The town has been selected as one of just 31 authorities in the race to win a licence for a small or large-sized casino complex. But now, the Government-appointed Casino Advisory Panel (CAP) says there may not have been a 'level playing field' so far –– as some authorities who were left off the shortlist in May might not have realised they could appeal.

Although approval will not be in place before the Casino Advisory Panel's visit to Blackpool on September 8, it is hoped outline permission will be secured for the multi-million pound plans by the end of October. While some rival bidders already have permission for their casino schemes, Blackpool has always held back until now on getting formal approval.

BetOnSports, one of the largest online betting and gambling companies in the world, will ignore a federal criminal prosecution and civil case aimed at shutting its billion-dollar U.S. operation, a federal prosecutor said in court Monday. BetOnSports lawyers failed to show up Monday morning for arraignment of the company on criminal charges that include mail fraud, wire fraud and racketeering.

Harrah's Entertainment Inc., which is in the competition to build Singapore's second casino-resort, needs a strong entertainment partner to rival Genting Bhd.'s Universal Studios, analysts say. Harrah's, the world's largest casino company by sales, is up against Eighth Wonder and Kerzner International Ltd., as well as Genting, which analysts say has the highest chance of winning because of its partnership with Universal Studios.

Casino magnate Stanley Ho Hung- sun's Macau gaming flagship, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, announced Tuesday it had cleared a hurdle on its way to a listing in Hong Kong, with the rejection by a Macau court of an appeal lodged by Ho's estranged sister.

St. Louis (Reuters) - BETonSPORTS Plc's former chief executive and seven others pleaded not guilty to racketeering and other charges on Monday, while a judge extended to August 14 her order barring the online bookmaker from taking U.S. bets. David Carruthers, who was sacked by BETonSPORTS after his arrest by U.S. authorities two weeks ago while passing through a Texas airport, entered the not guilty plea and was ordered held while a bail arrangement was worked out.

London (Reuters) - Bookmaker William Hill reported a 30 percent rise in first-half profits on Tuesday and said it had signed a joint venture deal to provide sports betting in Spain. Underlying profit rose 29.8 percent to 160 million pounds in the six months to the end of June, compared with 123.3 million a year earlier.

Lawyers for BetOnSports, the second or third-largest online betting and gambling company, failed to show up in federal court in St. Louis this morning to answer criminal charges of racketeering and fraud. Federal prosecutors said the company had been served with the appropriate paperwork, including papers given to former BetOnSports CEO David Carruthers upon his arrest in Texas.

In a city of whimsical designs - think pyramid, castle and New York skyline - two leaning, curving high-rise towers seem destined to emerge as an architectural icon in Las Vegas. All they've got to do now is build them - no slam-dunk because of their unique design.

Washington (AFX) - Attorneys at the Justice Department headquarters here have been involved from the outset of an investigation by the US Attorney's office in St. Louis of BetOnSports PLC that so far has resulted in a court-ordered suspension of its operations and the arrest of the British online gambling company's chief executive.

For many gamblers, Bob Nersesian is a saint who has come up a winner tackling the cases of advantage gamblers who claim their civil rights have been trampled by casinos. For some gaming executives, he's a scourge who's persuaded judges and juries to protect individual rights rather than the odds of the house over players.

The online presence of ATEI, ICE and ICEi (23-25 January 2007, Earls Court, London) has been refreshed with updated looks and new URLs. The show-specific websites, which went live at the beginning of August, are located at www.atei-exhibition.com, www.ice-exhibition.com and www.icei-exhibition.com respectively.