The Monticello Grand, a joint venture between Sun International and Austrian gaming group Novomatic, has opened near Santiago de Chile to become South America’s largest casino ahead of the scheduled opening of the Casino de Rosario complex in Argentina in mid-2009.

Hungary has unveiled proposed reforms to its national gambling laws that will allow EU- and EEA-based online sports betting companies to apply for authorization from the country’s tax authority to advertise and operate in the Hungarian market. However, the European Commission will have to scrutinize whether the strict tax requirements may constitute an effective barrier to market entry.

Two online adverts for the sports betting site of Malta-based Partouche Interactive run during the Euro 2008 football championships and featuring ex-Manchester United footballer Eric Cantona have been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for violating gambling advertising rules.

A judge in Kentucky has indicated it will be a further week before he reaches a decision on whether Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear’s office is legally able to seize the domain names of over 140 online gambling websites under state anti-gambling statutes.

One of the four Russian regions exclusively permitted to host casinos and slot machine parlours as of July 2009 has requested a further three and a half years to shift all regional gambling operations to a specialist gaming zone. For Russia’s beleaguered gaming operators, the request is a sure sign that the Kremlin’s prohibitive casino strategy is already failing in its implementation.

The partnership between Bwin and Betbull will become the fourth operational betting shop venture in the Madrid region of Spain, while recent figures released by William Hill and Codere show that football bets have, predictably, proven to be the most popular amongst Madrid residents since the region’s first outlets opened six months ago.

Confusion surrounding the implementation of new visa restrictions for Chinese mainland visitors to Macau has added to the negative sentiment surrounding the future of the SAR’s casino sector after unofficial figures showed September revenues down around 4 percent on last year.

The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) has issued new guidance on gambling advertisements in the UK. The guidance clarifies three subjective areas of existing advertising codes, and follows the decision of watchdogs to pull several gambling advertising campaigns already this year.

The number of VLT outlets on Prince Edward Island is to be reduced by 50 percent under an official gambling strategy unveiled by the provincial government last week. The comprehensive two-year strategy acknowledges recent VLT player protection moves elsewhere in Canada and promises further regulation to avoid lottery retailer fraud scandals to have hit Canada’s provincial lotteries.

A long-running gambling case involving the former editor of a Swedish tabloid newspaper is to be referred to the European Court of Justice, GamblingCompliance understands. Observers believe the referral will further weaken the resolve of Swedish prosecutors looking to apply Swedish legislation prohibiting the advertising of foreign-based gambling services.

The Turkish Finance Minister has confirmed that the government’s plans to issue a ten-year licence to operate the Milli Piyango lottery to a private company will formally commence next month. The lottery is likely to attract bids from Greece, Italy, the United States and the UK, according to analysts cited by local media.

A US District Court judge in New Jersey has thrown out a lawsuit filed by a former high-flying lawyer against a string of Atlantic City- and Las Vegas-based casinos in which the plaintiff claimed the casinos had violated federal racketeering laws in conspiring to keep her gambling at their properties.

The Norwegian Government has formally submitted its proposed online gambling payments ban for a parliamentary vote. The restrictions recently drew criticism from the European Commission in Brussels who view them as disproportionate, but strongly negative local press coverage demonising online gambling websites has raised the possibility of further ISP blocking measures being introduced in Norway.

The office of Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, a known proponent of land-based gambling, has launched court action to seize the domain names of over 140 online gambling websites believed to accept bets from Kentuckians. But while the state action may satisfy sections of the Bluegrass State’s powerful gaming and racing lobby, the seizures are unlikely to hold up to close federal scrutiny, says one legal expert.

The National Indian Gaming Commission has published its first mission statement since 2006 amendments to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act required the body to set out a five-year policy for its tribal gaming oversight responsibilities. The NIGC says it intends to push ahead with introducing technical regulations for Indian gaming, but acknowledges that legal doubts could limit its regulatory authority.

