Sun, May 13, 2012
The ability of Israelis to legally bet on horse races in foreign countries has taken a big step forward. The Knesset’s Finance Committee has endorsed the bill, betting on races in Britain and elsewhere should commence in about a year. Israel has no horse racing.
Sun, May 13, 2012
The government of Uruguay has renewed Caesars Entertainment’s license to operate Uruguay’s largest commercial casino. The Conrad casino resort (l.) is located in the popular coastal resort of Punta del Este. The license runs through 2036.
Sun, May 13, 2012
Echo Entertainment, owners of the only casino in Australia’s largest city, is the target of a hostile takeover by gaming and erstwhile media tycoon James Packer (l.). The Star casino’s Sydney monopoly, coupled with its potential as an alternative to Macau and Singapore for Chinese high rollers, have sparked rumors that gaming giants Genting and Wynn Resorts might also enter the bidding.
Sun, May 06, 2012
Promises of financial independence and per capita payments were not enough to sway the Mohawk Indians of Kahnawake to support development of a casino. The referendum was close, but the results could be taken as a challenge to tribal leadership, which backed the plan almost unanimously.
Sun, May 06, 2012
A scandal that reached all the way to New South Wales Premier Barry O’Farrell appears to be coming to an end as regulators have found no evidence of a cover-up in Echo Entertainment’s response to sexual harassment charges against Sid Vaikunta (l.), former managing director of Echo’s Star casino in Sydney. Peter Grimshaw, O’Farrell’s former communications director and the partner of one of the women allegedly harassed by Vaikunta, was expected be cleared of charges he used his influence with the premier to try to destroy Vaikunta.
Sun, May 06, 2012
More than 400 jobs are going away as the province’s gaming arm moves to privatize non-core assets and shuts down slot operations at the Sarnia (slots at Hiawatha Horse Park at left), Fort Erie and Windsor racetracks. The goal, says Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, is a healthier and wealthier industry.
Sun, May 06, 2012
Tottering under billions of dollars of debt, the company started by Sol Kerzner (l.), the famed 76-year-old resort tycoon, has had to cede ownership of Atlantis Paradise Island to creditors and give up half its ownership in Atlantis Palm in Dubai. The restructuring largely reduces Kerzner International’s global role to management and branding.
Sat, Apr 28, 2012
An Australian TV network has broadcast leaked information on the identities and betting histories of some of Star Casino’s biggest gamblers before the Sydney casino’s owners got an injunction from the country’s highest court. Now authorities are stepping up their inquiry into alleged misconduct at the casino.
Sat, Apr 28, 2012
Caesars Windsor is cutting its yearly donation to a business organization in the city. The group is miffed. The casino, however, notes that it is continuing to contribute to the group, albeit a smaller amount, despite the fact that it is under no obligation to do so.
Sat, Apr 28, 2012
The head of New Zealand’s government continues to fend off critics of his negotiations with SkyCity casino to trade 500 slot machines for the casino’s agreement to fund a new A$350 million convention center. Prime Minister John Key (l.) says the country needs the jobs and economic benefits. Opponents, however, are demanding an official investigation into the deal.
Sat, Apr 28, 2012
A labor group says the decision by President Hugo Chavez (l.) to close most of Venezuela’s casinos and bingo clubs is costing the country 100,000 jobs. Workers have been calling on the government to rescind the closure order since it was implemented at the end of last, but so far to no avail.
Sat, Apr 28, 2012
Gambling foes Down Under see the Gillard government’s political troubles as an opportunity to renew their push for betting limits and the adoption of pre-commitment technology on machine games.
Sat, Apr 28, 2012
An underutilized stretch of Aruba beachfront will be home to a $120 million Hard Rock casino and hotel. The resort will feature an array of eco-friendly construction elements, such as reflecting roofs against the heat, systems to collect rainwater, seawater swimming pools and the use of indigenous plants that can stand the Caribbean island’s dry climate.
Sat, Apr 28, 2012
Depending on which survey you believe, the idea of a major casino in Toronto enjoys tepid support at best. At worst, it suffers from considerable ambivalence. However, approval ratings for Mayor Rob Ford (l.), a leading casino proponent, appear to be on the upswing.
