• eCOGRA Chairman Appointed As An Officer Of The British Empire

Michael Hirst, recently appointed Chairman of eCOGRA, the online gaming industry regulatory and player assurance body, has been appointed an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) in Britain’s 2004 New Year Honours List. The award for services to Britain’s tourist industry acknowledges his work as Chairman of the cross-industry and government group, which represents the conference, meetings, exhibition, outdoor events, incentive travel and corporate hospitality sectors, since its creation in 1999. He was voted “Personality of the Year 2003” by the readers of Meetings & Incentive Travel for his work for Britain’s business tourism. Michael Hirst is a former board member of the Ladbroke Group Plc, now known as the Hilton Group. He became Executive Chairman of its hotel division and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hilton International in 1990. He was voted 1993 “Corporate Hotelier of the World” by the readers of HOTELS Magazine. [...]

> Read the full story here Source : eCOGRA.org

• Antigua Aims For Silicon Makeover

ST. JOHN'S, Antigua, April 10, 2001 - While some see Internet gambling as a scourge, Nelson Simon is possessed by its promise as he gazes at the new technology center being built amid the rolling, golden hills in this Caribbean island’s free-trade zone. “From this one nucleus, so many things can grow,” says the 27-year-old Antiguan charged with nurturing the online betting industry as the island attempts to transform itself from Cyberspace Vegas to Silicon Shangri-la. The technology center is the keystone of Prime Minister Lester Bird’s strategy to position Antigua and Barbuda - the main island’s smaller sister - as the e-commerce center of the Caribbean. The sprawling office complex in the 100-acre Free Trade and Processing Zone will include an information-technology training center to ensure that a skilled workforce is available. “If you’re going to come to the Caribbean, bring your high-tech industry to Antigua,” says Simon, the island’s director of offshore gaming, standing just down the hill from the base of an old sugar mill - a remnant from the island’s era as a slavery-based contributor to the British economy. “Everything we’re doing is geared toward that.” Antigua’s effort to broaden its e-commerce base will at least partly depend on the continued success of its online gambling industry, which island leaders hope will attract ancillary businesses like payment processors and customer support centers as it matures. [...]

> Read the full story here Source : MSN.com

• Fraud Squad Raid Online Bookies In Hunt For Missing Millions

Australian fraud squad detectives have raided offices of IAS.bet.com in attempt to trace the $19 million AUS gambled away by former Commonwealth Bank Manager, David Faithful. Mr Faithful was arrested last summer after he admitted stealing the money and using a bank computer to transfer it into an IASBet account, where he would bet up to $400,000 a week. The head of the squad, Detective Sergeant Paul Langdon, said yesterday police were investigating the circumstances in which IASbet obtained money stolen by Faithfull and whether they behaved responsibly in accepting the money. They also raided the Melbourne penthouse of Mark Read executive chairman and managing director of the IASbet online betting agency and head of the Australian bookmaking giant that bears his name. [...]

> Read the full story here Source : OnlineCasinoNews.com

• Revenue Magazine To Launch January 2004

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 29, 2003--Revenue, the first magazine focused on the fast-growing field of Internet affiliate marketing, will launch January 14th, Montgomery Research, Inc. announced today. "We're very pleased to be launching Revenue to serve a growing audience at a time when many other business and technology magazines are struggling. We've found tremendous demand from affiliates, merchants and advertisers for this publication," said Publisher Nick Smith. Revenue explores the strategies, technologies, designs and best-practices that help affiliates and merchants achieve success in affiliate marketing, a fast-growing area of e-commerce in which independent Web publishers, usually operating as small businesses, generate commissions by introducing consumers to the sites of larger merchants. Thousands of affiliate programs involving over 1 million affiliates collectively generate more than $1 billion in revenue for merchants that include large retailers such as Target, Eddie Bauer, Blair Corp., Amazon.com and hundreds of other well-known corporations in the U.S. and around the world. "We view affiliate marketing as an important stage in the growth of e-commerce that will benefit consumers and merchants with better Web content, higher ethical standards and competitive pricing," said Editor-in-Chief Tom Murphy, who leads an all-star team of business journalists, marketing experts, affiliates and industry practitioners. Revenue will be available through major book and magazine dealers. It will also be sold through subscriptions, including those offered through the magazine's own affiliate marketing program at www.revenuetoday.com.

> Read the full story here Source : RevenueToday.com

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