In a first for any betting organisation, London-based Sporting Index made the site available and then asked clients to help it drive the development process.

“We wanted to deliver the best sports spreadbetting experience for our clients,” said Mark Maydon, Commercial Director for Sporting Index.

“So, we started by asking what they wanted out of the new site, built a prototype and then gave it to the clients to get their further feedback and suggestions.

“Today’s website, from the design to the functionality, is, therefore, very much their creation. We’ve been really encouraged by the sheer amount of feedback we’ve received.”

Sporting Index revealed that the look and feel of SportingIndex.com has been updated to emphasise simplicity. The bet placement process and open bets area have both been changed with all of the action now taking place on the right side of the screen. All bets now appear in a tab allowing these to be confirmed without losing sight of live prices.

In-play betting and live prices were important areas highlighted by feedback Sporting Index received from its clients. These sections were improved on the new-look SportingIndex.com to allow for increased speed so that individuals could strike a better bet before prices changed.

“If you follow, say, a cricket match on SportingIndex.com, you’ll find our scoreboard and associated prices update quicker than anything else on the web including the big cricket portals such as CricInfo.com,” said Maydon.

The new site also features an in-play menu in a box in the middle-right of the site containing shortcuts to live events. Sporting Index stated that this is a nod to the fact that it takes over 50 percent of its bets from in-running action.

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William Hill revealed that Victoria Apuestas opened its first outlet in Madrid in April of 2008 and now trades across 98 locations in the Madrid and Basque regions.

The London-based firm declared that Codere would manage the business while it would continue to provide bookmaking services.

“Achieving relevant scale for the business has always been dependent upon a substantial growth in the number of outlets,” read a statement from William Hill.

“Achieving this scale has proved problematic because of the slow granting of local regulatory consents and the slower than anticipated regulatory changes within other regions. These factors, coupled with the difficult economic situation within Spain, were likely to lead to additional capital requirements and a delay in achieving William Hill’s target return for the venture.

“In these circumstances, William Hill has decided to focus its international sportsbetting strategy on the Internet via William Hill Online.”

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The members of Team PKR Pro will also provide a range of content for PKR.com’s website and PKR TV while also participating in cash games and specially organised bounty tournaments.

Team PKR Pro is made up of the sport’s hottest rising stars including television celebrity Ashley ‘ashleyhames1’ Hames and 2008 Irish Open finalist Kai Danilo ‘kingkai84’ Paulsen.

Presenter Hames is known for his Sin Cities series, which still ranks as one of Bravo’s highest UK rated shows, and has been playing poker since 2000. The Londoner has participated in a World Series Of Poker (WSOP) Main Event and reached the final of Celebrity Poker Club.

Trondheim native Paulsen has the finest live tournament record of any PKR.com regular with more than $322,000 in offline earnings. The 25-year-old Norwegian had two cashes at the WSOP including finishing 18th out of over 3,000 competitors alongside a fifth placed finish at the 2008 Irish Open, taking home $250,000.

The runner-up at the inaugural PKR Live event in November and champion of the subsequent APT Manila Headhunter side event, Henrik ‘pokey85’ Eklund, is also in Team PKR Pro. The Stockholm resident is only 24 but stated that his ambition this year is to make the final table at a major event even though he has only been playing poker for four years.

The remaining trio include PKR.com favourites Raymond ‘callmebabe’ O’Mahoney, James ‘James666’ Sudworth and Andrew ‘golfpro699’ Teng.

“We’ve been following our initial Team PKR Pro members for some time and are convinced that they all have the game and personality required to be genuinely world-class poker players,” said Simon Prodger, Marketing Director for PKR.com.

“They are also among the most recognised and respected players within the PKR community so are guaranteed to have over two and a half million people cheering them on every time they play.”

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A Spanish joint venture company formed between Betbull Holding SE and Bwin Interactive Entertainment, Betbull Bwin Espana SA revealed that in-running and fixed-odds soccer wagering is being offered from four kiosks located in directors’ boxes at the 80,000-seat stadium.

This is the first time that betting has been offered from inside a Spanish soccer ground with Bwin revealing that the initial trial could be extended throughout the ‘Bernabeu’ for next season if it proves successful.

London-based Betbull Holding announced that its investment in one of Europe’s largest soccer stadiums would provide ‘significant contributions to group profits in the future’.

“We are pleased with the development of the fully licensed market and actively await the opportunity to apply for licences in further Spanish regions as and when available,” said Simon Bold, Director for London-based Betbull Holding.

Betbull Bwin Espana SA was granted a sportsbetting license from the Madrid autonomous region in October before opening its first W1nners retail outlet in a Madrid shopping centre in February. Bwin also has a lucrative shirt sponsorship deal with Real Madrid until 2010 and revealed that Betbull Bwin Espana SA could soon have up to 120 betting outlets under the W1nners brand.

Real Madrid’s intense city rivals, Atletico De Madrid, launched its own official gambling website last month in partnership with Finnish gambling monopoly Alands Penningautomatforening (PAF) at Apuestasrojiblancas.com.

Kicking off at 235 Casino in Manchester on April 26, the Poker Academy will see professional players Ian ‘Raiser’ Frazer and Paul ‘Action’ Jackson conduct three hours of interactive lectures assisted by poker author Alex Rousso. This will be followed by a poker tournament in which players can ask Jackson and Frazer for their advice during live play.

Bluff Europe revealed that the lectures in Manchester would cover some of the sport’s most crucial concepts such as the fundamental theory of poker, luck and variance, dealing with defeat and bankroll management.

“This is great opportunity for poker enthusiasts to learn to improve their games with the help of some of the best players around,” said Rousso.

“We really want to challenge you to think like a professional poker player and help you improve your game and bankroll.”

After Manchester, Poker Academy moves on to Birmingham’s Broadway Casino on May 9 where Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott will join Rousso and Jackson. Ulliott will serve as the resident pro for the next stop at Dublin’s Sporting Emporium on May 16 before Phil ‘The Unabomber’ Laak takes over for the finale, which is scheduled for London’s Casino at the Empire on May 23.

“This is a great day out for players who want to get inside the heads of poker pros and learn their tricks and thought processes,” said Michael Caselli, Editor-In-Chief for Bluff Europe.

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