Las Vegas Review Journal – To use an Olympics reference, Las Vegas won the silver medal for the second straight year. Singapore’s two casinos experienced a 3.8 percent increase in gaming revenues during 2013, but it wasn’t enough to carry the island nation past the Strip. The Marina Bay Sands, which is owned by Las Vegas Sands Corp., and Genting Group’s Resorts World Sentosa produced a combined $6.077 billion in gaming revenues during the year, which fell short of the Strip’s $6.5 billion in 2013. Both markets were far behind Macau, the world’s largest gaming destination, which produced a record…

Casino City Times – A rollback on imposing ATM withdrawal limits on cash machines in gambling venues has taken place in Australia, The Guardian reported. The previous Labour government had introduced the measure as a proposal to tackle problem gambling under its pokie-reform platform, the report said. However, the Social Affairs Minister issued a directive that instructs the gambling regulator to prioritize giving gambling venues an exemption from the limits, according to The Guardian report. It appears possible that the increased economic burden that would be placed on ATM industry to comply with the regulations is behind the directive, the…

The Nevada Gaming Commission approved a $1 million fine against the Seeno family’s Nevada casino operations Thursday, after the Peppermill chain admitted to ordering an employee to steal proprietary data from rivals through a slot machine spying scam. The Nevada Gaming Commission voted 3-0 to approve the steep fine, which Peppermill’s ownership agreed to pay last week. One commissioner recused himself from the vote and another abstained, according to Karl Bennison with the regulatory agency. Peppermill President William Paganetti read a brief statement at the Las Vegas hearing, apologizing for the casino’s action, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I’m…

In a unanimous opinion, the Kentucky Supreme Court made a decision on so called Instant Racing. They ruled that the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has the legal authority to regulate wagers on previously run horse races presented on electronic gambling machines — but that the legality of the wagers themselves has yet to be established. The court said the case must go back to Franklin Circuit Court, where it originated, to determine whether “the licensed operation of wagering on historical horse racing as contemplated by (the racetracks and the state) constitutes a parimutuel form of wagering.” The court also reversed…

inCypress – Cabinet yesterday decided to establish ministerial and coordination committees and appoint a project manager amid efforts to create casinos that are “the best of their kind in Europe and amongst the best in the world”. Deputy Government Spokesman Viktor Papadopoulos made the announcement after yesterday’s Cabinet meeting. He revealed that Deloitte has been selected as the successful candidate to consult the government on the casino issue following an international tender process undertaken by the Commerce Ministry. Papadopoulos announced the Cabinet’s decision to create a Ministerial Committee and a Coordinating Committee and to designate a project manager for the…

Bloomberg – Crown Resorts Ltd. (CWN), the gaming company controlled by billionaire James Packer, slumped after first-half profit missed analyst estimates as a 26 percent decline in bets from high-rolling gamblers weighed on earnings. Net income was A$382.5 million ($344 million) in the six months ended Dec. 31, the Melbourne-based company said in a regulatory statement today, more than double the A$180.8 million result a year earlier. Crown fell 3.2 percent to A$16.68 at the close in Sydney trading, the biggest decline since Dec. 13. Australian casino companies are counting on growing demand from high-spending Chinese and other Asian tourists…