Bingo news for 30th May 2008

ITV were fined £5.675 million for the premium rate charge phone scandal and hope this new bingo will boost ratings and improve earnings from advertising.

Five nights a week Melinda Messenger and Michael Underwood (from GMTV) will host this late night bingo show where players can win £1,000 per game.

ITV hope to win the ratings war against Channel 4's Big Brother and the game launches on Wednesday with a £25,000 jackpot.

Reported in The Mirror on Friday 30th May 2008

Ladbrokes versus Svenska Spel

This is all new to me but apparently Ladbrokes and Swedish company Svenska Spel are in a legal battle back and forth at the moment. See, more Swedish news!

Svenska Spel originally launched a law suit against Ladbrokes for use of the phrase "Svenska Spel Engelska Odds" in some of their advertising campaigns. This roughly translates to Swede Game English Odds. Svenska Spel asked the courts to fine Ladbrokes SEK 1 million every time the slogan was used.

In a counter claim Ladbrokes, also for SEK 1 million, want the Svenska Spel strap line "Svenska Spel is a world leader in responsible gambling" and the phrase "a credible alternative to illegal activity" scrapped. Ladbrokes argue that Svenska Spel cannot claim to be world leaders and that the use of the word "illegal" implies that all other gambling operators' world wide are illegally operating. This is claimed to be both defamatory and untrue.

Svenska Spel's application for a temporary injunction whilst the case is being heard on Ladbrokes advertising was rejected by the Market court.

Reported at GamingIntelligenceGroup.com on Friday 30th May 2008