Global Mail – 1. James Packer sweet-talked his way into building Sydney’s second casino at Barangaroo on Sydney Harbour. Packer says the casino is his “gift” to the people of Sydney. Thanks bro. 2. Facing a deep budget deficit, Queensland turned to gambling to make ends meet. Premier Campbell Newman said that up to three new casino licenses were up for grabs, in a bid to lure middle-class Chinese tourists to the Sunshine state. Because what else does Queensland have to entice people to visit, apart from the stunning weather, beaches, rainforests and a barrier reef so nice that “Great” is…

iGaming Business – China has recorded a significant increase in gaming revenue for 2013, with the national gaming market having generated more than $13 billion (€9.5 billion) in the past year. According to the Venturebeat.com website, the 2013 figure is significantly higher than the $9.8 billion posted in 2012 and quadruple the $3 billion generated in 2008. Despite the growth of mobile gaming in Asia, client-based PC games proved to be the main source of revenue in the country and were responsible for $8.7 billion of all Chinese gaming revenue. Mobile gaming was only able to produce around $1.8 billion…

Philly.com – PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker website, says it wants to offer online gambling in other states even as it continues pursuing a license to do it in New Jersey. In a year-end blog post published Tuesday that was obtained earlier by the Associated Press, the site’s parent company, the Rational Group, also blames the owners of the Atlantic Club for the casino-hotel’s impending shutdown. The Rational Group signed a deal to buy the casino for $15 million, but the casino owners canceled that in April when Rational did not get state approval quickly enough. The post is…

Forbes – Excuse the metaphor, but it’s always been a gamble to guess when Taiwan will start up its first casino. Voters in one county said no thanks in 2009 after a developer had bought land for a gaming resort. An American casino operator keenest to develop in another county has gone quiet after voters said OK to gambling. And Taiwan’s legislature still hasn’t passed the core enabling legislation that would allow casinos anywhere. But people in government expect movement this year, allowing Taiwan to open its first casino in 2019 and start vying with Singapore, the Philippines and even Macau…

The Globe and Mail – Asian countries are lining up to steal gaming business from heavyweight Macau. The tiny enclave on China’s south coast is the world’s gambling mecca: it took $38-billion (U.S.) in gaming revenue in 2012; hotels run at 87 per cent occupancy, according to official data, a shade better than Las Vegas. Yet casino operators are already looking for the next casino capital. Japan may fit the bill. Macau’s secret is a mix of geography, permissive government and tax. Compared to the special autonomous region, the Philippines is too far away to snag high-rolling Chinese gamblers. Singapore…

iGaming Business – California-based racecourse Betfair Hollywood Park has confirmed its closure after it was announced that the venue is to be converted into a residential and retail development. According to the Associated Press news agency, the track played host to its final horseracing event on Sunday, ending 75 years of racing at the venue. The track welcomed horseracing greats such as Seabiscuit, Zenyatta and Seattle Slew during its lifetime. Jack Van Berg, a Hall of Fame Trainer that has raced in California for 41 years, blamed other cities and the state itself for the track’s demise and said he…