Vienna/Brussels - The European Casino Association, the principal association representing casino operators in Europe, has appointed Casinos Austria Director Dietmar Hoscher as the representative for Austria on its seven-member board. “I am looking forward to this opportunity to actively promote key issues like responsible gaming and corporate social responsibility, both of which are permanent elements in the Casinos Austria corporate philosophy, at a European level,”...

The National Center for Responsible Gaming announced Monday Glenn Christenson of Velstand Investments has been named the new chairman of the organization’s board of directors. Christenson will replace Phil Satre, the former chairman and chief executive officer of Harrah’s Entertainment, who served as chairman for the past three years. Satre will remain on the board of directors.

The Eastern Cape Gambling and Betting Board will issue a draft request for proposals for the 10-year casino license in the western part of the province (Zone 1) currently held by Sun International, which operates the Boardwalk in Port Elizabeth. In an advertisement yesterday, the board said a "bidders conference" would be held at its offices in East London on September 5 at which it would hear from interested parties.

The state Gaming Control Board recommended today allowing a four-man board to take control of the Tropicana as it wends its way through bankruptcy. If approved by the Nevada Gaming Commission when it meets Aug. 21, the action would take the unprecedented step of giving an unlicensed board financial control over a Nevada casino. In most bankruptcy cases, financial decisions are made by a receiver or trustee.

Topeka, Kansas (AP) -- The chairman of Kansas' casino review board says picking managers for state-owned casinos in Sumner and Cherokee counties won't be easy. Chairman Matt All said Friday that the seven-member board must consider more than projected revenue. He said other factors include debt, cash flow, financing in the current economic climate and what amenities would be offered.

MGM Mirage boss Terry Lanni has resigned from the board of the American Gaming Association, the federal lobby that is headed by Harrah’s Entertainment Chief Executive Gary Loveman. The two chieftains are at odds over a proposal by the Nevada teachers union to raise by 3 percentage points the state room tax paid by tourists, with the money going specifically to education.

Penn National Gaming announced it received approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board for the pending merger of the company and an entity indirectly owned by certain funds managed by affiliates of Fortress Investment Group LLC and Centerbridge Partners. On June 15, 2007, Penn National Gaming announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by PNG Acquisition Company, an entity indirectly owned by certain funds managed by affiliates of Fortress and Centerbridge.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office received a grant today from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Washington County officials say they plan to use the USD 153,000 grant to crack down on illegal slot machines with the formation of a new task force. "It’s obviously a problem, it really is," said Washington County DA, Steven Toprani. "We have meetings with state police, with the vice unit, so there are problems around the county that pertain to this."

Harrah’s Entertainment informed that it received approval from the Louisiana Gaming Control Board and the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission for the proposed acquisition of Harrah’s by affiliates of Apollo Management, L.P. and TPG Capital. The transaction remains subject to approval by other jurisdictions in which Harrah’s subsidiaries operate and other conditions to closing set forth in the agreement and plan of merger entered into on December 19, 2006.

Springfield - Gamblers, no matter how old, eventually may have to show their driver's licenses and have them scanned before entering Illinois casinos. The Illinois Gaming Board is considering the card-everyone idea as a way to catch those who voluntarily have agreed to be arrested if they board one of the state's riverboat casinos.

Harrah’s Entertainment announced this week that it received approval from the Illinois Gaming Board for the proposed acquisition of Harrah’s by affiliates of Apollo Management, L.P. and TPG Capital. The transaction remains subject to approval by other jurisdictions in which Harrah’s subsidiaries operate and other conditions to closing set forth in the agreement and plan of merger entered into on December 19, 2006.

The Jackson County Board of Supervisors postponed voting on a resolution that would declare the board opposed to a Mississippi Choctaw Band of Indians casino in the county. As Supervisor Frank Leach was absent, the officials agreed to wait until all five members are present for the vote, which has been set for the November 26 meeting. In e-mails sent to media and each supervisor, Leach said he had medical appointments.