnership with Gaming Technology Solutions plc, a leading global supplier of platform solutions for online gaming operations. Under the agreement, CryptoLogic's top performing games will be made available to GTS customers, which include Unibet, bwin, Expekt and Betclick among many other top brands.
Going forward, the "build-once-license-often" model offers excellent revenue potential at low cost and will be the major driver of growth. The company's new customers include 888.com, PartyGaming, GigaMedia, SkyBet (part of BskyB Group), Orbis, The Poker Channel and Betjacks. These agreements offer significant revenue potential for 2009 and beyond.
Investing for future
In order to leverage its industry leadership in the development and deployment of casino games, the company is introducing the CryptoLogic Centre for Innovation where customers, partners, universities and others can participate in defining and guiding the future of e-gaming.
As part of the new strategy and image, the company will also unveil its new branding program and logo based around "extraordinary e-gaming innovation" with the production of the new annual report due in May.
Outlook
The company is in the process of finalizing its results for the fourth quarter and full year 2008. While trading levels were broadly in line with management expectations in the fourth quarter, revenues were affected by the continued strengthening of the US dollar, the company's reporting currency, against the Euro, Canadian dollar and the British pound. As a result, reported revenues are expected to be approximately 14% lower than the previous quarter. Against that, recurring operating expenses will also be lower due to currency fluctuations. Net cash at the year end was between $42-$43 million.
Given difficult global economic conditions, the company is taking a cautious view of top line growth in 2009. Nevertheless, CryptoLogic's actions to reduce operating costs and execute its new growth strategy will enable the company to return to profitability and cash generation from Q2 2009. In addition, the company expects full year cash generation post restructuring of $11-$13 million, net profits in the range of $9-$10 million, and diluted earnings per share of 65-71 cents. The above guidance assumes no significant further deterioration in economic conditions and stabilization of currency rates.
Investor/analyst conference call
CryptoLogic will hold a conference call today at 8:30 am Eastern time (1:30 p.m. GMT) to update investors on the progress of its plan to return to growth and profitability in 2009. The details of the call are as follows:
Toll Free North America: 1-877-677-0837
Toll Free UK: 00 800-6578-9898
Toll Free International (Country Code) 800-6578-9898
Toronto Dial-In Number: 416-695-6616
To participate, please call five to ten minutes prior to the start of the teleconference. This conference call will be recorded and available for replay approximately one hour after the completion of the call, up until midnight January 22, 2009. To listen to the replay, please dial 416-695-5800 or 1-800-408-3053, passcode 3277967#. A transcript of the call will also be made available on CryptoLogic's website at www.cryptologic.com under Investor Information.
About CryptoLogic(R) (www.cryptologic.com)
Focused on integrity and innovation, CryptoLogic Limited is a leading blue-chip public developer and supplier of Internet gaming software. Its leadership in regulatory compliance makes it one of the very few companies with gaming software that is certified to strict standards similar to land-based gaming. WagerLogic(R) Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CryptoLogic, is responsible for the licensing of its gaming software and services to blue-chip customers that offer their games to non-U.S. based players around the world. For information on WagerLogic, please visit www.wagerlogic.com.
CryptoLogic's common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (CRY, CXY), the NASDAQ Global Select Market (CRYP) and the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange (CRP).
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:
Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws and safe harbors, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of historical fact. When used in this document, the words "may," "would," "could," "should," "will," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to CryptoLogic or our management, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include, without limitation, statements regarding cost savings expected to materialize from our reduced operating costs and restructuring plan; revenues anticipated from licensing contracts; and future cash generating activities, net profits, and earnings per share. Forward-looking statements reflect CryptoLogic's current views with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, without limitation, risks associated with CryptoLogic's financial condition and prospects, legal risks associated with Internet gaming and related governmental legislation and regulation, risks associated with market acceptance and technological changes, risks associated with dependence on licensees and key licensees, risks relating to international operations, risks associated with competition and other risks detailed in CryptoLogic's filings with securities regulatory authorities. These and other factors could cause CryptoLogic's actual results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements to vary from those made in this press release, or that are otherwise made by or on behalf of CryptoLogic. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. CryptoLogic does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements.
Media Man Australia Profiles
CryptoLogic
DUBLIN, IRELAND, Jan 15, 2009 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- CryptoLogic, a world leader in Internet casino and branded gaming software, today provided an update on its new growth strategy and restructuring program that positions the company for a return to profitability and cash generation in 2009, and further growth in the years to come.
Highlights
Restructuring program
Under the plan announced in October 2008, the company is on track to achieve:
- Reduced total operating costs of approximately $13 million on an annualized basis by the end of Q2 2009.
- Restructuring to result in $3.5 million cash costs and up to $20 million in further non-cash charges.
- Outsourcing of poker network through strategic partnership with GTECH Corporation to be completed by the end of Q1 2009. Partnership will improve poker-room liquidity for CryptoLogic customers, while eliminating the costs of operating a standalone network.
