Prime minister Tony Blair has backed his deputy by saying that he had not yet seen any evidence that John Prescott interfered in the selection of the first super-casino to be opened in Britain and that Prescott would stand in as “normal” when he goes on holiday next month. Speaking on the BBC’s The Politics Show Blair also rejected calls for an enquiry over Prescott’s links with US billionaire Phillip Anschutz despite new evidence, from the chief executive of AEG Tim Lieweke, claiming that the issue of casino licenses came up in a “couple of conversations”.

Chile granted yesterday the operating licenses for nine casinos in the country, which meant the ending of the first opening regulation phase for the casino market in the country. While the Chilean firm Fischer was granted three licenses, the Spanish group Cirsa did not receive any operating permit.

Bond is back. Well, almost, and word among California producers is the big deal opening sequence will be a plug for gambling. They say "Casino Royale," the about-to-be-remade James Bond movie, will lead with an opening scene of Agent 007 showing off his baccarat skills. Beating arch villain Le Chiffre in a tense duel on the felt is said to be the first time audiences will see Bond show off his skill throwing around the chips.

Las Vegas' prized 61 acres has company. A private partnership is marketing 55 acres in downtown Las Vegas and calling the collection of city blocks just north of the Stratosphere "Project Neon Lights." Expectations are that the site would be home to a casino or resort. The borders of the property are Wyoming Avenue on the south, Charleston Boulevard on the north, Main Street on the east, and the railroad tracks near Interstate 15 on the west.

Las Vegas Sands, which won a bid to build Singapore’s first casino, is in talks with the government to refine the project’s design and expects to start construction by the end of the year, a company official said. "Since the design was approved, we have been working through with the Singapore Tourism Board and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to refine the design," senior vice president of Asian development Stephen Weaver said.

News flow is likely to hit shares in the sector, but will provide short-term buying opportunities, they added. Deputy Bob Goodlatte of Virginia is the latest U.S. opponent of Internet gambling, which is estimated to generate about USD 12 billion a year globally through 2,300 sites.

Hard Rock Hotel purchaser Morgans Hotel Group announced Wednesday it will contract with a small Las Vegas-based gaming company to manage the iconic casino. Golden Gaming, best recognized as the operator of the PT's taverns and restaurants in Las Vegas, will operate the Hard Rock's 30,000-square-foot casino once Morgans' USD 770 million purchase of the rock 'n' roll themed property closes.

World lottery leaders will meet in Prague, Czech Republic, on September 13-15, for the two-yearly WLA Round Table - an invitation-only summit meeting on the risks and opportunities facing our sector. In WLA Round Table, the most senior leaders of lottery organizations around the world have the chance to meet their peers to discuss the risks and opportunities facing the sector.

Madrid Council approved its Casino Regulations, after receiving a favourable report from the Council of State, which adapts the whole legislation regarding casinos it the region, with the aim to end with the dispersal of regional and local rules. One of the changes is that, from now on, casino managers may be foreigners.

You're probably not sharp enough to qualify for the World Series of Poker final championship event as a player, but Nevada is considering allowing you to get a piece of the action anyway - by betting on the players. Step up to the window, folks, and buy a USD 2 ticket for Chris Moneymaker to win, place or show in the finals of Texas Hold 'em.

Washington (AP) -- The House passed legislation Tuesday that would prevent gamblers from using credit cards to bet online and could block access to gambling Web sites. The legislation would clarify and update current law to spell out that most gambling is illegal online. But there would be exceptions -- for state-run lotteries and horse racing -- and passage isn't a safe bet in the Senate, where Republican leaders have not considered the measure a high priority.

A proposed U.S. law cracking down on Internet gambling could aggravate an already tense trade dispute with Antigua, which has become a worldwide center for the fast-growing industry, the Caribbean island's finance minister said. The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a bill that would ban the use of credit cards for paying online bets and could block U.S. access to gambling Web sites. The legislation would clarify existing law to spell out that it is illegal to gamble online.