CBS Local – A month after instant “scratch-off” Minnesota Lottery ticket sales went live on the Internet, the pioneering venture faces a high-powered threat at the Capitol. The Senate leaders of both parties and tax committee heads in both chambers are seeking a one-sentence change in state law to permanently turn off the new portal for gambling. Among other issues, lawmakers are upset that lottery officials introduced the games without seeking their approval through explicit legislation allowing it. A bill forcing the change gets an initial committee hearing next week, and Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk predicted there are sufficient…

Norfolk Daily News – Ho-Chunk Inc., the economic development division of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, is seeking to intervene in a high-stakes legal fight over casino gambling in Sioux City. Ho-Chunk filed requests Friday to intervene in a lawsuit brought by owners of the Argosy riverboat casino in Sioux City. The lawsuit by Argosy parent company, Penn National Gaming Co., is challenging the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission’s decision last year to award a casino license to the owners of the Hard Rock casino, which is being built in downtown Sioux City. The Hard Rock proposal beat out bids…

iGaming Business – The New York state Senate has backed a proposal to introduce video lottery terminals to various airports in the US state, according to the Associated Press news agency. Under the proposal, slot machines would be positioned inside the departure terminals at certain New York airports. The Senate said the terminals would only be placed in international airports located within a city of one million or more. Operating under these guidelines would mean that slot machines would be located in John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport. The likes of Buffalo Niagara International Airport, Albany International Airport…

iGaming Business – Next generation mobile lottery platform LottoInteractive has selected GeoComply USA as its geolocation solutions provider. GeoComply is licensed by the Nevada Gaming Control Board to provide geolocation services to approved operators in the market. The firm has also been approved by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and currently supports 10 of the 11 gambling websites that are live in the US state. Brian Ward, chief executive officer of LottoInteractive, said: “Balancing the serious criminal liabilities for lottery operators from accidentally taking play from neighboring States with the need to enable simple sign-up and log-in for…

Wales Online – An ex-gambling executive has lifted the lid on how the betting industry has put controversial fixed odds terminals in every high street bookies. The games machines, which let punters stake £300 a minute or £18,000 an hour, have been dubbed “the crack cocaine of gambling”. Last year more than £60m vanished into fixed odds betting terminals in Wales. They are commonly used to play roulette and were introduced to Britain in 2001. “Everyone in the industry thought we would get all these casino high-rollers using these machines,” said Adrian Parkinson, a former regional manager for Tote who…

The Motley Fool – Japanese gaming will likely be the biggest topic in the gaming world in 2014. The one obstacle in the way, however, is the fact that casinos are still forbidden in the country. The government will vote on legislation in the coming months that will decide whether or not casinos will be allowed to begin building in Japan. Analysts expect that if the country allows casinos, it could beat out Singapore to become the second-largest gambling hub in the world, behind Macau. After winning its bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan immediately started looking…