- Rationalization includes reconfiguration of network, a 75% reduction in servers and office rental costs.
New strategy for growth
- Growth to be driven by Internet casino business, and by development and licensing of branded online games to leading gaming and entertainment brands.
- Recently contracted customers including 888.com, PartyGaming and GigaMedia expected to generate new revenues of at least $8 million in 2009.
- Continued aggressive expansion of casino business through licensing contracts, with a robust new business pipeline for 2009.
- Yesterday signed a new licensing contract with Gaming Technology Solutions plc, whose customers include Unibet, bwin and many other top brands.
2009 outlook
Based on no significant further deterioration in economic conditions and stabilization of currency rates, the company expects:
- Return to profitability and cash generation from Q2 2009.
- Full year cash generation post restructuring of $11-$13 million.
- Net profits in the range of $9-$10 million.
- Diluted earnings per share of 65-71 cents.
"CryptoLogic has taken radical steps to focus on its core strengths as a developer of exciting online gaming content," said Brian Hadfield, CryptoLogic's President & CEO. "We are on track to return to profitability and generate cash from the second quarter of 2009."
"Our streamlined operations, lower operating costs and commitment to creating compelling customer experience, together with a highly profitable build-once-sell-often model, provides a solid springboard for long-term growth and shareholder value."
Overview
CryptoLogic is making significant progress in executing its new growth strategy and restructuring program, first outlined in October 2008. These plans were developed after a fundamental review of the business by the company's management under Brian Hadfield, following his appointment as President & CEO at the end of February 2008.
This new strategy is to achieve long-term growth, sustained profitability and strong cash generation by adopting a radically new business model that focuses on CryptoLogic's successful Internet casino business and the development and licensing of the company's highly acclaimed software.
Restructuring for profitability
As announced previously, the company is implementing a plan to reduce annual operating costs by $13 million through various initiatives. Approximately $8.5 million of the savings are attributable to a reduction in employee expenses; about $2.5 million are from infrastructure and facilities downsizing; and some $2.0 million in savings are expected from operational efficiencies across the business.
Poker partnership cuts costs, adds liquidity
In November 2008, the company announced the outsourcing of its hosted poker business by entering into a strategic partnership with GTECH Corporation's International Poker Network. The move gives CryptoLogic's poker licensees and players access to a larger network with a combined average of 15,000 active players.
The transfer of poker licensees and systems to the GTECH network is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter. The company will continue to provide a full-service offering for its licensees through the GTECH network and receive ongoing revenues from its transferred customers.
New customers to drive revenue growth
CryptoLogic significantly increased its customer acquisition activities in 2008, resulting in 10 new contracts for both hosted Internet casinos and the licensing of branded games. Yesterday the company further expanded its channel to market with a strategic partnership with Gaming Technology Solutions plc, a leading global supplier of platform solutions for online gaming operations. Under the agreement, CryptoLogic's top performing games will be made available to GTS customers, which include Unibet, bwin, Expekt and Betclick among many other top brands.
Going forward, the "build-once-license-often" model offers excellent revenue potential at low cost and will be the major driver of growth. The company's new customers include 888.com, PartyGaming, GigaMedia, SkyBet (part of BskyB Group), Orbis, The Poker Channel and Betjacks. These agreements offer significant revenue potential for 2009 and beyond.
Investing for future
In order to leverage its industry leadership in the development and deployment of casino games, the company is introducing the CryptoLogic Centre for Innovation where customers, partners, universities and others can participate in defining and guiding the future of e-gaming.
As part of the new strategy and image, the company will also unveil its new branding program and logo based around "extraordinary e-gaming innovation" with the production of the new annual report due in May.
Outlook
The company is in the process of finalizing its results for the fourth quarter and full year 2008. While trading levels were broadly in line with management expectations in the fourth quarter, revenues were affected by the continued strengthening of the US dollar, the company's reporting currency, against the Euro, Canadian dollar and the British pound. As a result, reported revenues are expected to be approximately 14% lower than the previous quarter. Against that, recurring operating expenses will also be lower due to currency fluctuations. Net cash at the year end was between $42-$43 million.
Given difficult global economic conditions, the company is taking a cautious view of top line growth in 2009. Nevertheless, CryptoLogic's actions to reduce operating costs and execute its new growth strategy will enable the company to return to profitability and cash generation from Q2 2009. In addition, the company expects full year cash generation post restructuring of $11-$13 million, net profits in the range of $9-$10 million, and diluted earnings per share of 65-71 cents. The above guidance assumes no significant further deterioration in economic conditions and stabilization of currency rates.
Investor/analyst conference call
CryptoLogic will hold a conference call today at 8:30 am Eastern time (1:30 p.m. GMT) to update investors on the progress of its plan to return to growth and profitability in 2009. The details of the call are as follows:
Toll Free North America: 1-877-677-0837
Toll Free UK: 00 800-6578-9898
Toll Free International (Country Code) 800-6578-9898
Toronto Dial-In Number: 416-695-6616
To participate, please call five to ten minutes prior to the start of the teleconference. This conference call will be recorded and available for replay approximately one hour after the completion of the call, up until midnight January 22, 2009. To listen to the replay, please dial 416-695-5800 or 1-800-408-3053, passcode 3277967#. A transcript of the call will also be made available on CryptoLogic's website at www.cryptologic.com under Investor Information.
