CROWN Casino is demanding a 99 year licence from the government in a radical bid that would extend its operations until 2092. Herald Sun – In backroom negotiations the casino giant has told the Napthine Government it deserves nearly century long licence to gamble because of a new tax on its poker machines announced in December. Crown is understood to be playing hardball with the Department of Treasury and Finance aggressively seeking new tax breaks for its high roller tables. Gambling chiefs have argued this is deserved because the pokies tax will cost them $22,715-per-machine, or $57m a year, when…

Wynn appears to be one of the best investments in the casino space. That’s not because of its great Las Vegas presence, but rather it’s because of Wynn’s position with overseas gambling. Macau, the gaming capital of the world, has been a growth machine for Wynn and the other major casino operators who had the foresight to invest there. Now, the real story for Wynn is the Cotai Strip. This area of Macau is expected to see growth like what the Macau region has become known for over the last half decade. Over 70% of Wynn’s revenue comes from Macau….

Las Vegas Sun – A two-story restaurant under construction at the Monte Carlo on the Strip caught fire today, destroying a bar area. The Clark County Fire Department responded about 2:35 a.m. to the Double Barrel Saloon at the hotel-casino at 3770 S. Las Vegas Blvd., MGM Resorts International officials said. The fire was contained to the bar area, which was under construction, and caused about $100,000 damage, Deputy Fire Chief Jon Klassen said. The fire did not cause any evacuations or disrupt patrons, MGM spokeswoman Mary Hynes said. Business and construction has continued as normal, she said. One firefighter…

According to statistics gathered by Ofcom, since the passage of the 2005 Gambling Act, television gambling ads have grown by 1,443 percent. The eight-year-old law allowed gambling operators to advertise widely on TV, for the first time, and sponsor sporting events. In 2005, there were approximately 90,000 but this figure has grown to over 1.38 million by 2012, which was an increase of 14-fold. Last year, over one third of the advertisements were for bingo at 38.3 percent, 29.6 percent were for online casino and poker, while lottery and scratch card ads accounted for 25.6 percent of total television gambling…

iGaming Business – Online casino and sportsbetting provider Webis Holdings has announced that its WatchandWager.com deposit wagering subsidiary has received approval from the Thoroughbred Owners of California organisation to allow residents in the US state to wager on thoroughbred racing. The approval will cover thoroughbred racing in the US and all international jurisdictions in which WatchandWager.com has rights. WatchandWager.com can now accept wagers from Californian residents on thoroughbred content throughout its website. The agreement involves a statutory $50,000 (€36,584) one-off payment in prize money contribution to the California Purse Fund and also ensures that a percentage of all bets placed…

M Live – State regulators say they’ve reached a compromise on charity poker rules, but not everyone is happy with the restrictions. The Michigan Gaming Control Board on Thursday announced a proposal to limit poker rooms or other locations to hosting charity poker games up to four nights a week. While that’s less restrictive than a previous proposal, some say it could put poker rooms out of business that had been operating seven days a week. The board has for months weighed different options for dealing with so-called “millionaire parties” that allow nonprofit groups to raise funds by hosting casino-style…