The Senate today approved a bill that would limit casinos to the counties where they are already operating. Senate Bill 2199 passed 36-14. “After 15 or 16 years of legalized gaming, every county along the (Mississippi) river or the coast has had ample opportunity to approve it,” said Sen. Lee Yancey, R-Brandon, principle author of the bill.

Bill number 883/07, from representative Antonio Carlos Mendes Thame (PSDB-SP), prevents the issuance of licenses in security warrants and precautionary measures to reopen bingos closed by the government. Mendes Thame affirmed that there is an improper interference of the Judicial Power in the task of the government to rule the activity of these centers. The author remarks that its proposal reproduces, in different circumstances, something that is already in the current Brazilian civil legal system.

President Vladimir Putin last week signed a law that will close casinos and slot-machine halls in major cities in Russia and force them to relocate into four gambling zones throughout the country. Putin’s signature on the bill was expected following almost unanimous passage through both houses of Parliament of a measure he introduced. The bill calls for the creation of four zones for legal gambling in the Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad...

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party plans to propose legislation to legalize casinos in Japan under strict supervision, Jiji Press learned this week. Under the lawmaker-initiated bill, an LDP panel on casinos plans to call for the establishment of an independent watchdog with strong investigative authority in order to prevent crimes. Inspectors of the envisioned organization would be empowered to screen casino business license applications from the private sector, conduct on-site inspections of casino operators, etc.

A bill that proposed opening casinos on Taiwan's outlying islands with the consent of the majority of the island's residents failed to clear the legislative floor yesterday. The bill was an amendment to an act regarding the development of the outlying islands. It did not curry enough votes to pass, as 84 of the 149 legislators who were present voted against it, while only 57 voted in favor and eight abstained.

A bill in Congress seeks to eliminate military slot machines overseas that take in USD 130 million a year, mostly from soldiers. The bill’s sponsor, Representative Lincoln Davis, named the bill after Army Warrant Officer Aaron Walsh, a decorated Apache helicopter pilot who became addicted to gambling on military slot machines. Walsh eventually was discharged from the Army. He committed suicide after several failed attempts to break his addiction.

The House of Representatives to vote on a proposal that would legalize gaming on Saipan and make the former La Fiesta shopping mall the center of such activities. House members voted 15-1 to pass on first reading House Bill 15-322, which would exempt the operation of Texas Hold ’em poker and other card games, as well as video lottery terminals, from the gambling prohibition.

Tourism Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch (Yisrael Beitenu) announced thia week that he intended to turn Eilat’s future casino venture to the city’s main tourist attraction. Aharonovitch, a retired commander in the police force, has been trying to push for the building of a legal casino in Israel for the past several months and is optimistic that the government will approve his initiative.

The Casino Association of South Africa (Casa) called on the Gauteng legislature’s economic affairs committee to take back to the drawing board the National Gambling Amendment Bill, saying it required more research on the nature of taxes that could be charged to institutions operating internet gambling. The roadshow for submissions on the bill is nearing an end and casino licence holders are putting pressure on the provincial legislatures to grant them automatic licences to operate internet gambling.

In order to try and churn out more revenue to provide for a USD 13 billion construction program, the Illinois Senate approved three separate casinos to be built in the state. The expansion was passed with a 37-15 vote in the Senate and will be sent to the House for further deliberation. "Right now, this is about the best option we have to try and provide money for our many projects we have throughout the state," Sen. David Luechtefeld, R-Okawville, said.

Johannesburg - Online gambling in SA came one step closer to being regulated, with the passing of the National Gambling Amendment Bill in Parliament yesterday. The Bill, introduced by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), aims to legalise Internet gambling by creating legislation for the licensing of interactive gambling activities. In terms of the proposed legislation, software vendors providing online gambling platforms would have to obtain a national licence for key staff...

Legislation introduced today will ensure that the Gambling Act operates as intended, Internal Affairs Minister Rick Barker said. “The Gambling Act is large and complex and as is common with new legislation of this nature, during its implementation a number of issues have been identified requiring improvement. The Gambling Amendment Bill (No 2) contains many technical amendments and some minor policy enhancements to clarify the law and remove any uncertainties,” said Rick Barker.