Sacramento – A coalition of labor and horse racing interests announced Friday that it will ask voters to pull the plug on a huge tribal gambling expansion negotiated by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The owner of two racetracks and the hotel workers‘ union will team up on a campaign that could put four new initiatives on the February ballot and cost tens of millions of dollars. Some tribes with casinos that are not part of the expansion said they might join the effort.

Reportedly, the already known fact that the E.U. is currently investigating Greece’s gaming practices (among those of other member countries), possibly creates some scepticism as regards OPAP’s already stated potential interest in acquiring a 49% stake in casino Mont Parnes (located in the Athens greater area) once this is set for privatisation.

Las Vegas (AP) — Gambling giant Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. announced a USD 1 billion expansion Thursday for its flagship Caesars Palace hotel-casino in a bid to compete with a wave of new megaresorts planned for the Las Vegas Strip. The company plans to build a 665-room tower called Octavius, three pool villas for high rollers, add an extra 263,000 square feet of convention space and upgrade 512 of its oldest rooms.