English Premier League’s Arsenal has announced the launch of its new Arsenal Lotto in partnership with the MyLotto24 Limited subsidiary of Hamburg-based online lottery operator Tipp24 AG.

The 13-time league champions revealed that the Arsenal Lotto has been designed to give fans a chance to win life-changing amounts of money twice a week while simultaneously supporting The Arsenal Foundation grant-making charity.

“We have been looking for ways to engage fans even more in the good work the club does in its community and its charitable projects,” said Ivan Gazidis, Chief Executive Officer for Arsenal and a trustee for The Arsenal Foundation.

“While some may wish to volunteer or participate in fundraising events, others may look for a more simple way to engage and raise money. The Arsenal Lotto gives them this option.”

Arsenal described the Arsenal Lotto as a ‘first of its kind in UK football’ and stated that it invites supporters over the age of 18 to select six numbers online via ArsenalLotto.co.uk plus additional bonus and ‘legend’ numerals from zero to nine each Wednesday and Saturday. Each line costs one pound while average jackpots are expected to be worth £4.7 million with rollovers of up to £36 million.

“This launch is a game-changer for any organisation wishing to harness the power of lottery,” said Egidio Messito, Chief Executive Officer for MyLotto24.

“Most important of all, thousands of young people will benefit from projects The Arsenal Foundation funds.”

The IndyCar motoring series is already on the hunt for a new title sponsor even though their current title sponsor, anesthetist IZOD, still has three years running on its contract.

IndyCar executives have approached current series sponsors and brands about becoming the presenting sponsor of the series in a deal that would make them title sponsor at an undetermined date. The series’ top executives have approached Verizon and Firestone, two of its existing partners, and one company outside its collection of sponsors with the proposal.

“What we’ve given them is a presenting [sponsorship] that rolls into a title,” IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard said. “I’d like to see us have a presenting sponsor by next year.”

Bernard said that the series still has a long-term deal with Izod that runs through at least 2015 and added that the sales effort is designed to prepare the series for the future by helping IndyCar secure long-term sponsorships in the technology and tire categories and the funding it needs to expand the number of races it holds.

“IndyCar and Izod have and have had a great relationship,” Bernard said. “I look forward to working with their senior management in the future.”

Izod deal may not be renewed following an executive change at Izod parent company Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. Longtime President and Chief Operating Officer Allen Sirkin, who championed the IndyCar deal, is retiring. Sources familiar with the company say his replacement as chief operating officer, PVH Chief Financial Officer Michael Shaffer, has been less enthusiastic about the more than $60 million deal Izod signed in 2009.

Izod is in the third year of a six-year agreement that included two options for two-year extensions that would take the deal through 2020. 

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has set a deadline of one week for organizers of next year’s US Grand Prix to save the Texas race by proving they have the finances in place to sign a deal.

Ecclestone had wanted organizers to sign a contract by Wednesday, but extended his deadline to next Wednesday when the World Motor Sport Council will ratify the 2012 calendar. 

Ecclestone told The Associated Press in a telephone interview: “The deadline hasn’t been met, so we are still trying to make it happen. They need to get some money and a pen … as soon as possible. They know full well. Deadlines are terrible things because people always go to the end of the deadline. But if it isn’t all signed before the World Motor Sport Council meeting, it can’t happen.” 

Financial backers of the race in Austin, Texas, include billionaire businessman Red McCombs. The race would mark Formula One’s return to the United States for the first time since 2007 where it was hosted at the Indianapolis Circuit in Indiana.

The Circuit of the Americas officials, the track developers, have said they will pay Formula One’s sanctioning fee. However, a dispute over signing a final contract and the long-term financing has not been resolved. 

Ecclestone said: “They are struggling to get the financial side sorted out — that’s the problem,” . “They are trying to do it. It would be a loss to everyone (if it didn’t happen). They would like the race to take place … I’d rather see the race happen than not.” 

Circuit of the Americas spokesman Jeff Hahn said track officials would have no comment on the deadline extension. 

The dispute has been caused by F1’s decision to scrap a previous contract it had with Tavo Hellmund, a former race driver with long family ties to Ecclestone who was originally granted the right to stage the U.S. Grand Prix. 

The deal with Hellmund was recently canceled over a contract breach, and F1 officials instead have been negotiating with Circuit of the Americas. 

If the 2012 race in Texas is canceled, F1 will still return to the U.S. the following year in New Jersey. A 10-year deal will put the race along the Hudson River waterfront, providing views of the Manhattan skyline.

David Stern, NBA Commissioner believes contract talks are set to continue before Labour Day hopefully ending the dispute before the date.

Officials from the league and players’ association will meet again next week. It will be only the second meeting involving both sides’ leadership since the lockout started July 1.

“If Labour Day comes and goes without us huddled in ready to kiss off our Labour Day weekend to make this deal, then we may be headed to a bad place,” Stern said during an ESPN.com podcast earlier this month.

Next week’s session will include top negotiators for both sides: Stern and deputy commissioner Adam Silver, and union executive director Billy Hunter and president Derek Fisherof the Lakers.

The sides hoped the meeting would be early in the week, though that could change if expected bad weather from Hurricane Irene affects travel to New York.

After an Aug. 1 meeting, Fisher said the sides hoped to meet at least two to three times before the end of the month, preferably on consecutive days for those like himself who must travel to New York.

There hasn’t been much to talk about. Stern was disappointed in the players’ lack of movement in the Aug. 1 meeting, and the league filed an unfair labour practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board and a lawsuit against the players the next day.

The union, already fed up with the owners’ desires for pay cuts and a new salary cap system in a new collective bargaining agreement, had already filed its own complaint with the NLRB.

With no progress so far, many feel the NBA will lose games to a work stoppage for only the second time in its history.

