Las Vegas (AP) - Billionaire casino mogul Steve Wynn will make about USD 147 million (Euro114.58 million) after his namesake company, Wynn Resorts Ltd., announced a USD 6 per share dividend. Wynn Resorts Ltd., which operates the Wynn Las Vegas hotel-casino on the Strip and the recently opened Wynn Macau in the Chinese gambling enclave, said Monday the cash dividend will be paid Dec. 4 to shareholders of record as of Nov. 23.

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania -- Hundreds of gamblers, mostly senior citizens who had been waiting hours in a foggy drizzle, poured into Pennsylvania's first slot-machine parlor as its doors opened Tuesday, more than two years after lawmakers authorized gambling to raise money for property tax relief. Eager to try their luck, gamblers occupied most of the casino's 1,100 machines in less than 10 minutes.

Las Vegas Sands Corp. could raise more money than it plans to invest on its Cotai Strip development in China through the sale of apartments and retail space, its chief operating officer said last Friday. The company, known as the world’s largest gambling company by market value, expects to raise between USD 6 billion and USD 12 billion from the sale of retail space on the Cotai Strip.

The Dunedin Casino closed its doors yesterday and will do so again today as punishment for failing to take adequate action over a problem gambler. The Gambling Commission – New Zealand's official gambling watchdog – handed out a two-day license suspension to the casino, after it was found to have allowed a woman gamble NZD 6.6 million over three years. The casino was allowed to choose which days it was to close.

San Juan, Puerto Rico - Night after night for almost seven years Loraine Cardona inhaled clouds of acrid cigar and cigarette smoke at the Diamond Palace Casino in Condado, San Juan's hip tourist district. A supervisor at the blackjack tables, Cardona wheezed though bouts of bronchitis, pneumonia and asthma, while players puffed into the wee hours of the night.

The study on the gambling sector in the European Union, conducted by the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law on behalf of the European Commission, confirms that there is considerable variance between the national laws and regulations in the Member States. The Study also found that these laws and regulations often lead to restrictions to the freedom to provide services and the freedom of establishment guarantees that are incompatible with existing EU Law. This also applies to the German part of the study, which is also based on the observations of Hambach & Hambach (appendix 5, p. 1761).

The Problem Gambling Foundation is in a stand-off with the Dunedin Casino, saying it is still not taking problem gambling seriously despite having its licence suspended. The casino is closed today and tomorrow after the Gambling Commission temporarily suspended its license for failing to intervene in the case of a woman who gambled NZD 6.6 million in less than three years.

Singapore will lay its cards on the table later today when it hosts an international poker tournament billed by organisers as the first-ever in the city-state. Britain-based betting exchange Betfair, has teamed up with local operators Capital Events for the six-day Asian Poker Tour. More than 370 players have paid the USD 5000 buy-in for the main event which begins on Wednesday at the Meritus Mandarin Hotel.

On 23rd October 2006 the Higher Regional Court Düsseldorf approved all of the major points of a decision of the German Federal Cartel Office of 23rd August 2006. As a consequence, the German state-run lottery companies will now be obliged to accept lottery tickets from private intermediaries. The court pointed out that the new state treaty on lotteries, which the German Länder is drafting at the moment, will also have to comply with European cartel law. The German monopolists announced that they intend to appeal the decision to the Federal Court of Justice.

In the aftermath of the fundamental decision of the German Federal Constitutional Court on private sports betting in March 2006, the Prime Ministers of the German Lander decided by majority to preliminarily retain the monopoly on games of chance including sports bets. The details of this monopoly will be regulated in a new lottery state treaty which shall come into force at the beginning of 2008, i.e. within the time-limit set by the Federal Constitutional Court. In August 2006, a first draft was presented, which prohibits e.g. all gambling including sports betting, casino operations (including poker) and lotteries via TV or Internet channels.

Isle of Capri Casinos wants to build a temporary slots parlor on a parking lot near Mellon Arena if the company gets a state license to operate the casino. Isle of Capri is one of three companies vying for a slots license in Pittsburgh, and is the only bidder that has promised to build the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Harrah’s New Orleans Casino general manager Jim Hoskins points to a pile of suitcases stacked next to a USD 1 slot machine as another sign of recovery in New Orleans. It also marks the gambling industry’s recovery more than a year after Hurricane Katrina. September revenues at New Orleans’ three area casinos have all increased compared with September 2004: At Boomtown Casino in Harvey revenue rose to USD 15.2 million, 73.1 percent above its September 2004 earnings of USD 8.8 million.