eSpeed, Inc. and BGC Partners Host Latest Charity Poker Event in Chicago

  
    
  
  
    
      eSpeed, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESPD), a leading developer of electronic 
      marketplaces and related trading technology for the global capital 
      markets, and BGC Partners, a leading inter-dealer brokerage firm 
      providing integrated voice and electronic services to wholesale fixed 
      income, interest rate, foreign exchange and derivatives markets 
      worldwide, announced that they recently hosted the latest in a series of 
      Texas Hold ‘Em charity poker events to raise 
      money for local charitable causes.
    
    
      The event at Morton’s Chicago was attended by 
      approximately 200 futures and government bond trading customers of 
      eSpeed and BGC. Participants were given a bank of “charity 
      chips” to begin the tournament, with the 
      $20,000 prize money donated to charities selected by the two top 
      winners. The Texas Hold ‘Em tournament is part 
      of a series of successful worldwide charity ‘broker 
      poker’ events held by eSpeed or jointly 
      hosted with eSpeed’s affiliate, BGC Partners, 
      for customers in New York, Chicago, London, Paris and Hong Kong.
    
    
      The winning traders, Jamie LaGrow, from Banyan Financial LLP, selected 
      Canton Goodfellows, and Chicago Children’s 
      Charities and David Rosenthal, from Rosenthal Collins Group, chose the 
      Greater Chicago Food Depository. Canton Goodfellows, Canton, Michigan, 
      is a non-profit organization whose “goal is 
      to ensure that there will be no Canton child without a Christmas.” 
      Chicago Children’s Charities is a non-profit 
      volunteer organization that raises monies through fundraising activities 
      to support the betterment of children in the Chicago area. The Greater 
      Chicago Food Depository is a not-for-profit food distribution and 
      training center providing food for hungry people and striving to end 
      hunger in the city of Chicago.
    
    
      Paul Saltzman, Chief Operating Officer of eSpeed, Inc., said, “As 
      part of our philanthropic commitment to give back to the communities 
      where we work and live, eSpeed is pleased to partner with our customers 
      to support these local charities that are working so hard to improve the 
      lives of others.” Pat Troy, Managing Director 
      of eSpeed in Chicago, added, “We’d 
      like to thank our customers once again for helping make this a memorable 
      and worthwhile event.”
    
    
      Nancy Spencer, President of Canton Goodfellows said, "The news of a 
      generous donation from the charity poker tournament sponsored by eSpeed 
      and BGC Partners and won by Jamey LaGrow of Banyan Financial could not 
      have come at a better time for our children. This donation will allow us 
      to provide much needed food and gifts to over 500 needy children in 
      Jamey's home town of Canton. We are so very grateful to both eSpeed and 
      Banyan Financial for contributing to Canton Goodfellows."
    
    
      Hilary Whitzleben of Chicago Children’s 
      Charities said, “On behalf of Chicago 
      Children's Charities, we thank you for your generous donation. Your 
      donation will make a tremendous impact to the diverse group of 
      beneficiaries we support. Your meaningful contribution to CCC will help 
      these organizations meet their goals. We cannot thank you enough!”
    
    
      Kate Maehr, executive director of the Greater Chicago Food Depository 
      said, "The Greater Chicago Food Depository is so grateful for this 
      generous donation from Rosenthal Collins Group and eSpeed. We could not 
      provide food for nearly 90,000 hungry people every week without our 
      community partners."
    
    
      About eSpeed, Inc.
    
    
      eSpeed, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESPD) is a leader in developing and deploying 
      electronic marketplaces and related trading technology that offers 
      traders access to the most liquid, efficient and neutral financial 
      markets in the world. eSpeed operates multiple buyer, multiple seller 
      real-time electronic marketplaces for the global capital markets, 
      including the world's largest government bond markets and other fixed 
      income and foreign exchange marketplaces. eSpeed's suite of marketplace 
      tools provides end-to-end transaction solutions for the purchase and 
      sale of financial products over eSpeed's global private network or via 
      the Internet. eSpeed's neutral platform, reliable network, 
      straight-through processing and superior products make it the trusted 
      source for electronic trading at the world's largest fixed income and 
      foreign exchange trading firms and major exchanges. To learn more, 
      please visit www.espeed.com.
    
    
      On May 29, 2007, eSpeed announced that it had entered into an Agreement 
      and Plan of Merger, dated as of May 29, 2007 with BGC Partners, Inc. (“BGC 
      Partners”); Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. (“Cantor”); 
      BGC Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership; BGC Global Holdings, 
      L.P., a Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership; and BGC Holdings, 
      L.P., a Delaware limited partnership pursuant to which eSpeed will 
      acquire BGC Partners through a merger of BGC Partners with and into 
      eSpeed. For more information, see eSpeed’s 
      Report on Form 8-K dated May 29, 2007, and its preliminary proxy 
      statement dated November 6, 2007, as well is its definitive proxy 
      statement when it becomes available.
    
    
      About BGC
    
    
      BGC is a leading inter-dealer broker, providing integrated voice and 
      electronic execution and other brokerage services to banks, brokerage 
      houses and investment banks for a broad range of global financial 
      products including fixed income securities, foreign exchange, equity 
      derivatives, credit derivatives, futures, structured products and other 
      instruments. This is complemented by market data products for selected 
      financial instruments. Named after fixed income trading innovator B. 
      Gerald Cantor, BGC has offices in London, New York, Copenhagen, 
      Istanbul, Nyon, Paris, Mexico City, Toronto, Hong Kong, Seoul, 
      Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Beijing (representative office). To learn 
      more, please visit www.bgcpartners.com.