Singapore is taking huge steps towards helping addicted gamblers. The National Council on Problem Gaming has been partnered with the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) since 2005 in a joint effort to combat problem gaming. They have now planned the implementation of telephone lines which provide immediate access to trained counsellors who can advise the caller on the spot.

The Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance Branville McCartney has called for the implementation of more progressive legislation to facilitate gaming in The Bahamas but appeared to stop short of calling for a revision to the law to allow Bahamians to participate. The issue has long been a big bone of contention for many clerics who have outright blasted any attempt to move in that direction.

Harrah’s Entertainment announced it received approval from the Missouri Gaming Commission for the proposed acquisition of Harrah’s by affiliates of Apollo Management, L.P. and TPG Capital. The transaction remains subject to approval by other jurisdictions in which Harrah’s subsidiaries operate and other conditions to closing set forth in the agreement and plan of merger entered into on December 19, 2006.

Penn National Gaming announced that it has filed a license application with the Kansas Lottery Commission to be considered as a Lottery Gaming Facility Manager at a proposed destination casino resort in Sumner County that the company has budgeted at USD 365 million. The second phase expansion will bring the total budget for the master-planned project to over USD 565 million.

Casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson, who recently launched the world's biggest gambling complex, may have given up on hopes of establishing a casino in Israel, but Tourism Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch on Monday said he plans to push hard for a legal gambling house in the southern city of Eilat. Aharonovitch made the announcement Monday at a meeting of the Knesset Economics Committee where he presented the ministry's work plan for 2008.

Gumpoldskirchen, 3. Dezember 2007 - Astra Games, eine Tochter der Novomatic AG und führender britischer Hersteller von Gaming Equipment für den britischen Markt sowie diverse Exportmärkte, hat in Südwales ein neues, hochmodern ausgestattetes Headquarter mit Produktionsanlagen und Bürokomplex eröffnet.

Beijing - Mainland China may not yet have a Broadway, but it has a Las Vegas: the former Portuguese colony of Macau. A special administrative region at the mouth of the Pearl River, just an hour by ferry from Hong Kong, Macau soon could surpass the American gambling oasis as the model for future entertainment destinations.

Harrah’s Entertainment and Sumner Gaming and Resorts announced their proposal for a destination resort to be located in Sumner County, Kansas, which was submitted to the Sumner County Commission today for its consideration. Subject to certain customary conditions and receipt of corporate approvals, the proposal was also submitted earlier this month to the Kansas State Lottery for their review.

Springfield - Gamblers, no matter how old, eventually may have to show their driver's licenses and have them scanned before entering Illinois casinos. The Illinois Gaming Board is considering the card-everyone idea as a way to catch those who voluntarily have agreed to be arrested if they board one of the state's riverboat casinos.

Norway’s government has proposed an amendment to its existing gambling laws that would make it illegal for Norwegian financial institutions to process payments for online gaming websites. A spokesperson for the government said the proposed change was necessary to clarify the part of the law that rules companies were prohibited from engaging mediating for internet gambling services.

The Chairman of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) pressure group, Alfonse D’Amato, has announced that he expects online poker to be legalized in the US within 18 months. Speaking at G2E, the former US Senator said that pending sanctions by the World Trade Organization due to The White House’s current policy on Internet gambling could be the major driver for legalization.

Annual G2E in Las Vegas opened its doors for business at 12 noon on the first day, but there were many people there early to attend some of the specialist speaking sessions. One of them was about the current situation of the Latin American market, where participated experienced executives of the region. The executives that have been part of the panel in “Emerging Gaming Markets: Latin America” session were Miguel Mikasinovik (IGT Latin America), Martín Canepa (Codere) and Clive Tilley (Tilley Entertainment).