Sun, Apr 22, 2012
New Zealand’s SkyCity casino is fending off a wave of political attacks as it seeks concessions in return for its offer to build the city of Auckland a multimillion-dollar convention center. The latest, from the anti-gambling Green Party, claims the casino is engaged in money laundering, an accusation SkyCity CEO Nigel Morrison (l.) has derided as “absolutely ridiculous.”
Fri, Apr 13, 2012
The Manitoba government recently boosted its guaranteed loan to the delayed Spirit Sands Casino Resort project to $1 million. In the meantime, tribal chiefs want to move the proposed casino location.
Fri, Apr 13, 2012
The Carleton University Gambling Laboratory in Ottawa has created a virtual casino to study the impact of gambling in Canada. Their research claims that slot machines are nearly four times more addictive than regular card tables.
Fri, Apr 13, 2012
Leaders of Bermuda’s capital city of Hamilton want cruise ships to be able to offer gambling while in port, saying it will boost the local economy. The mayor says it’s up to the island’s national government to decide.
Fri, Apr 13, 2012
Battle lines are being drawn over a proposed resort-scale casino in Toronto. Supporters like Councillor Michael Thompson (l.) want a referendum on the issue this year. Opponents say the voters have already spoken. If Toronto doesn’t want it, however, other cities will gladly step up.
Sun, Apr 08, 2012
Reports of a self-exclusion program in disarray could cost the New Zealand casino hundreds of new slot machines and derail the government’s desire for a new convention center at the property
Sun, Apr 08, 2012
Clive Palmer (l.), Queensland's richest man, looks set to gamble billions on creating a mini-Las Vegas along the Australian state’s popular Sunshine Coast.
Sun, Apr 08, 2012
A trade group representing Australia’s 13 casinos are calling for the federal government to help them bring more high rollers from China to their tables. Chinese travel to Australia generated more than A$3.8 billion last year, and the industry believes that with immigration reform that number could go much higher.
Sun, Apr 08, 2012
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford (l.) says a gaming complex in Ontario’s biggest city could draw C$4 billion in investment and create thousands of permanent jobs. Residents are not so sure. A recent poll showed half of those surveyed oppose the idea and only 35 percent support it.
Sat, Mar 31, 2012
Casino proponents on Saipan have launched their petition signature drive to get the casino issue on the November 2012 ballot. The move was forced by the Senate’s latest rejection of a House bill. Previous referenda, including an exceptionally low turnout affair in 2011, have rejected casinos.
Sat, Mar 31, 2012
Goings-on at Australia’s the Star casino in Sydney will be the focus of public hearings this week. Under scrutiny are the recent firing of managing director Sid Vaikunta (l.) over sexual harassment allegations and leaked texts that imply a vendetta against Vaikunta from someone tied to government.
Sat, Mar 31, 2012
The latest effort to introduce gaming in Israel comes in the form of a government commission to study what would be the likely effects of such an industry. Efforts to establish casinos in tourist areas have met with no success in recent years.
Mon, Mar 26, 2012
Ecuador has seen the last of legal gambling. On March 16, all remaining casinos and bingo halls were closed, as had been ordered six months previously. The end comes with the loss of thousands of jobs and no more regulated venues for those who want to play.
Sun, Mar 25, 2012
This week the Global Gaming Business Podcast features an interview with Dean Macomber, the president of Macomber International, one of the world’s premier consulting companies with experience in Asia, Europe and North America.
Sun, Mar 25, 2012
Cape Town, South Africa could be getting its first casino. A new bill includes amendments to the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Act that would give one of the five existing provincial casinos the opportunity to move into the city, with an exclusivity clause good for 10 years.
Sun, Mar 25, 2012
The recent news that Ontario will privatize its gaming industry was not entirely accurate. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation will retain ownership of gaming businesses, but the operational aspects—and the employees—will be in the hands of the private sector. Ontario PM Dalton McGuinty (l.) says locales can vote on it but not the entire province.
Sat, Mar 17, 2012
It was no surprise when the Senate of the Northern Marianas voted “no” to casinos on main island Saipan recently. This was the second time in two years. Now, proponents will try to get a casino referendum on the November ballot, even though voters rejected casinos five years ago.
Sat, Mar 17, 2012
The sexual harassment claims against Sid Vaikunta (l.), former MD of the Star casino in Sydney, are on the verge of creating a classic government scandal of career-ending proportions. An investigation has been started to determine who knew what when, and perhaps why the thing happened in the first place.
