Linz/Wien - Heute Abend wird das neue, um vier Millionen Euro umgebaute Casino Linz mit 2000 Gästen groß eröffnet. Mit heuer drei Prozent mehr Besucher trotz Umbaus liegt Linz im Spitzenfeld. „Das Casino Linz ist nicht wiederzuerkennen“, sagt Direktor Josef Kneifl. Der Institution für gehobene Abendunterhaltung am Schillerpark, in der seit 25 Jahren die Kugel rollt, wurde ein komplettes Face-Lifting verpasst.

Revenues at Atlantic City’s 11 casinos are down again, which continue to see their profitable slots customers flee to Pennsylvania and New York. The gambling halls took in USD 384.4 million in October, a 7.5 percent decline from the October 2006. Slots revenues were USD 270.3 million, a decrease of 12.6 percent over a year ago. It matched the worst month of the year so far for slots here, along with September, which was also down 12.6 percent.

The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino, one of the world’s premier destination resort hotels, has been awarded the esteemed AAA Five Diamond Award for 2008 - a distinction which makes it the largest property in the country to have received the award. The AAA Five Diamond Award for hotels and restaurants is North America’s most coveted symbol of excellence in the hospitality industry.

Uruguayan authorities have set the aim to transform Punta del Este in a touristic center. In order to achieve it, Maldonado council will put out to tender four projects, which are expected to have a good response among Chilean businessmen. The main project is the launch of a private marina for boats and cruises. It will include a five-star hotel and a casino. In total, USD 300 million will be invested.

Tourism Minister of Jamaica, Edmund Bartlett, aims to promote tourist in the island through the construction and exploitation of already existing resources. One of the industries would be the entertanment industry, with the construction of hotels to receive more tourists as well as bigger cruises. The minister has already received offers from important investors who with to plan hotel developments in the island.

Pinnacle Entertainment, the Las Vegas-based gaming and entertainment company, has proposed two locations for a destination resort and casino in Wyandotte County. Except for their locations, the proposals are nearly identical in architecture and amenities. Pinnacle’s first proposal is near the interchange of Interstate 435 and Parallel Parkway; the second proposal would be located at the future interchange at I-435 and Donahoo Road.

Taxes of Spanish casinos in 2006 paid 136 million euros in taxes. In the case of Canarias, Andalucía, Galicia or the Vasque Country, the increment has been sustantial regarding the same period last year. Catalonia is the most affected. It received 33.8 million euros, an increase of 13.71% compared to the previous period. Asturias and La Rioja, with the incorporation of new facilities, have also experimented a rise in taxes, with slight decreases in the rest of the Autonomous Communities.

In China, the government has announced that it is to institute new laws to help prevent underage and compulsive gambling. Experts predict that these laws will see companies forced to use software that screens users to ensure that adults only are accessing gambling sites. This software could also be required to encourage players to stick to a maximum playing time of three hours per day by halving any points accrued after this length of time had passed.

After a week with police operatives in Ecuador, Tourism Minister, María Isabel Salvador, reassured that, according to the Tourism Law “slots should only work in five-star casino hotels, because they are an entertainment for tourists”. More than 1,500 illegal slots have been imported in an illegal way, and the Ecuadorian police seized them in the cities of Quito, Guayaquil, Esmeraldas and Loja, as part of the first phase in the control of the illegal use of games of chance.

Atlantic City, New Jersey (AP) -- The leaves are falling, and so are revenues at Atlantic City's 11 casinos, which continue to see their profitable slots customers flee to Pennsylvania and New York. The gambling halls took in USD 384.4 million in October, a 7.5 percent decline from the October 2006. Slots revenues were USD 270.3 million, a decrease of 12.6 percent over a year ago. It matched the worst month of the year so far for slots here, along with September, which was also down 12.6 percent.

Fredericton - New Brunswick is wagering that a casino will revive its faltering tourism industry, which has seen the number of visitors decline by 25 per cent over the past five years. The province issued a request for proposals Thursday for a single casino — New Brunswick's first — to be in operation by 2010. Finance Minister Victor Boudreau concedes a casino may not directly boost the number of tourists, but he believes it will have an effect.

Catfish Bend Casino received permission from state regulators today to shut down its struggling Fort Madison gambling boat, putting about 180 people out of work in southeast Iowa. The action by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission doesn’t affect Catfish Bend’s new USD 50 million casino and hotel complex in Burlington, which will remain open seven days a week. “The boat just can’t compete at this point and it wasn’t generating enough revenue to survive,” said Gary Hoyer, chief executive of Great River Entertainment Inc., the parent of Catfish Bend.