According to official statistics, from September 2007 up to last August, the General Direction of Games and Draws, dependent on the Mexican Department of the Interior (Segob) authorized 994 licenses to make draws. Besides, it issued 1,395 horce racing licenses and 3,184 for cock fights, as well as five series and 15 self-financing processes. In the first report of this area, corresponding to the first semestre of the current government, 645 licenses have been granted for draws and 3,642 for games...

Carson City, Nevada - Licensing for the new, USD 662 million Aliante Station hotel-casino in North Las Vegas was recommended Wednesday by the Nevada Gaming Control Board. The board's parent state Gaming Commission will have final say Oct. 23 on the licensing application from the locals' resort, scheduled to open Nov. 11. The hotel-casino is Station Casino's 18th property in southern Nevada and is an equal partnership with members of the Greenspun family, owners of the Las Vegas Sun.

In response to a 2.25 million euros charge incurred as a result of its failed attempt to obtain a Turkish sports betting license in mid-2007, bwin confirmed that it has filed charges with the Austrian authorities for alleged fraud against the consultants responsible for obtaining the license. In seeking its Turkish sports betting license, bwin took advice from the firm of Bachler & Partners.

For now, though, it’s illegal in most forms offered on your PC, writes Andrew Gillingham. The National Gambling Amendment Act is set to open the door for companies to apply for online gambling licences. Online gambling operations based outside the country have been targeting South African punters, but anyone in South Africa who uses unauthorised, unlicensed online gambling is committing an illegal act that could leave them facing criminal prosecution.

The Gambling Commission has today warned machine suppliers that time is rapidly running out for those who persist in ignoring the Gambling Act 2005. The Commission has identified illegal machine supply as one of its key priorities for enforcement action. The Commission’s Compliance and Enforcement team will be targeting illegal operators across the country in a renewed drive to rid the industry of the illegal trade.

The Gaming Commission of Castilla y León gathered this week to discuss, among other issues, the decree project in which the plan of operating licenses of Type B machines will be approved for the period 2009-2012. According to Angel Nieto, legal councillor of FAOCALE Association, the increment for the four-year period will be the following: 2009, 17.191; 2010; 17.274; 2011, 17.357 and 2012, 17.440.

The government commission examining gambling in Sweden wants to allow foreign gaming companies to operate in the country. The companies would pay for a licence to arrange betting on sports such as football, ice hockey, as well as harness racing. However, it would be a punishable offence to allow people under 18 to place bets, said commission head Jan Nyrén, citing harness racing and Oddset-brand sports betting sheets, reports Sveriges Radio.

The Victorian Government has awarded Tattersalls a licence to run a mid-week lotto game over rival Intralot. The lottery will run on Monday and Wednesday nights in several states. The new games are in addition to the nation-wide lotteries already run by Tattersalls on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights. Intralot has struggled to gain a foothold in the Victorian gambling industry since breaking Tattersalls' monopoly on lotteries.

According to the Vietnam Investment Review, the country’s Ministry of Planning and Investment has a proposal that will cut back on hotels that can provide electronic gaming services. It states that only five-star hotels in Hanoi and southern Ho Chi Minh City and four-star hotels elsewhere can house the machines. Currently four-star and three-star hotels are able to do so.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding says a special commission is being established to regulate the operations of casinos. New hotels, he said, could continue to put in one gaming machine for every ten rooms. The licensing exclusivity being given to the new casino operators will not affect establishments with under 20-machines and operators can still apply and obtain machines as long as the applications are below 50 machines.

The gaming board of Chile - the Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego - has awarded the remaining three casino licenses to three separate operators. Two of the chosen companies are local Chilean operators Rantrur S.A. (Enjoy) and Casinos de Juego de Coyhaique S.A. (Fischer). The third license goes to Casinos Austria International. The largest project is the Enjoy casino in Castro, in the Los Lagos region.

The Subcommittee of Games and Draws started working this week in the House of Representatives, with the aim to revise 728 licenses issued by the Mexican Department of the Interior and verify the process through which the new authorizations were granted, informed the representative Octavio Vargas Martínez. Besides, they will work in a new national legislation for the sector.