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The U.K. government has confirmed that the bid to buy the state-owned bookmaker, the Tote, has been won by the U.K.’s fourth largest retail bookmaker, Betfred, after increasing its bid with an offer worth £265 million. The auction commenced on November, 2010 and is expected to be completed within the next 30 to 60 days.

The amount accepted by the government from Betfred for the Tote is much less than the £400 million that it was first offered by a consortium of racetrack owners in 2007. Various governments have attempted to privatize the tote during the past 14 years.

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The leading gambling group, Sportingbet.com, announced that it had earned good numbers for the second quarter and half year ending January 31st, 2011. In particular the group saw strong growth in its Australian operations and reported an NGR increase of 73%. Further, 10% of Sportingbet’s active customers came from its mobile phone products.

As part of a partnership with Top Up TV, Isle of Man-licensed online casino and sportsbook 188Bet.com is offering British sports fans up to three months of top class sporting action on ESPN.

Customers who would like to qualify for this special offer must register with 188Bet.com between now and 31st January 2011 and thereafter place bets totaling £50 or more. These customers will then be eligible to receive ESPN for free, via Top Up TV.

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London based online gambling company SportingBet has at last secured a non-prosecution agreement with the United States authorities in terms of which the company will pay the Department of Justice $33 million. The deal was finalized with the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

According to prosecutors in America this amount represents the proceeds of SportingBet’s illegal online gambling facility it had made obtainable to US-based players between 1998 and October 2006. Peter Dicks, the former chairman of SportingBet was arrested in Louisiana in 2006 but was subsequently released. He later returned to the United Kingdom.

A brand new sports betting site is set to launch very soon, promising to provide bettors with an exciting new brand. Novigroup Ltd. said that it had applied to and successfully received a gaming license from the Isle of Man’s Gambling Supervision Commission. This means that the newly launched Novibet.com will be able to provide players with a host of betting opportunities, including the chance to wager on top European football events. The site will feature chat facilities, help lines, score updates and much more – all in eight different languages.