About CryptoLogic(R) (www.cryptologic.com)
Focused on integrity and innovation, CryptoLogic Limited is a leading blue-chip public developer and supplier of Internet gaming software. Its leadership in regulatory compliance makes it one of the very few companies with gaming software that is certified to strict standards similar to land-based gaming. WagerLogic(R) Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CryptoLogic, is responsible for the licensing of its gaming software and services to blue-chip customers that offer their games to non-U.S. based players around the world. For information on WagerLogic, please visit www.wagerlogic.com.
CryptoLogic's common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (CRY, CXY), the NASDAQ Global Select Market (CRYP) and the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange (CRP).
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:
Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws and safe harbors, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of historical fact. When used in this document, the words "may," "would," "could," "should," "will," "intend," "plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to CryptoLogic or our management, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include, without limitation, statements regarding cost savings expected to materialize from our reduced operating costs and restructuring plan; revenues anticipated from licensing contracts; and future cash generating activities, net profits, and earnings per share. Forward-looking statements reflect CryptoLogic's current views with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, without limitation, risks associated with CryptoLogic's financial condition and prospects, legal risks associated with Internet gaming and related governmental legislation and regulation, risks associated with market acceptance and technological changes, risks associated with dependence on licensees and key licensees, risks relating to international operations, risks associated with competition and other risks detailed in CryptoLogic's filings with securities regulatory authorities. These and other factors could cause CryptoLogic's actual results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements to vary from those made in this press release, or that are otherwise made by or on behalf of CryptoLogic. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. CryptoLogic does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements.
Media Man Australia Profiles
CryptoLogic
CryptoLogic Gains New Channel to Market With Gaming Technology Solutions PLC
Top CryptoLogic games to be offered in multiple languages and currencies through leading global supplier of gaming platform solutions
DUBLIN, IRELAND, Jan 14, 2009 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- CryptoLogic Limited), a world leader in Internet casino and branded gaming software, today announced a strategic partnership with Gaming Technology Solutions PLC (GTS), a leading global supplier of platform solutions for online gaming operations.
The partnership is consistent with CryptoLogic's strategy to expand the number of market leading casino sites that offer the company's games. GTS's impressive list of tier one customers includes Unibet, bwin, 888, Expekt, and Betclick, as well as many other top brands.
Under the agreement, CryptoLogic's top-performing games will be made available to GTS customers through its Enhanced Gaming Engine (EdGE), a proprietary games platform. A range of 10 CryptoLogic games will be live on the platform for GTS customers by the end of the first quarter of 2009.
"Today, we connect CryptoLogic's leadership in gaming innovation with GTS' ability to serve top-tier gaming operators around the world," said Brian Hadfield, CryptoLogic's President and CEO. "This partnership is yet another example of how CryptoLogic is opening up powerful new distribution channels to get our market-leading games into the hands of more customers - and more players."
EdGE is an industry-leading, cross-channel content delivery platform that offers access to premier games created by world class developers like CryptoLogic. EdGE facilitates quick delivery of new content across multiple languages, including all European and most Asian languages (Chinese, Japanese and Korean), currencies and domains. Sports, casino, bingo, puzzle and soft games can all be delivered as browser-based or downloadable client products.
"Our operators demand and deserve market leading casino products - and CryptoLogic offers some of the world's most recognized brands and games," said Steven Matsell, GTS' Business Development Director. "To us, this partnership makes perfect sense."
In recent months, CryptoLogic has signed deals with 888.com, PartyGaming and Orbis, some of the biggest names in gaming.
With more than 200 games, CryptoLogic has one of the most comprehensive casino suites on the Internet today. CryptoLogic has earned rave reviews from industry peers and players alike, and in 2008 earned Gambling Online Magazine's Top Casino Software award for the third consecutive year. Based on the votes of players around the world, it is widely considered the industry's top honour.
About CryptoLogic(R) (www.cryptologic.com)
Focused on integrity and innovation, CryptoLogic Limited is a world-leading, blue-chip public developer and supplier of Internet gaming software. Its leadership in regulatory compliance makes it one of the very few companies with gaming software that is certified to strict standards similar to land-based gaming. WagerLogic(R) Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CryptoLogic, is responsible for the licensing of its gaming software and services to blue-chip customers who offer their games around the world to non-U.S. based players. For information on WagerLogic, visit www.wagerlogic.com.
CryptoLogic's common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ Global Select Market (CRYP) and the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange (CRP).
About Gaming Technology Solutions (www.gtsplc.com)
Formed in 2005, Gaming Technology Solutions (GTS plc) is a leading provider of cross channel gaming solutions for online gaming operations. As a truly "Open" platform and integration partner to operators GTS offer an impressive catalogue of successful game titles from all delivered on the world class EdGE platform.
