A Louisville-based Kentucky casino advocacy group said Friday that it will support any of three proposed gambling bills. Kentucky Wins states that includes one introduced this week by House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg. But the board of the Kentucky Equine Education Project, a pro-casino horse group, voted Thursday to “strongly oppose” Stumbo’s bill, KEEP executive director Robert Heleringer said. Stumbo has said he didn’t confer with horse racing tracks before filing his bill, which would amend the state Constitution to allow the General Assembly to legislate expanded gambling. Stumbo’s bill doesn’t specify a number of potential casinos; he has not…

KCTV5 – A recent decline in Missouri’s casino revenues has created funding shortfalls for public schools and state-run veterans’ nursing homes, raising questions among lawmakers about the extent to which the state can continue to rely on gambling to fund some key programs. Underlying the concern is an uncertainty over whether the shortfall is a temporary event caused by a cold winter, the economy and increased casino competition from neighboring states, or whether it is the start of a long-term trend. Missouri relies on two sources of casino revenues. A portion of a per-patron casino fee is used to pay…

A second gambling giant has entered the battle to run Southampton’s super casino. Grosvenor, the UK’s biggest casino operator, has announced it is set to launch a bid to run the complex at the proposed Royal Pier development. It will compete with Aspers, and there is likely to be further interest in running the casino over the next few months. Southampton has one of only eight licences in the country to run a super casino, which could have up to 150 slot machines and 30 blackjack and poker tables. But there are currently only two super casinos in the UK…

iGaming Business – Australian entertainment group Crown Resorts has agreed a one-year extension to its shirt sponsorship deal with the National Rugby League’s Melbourne Storm rugby league team. Crown Resorts has sponsored the club since 2011 and the new deal will extend this relationship through to the end of the 2014 season. Under the deal, Crown Resorts branding will continue to appear in the main sponsorship position on the front of Storm players’ jerseys. “Melbourne Storm is delighted to see the club’s partnership with Crown Resorts enter into its fourth year; it is a strong relationship and they continue to…

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…