The companies said they stopped taking the ads years ago. The settlement was announced by Catherine L. Hanaway, the United States attorney for eastern Missouri, who said the investigation, conducted by her office, the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, dated to 2000. Negotiations have been going on for 12 to 18 months, she said.

Microsoft’s $21 million portion of the settlement includes a $4.5 million forfeiture, $7.5 million to be paid to the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children and $9 million in public service ads over a three-year period, starting next year.

The public service campaign will aim the message that online gambling is illegal at those of college age and younger.

“We’re hopeful that our educational campaign will stop young people from gambling before they start,” the company said. Yahoo’s $7.5 million share of the settlement includes a $3 million forfeiture and $4.5 million in public service ads over three years.

Google will pay $3 million. A spokesman, Jon Murchinson, said the ads were in sponsored links at Google.com and other Web sites that belong to its ad network. “While we did not admit any wrongdoing, the Department of Justice has advised that online gambling is illegal in the United States, and ads to promote it are improper,” he said.

The Daily Telegraph, reports headed: “Neteller founder in conspiracy plea deal”, quotes Lefebvre’s lawyer, Vincent Marella: “My client is here to plead guilty today,” before US District Judge Kevin Castel, and ahead of the scheduled hearing.

Reuters adds Lefebvre agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and testify if necessary. “He also agreed to be partly responsible for the US$100m the government is seeking in restitution,” says Reuters. The Associated Press says that though the conspiracy charge carries a potential prison term of up to five years, cooperation in the case is likely to reduce any potential sentence.

Official List of the UK Listing Authority. It will also cancel trading in its shares on the London Stock Exchange’s EEA Regulated Market.

The move follows the company’s decision to relocate its headquarters from Canada to Dublin, Ireland to be nearer to its large European customer base.

A new parent company, CryptoLogic Ltd, is expected to be listed on the TSX, NASDAQ, and UK Official List in June, according to a company release on Hemscott.com.
Tags: Cryptologic, Online Casino Software, Mount Apo

London, UK – January 22, 2007 – Orbis, the world’s leading provider of interactive gaming and betting solutions, announced today its latest partnership agreement to provide games content to Parlay Entertainment.
As the world’s leading developer and licensor of Internet bingo solutions, Parlay Entertainment Inc is the first company in the world to develop and deploy a commercial Internet Bingo product.
Under this partnership, Orbis OpenBet Casino and Fixed Odds Games designs and concepts will be integrated into Parlay’s existing back office system. Parlay will gain access to Orbis’ portfolio of over 50 graphically rich, flexible and unique state-of-the art games offering a new dimension to game play.
Parlay will be able to offer their customers a broad range of Orbis’ non-download Flash games including casino classics, popular fixed odds concepts and unique propositions such as Lucky Star. All OpenBet Fixed Odds and Casino Games may be integrated seamlessly into Parlay’s game-specific back-office engines and available in play-for-fun and real play formats.
David Loveday, Managing Director, Orbis said “ We are very pleased to welcome Parlay as a new partner. This partnership once again highlights the diversity and flexibility of our product portfolio and further reflects the move in the industry towards a more open approach. We are looking forward to building a lasting relationship with our new partner. “
Peter Trinz, Senior Vice President, Parlay Entertainment said “We know that online bingo players love variety. That’s why the Orbis portfolio of games is such a natural fit. The Orbis games are a great complement to Parlay’s existing portfolio of bingo, casino and lottery games. The real winners will be the players, since they will see more choice than ever before when playing at Parlay-powered bingo sites.”
Orbis OpenBet presents seven distinct but compatible software modules that include Sportsbook, Casino, Rake Games, Fixed Odds Games, Exchange, Retail and Marketing. It enables operators to provide their customers the ability to bet and play across multiple products and platforms in a wide variety of languages and currencies, whilst offering a unique ‘One Account, One Wallet’ solution.

The Justice Department has issued subpoenas to at least four Wall Street investment banks as part of a widening investigation into the multibillion-dollar online gambling industry, according to people briefed on the investigation.

The subpoenas were issued to firms that had underwritten the initial public offerings of some of the most popular online gambling sites that operate abroad. The banks involved in the inquiry include HSBC, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and Dresdner Kleinwort, these people said.

While online gaming sites like PartyGaming and 888 Holdings operate from Gibraltar and their initial public offerings were held on the London Stock Exchange, companies that do business with them and have large bases in United States have come under scrutiny by regulators in Washington.

None of the biggest United States banks like Goldman Sachs or Citigroup underwrote the initial public offerings in London, in part because of the legal ambiguity of the sites; they are illegal in the United States, but still accessible to residents. Ful story.

By 2015, the financial advisor predicts, the global I-gaming market will bring in a mind-blowing $528 billion annually, despite the United States’ prohibitive I-gaming legislation.

Merrill Lynch based its projections on the progression of the industry since 2001. Earnings are expected to reach $24 billion by 2010 (double what it was in 2005), and 2006 earnings are estimated at $15 billion.

U.K. government projections boost the numbers even further. Europe’s regular online gamblers already stake nearly £3.5 billion a year, which averages out to about £1,000 per person. Once Britain’s new gambling laws take effect in 2007 those numbers are promising to increase dramatically.

Neteller’s pre-tax profits rose 24 percent to $32.5 million, with shares reaching 149 pence—a 5.1 percent increase. Despite the strong quarter, Neteller ’sCEO Ron Martin warned that the U.S. legislation would “fundamentally” change the future direction and nature of the business, and that the company was “constantly reexamining and reviewing its position with regard to the U.S. market and its provision of services.”

Both companies were left reeling as stock prices and revenue plummeted after US President George Bush signed legislation effectively banning online gambling in the country.

PartyGaming, which earlier in the month said the legislation would cost it in excess of £130 million, put an optimistic front on the situation and called it a ‘golden consolidation opportunity’, despite over 70 per cent of its business coming from the states.

The online poker company has also reportedly been in tie-up talks with Gamesys and Victor Chandler over European and Asian gaming opportunities in recent weeks.

Neither PartyGaming or 888 were available to comment on the speculation.

The online casino and gaming operator said that despite its casino revenue falling around 10% because of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, its total revenue rose 55.8% in the third quarter pointing to a steady recovery in both poker and casino activity since the summer.

The total third quarter revenue stood at £4.2 Million, which included £1.57 Million from the recently acquired BetDirect, while its poker revenue jumped 77 % to £400,000.

32Red also forecasted an expanded but focused marketing drive in the UK, with the company’s sponsorship of Aston Villa and the acquisition of BetDirect being key components to its performance going forward after withdrawal from the US market ahead of ramifications from the UIGE.