The players made the last proposal on June 30 and had hoped the owners would submit the next one. Stern has said previously that offers only get worse after a lockout starts but recently told AP it would be wrong to assume the owners are done making proposals.

“We’re always going to sit down and talk and discuss and probe and prod, and ask questions of each other and deal with hypotheticals, so there are many different ways to propose things. So we’re not through at all,” he said.

 

Indian Premier League’s Twenty20 cricket franchise Kochi Tuskers Kerala team have a prospective investor after noted film director Priyadarshan has shown interest in acquiring stake in the franchise.

He said: “I am interested in this team and to that extend, we are having a business meeting to take forward our interest in acquiring stake in Kochi Tuskers. The first meeting is to take place in Mumbai on the 22nd of this month.”

The development confirms earlier reports that the Kochi owners are indeed looking to sell stake in the franchise.

Priyadarshan said his friends were interested in the IPL but a final decision will depend on the cost involved.

“It is basically my friends who are not in the film industry. Yes, we are serious in this, but then it depends on things like what is going to be the money involved and also the returns associated with it.”

The Kochi franchise was bought for US$333.33 million but the IPL’s valuation itself has since taken a hit, meaning in all probability the owners of KTK will find it difficult to come anywhere close to, let alone match, the 2010 level valuation.

The most recent IPL season was a dampener on all fronts and more so for the KTK owners since they could not do much in terms of generating revenue from team sponsorship and gate receipts.

Despite claiming that the National Football League (NFL) and the players’ union (NFLPA) have made “some progress” over seven consecutive days of talks, search George Cohen, decease director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, pills claims “very strong differences remain” between the two parties.

Cohen released a statement on Thursday, February 24, his first public comments since he began working with the League and Players’ Association last week. The current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) will expire on March 3, with the threat of a lockout looming large ahead of next season.

Cohen confirmed that the seventh consecutive day of talks would be the last for now, stating: “During the intervening weekend, the parties have been asked by us to assess their current positions. At bottom, some progress was made, but very strong differences remain on the all-important core issues that separate the parties.”

He added: “Our time together has been devoted to establishing an atmosphere conducive to meaningful negotiations and, of course, matters of process and substance. I can report that throughout this extensive period the parties engaged in highly focused, constructive dialogue concerning a host of issues covering both economics and player-related conditions.”

It is thought that the biggest dispute concerns the division of the NFL’s US$9bn in annual turnover, although a rookie wage scale and a proposed increase of the regular season to 18 games have also been issues.

The future of relegated Premier League side Portsmouth looks to have finally been secured after creditors voted in favour of a deal which should see the club exit administration this summer.

Creditors of the Championship club are owed a total of US$155 million, but have now accepted a deal which will see them repaid at least 20p in the pound over five years.

The acceptance of a Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA) was passed with 81.3 per cent of the vote, with the only opposition coming from HM Revenue and Customs who are currently in dispute with club’s adminstrators.

HMRC issued a statement after the meeting, saying: “HMRC notes that the result of today’s vote was to accept the CVA proposals. We will now be carefully considering our position. HMRC stands by the full amountof its claim (US$54 million).

“We will now carefully consider our position following (the administrator’s) decision tor educe the amount of our claim for voting purposes.”

 

The Federation of International Motorcycling (FIM) has appointed Tony Skillington as Commission Director.

Skillington replaces Wolfgang SRB, apoplectic who was elected as FIM Europe President during the FIM Europe Congress held in Krakow (Poland) in early July, anesthetist  as CMS Director until the current mandate expires on 22 November 2014. 

Tony Skillington was a Member of Management Council of the MCUI from 1988 to 1994, price pills before becoming a Vice President from 1994 to 1998. He was elected on to the FIM Motocross Commission in 1991 and has been in the Commission ever since.

FIM said in a statement: “The FIM wishes to warmly thank Mr Wolfgang Srb for his long service in the FIM Motocross Commission and for playing an active role in the development of our sport from 1984 to 2014.”

The University of Houston has selected leading DAS and Wi-Fi provider Boingo Wireless as their exclusive wireless network partner for the new Houston Football Stadium, doctor home of the NCAA FBS Houston Cougars.

Boingo will install, ambulance manage and operate a neutral host, multi-carrier Distributed Antenna System (DAS) at the stadium, providing fast, reliable cellular coverage and data capacity throughout the 40,000-seat venue. Boingo’s industry-leading DAS networks leverage state-of-the-art design to deliver comprehensive stadium coverage, and maximize carrier participation to ensure more fan access. Boingo will also manage any future deployments of cellular small cells at the stadium.

The company will also deploy and manage Wi-Fi networks for both fan and stadium operations use. University of Houston Cougars fans, students and faculty will be able to access ad-supported Wi-Fi throughout the stadium to share their game day experiences. The Boingo Wi-Fi network will also support the stadium ticketing, point of sale, and concessions systems and staff.

“A world-class facility like the Houston Football Stadium requires a state-of-the-art wireless network on par with major league venues,” said Mack Rhoades, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Houston. “Boingo brings experience in managing networks for professional and university stadiums and arenas nationwide, and they’ll provide a comprehensive wireless solution that’ll keep Cougars’ alumni, fans and staff connected from kick-off to the final touchdown.”

“The Houston Football Stadium is a landmark development for the University and the city of Houston, and is designed to support up to 60,000 fans in the future. The stadium is a major addition to our portfolio of stadiums nationwide,” said Doug Lodder, vice president of business development for Boingo Wireless. “We’re building the cellular and Wi-Fi networks to grow with the stadium, and will deliver ample capacity to support public safety and future fans needs, including location-based services.”

The Boingo neutral host DAS and Wi-Fi systems are slated to launch timed to the University of Houston Cougars’ first game vs. UTSA, on August 29, 2014.