AIM-listed online betting company Sportingbet Plc said on Monday that one of their two employees detained by Turkish police in May had been released following an appeal and had returned to Britain. The other employee was refused bail after his appeal and remains in custody awaiting charges.

29/07/2008

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission has appointed an external consulting firm to investigate Tokwiro Enterprises, the parent company of Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet, both of which have been involved in cheating scandals in recent months. The move comes after calls from a former US politician that the jurisdiction takes decisive action over the scandal.

29/07/2008

Government officials from two regions of Taiwan that are seeking to host casino gambling have called on the Government to closely follow the example of Singapore’s two integrated resorts when planning the island’s new gambling policies.

28/07/2008

Revenues from the first six months of gambling activities in Macau exceeded 70.6 percent of the total revenues posted last year, according to the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (GICB). But despite an overwhelmingly upward trend year on year, a dip in the second quarter figures, the first since 2005, led analysts to speculate on what might happen next.

25/07/2008

The long-delayed debut of poker and table gaming in West Virginia’s Kanawha County is imminent, according to some observers. But with the impact of a consumer downturn and higher gasoline prices beginning to bite, questions remain over the schedule of subsequent casino development in the area.

23/07/2008

Recent comments by Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou, reaffirming his commitment to casino development on the outlying Penghu island, have prompted a leading policymaker to fast track an ongoing feasibility study, but environmental campaigners have raised concerns that the issue requires further attention.

23/07/2008

A judge in the case being brought against BetonSports and Gary Kaplan has denied a motion to dismiss their indictments based on the United States' violation of the WTO’s General Agreement on Trade in Services.

22/07/2008

The government has begun preparations for a possible sale of state-owned bookmaker the Tote on the open market in the autumn, sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe said yesterday. Few should be surprised, however, that uncertain market conditions might yet jeopardize the sale once more.

22/07/2008

With less than twelve months remaining before the $4.5bn Russian gambling market faces closure or relocation to four remote gambling zones, market players are weighing their diminishing options, according to a new report by Gambling Compliance's research department.

18/07/2008

An extraordinary behind the scenes gathering of Japanese politicians, which took place just days before the end of this summer’s parliamentary session, agreed to put in place a cross party study group to examine casino legalisation in Japan. The move is seen as a vital step towards building the elusive bi-partisan league of congressman that a new casino law will need.

18/07/2008

Gambling Compliance has announced its first European Gaming Technology Expo, scheduled to take place in London later this year.  The two-day conference will focus on Italy, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Czech Republic and Slovenia and will bring together regulators, manufacturers and testing labs from across Europe to discuss the latest regulatory and technical developments.

17/07/2008

Bingo operator Rank Group confirmed last week that that Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has appealed the far-reaching decision of the VAT and Duties Tribunal, relating to VAT paid on interval bingo.

14/07/2008

The slow pace of regulatory change across Europe is leaving its casino operators battered by a slowing land-based economy while the more dynamic growth story of the online casino world passes them by, according to the bosses of Europe’s leading casino groups.

14/07/2008

The chief financial officer for Spanish operator Codere has clarified the company’s reasons for withdrawing from the Italian betting shop market last week, but did not rule out a possible return to Italy in the future.

10/07/2008

In a strong endorsement of the state gaming regulators, a New Jersey appeals court last week heaped further criticism on the former owner of Atlantic City's Tropicana casino and flatly rejected its plea for a new operating license.

07/07/2008

The four governing bodies that supervise international tennis have announced that they plan to create an independent integrity panel to deal with gambling and other issues in the sport. The announcement came towards the end of a Wimbledon Championships that saw unprecedented amounts of money wagered.

07/07/2008

Florida’s Supreme Court has ruled that Governor Charlie Crist exceeded his authority when he negotiated a compact last year that let the Seminole tribe offer Class III games including blackjack and baccarat at its Florida casinos. The decision is a setback for the cash-strapped state and its preeminent tribe, who vowed to challenge the ruling.

04/07/2008

Casinos in Canada’s eastern province of Ontario are lobbying to iron out inconsistencies in the nation’s gambling laws that would allow them to take a wider range of sports bets. The casinos argue that the change would substantially increase their revenues and attract customers from the US.

04/07/2008

The leading international motorcycling competition, MotoGP, is halfway through the 2008 season, with online betting company Bwin as the title sponsor of multiple Grand Prix events in Europe. Bwin is also the main sponsor of the MotoGP website in a sport whose world governing body showed itself to be ahead of the curve in jumping into the betting market early in Italy, where MotoGP betting is commonplace.

04/07/2008

NagaCorp, the monopoly casino operator in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, has indicated that it may sell sub-concessions to foreign companies to encourage further development of the VIP market in their low tax gaming market.

02/07/2008

In one of the first signs that new mainland visa restrictions may be having a sustained effect in Macau, Galaxy Entertainment has announced they are laying off 270 resident workers from their mass-market casinos in Macau.

01/07/2008

The Kansas Supreme Court has ruled that “state-owned and -operated” casinos are constitutional, opening the way for Las Vegas style casinos at at least four locations in the mid-western state.

30/06/2008

Las Vegas-based casino operator Harrah’s Entertainment has engaged a well-known UK public affairs group to assist its lobbying efforts as it ponders its next moves in bidding on some of the UK’s new large and small casino licenses.

30/06/2008

The U.S. House Committee on Financial Services yesterday voted down a bill put forward by Barney Frank and Ron Paul that would have halted the creation of regulations for the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. The vote put an early end to a measure that, in any case, had little chance of success in a US election year.

26/06/2008

Mainland Chinese tourists looking to visit Taiwan under newly signed agreements to promote cross-straits travel will find themselves barred from gambling and other activities. The news is a blow to Taiwan’s established slot parlours, and could threaten the viability of future casino projects.

23/06/2008

Public statements by Thailand’s Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej have raised hopes among developers that progress towards developing casino gambling in the country may be imminent. But in the context of Thailand’s tangled political world such comments mean little, say observers.

23/06/2008

Gaming software supplier Playtech said it has successfully raised £112m through a placing of 21.62 million new shares. Proceeds from the issue will be used to finance acquisition opportunities.

19/06/2008

The Missouri gaming commission has placed a moratorium on new casinos in the state until voters decide a measure in November that may prohibit additional casinos beyond those already in existence or approved and under construction. The commission also expressed concerns over the impact of the US economic slowdown on the casino industry.

18/06/2008

New York State Governor David Paterson has intervened to save New York City's off-track betting operations. The deal averted a shutdown at the financially battered OTB where 1,500 jobs at were at stake.

17/06/2008

Hedge fund investor Bluebay and investment bank Credit Suisse have announced an £85m deal to take over Danoptra, the gaming machines and health club group formerly known as Kunick, which operates nearly 40,000 machines across the UK.

17/06/2008