Greek gaming technology company Intralot has signed a deal to provide online lottery services for the Rio de Janeiro state lottery, marking Intralot’s first formal foray into Brazil’s lottery market and underlining the Greek firm’s Latin American ambitions.

A Hard Rock hotel and casino is to be built at the Kansas City NASCAR track after developers were awarded a casino management contract by Kansas gaming regulators last week. Kansas Speedway won out over two rival bidders after the field was narrowed to three upon the withdrawals of Las Vegas Sands and Penn National Gaming.

Clubs and hotels in New South Wales, Australia risk being fined if they allow gamblers to smoke in covered outdoor gaming areas after the state’s Supreme Court ruled last week that such areas were likely to fall under anti-smoking laws.

The European Commission has indicated it may take the Portuguese Government to the European Court of Justice over Portugal’s differential tax regime for foreign and domestic lottery winnings. The Commission’s action comes as Portugal’s national lottery awaits a key ECJ opinion next month on a case involving Bwin.

Representatives from one consortium bidding to be awarded the 30-year licence to renovate and operate the once prestigious Carrasco hotel-casino in Montevideo have criticized the handling of the tender process after results from the first stage saw the venture between Accor/Sofitel and Spanish gaming group Codere become favourite for the licence.

Gambling regulators in Victoria, Australia have recommended James Packer’s Crown Ltd continues to operate the state’s sole casino in Melbourne after a comprehensive probe into the company’s regulatory and commercial compliance record, as well as Crown’s international links with associate companies in the UK and Macau, including Stanley Ho’s SJM.

Malta-based online gaming operator Gaming VC says it intends turning its focus away from the core German-facing casino business after successes at the company’s new sports betting operation delivered a 20 percent rise in first-half revenues, according to interim results released yesterday.

A television advert for online poker room PKR has been banned from broadcast by the UK’s advertising regulator. In an assessment that cleared PKR of seeking to appeal directly to young people, the Advertising Standards Authority nevertheless decided that the ad glamorised the risks involved with gambling and was therefore irresponsible.

Uncertainty surrounding new online gambling tax legislation passed in Holland last week has led legal observers to suggest that it could be the owners of affiliate websites that are the most at risk from the new taxes, more so than offshore operators or Dutch players themselves.

Venezuela’s Tourism Ministry has issued a new decree reaffirming a prohibition on new licences for casinos, bingo halls or slot machine parlours in the country. However, the decree will allow incumbent operators to renew their current licences if they can demonstrate compliance with a wide range of regulatory and tax requirements.

Junkets have played a vital part in insulating Macau’s casino licence holders from defaults on credit extended to their high-rolling VIP clients, but that situation may now be changing. Moves towards direct VIP marketing on the part of operators including Las Vegas Sands and SJM, as well as a new cap on junket commissions, suggests the Macau VIP market is approaching a dangerous crossroads.

The New South Wales Office for Liquor, Racing and Gaming has told Northern Territory-based Centrebet it will not seek to enforce the state’s ban on advertising by out-of-state wagering services pending the outcome of a legal challenge launched in July by Betfair and Sportingbet. The news follows a major cabinet shake-up in NSW earlier this month.

Reports indicate that Japan’s largest pachinko machine manufacturer Aruze has obtained a licence to operate a resort casino in the Philippine capital Manila. However, observers believe that capital market constraints and regulatory doubts mean the progress of the planned ‘Pagcor City’ complex will remain uncertain at best.

Cherokee County has announced its intention to sue Penn National Gaming after the company pulled out of an agreement to operate a casino in the county citing competition from a nearby Oklahoma Indian casino. It remains unclear whether Kansas state officials will re-open a tender for the Cherokee casino, one of four scheduled to open in Kansas after casinos were legalized last year.

The expressed desire of Las Vegas Sands boss Sheldon Adelson to build a resort casino in India is unlikely to be realised within the foreseeable future, according to the country’s first licensed casino operator.