Problem Gambling - Victoria, Australia            The Herald Sun
$2.5b pokie losses up in smoke
Sweaty palms all for nothing

The later story details the considerable deficiancies in the Australian Hotel Association's Pokie self exclusion programme.

Tasmania, Australia            Optusnet.com.au
Govt's projected Betfair returns 'dangerously high'

Washington            Sydney Morning Herald
Lobbyist was only doing what came naturally
'Friends' of Jack Abramoff- MSNBC.com
Casino Jack could have done with better PR - Daily Telegraph

Lobbyists in Washington apparently number 35,000 and their expenditure increased from $1.4 billion in 1998 to $2.1 billion in 2004.

Gary, Indiana            FortWayne.com/AP
Gary's Majestic Star Casinos to cut jobs
www.majesticstar.com

Penang, Malaysia            The H.K. Standard/AP & Today Online
Penang considers plan for casino fantasy isle
Penang ponders opening a casino

Tasmania & Australia            The Australian
Bookies warn of illegal mainland Betfair punts

Florence, Kentucky            PRWeb
Card Shark Uses Skills to Inform, Not Exploit Casino
www.pocketacesllc.net
www.salthehitman.com

Miami            Miami Herald
Gambling boat sets sail from Miami
www.horizonsedge.com

Colorado Springs, Colorado            MarketWire/Steve Bourie - Amrican Casino Guide 
Dobson Calls for End of Government-Sponsored Gambling; Vice is a 'National Disaster'
 

Hollywood, Florida            MarketWire/Steve Bourie - Amrican Casino Guide 
Have TV Gambling Shows Finally Gone Too Far?
www.americancasinoguide.com

Mississippi            Bloomberg News
Biloxi Sheds Blues as Katrina-Battered Casinos Stir With Dice

Manchester            North East Manchester Advertiser
Casino gamble

"These payments are wasteful. This is proof that if you pay consultants enough money, they'll tell you what you want to hear" - Liberal Democrats.

Manchester            Manchester Online/Manchester Evening News
Super-casino back on track

A study commissioned by the Manchester city council at a cost of £50,000 has apparently found that their super-casino bid is superior to Blackpool's.

www.europe-economics.com
www.europe-economics.com/pubs/reports.htm

New Jersey            NorthJersey.com
Smoking ban on verge of passage

The only public place in New Jersey where smoking will be allowed is on the gaming floor of Atlantic City's casinos.

Las Vegas            Las Vegas Review-Journal
WHOLE NEW VISION - New places to dine, dance mark makeover of The Mirage
www.mirage.com

China            News Gauangdong/China Daily
Overseas gambling rises among Chinese new rich

Victoria, Australia            The Melbourne Age & Herald Sun
Government to probe pokies king
Pokies profit probe
Jackpot kings keen to keep low profile
Pokie-free pubs, pondered

Broward County, Florida            Sun-Sentinel
Gambling sites eager to roll as governor signs bill regulating Broward's slot machines

Las Vegas & North Korea            Yonhap News & The Korea Times
Suspected N.K. 'supernotes' found in U.S. casinos since last year
Las Vegas official denies reports of N.K. supernotes at casinos - 4th January.
US Takes Tough Stance Over NK Counterfeiting

New Orleans            WPMI.com
Job Fair for Casino workers to be held in New Orleans

Harrah's New Orleans is scheduled to re-open on Friday, 17th February.

www.harrahs.com/our_casinos/nor/

Las Vegas            KVBC.com
Boardwalk Casino set to close

The Boardwalk casino will close on the 9th January and the site will become a part of MGM MIRAGE's project CityCenter.

www.boardwalklv.com
www.projectcitycenter.com

Liverpool            The Guardian, Independent & icCheshire/Daily Post
Sportech cuts its losses on ITV gaming 
ITV pulls plug on interactive gaming deal with Sportech
Sportech attacks ITV after ditching gambling deal 
 
 

More headlines... a quick roundup of other stories fround during GF's daily updates. Vietnam may allow soccer betting Betting shop raider is hunted by police - Hamilton, Scotland. Former bank official admits fraud - $323,000. Most lost in Missouri casinos. State police display haul from gambling-ring bust - Rhode Island.

Las Vegas            Yahoo/PRNewswire
Bally Gaming and Systems Announces Boyd Gaming's South Coast Opens With Powerful Systems and Bonusing Package

Mansfield, Nottinghamshire            Nottingham Evening Post
Stags bid for Las Vegas-style casino

Las Vegas Sands have apparently approached Mansfield Town to build a £100 million casino at their ground.

www.mansfieldtown.premiumtv.co.uk

France            Le Monde
Dépendance aux jeux: contrôles d'identité à l'entrée des casinos fin 2006

Singapore            Reuters
Asia's casino revenues to hit $13 bn in 2006-report
www.globalysis.com

Macau           Eastday/Xinhua & Diario Economico
New casino opens in Macau
Empresário de Hong Kong abre mais um hotel/casino em Macau 

