Harrah’s Entertainment announced it received approval from the Indiana 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.

A new responsible gaming policy unveiled by Premier Shawn Graham and Finance Minister Victor Boudreau focuses on responsible management and responsible play, in a responsible environment. The new policy, the most comprehensive of its kind ever introduced in the province, will bring transformational changes to gaming in New Brunswick. Graham said there were many issues considered leading to today’s announcement.

Tallahassee - The federal government told Gov. Charlie Crist that it will take steps to allow expanded gambling in Seminole Indian casinos if he doesn't reach an agreement with the tribe by Nov. 15. In a letter sent to Crist's office Monday, the U.S. Interior Department's assistant secretary of Indian Affairs told Crist that the tribe is at a disadvantage because Las Vegas style slots -- or Class III machines -- are allowed at some dog and horse tracks and jai alai frontons, but not in Indian casinos.

More than 100 of America's top poker players descended on Washington earlier this week to lobby politicians to rescind the controversial law that aims to prohibit online gambling. Repercussions continue apace from the legislation, which last year sent UK betting enterprises such as PartyGaming scurrying back across the Atlantic and sparked huge falls in their shares. Earlier this week the World Trade Organisation and the US announced that they needed more time to work out the envisaged billions of dollars worth of compensation, as the ban breaks global trade rules.

Washington (AP) - Aiming to rein in the booming Indian gambling industry, the government is trying to make sure electronic bingo machines at tribal casinos can't masquerade as Las Vegas-style slots. Slot machines are more lucrative for tribes and more attractive to players, but they are subject to state approval and limits. Video bingo isn't. The basic difference between the two is that slot machines involve a gambler interacting only with a single machine, whereas video bingo requires gamblers to play each other over a linked network.

The organisers of the New Zealand Gaming Expo confirmed Richard Hadlee, Rod McGeoch and Allan Pease as presenters during the trade show’s conference program at the Skycity Auckland Convention Centre March 4-5, 2008. “Each of these speakers are leaders in their respective fields, and we are delighted that they have agreed to share their experiences and opinions with delegates,” said Ross Ferrar, Executive Officer of the event’s organiser, the Australasian Gaming Machine Manufacturers Association (“AGMMA”).

A slowdown in the locals-casino market and lack of major events in Las Vegas contributed to a decline in Nevada casino winnings in August, gaming experts said Wednesday. Nevada casinos and resorts suffered 4.4 percent gaming win decline, compared to August of 2006, according to the state Gaming Control Board. It marked the first decline in Nevada's gaming win in five months, the Control Board said. "What shows in these numbers are pretty poor performances on a statewide basis," said Bill Eadington.

The first International Gaming Awards ceremony for land based gaming will take place in London on January, 2008 at the Natural History Museum. The event intends to become one of the industries biggest gatherings of the year, and an opportunity to network with the industry and celebrate excellence. The aim of the ceremony is to help International charities. The Gaming Awards will be donating % of profits, and 5 % of the table bookings and sponsorships to the Macmillan House charity and Care International charity.

A US gaming lawyer and respected author has stated that online gambling in the nation is not dead despite the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) as there will be increased demand by individual states for involvement in the activity and the revenues it can raise. Martin Owens was speaking in Spain at a conference during the sixth annual European Interactive Gaming Congress And Expo (EiG) and ran over the “curious” nature of state versus Federal law in the United States.

St. John's - Antigua and Barbuda's finance minister on Friday defended his nation's bid to impose USD 3.4 billion in trade sanctions against the United States, which it accuses of ignoring a World Trade Organization ruling against a U.S. online betting ban. Finance Minister L. Errol Cort dismissed criticism of Antigua's plan to target U.S. trademarks with USD 3.4 billion in penalties every year, until the United States applies its online and offshore betting ban more uniformly or allows Americans to place bets with international gambling businesses.

According to weekend reports in Gambling News Review, 4Flush and Launchpoker, the Norwegian government minister responsible for matters gambling is planning a Norwegian equivalent of the US Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. The US law has caused so much grief in the industry by inhibiting financial transactions with online gambling companies. In an unsourced, but seemingly authoritative report, the portals claim that Norwegian culture Minister Trond Griske may be taking a page from the US legislation book on hamstringing online gambling in the Scandinavian country.

New York (AP) -- Shares of gaming companies with interests in Macau slipped Wednesday, after a Morgan Stanley analyst said preliminary Macau gaming revenue growth in September is significantly below her estimate. Analyst Celeste Mellet Brown said early Macau figures show September gaming revenue growth of 55 percent year over year, which is well below her forecast for more than 75 percent growth. The data is also likely to be below general expectations across Wall Street, she added.