Sat, Mar 10, 2012
Casinos Austria will not be building a second casino in Chile anytime soon. The local subsidiary of the Austrian concern has returned the Ovalle license awarded it in 2008, but the company’s casino at Los Angeles will continue to operate.
Sat, Mar 10, 2012
Recent moves by James Packer’s (l.) Crown Limited to gain some degree of control over competitor Echo Entertainment are meeting with a wide range of reactions. Those in government who see jobs and revenue are at the far end of the spectrum from Echo investors who fear paying for Packer’s scheme.
Sat, Mar 03, 2012
Codere SA announced it will boost its investment in a casino to open in Bogota in May, as the government overhauls its casino agency.
Sat, Feb 25, 2012
Yes, says a former Crown prosecutor and gaming critic. Sandy Garissino says laxness in identifying potential money laundering is “quite shocking.”
Sat, Feb 25, 2012
A former employee of Sydney’s Star Casino says the incidents leading to an investigation by regulatory authorities are the result of an extreme party culture.
Sat, Feb 25, 2012
A panel commissioned by the province of Ontario included the closing of one of the lottery corporation’s two Niagara Falls casinos to reduce a budget deficit. The original casino (l.) was built in a former shopping mall facing the falls.
Sat, Feb 25, 2012
New Zealand casino operator SkyCity Entertainment Group has reached the bargaining stage with the New Zealand government over its plan to build a convention center in Auckland. The government has opened the bidding with an additional 350 slots for the Auckland casino.
Sat, Feb 25, 2012
Canada appears to be on the verge of passing a law that would allow the provinces to regulate single-event sports betting. Bill C-290 removes the provision that currently bans such activity nationwide. The result could mean more jobs at Caesars Windsor (l.).
Sat, Feb 25, 2012
James Packer’s (l.) Crown Limited appears to have ignored the opinions of outside analysts and taken a step towards an ultimate acquisition of Echo Entertainment. The spun-off casino arm of Tabcorp is less than a year old but already being sized up by Crown for a future together.
Sat, Feb 18, 2012
Hotel and casino operator Enjoy S.A. ended 2011 with a problem. Namely, its debt to EBITDA ratio on some $227 million in bonds is too high. The company says it will have the situation under control in time to avoid further troubles.
Sat, Feb 18, 2012
Crown Limited is doing everything it can to give its two casinos in Australia the chance to be relevant in the new gaming market. The latest move saw some 300 table games management positions eliminated—but most of their occupiers transferred—to streamline and modernize the house at Crown Casino.
Sat, Feb 18, 2012
The burbs and the downtown part of Toronto, Canada are split over whether a casino should be allowed in the country’s largest city. The province of Ontario are looking to maximize gaming revenues. Ontario Place (l.) is being considered as a casino site.
Sat, Feb 11, 2012
The provincial minister responsible for gaming in Saskatchewan wants fewer special interests and more business people on the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority. The government is in the process of negotiating with First Nations over renewal of the 25-year casino agreement.
Sat, Feb 11, 2012
The situation surrounding the firing of Star Casino MD Sid Vaikunta (l.) after sexual harassment allegations is causing headaches for the Sydney casino’s parent company.
Sat, Feb 11, 2012
The pre-commitment issue in Australia pitted state governments against the national government. Because no system standards were ever established at the national level, states are now unable to meet their own deadlines for voluntary pre-commitment and Victoria Gaming Minister Michael O’Brien (l.) has abandoned the timeline.
Sat, Feb 11, 2012
All eyes are on Toronto as the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation wraps up a study about land-based casinos. Officials in Toronto said protecting existing casinos along the U.S. border no longer applies as an excuse to keep a casino out of the city. Finance Minister Dwight Duncan (l.) is calling for a review of the casino market.
Sat, Feb 04, 2012
The Ontario Place theme park, home of the iconic Cinesphere, recently was closed as a way to save $20 million annually. Among the ideas being floated to revive the white elephant is opening a casino.
Sat, Feb 04, 2012
Mexico’s casinos were already hurting before the horrific firebombing of the Casino Royale in Monterrey last summer. The attack and the ensuing actions by local authorities around Mexico contributed to a lower result for the industry nationwide.
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