News in brief: PartyGaming-LCG spread betting deal; Bodog's Calvin Ayre to match Haiti aid; Betfair; Sky Vegas 15/01/2010

Jon Parker

PARTYGAMING HAS signed a three-year deal with London Capital Group, the online financial spread betting, foreign exchange and derivatives broking company, to be supplied with a white label financial spread trading platform. No further details have yet been revealed. The deal is the second this week for PartyGaming, which signed an exclusive five-year business-to-business tie with Danish state lottery Danske Spil on Monday to provide Danske Spil with online poker and casino games in Denmark.  London Capital Group has experienced tough trading in recent months, with the Group’s pre-tax profits down almost 40% at the half-year stage in August  due to lower volatility levels in the markets and the economy. 

Bodog founder Calvin Ayre has pledged to match any donation of up to $1m to victims of Haiti’s recent earthquake by any operator or individual in egaming. Ayre, who has also made an initial £10,000 donation to UK-based aid charity Oxfam to help with Haitian relief, said: “It is a disaster in Haiti. I know they have had a tough go from Mother Nature recently with hurricanes and now this earthquake [but] I cannot help but be disgusted with the ruling elite that has driven this country down while, no doubt, filling their own pockets. That said, the innocents, as always, are paying a horrendous price and I think the global online gaming community has a duty to do something.” Donations will be matched by the Calvin Ayre Foundation, which supports educational, environmental, social development, child welfare and animal welfare causes. 

Betfair has signed football pundit Andy Gray ahead of transfer deadline day at the end of the month. Gray will provide supporters with weekly tips on upcoming fixtures and provide montly video podcasta Betfairfootball.com.

SkyVegas, part of Rupert Murdoch’s SkyBet network, has launched BetSoft's Slots3 games Three Wishes and The Glam Life on its site.

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Posted: 15/01/2010