CRYPTOLOGIC FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENT DISCLAIMER:
Statements in this news release which are not historical are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, risks associated with the company's financial condition and prospects, legal risks associated with Internet gaming and risks of governmental legislation and regulation, risks associated with market acceptance and technological changes, risks associated with dependence on licensees and key licensees, risks relating to international operations, risks associated with competition and other risks detailed in the Company's filings with securities regulatory authorities. These risks may cause results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.
Media Man Australia Profiles
CryptoLogic
DUBLIN, IRELAND, Jan 14, 2009 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- CryptoLogic Limited), a world leader in Internet casino and branded gaming software, today announced a strategic partnership with Gaming Technology Solutions PLC (GTS), a leading global supplier of platform solutions for online gaming operations.
The partnership is consistent with CryptoLogic's strategy to expand the number of market leading casino sites that offer the company's games. GTS's impressive list of tier one customers includes Unibet, bwin, 888, Expekt, and Betclick, as well as many other top brands.
Under the agreement, CryptoLogic's top-performing games will be made available to GTS customers through its Enhanced Gaming Engine (EdGE), a proprietary games platform. A range of 10 CryptoLogic games will be live on the platform for GTS customers by the end of the first quarter of 2009.
"Today, we connect CryptoLogic's leadership in gaming innovation with GTS' ability to serve top-tier gaming operators around the world," said Brian Hadfield, CryptoLogic's President and CEO. "This partnership is yet another example of how CryptoLogic is opening up powerful new distribution channels to get our market-leading games into the hands of more customers - and more players."
EdGE is an industry-leading, cross-channel content delivery platform that offers access to premier games created by world class developers like CryptoLogic. EdGE facilitates quick delivery of new content across multiple languages, including all European and most Asian languages (Chinese, Japanese and Korean), currencies and domains. Sports, casino, bingo, puzzle and soft games can all be delivered as browser-based or downloadable client products.
"Our operators demand and deserve market leading casino products - and CryptoLogic offers some of the world's most recognized brands and games," said Steven Matsell, GTS' Business Development Director. "To us, this partnership makes perfect sense."
In recent months, CryptoLogic has signed deals with 888.com, PartyGaming and Orbis, some of the biggest names in gaming.
With more than 200 games, CryptoLogic has one of the most comprehensive casino suites on the Internet today. CryptoLogic has earned rave reviews from industry peers and players alike, and in 2008 earned Gambling Online Magazine's Top Casino Software award for the third consecutive year. Based on the votes of players around the world, it is widely considered the industry's top honour.
About CryptoLogic(R) (www.cryptologic.com)
Focused on integrity and innovation, CryptoLogic Limited is a world-leading, blue-chip public developer and supplier of Internet gaming software. Its leadership in regulatory compliance makes it one of the very few companies with gaming software that is certified to strict standards similar to land-based gaming. WagerLogic(R) Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CryptoLogic, is responsible for the licensing of its gaming software and services to blue-chip customers who offer their games around the world to non-U.S. based players. For information on WagerLogic, visit www.wagerlogic.com.
CryptoLogic's common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ Global Select Market (CRYP) and the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange (CRP).
About Gaming Technology Solutions (www.gtsplc.com)
Formed in 2005, Gaming Technology Solutions (GTS plc) is a leading provider of cross channel gaming solutions for online gaming operations. As a truly "Open" platform and integration partner to operators GTS offer an impressive catalogue of successful game titles from all delivered on the world class EdGE platform.
CRYPTOLOGIC FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENT DISCLAIMER:
Statements in this news release which are not historical are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, risks associated with the company's financial condition and prospects, legal risks associated with Internet gaming and risks of governmental legislation and regulation, risks associated with market acceptance and technological changes, risks associated with dependence on licensees and key licensees, risks relating to international operations, risks associated with competition and other risks detailed in the Company's filings with securities regulatory authorities. These risks may cause results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.
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Party Gaming Boss Predicts Industry Consolidation - 9th January 2009
Hard times will see only five major online poker sites on the Net, says Ryan
Party Gaming CEO Jim Ryan opines that in three year's time there will be only five major online poker sites of any consequence due to industry consolidation....and he intends to ensure that Party Poker is one of them.
Speaking to the UK newspaper The Financial Times, Ryan said: “We need to retake the hill and position ourselves to be that leader again.
“Our job, frankly speaking, is to take share back.”
But, he admitted, the increased competition in Europe may make it more expensive for his group to achieve its aims as current industry high-rollers like Poker Stars and Full Tilt up the ante when it comes to media buys and teaming up with marketing affiliates.
The FT reported that Ryan is finding it frustrating that Poker Stars and Full Tilt continue to take the risk of operating in the United States market, something Party Gaming ceased to do following the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in 2006. This created a significant competitive disadvantage for Party Poker, but he was nevertheless preparing the online poker site for the day when it might be able to legally re-enter the US market in the event of a change in the legislative landscape and a successful "clean slate" deal with the US Department of Justice.
