iGaming News all over the world 26.05.2010

26.05.2010, Australian Online Sports Betting Shows Dramatic Increase / William Hill to end French online business / Scientific Games wins Norway lottery contract

Australian Online Sports Betting Shows Dramatic Increase
It has been suggested that increased TV coverage of sporting events in Australia has led to a boom in wagering on sports in that country. Gambling on sports outcomes has seen the most rapid growth in the betting industry over the past five years. Comparing 2004 2005 stats which pegged punting at $1.6 billion, Australians are predicted to gamble $2.9 billion on matches and leagues this financial year, according to figures recently produced by analysts IBISWorld. The growing trend represents annual average growth of 12 per cent, far out weighing the increase of 1.2 per cent spent on pokies and the 0.5 per cent increase in wagers on horseracing.

The IBISWorld spokesperson, Sam Ellis, said, " The increased popularity of online gambling is one of the main factors behind the increase. There are more and more people who don't buy into that culture of going into the TAB or pokies for a bet but who are happy to go on the internet and to bet online," Ellis added, "Sports betting and betting on something you know about is particularly appealing to this younger demographic of gamblers and when you compare sports betting to putting money in pokies, there is certainly a sense of a test of knowledge rather than relying on luck."

Bookmaker Alan Eskander, agrees, "Sports, whether you are talking about the NRL, AFL or soccer if it gets huge media coverage then it really gets people talking. Most offices have a footy tipping competition and people have an opinion on the big games. It's no surprise that more people want to bet on something they have a knowledge and understanding of rather than sports like horse racing which, unless you've been brought up going to the track, can be more difficult to get a handle on." Gerard Daffy, a spokesperson for online bookmaker Sports Alive, said, "There has been tremendous growth in sports betting recently. A large part of this has to be put down to increased coverage on TV. When digital channel OneHD began showing netball, we suddenly found there were people who wanted to bet on that sport.

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William Hill to end French online business
William Hill, British second-biggest bookmaker, said it would stop accepting online gambling business from clients in France following the introduction of new gambling laws in that country.

In conjunction with the changes to the regulatory regime in France, William Hill Online is considering whether to apply for a licence to offer permitted online gambling products to French residents," it said in a statement today.

The firm said its overall online business continued to trade in line with management expectations, adding that the impact of the current withdrawal from France is not expected to be material.

Last month William Hill said it had made an encouraging start to the year and was confident of meeting full-year forecasts.

Shares in William Hill closed Tuesday at 176.1 pence, valuing the business at us$ 1.77 billion.

Yogonet.com / Reuters

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Scientific Games wins Norway lottery contract
Scientific Games Corporation announced it has been awarded a contract, through a competitive procurement process, for the implementation of a next generation Lottery Central System for pari-mutuel and odds-based numbers games by Norway's state-owned lottery operator, Norsk Tipping.

Under the terms of the contract, Scientific Games will deploy its state-of-the-art Lottery Central System technology and provide ongoing service and maintenance support for the life of the contract. The contract is anticipated to begin in 2011 and has an expected term of 12 years.

"Norsk Tipping is a premier lottery that is at the forefront of delivering creative gaming through new technologies," said Michael R. Chambrello, President and CEO of Scientific Games. "This award, which was largely based on technological expertise and quality of service, solidifies our Company's position as a leader in lottery systems development and as a provider of unparalleled customer support. Furthermore, it demonstrates our continued dedication to the Lottery Systems business."

"Our objective was to select a long-term partner that could build and support a dynamic central system for the most important segment of our business," stated Torbjorn Almlid, CEO of Norsk Tipping. "We are very excited about the implementation of Scientific Games' next-generation technology that will allow us to enhance our lottery customers' experience and grow our revenues."

Yogonet.com

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