Macau's 18th casino, the Emperor Palace Casino opened today. Movie star Jackie Chan has a minority interest in the venture. The gaming operations are managed and under the license of Stanley Ho's SJM.

www.emperor.com.hk

Miami           Miami Herald & Sun-Sentinel
Abramoff pleads guilty to bogus purchase of SunCruz Casinos fleet
Lobbyist Abramoff admits fraud in deal to buy SunCruz gambling ships

Germany           PresseText.de
FLUXX AG beteiligt sich an Sportwettenanbieter myBet.com
www.fluxx.de
www.mybet.com

Israel & Austria           Bloomberg, World News & Der Standard
Israel Investigates Alleged $3 Million Payment to Sharon Family
Sharon faces bribe claims
Porträt: Multimillionär mit Hang zur internationalen Politik - Martin Schlaff.

London           Hotel Online/Financial Mail
Ladbrokes in new casinos deal with Hilton hotel chain

Ladbrokes the betting and gaming arm of the Hilton Group, has applied for licensing for a 1,000-square metre casino at the Brighton Metropole, part of the Hilton chain.

www.hilton.co.uk/brightonmet

Kangwon, South Korea           The Korea Times
More Gamblers Seek Voluntary Casino Ban
www.kangwonland.com

Springfield, Illinois           UPI
Illinois casinos may card for addicts

The Illinois Gaming Board is considering introducing an ID requirement at all 9 casinos to help keep out the 3,046 individuals who signed have signed up for the states self exclusion programme.

www.igb.state.il.us

London           The Times, Bloomberg & ThisisMoney
Betting exchange denies crisis as three directors resign
Betfair Appoints Chief Operating Officer Yu as Chief Executive
Boardroom blow for Betfair
www.betfair.com

San Mateo, California           Bloomberg/Business Wire
Harrah's and Glu Team up to Bring the World Series of Poker(R)

London           Daily Mail
Don't place your bets on Ms Jowell

Nevada           Las Vegas Sun
Activist puts Nevada gambling tax plan on hold
 
 

More headlines... a quick roundup of other stories fround during GF's daily updates. Sportech's Interactive Gaming Contract with ITV is terminated World Cup gamble may reach £100m Wembley Stadium Unlikely to Host Cup Final, William Hill Says Bank staff plunder footballers' accounts Long-Range Jets Threaten Singapore Airport's Hub Status

Mpumalanga, South Africa           SABCNews
Breakthrough in Nelspruit casino robbery

Birmingham           Birmingham Post & Mail
Super-casino plans 'will lead to more addicts'
Odds on increase in gambling addiction

Singapore           Reuters
Singapore casino bidders in final countdown

Atlantic City           Yahoo/PRNewswire
Bally Gaming and Systems Announces Borgata Goes Live With Power Winners(TM), Order for 4,000 iVIEW(TM) Displays
www.ballysystems.com/sds/iView_products1.asp

Las Vegas           Associated Press
Boyd Gaming Announces $4B Las Vegas Complex 

Prague, Czech Republic           The Prague Daily Monitor
American-style "gambling club" for kids opens in Prague

London       Comment on Peter Dean's interview in the Times
Watchdog named Caligula - The Times Thunderer Column
Government must not water down promises on gambling - The Conservatives.

Las Vegas & Hong Kong           Yahoo/Reuters
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts to Open Luxury Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip
www.shangri-la.com

Las Vegas           Yahoo/PRNewswire
Boyd Gaming Unveils Las Vegas Strip Development Plan
www.boydgaming.comwww.echelonresort.comwww.stardustlv.com

Israel           The Times - Dominic Walsh
Family stand to net $2bn from their online gamble

The next IPO lined up for the online Poker world is apparently PokerStars.com which is 75% owned by the Israeli Scheinberg family.

www.pokerstars.com

Newcastle           icNewcastle/The Journal
Casino loses out on its sign gamble
www.bannatyne.co.uk

London           The Independent
Recovering William Hill bets on World Cup success

Florida & Washington           The Ledger & The Independent
Abramoff to plead guilty in SunCruz Casinos fraud case
The man who bought off Washington

London           The Times - Sam Coates
Gambling watchdog who barked is in the doghouse

Yesterday's Times interview with Peter Dean has caused a great deal of consternation in Westminster. The article also reveals that many of the Gaming Board's senior staff in London have refused to make the move to Birmingham.

www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk

London           The Times - Letters to the Editor
Licence to gamble? - Peter Dean, Chairman Gambling Commission.

