Las Vegas Review-Journal – New casino development in Las Vegas is on lockdown. Gaming expansion into states beyond recently approved markets is virtually nonexistent. Those are two reasons regional casino giant and M Resort owner Penn National Gaming struck a deal with a San Diego-area Indian tribe to develop a long-stalled casino complex in Southern California. A third reason is simple. Penn National, which has 29 casinos nationwide, views the planned $360 million Hollywood Casino Jamul as an opportunity to increase its customer base in an untapped market. The development is 20 miles east of downtown San Diego, California’s second-largest…

Reuters – An Australian casino regulator has formally launched a mandatory investigation into Crown Resorts Ltd’s fitness to operate a casino after it won approval to develop VIP gaming at a Sydney luxury resort from November 2019. In a notice published in newspapers on Wednesday, the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority of New South Wales (NSW) called for public submissions regarding the approval of a restricted gaming licence to Crown, controlled by tycoon James Packer, at the Barangaroo development. “It is expected that the investigation will be completed in March 2014,” said a spokesman for the authority. That would be…

The State – How the S.C. Supreme Court interprets the phrase “to the same extent” may determine whether the Catawba Indian Nation can open a casino at its York County reservation. Attorneys for the tribe and the state argued before South Carolina’s highest court Wednesday on whether the state’s Gambling Cruise Act, which allows video gambling cruises from the coast, applies to the Catawbas. Williams Wilkins, an attorney representing the Catawba Indian Nation, said the gambling cruise act and the state’s 1993 settlement with the tribe, when considered together, give the Catawbas the right to have gambling on their reservation….

New York Times – Even though Sheldon G. Adelson, the American billionaire casino magnate, abandoned his plans for a $30 billion casino and leisure resort on the outskirts of Madrid last month, he has nevertheless helped get the roulette wheels spinning here for the first time in almost a century. In mid-December, Mr. Adelson dropped plans to build a resort with six casinos, known as EuroVegas, after the Spanish government refused to accept his demands for financial concessions. Just days later, however, two small casinos opened in central Madrid, operated by Spanish companies that applied for new licenses in the…

iGaming Business – Ralph Topping, the chief executive of bookmaker William Hill, has revealed he is opposed to the “clustering” of betting shops in the UK and has called on MPs to take action before the situation starts to “alienate” communities. According to the Daily Mail newspaper, Topping said that he understands why people have objected to new betting shops opening on their local high street and claims to have seen “stark” examples of their direct impact. Topping also suggested handing licensing authorities more power to block such shops sprouting up if the regulators identified a damaging “cumulative impact”. “I’m…

Forbes – It’s tempting to paint James Packer as the billionaire heir who lucked into a winning hand on Macau casinos, but the reality is more complex. Packer–and his advisors–were ahead of many in seeing the business potential of the Internet and China’s emergence as a 21st-century powerhouse. The moves seem obvious now, but back in 1998, when Packer set up Australian online news portal Nine-MSN, or in 2004, when he was an early-stage investor in Australian jobs site Seek.com, or in 2005, when he grabbed a stake in carsales.com , these were viewed as highly risky ventures. All three…