The owners of Rhode Island’s Twin River racino, struggling to make their loan payments after an ambitious expansion of the gambling venue, have received a key break from their lenders. But even as it announced the deal, BLB Investors indicated it will press Rhode Island officials for additional assistance needed to stabilize the racino’s finances.

07/08/2008

Massachusetts racetracks, already facing an autumn referendum that would ban dog racing, are now grappling with a new challenge. Wonderland Greyhound Park, one of the state’s two dog tracks, is facing foreclosure over unpaid taxes, a crisis that threatens to undermine the racing industry’s credibility at a key juncture.

05/08/2008

Pennsylvania gambling regulators are coming under fire after rejecting an emergency application for a temporary racino licence at one of the state’s racetracks. The rebuff, which threatens to scuttle plans for a major slot machine venue, has raised new questions about the Northeastern state’s ability to regulate its fast expanding gambling sector.

29/07/2008

State lottery sales across the US fell during the first three months of the year, the latest sign that the economic downturn is taking a toll on a broad swath of the gaming industry, newly released statistics show. Still, a few state lotteries players, including a major Northeastern state, bucked the trend through aggressive marketing of one of the lottery sector’s hottest products.

28/07/2008

A Massachusetts racetrack owner is vowing to spend millions to defeat an upcoming statewide referendum that would ban greyhound racing. The pledge comes in the wake of a legal defeat for Bay State dog track owners, with a brutal ballot campaign shaping up which could have national implications for the beleaguered greyhound industry.

22/07/2008

Pennsylvania’s fast-growing gambling sector has run into a patch of heavy political turbulence, with an array of proposed slot and casino venues now in jeopardy amid rising criticism by elected officials and a tougher approach by regulators.

21/07/2008

Beleaguered Massachusetts dog tracks could find new life as off-track-betting parlours should voters this fall ban greyhound racing, a key lawmaker is suggesting. The proposal comes as racetrack owners in the New England state lick their wounds after the defeat of a slot machine proposal and prepare for a potentially devastating fall vote on whether greyhound racing should be made illegal.

16/07/2008

Maine’s expanded Hollywood Slots complex has reopened with a bang, with the $132 million Bangor racino setting a single-day revenue record. The launch of the revamped gambling venue is being closely watched amid the buildup to a statewide referendum that could see the New England state embrace full-fledged casino gambling.

14/07/2008

After years of threats and debate, the Bush Administration has now put into effect a strict, 25-mile rule when evaluating proposals by tribes to open up new gambling venues off their traditional reservations. The new rules are even tougher than what some industry observers had predicted just a few months ago and threaten to slow the expansion of the booming tribal gaming sector.

10/07/2008

Connecticut’s two giant casinos, the crown jewels of the tribal gaming sector, are cutting jobs amid the economic downturn. The belt tightening by Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun mirrors the downturn hitting the wider gaming sector in the US, with casinos from Las Vegas to Atlantic City slashing expenses in a bid to cope with falling revenues.

07/07/2008

Massachusetts racetrack owners, in a bid to win state approval for thousands of slot machines, are pledging hundreds of millions in aid to cash-strapped city and town governments. The legislative push, in turn, has thrust racinos back into the long-running debate over expanded gambling.

03/07/2008

The UK casino sector is quickly acquiring toxic status for international operators. According to their latest results, a severe deterioration in the value of Isle of Capri’s UK casino interests has prompted the firm to write-off nearly $80m, tipping the firm into a loss for the year.

03/07/2008

A major US union has run into a roadblock in its national drive to organize dealers and other casino workers. Despite winning six union representation votes at four Atlantic City gambling venues, the United Auto Workers has been unable to ink a contract after more than a year of talks.

30/06/2008

Greyhound racing, long a staple of the US gambling scene, may be on its last legs unless dramatic changes are made, a key industry group is warning. The report comes with interest in live dog racing on a precipitous decline, leading to big drops in revenue and racetrack closures.