Singapore           Business Times & Hong Kong Standard
Competition to build Singapore casino narrows
Cost kills casino joint bid
 

Israel           Globes Online
Police suspect illegal gambling ads on MSN Israel, Start, Nana sites

Middlesbrough           icTeeside/Evening Gazette
Mayor pledges cautious approach to casino bid

U.S Reality TV           Digital Spy
FOX Reality to air US 'Double Or Nothing'
www.doubleornothing.tv

Miami & Washington           Sun-Sentinel
Lobbyist Abramoff reaches plea deal in SunCruz fraud case

Singapore           Yahoo Singapore/Dow Jones & The Courier Mail
Melco, PBL Withdraw Bid For Singapore Casino
Packer quits casino venture bid

The Netherlands           Het Financieele Dagblad
Zuinige klant drukt omzet Holland Casino

Preliminary results from Holland Casino for 2005 indicate a gross win of around €680 million. Spend per head declined €1 to €106. The state monopoly intends to once again try it's luck with an Internet casino in 2006.

www.hollandcasino.nl

London           The Times - Editorial
High stakes - The Gambling Commission should be a tougher regulator

The Times editorial openly critisises the Gambling Commission's "light touch" with the industry.

www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk

London           The Times
Casino law will fuel gambling problems - watchdog
Supercasinos are no big deal, says gaming watchdog

Articles highlighting the working relationship the GC presently has with British operators and their laissez faire approach to regulation.

Doncaster           The Scotsman
National Lottery fails to find the poor punter who missed £9.4m

London           The Scotsman
Gambler 'tried to start casino fire'

London           BBC.co.uk
Confident future for William Hill
William Hill sees profits topping forecasts
www.williamhillplc.co.uk

London           The Times
LCI seeks licence for Park Lane casino in Grosvenor House deal
www.lciclubs.com
http://marriott.co.uk/Channels/globalSites/propertypage/UK/longh
www.grosvenorhousehotel.co.uk - It's not this one !

Pennsylvania           Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Would-be Pa. slot machine distributors court manufacturer IGT

Australia & Singapore           Yahoo Singapore/Asia Pulse & Melbourne Age/AAP
Australia's PBL Withdraws From Singapore Casino Bid
Packer folds on casino
www.pbl.com.au
www.melco.hk.cn

Australia & Singapore           Bloomberg News & Malaysian Star
Publishing & Broadcasting, Melco Withdraw Casino Bid - Update 4
Macau casino magnate, Australian partner withdraw from biding on Singapore casino

Las Vegas           Poker Player Magazine
An Interview with Michael Matts, Cardroom Manager for Caesar's Palace

Caesars Palace's new Poker room opened on the 21st December 2005, 15 years after the original one was closed.

Bolton, Lancashire           ThisisLancashire/Bolton Evening News
Armed gang raid bookies

Hobart, Tasmania & London           The Australian
Betfair ready to set up for business
www.betfair.com.au

Florida           Palm Beach Post
Slots' bet on schools may turn up lemons

St. Paul, Minneapolis           TwinCities.com/Pioneer Press
Collector of all things Vegas keeps rollingHis mobile home holds thousands of souvenirs - nice story!.

Vienna, Austria           OÖNachrichten, Wiener Zeitung & Kurier.at
10 Prozent der Casino-Austria-Mitarbeiter gehen
200 Casino-Mitarbeiter nehmen den Hut
Jobabbau bei Casinos Austria

Some 215 staff out of a total of 1,800 (12%) will be taking Casinos Austria's redundancy package. Visitation to CA's 12 casinos have declined from 2.8 million in 2001 to around 2.3 million in 2005.

www.casinos.at

Travemünde, Germany           HL-Live.de
Casino: Personalabbau um 30 Prozent?

London           The Times
Rank to return £300m as gaming group is shot of its last film asset
www.rank.com

London           The Times
Head of Hilton Group to earn £9m from deal
www.hiltongroup.com

Problem Gambling           ABC News
Online Gambling: A Growing Addiction

Las Vegas           Las Vegas Sun
Columnist Jeff Simpson: 2006 can only get better for LV gaming

Macau           Peoples Daily/Xinhua
Macao's newly opened theme park logs 110,000 visitors
Macao opens first theme park
Macao-Zhuhai checkpoint logs strong passenger flow

Macau           Macau Tourism
Macau Fisherman's Wharf - A New Themed Experience in Macau
www.macautourism.gov.mo
 

London           The Times
Rank to chop its dividend and pay back £300m

Adelaide, Australia           The Sunday Mail
The Ringleaders of $1m sting
Late plunge gouges $200,000 in greyhound sting - 22nd December.
Seal hit hard by sting

Fascinating story involving manipulation of Tote odds to facilitate a coup with a bookmaker. The punters have however still not been paid out.

www.completesportsbetting.com.au

Australia           The Times & Canberra.Yourquide.com
Packer heir gambles his legacy on casinos
It's James Packer's time at the helm Gambling the start of the empire, and its mainstay

Rumours abound that James Packer, just a few days after taking over at PBL, is lining up a bid for pokie and casino operator Tabcorp.

Gaming Investments           Las Vegas Review-Journal
CASINO STOCKS: December uptick ends wild year

Bangkok, Thailand           Bangkok Post
Over 100 arrested in casino raid - Almost B2m seized in betting money

Reno           Reno Gazette-Journal/AP
Nevada hit by worst flooding since 1997, mudslide shuts down I-80 

Washington           New York Times
Lobbyist Is Given Deadline to Take Deal or Go to Trial