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).

November 22 could be a critical day for the Dutch gaming industry. Currently the entire industry has ground to a halt as Wouter Bos, the country’s Minister of Finance, is proposing to introduce a new tax of 40.85 per cent of gaming revenues on both the street market and the government-owned Holland Casinos. He has put the project into his “miljoenenota” or “millions note” as the budget is called in the Netherlands...

Harrah’s Entertainment announced this week that it received approval from the Illinois Gaming Board 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.

Hillary Clinton has received the support of some powerful and influential gambling executives in Las Vegas. Her campaign has announced the formation of the Nevada Business Leadership Council which is headed by Jan Jones, a former Las Vegas Mayor and a current lobbyist for Harrah’s Entertainment. Phil Sartre, former chairman and CEO of Harrah’s, Howard Lefkowitz, CEO of Vegas.com, Henry Terry...

The Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve continue to finalize a new rule that would put the onus on banks to help crack down on online gambling by US citizens, a Treasury official said Wednesday. In prepared remarks, Deputy Assistant Secretary Valerie Abend said banking regulators are focusing their efforts on banks that do business with gambling companies, as well as the interaction between US banks and foreign banks that may be tied to online gambling.

Cairns, Australia - November 14, 2007: The Australasian Gaming Machine Manufacturers Association ("AGMMA") today launched its new "Responsible Gaming Machine Play" leaflet, providing free, independent and accurate information about gaming machines in a simple and easy to understand format to assist players to make informed decisions.