Bloomberg – A draft of a bill legalizing casinos was approved by a panel of lawmakers from Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party today, in a step toward allowing gambling resorts to be built in Japan. “We are now able to move forward,” said Ryosei Akazawa, head of the party’s transport panel, who said he had now been placed in charge of shepherding the legislation through the approval process. The next step will be to take the bill to the party’s policy panel for official backing. A cross-party group of lawmakers headed by LDP deputy Secretary General Hiroyuki Hosoda has said…

Las Vegas Review Journal – A federal commission studying U.S. relations with China recommended closer examination of gaming in Macau, saying weak financial controls in the district pose “significant risk” of money laundering and terrorist financing. The report issued Wednesday by the U.S.-China Economic Security Review Commission stopped short of saying U.S. security interests might be at stake. But commission Chairman William Reinsch said what it found “was disturbing and raises the question that possibility is out there.” The 12-member panel, composed of experts in trade, intelligence, defense and international affairs, said it “did not seek nor did it find…

Macau Business Daily – Macau could need as many as 7,000 new gaming machines each year until 2017 to cater for the next wave of Cotai casino openings, says a new report commissioned from Macau Polytechnic Institute. The document ‘Research Report on Macao Gaming Industry’ was launched at the Macao Gaming Summit conference held during the Macao Gaming Show last week. The 7,000 new-to-market estimate is likely to be a gross increase rather than a net increase. Underperforming machines regularly get pulled from the highly competitive Macau casino floors. The attrition rate last year was as high as 20 percent…

It’s “80 to 90 percent certain” that citizens would be allowed to gamble in big Vietnam casino resorts in that country within “two to three years”, said a speaker at the Macao Gaming Summit. Currently only foreigners or Vietnamese with overseas passports are legally allowed to gamble in the 13 or so establishments of varying size that are unofficially classified collectively as ‘casinos’. “At that time Vietnamese will be allowed to play in Van Don and Ho Tram – not in small casinos,” said Augustine Ha Ton Vinh, who describes himself as an advisor to the Vietnamese government. He was…

Sydney Morning Herald – James Packer’s casino has the green light after the NSW Parliament passed legislation approving VIP-only gambling at the proposed $1.3 billion hotel complex at Barangaroo. The legislation passed through the upper house at lunchtime on Monday with the support of Labor and opposed only by the NSW Greens and Christian Democrats who voted against it. Premier Barry O’Farrell recently announced that cabinet had entered into a “binding agreement” with Crown to develop the “VIP-restricted gaming facility”. The Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority will still need to consider whether Mr Packer’s company is a suitable casino operator…

iGaming Business – Italian lottery and gaming company Lottomatica has agreed a deal to distribute the internet and mobile slots games of online gaming software developer World Match Limited via its Lottomatica.it and Totosi.it platforms. According to the Yogonet.com website, Lottomatica customers can now access slots games via a desktop computer or smartphone. “Having gained an extensive experience in international markets, World Match has managed to design a game engine developed specifically to meet the needs and tastes of Italian players,” World Match’s chief executive officer, Andrea Boratto, said. SOURCE