Bloomberg – Crown Resorts Ltd., the Australian gaming company controlled by billionaire James Packer, won final approval from the New South Wales state government to develop a casino in Sydney’s Barangaroo precinct. The agreement between the state and Crown is consistent with the conditions set down in the government’s initial approval in July, New South Wales Premier Barry O’Farrell said in a statement yesterday. Melbourne-based Crown Resorts will operate a gaming resort restricted to “VIP” clients and will provide tax payments of at least A$1 billion ($938 million) in the first 15 years of operation, according to the statement. Crown’s…

The Atlantic Club Casino Hotel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Wednesday, a move that is part of a plan to put its Atlantic City gambling business up for auction, according to sources familiar with the matter. California buyout firm Colony Capital LLC is the latest in a long string of owners of the casino, which is suffering along with the rest of the Atlantic City Boardwalk casinos from increased gambling competition in neighboring states. Atlantic Club pursued a marketing scheme designed to a steady stream of local gamblers with modest prices. The strategy paid off in the form of…

iGaming Business – The Reuters news agency said that the tender process was launched earlier this month. In 2009, Turkey abandoned plans to privatise the lottery after the two bidders involved were unable to meet the $1.6 billion (€1.2 billion) minimum asking price. Capital city Ankara instead opted to sell licences for games operated by the lottery. SOURCE

The Sydney Morning Herald – The champion of Barangaroo’s southern cove, Paul Keating, says its function as a landmark can be ”swapped” with the proposed site for James Packer’s $1.5 billion hotel casino. The cove is to shrink by about 2000 square metres under the latest design changes, endorsed by the Barangaroo Delivery Authority this week. These would also shift parkland inland from the harbour – a consequence of Lend Lease agreeing to relocate its hotel from a site approved over the water to Mr Packer’s preferred location. Mr Keating, a strong advocate for the two harbour coves and naturalistic…

iGaming Business – Bookmaker William Hill is offering future wagering on the 2014 Kentucky Derby horseracing event for customers in the US state of Nevada. Wagers on the Kentucky Derby can be placed at any William Hill Race Book location in Nevada. Honor Code and Tap It Rich currently head the list of hopefuls with William Hill offering prices of 50-1 on each horse. William Hill listed Orb, the 2013 Derby winner, at opening odds of 150-1 before the horse entered the race at 5-1. The 2014 event will take place at Churchill Down, Kentucky on May 3, 2014. In…

Residents are not eager to have a full-scale New York casinos in the five boroughs. And if new casinos are built upstate, most city residents say they would not be interested in visiting. But a majority of city voters support a ballot measure to allow as many as seven casinos in New York State, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll. The finding is good news for supporters of expanded gambling in the state, including Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. New York City is home to about 40 percent of the state’s registered voters, and Election Day turnout in the…