Bloomberg – Macau casino revenue climbed 40 percent to a record in February, beating estimates, after a jump in mainland Chinese visitors to the world’s largest gambling hub during the Chinese New Year. Casino revenue in the Chinese city rose to 38 billion patacas ($4.8 billion), exceeding the 36 billion patacas median of seven analyst estimates in a Bloomberg News survey. The previous record was 36.5 billion patacas in October last year. Casino operators such as Sands China Ltd. (1928) and Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd. (27) have been adding shopping malls, entertainment shows and hotel rooms to draw mainland tourists…

AP – The Illinois Senate president says legalizing internet gambling could bring in much-needed revenue. But Chicago Democrat John Cullerton says he expects stiff opposition to any proposal. During a hearing in Springfield Wednesday, Cullerton says “people are already gambling, and we’re not making any of the money.” John Pappas is the executive director of the Poker Players Alliance, which says the state could bring in almost $200 million a year if it legalized online poker. Three other states allow the practice. Cullerton has pushed for online gambling before. But he says he understands there’s “a lot of complications,” including…

iGaming Business – Gamblers in the UK will be able to set limits on the amount of time and money they spend on fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) under a new code of conduct developed by the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB). According to the Guardian newspaper, the new code will enable customers to set their own limits in the time and money they spend on a machine, while staff will be alerted when limits have been reached. Mandatory alerts will appear on the machines when a customer has spent £250 on a machine or played for more 30 minutes….

Forbes – It’s no secret the Internet has changed the way we do many things and those shifts have rippled through several business models forcing companies to adapt or be left behind… As technology marches on, the scope of industries affected by the Internet continues to expand.  Last week, online learning company 2U, Inc filed for an IPO of up to $100 million. The Landover, Maryland-based company provides cloud-based online learning platforms that help nonprofit colleges and universities in student enrollment, education, support and other services. Another example is how the pharmaceutical industry is embracing the Internet and Cloud computing…

Las Vegas Sun – When Springfield, Mass., needed to choose who would build its first casino, the city hired an outside adviser to help with the process. The consulting firm Shefsky & Froelich recommended the deal go to MGM Resorts International. At the same time, the consulting firm also was working as a registered lobbyist in Illinois for MGM Resorts. The arrangement highlights an often-overlooked trend as more cities and states embrace legalized gambling around the country: Private companies are being hired to write regulations and vet casinos, even as the same firms work the other side of the fence,…

Gamespot – Prominent Nintendo shareholder Seth Fischer, one of Asia’s most distinguished hedge fund managers, has urged the company to break with its decades-old strategy of only releasing software on proprietary systems and instead develop and sell mobile games for iOS and Android devices. “Nintendo needs to embrace this thematic change in consumer demand, behavior, and expectations to stay relevant,” Fischer said in a letter addressed to Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and obtained by Reuters. Fischer is the chief investment officer at Hong Kong-based Oasis Capital Management, which owns shares of Nintendo. The company maintains that releasing its content on…