Reuters – The casino hub of Macau raked in a record 38 billion patacas (S$6.1 billion) in gambling revenue last month, with strong spending from wealthy punters over the week-long Chinese New Year holiday. Gambling revenue growth in Macau, a Special Administrative Region that is the only place in China where casinos are allowed, soared 40 per cent from the same month a year earlier, far ahead of analyst estimates of growth between 29 and 35 per cent. The world’s No 1 gambling hub, Macau earns the equivalent of Las Vegas’ annual haul in less than two months. February’s figure,…

  iGaming Business – Gaming solutions provider Scientific Games has agreed a deal with the North Dakota Lottery to implement and operate an online lottery system. The deal, which also includes the provision of services and marketing support, will begin in July this year and run for an initial eight years with the option of an additional two-year extension. Under the deal, Scientific Games will provide the Lottery with its Sciplay interactive platform, which will include systems for internet subscription, player registration and player rewards programs. In addition, Scientific Games will also be responsible for the installation and support of…

The highlight of the National Hunt calendar, Cheltenham Festival, takes place between Tuesday 11th and Friday 14th March and you can make the most of the action with bet365’s excellent Horse Racing offers. The bet365 Price Promise will apply to all races televised live on Channel 4 throughout the Festival, with prices constantly updated from 10am each day to ensure that the best price is offered on every horse running. So you can place your bets safe in the knowledge that the bet365 price is the best price. At bet365 you also have the chance to earn risk free bets…

RGJ.com – Time was, gamblers didn’t even want credit card companies maintaining a record of their time in Las Vegas. Now, visitors want loyalty points from mainstream hotel chains for the days they spend holed up in Strip casinos. Casino corporations MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment Corp. have both announced loyalty program partnerships with major hotel chains (Hyatt and Starwood, respectively). The independent Strip casino the Cosmopolitan is also partnering with a hotel chain, striking a deal with Marriott. The deals enable customers to earn and redeem loyalty points with both the hotel and casino chains, and also hold…

The Province – A businessman who lost $500,000 on table games at a Las Vegas casino on Super Bowl weekend is arguing that he shouldn’t have to pay because he was blackout drunk. Southern California gambler Mark Johnston, 52, is suing the Downtown Grand for loaning him money and serving him drinks when he was visibly intoxicated. Nevada law bars casinos from allowing obviously drunk patrons to gamble and from serving them comped drinks. Johnston’s attorney, Sean Lyttle, says the Grand, which opened last November in the old part of Las Vegas, intends to pursue Johnston for trying to shirk…

CBS – Bookmakers and organized crime members have long profited in the high-stakes world of illegal sports gambling. New Jersey is now appealing to the Supreme Court to legalize betting on games. The state hopes to collect millions. However, as CBS News’ legal analyst Jack Ford reports on “60 Minutes Sports,” the ruling won’t put the mob out of business. If it becomes legal, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has said there would be strict state oversight, much like the way it works at his state’s Atlantic City’s casinos. But Angelo Lutz, who is a legitimate businessman and restaurateur, told…