Tuesday, August 24, 2004

Red Button Gambling - Will Interactive TV Work for Gambling

Raising the red button stakes

If you run through Sky's programme guide recently, you'll find a plethora of TV channels dedicated to 'gambling games' - often backed by Interactive TV gambling pioneers, DITG (operators of TV Bingo channel, Avago)

Most of these channels are quite frankly, dull. Virtual horse-racing with zero atmosphere, stupid darts games and roulette rip-offs populate the channels on an endless loop.

However, the stakes are about to be raised as the high street bookies, William Hill, finally make their way towards the dreaded Sky Interactive Red Button, to offer interactive TV gambling

The Guardian Online reports - as banks such as HSBC remove themselves from Interactive TV after deeming it a failure, the gambling boys are moving in and taking over.

In the next 2 or 3 months, William Hill will brand a new channel dedicated to virtual interactive gambling - set up, as ever, by the aforementioned DITG

As the red button listed handicap lines up for the start, the broadcasting fight as to who can show the most poker shows will also start again in earnest, as Challenge TV plan to show the UK's first 24hr celebrity poker tournament.

Challenge is also about to launch 'Casino Casino' which will deal viewers a virtual hand for fun, rather than money - quite simply because its currently illegal for players to play for money on TV

Read the rest of the article here

- I'll probably reserve judgement on all these new interactive TV gambling initiatives until I see them. The current ones are nothing to write home about - the medium is clunky and tedious and the set-top box isn't geared up for the speed required for good games. Avago is about the only channel that has 'kind of' got it right with its broadcast games. There's always going to be a market for good gambling games on TV - and until Sky gets rid of the junk that currently resides on its programme guide, I won't be pressing the button to play

posted by jo @ 1:09 PM   0 comments

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