Online Casino News Courtesy of Infopowa.
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Party Gaming CEO Jim Ryan opines that in three year's time there will be only five major online poker sites of any consequence due to industry consolidation....and he intends to ensure that Party Poker is one of them.
Speaking to the UK newspaper The Financial Times, Ryan said: “We need to retake the hill and position ourselves to be that leader again.
“Our job, frankly speaking, is to take share back.”
But, he admitted, the increased competition in Europe may make it more expensive for his group to achieve its aims as current industry high-rollers like Poker Stars and Full Tilt up the ante when it comes to media buys and teaming up with marketing affiliates.
The FT reported that Ryan is finding it frustrating that Poker Stars and Full Tilt continue to take the risk of operating in the United States market, something Party Gaming ceased to do following the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in 2006. This created a significant competitive disadvantage for Party Poker, but he was nevertheless preparing the online poker site for the day when it might be able to legally re-enter the US market in the event of a change in the legislative landscape and a successful "clean slate" deal with the US Department of Justice.
Online Casino News Courtesy of Infopowa.
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Sunday, January 11, 2009
Buoyant Playtech amasses $300m war chest, by Pan Kwan Yuk - Financial Times - 3rd September 2008
Playtech, the gambling software developer, said it had built up a war chest of more than $300m (£168m) to spend on acquisitions as it announced a 45 per cent rise in half-year pre-tax profit.
The company, whose clients include PartyGaming and Paddy Power, said it expected new markets to open up in Europe as gambling regulations eased. It was lining up acquisitions that would allow the company to take advantage of those opportunities.
Playtech is in the process of completing due diligence on a potential acquisition of an online marketing company – a deal that Mor Weizer, chief executive, said would significantly enhance the company’s profitability.
Mr Weizer said this was not the only acquisition target on the company’s radar and that it was looking for groups with new games that it could move to its own platforms.
For the six months to the end of June, revenue rose more than 85 per cent to $81m, after it sold more online games and won new licensing agreements.
Playtech sells a number of different gaming software products, including online casino, poker and bingo, to companies such as Party Gaming, and takes a typical cut on every transaction of 15 to 20 per cent from operators.
Income from casino rose 78 per cent to $58m and poker revenue more than doubled to $22m. Pre-tax profit increased from $26m to $38m.
Last month, the company announced a licensee deal with Italy’s Snai, one of the largest land-based betting outfits in the country. Mr Weizer said he expected more deals to come as countries such as Spain, France and Poland moved towards online gaming regulations.
The dividend increases from 6.1 cents to 12 cents. Shares in Playtech rose 6½p to 541½p, giving a market capitalisation of £1.29bn.
● FT Comment
Playtech has delivered another period of good growth and Wednesday’s outlook statement appears upbeat with the company saying it has a strong pipeline of potential licensees scheduled for the second half. The additional licensees, combined with the contribution from new product launches, continue to drive growth. But with the shares trading at 19 times 2008 earnings, a premium to the wider online gaming sector, the stock looks fully priced. (Credit: Financial Times)
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The company, whose clients include PartyGaming and Paddy Power, said it expected new markets to open up in Europe as gambling regulations eased. It was lining up acquisitions that would allow the company to take advantage of those opportunities.
Playtech is in the process of completing due diligence on a potential acquisition of an online marketing company – a deal that Mor Weizer, chief executive, said would significantly enhance the company’s profitability.
Mr Weizer said this was not the only acquisition target on the company’s radar and that it was looking for groups with new games that it could move to its own platforms.
For the six months to the end of June, revenue rose more than 85 per cent to $81m, after it sold more online games and won new licensing agreements.
Playtech sells a number of different gaming software products, including online casino, poker and bingo, to companies such as Party Gaming, and takes a typical cut on every transaction of 15 to 20 per cent from operators.
Income from casino rose 78 per cent to $58m and poker revenue more than doubled to $22m. Pre-tax profit increased from $26m to $38m.
Last month, the company announced a licensee deal with Italy’s Snai, one of the largest land-based betting outfits in the country. Mr Weizer said he expected more deals to come as countries such as Spain, France and Poland moved towards online gaming regulations.
The dividend increases from 6.1 cents to 12 cents. Shares in Playtech rose 6½p to 541½p, giving a market capitalisation of £1.29bn.
● FT Comment
Playtech has delivered another period of good growth and Wednesday’s outlook statement appears upbeat with the company saying it has a strong pipeline of potential licensees scheduled for the second half. The additional licensees, combined with the contribution from new product launches, continue to drive growth. But with the shares trading at 19 times 2008 earnings, a premium to the wider online gaming sector, the stock looks fully priced. (Credit: Financial Times)
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Wednesday, December 31, 2008
List of banned websites in Thailand and Denmark leaked online, by Andrew Ramadge - News.com.au - 24th December 2008
Secret lists of websites banned in two countries have been leaked online, as the Federal Government delays a live trial of its controversial internet filtering scheme.
