A settlement proposal due by the end of the month could put an end to the five-year trade battle over Internet gaming between Antigua and Barbuda and the United States. According to Mark Mendel, Antigua and Barbuda’s attorney in its World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute, the US is scheduled to put forward a proposal for the settlement of both aspects of the trade dispute by next Monday.

RAY, Finland’s state-owned Slot Machine Association, is considering proposals to make their games available online, with their Board of Administration expecting to announce during the second quarter of 2008 whether they will be able to do so. RAY’s activities currently meet legal justifications confirmed by the European Court of Justice in 1999, for the organization’s exclusive rights in Finland to operate slot machines and casino table games and a casino.

The sixth and final gaming license granted for the Guateng province in South Africa was awarded to Silverstar Casino. The preview opening took place in December and grand opening in March will complete all dining and entertainment facilities. TCS supplied all gaming tables, including Albatros Roulette table. Silverstar Casino, operated by Gold Reef Resorts, has a joint controlling interest in the development.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office received a grant today from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Washington County officials say they plan to use the USD 153,000 grant to crack down on illegal slot machines with the formation of a new task force. "It’s obviously a problem, it really is," said Washington County DA, Steven Toprani. "We have meetings with state police, with the vice unit, so there are problems around the county that pertain to this."

Rota Mayor Joseph S. Inos has already submitted the names of his five appointees to the island’s Casino Gaming Control Commission. They are Barry Cuthbert Toves, Diego M. Songao, Ephrem S. Taimanao, Abraham M. Ogo and Melchor A. Mendiola. In his letter on Feb. 14 to Roy James A. Masga, Rota’s municipal council chairman, Inos stated that “after having personally consulted with each appointee...

Der Online-Casinospielanbieter Party Gaming legte jetzt seine Geschäftszahlen für das Jahr 2007 vor. Zwei Drittel seines Umsatzes generiert der Onlineanbieter aus dem Pokerspiel. Ein wichtiger Grund, weshalb sich der Einbruch im US-amerikanischen Markt weiter so stark bemerkbar macht. Das Gesetz Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA), das seit 2006 in den USA in Kraft ist, trägt sicher eine Hauptschuld an dem schlechten Geschäftsergebnis, auch wenn sich die Geschäfte in anderen Regionen der Welt durchaus positiv entwickelt haben.

British culture secretary Andy Burnham told MPs today that he would introduce legislation forcing licensed gambling operators of all types to donate more funding to problem gambling at the end of the year unless operators voluntary contribute more. At the moment, only about 380 of the country’s 3,800 gambling companies have been paying into the Responsibility in Gambling Trust.

The federal government has warned an Oklahoma Indian tribe not to open a planned off-reservation gambling casino along an interstate highway in southern New Mexico. The National Indian Gaming Commission told the Fort Sill Apache Tribe on Thursday that it cannot legally open the casino and risked enforcement action if gambling is permitted on the tribally owned land in New Mexico. The commission issued its letter a day after Gov. Bill Richardson ordered state police to block access to the tribe's casino if gambling was started.

Der US-amerikanische Finanzminister Henry Poulsen und der Chef der Zentralbank, Ben Benanke, bekamen mal wieder unangenehme Post in Sachen Poker. Genauer gesagt: wegen Onlinepoker. Der Grund für dieses weitere Beschwerdeschreiben: Der Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Die Absender: Pete Domenici und John Sununu. Und die Verfasser dieser Zeilen sind nicht irgendwer. Die zwei Senatoren sitzen im Capitol in Washington.

Macau meldet imposante Zahlen. Laut Statistiken des Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau beliefen sich die Glücksspiel-Einnahmen der ehemals portugiesischen und heute chinesischen Stadt im Jahr 2007 auf rund 10,4 Milliarden US-Dollar (rund 83,8 Milliarden Pataca). Dies entspricht einem Plus von 46 Prozent gegenüber dem Vorjahr. Stolze 257 Prozent Zuwachs sind es, vergleicht man mit den Zahlen von vor fünf Jahren.

The bright lights bring millions to Vegas hoping an escape to a fantasy world will make dreams come true. But some don't come to gamble for fun. The industry that makes our city tick is constantly under attack by thieves trying to make a quick buck. But the men and women who are the eyes and ears of surveillance and security are learning all the tricks of the trade -- with the newest technology on the market.

Antigua and Barbuda’s attorney at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Mark Mendel says he does not expect December’s disappointing USD 21 million arbitrated award to affect the results of a second arbitration process between the two countries. Late last month Antigua and Barbuda filed a notice at the WTO requesting arbitration on the issue of the US declaration that it is withdrawing from its General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) commitment that allows trade access in respect of remote gaming.