26/06/2008

Some of New England’s more well-established tribes are on the outside looking in when it comes to the dramatic expansion of Indian gaming across the US. Despite being federally recognized, tribes in Massachusetts, Maine and Rhode Island are fighting an uphill battle to open their own gambling venues.

24/06/2008

Rhode Island officials have fired the opening legal salvos in a landmark US Supreme Court case challenging a federal decision to allow a local Indian tribe to convert land holdings into sovereign territory for a casino. The challenge by Rhode Island state leaders has drawn support from other US states and may have far-reaching implications for the Indian gaming sector.

16/06/2008

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe are poised to launch compact negotiations, possibly as early as this summer, over plans for a $1 billion gambling resort. The unexpected move is set to shake up the state’s long-running debate over casino gambling and open the possibility of Indian gaming in a second New England state.

11/06/2008

Massachusetts racetrack owners are preparing a major State House push to win a green light to roll out thousands of slot machines. The campaign comes barely three months after state lawmakers shot down a sweeping proposal by Governor Deval Patrick to legalise a trio of resort casinos.

10/06/2008

Despite a legislative setback for the latest video slots proposal, political momentum in New Hampshire is shifting towards an embrace of expanded gambling, observers say. A new statewide poll is pointing to broad public support for more wagering, while the number of state legislators in favour also appears to be growing.

04/06/2008

New Hampshire lawmakers are poised to slap a pair of taxes on a burgeoning charity poker industry in a bid to raise millions to close a state budget gap. The unusual revenue raising device is seen as a newfound willingness on part of New England’s most conservative state to turn to gambling to raise money for public coffers, observers say.

02/06/2008

The Massachusetts State Lottery is poised to shatter US and even international sales records, with a new instant ticket that is on track to generate more than $1bn in sales. The ticket is now being studied by other US lotteries as they grapple with declining sales in the face of rising consumer prices and a country-wide economic slowdown.

27/05/2008

In a surprising shift, the top casino foe in Massachusetts is now calling for a statewide vote this fall on the issue. House Speaker Sal DiMasi’s proposal is expected to revive the debate in the Bay State, one of the last major US states without casinos, over expanded gambling.

23/05/2008

After appearing to slam the door shut on off-reservation casinos, is the Bush Administration reopening it, albeit just a crack? That is the question being asked by some gaming industry observers after provocative comments by a top administration official who reviews such proposals.

21/05/2008

Racetrack casinos are now driving the expansion of gambling in the US, outpacing their more glamorous casino counterparts when it comes to new growth, a newly released study finds.

19/05/2008

Rhode Island lawmakers have given the green light to 24-hour gambling on the weekends at its two big slot machine venues. The decision to up the ante is, in turn, expected to put more pressure on neighbouring Connecticut and Massachusetts, both of which are feeling the pinch from their sister state’s gambling moves.

15/05/2008

A second major slot complex is poised to move in the New York City area, with state officials preparing to choose a company to operate thousands of slot machines at the Aqueduct racetrack.

12/05/2008

A new report suggests public support for expanded gambling in Massachusetts remains high and may even be gaining ground, despite the landslide State House defeat of Gov. Deval Patrick's recent casino proposal. Patrick’s own remarks this week also hint that budget pressures, and the possible demise of one of his most implacable opponents, may push the issue back onto the menu sooner rather than later.

08/05/2008

Maryland may become the latest US state to embrace expanded gambling, with its labour and business leaders lining up in favor of a proposal to legalize thousands of slot machines. The support comes as Maryland finds itself surrounded by a ring of racinos and casinos in neighboring Mid-Atlantic states.

07/05/2008

Maine voters will get another chance later this year to decide whether to open the New England state to full-scale casino gambling. A proposal for a resort casino amid Maine’s popular ski and golf resorts is the latest in a series of statewide votes on gambling over the past decade.

01/05/2008

Pennsylvania’s new gambling control board is facing calls for a sweeping overhaul after handing out a casino license to a businessman with alleged ties to organized crime. The uproar comes as the fledging regulator begins its oversight of a major expansion of gambling in the US state, with more than a dozen casinos, racinos and slot parlors planned.

29/04/2008