A list of 3863 website addresses banned in Denmark was published yesterday by a whistleblower group and is believed to contain links to illegal material including child pornography.
The department of Broadband Minister Stephen Conroy has previously compared the Government's filtering plan to "successful" programs in countries including Denmark.
Earlier this week a list of 1203 websites banned in Thailand for political reasons was published by the same group.
It included hundreds of YouTube videos as well as blogs, cartoons and an article in the Economist magazine banned for reasons of "lese majeste", or criticising the King.
Jerry Hutchinson of anti-filtering group Digital Liberty Coalition said leaks were one of the risks associated with maintaining lists of prohibited content.
"Each blacklist is obviously rather sensitive as it gives any would-be web criminal a go-to list where they know they will be able to find illicit material," Mr Hutchinson said.
"It is always possible for any information to be leaked so the Australian blacklist is just as susceptible as that of any other nation."
Under the Government's proposed internet filtering scheme, a similar list of websites maintained by the media watchdog would be blocked by internet service providers.
A second tier of filtering would also remove "inappropriate" content. Customers would have the choice to opt-out of this filter.
Senator Conroy's office confirmed the blacklist of website addresses is confidential for reasons of public interest, but declined to comment specifically on the overseas leak.
Live pilot trial delayed
Senator Conroy last night pushed back a live trial of internet filtering technology that had been scheduled to begin today.
The announcement came as news surfaced of an Internet Industry Association report commissioned by the Howard government that found a web filter would be ineffective and easy to circumvent.
"The Government is aware of technical concerns raised in the report, and that is why we are conducting a pilot to put these claims to the test," said Senator Conroy.
"The pilot trial will not begin until mid-January and an announcement regarding participants will be made at that time."
The trial had been scheduled to begin today, but ISPs that had applied to take part including Optus and iiNet said they had not yet heard from the Government on the details of the tests.
On Monday Senator Conroy also revealed the tests could extend to filtering more online traffic than previously thought, including programs commonly used to share music and video files.
"Technology that filters peer-to-peer and BitTorrent traffic does exist and it is anticipated that the effectiveness of this will be tested in the live pilot trial," Senator Conroy said.
The Opposition today slammed the scheme as "almost technically impossible".
"Prior to the election, the now Government, in opposition, made these broad-sweeping promises... to eliminate child pornography from the internet with this filter system," communications spokesman Nick Minchin said on ABC radio.
"Now they've got to make good on their promise and they're finding it much more difficult in government of course than in opposition."
News.com.au has chosen not to publish details of the website blacklists, as they may contain offensive or illegal material.
Links
Digital Liberty Coalition – http://www.dlc.asn.au
Live pilot trial FAQ – http://www.dbcde.gov.au/communications_for_consume...
Fatal flaws in filtering plan, says report – http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/web/fatal-fl...
(Credit: News.com.au)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Technology News
A list of 3863 website addresses banned in Denmark was published yesterday by a whistleblower group and is believed to contain links to illegal material including child pornography.
The department of Broadband Minister Stephen Conroy has previously compared the Government's filtering plan to "successful" programs in countries including Denmark.
Earlier this week a list of 1203 websites banned in Thailand for political reasons was published by the same group.
It included hundreds of YouTube videos as well as blogs, cartoons and an article in the Economist magazine banned for reasons of "lese majeste", or criticising the King.
Jerry Hutchinson of anti-filtering group Digital Liberty Coalition said leaks were one of the risks associated with maintaining lists of prohibited content.
"Each blacklist is obviously rather sensitive as it gives any would-be web criminal a go-to list where they know they will be able to find illicit material," Mr Hutchinson said.
"It is always possible for any information to be leaked so the Australian blacklist is just as susceptible as that of any other nation."
Under the Government's proposed internet filtering scheme, a similar list of websites maintained by the media watchdog would be blocked by internet service providers.
A second tier of filtering would also remove "inappropriate" content. Customers would have the choice to opt-out of this filter.
Senator Conroy's office confirmed the blacklist of website addresses is confidential for reasons of public interest, but declined to comment specifically on the overseas leak.
Live pilot trial delayed
Senator Conroy last night pushed back a live trial of internet filtering technology that had been scheduled to begin today.
The announcement came as news surfaced of an Internet Industry Association report commissioned by the Howard government that found a web filter would be ineffective and easy to circumvent.
"The Government is aware of technical concerns raised in the report, and that is why we are conducting a pilot to put these claims to the test," said Senator Conroy.
"The pilot trial will not begin until mid-January and an announcement regarding participants will be made at that time."
The trial had been scheduled to begin today, but ISPs that had applied to take part including Optus and iiNet said they had not yet heard from the Government on the details of the tests.
On Monday Senator Conroy also revealed the tests could extend to filtering more online traffic than previously thought, including programs commonly used to share music and video files.
"Technology that filters peer-to-peer and BitTorrent traffic does exist and it is anticipated that the effectiveness of this will be tested in the live pilot trial," Senator Conroy said.
