New Jersey’s casino enforcement agency recommended only a one-year license renewal for Tropicana Casino and Resort, citing mass layoffs and a litany of customer complaints under the troubled ownership of Columbia Sussex Corp. The recommendation by the Division of Gaming Enforcement will be considered by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission when it meets December 12 to make a final ruling on Tropicana’s license and the suitability of Columbia Sussex and CEO William J. Yung III as owners.

The UK’s first fully-equipped specialist casino school has opened in Cardiff, Wales. The independent accredited training school, set up by Professional Croupier Training (PCT), aims to provide intensive instruction for people aiming to work in the gaming sector according to training officer Janet Miller. "The new National Occupational Standards are part of a move to professionalise the sector and encourage more talented people, including graduates, to pursue careers in casinos," Miller commented.

Miami -South Florida's gaming scene has taken some big strides since the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino kick-started things with its opulent digs in 2004. Las Vegas-style slots arrived in Broward County last November and cued a glitzy transformation for its fading parimutuels. This past summer, Florida law expanded gambling even further: Casinos can stay open 18 hours a day during the week and 24 hours on weekends, up from 16 hours every day.

Dealers at Foxwoods Resort Casino say they are going ahead with union preparations after the Nov. 24 vote regardless of objections management has filed with the National Labor Relations Board. "When I got started, I said to myself, 'I will see this to the end. I will not waiver from this.' ...We deserve it and we need it," 15-year dealer Bill Shea of Westerly said.

Gambling opponents are emerging from months of relative inactivity and mobilizing against Governor Deval Patrick's casino plan, hoping to capitalize on a tepid effort by the governor to secure its passage. Church leaders, local political groups, preservationists, and the League of Women Voters are sponsoring antigambling forums across the state and actively building a network that will attempt to persuade legislators to vote against casinos.

After the authorization granted by Casino Superintendence (SCJ) to Canadian bank Clairvest Group in order to enter the society Marina del Sol, a firm which develops a gambling center in the 8th region, foreign investment grew 54.3%. The US firm which will enter the society Marina del Sol (connected to family Imschenetzky) with a participation of 50%, will bring the new group USD 38 million.

Wyandotte County’s Unified Board of Commissioners approved this week two planning and zoning applications from development teams vying to become the manager of a state-owned casino. The board upheld last month’s recommendations from the Unified Government’s Planning Commission. The board approved one proposal from the Las Vegas-based Pinnacle Entertainment and one from KS&F Development.

James Packer's Asian casino partner Lawrence Ho says its PBL joint venture made some early mistakes with its first casino project, Crown Macau. Mr Ho, son of casino billionaire Stanley Ho, said "Melco PBL didn't get off to a good start." "We went away from my original vision - which was a high-roller, six-star, VIP property - and tried to squeeze in too many slot machines", in order to boost profit margins.

The fiscal year 2006-2007, which just ended on October 3, was similar to the previous ones, that is, quite miserable and stagnant, according to a new article published by Casinos de France. The professional union interviewed 190 French casinos (out of 197) and found out that their GGR increased globally by 2.8%, amounting to 2.8 billion euros.

Shares of Isle of Capri Casinos slumped to a new 52-week low Tuesday after the casino operator reported it swung to a fiscal second-quarter loss, but some analysts remained upbeat on the company’s potential. Late Monday, Isle reported a quarterly loss of USD 24.6 million, or 80 cents per share. Excluding one-time items, the company posted a loss of 45 cents per share. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected a loss of 4 cents per share.

Taipei (Asia Pulse) - The Executive Yuan approved Wednesday a raft of amendments to the Outlying Islands Development Act during its weekly meeting, but a measure permitting the opening of casinos was not included in the package. Executive Yuan spokesman Shieh Jhy-wey said the government has no plans at present to legalize the gambling industry, due to a lack of social consensus on the issue.

A retired Hollywood movie mogul now living in Johnson County is hoping to spin a hit TV show and more from his patent-pending casino game invention, BlackJack Extreme. The card game - a blend of blackjack and poker strategies - is as intriguing as its inventor, David C. Thomas. Thomas’ lengthy resume as a producer, director and location manager includes such films as “Kansas City,” “The Howling,” “Mask,”...