Bwin, the Austrian online gaming giant and online bingo operator submitted suggestions at the recent Gaming Executive Summit in Madrid aimed at promoting a regulated online gaming industry environment in Spain.

Karin Klein, Bwin’s Regulatory Affairs Director for European online gambling giant Bwin, presented suggestions saying new Spanish online gaming regulations should account for the country’s  existing license and tax laws, transparency of companies, security, promotion of a responsible gaming policy and the creation of an independent control body.

It is estimated that regulatory tax policies could provide Spain with up to $1.03 billion from online gambling.  Online bingo is a growing sector in Spanish online gaming with a number of UK online bingo halls now offering online bingo games services in Spanish.

The Ukraine’s Accounting Chamber is saying not enough is being done to bring about a better regulated gambling market and that the fault lays with state bodies responsible for legislative and regulatory state policy.

A lack of dynamic action on the part of legislators has stopped effective regulation that could reduce gambling-related crimes, protect players and help boost taxes for social expenditure, according to a report by the Accounting Chamber Board.

Online bingo games operators and online bingo halls would be keen to see the Ukraine adopt a more regulated online gambling industry approach similar to that enjoyed in the UK.  At present, online bingo is a minor part of the gaming landscape in the former Soviet state, but a more regulated environment would help bingo’s spread in the growing former Eastern Bloc countries.

“Legislative and regulatory framework of [the] gambling business is incomplete and improper and disputable issues are unsolved,” the Accounting Chamber Board commented

The Board added that the present gambling laws are fragmented and spread amongst many different central and regional authorities.  The Board called for a cohesive system for the exchange of information with a  focus on the number of entities subjected to state regulation, their licenses, financial performance and budgets at all levels.

Turkey is reported to be close to privatizing the country’s state-owned National Lottery, with some estimates saying this may happen by August.

Turkey’s online gaming market needs to be liberalized as part of the country’s attempts at joining the European Union.  Due to current state-run gambling monopolies online bingo games operators and online bingo halls are not abel to operate in Turkey, something that may change in the future if the relaxing on the National Lottery is anything to go by.

Publication Markets and Research says in a recent report that the Belgium government may be preparing for the opening up of its online gaming market.

Online bingo industry observers and online bingo games operators will be welcoming the news with many keen to take advantage of opportunities in any new market.  Some European countries, such as Spain and Italy, have recently liberalized their gambling markets in a trend that Belgium seems to be following.

Proposed plans within Belgium to create a regulated online gaming market will allow non-Belgium online gambling operators able to offer gaming services as soon as 2009.

888.com, operator of the 888ladies.com online bingo hall and one of the biggest online games operators in the world, signed up Ash Gaming to supply virtual horse and dog racing and fixed-odds games for its clients.

888.com is currently pursuing a strategy of promoting partnerships with online games suppliers for targeting specific online gaming audience. The Ash Gaming deal aims at the horse and dog racing market whilst a series of previous deals has catered to casino, poker, slots and online bingo games.

888.com’s senior vice-president, head of offering Gabi Campos says: “Our analysis shows that sports fans that frequent 888’s branded websites or those of our strategic partners like to combine their real-world sports gaming experience with a virtual sports gaming extension. The partnership with Ash Gaming provides a solid response to this demand and complements our current extensive gaming offering.”

The Ash Gaming range of games will be integrated into 888.com’s gaming arena and shared wallet.

Australian media company ABC Online is reporting that online gambling companies Betfair and Sportingbet are launching a High Court challenge in Australia seeking to challenge legislation that stops non-New South Wales companies from advertising gambling products and services in the Australian state.
The move may have consequences for online bingo games operators and international online bingo halls looking to access the growing Australian online gambling market.

Michael Sullivan of Sportingbet says his company has been unfairly restricted from using print, radio and television advertising and from being allowed to sponsor events in New South Wales. He adds that an Australian High Court decision against Western Australia’s government proved to be the catalyst for the current legal action.

“If you look at what the decision was in Western Australia in relation to Betfair, we think we’ve got a very good chance,” he said.

“We are licenced in the Northern Territory and we’re not allowed to advertise in New South Wales; that is a restriction of trade between states and territories, and we believe it to be unconstitutional.”

At this time there has been no official government reaction to the legal move by Betfair and Sportingbet.

WorldPay, an online payment processing company under the Royal Bank of Scotland, as inked a deal with 192.com to provide an new customer ID check and anti-fraud service.
The service will be available to Online bingo games operators and online bingo halls and will contribute to an industry that takes the financial security of people who play online bingo very seriously.
Ron Kalifa of RBS Worldpay commented on the new service saying: “A simple ID check that is invisible to the customer is a key step in battling e-commerce and customer-not present fraud. By adding 192.com Business Services to RBS’s payment platform and its RiskGuardian suite of CNP risk tools, merchants can quickly verify customer identity without harming the customer experience. The addition of this highly regarded global customer verification technology will further reduce fraud rates and increase profits for RiskGuardian customers.”

192.com Marketing  Director David Pope said: “We have been delivering global customer ID check solutions to leading e-commerce sites for nearly five years now to help prevent card fraud and speed up the customer acquisition process. It’s gratifying to see our ID check solutions recognised as the technology partner of choice to be integrated into RiskGuardian.”

CryptoLogic, a Dublin-based online gaming and online bingo games software developer, has released a new set of games, one featuring a Marvel Comics super hero theme and the other 4 deck multi hand video blackjack.

The new set of games does not include any new bingo online themes, though CryptoLogic continues to be a popular choice amongst many online bingo operators and online bingo halls.

“At CryptoLogic, we know there are two critical elements to online gaming success: give players a compelling experience with a game or character they know, or design a fresh take on a familiar concept,” said CrytoLogic CEO Brian Hadfield.

He added: “Our relationship with Marvel has enabled us to create and deliver some of the most memorable online slots with some of the world’s most recognized characters. Coupled with our patent-pending gaming innovations, CryptoLogic has aggressively positioned itself as a leader in this highly competitive space.”

Written for Eyes Down Bingo by Greg - Your Bingo UK source

BingoPort, an online bingo games industry information and tracking service, has released a report that shows that UK bingo online operations created as much as £120 million in earnings during 2007 out of a total of £650 million in revenues

The report also shows the industry attracted up to 500 000 UK online bingo per month according to information from the UK Gambling Commission.

Online bingo may expand up to 25% of worldwide online gambling by 2012 and is expected to be a growth market during 2008. The amount of online bingo halls operating in the UK has increased from 17 in 2004 to 243 this year.

The trend in TV bingo shows such as ITV’s Bingo Night Live being linked to an online bingo site is proving to be one of the success stories of 2008 in the online bingo industry.

In Sweden, which has seen strong growth in online bingo games, a weekly bingo show has become a hit with audiences prompting a number of bingo online industry observers to say that TV shows linked to online bingo halls may be the way of the future.

With the number of European online bingo sites growing rapidly, online bingo has been identified as having the potential to account for as much as 25% of the world online gaming industry by the year 2012.