On the occasion of their last meeting in October 2006 the prime ministers of the 16 German states (Länder) discussed the draft of the new Interstate Treaty on Lotteries (which regulates also betting and is supposed to include provisions concerning casinos as well). The initial plan to finally sign the controversial treaty on 13 December 2006 already is now on the brink of collapse. On 29 November 2006, the parliament of Schleswig-Holstein unanimously, with the votes of all parliamentary parties, voted to postpone the decision on the draft of the new Interstate Treaty on Lotteries (Lotterie-Staatsvertrag).

A District Court judge on Wednesday tossed out a lawsuit brought by two dealers from Wynn Las Vegas who sought to end the Strip casino's recently implemented and much debated tip pooling policy. Attorneys for the dealers said they plan to appeal the ruling to the Nevada Supreme Court.

London (Reuters) - Rank Group has agreed to sell its Hard Rock cafe and casino business for USD 965 million (492 million pounds) to the native American Seminole Tribe of Florida, which already makes 90 percent of its revenues from gambling. Rank said on Thursday the sale of the rock music-themed chain would leave the company as a pure gaming group, focussing on Britain's plans to open up its casino market from next year.

The operator of the Port of Palm Beach's sole passenger ship, laboring under more than USD 30 million in debt, filed for protection from creditors Monday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The day-cruise gaming ship Palm Beach Princess, which supplies nearly 13 percent of the port's gross revenues, will continue its 14 trips per week as the company seeks to reorganize, ITG Vegas Inc. president and CEO Francis X. Murray said Tuesday.

Some Nevada business owners are banding together to stop the new smoking ban. A new lawsuit was filed that lawsuit calls for an injunction to stop the ban from going into effect. It claims the smoking ban on any business that sells food is unconstitutional. The new restrictions set down by voter approval of Question 5 were to go into effect Friday. The lawsuit filed Tuesday was on behalf of thirty-eight plaintiffs. It seeks a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction against the smoking ban.

Oklahoma City - With casinos popping up, a new program at Eastern Oklahoma State College will help students learn a little southern hospitality. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Tuesday approved the additions of an Associate of Applied Science degree in business services with one of the options in hospitality and gaming, and a certificate in hospitality and gaming services. The degree and certificate will only be offered at the school’s McAlester campus.

Colorado Springs, Colorado -- Century Casinos, Inc. reported today that the Company celebrated the official opening of Century Casino Newcastle's new resort facility with a grand opening gala on Saturday, December 2, 2006. Century Casino Newcastle (formerly Monte Vista Casino & Conference Centre), situated in South Africa's Kwazulu Natal Province, half-way between Durban and Johannesburg, is a one stop entertainment, leisure and conferencing destination.

Singapore is expected to announce the winning bid for its second casino resort this week in a deal worth as much as USD 3.5bil. The city-state is building two gaming resorts with family attractions in a bid to lure more tourists and develop the services sector. The two casino projects have attracted bids from several of the big gaming groups. In May, US gaming giant Las Vegas Sands won the licence to build Singapore’s first casino project – a downtown waterfront resort that is expected to cost more than USD 3.2bil.

New York (Reuters) - Station Casinos Inc. said on Monday it received a management-led buyout offer from a group including its Chairman and Chief Executive Frank Fertitta for USD $ 82 per share, or USD 4.7 billion. The offer marks the third buyout offer this year received by major casino operators, including Kerzner International and Harrah's Entertainment Group , as executives move to operate their businesses out of the public market amid a flood of private equity interest.

James Packer and his Hong Kong-based partner, Lawrence Ho, plan to raise as much as USD 1.1 billion (AUD 1.4 billion) in a listing on the US over-the-counter market, Nasdaq, to help fund about AUD 6 billion worth of casino developments in Macau. A joint venture between Mr Packer's Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd and Mr Ho's Melco announced the proposal in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington on Friday.

A casino planned east of Sacramento along U.S. 50 could drain USD 75 million a year from Lake Tahoe's South Shore economy, but casinos there plan to tap into new markets to buoy business. "It is pretty clear that, for the community, it is definitely a threat, not just to gaming, but to tourism in general and many businesses in South Lake Tahoe -- lodging, stores that survive and thrive on tourism," said John Packer, director of communications at Harrah's and Harveys in Stateline.

The first concrete steps towards the establishment of a casino on the island have taken place following the conclusion of studies commissioned by the CTO, which have apparently given the green light for the go-ahead. The two studies, which looked into the financial implications as well as the social and tourist impact, are now with the Commerce Ministry for evaluation.