NETeller Set To Announce Compensation Plan

In an official press release NETeller, the much publicised payment processor, has announced that it has signed agreements with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (“USAO”) and Navigant Consulting, a consulting firm providing litigation, financial, healthcare, energy and operational consulting services.

The announcement is set to mark the start of a process to redistribute frozen funds to its former customers. Signed on March 20 the agreement will outline terms and a timeline under which NETeller organise the distribution of funds to its US customers.

The statement details that the group hope to outline the specific details of this plan within the next 75 days. In the meantime Navigant will provide a report to the USAO on the Group’s current financial condition.

“We continue to be committed to returning funds to our US customers and working with the US Attorney’s Office,” said Ron Martin, Group President and CEO. “Progress, while not always visible to the outside observer, has been steady and these agreements mark a milestone in the process.”

NETeller founders Stephen Lawrence and John Lefebvre were arrested in January on a charge of conspiracy to transfer funds with the intent to promote illegal gambling.

Online Casino Software Provider Launches Power Blackjack

WagerWorks/IGT, the premier iGaming software supplier, has announced the launch of its latest game, Power Blackjack.

To give blackjack players a real run for their money WagerWorks has added two powerful features that will prove challenging for novice and expert players alike.

Power Double gives the player the chance to replace a weak double down card while Power Split gives players the power to split a hard 15 or 16, turning this otherwise dire hand into two second-chances.

Power Blackjack joins WagerWorks’ flagship line of Player’s Suite table games where unique game features range from pop-up help messages for amateur players, to an option that lets experienced players customise when they will be offered insurance.

Stylish features for Power Blackjack includes a facility that allows players to see more cards than in a standard game as well as offering fast-paced, European-style play.

Leisure Links up with Betfred

Leisure Link, a division of Inspired Gaming Group plc (INGG), the leading worldwide player in the Open Server-Based Gaming (Open SBG™) market, has today announced it has won an exclusive supply contract to provide fixed odd betting terminals (FOBTs) to Betfred, the world’s biggest independent bookmaker.

From 1st June 2007, Leisure Link and Betfred will together replace over 2000 FOBTs in over 650 shops across the country, with INGG’s latest server-based ‘Rainmaker’ FOBT terminals. The new deal will also include the introduction of Open SBG™ AWP terminals from the September 1.

The new terminals will be operating in accordance with the new B3 Category jackpot machines, which have a revised stake and prize of £1 and £500 respectively.

John Haddock, Managing Director of Betfred, commented: “Leisure Link’s performance made it an easy decision to award them the business. Betfred is the biggest independent bookmaker in the world and moving forward it makes perfect sense to partner with the number one server-based terminal supplier.”

Jim O’Halleran, CEO UK & Ireland, Inspired Gaming Group plc, added: “Our FOBT offering has gone from strength to strength and this contract is further validation for our proposition. With the new regulations coming into effect on the 1st September, we are delighted that Betfred has also chosen our latest server-based product.”

Luke Alvarez, co-CEO Inspired Gaming Group plc, summed up, “A contract of this size demonstrates Betfred’s endorsement of our server-based gaming platform and confirms Inspired Gaming Group as the premier FOBT operator in the UK.”

Casino-for-me Becomes Casino-for-you

Maltese registered online gambling group Casino-for-me Ltd has become the 250th company to be granted with an online gaming licence by Malta’s Lotteries and Gaming Authority.

Officially launched by parliamentary secretary Tonio Fenech, the site now joins the 10 percent of known and registered online gaming companies worldwide that are hosted by Malta.

As well as receiving its official status from Malta, Casino-for-me has also supported the country’s growing online casino industry by employing 50 percent of its management team from inside the country.

Malta has become an attractive base for online gaming companies since 2002 when the Maltese government decided to establish a regulatory framework to support the online gambling sector and also secured the right for Malta based and registered online gaming companies to trade right across the EU.

Tonio Fenech explained, “The government took the policy decision just a few years ago to move Malta into the forefront of the nascent industry of online gaming, and to create a regulatory system such that the companies, and thereby their customers, had the security of knowing they were covered and protected by an internationally recognised regulatory regime.”

“In the 250th licence, Casino-for-me, I would like to think that we have been proven right 250 times in this decision,” he added.