The Opposition today slammed the scheme as "almost technically impossible".
"Prior to the election, the now Government, in opposition, made these broad-sweeping promises... to eliminate child pornography from the internet with this filter system," communications spokesman Nick Minchin said on ABC radio.
"Now they've got to make good on their promise and they're finding it much more difficult in government of course than in opposition."
News.com.au has chosen not to publish details of the website blacklists, as they may contain offensive or illegal material.
Links
Digital Liberty Coalition – http://www.dlc.asn.au
Live pilot trial FAQ – http://www.dbcde.gov.au/communications_for_consume...
Fatal flaws in filtering plan, says report – http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/web/fatal-fl...
(Credit: News.com.au)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Technology News
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Fatal flaws in website censorship plan, says report, by Asher Moses - The Sydney Morning Herald - 23rd December 2008
Trials of mandatory internet censorship will begin within days despite a secret high-level report to the Rudd Government that found the technology simply does not work, will significantly slow internet speeds and will block access to legitimate websites.
The report, commissioned by the Howard government and prepared by the Internet Industry Association, concluded that schemes to block inappropriate content such as child pornography are fundamentally flawed.
If the trials are deemed a success, the Government has earmarked $44 million to impose a compulsory "clean feed" on all internet subscribers in Australia as soon as late next year.
But the report says the filters would slow the internet - as much as 87 per cent by some measures - be easily bypassed and would not come close to capturing all of the nasty content available online. They would also struggle to distinguish between wanted and unwanted content, leading to legitimate sites being blocked. Entire user-generated content sites, such as YouTube and Wikipedia, could be censored over a single suspect posting.
This raises serious freedom of speech questions, such as who will be held accountable for blocked sites and whether the Government will be pressured to expand the blacklist to cover lawful content including pornography, gambling sites and euthanasia material.
The report, based on comprehensive interviews with many parties with a stake in the internet, was written by several independent technical experts including a University of Sydney associate professor, Bjorn Landfeldt. It was handed to the Government in February but has been kept secret.
"I definitely think that what the Government is showing publicly �c is such a small part of what they need to do in order to get this right," Professor Landfeldt told the Herald.
He said he believed the Government had not released his report because its conclusions were too damaging.
"It's definitely not going to be workable to get a very significant reduction in access to this [unwanted] content that is available out there - it's fundamentally just not viable."
The Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy - despite his promises before Labor was elected that people would be able to opt out of any internet filters - has said the first tier of the Government's censorship policy will be compulsory for all. This would block all "illegal" and "inappropriate" material, as determined in part by a secret blacklist administered by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
A second tier would filter out content deemed harmful for children, such as pornography, but this would be optional for internet users.
Senator Conroy refused to comment directly on why the report has not been released or why the trials are going ahead given its findings.
The proposed censorship is more restrictive than in any liberal democracy, the online users lobby group, Electronic Frontiers Australia, says. It says the changes would put Australia on a par with oppressive regimes such as Iran and China.
But Senator Conroy said: "The Government intends to take an evidence-based approach to implementing its cyber-safety policy and has invited industry to participate in that process.
"This live pilot trial will provide evidence on the real-world impacts of ISP [internet service provider] content filtering, including for providers and internet users. It will provide an invaluable opportunity for ISPs to inform the Government's approach."
Professor Landfeldt, one of Australia's leading telecommunications experts, says some of the fundamental flaws of the scheme raised in his report include:
� All filtering systems will be easily circumvented using readily available software.
� Censors maintaining the blacklist will never be able to keep up with the amount of new content published on the web every second.
� Filters using real-time analysis of sites to determine whether content is inappropriate are not effective, capture wanted content, are easy to bypass and slow network speeds exponentially as accuracy increases.
� Entire user-generated content sites such as YouTube and Wikipedia could be blocked over a single video or article.
� Filters would be costly and difficult to implement for ISPs and put many smaller ISPs out of business.
� While the communciations authority's blacklist would be withheld from internet users, all 700 ISPs would have access to it, so it could easily be leaked.
� The filters would not censor content on peer-to-peer file sharing networks such as LimeWire, chat rooms, email and instant messaging;
� ISPs and the Government could be legally liable for the scheme's failures, particularly as content providers have no right to appeal against being blocked unnecessarily.
The Government is refusing to reveal details about its trials, even the names of the ISPs which have volunteered to be involved. Some will begin their six-week trials this week. All the trials will be completed by the middle of next year.
Australia's largest ISP, Telstra, and Internode have said they will not take part in the trials. The second-largest ISP, Optus, will run a scaled-back trial of just the first tier, while iiNet, the third-biggest provider, has said it will participate simply to show the Government that its scheme will not work.
The policy has attracted opposition from online consumers, lobby groups, ISPs, network administrators, some children's welfare groups, the Opposition, the Greens, NSW Young Labor and even the conservative Liberal senator Cory Bernardi, who famously tried to censor the chef Gordon Ramsay's swearing on television.
