Those who support Kentucky expanded gambling and legalizing casinos are back in the starting gate, mounting another campaign that promotes expanded gambling as a lucrative revenue source during lean times in hopes of a strong stretch run for a proposal mired in defeat. The latest version will be presented as a proposed constitutional amendment that would go on the 2014 fall ballot in Kentucky if approved by the General Assembly. Proposals have been drafted for introduction in the House and Senate. Its most ardent backers insist it’s not such a long-shot, but even they sound worn down by years of…

Belfast Telegraph – Moves to clear the way for the first casino to be built in Northern Ireland are expected to advance next year. Representatives of one Europe’s biggest gaming companies and Belfast City councillors have already had exploratory discussions over a multimillion-pound complex which would also include restaurants and a hotel. Up to 200 jobs could be created, it has been claimed. Northern Ireland’s gambling laws do not have provision for the opening of a purpose-built casino, but the UK-based Rank Group, which manages 55 casinos across Britain, has confirmed possible plans for one in Belfast. Dan Waugh, Rank…

Blackjack Champ – Gaming industry representatives were outraged last week over South Australian anti-gambling public service announcements. The billboards suggested online and mobile social gaming could encourage people to take up iPad gambling. Efforts of the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA) to get the billboards taken down were successful, as South Australian officials finally caved in to their requests. The advertisements showed a young girl in front of a felt-covered table with chips and cards, holding an iPad, with the message “Gambling starts with games” written under the image. IGEA representatives claimed the billboards don’t follow the government’s own…

The Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas has been an icon for tourists traveling to the Strip. The property opened the day after Christmas in 1946, despite the fact that it wasn’t yet complete. Mobster Bugsy Siegel and his partners opened the hotel with just 105 rooms, hoping the grand event would attract business that would recoup cost overruns and help finance the rest of construction. The Flamingo was to be a new kind of luxury for Vegas, a full resort that featured a nine-hole golf course; tennis, squash and handball courts; a trapshooting range and extensive landscaping. Its high-end clientele…

Newsday – Britney Spears has begun her early retirement in Las Vegas with a show that looks strikingly like the eye-popping Cirque du Soleil productions found elsewhere on the Strip. The debut of Spears’ long-term casino gig Friday kept an audience of about 4,500 on their feet for about 90 minutes. The young-for-Vegas crowd was there for the danceable hits and the spectacle, which included acrobatics, a ring of fire, confetti, a live band, frenetic costume changes and a frequently airborne Spears. The show’s production values are unusually high for a casino residency, calling to mind the golden age of…

CNN – Macau hotels are outdoing themselves to prove they’re not just convenient places for gamblers to crash after a binge. Below are some Macau hotel gimmicks quirky enough to soften the crush of big losses at the tables. Michael Jackson-themed chamber escape game The Ponte 16 casino-resort not only has a gallery dedicated to more than 40 pieces of Michael Jackson memorabilia, it recently launched a chamber escape game with a horror theme reminiscent of the King of Pop’s “Thriller” video. The game features two chambers, dubbed Death Valley and Murder of Dance, in which you’ll have to unlock the doors to return to…