Sydney Morning Herald – Casino operator Donaco International has cleared the final regulatory hurdle in its bid to open a new hotel and gaming property in the North of Vietnam, pitched at Chinese gamblers in the bordering Yunnan province. The company is run by Joey and Ben Lim who are nephews of casino magnate K.T. Lim, the founder of Malaysian conglomerate Genting Berhad. Genting Hong Kong, which is part of Mr Lim’s empire, has a strategic stake in casino operator Echo Entertainment Group. The young pair have been successful in selling their vision to local fund managers of new casinos…

KITV – The Honolulu City Council is considering making it illegal to own a gambling machine. Councilman Joey Manahan says he wants to give law enforcement more tools to crack down on gambling. He says more establishments with sweepstakes machines have been popping up and neighbors have complained. The bill would make it a misdemeanor to manage, maintain, produce, possess or use the machines. It would be punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Companies that own the machines say they are not gambling devices. SOURCE

Press of Atlantic City – More than 2,100 people who played in a poker tournament where fake chips were discovered will see a refund from Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. After a three-month investigation, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement issued an order Monday, allowing $1.7 million in prize money and refunds to be distributed to almost half of the people who entered the January contest. The investigation found that Borgata properly monitored the tournament and was not at fault. Meanwhile, officials acknowledged that the scam still may lead to other regulatory changes. Unprompted by regulators, Borgata has already…

iGaming Business – International casino entertainment company Century Casinos has moved to strengthen its presence in the Polish national market by opening a new facility in the Eastern European country. Through its Casino Poland subsidiary, the company has launched a new casino in the Polish city of Poznan. The move comes after Casino Poland opted to relocate its casino licence in Poznan from what it described as an “unfavourable” location to the Andersia four-star hotel. The new casino facility offers nine gaming tables and approximately 50 ‘ticket in – ticket out’ slot machines. Century Casinos is currently operating a total…

Reuters – The Japanese city of Osaka plans to invite operators to build a casino on a plot of reclaimed land on Osaka Bay, its governor told Reuters, pipping Tokyo in the race to attract global gaming firms to set up the country’s first gambling resort. Yumeshima, with about 170 hectares (420 acres) of land available for development, is likely to be designated as the preferred site for a casino when Osaka officials meet on April 22 to discuss the issue, Governor Ichiro Matsui said in an interview. Tokyo, the other city most likely to host a casino, has yet…

Sacramento Bee – The signs of decay linger on Virginia Street, the main casino corridor in “The Biggest Little City in the World.” Pawn shops and cut-rate motels line up alongside the high-end hotel towers. The strip is still pocked with shuttered casinos, victims of the recession and burgeoning competition from Northern California’s Indian tribes. But signs of comeback – slow and steady – are evident as well. Construction crews are turning the old Fitzgeralds casino, closed since 2008, into the outdoor-themed Whitney Peak Hotel. A small slot-machine parlor called Siri’s Casino soon will open next door. In nearby Sparks,…