Sri Lanka will not oppose the casino planned for a $400 million mixed-use resort being developed by Australia’s Crown Casinos if it is operated using an existing license held by a local partner, a top government official said on Thursday. The government’s latest stance on casinos is contrary to what it said on April 25 when Australian gambling tycoon James Packer’s Crown project was approved by the country’s parliament. At that time the government said no casino would be allowed in the resort. Opponents of casinos believe they will lead to a boom in prostitution and damage religious values and…

US Poker – The dust has settled from the 140th Kentucky Derby. California Chrome celebrated in the winner’s circle on Saturday. Bettors that picked California Chrome to win took home $2.50 for every $1 bet.  Many other wagers were placed on the annual betting tradition. Churchill Downs held a large portion of the action. Win, place and show bets saw a 17.5 percent hold. Exotics had 22% taken from the prize pool. This was up from 16 percent and 19 percent in 2013, respectively. Churchill Downs booked $186.6 million in bets on Saturday across the entire race card. Winning bettors…

Bangkok Post – A Japanese gambler is taking on tax authorities by claiming his bad bets on horse races were a deductible business expense, a report said Wednesday. The man, a civil servant in Hokkaido, won a whopping 7.84 billion yen ($76.9 million) over six years to 2010, but lost 7.27 billion yen in the process, according to the English edition of the Asahi Shimbun. He declared the balance of 570 million yen as “miscellaneous income,” arguing that because his other winnings were cancelled out by his losses, the losing stubbs represented a legitimate cost of his business, the paper…

Las Vegas Review Journal – The Rampart Casino increased its gaming offerings April 19, opening a new bingo room that can accommodate 300 people, with another 40 in a separate, glass-enclosed smoking room. The bingo room is just off the main casino floor near Starbucks. The day before the official opening, the casino at 221 N. Rampart Blvd. offered a preview to select players. The room was nearly full. Gamers used electronic devices that can display multiple cards, using FortuNet software. The software automatically marked the corresponding square on the device. “It guarantees you’re not going to miss a number,”…

Gambling 911 – Las Vegas casino magnate Steve Wynn insists he did not call US President Barack Obama an “a**hole” during a heated argument last month while having dinner with Hollywood actor George Clooney. Wynn accused Clooney, who stormed out of the Las Vegas restaurant following the alleged remarks, as having been “a little into the tequila”.  He also branded the Ocean’s Eleven star as “mollycoddled”. Clooney quickly responded to Wynn’s remarks via People.com: “I will not let his version of the truth go unchallenged. He now says he didn’t call the president an ‘a******.’ That is false. He bellowed…

The impact of “severe” weather, increased competition and market softness found Caesars suffering losses for the three months of 2014. The company posted net revenue of $2.1 billion (€1.5 billion) in the first quarter of 2014, a decrease of 1.9% on the $2.14 billion achieved in the corresponding period in the previous year. Casino revenue fell 8.6% to $1.4 billion but losses were slightly offset by the growth of the firm’s social and mobile business in its Caesars Interactive Entertainment subsidiary. Elsewhere, Caesars reported that adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization for the quarter also fell 9.9% from…