VOA News – A number of countries in Asia are considering relaxing their gambling legislation to cash in on an expanding pool of wealthy gamers from the world’s most populous and fastest growing nations. This may pose a possible threat to the world’s biggest gambling center, Macau. According to some, 2014 could be the year Japan legalizes gambling. The country’s ruling party has submitted a bill to the parliament.  If it goes through, which many expect to happen, it could turn Japan into the world’s second largest gambling market. But the country is far from the only one in Asia…

UBC News – UBC Psychology Prof. Catharine Winstanley’s work on gambling addictions will be a highlight of the new Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, a major new research and clinical facility opening later this month. What has your research revealed about gambling addictions? We have learned that, in animal models, problem gambling behaviours can be treated with drugs that block dopamine D4 receptors. These receptors are linked to a variety of behavioural disorders, but research had not yet shown a useful role in treatment. Our 2013 study found that rats treated with a dopamine D4 receptor-blocking medication showed reduced…

Canton Rep – What had been money in the pockets of betting men and women and became loot lost on the craps tables, slot machines and other games of chance at the Ohio’s four casinos has landed in the coffers of local public and charter school districts. What had been money in the pockets of betting men and women and became loot lost on the craps tables, slot machines and other games of chance at the Ohio’s four casinos has landed in the coffers of local public and charter school districts. The Ohio Department of Taxation distributed $47.3 million in…

TTG Asia – LONG-STANDING political tensions were no barrier for Chinese travellers looking for sun, surf and gaming as arrivals from China to the Philippines surged a dramatic 69.9 per cent year-on-year in 2013. Travel consultants said this affirmed the Philippines’ appeal as a top beach destination. Oliver Sison, general manager at Far Eastern Travel Agency, said Chinese travellers love the beach and “primarily Boracay and (its) party atmosphere”. China was the Philippines’ fourth biggest source market according to Department of Tourism (DoT) statistics, totalling 426,352 arrivals and a 9.1 per cent total market share in 2013. DoT attributed this…

Press of Atlantic City – The head of a state Assembly committee pushing for gambling expansion in North Jersey attacked Atlantic City on Thursday, saying greedy casino executives have ruined the resort and are looking for a state bailout. Meanwhile, two South Jersey lawmakers continued to advocate for the city, saying such public discussions continue to erode confidence in Atlantic City, which still has two years remaining under Gov. Christie Christie’s promise to block gambling expansion in support of plans to revitalize the oceanside resort. The debate took place Thursday during a hearing of the Assembly Tourism and Gaming Committee,…

Miami Herald – Jai-alai has devolved into farce, a spectator sport with pretend spectators, a sad excuse for pari-mutuel license holders to stage the poker rooms and slot machine extravaganzas preferred by modern gamblers. But jai-alai, at least, is harmless farce. Players aren’t forcibly pumped full of steroids or locked in pens. Players don’t keel over dead on the fronton floor. When jai-alai players become too old and slow to compete, trainers don’t shoot them in the head and toss their bodies into mass graves. As Florida’s pari-mutuel farces go, jai-alai scores considerably less repugnant than greyhound racing. The public…