Gb Group Regulatory News (GBG)

6 Feb 2006 07:00

GB Group PLC06 February 2006 Monday, 6th February 2006 GB GROUP PLC ("GB" or the "Group") Further Progress at DataAuthentication (URU(TM)) GB Group are pleased to announce the signing of bet365 as a URU(TM) client. Thisfurther demonstrates that URU(TM), the flagship electronic age and IDverification service, jointly developed and marketed with BT, continues to buildupon its market leadership in the Online Gaming sector. This deal also indicatesthat clients are moving towards greater initial commitment as this contract withbet365 has a sizeable upfront value. DataAuthentication's other target sectors of Mobile Telecommunications andFinancial Services have also seen positive progress as URU(TM) continues tostrengthen its position as the most comprehensive and technically advanced, ageand identity verification solution, in the market. Additionally, work to develop an electronic age and identity verificationsolution capable of verifying non-UK individuals is continuing satisfactorilyand GB also announces today the appointment of Micah Willbrand to the post ofInternational Development Manager. For the previous five years, Micah worked inthe USA as Vice President of Authentication Solutions at Aristotle Inc., aleading provider of age verification solutions to the USA, European and AsiaPacific markets. Commenting, Richard Law, GB Group's CEO, said: "We are pleased with the progressbeing made to enable ourselves and BT to establish a leading position for URU(TM)in this rapidly growing and potentially lucrative market. Currently we estimatethat around 500 million age and identity checks are conducted annually in the UKusing manual paper based means, which are both obsolete and inefficient. Therate at which business users adopt new electronic means of age and identityverification will determine how quickly the market develops, however, thesizeable commitment from bet365 is a positive indication that the rate ofadoption of electronic age and ID verification solutions is increasing. Our work to develop an international solution is aimed at giving URU(TM) thecapability to identify overseas nationals and in the first instance will beaimed primarily at the Online Gaming market to enable our many clients in thissector to prevent underage gambling and fraud." - Ends - For further information, please contact: GB Group plcRichard Law, Chief Executive 01244 657333Mona Navin-Mealey, Finance Director Weber Shandwick Square Mile 020 7067 0700Richard Hews/ Helen Thomas Website www.gb.co.uk Notes to Editors About URU(TM) The URU(TM) service, the DataAuthentication division's principle offering, hasbeen developed jointly with BT. It combines GB's Authenticator(TM) search engineand decision making software, access to GB's comprehensive range of identitydata and BT's high capacity web delivery. It helps organisations to protectthemselves from the growing problem of identity theft and fraud, which isestimated to cost the UK economy over £1.7 billion per annum. URU(TM) enablescompanies subscribing to the service to make an instant decision whether toaccept the identity claimed by any given individual and confirm their age inseconds. URU(TM) works by cross checking personal information provided by an individual atthe point of acquisition against a comprehensive range of datasources to confirmthat an individual is who they claim to be, live where they claim to live andmeet certain minimum legal age requirements. No personal data is disclosed by the reference databases and as a result URU(TM)is compliant with the Data Protection Act. URU(TM) also provides a valuable audit trail demonstrating that the necessarychecks have taken place, thereby helping companies comply with legislation,including the 2nd European Money Laundering Directive, Proceeds of Crime Act andMinimum Legal Age requirements of certain industry sectors. The addition of data from CallCredit also enables users of URU(TM) to incorporatecredit reference data. The market for identity verification checking continues to grow. Researchpublished in February 2005 showed a 45% increase in the number of individualsaccessing gaming sites compared to the previous year. In addition, it ispredicted that around 10% of potential revenue is lost by MobileTelecommunications operators as a result of fraud and furthermore, the BritishBankers Association reported in March 2005 that losses of its membersattributable to fraud had increased by 11% compared to the previous year. GB is working closely with organisations such as Gamcare, the charity promotingresponsible gambling, and RGA (Remote Gambling Association), formerly ARGO, tohelp promote better understanding by gambling companies of the requirements ofgood social responsibility processes. We are also working closely with some ofour clients to help them develop their social responsibility policies andpractices thereby ensuring they are well placed to address any issues in thisarea as they arise and to adopt "best practice" behaviour. About GB Group plc GB Group plc provides a range of products and services to enable organisationsto capitalise on one of their greatest assets - customer data. The Company hasexpertise across a range of sectors and is able to transform customer data intovaluable information, enabling clients to make better, more informed decisions. The development of innovative software and services, through to the provision ofthe UK's most comprehensive consumer business databases - The National Register(R) and the National Authentication Register - positions GB Group as a widelyacknowledged industry leader in its specialist markets. GB Group plc has three complementary business areas: • The DataAuthentication division helps businesses validate personal identity information and provides anti-fraud solutions to fight crime. • The DataIntegrity division helps companies capture and maintain accurate customer contact data, an essential foundation for any profitable customer relationship. • The DataSolutions division empowers companies to consolidate and analyse customer data from various sources, enabling them to make better, more informed decisions. Established since 1989, GB's core competencies combined with industry sectorknowledge have enabled the company to deliver significant value to organisationssuch as Standard Life, Scottish Power and TD Waterhouse in helping them derivemaximum value from their customer data and sustain real advantage over theircompetition. GB Group is supported by its key relationships with major organisations withwhom it works with on major initiatives (an example being British Telecom),together with a team of highly talented and motivated staff successfullydelivering business solutions. GB Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (www.gb.co.uk). About bet365 Bet365 is the internet and telephone betting division of the bet365 GroupLimited, one of the UK's leading betting and gaming groups. The group has held aUK license since 1974 and now has over 600 employees. The bet365 Group Limited operates a 24/7 customer contact centre and a thrivinginternet operation (based in Stoke-on-Trent), where it services over 600,000customers in 120 different countries. The website (www.bet365.com) is availablein a wide range of languages with a comprehensive customer service for eacharea. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange