iGaming Business – Helen Grant, the UK Minister for Sport, Tourism and Equalities, has announced plans to introduce a number of changes to UK gambling regulations. As reported by iGaming Business, the government has already unveiled plans to hand local councils more power to decide whether more betting shops should open in their constituencies in order to combat ‘clustering’ of such outlets. Under current regulations, planning applications are not always required for new betting shops to open as bookmakers can move into premises left empty by business under the same category, such as banks and estate agents. The government is…

San Francisco Gate – An actor in a plush panda suit bounds across the stage with the enthusiasm of a minor league baseball mascot, flanked by acrobats atop bamboo poles, stone-faced kung-fu fighters and over-the-top visual effects rarely seen off the Las Vegas Strip. “PANDA!” — the first Chinese-produced show to take up a long-term residency on the famous tourist corridor — also takes pains to weave in Chinese folklore and motifs, including sweeping views of an ultra-modern Beijing skyline on giant LCD screens. The loose, wordless plot needs no translation. The subtext doesn’t either: A growing, confident China wants respect, not…

Greek-owned gaming and lottery operator Intralot has signed an amendment to its contract with the Ohio Lottery in order to provide interactive terminals and games to the state lottery. Intralot will supply its Multi-Purpose Next Generation (MPNG) self-service Lottery machines, which will be linked to the EZPLAY Tap Games, an extension of the lottery’s instant online EZPLAY product line of interactive games. The machines will be connected to Intralot’s B-On interactive gaming platform, which it said has been designed to expand sales and services across various traditional and alternative sales channels. The terminals, which will be rolled out in veterans…

Bloomberg – MGM China Holdings Ltd., the Macau casino operator, said first-quarter profit jumped by a third as mass-market gambling increased. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or Ebitda, increased to $257 million from $193 million a year earlier, according to a statement yesterday from MGM Resorts International (MGM), the company’s Las Vegas-based parent. That compares with the median estimate of $258.5 million from six analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News. The numbers exclude a branding fee of $16 million this year and $13 million last year. MGM China will continue to redeploy more gaming tables to mass-market gamblers,…

Macau Business Daily – Veteran Macau gaming industry executive Greg Hawkins has been appointed managing director of The Star casino resort in Sydney, its operator Echo Entertainment Group Ltd recently confirmed. Hawkins is expected to take up the role in September, after getting necessary regulatory approvals, the company said yesterday, according to Australian media reports. He replaces Frederic Luvisutto, who resigned in December to pursue new career opportunities. “Having managed both a premium VIP hotel and casino and a large-scale integrated resort in Macau, Greg also brings experience in the Asian VIP and premium mass market where we see further…

CNBC – Las Vegas is easily America’s city that is most synonymous with recreational risk-taking. Atlantic City, especially for those on the East Coast, has also long been known as a place to take a chance on blackjack or drop coins in a slot machine. But in truth, the United States is dotted with gambling havens from coast to coast. With tax rates up to 40 percent, these businesses can generate hundreds of millions in state revenues. We decided to look at the states with the most revenue from commercial gambling in 2012. Some of the 13 states that made…