Gambling site beta rolls out

Gaming Lottery Corporation today launched the beta site of GalaxiWorld, an Internet casino and gambling site. The site will become fully operational early next year, featuring video poker, blackjack, baccarat, roulette, and sports betting. International games such as pai gow, sic bo, and Australian five-reel slots will be offered as well.

The site also will include 3D and virtual reality rooms that take users to lounges where they can socialize other avatars--graphical representations of online users--or shop in a cybermall. "GalaxiWorld will be the ultimate Internet casino and entertainment experience," said Larry Weltman, executive vice president of Gaming Lottery Corporation, in a statement.

Gaming Lottery, which is based in Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, has budgeted $30 million for the site.

Competition in the space is heating up, however. There are dozens of Net gambling sites. In addition, the growth of Net gambling is uncertain because of regulatory issues.

The company will launch a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign on sites that include Yahoo, Lycos, Excite, AltaVista, and others.