Aljazeera – Gambling has been illegal in Pakistan since 1947. But the ban has not stopped the industry from thriving. There are hundreds of illegal gambling shops across Karachi. The punishment for breaking the law include a $10 fine and up to one year in prison. These lax penalties, combined with poor enforcement, allow illegal betting to thrive. LISTEN TO FULL REPORT

Macau Business Daily – International Game Technology (IGT) is expected to launch a new slot machine game at selected casino properties in Macau and Singapore by 2015. The company said in a statement that it already had the licence to develop the new Tokidoki-themed games. Available in additional casino markets throughout the world, they will debut here and in Singapore. “With our strong focus on developing games that appeal to international audiences, based on themes and game dynamics that resonate regionally, we’re very pleased to launch Tokidoki for players in Asia, particularly in Macau and Singapore,” said Joe Sigrist, IGT…

Venture Beat – There used to be a time when typing the word “lottery” into the App Store on iTunes returned strictly gaming apps, like “Slots Elvis Zombies in Vegas” or “Scratchers Free Instant Scratch-Off Lucky Lottery Tickets,” ones that are lottery related, but more than anything are games at their heart of hearts – systematic stuff that may feature gambling terms in the title, but the only monies that they receive are for in-app purchases that don’t return real lottery tickets to buyers. Well, that day has changed. As reported recently by The Chicago Tribune, Illinois is now the…

Spokesman – The Coeur d’Alene Casino is ready to shuffle up and deal. The casino is advertising a May 2 opening date for its new poker room, with executives saying that Idaho’s constitutional ban on poker games doesn’t apply to the tribal-owned casino. But the Idaho Lottery Commission has different views, setting up a potential showdown over the casino’s six poker tables. The Coeur d’Alene Tribe plans to offer Texas Hold ’Em and Omaha at the casino. Those are card games of skill with players competing against each other for stakes and no house bank involved, said Helo Hancock, the tribe’s legislative director. The…

Card Player – Deutsche Bank is in talks with potential buyers of the Cosmopolitan on the Las Vegas Strip, Bloomberg reported this week. The bank has owned the property for a handful of years. Germany’s largest bank could be looking for more than $2 billion for the casino, hotel and resort, and has attracted at least four possible bidders, the report said. The property’s actual value could be around $1.5 billion. According to the report, the complex “cost more than $3.9 billion to build and has never turned a profit…The Cosmopolitan reported 2013 earnings—before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization—of $103…

iGaming Business – French online betting and gaming operator PMU has reported that despite a year-on-year drop in sales during the first quarter of 2014, its activity in the period was “in line with expectations”. The operator reported total sales of €2.6 billion ($3.6 billion) for Q1 of 2014, a decrease of 3.4% on the previous year. PMU’s horseracing business suffered the most with an overall drop of 4.5% in sales to €2.4 billion. French horseracing sales fell 7.4% to €2.2 billion in the quarter but this was slightly offset by a 45.6% jump to €192.1 million in international sales….