Chicago (MarketWatch) -- Casino stocks were battered again Thursday, with shares of the big players scraping to multiyear lows on the back of news of a precipitous drop in Nevada's gambling revenue. Statewide, gambling revenue in May slumped 15%, with a roughly similar pace of decline in table games and slot machines alike. Things were even worse on the Las Vegas Strip...

A government-appointed committee has recommended the licensing of casinos and gaming, and the establishment of an independent regulator for these businesses. Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern yesterday published the report of the committee appointed by former minister for justice Michael McDowell to look at the regulation of casinos and gambling. The report recommends that casinos, which currently operate as clubs...

In South Korea, lawmakers are considering plans from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism that would regulate online gambling by further limiting the amount of cash transactions a person could place over the Internet each month. According to The Korea Times, regulators are proposing the limits in order to curb online gambling, which has hit all-time highs in the Asian nation.

Australian premier gaming exhibition and conference, the Australasian Gaming Expo, will feature a world-class educational programme in addition to viewing the latest gaming products on the trade show floor as part of its new format. Gaming executives and professionals must register at the AGE website www.AustGamingExpo.com to enjoy complimentary admission to the exhibits and conference.

James Packer can't be too pleased with the news coming out of Macau in recent days which has scraped a little of the sheen off the former Portuguese colony's success story. First there was a clampdown on Chinese nationals being allowed to visit, followed by news that UBS analysts in the US slashed Melco Crown's target price by almost a third to USD 8.81 (AUD 9.24). Then a slowdown in gambling triggered 270 job cuts at one of Crown Macau's biggest rivals, Galaxy.

Last July 2nd, it started operating the National Chamber of the Gambling Industry (Canaju). The entity will concentrate at least 25 companies among the 24 existing official agents, operators (just Grupo Caliente is active) and providers (around 40 companies). This will be the first Chamber of this sector in Mexico, which moves us$ 800 million a year –according to Canaju- and will be integrated to the National Confederation of Industry Chambers (Concamin).

The fragmented and diverse gambling regulatory regime in the Philippines could be the subject of consolidation and change following the introduction of House bill AB4192 by the representative for Quezon, Danilo Suarez last week. It is not yet clear whether this bill will also embrace online gambling licensing, although the general wording suggests this may be the case. Suarez proposes the creation of a National Gaming Commission...

In Ireland, the Justice Minister has revealed that he will loosen the nation’s gambling laws by legalizing casinos and creating a new regulatory authority for all forms of gaming. According to a piece from the Irish Independent newspaper, Dermot Ahern stated that existing laws on gambling were “past their sell-by date” but promised to reach cross-party agreement and consult with the public before making any changes.

The state of Indiana sees the need to try and compete with casinos in other states. The expansion of casino gambling is happening quickly around the United States, and competition for the gambling dollars is growing. Indiana has just passed a new rule that could help bring high roller gamblers into their casinos. Junketeers will have lower registration fees and will also no longer have to be a licensed casino supplier.

Ontario's push to allow Las Vegas-style sports gambling in casinos in a bid to boost sagging revenues is an irresponsible move that could deepen a troubling trend of gambling addiction in the province, critics said Thursday. Ontario casinos do have some sports betting but it's limited to the government-run Pro-Line lottery in which gamblers select the outcomes of three or more contests on a "parlay" ticket.

Prague- Some 80 percent of Czech municipalities would like to limit gambling on their territory, Dzamila Stehlikova, minister for human rights and minorities, told journalists today, referring to a survey she ordered. Over 85 percent of the municipalities said the negative effects of gambling, such as crime, were more serious than the financial effects of casinos to their budgets, the survey conducted on some 100 municipalities showed.

Macau - Police seized betting slips worth about 64 million dollars during a raid on an illegal gambling syndicate believed to be the largest ever uncovered in the former Portuguese colony, a media report said Sunday. Agents arrested three men from Hong Kong and three from Macau aged between 32 and 51 during the raid Saturday night, the South China Morning Post reported.