New York (Associated Press) – A leading casino operator could become a player in Maryland’s slot machine gambling debate. Penn National Gaming said it is considering buying a site in Cecil County that could become one of the state’s five authorized slots venues. The entry of Penn National, one of the country’s largest gaming companies, could boost efforts to pass a November referendum that would authorize slots gambling.

Shares of gaming companies with properties in Macau declined Monday as data showed May gaming revenue grew less year over year than in the first four months of 2008. Macau gaming revenue increased 31 percent in May compared with the prior-year period according to Lusa News Agency, but the growth rate was below April’s 44 percent climb, which had been the lowest to date. oseph Greff of JPMorgan attributed May’s gaming growth to strong VIP play as well as new casinos and expansions.

Hong Kong/Macau (Reuters) – U.S. casino owners have placed big bets on Macau, turning the Chinese enclave into the world’s top gaming centre, but local junket operators are forcing big names from Las Vegas to pay top dollar to bring crucial high-roller clients to their tables. U.S. firms such as Las Vegas Sands, which owns the massive Venetian Macau, have ridden Macau’s boom to counter slowing business back home.

In Australia, gaming operators Tabcorp and Tatts Group are set to lose long-held monopolies on operating poker machines in the state of Victoria following an announcement by Premier John Brumby last week. The State Government announced that pubs, hotels and clubs would be allowed to hold their own licenses when the two companies’ current permits expire in four years rather than leasing machines from Tatts or Tabcorp.

Kuala Lumpur: Casino operators and casino machine suppliers stand to benefit from further liberalisation of the industry in the region, as they could cross sell their services and products through branches set up in different countries. Several countries, including Thailand and Taiwan, have expressed their intention to legalise casino operations…

British culture secretary Andy Burnham told MPs today that he would introduce legislation forcing licensed gambling operators of all types to donate more funding to problem gambling at the end of the year unless operators voluntary contribute more. At the moment, only about 380 of the country’s 3,800 gambling companies have been paying into the Responsibility in Gambling Trust.

Casino and bingo operator Rank has rejected an approach from US casino giant Harrah’s Entertainment, Britain’s Telegraph newspaper reported. Without citing sources, the paper said Rank rebuffed the deal, which saw Harrah’s effectively offer to swap its own UK casinos for a 28 percent stake in the enlarged Rank. A spokesman for Rank declined to comment, Harrah’s could not be reached for comment.

Vienna (Thomson Financial) – Bawag P.S.K. sold its 36 pct stake in Austria’s monopoly lottery operator Oesterreichische Lotterien GmbH to Casinos Austria AG. Bawag sold the stake as part of its sell-off of non-banking assets following its takeover by US hedge fund Cerberus Capital Management last December. The financial terms of the transaction were not released, but previous media reports pegged the value of Bawag’s stake at around 200 mln eur.

New Zealand casino operator Sky City Entertainment Group sees the possibility of more than one bid, as a potential buyer looks at its books over a deal that could be worth around 1.9 billion. Executive Director Elmar Toime told Reuters on Friday that the unnamed bidder’s decision to conduct due diligence could spark other bids. „The interest is there, whether the timing is right, or people have the wherewithal is the great unknown,“ Toime said.

Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd., a Macau casino operator controlled by billionaire Lui Che-woo, said it will ask two international hotel operators to manage parts of its new hotel-casino project in the city. „The arrangement will increase the number of customer channels for the new hotel,“ Galaxy Vice Chairman Francis Lui told reporters after a shareholders meeting in Hong Kong today.