The week that was in the world of British gaming financials saw bruised and battered online gaming stocks begin a slow rebound, with Sportingbet – whose arrest of since-resigned chairman Peter Dicks began the latest tumble – trading as high as 184p during the week before closing at 179.75p Friday. Meanwhile, BetOnSports (whose arrest of BetOnSportsand others in July began the sector’s initial pratfall) said this week that they are seeking to settle the series of civil and criminal indictments levied against them by U.S. federal prosecutors. Tuesday marked the first time a legal representative appeared in court to answer the charges against BetOnSports, with defense and prosecuting attorneys agreeing to a temporary restraining order through Oct. 16 in order to negotiate a settlement in the high-profile case. In related news, other companies caught-up in the recent turmoil continued to struggle, with 888 Holdings trading as high as 142p before closing at 139.25p per share Friday. World Gaming, a rumored takeover target of Sportingbet prior to the arrest of Dicks, went as high as 63p before dropping to 58p Friday.

Elsewhere, Party Gaming closed the week down at 101.25p per share (a drop of 2.17 percent) amid analysts’ contentions that the poker operator’s business model is “flawedâ€? in the long term, with revenues likely to decline in the future. Julian Easthope based his feelings around a belief that a small number of skilled players – or “sharksâ€? that make their living off the game – generate the majority of cash for Party Gaming, with only 10 percent of the players generating as much as 77 percent of all revenue. Further, these “sharks’ do so at the expense of “fishâ€? or inexperienced players who, after losing their money, then become bored with the game and stop playing. Long-term, according to Easthope, this could spell a decline in new players with “sharksâ€? left to find other waters in which to feed.

Finally, in other British gaming stock news, Ladbrokes closed-out the week down at 377p per share, Betcorp Ltd. closed at 76p from 81.25p earlier in the week, with Stanley Leisure Plc. – fresh off their recent acceptance of an offer from Malaysia’s Genting International, closing up 4p per share to end the week at 865p.

- Rex Harris