Willemstad – The gross turnover of the 13 casinos on Curaçao amounted to 284.5 million guilders last year, according to the statistics of the Gaming Control Board (GCB). This represents an increase of more than 50 million compared to 2007. The upward trend started in 2005, when a total turnover of 185.3 million guilders was realised.

The Senate of the province of Mendoza approved the law that bans the opening of new casinos, so one the Governor Celso Jaque enacted it, casinos will be no longer authorized in the province. The project had achieved the approval of the Chamber of Representatives last Wednesday, and today it achieved the approval of the Senate…

The Hague – Dutch State Secretary of Kingdom Relations Ank Bijleveld-Schouten will urge St. Maarten’s Executive Council to establish a Gaming Control Board (GCB). The State Secretary said this in a letter to the Second Chamber on Tuesday. Members of Parliament’s Permanent Committee of Antillean and Aruban Affairs NAAZ had sought clarity on the ownership of casinos on St. Maarten.

Austin – One of the country’s richest men said Wednesday that he would consider building a luxury casino complex in Dallas-Fort Worth if the Texas Legislature approves a measure allowing up to 12 destination casinos in the state’s urban centers.

The biggest plus to having casinos in Bermuda would be the potential boost to tourism. As everyone knows, Bermuda’s share of international tourism has steadily declined in the past twenty years. This has resulted in the closure of many of the island’s hotels and a reduction in the number of available rooms from approximately 10,000 in [1990] to about 3,000 rooms today.

A business model gaming companies have followed for decades has turned into a precarious balancing act, as casinos slash room rates to levels not seen in more than a decade. Cheap rooms have been a fail-safe way for gaming chiefs to fill their casinos with gamblers and keep profits up in down economic times. But some Strip resort operators are learning that cutting room rates in this economy can take a greater toll on the bottom line than having fewer gamblers at the slot machines.

Panaji: The Congress‘ Goa unit does not have a problem in opening up the state’s coast to several more offshore casinos, as long as the vessels are berthed in the Arabian Sea, a party spokesperson Thursday said. Addressing a press conference, party spokesman Vishnu Wagh said that the Congress was for the offshore casino industry, as long as the common man was not affected.

Panaji: After dragging its feet for months, the Goa government has directed the state’s six offshore casinos to suspend their operations on grounds of pollution and sealed restaurants on board five of them ahead of a Bombay High Court hearing on the issue. The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) Tuesday night directed the six offshore casinos to suspend their operations for violation of air and water pollution norms.

The commerce Minister is expected to give his final position on the creation of casinos after Easter, he said yesterday. Minister Antonis Paschalides was yesterday invited to the House Commerce Committee to update deputies on how the situation was progressing. In the latest meeting, the minister said he was in the process of examining a survey by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) on the feasibility of building casinos in Cyprus and how this would affect the state’s economy.

An open day in Yarmouth next week for prospective developers and operators of the resort’s large casino is being seen as an important gauge of commercial appetite for the scheme in the current economic climate. When it was announced two years ago that the resort had clinched one of eight large casino licences – the only venue on the East Coast to be chosen – there was initial euphoria over the expectation of thousands of extra visitors and more than 1,000 new jobs.

Kansas City, Missouri (AP) – While both Las Vegas and Atlantic City are reporting double-digit declines in casino revenues, Missouri’s gambling income is growing. The state’s casino industry continues to shrug off the nation’s recession, posting both higher revenues and more patrons in February than during the same month a year ago, according to the Missouri Gaming Commission.

After years of limited opportunities to buy and sell casinos, the topsy-turvy economy has opened the door for entrepreneurs to make unprecedented offers for choice properties in Las Vegas. With four of Las Vegas’ six largest — and debt-ridden — gaming giants scrambling for cash, opportunistic buyers are waiting for the perfect moment to pounce. With some potential sellers, that moment may be now, while they are attempting to negotiate with lenders…