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SPORTS BETTING NEWSwww.euroslot-online.comStores for StanStan James has acquired 25 betting shops from Betfred for£5m.The Office of Fair Trading ruled last year that Betfred’s £265macquisition of the Tote, which gave it 517 Tote retail outlets, wouldlead to “significant reduction in choice of betting shops forconsumers” where Tote and Betfred shops were too close to oneanother.The sale of the 25 bookmakers to Stan James should now answerthat concern, and although it is subject to OFT approval it is expectedto receive it.Touch here to bet...William Hill used the Epsom Derby to show off its new betting app using theGiant iTab device.Operated like an iPhone but with a 55-inch screen, the large-format display fromTouch2View allowed visitors to use the touchscreen to view up-to-date details of eachrace for the day, register for a free bet, examine the form and check the latest odds onany race.Once registered on the Giant iTab, individuals could log on to their account using theirown smartphone or mobile device and place bets throughout the afternoon.It was the first time the Giant iTab had been used directly in conjunction with asmartphone app to create a promotion combining mobile communications withinteractive digital signage.Social gambling trialAnew social betting concept involving groups of friendsrelying on each other’s football knowledge was launchedby Irish startup Bragbet to coincide with the Euro 2012tournament.The BragBet Euro 2012 contest, a beta trial ahead of a widerlaunch for the new football season, involved teams of up to sixfriends or colleagues taking turns each day to place bets onmatches in the tournament.Team members were encouraged to post their daily choices onthe social networking site, agree or disagree with their friends’choices and boast about their successes, while their opponentswere also able to see how each team was performing.No cash changed hands during Euro 2012, but cash prizestotalling ¤2012 were on offer, including ¤1000 for the bestperformingteam. The full service will allow players to placemoney on the performance of their team.Said Bragbet CEO Phil Riordan: “Online betting has neverbeen a very social activity and we want to change all that byintegrating it with the very best aspects of social media. TheBragbet Euro 2012 contest was our opportunity to trial theplatform for the first time, introducing a new kind of fun,interactive betting that will particularly appeal to the youngermarket.”IOC: no fixing worriesThe International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said it is confident thatit can prevent fixing of events at the London Olympics.“Experts are telling us that the Olympics is not a primary target ofmatch fixing because they are such a huge event, under such scrutiny, thatit is a big risk to try to fix competition at the Olympic Games,” IOC directorgeneral Christophe de Kepper told Reuters.“We treat this as a serious threat and we have taken measures to beready in case anyone would want to fix competition at the OlympicGames,” he added.European football may not be so lucky, however, according to Sicily’schief anti-mafia prosecutor Antonio Ingroia. He has warned that the sportis vulnerable to mafia match fixing.“These activities can generate tons of money, and that’s what CosaNostra is after,” Ingroia said. “The mafia can load the dice in some footballmatches and this has already happened in the past.”Betfred on the moveBetfred.com has signed a deal to deliver integrated gaming andbetting services to mobile agency InfoMedia, which holds exclusivedeals with a number of UK operators including the Orange and T-Mobilebrands.The betting operator will work with InfoMedia to insert Betfred oddsacross applicable services to cover all major sports such as football,racing, rugby, tennis and Formula 1.The integrated services from InfoMedia and Betfred.com will deliversports betting, bingo, gaming and casino mobile services across iPhone,Android, Windows and BlackBerry platforms, as well as exclusivecompetitions and promotions.The services will cover not only sporting fixtures but also television,celebrity and novelty bets. A interactive football predictor and race cardwill be developed, delivering odds, news and predictions to users’handsets.Said Betfred.com managing director Chris Sheffield: “This is agroundbreaking deal for the mobile industry and a very exciting evolutionfor Betfred.com. More customers will be able to access and enjoy ourbetting platform. We pride ourselves on giving the best value and uniquebonuses, which will now be available to the millions of customersavailable via InfoMedia’s approved operator channels such as Orange andT-Mobile.”At InfoMedia, which will manage the relationship, CEO Michael Tomlinssaid: “Given the sports and editorial pedigree we have developed, addingthe betting facilities under a strong brand like Betfred makes solidcommercial sense. We will handle not only the customer-facing issuessuch as SMS communication and inserting the odds for given sports eventor news story, but also the back-end customer relationship management.“This is typical of the kind of proactive, fully-integrated deal we arenow brokering, adding tangible, incremental value to carriers, mediacompanies and value-added service providers alike. We have a strongtrack record in delivering the technical integrations these services require,and a reputation with leading sports and editorial content brands and themobile networks.”18 JULY/AUGUST 2012 THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF THE AMUSEMENT AND STREET GAMING INDUSTRY