Britain's leading bookmakers have warned the Government that any attempt to increase taxes or regulation at the Budget will lead to betting shop closures and job losses, as well as further undermining their ability to compete with offshore rivals. In meetings with Gerry Sutcliffe, Minister for Sport, and Angela Eagle, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, some bookies have also hinted that any regressive move from the Government could force them to relocate parts of their business offshore.

Government revenue collection from the casino clubs in terms of Betting and Gaming Levy has seen a rapid increase from USD 509,380 in 2003 to USD 2,5 million in 2006 according to information provided to Parliament last week. Information was revealed to the House by Deputy Finance Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya in response to a question by UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake in this regard.

Dubai’s investment arm was given permission to increase its ownership of MGM Mirage last week, but one of its executives said that won’t happen until market conditions warrant such a move. The Nevada Gaming Commission found Dubai World a suitable business and joint venture partner for MGM Mirage. Last year, Dubai World invested roughly USD 6 billion to acquire 9.4 % of MGM Mirage’s outstanding shares and a 50 % interest in the USD 9.1 billion CityCenter development, which is now under construction.

Betting in casinos, gambling halls, horse racetracks and lottery in Panama generated USD 1,178,842,960, a 19% increment compared to a similar period last year. The increment of this type of gambling, especially in casinos and bingo halls, is connected to the tourist boom in Panama and not to the fact that Panamanian citizens are gambling more, according to President of Games of Chance Association (Asaja), Antonio Alfaro.

The doubling of betting tax will put bookmakers out of business and lead to job losses, industry figures warned yesterday. Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan yesterday announced that the Government will double the current 1 per cent levy on bookies' turnover to 2 per cent, which will net the exchequer EUR 40 million. He is also proposing to cut the Horse and Greyhound Fund - which is linked to the betting tax and supports both racing codes - by 9 per cent next year, to EUR 55 million.

The online expenditure in games of chance has increased fivefold in Spain this year compared to 2007, according to the information released by Spanish Federation of Recovered Games of Chance Players (FEJAR), that organized its tenth national congress Matalascañas (Huelva). FEJAR has claimed in Matalascañas that the administration should regulate the access to Internet games...

Gambling has become big business in Poland, with players now spending twice as much as they did two years ago and more on wagers than on beer or medical services. According to a report from Puls Biznesu, Poles will spend USD 7.63 billion on gambling this year, which is more than all of the casinos in Las Vegas earn annually. “If the upward trend continues, the gambling market will be worth as much as the mobile telecommunication sector in 2009,” reported the Warsaw newspaper.

China may increase, yet again, individual visa restrictions to Macau in October, news agency Lusa reported. Quoting an unnamed source, it said that if the Chinese government goes ahead with the move, it can have an impact on the gaming revenues and number of visitors who visit the SAR. According to the same source, the alert was left by Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau Wah at the Legislative Assembly last week...

The state of Indiana sees the need to try and compete with casinos in other states. The expansion of casino gambling is happening quickly around the United States, and competition for the gambling dollars is growing. Indiana has just passed a new rule that could help bring high roller gamblers into their casinos. Junketeers will have lower registration fees and will also no longer have to be a licensed casino supplier.

In South Korea, a growing number of people are gambling online with the help of illegal money dealers that change virtual winnings for real cash. Online gambling in the nation is illegal but increasing numbers of people are playing poker and blackjack while cases of addiction are on the rise. A report from MBC TV cited instances of online gamblers losing their entire savings because of their inability to stop gambling.

The growth of bets in casinos and gambling halls in Panama, which generated USD 948 million last year, is directly related to the arrival of tourists, according to President of the Association of Games of Chance Administrators (Asaja), Antonio Alfaro. “Bets from foreign people have been growing more that those from local people”, commented Alfaro, evaluating the development of the sector in 2007.

Legal online sportsbooks agencies in Panama registered around USD 26.3 million in 2007, a 87.8% more than in 2006, when they received a total of USD 14 million, according to a report from the Gambling Control Committee (JCJ). According to the executive secretary of the Gambling Control Commission, Raúl Cortizo, from Panama Republic, has just authorized a company to administrate and operate ten sub licenses of online casinos and ten sub licenses of agencies of online betting sportsbooks.