Professor Landfeldt says the censorship plan assumes websites will remain static, but as soon as the filtering system is in place many porn and other "unwanted" sites will change their designs to get around the filters, just as spammers can bypass email filters.
He said the filtering plan was "completely politicised".
The Greens Senator Scott Ludlam urged the Government to drop its "completely unhinged" policy which was "a waste of taxpayers funds". The Liberal Party's communications spokesman, Nick Minchin, said the Opposition would try to obtain the report under freedom of information laws.
(Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald)
Media Man Australia Profiles
Technology News
The report, commissioned by the Howard government and prepared by the Internet Industry Association, concluded that schemes to block inappropriate content such as child pornography are fundamentally flawed.
If the trials are deemed a success, the Government has earmarked $44 million to impose a compulsory "clean feed" on all internet subscribers in Australia as soon as late next year.
But the report says the filters would slow the internet - as much as 87 per cent by some measures - be easily bypassed and would not come close to capturing all of the nasty content available online. They would also struggle to distinguish between wanted and unwanted content, leading to legitimate sites being blocked. Entire user-generated content sites, such as YouTube and Wikipedia, could be censored over a single suspect posting.
This raises serious freedom of speech questions, such as who will be held accountable for blocked sites and whether the Government will be pressured to expand the blacklist to cover lawful content including pornography, gambling sites and euthanasia material.
The report, based on comprehensive interviews with many parties with a stake in the internet, was written by several independent technical experts including a University of Sydney associate professor, Bjorn Landfeldt. It was handed to the Government in February but has been kept secret.
"I definitely think that what the Government is showing publicly �c is such a small part of what they need to do in order to get this right," Professor Landfeldt told the Herald.
He said he believed the Government had not released his report because its conclusions were too damaging.
"It's definitely not going to be workable to get a very significant reduction in access to this [unwanted] content that is available out there - it's fundamentally just not viable."
The Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy - despite his promises before Labor was elected that people would be able to opt out of any internet filters - has said the first tier of the Government's censorship policy will be compulsory for all. This would block all "illegal" and "inappropriate" material, as determined in part by a secret blacklist administered by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
A second tier would filter out content deemed harmful for children, such as pornography, but this would be optional for internet users.
Senator Conroy refused to comment directly on why the report has not been released or why the trials are going ahead given its findings.
The proposed censorship is more restrictive than in any liberal democracy, the online users lobby group, Electronic Frontiers Australia, says. It says the changes would put Australia on a par with oppressive regimes such as Iran and China.
But Senator Conroy said: "The Government intends to take an evidence-based approach to implementing its cyber-safety policy and has invited industry to participate in that process.
"This live pilot trial will provide evidence on the real-world impacts of ISP [internet service provider] content filtering, including for providers and internet users. It will provide an invaluable opportunity for ISPs to inform the Government's approach."
Professor Landfeldt, one of Australia's leading telecommunications experts, says some of the fundamental flaws of the scheme raised in his report include:
� All filtering systems will be easily circumvented using readily available software.
� Censors maintaining the blacklist will never be able to keep up with the amount of new content published on the web every second.
� Filters using real-time analysis of sites to determine whether content is inappropriate are not effective, capture wanted content, are easy to bypass and slow network speeds exponentially as accuracy increases.
� Entire user-generated content sites such as YouTube and Wikipedia could be blocked over a single video or article.
� Filters would be costly and difficult to implement for ISPs and put many smaller ISPs out of business.
� While the communciations authority's blacklist would be withheld from internet users, all 700 ISPs would have access to it, so it could easily be leaked.
� The filters would not censor content on peer-to-peer file sharing networks such as LimeWire, chat rooms, email and instant messaging;
� ISPs and the Government could be legally liable for the scheme's failures, particularly as content providers have no right to appeal against being blocked unnecessarily.
The Government is refusing to reveal details about its trials, even the names of the ISPs which have volunteered to be involved. Some will begin their six-week trials this week. All the trials will be completed by the middle of next year.
Australia's largest ISP, Telstra, and Internode have said they will not take part in the trials. The second-largest ISP, Optus, will run a scaled-back trial of just the first tier, while iiNet, the third-biggest provider, has said it will participate simply to show the Government that its scheme will not work.
The policy has attracted opposition from online consumers, lobby groups, ISPs, network administrators, some children's welfare groups, the Opposition, the Greens, NSW Young Labor and even the conservative Liberal senator Cory Bernardi, who famously tried to censor the chef Gordon Ramsay's swearing on television.
Professor Landfeldt says the censorship plan assumes websites will remain static, but as soon as the filtering system is in place many porn and other "unwanted" sites will change their designs to get around the filters, just as spammers can bypass email filters.
He said the filtering plan was "completely politicised".
The Greens Senator Scott Ludlam urged the Government to drop its "completely unhinged" policy which was "a waste of taxpayers funds". The Liberal Party's communications spokesman, Nick Minchin, said the Opposition would try to obtain the report under freedom of information laws.
(Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald)
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