London (Reuters) - Britain will make an announcement on Wednesday about slot machines in bingo clubs, a government source said on Monday, in a move expected to give the sector a lift by relaxing limits on the number of slot machines. An industry source said the government would announce plans to raise from four the maximum number of 500-pound (USD 980) jackpot slot machines allowed in bingo clubs and was expected to choose from one of three options put to it by operators.

Three large Birmingham bingo halls may be trying to use loopholes in the law to turn themselves into “mini-casinos” filled with gambling machines. Gala Bingo is trying to “artificially split” the Stockland Green, Rubery and Kingsbury Road, Erdington clubs, which would allow them to cram in more machines. The firm announced the closure of their Great Barr club this week and they will hear if the application to Birmingham City Council is successful on Tuesday.

Nearly 100 bingo clubs around Britain have shut their doors in the past three years - more than a dozen since the start of this year. More than three million people across the country regularly play bingo. But the major commercial chains such as Gala and Rank’s Mecca bingo have seen their profits slashed by political and economic constraints - with little sign until recently that the industry’s cries for help are being heard in Whitehall.

Finland’s government has said that no decision has yet been taken on whether Veikkaus should be granted a license to operate a national online bingo site. This despite news that Boss Media has already been awarded the contract to provide software and services to the site. Government sources told Gaming Intelligence Group that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has distributed Veikkaus’ application to relevant departments in Finland, seeking opinion on whether the application should be granted.

The UK online bingo authority website BingoPort.co.uk, released data showing that Internet bingo use in the United Kingdom has increased significantly over the past six months. The report shows that since September 2007 the average daily player numbers across all UK focused online bingo operators has increased by around 19%. "I don't think this increase has taken anyone that works in the online bingo industry by surprise,"...

José Múcio Monteiro, Minister of Institutional Relations, who was put on pressure by trade unions to develop the approval of a proposal to regulate bingos together with the National Congress, decided to put the matter to debate in the Political Council of the Federal Government. “I want this issue to be treated. It is something controversial, but it has to be resolved. That’s why a development is necessary, but we all have to be involved in it”, said the minister...

Bingos, horse racetracks and its respective agencies, among other sectors, will be forced to do constant reports on possible suspicious transactions registered in its business, to the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF-Peru), a specialized entity registered in the Superintendence of Banking, Insurances and AFP (SBS). Companies will follow a control of their commercial operations, through a record of customers that make transactions equal or superior to USD 10,000.

Rank, the bingo and casinos group long seen as a possible takeover target, has removed a key obstacle for potential buyers by agreeing a deal to hive off its pension plan. The company is transferring the pension scheme to the investment bank Goldman Sachs, making GBP 20m in cash and avoiding a further £30m in scheduled contributions to the scheme. The pension scheme has 20,000 members, reflecting the fact that Rank was once a bigger company.

Bereits seit zwei Wochen können die Gäste der Spielbank an einer Multi-Rouletteanlage ihr Glück versuchen. Diese ist die modernste der Republik und verfügt insgesamt über acht Stationen. Aufgrund wachsender Besucherzahlen wird demnächst auch das Angebot der übrigen Automaten auf den neuesten Stand gebracht. Dann sind auch Einsätze ab einem Cent möglich.

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.

Gleich mit einem „Doppelböller“ begeht die Spielbank Cottbus Joker’s Place den Jahreswechsel und den Start ins neue Jahr. Zum einen mit dem Anstoßen auf „Happy New Year“ – einem Glas Sekt aufs Haus – und einer Luftballontombola mit attraktiven Sofort-Preisen sowie der schon traditionellen „Neujahrsaktion“.

Seniat, the Venezuelan tax administration agency, has planned the verification of other bingo halls and casinos in the region of Guayana for the following days, where they will proceed to the confiscation of equipments in case the contributor does not fit in with the regulation of the public administration. Within the transformation of the plans “Evasion and Smuggling Zero”,...