Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill allowing Red Hawk Casino, which is under construction in Shingle Springs, to operate up to 5,000 slot machines. The casino, owned by the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok, is being built and will be operated by Lakes Entertainment Inc., which operates Native American casinos in other parts of the country. The new gaming compact runs 21 years...

A bill pushed through the California legislature is set to allow larger Californian charities to offer bingo games throughout the state online. The bill would present opportunities for tribal gaming to move online. Backed by Senator Gil Cedillo, SB 1369 passed through Senate and is now awaiting submission to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger amidst protests from hundreds of local charities who face devastation.

Governor Deval Patrick had his casino gambling proposal shot down by the legislature in Massachusetts shortly after he took office. He vowed that he would continue his fight even after the defeat of the proposal. This week, a door seemingly opened up to Patrick. One that would have allowed him to bring the casino gambling he desired to the state. The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe sent a formal letter to the governor asking to open discussions about building a casino.

Governor Rendell has a strong interest in every single casino in this state. That's because using slots revenue from those casinos to reduce school property taxes was his project. Rendell proposed the idea, convinced the General Assembly to buy into it and now wants every casino up and running as fast as possible. Today Rendell said he is confident in Don Barden and that is good news for the casino developer in Pittsburgh.

Middleborough - Reports that Governor Deval Patrick was poised to begin negotiating a contract, or compact, with the Mashpee Wampanoag for a casino in Middleborough caused some ripples of concern across Southeastern Massachusetts this week. According to the Statehouse News Service, Patrick on Monday had said that, although he expects no additional casino legislation to be forthcoming this session...

The Oregon Court of Appeals has ruled that a community organization can challenge the governor’s approval of a casino in Florence. The ruling could have ramifications for tribal casinos throughout Oregon. KLCC’s Rachael McDonald reports. People Against a Casino Town, or PACT, has been fighting the Three Rivers Casino since 2003 when the governor signed a compact giving the project the go-ahead.

Governor Jon S. Corzine signed a bill that will keep video lottery terminals out of New Jersey horse tracks for three years while requiring resort casinos to annually pay USD 30 million to horse racing interests. The bill also establishes a casino tax credit on bonuses several casinos give to players that can only be used at those casinos. While the casinos currently pay an eight percent casino gross revenue tax on them, the bill caps the tax on the first USD 90 million.

The state’s already tense gambling debate erupted into a political brawl yesterday, as casino proponents charged that House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi is orchestrating a defeat of the governor’s casino legislation even before a legislative committee publicly airs the pros and cons next week. Furious political maneuvering spilled into the open, sparking heated exchanges through the halls of the State House.

Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius is betting USD 81 million that the Kansas courts ultimately will approve the casino gambling law enacted by the Legislature last year. That’s how much gambling revenue she has put in her budget recommendation for fiscal year 2009, which begins July 1. The Democratic governor, who released details of her budget Tuesday, wants to spend the gambling revenue on debt reduction and construction projects.

Boston (AP) -- Gov. Deval Patrick, leading off a casino gambling hearing that lured Las Vegas chief executives to Beacon Hill, testified Tuesday that lawmakers shouldn't moralize against casino gambling. The Democratic governor pushed his three-casino legislation as a way to create new revenues and jobs at a time when Massachusetts needs both. He said Massachusetts residents currently spend USD 1 billion annually at Connecticut's two casinos.

The Seminole Tribe of Florida has begun airing television spots in Orlando and around the state promoting the gambling deal it recently signed with Florida Governor Charlie Crist. But the Crist-Seminole compact is already drawing fierce criticism, both from Florida’s existing pari-mutuel industry, which says it would devastate their own business, and from anti-gambling lawmakers in the Florida Legislature, who call it an unprecedented gambling expansion.

Governor Charlie Crist is expected to announce a deal with the Seminole Tribe of Florida allowing Las Vegas-style slot machines and card games at its Hard Rock casino in Hollywood and six other sites, in exchange for USD 100 million or more in annual cash. Under the pact, revenue sharing by the Seminoles with the state would grow each year, depending on the success of the games.