Liberalizing gambling laws could help China survive the global economic downturn, sports officials said at the annual meeting of China’s parliament last week. Gambling was banned in mainland China after the Communist takeover in 1949, the exceptions being two state lotteries - one of them run by the sports ministry to fund the building of facilities.

Nach einer Analyse von PricewaterHouseCoopers könnte eine Legalisierung von Online Glücksspiel in den USA zu jährlichen Steuermehreinnahmen in Höhe von USD 52 Milliarden führen. Alle Unterstützer des Online Glücksspiels richten ihr Augenmerk momentan sehr gespannt auf die Bemühungen im US-Kongress, den unter der Bush Regierung im Jahr 2006 erlassenen UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) außer Kraft zu setzen.

Galveston - The odds are against proposed legislation slotting a Las Vegas-style destination resort casino in Galveston, legislators and local pundits say. “I haven’t handicapped it yet,” said state Rep. Craig Eiland, D-Galveston. “I think the votes are probably there in the Senate, but I’m not sure they are in the House.” Eiland said a constitutional amendment would be a better place to start a battle for casino gambling, not legislative proposals enabling casinos.

The government of Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) is considering tightening the age-limit for people who enter local casinos, raising it from 18 to 21,according to a press statement released on Wednesday by the SAR's Information Bureau. The SAR government is concerned about the issues of local youths and casino staff gambling in local casinos, the statement quoted the SAR's Secretary for Administration and Justice...

Port Canaveral, where gambling ships have been squeezed by a deep recession and increased competition from inland casinos, thinks it has a way to breathe new life into the business: Let the slot machines spin while the ships are docked. The Canaveral Port Authority voted Wednesday to ask state lawmakers to allow nearly around-the-clock gaming on gambling ships at the Brevard County seaport.

BetMarkets: 4 - 5 March - Vienna. The 3rd BetMarkets is aimed at any sports book professional and focuses on terrestrial and online sports betting and the merging of the two. European Gambling Briefing (EGB): 22 - 23 April - Budapest. Developed in response to the critical regulatory, legal and business changes shaping the European industry, the European Gambling Briefing conference offers a complete picture of this sector.

Austin, Texas - American Indian tribes in Texas are trying again to reopen their casinos with legislation filed Tuesday that would provide a defense to prosecution for tribes that operate limited casino gambling. Rep. Norma Chavez, an El Paso Democrat, filed a bill that would allow the Tigua tribe in El Paso and the Alabama-Coushatta tribe near Livingston to reopen casinos that were closed by court orders when the state opposed them.

With unemployment and economic concerns mounting some lawmakers are looking at new ways to bring in revenue, even if it means legalizing gambling. Today both sides argued their case on the controversial subject. Hawaii and Utah are the only two states in the country without some sort of legalized gambling or lottery, and chances are it will stay that way. State Senator Donna Mercado Kim introduced a bill that would legalize slot machines and video poker...

According to figures released by the Gaming Control Board, casinos statewide won USD 11.6 billion from customers during the year, a drop of 9.7 % when compared with the USD 12.8 billion won from gamblers in 2007, the sharpest decline in state history. The question now is will the trend continue into 2009. The 2008 gaming revenue figure was the lowest statewide total since 2005, when casinos also won USD 11.6 billion from gamblers.

The research could explain why people continue to gamble even when they know that the odds are against them. Even though they lose, gamblers get a surge of excitement from almost hitting the jackpot, the study found. It is this 'hit' which spurs them on to continue gambling, even when they are losing. "Gamblers often interpret near misses as special events, which encourage them to continue to gamble," said Dr Luke Clark, from Cambridge University, who led the study.

Galveston, Texas (Reuters) - First came Hurricane Ike, then the tidal wave from the U.S. economic collapse hit. The steamy Texas island city of Galveston, an historic port known for palm trees, Victorian buildings and shipping cattle and oil to the world, now finds its economy clinging to a life raft. Some leaders believe the only hope for the city of about 45,000 -- down about a third from its pre-hurricane population -- is to legalize gambling and open casinos that would lure in tourists.

A queue of two dozen taxis extends along the curbside outside the arched entrance of the Hippodrome Casino. It is 8am on a week day and the all-night punters are beginning to drift out of the largest gaming hall in Buenos Aires. Business is good. Argentines like to gamble at the best of times. At the worst of times, they like to chance their luck all the more.